Art & Life with Dominic Mendoza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominic Mendoza.

Dominic, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in the small town of Gallup, New Mexico. For the majority of my life I chased my passion for baseball. At the age of 19 I gained an interest in music. I began to make beats, write and record in my dorm room with a program called Fruity Loops. The interest quickly transformed into a love that I could not shake. The idea of manipulating sound, moving people with lyrics and getting lost in the music became the only thing I could think about. In 2012 I took my love and passion to the next level and attended Collins College for a bachelor’s degree in Audio Production.

There I was able to learn the fundamentals of audio recording, mixing, mastering and producing. I was able to get hands on in a multi-million-dollar studio and learn from industry professionals. Since graduating in 2015 I continue to pursue my love for music working with local artist around Arizona and artist around the web. I have worked with a number of artists in the hip hop, Christian hip hop, soul, folk, country and r&b realm. In pursuit of expanding my network I created PlusForty8 productions and I continue to grow my clientele regularly.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Mixing, mastering and producing is an art form in music that is sometimes overlooked, but it’s very important to the process. My job as an engineer is to help lead and guide the artist to accomplish their vision and create a listening experience for their fans. The artist and I record their song and through the creative process of the recording to prepare it for release.

Once everything is recorded the next step is to mix the song. I clean up frequencies and enhance the instruments to create feeling with tools like equalization and compression. I also add in effects like reverb and delays to add depth and character to certain elements of the song. My overall goal is to bring the record to life and express the emotion behind the lyrics and instruments. Once mixing is complete and everything sounds great I move on to mastering. Mastering is the final polish that prepares the record for the radio or digital streaming platforms. You get more clarity and detail in this process, making the record shine.

I like to think about this process like painting. You start with an idea and a blank canvas then lay the foundation [recording]. Once the foundation is established you begin adding detail to make the painting come to life [mixing]. When the painting is about done you add in the last and final touches that make the painting pop [mastering]. At the end of it all you have a beautiful and unique creation to show for, making the process all worth it!

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I feel that we as artist need to be willing to collaborate. I think a lot of times the loneliness comes from our lack of willingness to reach out to the community around us. There is so much potential growth here in AZ, but many times we try to be super heroes and do it ourselves. There is power in collaboration and community.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can support me by following me @plusforty8 on Instagram. My work is promoted though my Instagram as projects are released. I have recently uploaded a video, with rap artist Warren Christian, that goes through some of the processes of recording and creating on song. You can find this on YouTube. See link below. https://youtu.be/rZO9ln7Cf_c You can also inquire about my services at www.plusforty8.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plusforty8.com
• Email: vibewithme48@gmail.com, inquires@plusforty8.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plusforty8/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plusforty8
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/plusforty8
• Other: https://youtu.be/rZO9ln7Cf_c

Image Credit:
Always Timeless Productions: Photographer Dorell Edwards

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