You grew up in Venezuela and later moved to Boston to study at Berklee School of Music. Tell us more about your early days discovering music and how you ended up where you are now.
I grew up in a small town in Venezuela without much information about music and guitar in general. That helped me a lot in the learning process as I had to be creative with my techniques. Although I spent my initial years learning songs by Joe Satriani, Metallica, Dream Theater, etc., I was also doing a lot of tapping on my own, especially learning Latin and Venezuelan styles since that was popular in the town where I grew up. I moved to Boston to study at Berklee when I was 17. It was a big challenge also because I didn’t speak English well but knew how to play guitar, and that’s how I got by!

After graduating, you got signed to Prosthetic Records and have toured the world since. To you, what are some of the most standout moments so far on your musical journey?
It’s hard to say, but writing music for singles and albums in general, and touring, is very rewarding. It’s great to see how your art impacts people’s lives. The best thing about playing shows is seeing and meeting all the people who love your art. Writing is when the real thing happens and full creativity is in motion. It was also special to tour back in Venezuela after all the world tours I did back in the day – it was like finally coming home after so many years.

You are performing on 12-, 14-, and 16-string guitars – your own design, which consists of two guitars joined together as one. Was playing an instrument like this always your motivation? Tell us more about how you discovered your unique playing style.
These are called FM Guitars (my guitar company). Honestly, it was my dream to be able to play instruments like this when I was growing up. I feel lucky I made that happen at a young age. When I was living in Venezuela during high school, I spent a long time playing a single guitar using tapping, then two guitars simultaneously. That was nice but very limiting and uncomfortable. The designs of the FM Guitars are very ergonomic and lightweight. Playing two guitars simultaneously with them is extremely easy.

Do you still practice your instrument regularly? If so, what does your routine look like?
When I was a teenager, I used to practice technique and theory applied to the instrument pretty much all day (from noon until night almost), but after I graduated from Berklee, I just work by projects. If I’m writing an album, I’m playing and recording most of the day. If I’m producing a track (using Toontrack, etc.) then I’m just looking at Pro Tools for a few days or so. The only time I have to actually practice a lot is when I’m getting ready to play live shows. I also practice before recording, but it’s not as intense as playing live. For regular content (like one of those short videos I upload on social media sometimes), I practice about 12 hours divided over three days

What does your writing spot or home studio look like in terms of gear?
I own a lot of FM Guitars. Aside from that, I use a Focusrite Clarett interface and that’s pretty much it. I have a lot of guitar pedals, but I use them for very specific projects or songs. I use Kirlin Cables, Kali Audio, and Focal monitors.

You rely on several Toontrack products in your daily work creating music for your band and for your social media channels. Tell us more about which Toontrack gear you use and how it helps in your creative process!
My favorite drum libraries are Area 33 SDX, Latin Cuban Drums EZX, and the Death & Darkness SDX. What I love about Toontrack drums is how good the raw sound is. When I made some demos recently and showed them to a few friends who are pros in the music business, none of them knew they were libraries – they sounded extremely real and well recorded. I’ve also been mixing drum libraries, like using the Latin Cuban drum set with Area 33 and so on. The Superior Drummer 3 interface is really amazing and flawless to use with any DAW. It makes writing so much easier. Superior Drummer 3 is very inspiring and I’m super thankful for it!

Out of everything that comes with being a musician and in a band (writing, recording, jamming, touring, traveling, etc.) – what is your favorite part and why?
I’d say writing and touring. I love writing because it’s when I’m the most creative and free – it’s the real deal in music, at least for me. I love playing shows and touring because that’s when you make a bigger impact on people by seeing you play live, I think. I also get to see many friends and meet new ones.

What’s next on your agenda, personally and with the band?
Right now, it’s to finish a few singles and an album, and then start playing live shows with my band again! Writing is taking me a long time because I’ve been exploring new, fresh Latin ideas and I took the challenge of writing drums. We’ll see how it goes!