By Victoria Canales
Bryan James Ortiz, also known as MAVERICK, has been creating music for years. After such a long time writing, producing, and releasing his tracks, he says he’s got dozens of songs recorded. So how does the prolific MAVERICK stay on top of his game? Laredo Music Scene sat down with him and tried to figure out his process.
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MAVERICK started off by showing what equipment he uses. His bedroom doubles as a studio; acoustic foam panels line the wall by his desk, and his Apogee HypeMic sits by his phone, ready to record. However, he says that this microphone is new, and he used the built-in microphone that comes with Apple earbuds for years.
Though he has a laptop capable of running Garageband, his DAW of choice, MAVERICK says he prefers using his phone as it’s more convenient. His new microphone is also portable, which he says allows him to bring his setup anywhere! Lastly, he uses a pair of gaming headphones to help him as he mixes and masters his songs.
As for his songwriting process, he says that he usually starts off with the music first. He takes samples of rock and pop music, and he adds beats to them. Once he’s got the musical structure of the song figured out, MAVERICK starts humming a vocal melody that he can then turn to lyrics. He says he loves to harmonize and add vocal effects to add dynamics to his songs. As for timeframes, he says that it can take him anywhere from a night to a year to write a song.
“It just takes a little bit of inspiration to write and make something.”
Now that he’s covered his bases on his equipment and process, MAVERICK explains that this is secondary in his creative process. His priority is the emotion behind the music. He says that when he’s feeling particularly bored, lazy, or down, he starts working on music. “How can I change what I’m feeling into something positive?” he says. Everyone has bad days, and he says he wants to be able to turn these difficult emotions into something that people can enjoy. He’s proud of the relatability of his music, and the knowledge that he’s creating something that could emotionally move his audience drives him to continue working.
“When I was in high school, I started listening to XXXTENTACION, Lil Peep, Juice WRLD. They made me feel less alone, like I could do something like that too.” He says that the deaths of his favorite musicians has been difficult for him, but he won’t get discouraged.
“My dream was always to get onstage and perform with them, but after they passed, I had to think about what I was going to do next. I figured that they inspired me, so I could do the same while I’m still here. I want to be able to pass on that legacy to at least one other person.”
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Catch MAVERICK at Cultura Beer Garden on July 24th!
