# Rafa Sardina

Rafael Sardina, known professionally as Rafa Sardina, is a basque recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer known for his work with Alejandro Sanz, Luis Miguel, Calle 13, D'Angelo, The Clare Fischer Big Band and Lady Gaga.
Sardina has won 5 Grammy Awards and 14 Latin Grammy Awards. He is the current governor of the Recording Academy, Los Angeles Chapter and has served on the board of trustees of the Latin Recording Academy. Sardina is a founding member and vice chairman of the Latin Recording Academy's CPI (Círculo de Productores e Ingenieros), equivalent to the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy. He was the executive producer of the 2017 and 2018 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year galas honoring Alejandro Sanz and Maná, respectively.

## Early life and career

Sardina was born in Bermeo, a fishing port in the Basque Country located in northern Spain. Sardina's interest in music started at a young age. At the age of 6, he secretly played his younger sister's guitar and later told his mother he wanted to become a professional musician.
His parents moved to San Diego, California when he was 15. After a couple of months, Sardina returned to Spain, finished school and started playing in bands. His first experience in a recording studio was at the age of 16, when he attended a recording session of his cousin's band in San Sebastián.
Sardina joined medical school at age 16. During his second year of school, he started working as front of house and monitor engineer for local acts. During his fourth year of school and right before taking the final exam, Sardina decided to drop out. He saved up for a three-week recording certification program at The Recording Workshop school in Chillicothe, Ohio. Sardina then went back to Spain and continued saving until he enrolled in a program at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida.
In 1993, four weeks before graduating with a Valedictorian Award, Sardina organized a 24-hour trip to Los Angeles. He did interviews at Record Plant, Westlake Recording Studios and Ocean Way Recording, where he later started working and became assistant engineer. During his time at Ocean Way, Sardina recorded artists including Celine Dion, Madonna, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Dre and David Foster.
In 2001, after working for 5 years at Ocean Way, Sardina founded Fishbone Productions and started working as an independent engineer, recording at his studio "AfterHours". Sardina became better known for his work on Pop, Rock, R&B and Latin records, although he also works on a variety of genres including Jazz, Orchestral, Gospel, World and Film/TV soundtracks. He continued working with artists including Alejandro Sanz, Luis Miguel, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and D'Angelo.
Sardina engineered the album "Symphonic Soweto: A Tribute To Nelson Mandela", which won the South African Music Award for Best Contemporary Album in 2018.

## AfterHours Studios

Sardina founded AfterHours Studios to record his projects. AfterHours was first located at his previous house. Sardina describes it as being "just a tiny room, tracking little things like drums in the hallway".
The studio is now located in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, where he remodeled a two-story three-car garage and an adjacent room. The live room, control room and isolation booth are on the first floor, while an office and a lounge are located on the second floor. The studio operates around a Solid State Logic Duality console and incorporates multiple outboard processors into a digital recording system. The studio was featured on Mix Magazine's Class of 2017.

## Awards and nominations
### Grammy Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Artist | Result | Ref. |
| 2004 | Best Latin Pop Album | No Es Lo Mismo (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2006 | Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album | México En La Piel (as engineer) | Luis Miguel | Won | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2008 | Best Latin Pop Album | El Tren de los Momentos (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2016 | Record of the Year | "Really Love" (as engineer) | D'Angelo & The Vanguard | Nominated | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2016 | Best R&B Album | Black Messiah (as engineer) | D'Angelo & The Vanguard | Won | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2017 | Best Latin, Rock, Urban or Alternative Album | L.H.O.N. (as engineer) | Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas | Nominated | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2017 | Best Latin Pop Album | Buena Vida (as engineer) | Diego Torres | Nominated | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2020 | Best Latin Pop Album | #ElDisco (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2020 | Best Latin, Rock, Urban or Alternative Album | Indestructible (as engineer and producer) | Flor de Toloache | Nominated | [3] [19] [20] [21] |
| 2021 | Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) | Hecho En México (as engineer and producer) | Alejandro Fernández | Nominated | [3] [19] [20] [21] |

### Latin Grammy Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Artist | Result |
| 2000 | Album of the Year | Amarte Es Un Placer (as engineer) | Luis Miguel | Won |
| 2000 | Best Pop Vocal Album | Amarte Es Un Placer (as engineer) | Luis Miguel | Won |
| 2003 | Record of the Year | "Hasta Que Vuelvas" (as engineer) | Luis Miguel | Nominated |
| 2004 | Record of the Year | "No Es Lo Mismo" (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2004 | Album of the Year | No Es Lo Mismo (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2004 | Best Male Pop Vocal Album | No Es Lo Mismo (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2004 | Best Engineered Album | No Es Lo Mismo (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2005 | Record of the Year | "Tú No Tienes Alma" (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2005 | Best Ranchero Album | México En La Piel (as engineer) | Luis Miguel | Won |
| 2007 | Album of the Year | El Tren de los Momentos (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Nominated |
| 2009 | Best Rock Solo Vocal Album | Miedo Escénico (as engineer) | Beto Cuevas | Nominated |
| 2013 | Album of the Year | La Música No Se Toca (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Nominated |
| 2013 | Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album | La Música No Se Toca (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2014 | Album of the Year | MultiViral (as engineer) | Calle 13 | Nominated |
| 2014 | Best Urban Music Album | MultiViral (as engineer) | Calle 13 | Won |
| 2015 | Album of the Year | Sirope (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Nominated |
| 2015 | Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album | Sirope (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2016 | Record of the Year | "Iguales" (as engineer) | Diego Torres | Nominated |
| 2016 | Album of the Year | Buena Vida (as engineer) | Diego Torres | Nominated |
| 2016 | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album | Buena Vida (as engineer) | Diego Torres | Nominated |
| 2016 | Best Alternative Music Album | L.H.O.N. (as engineer) | Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas | Won |
| 2016 | Producer of the Year | Rafa Sardina | Rafa Sardina | Nominated |
| 2017 | Record of the Year | "Quiero Que Vuelvas" (as engineer) | Alejandro Fernández | Nominated |
| 2017 | Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album | Rompiendo Fronteras | Alejandro Fernández | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Engineered Album | 50 Años Tocando Para Ti (as engineer) | Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá | Won |
| 2019 | Album of the Year | #ElDisco (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Nominated |
| 2019 | Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album | #ElDisco (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Nominated |
| 2019 | Record of the Year | "No Tengo Nada" (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Nominated |
| 2019 | Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album | Indestructible (as engineer and producer) | Flor de Toloache | Nominated |
| 2019 | Best Singer-Songwriter Album | Amor Presente (as engineer) | Leonel García | Nominated |
| 2019 | Producer of the Year | Rafa Sardina | Rafa Sardina | Nominated |
| 2020 | Record of the Year | "Contigo" (as engineer) | Alejandro Sanz | Won |
| 2020 | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album | Mirándote A Los Ojos (as engineer) | José Luis Perales | Nominated |
| 2020 | Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album | Hecho En México (as engineer) | Alejandro Fernández | Won |
| 2021 | Best Tango Album | Tinto Tango Plays Piazzolla (as producer) | Tinto Tango | Won |
| 2023 | Best Alternative Music Album | Bolero Apocalíptico (as producer and engineer) | Monsieur Periné | Won |