We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ricky Wascher. Check out our conversation below.
Ricky, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
I feel intelligence is most important. Broadly speaking, intelligence is the ability to learn, understand, reason and adapt to new situations and solve problems. I feel that by definition, anyone who possesses these qualities has a high level of integrity. I don’t expect everyone around me to be a rocket scientist. But I do feel intelligence (emotional, physical, spiritual) is a very important component to any relationship.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, readers! My name is Ricky Wascher, and I own and operate Cimamusic Mix & Mastering in Tucson, Arizona. I am a recording and mix engineer and make records for a living. I have had personal projects studios for the past 25 years, recording and mixing my own music. In 2015, I decided to start recording for others after a couple of friends asked me to record some of their music. Since then, my studio has grown exponentially, and I have added quite a bit of professional recording equipment, including a collection of over 70 microphones! I’ve also had the opportunity to work for big names such as Zoe Marie Federoff-Smerda (Cradle of Filth, Catalyst Crime), Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Ted Nugent) and Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder, Whitesnake).
I worked in public health for 25 years, and ran my studio on the side. After losing my parents in a relatively short amount of time, I was burned out and decided to leave public health and take a stab at running the studio full time. I felt diving into something I am very passionate about would serve as a therapeutic element in my life. Consequently, I have been doing this full time for the past two and a half years!
I am blessed to be doing what I love and even more blessed to be working with incredibly talented people from Tucson and other parts of the world!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Without a doubt, my mother played a huge role in shaping me into the person I am today. My parents divorced when I was nine years old, and she sacrificed everything to raise my brothers and me. My mom’s entire life revolved around raising us…keeping us fed, housed, clothed and safe. But most of all, it was her sense of morality that has guided me throughout most of my life.
I played music professionally in the early 90s, recording and touring with rock bands in Mexico. Of course, I briefly indulged in the many “incentives” the music scene has to offer. But it was my upbringing that served as a moral compass that kept me from total self-destruction. I always had that voice in the back of my head saying, “This is NOT how my mom raised me.” So, I left the scene and straightened myself out.
My mom was a fighter, and she taught me to be the same way.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
The words “give up” can be occasional visitors in my head, unfortunately. But luckily, these visits are quite temporary and infrequent. I admit it was scary to leave the stability and certainty of a government job and to work completely for myself, especially in Tucson where there are already several studios and talented engineers. After two and half years of running my studio full time, I still struggle with fear and insecurity at times. Will clients keep coming to my studio? Will I make enough to pay the bills next month? Does my work measure up to other engineers that I admire? But this is something I try to use to my advantage. I feel a healthy amount of fear and insecurity keeps me on my feet and doesn’t allow me to become complacent, consecuently motivating me to work harder and harder every day to keep the studio working and growing. If I could rethink this and do it over, I would do the exact same thing!
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The funny thing about this question is that the first response that came to my head is not so much a lie as it is an assumption. I came into this industry thinking that the more I worked and the better I got, the more work would just “fall into my lap.” Well, at least I learned the reality a lot sooner than later!!!
I have worked on some high profile projects with big artists and on records that were released internationally. I even mixed a song on a record that was voted among the top 40 best Metal releases of 2023 in Germany. I thought, “Wow! People are going to hear my mixes all over the world, and my phone is going to ring off the hook!!!” I thought that by virtue of working with big names, I would quickly develop a reputation in the business. What I learned was that there really is no “make it big” moment, and the only thing left to do was to move on to the next record and continue to work even harder!
These are lessons that continue to motivate me to be the best engineer. My goal is always to make my next record even better than the last…and most of all, to be thankful for every client that reaches out to me and entrusts me with their music. I approach what I do song by song/record by record and always try to be “in the moment” for my clients so that they receive the best product from me. Most of all, I always feel blessed to be called for the next project!
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I think it is important to learn how to do this. When praise becomes more important than serving the client or the mission, I feel it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. I won’t disagree that praise is an important motivator, but sometimes we can work in an industry where we are so behind the scenes, praise can at times be a bit elusive.
For example, everyone knows names like Metallica, Taylor Swift, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beyonce, Adele, Carrie Underwood, etc. But if I mentioned names like, Andrew Scheps, Chris Lord Alge, Warren Huart, Dave Pensado, etc., I would likely get a blank stare from people. These are just some of the big-name producers and engineers that make the music of the aforementioned artists sound so great. The point I am trying to make is that what I do is very much behind the scenes and hidden from essentially everyone but the artist. Let’s face it, Beyonce does not walk up to her mic at every show and say, ” I would like to thank the wonderful engineers, Stuart Whitem, Tony Maserati, Jaycen Joshua, etc. for mixing “Cowboy Carter!” The fans have no idea who these people are and likely don’t understand the technical role they played in making this record sound the way it does.
For me, my decision to become an engineer was a conscience choice, as well as for the love of the craft. I had my “day in the sun” when I was younger, playing music and being in front of the crowds; and quite frankly, I love (and prefer) the peace, quite and anonymity that comes with working behind the scenes. And I love that I have the ability and opportunity to work with awesome and creative people! I do receive praise for my efforts from the bands and artists I work with – and to me, this is more than enough to encourage me to continue to do what I do. Because for recording and mix engineers, it is more important to keep THE ARTIST happy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cimamusicstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cimamusicstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cimamusicstudio
