BASS Mike Zuniga
[ WM ] Tell us about how you got started playing bass ?
[ Mike Zuniga ] When i was 12 years old , my father , our pastor , was the bassist . He would play during worship then step over and preach . So for altar call , there was no bass . They had asked me if i would like to learn . The truth was , I really wanted to play the guitar but then I found out how much I had to do in order to play a chord versus play a note on a bass . I said , SIGN ME UP FOR BASS ! ( laughing )
[ WM ] Who were your main bass influences ?
[ Mike ] My bass influences were Emmanuel Espinosa , Abraham Laboriel , Marcus Miller and of course , Victor Wooten .
[ WM ] Do you play bass outside of the church ? Do any session work ?
[ Mike ] Yes ! I started doing session work around 2004 . I was 21 years old . Again , out of necessity . The artist I had just started playing for was the head of production at Canzion , a Spanish Christian Label . He had a production that needed three basses and the session guy was unable to finish them . I was so nervous ! Usually listening back , I can tell if that ’ s me playing or not . But I sincerely was so nervous I did absolutely nothing to stand out . Yet just enough for the producer to be happy with my take . I definitely learned at that moment it was all about the song !
produce my record and you take your money and invest back into your own space ? I was like , “ Am I dreaming ?”. This stuff doesn ’ t happen in real life . But it did ! We started building the studio in August of 2007 and finished it around May of 2008 . My very first record produced was for Luis Guzman - Darte a Ti La Gloria .
As a bassist , if I ’ m not producing , I get mostly bass session work . But 3Fold Studios , has also turned into a spot where several drummers around the city love to track their projects and session work . I am truly blessed !
[ WM ] What are you using to record with ? ProTools ? Plug-ins ? Tell us about your studio .
[ Mike ] I use PreSonus Studio One V5 . Back in 2008 , to have a full Pro Tools HD rig , it ’ s cost thousands of dollars , so I started off on an ADK PRO AUDIO workstation ( PC ) and Nuendo . From there I went to Cubase and then landed at Studio One . I feel like they took the best of several top DAW ’ s and put them all into one program .
[ WM ] Your thoughts on modeling units vs . analog ?
[ Mike ] I think tech has advanced so much over the years . What used to be impossible is surprisingly close now . I still feel analog setups are still the mold of what we are after . Can the modeling units get us close ? Yes , most definitely ! But are they better than analog ? Not necessarily . I ’ ve had my bass pedalboard setup for a few years now so I have it pretty dialed in . And I took months trying to reproduce my setup on an HX . I could definitely use either and get a great bass tone . But of the two , which do I prefer ? I ’ d have to say my analog setup . Because it ’ s exactly what I want and need . Sometimes having too many options can hurt more than help . I like to apply the K . I . S . S . rule here . ( laughing )
[ WM ] Can you list three worship albums that inspire your own worship bass playing ?
[ Mike ] First of all , pretty much any record that Emmanuel Espinosa played on . Sana Nuestra Tierra marked me for life as it was a live recording done in Houston that I was able to attend in 2003 , it truly inspired me to pursue the dream God had placed in my heart !
Secondly , Ron Kenoly - Ancient of Days with Abraham Laboriel . His expression and energy showed me to feel and enjoy every single note of what I was doing .
Third , I would say Elevation - There is a Cloud . So many of the songs on this record have truly ministered to my life . Even more than just the
[ WM ] You also have a role as a producer and your own studio – 3Fold ? Tell us about that ?
[ Mike ] I started my recording studio and producing records in 2008 . Yet again , from an unexpected opportunity . I had never produced a record . I had only played on them . I was approached by a “ now great friend ” but complete stranger at the time . He said what if instead of renting another place , I pay you to
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