Whether mixing front-of-house or shaping the microscopic details of a studio mix, 4× Grammy-winning engineer Migui Maloles has built a career on one thing: making an artist’s vision translate. He’s worked with artists including E-40, Killer Mike, Daniel Caesar, and more - developing an ear for what a track needs to hit in every listening environment.
We joined Migui in his Los Angeles studio to see how he uses precision tools like Bus TRANSIENT to augment a mix without reinventing it, ensuring the artist’s original intent comes across with strength and clarity.
From punk to platinum
Migui’s journey in sound began in the raw environment of high school punk bands. A four-track recorder was an early obsession, leading him to record some local acts and eventually land an internship where a chance meeting with hip-hop legend E-40 set his professional path in motion. That relationship, now spanning 16 years, was foundational, but it was the move to Los Angeles that took things further. Today, his work is a hybrid of in-the-box agility and analog warmth, a setup designed to serve one purpose: making great records.
The goal for me as a mixer is always to keep the integrity of the demo the way it is. I’m not trying to reinvent the song. I am trying to basically augment the song, bring out the most important parts, establish some dimension, establish depth, establish height, width.
Precision dynamics with Bus TRANSIENT
For Migui, augmenting a track meant shaping its dynamics with surgical precision. When trying Bus TRANSIENT on a mix for producer Phil Lewis (aka Fury), it stood out for its control and multi-band versatility. Working the drums, he added mid-band transient attack for definition at the top of the kick and snare, boosted the body and lengthened the decay for extra warmth, then added a touch of top-band attack for some snare crack. He used the Tone control to brighten everything up, elevating the drums without changing their character.
It’s very natural - you have a lot of control over the parameters, and they’re all very intuitive. It’s pretty much everything I’d ever want from a transient shaper.
The plugin proved equally versatile on a rhythmic electric guitar part that was getting lost in the mix. To enhance it, Migui used Bus TRANSIENT to accentuate the top-end transient, giving the sound of the pick hitting the string a renewed sense of realism and clarity. He then added some body and gain to fatten the part, letting it cut through without heavy-handed EQ or compression.
Adding character and dimension
While Bus TRANSIENT is great for enhancing core dynamics, Migui leans on a few other choice processors for refining his mixes. He uses Tape J-37 on the mix bus to add life, depth, and a sense of dimension. Jun-6 Chorus shows up all over his mixes, used heavily on the bass part for a Daniel Caesar record, offering width and low-mid depth. For tone-shaping, EQ SITRAL-295 delivers those big, musical curves with Arturia’s refinements giving that extra level of control. And on vocals, Rev INTENSITY brings a lush, wide, 3D tail that lifts the performance and gives it its own world.
The studio and the stage
Migui’s dual life as both a studio and live sound engineer gives him a unique perspective. The immediate feedback from a live audience and the challenge of making a mix work in a large, unpredictable space directly informs his studio process. He understands that a dynamic mix isn't just about loudness; it's about the relationship between each element. An approach which highlights why a transient shaper can be such an effective tool for ensuring the foundational elements of a track cohere and land with power and definition.
My creative process has changed quite a bit… now it’s a lot more technically sound, but I still try to embody that attitude that I had when I was young… because I think that being a little reckless can yield some really creative results.
“To me, music is magical and it directly impacts people’s lives. That’s a heavy responsibility, and being able to contribute to the art is an honor. I’m really excited to keep pushing forward and keep pushing sonic creativity with Arturia in my arsenal.”
Experience > equipment
With over 15 years in the industry, Migui’s process is guided by his experience, taste, and a deep understanding of his tools. He encourages younger engineers to experiment relentlessly and to trust their ears. It’s this combination of technical mastery and intuition that defines his sound. By using focused tools like Bus TRANSIENT, he is able to make decisions that serve the song and honor the artist’s original intent.