The beginnings (in the 90’s)
From a very early age Fernando was passionate about music – and especially recording. Since he learned to play his first notes and chords on the guitar, he began recording them using a very simple cassette player at home.
Later, he discovered overdubbing – that is, recording over itself-, and a world of infinite possibilities of musical experimentation opened up. From this moment on he began his first attempts to compose songs, using as a reference and inspiration his favorite band of the time, the Beatles. Of course.
During his elementary school years Fernando took guitar and music theory classes with various teachers and got involved in his very first musical projects. He remembers vividly his first gigs at multiple school festivals and parties, having his first experiences with small audiences.
After high school (2001 – 2009)
After finishing high school, and thanks to new technology in the field of digital recording, Fernando had the opportunity to build a very simple and basic home studio. Here he produced his first songs and released them as singles with the support of the electronic music collective “Boogie Nights” in Caracas, Venezuela.
Throughout these years (2003-2009) Fernando performed as a DJ – as the newly born Fernan Dust – at numerous parties throughout the country and continued releasing several singles, including “Mas Allá”, which went number 1 on the charts of the national radio station “La Mega 107.3 FM”.
At the same time he began his studies in audio engineering. This became a turning point for his own recordings and productions, later helping him land his first job in a recording studio in Caracas -“Sistema 2”. During these years he had the opportunity to work with different musical genres and numerous artists and bands, helping them record, mix and master their projects. But most importantly, these were the golden years of practicing and learning hands-on the art of audio engineering.
From 2009 onwards (We are going to Berlin!)
Inspired by a trip to Europe in 2008, Fernando made the decision to continue his career in the German capital. In November 2009 he leaves his hometown behind to pursue a new journey. This started with learning German, a must to establish himself in the city and begin his studies of musicology at the Humboldt University in Berlin.
During his years as a student, he immersed himself in the unique world of Berlin, a one-of-a-kind culture and a never-stopping nightlife packed with concerts, events, parties and an infinite palate of music. At the same time he invested everything in building up his studio and taking on as many mixing and mastering projects as possible.
The studio days (2018 – Today)
After finishing his studies in Musicology in 2018, Fernando began working full time in his studio, offering online mixing and mastering services. A turning point was the decision to go from all-in inside the box – digital that is-, to the wild world of analog gear. The result a is a delightfully well-crafted studio with the best of both worlds (or so he says). It is this very marriage of the beauty and the beast, the plugins and the gear, digital and analog, that lend him a hand to create mixes and masters that sound great in any listening environment.
In early 2023 Fernando launches his revamped website www.fernandust.com, focusing on offering an easy-to-use portal to effortlessly book and manage mixing and mastering projects. The goal: Help artists around the world create a solid sound that can compete with any big production out there. Fast, accessible, affordable, professional.