Luis "Salda" Saldarriaga in his element. Salda recently engineered the #1 single "Despacito" featuring Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber.
Billboard's #1 Hit "Despacito" Recorded with All Mogami Cable

The Latin-rhythmed lust-ballad tearing up the charts with an infectious reggaetón sound was recorded entirely with Mogami Gold cables. We caught up with rising star and studio engineer Luis "Salda" Saldarriaga to talk about his experience using Mogami in the studio.

"My studio setup at the time [for recording Despacito] was pretty much industry standard. I had an HDX system running Lynx Aurora Converters with Chandler TG2 Preamps plugged into a variety of different mics. For instruments, I used an old Neumann KM84 going into a Chandler TG2 Preamp, and for Luis Fonsi's voice, a Manley Reference Cardioid mic going into either a Neve 1073 or Chandler TG2 Preamp, and then through a Tube Tech CL1B — all using Mogami Gold Cables throughout.

During the recording, we didn't really face a lot of challenges and it was a pretty normal session, but as soon as I heard it played back I remember thinking, 'Wow, this is going to be big.' I never thought it was going to be as big as it is now, but I knew there was something special about it. " - Salda

For Salda, ever since his first introduction to Mogami cables, the difference in quality was apparent.



Salda [center] with "Despacito" co-producer Andres Torres [left] and singer Luis Fonsi [right] putting some finishing touches on the track in the studio. [Co-producer Mauricio Rengifo not pictured.] "The very first Mogami Cable I bought was for my guitar when I was 12 years old. I remember the seller saying, 'This is the best you can get for your money and it will never break, otherwise you can bring it back and we'll swap it for a new one.' At first I was just excited to be getting new cables, because my experience with cables at the time hadn't been very good — I'd had a lot of cheaper cables die on me. But to this day, I still have that first Mogami cable I bought and it still works perfectly.

It didn't take me long to realize Mogami was the best and I'd never settle for anything less again. Every cable that I use today from TT patch cables to instrument cables, and for both my studio and while touring, is Mogami. I know it's the best and I don't want to compromise my sound." - Salda

An example of Salda's typical guitar rig, with Mogami Gold instrument cables and pedal cables.According to Salda, using Mogami cables gives him the confidence he needs in the studio to know his sound is always at its best, thus freeing him to focus on other aspects of recording.

"I think my experience with Mogami has not changed the way I produce and record music, it has just been enhanced. I can have peace-of-mind knowing that I have cabling that will never die on me and will sound the best. In an environment like the studio, where you constantly have to troubleshoot problems, having one less thing to worry about is amazing! In all of my studios I always make sure I have Mogami cabling for everything - Salda

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