Alexandro ‘Migui’ Maloles has had a meteoric rise over the past decade. The four-time Grammy-winning engineer has brought his considerable live and studio engineering chops to bear with artists like Fantastic Negrito, Killer Mike, Daniel Caesar, Lil Dicky, Tate McRae, Doja Cat, E-40, and P-Lo. Having recently relocated to LA to be closer to his clients, Migui has assembled a new studio to accommodate the steady work he keeps getting offered. Looking for versatility in a streamlined setup, he has made the Lauten Audio Eden Large Diaphragm Tube Condenser his studio microphone of choice.

Killer Mike

Like many engineers, a key element of Migui’s success has been his ability to tap into the artistic worlds of the artists and performers that he works with. His easy-going manner and ability to authentically channel many different styles of music are a natural outgrowth of his innate curiosity. “What makes an artist choose an engineer is based on their ability to curate a creatively comfortable atmosphere,” he said. “Having that openness to create and low-key, positive attitude makes them feel like they can be themselves in the studio.”

Lauten Audio

“My whole goal is to be as transparent as possible, and I think of myself as being somewhat of an artistic chameleon. I just want to translate for these artists as clearly as possible and bring their interior worlds to life.”

Migui favours streamlined gear setups in his studio. In practice, he often chooses deliberately minimalist signal chains to minimize both the technical and conceptual distance between his artists and their performances. “The gear is obviously a huge part of the process, and you want to know every inch of what you have,” he said. “When it comes down to the base of it, though, it’s about getting the idea out and if you can get that atmosphere and energy the gear is really just the icing on the cake of that.”

“Given that, I take what I have really seriously and that’s one of the reasons why I started using the Lauten Eden for vocal performances — it was the perfect platform for that kind of setup.”

Keep reading at Lauten Audio here.