Learn how FOH engineer John Buitrago crafts album-quality mixes using Apollo x16D and UAD plug-ins.
For nearly three decades, John Buitrago has moved between the recording studio and the live stage. A guitarist-turned-engineer, Buitrago began his journey in his native Colombia, producing albums and cutting his teeth on analog consoles and tape. Today, he’s mixing front-of-house on massive arena and stadium tours for hip-hop artists Don Toliver, Lil Durk, and Trey Songz as well as Latin music superstar Karol G.
“I started as a studio mixer 25 years ago, then transitioned into live sound,” says Buitrago, who credits his work as a monitor mixer at Colombia’s biggest music festival, Rock al Parque, as his breakthrough gig. “Now, I mix in the studio and do FOH live shows, constantly evolving with every project. The studio is the dojo. That’s where you train your ears. That’s your karate,” he says. “You learn how things should sound, and then apply that on stage.”
Apollo x16D and Dante: The Studio Comes With Him
“Once you know how an artist sounds, you can tweak the same plug-ins you used in the studio and make it work anywhere on any stage,” says FOH engineer John Buitrago.
“With Apollo x16D and Dante, I get the two most important things a FOH needs — audio quality and confidence,” he continues. “It’s seamless between studio and stage and latency is never an issue. Once you set it up to your Dante network, it’s rock solid. Power up the console and your patch is ready. It saves hours of work.”
UAD Plug-Ins: The Secret Sauce
“My master bus is all UAD — Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, Brainworx EQ, Pultec EQs, Sonnox Oxford Dynamic EQ. It’s the same chain every night,” he says. “It glues my mixes together and gives it that final sheen.”
“My master bus plug-in chain is always UAD plug-ins.”
John Buitrago, FOH for Karol G, J Balvin, and Don Toliver
Buitrago also uses the Oxford Dynamic EQ on ultra-dynamic singers. “Don Toliver, for example, can go from whispering like Sinatra to screaming into the mic. The Oxford Dynamic EQ is the only plug-in that handles that kind of range transparently. The side-chain filters per band that let me trigger the dynamic processing from other parts of his voice are an absolute gamechanger.”
Beyond mastering and vocal chains, Buitrago also relies on UAD reverbs and compressors to sculpt sounds. “The Lexicon 224 is a must. It’s my go-to reverb for vocals,” he says. “And the Tube-Tech CL 1B and 1176LN compressor plug-ins are my vocal glue.”
“Most of my biggest clients want their show to sound like the record,” says FOH engineer John Buitrago.
Ears First, Then Tools
For all his tech know-how, Buitrago is a mixer first and foremost. “You need to listen to your artist and see what you can do for them. That’s the job,” he says. “It’s not about volume. The problem today is people think loud means good. But musicality is what really matters.”
“Live sound improves your studio work. Studio improves your live work. Spend time in both worlds. “The studio trained me. The stage challenges me. Apollo brings them together.”
John Buitrago’s Top UAD Plug-Ins
Buitrago uses a combination of classic analog hardware emulations and digital processors to bring studio sound to the stage
— UA Staff
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