Luke Dimond is a young music producer, mix engineer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles that has worked with artists on the Atlantic Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Bros Records, and Universal Music Group rosters. He is also an avid Twitch streamer for gaming, music, and IRL content.
We asked Luke a few questions about what he's been up to...
What's the best place for those new to your work to become familiar with what you do?
I never really used my website as a landing page for potential clients, so I typically just use my Instagram or my Twitch channel!
- Here is a link to some of my Discography (including Sia, Labrinth, Diplo, Lil Wayne + more).
- Here are my IMDB Credits for TV/Film placements (most are as a writer/singer).
- Here is a link to a song I wrote/sang for the movie SHAFT on the official soundtrack.
- Here is a link to my Instagram Clip from my charity Twitch stream where our team raised over $10,000 for Covid-19 relief.
Can you pick out any favorites from your work that you're particularly proud of?
Absolutely! Most of my proudest work is as an engineer for the pop supergroup LSD (Labrinth, Sia, Diplo). I came in as a full time engineer for one of the artists, and helped tighten up some of the songs in the late stages and was awarded my first gold and platinum certifications because of it.
How would you define your main role on most of the projects you work on?
I wear many hats in almost any project I work on. I started as an engineer but never in a formal studio environment, I was always part of an artist team, camp, or employed by a publisher. I have major label credits as an engineer, producer, and writer, because having variety me keeps me extremely motivated across all fronts!
How did you get started in music?
I started when I was a teenager and was mostly involved with metal or rock, because of this I played in high school bands and then after high school I sang and played guitar in a band called Anchorlines, we toured nationally and racked over 1M plays on our music. This set a foundation for my love for working on music on a commercial level. I'm so grateful to have had that experience.
Can you briefly describe a moment of frustration from your past work, and what you may have done to overcome the obstacles? Would you approach it differently now?
I've been in plenty of stressful situations throughout the years, but specifically in my early time as an engineer. Working with artists in the studio presented lots of difficulties with understanding and adapting to how service based the industry was as an engineer in addition to being creatively and technically oriented. I wish I had grasped this early on, because embracing that made the experience much better for me, and I'm sure the artist as well.
Is there any gear you find yourself turning to most when working on a project? What are some of your favorite instruments recently?
Headphones. Honestly haha, I do all my mixing and production with headphones due to how I was working with a past gig for a while. Instrument-wise, I've been incorporating way more guitars into my productions, which is a timeless instrument to me but something you tend to see less and less of in pop nowadays. As far as audio gear, I love using my outboard compressors to shape and color sounds from in the box.
Do you have any words of wisdom for people who might aspire to get where you are in their own careers?
Understand that you have the power to succeed if you just do the thing and strive to do it well. If you are skilled, likable, and personable, people will WANT you to succeed.
How long have you been working with headphones, and what inspired you to start including them in your workflow?
I was working with a publisher for a year while mixing and producing a sync catalog, and there were always other people in the room so I was forced to work on headphones. I do almost all of my work on headphones, and then use speakers for reference and listening.
These LCD-1 headphones are truly amazing, and the fact that they have more portability than any set of professional headphones I've owned makes them an extremely valuable tool in my arsenal. Having a portable pair of headphones that I know I can sonically trust on the road is extremely helpful. Love these things, man!