Episode 16: Spinning Decks and Navigating Life: Oscar Zayas on DJing, Fatherhood and the Role of AI in Music

© 2023 Raw Material Entertainment
Hosted by: The Global Zoe, Eric Biddines & Drego Mill

Ever wondered what it takes to spin the decks and mix the beats in the music industry? Join us as we pull back the curtain with Oscar Zayas, seasoned DJ and audio engineer from OnBeat Studios. His journey, which began in Cuba and wound through New Jersey all the way to West Palm Beach, Florida, is one of passion, dedication and a love for creating soundscapes that get crowds moving. From handling local talent eagerness to seeing their tracks hit the airwaves to the pure joy of discovering that diamond in the rough, Oscar’s story is a rhythm-infused deep dive into the life of a DJ.

We don't stop at the DJ booth. Oscar's illustrious career in the music industry has seen him rubbing shoulders with heavyweights like Triple C’s, G-Boi, Schife and Rick Ross. From early collaborations to intense recording sessions, Oscar has navigated the challenges and triumphs of the industry with aplomb. He shares what it’s like working with big names, his proclivity for nurturing local talents, and his personal preferences in the studio – all the while maintaining a constant dance with technology, including the intriguing role of AI in music production.

Oscar's story, however, isn't just about beats and tracks. It's also a tale of personal balance and growth. Being a father and switching between two marriages while managing a relentless career meant learning to juggle priorities. In the end, it's all about striking the right chord, not just in music but also in life. Oscar shares hard-learned lessons, his philosophy on love and personal space, and even dishes out some sage advice for his younger self. So, tune in and get ready for an immersive episode filled with music, tech, and life lessons, all from the unique perspective of an industry veteran.

⏰ Chapter Markers ⏰
0:00 - Exposure and DJing in Miami
16:00 - Working With Artists in Music Industry
28:18 - Engineer's Crazy Experiences and Challenges
42:34 - Studio Preferences and Music Production Software
50:17 - AI in Music Production
1:04:17 - Video Games and Fatherhood
1:10:47 - Past Challenges, Love, and Career Choices

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

What's going on? Y'all Y'all tuned into another episode of Exposure. I be your boy, the Global Zoo, and I'm with the gang Eric Bidden, my go-mere, and today we have a special invited guest Talk about exposure. We need the exposure. You gotta touch the streets. We need that street credibility.

Speaker 2: 0:18

We need that promotion and that's what exposure provides for the peace.

Speaker 1: 0:22

Welcome to the main anime team side Out here at MIA Going on, like I always do, watching Exposure, getting hit in the head with that exposure. Know what it is? Them down dogs. Ray Lowe, number one DJs, number one promoters for Shokin' Palm.

Speaker 2: 0:34

Beach. It's exposed, that's why it open now.

Speaker 1: 0:36

Y'all check it out.

Speaker 2: 0:36

You know what I'm saying. Keep it locked with all over the floor and you are watching Exposure.

Speaker 1: 0:47

Today we have a special invited guest, the one and only Oscar Zayas of Armbiq Studios. Give it up, give it up, give it up, give it up, clap, clap, clap, oscar Zayas. What's going on?

Speaker 3: 1:02

Chillin' brother chillin'.

Speaker 1: 1:04

And we see you looking like Money. We see you look like Money. Listen, man, we're excited to have you. It's definitely a pleasure and we just really want to document the story. On Exposure, we had Triple J he mentioned. You said a lot of good things, chris shredding, so all over the city, we know what you've done and what you contributed, so we just really want to get into your story. All right, hell yeah. Alright, let's do it, man. So, oscar, let's talk about the upbringing when were you born and where were you raised?

Speaker 3: 1:34

I was born in Cuba and I came here to United States when I was six years old.

Speaker 1: 1:40

And what can you tell us about just that upbringing in Cuba, six years old, before six years old, what can you remember?

Speaker 3: 1:48

Well, I was there and they put you in school really early in Cuba. I was, I'm thinking, two, three years old when they put me in school, and the first thing they teach you in school is back then anyway, was Fidel Castro's name and the date. But I can tell you that after I left, when I was six years old, I can fully read and write Spanish, just from the small amount of time I was in school in Cuba.

Speaker 1: 2:16

When you went to New Jersey, or was it New York?

Speaker 3: 2:20

I went to.

Speaker 1: 2:21

New Jersey To New Jersey, right. So talked about that transition. What made you go from New Jersey down to Florida?

Speaker 3: 2:31

Well, I love New Jersey. I hung out mostly in New York in the clubs there, and one night I was at this club in New York called Studio 54. I just bought a motorcycle. You know I was pretty buzzed and one of my friends said hey, man, they need a DJ for West Palm Beach, florida. You want to try out? And I'm like, yeah, sure, why not? And so the next day I went over and tried out, met the guy and two, three weeks later I ended up here in West Palm Beach and that was right at the beginning of my fourth year of college. As a matter of fact, one of my friends, david Nola, who you know, he's still around he was part of Dynamics 2. And he gave that I don't know if you guys remember the bass song Give the DJ a Break, this game the DJ a Break.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Anyway no, I don't know that.

Speaker 3: 3:31

You guys don't know your history of bass. You guys do not know your Miami bass history.

Speaker 1: 3:36

And this is why we're doing this too right. It's very informative for folks like us.

Speaker 3: 3:41

Yeah, you guys don't know. It was back when I was a two-light crew and the Gucci crew and Danny D, who was a local from here B-Ware Records. I don't know if you guys are familiar with those guys.

Speaker 2: 3:53

I'm gonna be aware, be aware of it.

Speaker 3: 3:56

Yeah, well, those guys, they were doing their thing back in the day. Coolie C.

Speaker 1: 4:01

Okay, Rest in Peace.

Speaker 3: 4:03

Yeah, rest in Peace, coolie. So yeah, that was all started around the same time then. So I came in on a, you know, at a kind of a change and everything that was happening, although you know, freestyle and rap were popular, but the Miami sound was just, you know, getting going right there, because I mean, the Miami sound was huge for a while here, from like 85 through about, I want to say, 87, 88. It was huge.

Speaker 1: 4:32

And when we're talking about the Miami sound, we're talking about booty music.

Speaker 3: 4:35

Booty music and freestyle Trinear Pandas Records.

Speaker 4: 4:41

Debbie Deb.

Speaker 3: 4:45

I'm sure some of the listeners might know who they are, but you guys better educate yourselves, Okay okay.

Speaker 1: 4:53

So how important is you know, when we talk about DJing? Of course, when you're DJing, you're not playing the music for yourself, You're really trying to move a crowd. You're playing music for the crowd, right, Is that?

Speaker 3: 5:07

Yeah, I ain't that type of DJ. I like playing for myself. All right all right and it works. But I happen to have good taste in the stuff that I like, so it worked out for me All right. After that party of the dance floor I made it good. I started playing what they like, but also what I like. You know what I mean? Yeah, I find it important to enjoy what you're doing, but I'm not a jukebox. I hate that shit.

Speaker 1: 5:37

No, so did you ever have to deal with local talent trying to get you to play their music, djing that kind of genre?

Speaker 3: 5:44

All the time, okay, all the time. The first one was Stephanie. She came through Danny D, who's on B-Wear Records, and actually we ended up making a record together because I used to play it on real to real because I didn't have vinyl. So we actually made a record called Get Away Stephanie's past now, but that was my first foray into music production. Also a funny story Did you ever you guys know the song Give it all you got? Give it all you got, yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:17

Yeah, I've heard it.

Speaker 3: 6:19

I was working at Specs Music and I was the record buyer. Some of my clients were like Ray Lowe, you know, he used to come in and buy records from me and I had a ton of clients like that. Anyway, the guy who made that song, derek Derek Raman, he was working at an oil rig, you know, he was like driving all trucks or whatever around and he came in and he handed me this record Give it all you got. And I was doing a tea night at the club back then and I'm like, yeah, bro, I'll play this shit. Man, that shit blew up as soon as I played it and and it was amazing that this guy just out of nowhere gave me that record and then he went. You know he was crazy.

Speaker 2: 6:59

So he was, he was local.

Speaker 3: 7:02

He's local from, I believe, lauderdale.

Speaker 2: 7:04

Yes, and he just handed you that record.

Speaker 3: 7:07

He was traveling around heard about the store, because that was a very popular store for dance music. I was the one that would buy all the songs and distribute them to the DJs and they would come by for me.

Speaker 2: 7:19

I didn't know that history about you.

Speaker 3: 7:21

Well see, I started playing the music, then I started selling the music, then I started making the music. So my whole career has been one fast at a music run of it.

Speaker 1: 7:33

Hmm, so I guess, as we talk about the DJing, and that that's what got you to become a audio engineer.

Speaker 3: 7:41

That was the next thing I had to learn. You know, I played it, I sold it and I wanted to learn how to make it.

Speaker 1: 7:50

So what the school for that? Not full selling around? It's full sell not around back then. So how?

Speaker 3: 7:55

does one. Yeah, they went to full sell. I just started picking up computers and learning it myself.

Speaker 4: 8:02

Hmm, and this was what year?

Speaker 3: 8:05

I started learning it about 93.

Speaker 2: 8:09

Okay, that's early, yeah, and when?

Speaker 3: 8:12

you're back then. I mean now you know you can launch a rocket ship.

Speaker 4: 8:16

Well, yeah, you think you perfected it. You know, perfected the engineer.

Speaker 3: 8:19

I'm still working on that.

Speaker 4: 8:22

Well, well, okay, okay, so let me know, there's no perfecting that shit it's.

Speaker 3: 8:26

you know, it's just an evolution. Okay, so let me, let me reword what I got decent that I deserve money.

Speaker 4: 8:33

Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 3: 8:38

I would say about 0506.

Speaker 4: 8:40

Okay.

Speaker 3: 8:41

Okay, after 21 Reeses and after two or three triple J songs albums, I mean yeah, but definitely after 21 Rees and passion of the mic came out. That's when I started really learning the craft.

Speaker 4: 8:57

Okay, how did you get yourself out there? Do you know we didn't have social media in that out there? How did you brand yourself at that time? Yellow?

Speaker 3: 9:06

pages, there was no branding, I just, I just did a good job and people find out what we're about, just like that Word of mouth. It was all word of mouth, except for the first time. The first studio which wasn't called on beat. It was in a record store called Dan Ceteria, over on Lake Worth. Lake Worth road, yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:28

Used by in the back.

Speaker 1: 9:30

I was in the back.

Speaker 3: 9:31

Military trip it was. It was just west of military on Lake Worth road.

Speaker 2: 9:36

Next to the KFC.

Speaker 3: 9:38

Yeah, exactly. And so the owner wanted like a little studio, you know, and in the back so you can get like karaoke people and you know, offer extra services. All my shit was in my bedroom, you know me practicing, annoying my then wife, and so I said, sure, I'll put it over there. So what he did was he took out and like one of these ads, local ads on BET, record yourself. And the funny thing is one of my first clients was Mimi. I don't know if you guys know me, am I twice? Am I twice? Yeah, and triple J.

Speaker 3: 10:16

I gotta tell you I knew shit about rap. Nothing I was playing. I was like in that record store I was the buyer for all the house music and you know dance music and stuff like that. So I kind of I kind of, you know just went into it and somehow the shit sounded right and people kept on coming. But I was very new with that. I, you know, I green, the trip trip saw something in it. I don't know. No, he, he says he wanted that unprofessional sound. Now you know we talk about it now he wanted something that wasn't as clean, he wanted something from the streets, and then you can't get any dirty or the Miga. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing back then.

Speaker 2: 10:58

What was it I?

Speaker 3: 10:59

did, but not like you know nothing, like I know now.

Speaker 2: 11:02

The first triple J project you worked on with with him was that um Welcome to Rovere, volume one.

Speaker 3: 11:09

I think it was. I think it was Rovere volume one. Either that or off the porch, but I think it was. I think it was Rovere volume one.

Speaker 1: 11:19

And I think trip may have mentioned it, so in my, twice was your first hip hop. She was one of my first but she wasn't.

Speaker 3: 11:26

she wasn't the one that was um, you know, singing or rapping. She brought her little nephews in, so there were kids.

Speaker 1: 11:34

Okay, yeah, so she's like she's legendary, then she's the first. He's always been legendary.

Speaker 3: 11:39

She's an excellent producer man. She's the shit.

Speaker 1: 11:44

But see our side of town when you talk about dairy and born in beach. At that time we met her after a compilation, I think, when she she was working on it, yes. And I feel like it reached our side and I met in my twice.

Speaker 3: 11:58

That was about. I think there was about 04 or 05 around 06 and that and that uh time frame around, and I remember that she had Chevy it wasn't Chevy Porter on there and, um, it was a favorite.

Speaker 2: 12:14

And I was on there, you guys were on there A lot of people. Yeah, she got almost everybody who she could find that was active at that time. It was a really good project too.

Speaker 3: 12:25

Yeah, yeah, I still have it backed up somewhere.

Speaker 1: 12:30

So I'm I'm just curious. So starting out, and you said you ain't know everything that you know. Now, how did you come up? What was the fee? What were you charging back then as?

Speaker 3: 12:41

far as it wasn't too bad. I was charged. I started off and think it was 30 or 35 an hour. Okay, so I came in at $50 an hour, right, so that must have been like oh, two or three around there.

Speaker 2: 12:57

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:59

So also another thing I want to discuss, because see our side of town. My first studio, professional studio experience was X Beat Studios in Lakeworth.

Speaker 3: 13:10

Oh he, was very popular, hell yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:11

And I think he was going for like 30 and not Like back then it was like 30 an hour, so he was killing it out there, I think, and especially the Haitian community.

Speaker 3: 13:20

Oh yeah, yeah, we had similar clients like Action, beats and Neldi and, yeah, we shared a lot of clients.

Speaker 1: 13:33

So when you were in the upcoming Back in those Days and you knew on beat, it was almost like I remember Ronnie T brought me to a session my first record I did I remember it's called Bitchified I recorded with you. I was nervous as shit, like as you just knew you starting to think, oh shit, triple J, come here, suave, smooth, come here. Like you start thinking like 21. Like everybody started, like you had to go to on beat studios.

Speaker 1: 13:57

So my first experience, man, I think I could my doubles was, I mean, I just said I'm going to book it, book it, book not sound. I just need to go and learn who this Oscar guy is and see if I can compete. But, man, you talk about pressure. But the thing I did love though, you was very attentive to what I was doing, you communicated. Sometimes you got and I've been to different studios back then, not everybody is paying attention to your session Like I get. You're getting paid for, but there's a special attention you're paying to that artist where you can tell if I'm just hitting that R button on the keyboard or I'm actually trying to pay attention and guide you to the best of my ability.

Speaker 3: 14:40

Yeah, most of the time, even if it doesn't look like I'm, you know, if I'm scrolling on my phone or doing whatever, I'm actually listening. I hear the mistakes and I will stop you if I have something better for you to do. Unless you're one of those that don't like criticism and you know they're not keep going. And most of the time I listen and I'll suggest stuff you know to do better. And also, patience is a very big thing in what I do. You can't get a good performance unless people are comfortable being there. You know what I mean.

Speaker 4: 15:10

Correct.

Speaker 3: 15:11

So you know, I just see how they are and I work this session, you know, towards them, towards you guys, so you guys are comfortable.

Speaker 1: 15:20

Mm-hmm. So I mean, I feel like Palm Beach County when we not only we could talk about the sound from a producer standpoint, but when we talk about some of the best records that came out of the city whether we're talking about club hits or you know, or even records that made it to radio they came out of Envy Studios. Envy Studios got a lot of records out there that did a lot of movement in the city.

Speaker 3: 15:47

Yeah, we had a lot of, especially with Shife and Tripp and Eric and you I mean yeah, hell yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:59

Can you name some of the big songs that did well locally that you know you record?

Speaker 3: 16:06

You're putting me on the spot. I have a terrible memory and I'm still in clients.

Speaker 4: 16:10

All right, all right, I'm not, I'm not.

Speaker 3: 16:11

Then off the top of my head. I know 16 years old was a huge one.

Speaker 2: 16:15

Yeah, triple day One or two. Point three how do?

Speaker 3: 16:18

I get that fat, beat that pussy, beat that pussy down G-boy. G-boy Total out that money.

Speaker 1: 16:27

Yeah, total out that club Mirage on lock man. Everything else was kicking out of me.

Speaker 3: 16:31

Total out a ton, and I'm sure there's others, but oh my God you did any PCC Van Damme. Oh God, they used to come eight hours a week for years. Yeah, wow.

Speaker 1: 16:41

I remember trying to get booked on. I don't know what days they had, thursday or Tuesday. They had this one day every week for almost six months. I wanna say I could never book that day, because you talk about from like two to close.

Speaker 3: 16:56

It was years. God rest his dead.

Speaker 1: 16:59

It was cook them up.

Speaker 3: 17:01

Cook them up, man? Yes, cook them up. Got those boys together and he would take care of their sessions. Man, I miss him. That was it's walked up, but yeah they was cooking them up was the one that would bring them every week, and it was a great time man, a lot of talent. They work well together. It was an awesome time.

Speaker 1: 17:28

So I also wanna talk about a particular situation we was running through YouTube videos and it just brought me back Like I didn't know so much stuff was on YouTube, like I didn't know that he was uploading so much content. But looking at the carbine, I wanna say maybe carbine mafia era when you had G-Boy toe down Shife and I'm talking about video shoots from Rick Ross, the Calids, triple C's and there's a lot of clips you in the background, because I know once upon a time you and Shife were a duo when it comes to the that sound that I know from him. Can you speak about how that started and what were you guys able to accomplish? Cause I know Calid, we the best and Triple C's were shouting you guys out left and right and that's on YouTube Got plenty of views.

Speaker 3: 18:14

Yeah, at first it started, I don't know, our stuff was getting out and I believe the guys from Triple C's were using our tracks and spitting on them and Shife was all mad and stuff. And then we started working. This is before that. Further into future, around 0607, we were working with G-Boy doing the I forgot the name of the album but the big album beat that Pussy Down and all that on it.

Speaker 4: 18:44

I think it's called Certified.

Speaker 3: 18:46

No, it wasn't Certified. Oh gosh, I can't remember. It was the big one that it's still like. I still listen to the album and it's amazing. But that album we had Clee Toadown, shife, triple J and a few other people all collabed on this and they would all chip in whether it was lyrics or ideas, and that's one of the best albums I ever worked on, like the way it came out. It was awesome. Anyway, somehow that album got to Fat Joe and he loved it so much that he came to us and he wanted to sign Shife for the label and of course we were like yeah, whatever, because we didn't believe it. So we were like yeah, and eventually Stan, the guy who runs what does it say? Cheese. Stan, the guy that was City Girls he's the manager for City Girls and all those people.

Speaker 2: 19:46

Okay, I didn't know what he was up to in Anyway.

Speaker 3: 19:49

Stan yeah, he does a bunch of stuff. He was trying to sign Shife and yada, yada, yada. And then he sent over Fat Joe and we worked with him for a little while. It was through Stan that got us into Khaled and to everybody else Stan, fat Joe, then Khaled, then Khaled spread us out to everybody.

Speaker 1: 20:11

Now, oscar Khaled was in his prime, he was in his bag, he was Khaled. Like I mean, he still is Khaled, but he was really the thing. I mean did you ever think about? Damn, it's gonna happen. Like I ain't probably gonna have to record another local artist session again. Like I'm in there, I'm gonna be recording the big dolls. Did that moment ever kick in?

Speaker 3: 20:34

Yes, yes and no. I was going through some stuff back then. I was going through a divorce and a bunch of stuff. So my mind it was exciting, but at the same time it wasn't. It was. It looked good on paper. You know what I mean. But, I was going through a bunch of stuff and I thought it was exciting. Although I'd rather believe it or not, I still enjoy working with local people than I do with divas. That's the one thing that I noticed.

Speaker 1: 21:10

Now you gotta break down when I'm thinking about the people that are already on top.

Speaker 3: 21:18

they say, okay, meet me at the studio at 5.30. When me and Shaf will get there, we'll get there at 5.30. They won't show up till 1 am and then have an idea at 5 am. I did not like that shit at all.

Speaker 3: 21:31

That is not my way of working, you know me, I'm very I did not and I really did enjoy that and, to tell you the truth, like that's why I'm still engineering and not going out producing, it wasn't that enjoyable for me. Meeting people and doing all that stuff, yes, but the actual thing of it is no.

Speaker 1: 21:54

So on the producer side, is that because the bag comes later, like I gotta create this beat, I gotta record this artist, then we gotta sign paperwork eventually. Then I know maybe, god willing, if it lands on radio or does what it does, i'ma get paid eventually? On the back end, is it because it's not that we need the beginning?

Speaker 3: 22:11

That's the thing with me. Back then. That studio was all under my name. I was paying all the bills for the studio. When I don't work and I'm over there trying to make beats to shy, nope, I'm the one that's still gotta pay the studio and child support and whatever else is going on at the time. So it was really hard for me just to devote that. I mean you have to be young, free and a single in order to do all that stuff. Unless you already did it and you made it it was very difficult for me to just let go and work it out. It was hard, you know it is. I mean, you have a family. If right now they say, hey, you gotta be in the studio every night and then you still have to pay for stuff but you can't be there.

Speaker 1: 22:59

I completely understand. No, I do think we're at a point now where time is money.

Speaker 3: 23:03

There were no advances or anything. I mean, Cal, you just pay me a little bit, because he used to have me do a little work here and there for me. He used to pay me, but not enough, just to leave the studio for a week, some months at a time. That's the truth of it.

Speaker 1: 23:19

So, being around that situation and I know you guys got some placements besides Khaled and Triple C's is there anybody else that you've got some credit for?

Speaker 3: 23:28

Yeah, we did stuff for we did. That's the shit that I live for, trick Daddy. We did a couple of songs for Trina, where I think Shife is still under hook pitched up.

Speaker 1: 23:37

Wait a question. When you say that y'all made the beat for this, the shit that I live.

Speaker 3: 23:42

Yeah, that's us.

Speaker 1: 23:43

Holy shit.

Speaker 3: 23:45

I believe that, and Shife made the hook and Trick Daddy redid it. But Trick Daddy was in with us. It was actually E-Class who was in the studio with us making that. Then he gave it to Trick Daddy. You didn't know.

Speaker 1: 23:59

No, I did not. I mean I got that on my gym rotation. That's one of my trick records I go to. I had no idea. I mean, now that I hear the beat in my head I'm like, yeah, I could see that, but I didn't know that at the time.

Speaker 3: 24:11

Yeah, that was us. Damn right, we did that a bunch of A-Sit stuff. Actually, we started with the A-Sit stuff. Don't ask me to remember the names, because we did so much.

Speaker 1: 24:25

No, you good. I mean, I just wanna make sure that some of them names get out there, that's it.

Speaker 3: 24:30

Gucci Making Love to the Money. That was us. No, I remember that one. We did a bunch of stuff for Gucci for his Zone 6 mixtapes. We did a bunch of stuff for Khaled for the Victory album. I believe we did a quarter of that album or a third of that album. We did most of the tracks for Triple C's, that album. Just a ton of stuff. Yeah, we were working a lot back then.

Speaker 1: 25:01

Now do you miss? I mean, besides the D, he's Harlem Divas, I get the D-Vaside. Do you miss producing at all? I know you're an engineer.

Speaker 3: 25:11

I'd rather engineer than produce. I leave the producers. I can physically do it, I know how to do it, I know how to arrange, but I don't have the patience for it. You know what I mean? I don't know. I like fixing other people's stuff and making it sound good. I can actually produce, but I just don't like the process of it.

Speaker 2: 25:34

I understand.

Speaker 3: 25:37

You know everybody, if I did everything I'm capable of doing, I wouldn't have a focus. So I had to focus in order just to continue what I do. So I can't be a guy with all the hats. I wanted to focus on engineering because I know exactly that's what I like, and the producing I can help people produce, but I don't wanna do it full time. I've always felt very safe with my clients. Man always.

Speaker 2: 26:07

Yeah, nobody wasn't gonna bother Oscar, because he had the clients, he had, the love and the respect he had and how neutral he was able to stay in doing what he did.

Speaker 3: 26:23

Oh yeah, I recorded top six and who was the other side, teresa, and who was the other people? Remember the top six Feud.

Speaker 1: 26:33

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 3: 26:34

What was it?

Speaker 1: 26:35

I don't know who I'm watching.

Speaker 3: 26:37

Yeah, but I recorded both of them, yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:41

Was there any like hey, let me make sure I don't book y'all around the same timeframe, anything else?

Speaker 3: 26:46

No, no, no.

Speaker 1: 26:48

No.

Speaker 3: 26:49

Like an idiot. I had no security measures. I also recorded remember when Hustler Jones was the first guy to come up in this trip. I recorded that too.

Speaker 2: 27:01

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 27:02

Hustler Jones damn.

Speaker 2: 27:04

Oh, that's what got Hustler Jones noticed. He just came straight out, dissed him when not many people I'm sure you wanna do this.

Speaker 1: 27:16

And you recorded. You recorded the diss track, what you oh yeah, yeah, you a part of that, oh lord oh, lord.

Speaker 2: 27:22

What did you ask him.

Speaker 3: 27:24

Huh, are you sure about that?

Speaker 2: 27:27

Because he had just got out of prison. Yeah, yeah, so he came. He wanted to Listen. I have an equal opportunity person.

Speaker 3: 27:37

I don't deny people based on Personal things, unless you personally did something to me. You know what I mean Everybody's equal. I have turned down, I have had turned down sessions with major artists Because I had previous sessions with somebody existing and I will, you know, I will always, you know, do what I'm supposed to do. I don't, I don't like playing favorites like that.

Speaker 4: 28:02

Mmm.

Speaker 3: 28:03

So yeah, trip. You know, trip was laughing about us, I didn't matter.

Speaker 2: 28:13

Danger, so I remember that, I remember yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:18

So what's like one experience you can share? We don't got it. You know we ain't saying no names, but what would be one experience you share as an engineer? That I mean, maybe it could be a night, it could be a early session. What's one of the crazy experiences you can share that happened to you as a engineer?

Speaker 3: 28:36

Man, I can't sing a lot of single story I.

Speaker 4: 28:42

Got one for you. You've predicted you've engineered a bunch of artists. Have you ever you finish Mixing and mastering a track? Have you keep some records to yourself and go home with it and put on your phone? Do you have any favorite one right now that you keep?

Speaker 3: 29:02

Detain the truth when I make stuff like some of the stuff that's that's personal, like back in a day I would have CDs in my car to listen to it, and G boys was one of them. God, I can't remember the name of the damn album, it was a huge one. But yeah, g boys is one that I that I had personally in my car. But other than that like, other than listening to the music and make sure it's sounding good and is bumping, it's work, man, when I leave work I'll sit here and play with my PlayStation or do something else besides listen to music, believe it or not, even the DJing stuff. I don't listen to my DJ music unless I'm picking it out or playing it over there. I don't, I don't sit around and listen to music, which is like it's like the bad coin to what I do. Yeah, I don't. I tend not to enjoy music as a fan. I'm more of a, An industry person you know what I mean.

Speaker 4: 29:59

I'm just that which kind of sucks, honestly, because it makes sense because if it's the work that you do 24 7, you know you don't want to go home and and deal with it. You know I'm saying.

Speaker 3: 30:12

My Spotify and I use it mostly for research or, you know, to have that my daughter have her account.

Speaker 3: 30:17

Okay, but I don't, I don't, you know, and I have a ton of playlists, mostly for DJing or, you know, like research, but I don't. I don't sit around listening to music, believe it or not. I know it's disappointing, but you know it sucks because I'm, you know, I used to be a big fan of music and now I, you know, I know it's still good, you know, I know, I know, I know what can hit, I know what sounds good, but I don't Enjoy it as much personally on that level anymore, unless I'm DJing and I'm feeling it, you know, when it's live there and I'm feeling it, yes, but just to sit around listening to it, not as much.

Speaker 2: 30:52

Do you remember local love when, local, you probably, was the prime sound Architect of that time?

Speaker 3: 31:03

That's where 16 years old was on there and a bunch of local stuff was on there back then, boy.

Speaker 2: 31:09

Like reaction by toe down. You did that one oh.

Speaker 3: 31:12

Yeah, we used to be a Shaffer and I used to produce a lot of stuff, or most of toast stuff actually.

Speaker 2: 31:17

I think toe down is one of the best ANR's In each county far as I'm hard together.

Speaker 3: 31:26

He's so freakin talented that man knows music More than anybody. I know he he knows how to pick it. He is really good, always has been good, always knows what he wants, always has a great taste.

Speaker 1: 31:41

He's and, and you know I worked. I had a chance to work with both G-Boy and and hold on, but I want to say, hmm, I can't remember who I worked with first, but they both did Records for me on spot, like on demand. We collaborated. I collaborated with both of those artists and those that was the first time I've always heard stories of off the dome. You hear about Jay Z, you hear about Lil Wayne, but locally those were the first two rappers that I see. Go in the studio, give them like five, ten minutes with the beat, but then it's like, alright, let's go and and they gonna, they're gonna give you a 16 and they got it done within 30 minutes at least. And I'm solid, solid verses to yeah, yeah, both.

Speaker 3: 32:26

Both them were excellent at putting shit together like that, especially toe. Toe is one of the first people like Back when I started, even with trip, like there was very few punchin everybody. We're just. You know, you run through your whole verse. If you didn't like it, you run it again. But toe was the first one To do that. Controlled freestyle will do a line or two, stop and think, do another line, and that's how a lot of this stuff was constructed back then. And he's he's always been really good at that. He's very fast, he makes. He makes stuff out of nothing, I don't know where. Like you witnessed it. I've seen him come in, he has a little idea and boom, it turn. It flushes out into a song within an hour.

Speaker 1: 33:07

And I don't think the producers get enough credit for that, because it's like I think it takes a special talent to be able to Know when it ends. Take it back to that beginning already, have it running for you to feel and punch in. What something else is that more challenging to work with our artists that punches in versus somebody with a one take?

Speaker 3: 33:27

Yeah, of course it's, it's. It's more difficult to do that and keep the rhythm going so that they can, you know, so that it's a workflow you have to kind of keep it going so that they're interested in. And it took me a minute to get my workflow down. Had carpal tunnel, you know, when I used to do g-boy and toe down back in a day I till I got it under control now, or where I got a really good workflow these days compared to back then. Back then it was hard on my wrist, yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:56

Trust me.

Speaker 3: 33:59

It's all that. Stop, stop, stop. That's how we did all the records like that.

Speaker 1: 34:05

You know what, and I got a crazy. I remember one time, um, you know you, you was able to sneak me in on a session and it's just, it was an artist from it was down south, he was. He went by dirty red at the time and I Don't listen, you know. And I, yeah, me and him got a. We did a record together in Oscar, like you know. Once again, oscar was, you know, merkin, some magic. When you got a big name artists like that, we work in some magic, but I I remember what dirty red is a what I want to say a perfectionist. I didn't know what. I think I know exactly what a perfectionist is, but now you do you do now.

Speaker 1: 34:46

And I think Oscar could remember, because I I don't know if I ever, if you ever, had a challenge like that before. But Eric and Drago hear me like when I talk about 20 takes on the verse After, after take 20. I Couldn't tell, I couldn't hear the difference in the verse and the delivery. The verse I knew it by the time, but I knew it and I think, oscar, that's the first time at least I could remember. Oscar looked at me a life that well, I don't know what I have to do Like what we doing, like it ain't changing.

Speaker 1: 35:16

but it was like he redid, he didn't want to take no punches, it had to be like a one. I think we end up doing like two or three takes to get it Right, but I've never seen I ain't gonna say frustrated, but I think that's the first time Oscar was like what the heck is we doing?

Speaker 3: 35:30

The first thing, the only reason is because I remember that you know how strict I am with my time. Yeah, yeah, that's what it was. Because I have artists like that today, not gonna name any names, yeah, you know, they'll do something a hundred times. To me it sounds like the same exact thing. I mean, I don't have, I don't have golden years, just say okay, okay you know, but yeah, back then that was. That was one of the first times I Encountered somebody.

Speaker 1: 36:00

Okay, shout out a dirty red man.

Speaker 3: 36:02

He's very like yeah, I got people waiting we gotta get out of here yeah you know, he's not the only wonder there, there are plenty like him and you know you just gotta again. You know the patience thing is, Sometimes I don't have it and I hope 90% of it I do.

Speaker 2: 36:21

Hmm.

Speaker 3: 36:22

I try.

Speaker 1: 36:24

How do you handle this one I'm sure a lot of a dregle public can relate to. But how do you handle when someone just don't know there they? Is it annoying for everyone to ask you for feedback from a record after every, after they record it? Is it like, so is it normal? Or is it like, oh shoot, shit man, it's just a hit man. This the one like you know, like they hyped in the studio, we got drinks.

Speaker 3: 36:52

While they're recording. I will maintain that hype, but if they ask me honestly, I would tell you the truth. I have no fucking clue because I, even even with this shit, that me and Shaq remember we used to make beats all the time and and and remember making love to the money we talked about.

Speaker 1: 37:07

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 37:09

Okay, we sat there and we made, while we waiting for Gucci, we made him the best ass beats we can make and he comes in finally, after hours of us waiting, like I told you, and he goes oh man, no, I didn't have to do that. I wrote to, I wrote to something already and he picked one of the most average ass Beats because we made a hundred of these. Okay, so, from you know, and I knew before, but from then on, like you know, I can't pick shit. I, I have no idea.

Speaker 3: 37:38

People tend to pick stuff. When you're in the industry, it's very difficult to. You might like it at the moment, you might like the way it sounds and you're happy, but it's very hard to decipher what people will like. Very, because what I think is it's you know, people like oh, you like that shit, yeah, so I can't. I'll be honest, you know, and say, yeah, I like that shit, I like the way it sounds, and if it needs to be changed, I'll say, maybe we can try this and that, but I have no clue what's gonna be a hit or not. Gotcha, gotcha, that doesn't my job. My job is to make it sound as good as I can, so it can be a hit.

Speaker 1: 38:21

Do you feel like yourself? Do you feel like a therapist? Somewhat Cause a?

Speaker 3: 38:25

That is my primary job.

Speaker 4: 38:29

Okay.

Speaker 3: 38:30

An engineer, that is the primary job and I realized this after many years and you know I kind of dig it, cause I'm hoping I'm a positive influence in people's lives. You know I kind of like that idea.

Speaker 1: 38:47

No, absolutely. I know, I definitely appreciate it after all these years and you know you're always giving the best advice and you know even when it comes to records you would always give your honest truth about something. You know what I mean. That's something I always appreciate. I'm sure everybody else does too. I think that's why you have the longevity that you have in the business and why you're the boss.

Speaker 3: 39:12

I don't like to bullshit at all. You know me, I'm a pretty straight shooter most of the time.

Speaker 2: 39:19

Is it different? Like, how is the climate with engineering and having a commercial studio with so many people doing a lot at home?

Speaker 3: 39:34

Oh, it's definitely not like it was in 2007,. You know A lot of my clients these days, you know they asked me what to buy, like Fat Boy there, and then they a lot of times they'll send me this stuff to mix. So, yeah, it's not like in those days where you had to wait three months to get in to see me. It's kind of calm down and it's actually I mean, I miss more money, but I like the pace now better, you know, at least I have more of a life.

Speaker 2: 40:08

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 40:09

I was doing 60 to 80 hours back then.

Speaker 4: 40:11

Woo.

Speaker 3: 40:12

And I was crazy.

Speaker 1: 40:13

That's two jobs. Oscar, that's a lot of work.

Speaker 3: 40:15

Oh, I know, you know and you know, but now I don't work as much. I'm DJing again and you know my stress levels are better. I'm exercising. I mentally feel better, more now than I did back then. Put it that way.

Speaker 4: 40:33

So you're riding your pocket.

Speaker 1: 40:35

Yeah, well, so far, yeah, I'm proud of you and I'm proud of you, for you know you always share your fitness journey. So when I booked my session, you either went to the gym, you're in your steady fat well, I got this in my arm. Her shoulder.

Speaker 3: 40:50

Bro, I did it yesterday. I still hate it. I hate it to death. But I have to do it, bro, I'm gonna. I may be 60 in two months.

Speaker 1: 40:59

No 45, oscar, not 60.

Speaker 3: 41:01

I wish, I wish.

Speaker 1: 41:03

Times one.

Speaker 3: 41:05

But I want to be up for it. I want to be able to, you know, still have.

Speaker 1: 41:09

Awesome, awesome man. So what keeps you going? You just said you're about to turn 60. And I know you know that's a long career and you're still at it and you got put me more left in the tank. You don't operate at all like someone who's trying to slow down. When we talk about gigging, we talk about engineering and what you give to the game and the entertainment business. What keeps Oscar Feud and going?

Speaker 3: 41:34

I don't know, man, I think I am made out of music and music is what kind of like propels me to keep going. Because, let's be honest, bro, music is fun. It's not like I'm in a count and shit. I'm not doing boring shit all the time. And you know, music is fun and it's something you can do for a long time. Again, as long as you take care of yourself and as long as you keep accepting new things, because many people get stuck in the old ways and you know they're just about one era. I always try to see what's good about every era that comes through and you know I went through that with DJing, with the change when I moved here to Florida, I realized that if I don't keep learning and seeing what's new and seeing what people find good and whatever is new, if I don't do that, I can't keep going. So I like the journey, I like continuously discovering new things.

Speaker 1: 42:34

What's one of the past? As Eric was talking about artists, a lot of artists are kind of recording themselves in the home studios, so what's one advice you want to give folks before they bring you a record? What's one of them pet peeves that make you say, ah, what the heck is this Like? You know what one of your pet peeves you could share?

Speaker 3: 42:52

One of my biggest pet peeves is recording every line on a separate track. Imagine you got a 16 bar verse with 90 tracks with all the different words and that's my big file management and organization. You know I'm really. My pet peeve is organization. Yes, that's about it.

Speaker 1: 43:15

And I don't think you get enough credit for this too. Like you're the first engineer when I recorded, like I got out the booth, the record sounded done, like I was so used to dropping the vocals, coming out the booth, sitting down, and then it's like now the mixing starts. Then you get to the point where, oh, I hear the potential, but what was the science about that and did you ever get credit? Do you think people discuss that? Because I know that's a service not everybody offers.

Speaker 3: 43:45

No, I hate nickel and diamond people. I really hate it. I want you to come in to my place and have a good experience and leave with something that you're happy to leave with. So, having said that, early on I started making my own templates and stuff. So when I load a procession and you go, I have all my tools ready to go and, as you're recording, I'm doing knobs and stuff just to get it to sound like something started. So you're happy and it actually makes you do a better performance too. So I hate that all. Yeah, we'll mix it later on and I charge you more. I was always you come here, you give me enough time and I'll give you something to take with you where you don't have to come back if you don't want to. That's one of my business things. You know what I mean. I try not to nickel and diamond people.

Speaker 4: 44:37

Right right. It's always good like that, because to me I feel like back then they always brought up to the artist's motivation, like they brought them up, gave more energy or gave them more energy and really happy to hear they stuff like ooh.

Speaker 3: 44:52

And that's why I have a lot more return clients, because I treat each one the same way. I would treat Tripoli the same way. I treat you the same way. I treat somebody who I don't know, it doesn't matter, everybody gets mostly the same service.

Speaker 4: 45:06

But confidence is all confidence.

Speaker 3: 45:09

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1: 45:11

Now, oscar, you don't use the same program that I grew up on, or what I was used to seeing. Is it Cubase? Is that the proper name?

Speaker 3: 45:21

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 45:21

In the window.

Speaker 3: 45:22

Is it the same? New Window is Cubase, but it's like the bigger brother of it. It has a few extra functions, but basically it's the same shit as Cubase.

Speaker 1: 45:30

OK now. I know you got Pro Tools. I know you got Logic to help artists.

Speaker 3: 45:34

If you're old and slashed.

Speaker 1: 45:38

But why New Window or Cubase?

Speaker 3: 45:40

Cubase. Ok, remember, when I started learning how to produce and make music, cubase was my first program. I didn't even have audio, it was MIDI, it was just a MIDI sync and I started using it in 1993. So I grew up with Cubase and all this, so I knew it from when it was this big till now, and that's why I can work very fast with it. And so when you come to my studio, yeah, I can record you on Pro Tools, I can record you on whatever the hell you want. They all do the same shit, but if you want me to be quick and efficient, I use what I know very well, although now I'm pretty good with Pro Tools. Now I should have done that back then when I could have recorded Rick Ross and those guys. But whatever.

Speaker 2: 46:37

Because Pro Tools was like the industry standard. Yes, and they were the industry standard.

Speaker 3: 46:42

Yes, they are the industry standard because they were the first to make no latency recording, which means you had a Pro Tools box. When you put the effects inside the mixer and you talked into it, you heard the reverb, you heard the delay, you heard the auto tune. Nobody else came up with that but them first. That's why they got into so many studios and stuff, because they were the first ones to actually do that. While Cubase started up as a MIDI, no audio is started up as MIDI. So they did design with the first ones and they went the high end.

Speaker 1: 47:16

So yeah, Now, sometimes, when people think of a studio, my next thing is you may think of this big-ass room, speakers everywhere, a bunch of couches, like sometimes. It's like sometimes the artists with a gimmick. They might have a bunch of change and you might think they made it. I've always felt like with Oscar, though, whether you was sharing a location until you got to your own locations, the rooms were never as super big, but we always got quality, and phenomenal things came out of there. Is there a science to have in more smaller spaces, making it more intimate? Does that matter? Or you just never? All the square footage, the extra square footage?

Speaker 3: 47:55

You know I would love to have one of those big studios but the reality of it is they're a lot higher to maintain. You need a lot of loans to get all the equipment to fill it and stuff, and I've always felt that me being in a small space is not intimidating to first time people. You know those big studios cater to big bands, audio executives and people who just wanna, you know, feel like they're in a place that's high end. It's like a high end hotel versus a motel. So you know I'm like a motel with high end sound.

Speaker 1: 48:34

I like that. I like that.

Speaker 2: 48:36

Oh Motown.

Speaker 3: 48:39

Motel.

Speaker 2: 48:42

Mot sound oh sound Motel with quality sound.

Speaker 3: 48:46

Yeah. I like that.

Speaker 1: 48:49

So I'm just curious too, when you how did you come up with the name on beat? I know?

Speaker 3: 48:53

it's. I was gonna tell you that earlier.

Speaker 1: 48:55

Oh, okay.

Speaker 3: 48:57

Ambi was not the original name of the studio. Ambi was the name of the record store that my studio was behind. The first studio was behind Danceteria and there was no name for that studio and then the owner closed Danceteria and then we opened up Ambi Music next door, which Ambi Music was a DJ store. It sold records and vinyls and karaoke shit up front. My studio, my corporation, is OZB Studios, which are my initials, but everybody started calling it Ambi, so let me, ah, fuck it. Ambi, it is so.

Speaker 3: 49:36

I didn't name it, I just got christened that way and I went with it. Wow, awesome story, Triple J and everybody started saying Ambi, down their records, you know. And I'm like, oh okay, yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:51

No, that's the reason I went, Because so long he was on there, because Triple J was going there and they was like the first had CDs that sound like to us, like radio quality or something like that.

Speaker 3: 50:08

So it was very talented man. I haven't seen him in a while, but he was always so talented.

Speaker 2: 50:15

Yeah, that's who brought me in there. You had a ponytail back then.

Speaker 3: 50:24

Yeah, that's what I had here. I had here. I shaved it off in 2006. I was at the mall with my wife and my daughter back then and I said let me go get a haircut. So I went into one of those hair salons at the mall PGA. When they finished, I'm like how much is it? The look of sadness in the girl's face and tell me how much he was going to charge me was too much. Right after that I went home and shaved it. I said fuck that. I'm done.

Speaker 3: 50:55

Because it was already thinning out so much. I'm like fuck it, I'm done.

Speaker 2: 50:58

Hey, shout out to you, I cannot picture you with the ponytail.

Speaker 3: 51:03

Oh, hell, no man, hell, no. But yeah, I used to have him back then in the 80s and my punk phase and all that.

Speaker 1: 51:12

Has an artist ever I don't know after recording a record I've seen it in, like how I sound and I don't know asked for a refund?

Speaker 3: 51:21

A refund. I have very few refunds, very few. I've had artists that have had disputes with where I would tell them to leave and not charge them, but I can't recall an actual refund.

Speaker 4: 51:39

You know what?

Speaker 3: 51:39

I mean, I can't recall an actual where I had to give a refund, maybe one in all these years, maybe I don't know, but it was more like they were doing something in the studio I didn't like or whatever, and I asked them to leave and didn't charge them, but I don't recall refunds.

Speaker 2: 51:55

Do you still have everyone's backups?

Speaker 3: 51:59

I had backups that go back to 2004. I wish I had more. As a matter of fact, Ray Lowe has been trying to get me to find the original files for Peanut Butter Jelly, but I used to have them on CDs and DVDs. I cannot find that shit.

Speaker 1: 52:17

So Peanut Butter and Jelly, which did very huge on cartoons and took over dancing the whole world dancing that came out of Enby Studios.

Speaker 3: 52:27

Yeah, we did that around 2001, 2002, around that time that we did that.

Speaker 1: 52:33

I think Ray Lowe got a plaque for that record, if I'm not mistaken. There's a plaque, something right? Yeah, he got a plaque.

Speaker 3: 52:39

He sold it to us. The rice just had a slip inside.

Speaker 1: 52:44

And that one just had a bite of now. Okay.

Speaker 3: 52:47

Okay, don't, I did get. A few years ago I got my daughter. He got her a yellow vinyl with a signature on it, so she has a memento of it, you know.

Speaker 4: 52:59

Nice.

Speaker 3: 53:00

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 53:01

So the other day I was kind of going through one of our prior episodes and we had this conversation about AI and Eric brought up some good points, Like he just you know, as we're talking about production, for example, if AI can produce a track beat for you, right, Eric said, how are we so impressed with AI? But AI would be impressed on the human standpoint of the process we will go through actually creating that track beat versus a computer. That's just, oh, every four bars, I'm going to do this Every eight bars. I'm going to do this. With today's technology and recording and mixing and mastering, are you utilizing AI for anything? Is it making your job easier, or you don't ever see an engineer in the future being replaced from a program?

Speaker 3: 53:43

Oh no, no, I definitely see a lot of our stuff going AI. I use, I do use AI. I use it to help me mastering things, to get things right. I use it to make my job quicker, you know, so you can get it out. It sounds like a million dollars. It sounds even better now because I do use AI plugins for certain things. Do I think it'll take over music? I don't know, maybe one of the developers is soul. Unless you know like, if you want all electronic music, it sounds like all like techno all night, I guess. But if you really want soul, you need some sort of human input in there. You know what I mean. You can't just set the machines to it all the time. I don't mind the machines helping you get a starter inspiration, but if you just let them do it, I don't know. I don't know what that's going to be like.

Speaker 2: 54:39

I feel like and it's just an opinion when we went into the auto tune phase, it set up AI very well because we mechanicalized our voice. So now when you got AI, that can come out choppy even, it's going to sound dope, because we already come up with that automation. I'll tell you what? I don't know the difference.

Speaker 3: 55:12

I'll tell you what auto tune did it made everybody that's heard it, like growing up with it, think that music singing is perfect. So when you hear something off, they think it's weird when, if you listen to stuff from the 70s, 60s, 80s, you know they had these mistakes and stuff you know and people didn't catch up. You can't. It's very difficult to do the same today because everything is so quantized. So I don't know. Me being a DJ, I've always liked the quantized shit. I like dance music like that, but I don't know if I want all music to be like that. I still like this to have human soul in it.

Speaker 3: 56:01

I don't even leave mistakes and songs just for that, so to let you know that it's not like a robot. So you know, like little mistakes, nothing crazy, but I'll point it out. I'm like, can I leave that in this so you know that it's real? I've done that.

Speaker 2: 56:19

So when you say you use AI, what is the difference from using AI and the templates in the presets? That's already being triggered now.

Speaker 3: 56:35

Templates. Okay, I make my own templates. I have compressors and EQs and stuff and I have a starting point and then, depending on the voice, I change it based on their voice. So I guess it's sort of like, you know, it's a preset but I adjust the preset to go. But I don't start with presets. The presets are on mine. Now, with AI, the most usefulness that I've seen is from like EQs. Right, they have EQs now where you can run your voice or something through it and it'll take up all the bad resonances and stuff like that and it'll sound better. So I use it mostly with EQs, sometimes compressors. So it's kind of a shortcut to where I would get to regardless. So I don't mind taking a little shortcut here and there, you know.

Speaker 2: 57:30

So why are we calling that AI?

Speaker 3: 57:36

Okay, ai is what the hell is AI stand for again.

Speaker 4: 57:39

Artificial intelligence.

Speaker 3: 57:41

Okay, because what they do is they teach the plugin to look for certain things. Computer programming is on an if, then basis If this, then do that Zeroes and ones. So basically, they teach it a bunch of those zeros and ones and then it takes them all at the same time, judges them based on the rules, and that's what they call AI. It's not true to AI, where the AI is sentient, you know. But they are programmed to look for certain things and they are very task-based things. So something like an EQ or a compressor is relatively simple to make into an AI, because it's a volume of information of what sounds good already. So that's why they call it AI.

Speaker 1: 58:32

It's not really intelligent.

Speaker 3: 58:34

The programmer's made it intelligent or made it look for certain things. It makes it sound a certain way.

Speaker 2: 58:41

Yeah, I get weird, not weird. I start to lose context when we're throwing the word AI around with everything so much.

Speaker 3: 58:53

Yeah, it's a buzzword right now, man, it's a buzzword. Not everything is AI. No, chat, gpt, that's AI. Yes, other things are just intelligent, you know, like very well-programmed things, but AI is a catchword of today, just like 3D was or whatever the hell.

Speaker 2: 59:13

Not everything is AI.

Speaker 3: 59:14

It's not artificial intelligence. Programmers are actually programmed, that shit.

Speaker 2: 59:21

So are you an AI.

Speaker 3: 59:24

Oh, if you believe in the matrix, we are all AI's.

Speaker 2: 59:29

I have no ID, I'm speaking, we're speaking through you, through a medium we don't know.

Speaker 3: 59:38

I am a carbon-based life form, so therefore not AI. Hopefully, as far as I know, you never know.

Speaker 2: 59:48

Who made you?

Speaker 3: 59:50

Are you getting into spiritual stuff now? No, no.

Speaker 2: 59:55

That's what AI might say. They won't let you know that there's something else.

Speaker 3: 1:00:00

No, that's the whole thing that's going to be coming in the future. If you watch movies like Blade Runner, or you played Cyberpunk 2077, which I was playing before I got in a call with you guys, ai has a very big part in the future. The only thing is once AI gets smart enough to be self-aware that's where the things get fuzzy. Are they sentient beings, because they are aware, like us, even though we made them. That's heavy. Yeah, it is. Yeah it is.

Speaker 2: 1:00:38

Isn't that how we got here?

Speaker 3: 1:00:40

You can say that there you go, now. You're going to see in the future. Those are going to be the arguments.

Speaker 2: 1:00:45

Right, yeah, I see the rights.

Speaker 3: 1:00:49

Some days I'll see this interview and go man.

Speaker 2: 1:00:50

Those mother fuckers knew what you were talking about, because the problem will be how you're treating whatever you as a conscious subject. It's going to be how you're treating it, so it's going to cost you to treat something else as if it's not real, like if I was to put an AI doll in front of you and you started raping it or beating it up, doing all types of raping.

Speaker 3: 1:01:25

What's a raping, eric? I want some of what you have because, damn.

Speaker 2: 1:01:32

You told your micron filtered and ozone-nated water, but basically it'll cost you. It's going to cost you Because now you're going to have to deal with what you're able to do, just as on video games.

Speaker 3: 1:01:47

Shit. All this they have AI announcers, they have AI podcasts and they have all that shit. In Japan they have AI pop stars. Have you seen?

Speaker 2: 1:01:58

those guys, it's CEOs.

Speaker 3: 1:02:00

I don't know about CEOs, but they're like pop stars for real in Japan.

Speaker 1: 1:02:06

You're saying pop stars like got a five-year-old thing.

Speaker 3: 1:02:09

They're famous to have songs and they're all virtual.

Speaker 2: 1:02:13

Now look at this and it's going to throw you all off Shrek. Shrek is famous. Mickey Mouse is famous. You got cartoons that's worth more than a lot of us.

Speaker 3: 1:02:31

The IP, yes, so intellectual property.

Speaker 2: 1:02:38

If, depending on what your goals in life, what's going to be the difference of being considered AI versus human?

Speaker 3: 1:02:47

And that's why they're having those strikes with the actors now, because they want to do a lot of stuff with AI and give them permission to use their images and voices, and that's part of the strike, believe it or not. They want to do a lot of the acting as AI. So we're on the brink of it, man. We're definitely on the brink of it. We're on the brink of an explosion of it, because corporations want cheap labor, and this is what it's coming down to. It's going to come back and buy them in the asset. They don't treat this shit right now.

Speaker 2: 1:03:18

Yeah, I get that.

Speaker 4: 1:03:21

So you're a gamer.

Speaker 3: 1:03:23

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:03:24

Cyberpunk are you enjoying it?

Speaker 3: 1:03:26

Fuck, yeah, you ever play it.

Speaker 4: 1:03:28

Oh yeah, I beat it the first time. I got to do it this time around again, because I know they update me the whole world.

Speaker 3: 1:03:33

did you do everything or did you just play the mainstream?

Speaker 4: 1:03:37

Yeah, I think I'm like 86% done, but I didn't go all the way.

Speaker 2: 1:03:42

So what's the basis of Cyberpunk? I have no idea.

Speaker 3: 1:03:45

That's exactly what we're talking about? This whole thing what we're talking about is it's about emerging AI cyberspace. What constitutes an entity? What constitutes an aware entity, besides killing people and shit like that? Underneath it, it asks the question what happens when AI becomes sentient? Do we respect it as a life form or not?

Speaker 2: 1:04:17

And how do you make that a video game? I don't understand how you do it. It's a long ass video game man.

Speaker 3: 1:04:22

I'm about 150 hours in yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:04:27

It's like Grand Theft.

Speaker 3: 1:04:29

It's a book and it's actually an anime on Netflix Look it up.

Speaker 4: 1:04:34

Yeah, it's so. Okay, it can be in the Grand Theft Auto form. If I say RPG, you may not understand, but it's an open world. Again, you're a single player. It's in first person, first person. You know, you see, is your hand in the gun, unless it goes into a cutscene. But it's a game that you can really take your time with and play and it has a whole bunch of playing hours. People love that because you're playing one game and spending your time on one game and you still hasn't had 100% on the game. And there's so many cutscenes, so many side missions, so many things you can do within it, which makes it a really great game.

Speaker 3: 1:05:13

But this one is based on cyberware. It's based on the creature. It's based on people having cyberware built in. Like the eyes can do shit arms, so it's based on that. It's based on your body can become cyberware and you just got to look at it.

Speaker 2: 1:05:31

So you could put something on.

Speaker 3: 1:05:33

Have a gummy, watch it.

Speaker 2: 1:05:36

I mean, it's a sound.

Speaker 4: 1:05:41

You can replace your arm with cyberware.

Speaker 3: 1:05:44

Yeah, it's really good, just trust me on this.

Speaker 1: 1:05:47

We just behind in the game. Yeah, we can now listen.

Speaker 2: 1:05:51

We're speaking another language right now you can replace your arm with cyberware.

Speaker 4: 1:05:55

This here is adult, like the kids don't like it too much, it's more of an adult, uh yeah, see what I'm saying.

Speaker 3: 1:06:03

I am my mind is still open to like yeah all sorts of shit. Yes, I enjoy gaming.

Speaker 2: 1:06:09

I nice, all right. So if do you, do you have a spirit or soul?

Speaker 3: 1:06:17

We all do, of course.

Speaker 2: 1:06:19

And so you. It's inside of what?

Speaker 3: 1:06:23

The container.

Speaker 2: 1:06:24

Yeah, so is that like some sort of artificial intelligence, if you're?

Speaker 3: 1:06:32

artificial because we are carbon based. We're talking about artificial, where humans develop the intelligence through programming and then it becomes sentient. That would be artificial intelligence, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:06:47

So I have. So I definitely have program. I've been programmed by TV radio.

Speaker 3: 1:06:54

It's not artificial, Eric. You're not artificial intelligence.

Speaker 2: 1:06:58

You are organic TV real. Is TV organic? If I got all my language from TV and radio, is that?

Speaker 3: 1:07:07

Yeah, actually it is. Tv is organic Right now it is.

Speaker 2: 1:07:15

Let's quote that. Oscar says TV is organic. Oscar was not for the freeze.

Speaker 1: 1:07:21

We get very good, you know.

Speaker 3: 1:07:23

I really like this interview. I can talk about this shit all night.

Speaker 2: 1:07:29

Tyra punk. It is Jesus.

Speaker 1: 1:07:33

Oh, I want to talk about a gaming podcast.

Speaker 3: 1:07:35

I be in.

Speaker 2: 1:07:37

I told them, we can definitely do that.

Speaker 1: 1:07:40

Offshoot I wanted to talk about. You know, y'all got y'all good on the game, yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:07:45

I don't want to interrupt you Listen? The AI chapter is closed for now.

Speaker 1: 1:07:50

Yeah, we can. Ai chapter is closed. What's up? We could double back, but I was going to talk about fatherhood a little bit. You have the one daughter, correct?

Speaker 3: 1:07:58

Yes.

Speaker 1: 1:07:58

How does fatherhood impact your life, ozzy, and you know, did you have to slow down on the DJing or engineering at all? Or you know, and is your daughter into anything?

Speaker 3: 1:08:08

like that. Oh man, you know, when she came, it was tough on me because I, you know, I None of that was planned and it freaked the shit out of me. It's like you know, and it was harder for us, man, you know, juggling the, the DJing and the studio time and picking her up at school. You know I had a wife back then so you know we were both taking turns and stuff like that. But it was very difficult, you know, doing doing the engineering and doing the DJing and stuff and staying married. It didn't happen. You know how hard it could be like for musicians or people into music and relationships. You know I tried it twice. It's not for me.

Speaker 3: 1:08:53

As far as she's concerned, I did my best that I could to still take care of her and still do what I did, but I did put DJing for about 10 years or so while she was growing up, you know, and I did, I did. I was in her life. You know we went out all the time and we did stuff. So you know, I'm happy, I'm happy, I went through that, I'm happy, I'm still going through it. And right now she is 20 years old and she's going to the University of Florida and she's into biochemistry Way smarter than me, way smarter.

Speaker 1: 1:09:31

You did a phenomenal job, man, congratulations I can't take all the credit, you know Come on.

Speaker 3: 1:09:36

Well, no my ex is an excellent mom. I'm not going to be one of those guys that say yeah, but I am humbled that she came out really good. Thank you, yes.

Speaker 1: 1:09:44

And awesome and I know even sometimes we'll book in sessions, whether she was there or you're like hey, you know I'm with my daughter this day. I know you was. You was definitely involved and that's amazing. Oh yeah, you balance and that took priority, you know it was a big priority.

Speaker 3: 1:09:58

I had to yeah, hell, yeah, awesome, awesome man, as I know you do, you know that's good.

Speaker 1: 1:10:05

No, that's good. I'm happy to hear that.

Speaker 3: 1:10:08

Yeah, I'm happy she's going out to college and actually it was after she went to college I jumped back into DJ. Now that I have more free time, you know, get back and start having some fun.

Speaker 1: 1:10:22

Um, I want to talk about something because you know you. You were married, you went through a divorce, Right, Um oh twice.

Speaker 3: 1:10:30

He is.

Speaker 1: 1:10:31

That was the second one Okay.

Speaker 3: 1:10:33

Yeah, I know, I know what it is.

Speaker 1: 1:10:35

No, no, no, okay, so, no, sorry, you hear that. So, um, I want to talk about uh, so I don't know. I guess as a client at that time, you know we didn't have the relationship I think we have today. But you once upon a time after the, you had a situation before writing. Things were going good and uh didn't. Uh, you're one of your partners suddenly just passed.

Speaker 3: 1:10:56

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:10:58

That was my girlfriend.

Speaker 3: 1:10:59

I was about eight years ago. That was a very difficult time and to choose this, you know it's it's in the past, but it's still.

Speaker 1: 1:11:07

It's still something that that that bothers me, yeah, yeah because I remember, I remember, I remember I met her a few times at the studio. I mean, you was always full of life joy. It just seemed like everything was on the up and up and you were doing very well. I was very proud of and happy for you. Thank you. And when you share the news, I was just like damn, it was kind of like what, yeah?

Speaker 3: 1:11:27

Yeah, it still fucks with me and I really, you know, I don't even like thinking about it these days.

Speaker 1: 1:11:35

Okay, I'll shoot them, we'll, we'll leave it alone. Because I mean, when you say love is not for you, I guess that's why I was trying to go with it.

Speaker 3: 1:11:42

I didn't say love is not for me, oh, oh, what I said is marriage is not for me. Oh, okay, I would love to have a girlfriend that she has her place and I have mine. Sometimes you get spending, you know why?

Speaker 2: 1:11:57

why does it?

Speaker 3: 1:11:57

situation ship, you don't want to say entangle me, I tried it. I tried very, very many, very many times, but I kind of I like having my own space. I don't mind sharing it here and there, but I like having my space. I really do.

Speaker 1: 1:12:15

So do you. That's how you want it.

Speaker 3: 1:12:17

For the rest, Like you, only got about 20 years left. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:12:25

You got a little more than 20.

Speaker 1: 1:12:27

Oscar, Oscar, I don't know I figure you're going to be around and tell these stories and talking to your kids. Like you, I can see you, man, you just these stories and the things you share, you, you, you goaded for it, man, oh man, that's what.

Speaker 3: 1:12:43

I will see.

Speaker 1: 1:12:45

If that we always got this. Awesome. Um, and one thing people don't talk about how do you die? How do you like? When do you find time to eat when your book God damn day Like do you pray somebody cancels? Do you have to order the stupid eats? Take all your money, how does that?

Speaker 3: 1:13:03

I do that once a month because I get a $10 allowance from uh AmEx. But other than that, hell no, I wouldn't. That's a waste of money getting all that shit delivered.

Speaker 3: 1:13:13

But, what I, what I. If I'm on book the whole day, I usually uh buy uh lunch and dinner at my way to the studio and I'll eat it there, cause I have been trying to be healthier and trying not to eat crap. So I'll either make something here or buy it on my way, and it's usually a salad or something from Bollay or, you know, chicken Chick-fil-A, chick-fil-a, you know I love it. I haven't had it in a minute because Bollay and uh just salads took it over.

Speaker 4: 1:13:44

Hmm, bollay is nice, I like Bollay, I like Bollay, bollay, nice Bollay, nice Bollay hit you for $20.

Speaker 1: 1:13:49

You get that extra shrimp and guacamole, yet you had easier.

Speaker 3: 1:13:53

I get the regular servings as I'm trying to maintain. Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I love it I mean I'm trying to build strength and stuff, but I don't want to be you know, I just want to be my normal self. You know, feeling better.

Speaker 1: 1:14:08

Hmm, hmm, oscar, uh, so what, what? What advice, if any, would you give to your, your younger self when it comes to whether DJing on the engineering side? Is there anything you wish somebody would have told you, uh, before you started, or anything. You just look back at your longer stuff and be like man, I would have done this differently.

Speaker 3: 1:14:31

That's a good question. No, I enjoyed every part of learning and everybody every, every part of coming up. No, I you know, I probably would have told myself not to quit college and fucking finish and get a degree. But uh, then you know no, I, I don't regret anything I've done or the way I've done it. I, I, I wouldn't give myself any. I would still do it again, Awesome.

Speaker 1: 1:14:57

My problem with college is that, once again, I think to each his own, but I just see people who get these degrees they got to go through hoops to get a decent job. They even start giving back to what they owe, Like that's. That's why I'm happy.

Speaker 3: 1:15:13

I followed what I did.

Speaker 1: 1:15:16

I'm my own employer.

Speaker 3: 1:15:18

Yeah, I, you know, I, I got my own knowledge. I can, I can do all sorts of different things because I know how to teach myself. So, um, if I would have gone to college, the degree would have just been something to show, but I, I I'm pretty sure I would have had jobs that were creative, because that's what I'm. I think that's what I'm more geared to is creativity.

Speaker 1: 1:15:41

Yeah, I could see you in tech, because you always teaching me something new. Oh, definitely, oh, yeah, I can be in tech.

Speaker 3: 1:15:47

I can do any time.

Speaker 1: 1:15:49

I learned how to use my iPhone through you, yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:15:53

I did take computer. I took. I was working on Apple Lisa's back then in the 80s. I knew how to do command lines. Uh, you know, I was trying to do computer animation. So yes, I am, I am very, very tech oriented so I can do tech. I would have gotten into programming. Maybe I wish I would have gone into programming yeah, I can actually did program.

Speaker 3: 1:16:16

My first program was on a computer at 64. My cousin gave me all the formulas, uh, to bet on baseball. So I ran. I, you know I did all the. Uh, you know I did all the, the, the, the combinations. The computer would ask you a question, you put in the stats and at the end you get a percentage of whether you're going to win or not. And I had a lot of fun doing that. And the only actual class that I aced in college was a statistics. So yeah, I think I was made for math and music is math. So maybe that's why I'm in what I'm in.

Speaker 1: 1:16:50

I mean Oscar, man, like, uh, we definitely on exposure. Uh, we, we like giving flowers to, and, um, you know what I mean. We love getting the history and the documentation of everyone that's contributed to, even from locally to, to Florida, to the region, across the globe. As we know, this platform is going to continue to grow, but, man, um, it's. It's been a privilege for you to take the time out and to definitely share your, your story.

Speaker 1: 1:17:16

This documentation is very important and I personally, from you know, from a client, um, you're someone I consider a friend, um, and you know you're still young to me, but even a father figure. We could talk about anything and you know, I know I could hit you up for anything. I just want to say thank you personally for all that you do, all that you contribute and, um, you know, I wish you plenty more years of success and blessings and and we're going to rock out I still see me calling you, even if you say, man, I'm not engineer, someone took over. I still going to call you, I'll be around for a while.

Speaker 3: 1:17:45

Eric, I need to see you.

Speaker 2: 1:17:48

I'm coming soon.

Speaker 3: 1:17:50

You, you, my friend, been a minute you need to get back on. I got you.

Speaker 2: 1:17:55

I'm coming. I'm coming soon. I got something for you to move. Hold on, hold on, hold on hold on.

Speaker 4: 1:17:59

What's the case?

Speaker 1: 1:18:03

Wait a minute, October 18th, 1003 pm. Say what Hold on. Hold on Oscar, I bet you showing up with his son. We're doing a different episode.

Speaker 3: 1:18:12

We're coming in with his son, Don't you have your listening party on Saturday? I, I, I.

Speaker 1: 1:18:17

I, I sure do. Yes, sir, I have a little.

Speaker 3: 1:18:21

I'm going to try to make it to that. I didn't. I did go to the last one. I'll try and make it to that.

Speaker 1: 1:18:25

You did. You ate good. I was proud.

Speaker 3: 1:18:27

Man, you're good.

Speaker 1: 1:18:27

Real, fuck. Yeah. And listen people talk to today. They say you got Oscar.

Speaker 3: 1:18:32

Come on son listening party Like that was a tough one. It's pretty. If real is on the menu, I will be listening.

Speaker 1: 1:18:39

Oh, hey, hey, you might as well don't eat.

Speaker 3: 1:18:41

don't eat lunch, then, or curry chicken or jerk chicken, anything Caribbean, I'll be there.

Speaker 1: 1:18:47

No, don't eat lunch, because I got you covered, brother. Don't eat lunch, then we from the grub out, we from the grub out, but no, eric, eric is here, man, I think every, every guest he's uh, somewhat impacted, whether they watched his journey or from collaboration. So we'll, we'll see what the future holds. I'm optimistic, for sure.

Speaker 2: 1:19:04

Yeah, yeah, and thank you so much, oscar, for your contribution to our community, the arts. I said something similar to Clarence CRB media because of what he allowed us to do and express through his distribution system with CDs. So you having your space to allow us to express without taking it in, and I want to say violent, means, you touched a very, very large I would say 90% of a couple of generations at least in their journeys with creativity, music, their passion, their struggles, just our, our story that's being documented. When this is all looked back upon by the, the AI ancestral overlords, and they come back here we go again the AI.

Speaker 2: 1:20:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah Back. Yes, you see that Oscar Zias imprinted their creation throughout everything. You're going to be a legend. Well, you know what I am proud?

Speaker 3: 1:20:16

I am so proud to be able to work with who I work with, with the community for here, Because honestly, I wouldn't be shipped with any of you all at all. You know it's a collaborator effort and I'm proud of one. Thank you.

Speaker 4: 1:20:33

Wabba Laba respected. Now we have Rick and Morty see AI Wabba Laba.

Speaker 1: 1:20:41

It's Rick and Morty man, you don't know oh, you don't know who Rick and Morty are, I'm sure.

Speaker 3: 1:20:45

Draco knows who Rick and Morty are.

Speaker 1: 1:20:46

I know who they are. I know Soulja Boy made a song about it. More than that, you a show. Oh wait, I put your head down together. You got to be quick, don't talk about.

Speaker 3: 1:20:56

Soulja Boy hey, don't talk about Rick Draco.

Speaker 1: 1:20:58

Nobody can say that hey, hey, we got some clips on YouTube. They come.

Speaker 3: 1:21:05

I've been laughing at that. If you watch this, you'd get the connection to cyberpunk and all the other stuff and AI.

Speaker 1: 1:21:11

You get down, you just get.

Speaker 2: 1:21:16

That's some gaming worlds. I'll tell you, the gaming world got, the only we are.

Speaker 1: 1:21:20

We not in that. We got to do at least 10 episodes to get caught up here. I've got the gaming episode.

Speaker 3: 1:21:25

I will be on with you, boys. Hell yeah, okay.

Speaker 1: 1:21:28

Awesome, awesome, awesome. So, oscar, for those viewers who are unaware of you or and they wanted to get with you or follow you or book you for business, what would be the way for someone to reach Oscar's ass at on Beats Studios?

Speaker 3: 1:21:41

Facebook is on Beats Studios Facebookonbeatsstudioscom. My web address is onbeatsstudioscom. My Instagram is on Beats Studios. I mean, just type in on Beats Studios and you can book, text me or whatever you you know. However, you need to get in touch. I also do internet work, so if you email me stuff and you want to mix, I can take care of that as well Do you have an Instagram. No, but that's my. That's my personal picture on my personal Instagram. Let me see where did it go?

Speaker 1: 1:22:21

No, we saw him on the screen a few times.

Speaker 3: 1:22:23

Oh yeah. He, he's actually the picture. If you look at my personal Instagram, oscar underscore Zayas, that's. That's his picture, because he's always bugging me.

Speaker 2: 1:22:32

Shout out to him, shout out to myself.

Speaker 3: 1:22:35

What's up, all right.

Speaker 1: 1:22:39

Oscar, thank you so much for your time. Man, All our listeners, thank you for tuning in to exposure. I'm the global zoe.

Speaker 2: 1:22:46

I'm Eric Biddens, Draco Mill and we are.

Speaker 1: 1:22:53

Oscar. Thank you so much, man. We're going to let you get the game, and if that's what you're doing, that's what I'm doing. Hey, Saturday, if you're free, we're going to be there. A lot of fools going to be there. Pull up.

Speaker 3: 1:23:03

I have it in my calendar. I'll try to make it up.

Speaker 1: 1:23:05

All right, thank you. Have a good night, boys All right Later.