26 Facts About Humberto Gatica

1.

Humberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Celine Dion, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Michael Buble.

2.

Humberto Gatica's career is highlighted by humanitarian projects including We Are the World, We Are The World 25 for Haiti, Hands Across America and Voces Unidas Por Chile.

3.

Humberto Gatica has received 17 Grammy Awards and 24 nominations.

4.

Humberto Gatica was born in Rancagua, Chile in a musical family.

5.

Humberto Gatica's grandparents owned a bar in Rancagua where they played the piano and the harp.

6.

At age 9, Humberto Gatica's father died of an illness and his mother had to travel to the United States to look for employment.

7.

Humberto Gatica describes that he particularly liked how the bathroom at his grandmother's house resonated when he played the guitar.

8.

At age 16, after the death of his grandmother, Humberto Gatica decided to leave Chile.

9.

Humberto Gatica gathered enough money to fly to Mexico City and then took a bus to Los Angeles.

10.

Humberto Gatica reunited with his mother and younger brother and started working at a warehouse during the day and in a parking lot at night.

11.

Four years later, in 1972, while Lucho Gatica was in Los Angeles, he called his nephew Humberto asking him to meet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

12.

Lucho Gatica asked Humberto to take him to MGM Recording Studio.

13.

Two months later, Humberto Gatica was invited to a recording session with Sammy Davis Jr.

14.

When MGM Recording Studio was sold a year later, Humberto Gatica was laid off.

15.

Humberto Gatica became a freelance engineer and started working with producers David Foster and Quincy Jones alongside engineer Bruce Swedien.

16.

Humberto Gatica was once spotted at Sunset Sound studios in Hollywood engineering three sessions at the same time for Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins and Chicago.

17.

Humberto Gatica started collaborating with producer David Foster in the late 70s.

18.

Humberto Gatica was the recording engineer for Michael Jackson's albums Thriller and Bad.

19.

In recent years, Humberto Gatica has focused on producing projects that highlight vocal performance.

20.

Humberto Gatica was a judge at the Vina del Mar International Song Festival in 2000,2005 and 2019.

21.

Besides fundraising, Humberto Gatica's goal was to leave a legacy for the Chilean youth and inspire others to help through the arts.

22.

Humberto Gatica explains that his focus when producing is arrangement and performance:.

23.

Humberto Gatica makes sure the producer is pleased but he goes beyond the technical role.

24.

Humberto Gatica describes the instruments in a mix in terms of a three-dimensional space:.

25.

Humberto Gatica used this same setup when recording brass with Chicago's 16.

26.

In 2007, Humberto Gatica was with his uncle Lucho Gatica on stage when the latter received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th Latin Grammys.