On The Road With Eddie “El Brujo” Caipo — An Interview for Performance & Backstage Systems

Mike Dias:
As a Studio Engineer, Producer, FOH and Monitor Engineer, Eddie “El Brujo” Caipo has worked as FOH and MON engineer for a wide range of artists such as Smash Mouth, Tears for Fears, the Kings of Chaos (Guns & Roses, Velvet Revolver, Deep Purple, Def Leppard and Collective Soul — all star lineup), Flipsyde — Honda Civic Tour with The Black Eyed Peas and Pussycat Dolls, Taio Cruz, Sugar Ray, Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Tone Loc, The Saturdays, Jaguares, Julio Iglesias, Concrete Blonde among others.

Hi Eddie, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Where in the world are you now?

Eddie Caipo:
I’m down in Latin America doing a quick tour in Chile, Argentina and now off to Mexico for a couple of weeks with Enrique Iglesias.

Mike Dias:
How did you get your start in music production?

Eddie Caipo:
Long story, but in short my dad, brothers, cousins are all musicians, and I always leaned towards audio at a very young age at my dad’s nightclub and studio at home. It was pretty natural for me.

Mike Dias:
I see that you worked at a music house for a while as a composer. What was that like?

Eddie Caipo:
Yeah it was very cool. I was writing, producing and mixing jingles for California Lottery, Pacific Bell and many others in the Spanish market. It was a great learning experience, and definitely helped carve my career in some ways. I was able to learn how to use Pro Tools when it first came out — it was called Sound Tools and it was only two channels — and then Pro Tools with four channels. It was fascinating to be able to do all that stuff. Loved it, but I knew it wasn’t where I wanted to end up so I moved on.

Mike Dias:
Do you prefer live sound or the studio environment?

Eddie Caipo:
I love both…and I have always done both all the time. They are completely different animals but they each have their moments.

Mike Dias:
Tell us about some of the differences.

Eddie Caipo:
In the studio, you get to be part of the creative side of things before anyone else gets to hear it, and you get to refine your sounds and production with more time to achieve your goal or album concept. You get to interact with the artist and band in a more intimate setting. You also get to fix any mistakes, or do many vocal takes and comp them, edit the music, etc.

Where live you are part of a process that is to translate what the band/artist is performing live for the audience and you only get one shot at it and I find that thrilling. It is as if you are another musician but not on stage; instead you are in the middle of the audience.

Mike Dias:
You’ve worked with music in many different genres. Can you talk about the challenges you have faced?

Eddie Caipo:
Great question. I grew up in Peru where of course a lot of music is Spanish — but in all genres — but there also was a huge influence of American and European rock, funk, heavy metal, pop, etc., so I was always exposed to it all. Plus I always mixed my dad’s projects which exposed me to traditional Latin music as well.

Although I have been fortunate to always work with different genres — from rock to Latin to jazz to heavy metal — the biggest challenge has been convincing people that I can mix any of those styles since most people just assume you are only good at one of them.

Mike Dias:
Are there techniques you’ve taken from one genre and applied to another?

Eddie Caipo:
Oh yeah, I always find a way to apply a technique from one to another — it’s part of what makes this so much fun. For instance parallel compression is something lots of engineers use for rock especially on drums… but I have used it on Latin music on bass, BGVs and percussion. It all depends on what you are looking for. The sky is the limit IMO.

Mike Dias:
With so many genres you’ve probably worked with many different personality types. How do you think you learned to manage that from a personal angle?

Eddie Caipo:
First you try to get to know your artist — what they like, their reactions, actions and such. But the biggest thing for me has always been to be honest and not just stroke the artist’s ego every time or simply say yes to everything they say or need. Instead just be straight with them and confident. They truly appreciate that underneath it all. That being said, at the end of the day they write the check so if they feel strong about something — even if you disagree — you must comply. But for the most part I have learned that if the artist gets to the point where they trust you, this is a non-issue.

Mike Dias:
How about from a technical angle?

Eddie Caipo:
On the technical side, depending on what you are doing — FOH or monitors — it varies. For monitors you don’t always get to hear what you want to hear or what you think would be best for your artist. You have to mix it the way the artist wants; period. You can have suggestions and add your flavor, but ultimately it’s what they want or need to put on a good show.

With FOH usually you have a bit more freedom as long as you capture the sound that represents the artist. You can add your touch and get to hear it during the show and enjoy the audience reaction.

Mike Dias:
Is there a typical day for you on the road? If so what’s that like?

Eddie Caipo:
Typical day on the road for me is nothing too special… same old thing. Get to venue, load file, check wireless systems, line check, lunch, soundcheck, dinner, show, after-show beer, back to hotel… Call of Duty Ghosts… then sleep. THANK YOU DIGITAL CONSOLES!

Mike Dias:
Do you have any tips for someone just starting out doing FOH?

Eddie Caipo:
Study and work real hard. Everything you learn in audio school is great but you need to stay open to what comes at you and not just apply what you were taught. Use that knowledge to come up with better ways to deal with situations. Never be afraid to ask questions. If someone doesn’t want to show you something, move on to the next person. Hang out with people willing to share experiences and techniques without expecting anything in return.

Mike Dias:
And with that, we’ll be seeing you on the road. Thank you Eddie.

Bio (as provided):
Eddie is currently residing in the Bay Area in Northern California, where he is constantly working on new projects in his studio Cielobrujo Music with his wife and partner Cielo.

When not on the road or making music in the studio, you’ll find “El Brujo” spending time with his family, playing Call of Duty Ghosts or racquetball, listening to 80’s music in English and Spanish, going to the beach, watching movies, and always trying to find new and cool places to try new foods.

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