Professional Experience & Personal Projects
Daniel has pursued a variety of creative projects. One of the most ambitious and long term creative projects is the electronic music duo “Twelve Tales”. With it, he not only explores music production and composition, but also crafts a visual aesthetic through video art. The collaboration with fellow artist and producer Michael Montuori led to audiovisual performances at “III Points Music Festival” in Wynwood, Miami for three consecutive years where he contributed video art for stage and promotional visuals for the festival. In addition to live performances, he had multiple radio appearances on WVUM Miami, contributing live mixes and interviews.
During his audio engineering education in Paris, he recorded and mixed a variety of musical genres including jazz, electronic, and classical. Meanwhile, he deepened his knowledge of microphone placement, recording techniques, and professional studio equipment. He has conducted numerous recording and mix sessions using large mixing consoles such as the SSL 4000 G series and Avid S6 as well as smaller scale “in the box” style mixing and recording.
To cap his audio engineering degree, he completed an internship at Melodium Studio, an established studio in Paris that blends high quality modern and vintage studio gear with a creative hands-on approach to music projects. Under the guidance of the resident engineer and owner, Nicolas Dufournet, Daniel learned classic recording techniques for drums, vocals, guitars, and many other instruments. He assisted with mixing, setting up gear for recording and dealing with clients. Concurrently to his musical projects, Daniel teaches piano and guitar, as well as the fundamentals of music theory to young students.
Background
Born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Daniel had an interest in music from a young age. After moving to Miami, Florida, he began his musical journey with the clarinet at age twelve but eventually switched to the guitar and taught himself classic rock tunes. Not long after, he became interested in the recording and production process.
Equipped with a laptop and audio interface, he recorded demos and learned the fundamentals of music production. He started the music project ‘Twelve Tales’ with fellow musician and best friend Michael Montuori which they continue to release music today. As the time passed, his interest shifted to learning piano which led him to study under the direction of Bill Gordon, a Berklee graduate and an accomplished composer.
After three years with Mr. Gordon, Daniel moved to Paris, France to attend the Bill Evans Piano Academy where he refined his Jazz piano, harmony, and composition skills. After the Academy, he focused on the technical aspects of music and audio post-production, and pursued a degree in sound engineering at the School of Audio Engineering in Paris. He completed his degree in the spring of 2020, and currently resides in Paris with his partner Angela and his dog Sadie.
Education
Daniel Abruna has an expansive educational history in a variety of subjects. At a young age he engaged in musical training playing the clarinet and guitar. In 2012, he attended Miami Dade College and earned an Associate in Art degree in Graphic Design. He then pursued environmental studies at Florida International University, earning a Bachelor of Sciences in 2016. Throughout this time, he studied piano with Bill Gordon, a Berklee graduate, and an accomplished teacher and composer. In 2017, he moved to Paris, France and continued his piano studies at the Bill Evans Piano Academy. Daniel recently completed a degree in audio engineering at the Paris School of Audio Engineering.
