Student Spotlight: Matthew Leon The dual major shares his path from community college to Berklee, and how his heritage influences his work.
April 29, 2026
By
Andrea Recalde
Image by Aine Lindsay
What's it like to study at Berklee? Our Student Spotlight series asks current students all about their Berklee experience-what they're learning in class, what kinds of projects they're involved in onstage or behind the scenes, how they recharge, and of course, what they're listening to. In this installment, get to know Matthew Leon, a twelfth-semester student majoring in music production and engineering (MP&E) and contemporary writing and production (CWP) from Miami, Florida.
You can follow him on Instagram.
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here? I always wanted to come to Berklee and I always knew I wanted to do something with music, even if I wasn't sure exactly what. I knew about Berklee from middle school, and in high school, my music professor, a Berklee alum, told me a lot about the school and his experience which really inspired me.
Growing up in public school, it was harder to get hands-on information like that, because it's easy to look things up online, but harder to get real word-of-mouth insight. When I graduated from high school, I didn't apply because I didn't think I was good enough, so I went to community college for about a year. Then COVID hit, and I was doing school online, and I realized that if I was going to study, I might as well try to go to the school I truly wanted. So I took a break, practiced nonstop, auditioned, and got in.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you?
Image by Aine Lindsay
My favorite classes have been Mixing Techniques I with Ted Paduck and Multi-Track Recording Techniques with Brian Charles because both professors were incredible. I'm currently in the Advanced Mix Lab with Tony Maserati and learning a lot, though it's still too early to judge the classs full impact.
Ted's class made me think more analytically about my mixing choices and forced me to question why I was using certain plugins, EQs, or compression instead of just following habits I saw online. It taught me that not everything in a track needs processing and that intention matters more than routine.
Brian's class taught me countless recording techniques and showed me that unconventional methods, like his big space pair, can sound amazing even if they aren't traditional. Both classes helped me understand that you don't have to justify unconventional choices if they serve the music and sound good.
Can you talk about how you got into production and what made you want to pursue it?I didn't come to Berklee intending to become a producer, but that changed when I interned in Miami with Berklee alumnus Carlos Perez de Anda at Alacran Studios. I realized how much I enjoyed working in a studio and how naturally I gravitated toward producing, engineering, and mixing. Even though I had always done those things, I never saw them as a possible career until I spent time in that environment.
After a few rounds of interning, I knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. That's why I applied to MP&E, even though I was already doing CWP, because it didn't cover the production and recording side I loved as deeply. That shift made me confident that production was where I truly belonged.
There's this instinctive feeling of Oh, this would sound better if we did it like this, and that comes directly from how I was raised and the music I grew up around. It influences everything, from phrasing to rhythmic choices to how I hear harmony.Matthew Leon
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee that youve been especially excited about?I'd say my current project (which I hope becomes an EP, though even a single would make me happy) is the one I'm most excited about, even though I expect some pushback from the artist because we interpret a producer's role differently. I am excited to continue working on it.
I've learned a lot at Berklee about what a producer really does, especially from teachers like Enrique Gonzalez M ller, who explained how producers shape the music without compromising the artist's integrity. Working with different artists has shown me how varied their expectations can be, and how a producer's job is to help the music reach a level the artist may not yet see.
I've also worked on classical live recordings, including a four-hands piano piece, a piano-cello session, and an avant-garde Armenian piece for cello, piano, and saxophone, all recorded in the same room. Those projects challenged me with mic placement, bleed, and working in non-studio spaces, and I'm so proud of how they turned out.
Listen to some of Matthews recent work:
How has your Latin heritage influenced your sound, your approach to improvisation, or the way you blend genres?It's interesting because even if it's not obvious in the music Ive been a part of thats out, you can hear it in the accents I use when I play drums or sax, and even in the decisions I make when producing. There's this instinctive feeling of Oh, this would sound better if we did it like this, and that comes directly from how I was raised and the music I grew up around. It influences everything, from phrasing to rhythmic choices to how I hear harmony. Even when I'm not consciously trying to blend genres, my background naturally shapes my musical instincts. It becomes part of the sound without me having to force it.
Whats one piece of advice youd give to your high school self?It's going to be okay. Life has a million routes for you, so don't panic if you fall off the one you think you're supposed to follow. Everything works
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
Student Spotlight: Matthew Leon The dual major shares his path from community college to Berklee, and how his heritage influences his work.
