The name Derek Ali may not be the most widely recognised, but take a look at the list of musicians he has collaborated with, and the picture changes dramatically. The American sound engineer has mixed tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Cardi B, ScHoolboy Q, SZA, Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, Brockhampton, and many others.
His work is often discreet and invisible, yet crucial to the final result of a song. When an artist records their voice to accompany an instrumental, it’s up to the sound engineer to mix the audio tracks that make up the piece. The sonic product is as creative as it is technical - and Derek Ali, also known as MixedbyAli, has established himself as one of the best in the business.
A protégé of Dr. Dre - one of the pivotal musicians, producers, and sound engineers in contemporary music - Derek Ali grew up in Los Angeles and began working with Kendrick Lamar at a young age. Rising together from the streets to global recognition, the two developed as artists with complementary creative roles, ultimately earning Grammy Awards. For many years, MixedbyAli served as the sound engineer for Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Kendrick Lamar's label.
Now, at 34, he is primarily focused on the digital platform he launched in 2022, EngineEars. This app connects sound engineers and their studios with artists in need of technical services. Essentially, it operates like an Uber for sound engineers and musicians.
With a strong focus on the United States, but also a significant presence in countries like the UK and Nigeria, EngineEars currently boasts nearly 40,000 sound engineers or studios and around 60,000 registered artists. This project is what brings Derek Ali to Cascais on 24 and 25 October, where he will discuss music and technology - specifically artificial intelligence tools, another feature of the platform - at the Estoril Conferences. We spoke with the esteemed sound engineer about his latest project as well as his career.
As a sound engineer, what led you to focus more on the technological side and create this platform?
As a self-taught sound engineer, I didn’t have the means to go to college and learn how to build a business. It was all trial and error. Naturally, as I built my creative, independent business into one of the largest in the world, the need to work in technology arose. While trying to scale my personal brand and creative business, I realised there was a ceiling, a limit, due to a lack of technology. I didn’t see anything on the market that added value to what I was doing, so it was only natural to say, "Well, let’s build it." In 2019 or 2020, we began to conceptualise how we could create a platform that provides all these resources, tools, and experiences. We’ve been on that journey ever since.
Do you feel that this work is related to your calling as a sound engineer, in the sense of wanting to constantly discover new tools and the potential of technology in music? Mixing music is very much about using technology to enhance creativity.
Absolutely, that’s a great observation. I really enjoy diving into the unknown. When I entered the music industry, I already had a passion for taking things apart and rebuilding them, but I didn’t know I wanted to be in music. Diving into that unknown opened up the opportunity to ask myself: how can I go even further? How can I delve into a business sector when I barely finished high school? It was about creating a startup with the potential to transform the music industry.
How do you feel this work with EngineEars has helped you evolve as a sound engineer?
I think I draw inspiration primarily from the people themselves. Being so involved as the CEO of EngineEars, I spend a lot of time talking to our users. I’m on the phone with them, trying to understand the friction they’re dealing with, the problems they have, and what features we can create to be more efficient. These are people from all walks of life who have the dream of breaking barriers and creating opportunities for themselves. After doing this for so long, it has reinspired me because I remember having that feeling, and I want to feel it again. And how can I do that? It’s almost a selfish pursuit because, at the end of the day, if we don’t have a personal connection to what we’re doing, what’s the point? Honestly, there was a moment in my career when I felt uninspired because I had reached a pinnacle that was very high. It was only when I entered this business and discovered this new passion for creating in another field that the spark was reignited within me.
What led you to turn towards technology at that moment?
It was very much a learning experience. Before we had a product or platform, we travelled the world doing workshops. It was a significant moment in my story, as I was meeting creatives like myself from around the globe. They may not have reached the level of success I had at that time, but they had still managed to plant the seeds of what they wanted to build. In early 2019, we started these workshops worldwide. In the first half, I would share my story and connect with all the participants. In the second half, I would completely deconstruct one of the biggest albums I had worked on, showing the tools I used and my thought process at the time. This was crucial because when the pandemic hit, we had to halt the workshops and were left with surveys we had given to our participants. They often talked about the need they felt for business tools. That led us on the journey to building technology.
Do you feel that platforms like this, which enhance connections and methods of working, are the future of the music industry?
Yes, we are developing an ecosystem. We started with sound engineers, knowing it’s one of the more challenging areas to build in the music industry because it’s a niche. But that’s the entry point. Before EngineEars, we had to use Dropbox, Cash App, Venmo, QuickBooks, Instagram messages, Gmail... Now, we’ve created a tool that easily manages all aspects of the business. We’ve built a platform that makes engineers want to work nowhere else. They’re bringing their existing clients to work with them through the platform. That’s how the ecosystem develops. We have engineers bringing their artists, artists finding studios, studios being hired, and music being created... At that stage, we can introduce tools like “AI recommendations” and “creative suggestions”. But first, we need to establish the foundations of a new ecosystem. As we build a new version of the platform, which we’ll be launching soon, we can envision how to integrate AI to provide value. Harvard professor Karim Lakhani once said, “It won’t be AI taking over everything; it will be AI enabling people.” Whether you’re an artist, a studio, or a sound engineer, these tools will make you more efficient. You’ll be able to grow your businesses. That’s the future, and we’ll become the operating system for the music industry.
Are you currently fully focused on EngineEars, or can you balance the platform with your work as a mixing engineer?
Well, music is my passion. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. But right now, my focus is on EngineEars. I’m dedicating my time to building the platform, and when I have the chance, I still work on records. If there are artists who are friends and need my support, of course, I’ll always be there because the creative side comes first. But when it comes to creating this business, I believe the mission is bigger than just me making one song a day. As an engineer, I can only mix one or two songs a day. But through the platform, it’s as if I’m mixing a million songs a day. That has a greater impact on the world and the music community; it’s something that transcends me.
For those who aren't familiar with the more technical aspects of the music ecosystem, how do you usually explain how to train one's ear to understand if something sounds good? Is it all about time and experience?
Well, everything is time and experience. Any academic, any professional, any politician—whoever you are—only gets better with time. But specifically as a sound engineer, it’s a lot about understanding music. And especially today, it has a lot to do with personal taste. What sounds new to you? How do you mix and use the tools to bring together the kick drum, snare, bass, and vocals? How do you merge everything to create a track that everyone listens to on Spotify? It all starts with passion; you have to love it to the point where you don’t make a single dollar... But you do it because you love it. And it’s through that love that you’ll get better, gain more resources, create connections, and then the payment comes, turning it into a business. I always tell people: as a sound engineer, you have to be okay sitting in a studio for six hours just listening to a snare drum. And you need to leave happy. If someone wants to become a creative in this field, the first step is to join EngineEars, where they can have educational experiences about the basics to get started; and on the platform, they can monetise what they’ve learned with the tools we’ve developed. But as you said, it’s all about time and experience; we all have to put in our 10,000 hours to really be good.
Obviously, music is about creativity and freedom, but it can also be quite scientific and mathematical. You mentioned the advantages of artificial intelligence, but there’s been a lot of talk about the dangers and risks to creativity as well. How do you see that side of it?
In the music industry, what creators don’t understand... they automatically push aside. I want to embrace that unknown. History teaches us: when we embrace technology, we end up at the forefront of the next generation. It’s very interesting. As I mentioned earlier, I can only make one or two songs a day. With some of these tools, we can empower someone like me to create ten songs a day. They can have more time for family, more time to do things in their free time, and more income to be comfortable as creators... Even the barrier to entry for sound engineers... not everyone can afford university courses. But they still want that information. Imagine being trained to create music while you’re creating music... These opportunities can be developed, and that’s what’s interesting. We want to enable all our users to reach their maximum potential.
Do you feel that music is inevitably changing because of artificial intelligence? There are many new tools, and even people who aren’t artists can experiment with creating sounds using some of them and make songs with the voices of their favourite artists, even if those voices weren't recorded by them... These tools are shaping and impacting the music industry.
I completely agree... I think last year there were 120,000 new songs on Spotify every day. That’s due to the many platforms and tools that allow people to create and distribute their songs. With the help of artificial intelligence, that number will double or triple. The barrier to entry will simply be having an idea for a song. I think we’ll see almost different categories of musicians: those who do it as a hobby, using these tools to have a parallel passion; and those who will do it professionally, at a higher level. But these tools will provide more opportunities, so there will be more creators making music. And that means our users can have more clients because there are more artists creating music in the market and wanting to distribute their songs. I think this is one of the most exciting times in the music industry and technology as a whole.
"I want to provide analogue sensations in a digital world"
Speaking a bit about your career, how did you start working in music? Because, as you mentioned, mixing songs is quite a specific technical role.
I was always that kid with hyperactivity and attention deficit. I was the kid who took apart the computer or the car remote to try to understand how it worked. It never worked again after I dismantled everything, but I was always intrigued by the process. I discovered I could do that with music. It was overwhelming. In high school, I had a small business. Before ringtones had actual songs, they only had beeps... I had software that allowed me to access mobile phone systems and record people making their own ringtones. This was long before people could buy their ringtones for 99 cents. That sparked my passion. I could have someone over at my grandmother's house, record for 30 seconds, add instruments and effects, and then have a product that could live forever... From that point on, I was hooked. I researched and studied those who came before me, and I was completely immersed in the world of sound engineering.
And the first person you met who worked professionally in music was Dr. Dre?
On a large scale, yes. But this was before Kendrick Lamar became Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick and I started making music together in 2005. We grew together early on, and Dr. Dre signed Kendrick and became my mentor. He taught me everything I know.
How did you meet Kendrick?
Los Angeles isn’t that big of a city. You hear about this or that name making music... This was long before social media. We connected through a local studio where we had a mutual friend. We met at the studio, he said he wanted to be the biggest artist in the world, and I said I wanted to be the best sound engineer in the world. Naturally, we started working together, thanks to our passions. I was able to help him, and he helped me, since we both had different roles. We built that bond that connects us and the sound that the world ended up loving.
As you mentioned earlier, you didn’t have the means to go to university or receive more formal education, but you learned from one of the best, Dr. Dre. How was that experience?
It was humbling. I came from the streets and I know what I don’t know; it’s one of my superpowers. I didn’t know how to speak the language; I didn’t know the terminology, I just knew what sounded good. So, I was in the studio with Dr. Dre worried that he would ask me a question I wouldn’t know how to answer... But he’s just like me. He does what sounds good to him, spends a lot of time listening to specific things... In that process, we mixed Kendrick Lamar’s *good kid, m.A.A.d city*. Through mixing that album, he trained me to develop my own sound, and I was able to take that sound and make a mark on the music industry.
And you became an essential part of the success of Top Dawg Entertainment. How did the process work? Did you follow what the artists were doing, giving your input, and then handling the mixing? Or did you receive the tracks and try to do what you thought was best? I’m not sure if the artists gave specific guidance or instructions...
I was lucky; I think I’m an anomaly in that the artists I had the chance to work with... were Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, SZA, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad... We had the TDE studio, the place where we could all come together and escape everything happening in our lives. All the street stuff, all the issues we had... We could go to that place and create. All we had was time. There were no responsibilities, no one had a job; all we wanted to do was create. That opportunity I had to develop my sound was because they never gave me instructions. They never said: “Make it sound like this.” If I wanted to try something new, the worst thing they could say was: “I don’t like that.” The fact that they gave me complete creative freedom allowed me to understand that there are no rules when it comes to creating music. It’s just about what sounds good. There’s no “1” or “0.” It’s about feeling. How does this song relate to an individual? How can you experience a song? And that was due to not having artists telling me I could only do this or that and nothing else. They encouraged me to try different things, and that helped me develop my own sound.
Can you describe in words the identity of your sound?
My style is warmth. As I was taught by Dr. Dre, he mixed everything analog, with those big consoles. Before Kendrick was signed by Dr. Dre and when we were all working in a small house, everything was done with software, using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). When I had the chance to work with analog equipment, the sound, the warmth, and the density you get from that electricity... it gives you a different feeling. If there’s one tool I struggle to work with, it’s the Solid State Logic console. It’s like the brush on my canvas. The electricity flowing through that console, and the years of grime, smoke, and spilled drinks... it gives it a specific character, a texture that can’t be replicated. So, I would define my sound as total clarity, warm, and having depth... I want to provide analog sensations in a digital world.
Often, the work of a sound engineer can be invisible. Do you feel it can be an undervalued role? Or is that part of it?
Yes, it’s undervalued, especially since the quality of much music has declined over the years as barriers to entry have been removed... It can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Without those barriers, you’re dealing with songs that aren’t sonically pleasing because they aren’t mixed well. That’s also why we wanted to create this platform, to give artists access to work with world-class talent. But at the end of the day, I always tell engineers: this isn’t about us. We are just part of the creation process. The artist is at the top, the engineer is on one side, and the producer is on the other. Everyone there is a tool ensuring the best possible product, which will be a song. Whether you’re an engineer or a producer, you’re not bigger than the song itself. I think appreciation exists when there’s respect for the art.
Of course, when you truly love music, you give it that value.
100%. And that’s why the name MixedbyAli exists today. I’m not a flashy person; you don’t see me on social media because I don’t want that attention. But when I walk into a room, the respect is there because I prioritize the art. I don’t think sound engineers should be seeking stardom. We should be looking for the best possible product.
Is there a specific genre of music or an artist you haven’t had the chance to work with but would really like to? Sounds that have never passed through your Solid State Logic?
I’ve mainly worked in hip-hop and R&B. I’ve done some reggae and rock, worked with Imagine Dragons and Foster the People, but there’s one group... Tame Impala. I love textures. If we listen to *To Pimp A Butterfly* by Kendrick Lamar, that album is filled with textures. That’s what inspires me, diving into the unknown. I adore Tame Impala; I’m a huge fan of their music, the textures, the way they sound—I would love to one day get lost in those sounds.
Was To Pimp A Butterfly the album that represented a turning point in your career?
Absolutely. It won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, and considering the time it was released... "Alright" was used in protests and marches. It was a project of its time. But more than that, it was an artistic piece. The way the album is constructed, the sonic vision that exists from the first track to the last, how cohesive it sounds... It’s one of the best albums of the 2010s, as Rolling Stone stated. It was a milestone in my career and life.
Estoril Conferences, Nova SBE in Carcavelos. 24th and 25th October. Free of charge