In 2003 Cosme Liccardo began his audio engineering career, working in his own recording studio in his hometown of Valencia, Venezuela. From the beginning, he had the opportunity to work with some of the best local artists and bands, most of which went on to be nationally recognized. He was also able to work closely with community theater companies, which earned one of his productions a National Children’s Theater Award for “Best Original Score” in 2008.
Two years later, he moved to Miami, FL, where he studied audio technology at SAE Institute Miami, graduating at the top his class. His fascination with major recording studios that he obsessed over in his earlier years drove him towards Studio Center, named “Number One Recording Studio in Miami” by New Times magazine.
“I remember the joy of working in Gary Vandy’s staff,” he recalls. “He was the chief engineer at Studio Center, and had quite a discography from Miami’s golden age of recording back in the ‘70s. He also supplied every room with beautiful analog and digital equipment, as well as microphones that complemented their 48-channel SSL 6000E Series console and their hybrid D-Control-based setup in their larger Avid ICON room. However, I learned more about studio etiquette than anything else in that time, and it was the most valuable lesson any audio engineer could expect to learn”
In parallel, Liccardo began to write music, edit and mix for a Miami audio post production company named Chaliwa Music and Sound. “Thanks to Chaliwa, I had a chance to finally take a peek inside the world of audio post — something I never thought I would do since I started out as a recording engineer in the music industry”
His experience with music production and his newly-acquired passion for sound design allowed him to get involved with projects for TV Networks like Telemundo, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Nickelodeon and NatGeo Wild. His co-production of Telemundo’s rebranding campaign song can still be heard to this day, as well as his sound design for shows like NatGeo’s Florida Untamed or Travel Channel’s
Airport 24/7: MIA.
In 2012 he got in touch with MusicMind Tracks, a music library in Los Angeles owned by Venezuelan film composer Elik Alvarez and music producer Juan Cammarano.
“I was presented with a path towards Hollywood and all the diversity the City of Angels had to offer in terms of music composition,” says Liccardo. “To say I was excited is an understatement”
Thanks to Alvarez and Cammarano, Liccardo was able to place his music in hit shows like Vanderpump Rules, Hollywood Divas and most recently, Travel Channel’s new documentary series
America. The Beautiful, narrated by Robert Redford. He also composed additional music for Konami’s newest series in the famous anime saga
Yu-Gi-Oh!, for its version airing outside of Asia.
“Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V was in fact the most challenging project I’ve had to date, but it was certainly the most exciting,” he recalls. “The constant change and energy necessary to support such a dynamic series demands every tool available in your musical arsenal”
So far, Liccardo has managed to combine his technical abilities in the studio with his creative passion for sound design and music, offering a distinct product that has placed him on international airwaves.
“I’m living a dream,” he says. “Scoring and sound design for TV has been an amazing experience so far and I can’t wait to see where this road takes me!”