Dustin Garrett: The sound of success
L.A. | The Atom
Born in Anton, Texas, Dustin Garrett grew up around musicians. His parents, Mike and Tammy Garrett were a popular duo in the region, and he often traveled with them when they performed.
“My family was very involved in the music industry,” said Garrett. “I became a professional singer at age seven and performed at the Grand Ole Opry when I was ten.”
Garrett sang at Lubbock’s Cactus Theater under the direction of Don Caldwell. He and his family spent a lot of time in Nashville until Garrett was a teenager. He attended Spade High School and learned to play the guitar. After he graduated and completed his studies in commercial music at South Plains College, he placed top five in the Guitar Center national contest “king of the Blues.” By age 21, he had made his way to L.A. and made a lot of contacts in the business.
“I cut my teeth in live sound,” Garrett said. “Throughout my youth, I was learning about signal flow and setups for various venues of different sizes. It’s important to learn to excel at different skills so that you can be flexible.”
He later became a studio musician and the chief sound engineer for Caldwell Studios and went on to work as the music director at the Cactus Theater, hosting numerous mulit-platinum and Grammy-winning acts.
“What’s most difficult about running sound is knowing your audience,” said Garrett. “It takes research and conversation with the artist to know what will work best and preparation for the venue to mix the sound for the right groups. Having a reliable sound engineer makes a big difference, and venues know that trust can determine whether a performer wants to come back there again.”
Garrett also said he is a purist who doesn’t like to overprocess the sound for a show.
“You only amplify and manipulate it so much before it becomes something that isn’t genuine. Reverb and delay can help produce a better sound, but nothing replaces the performer being top quality,” Garrett said. “Then you don’t have to mask anything.”
As a professional musician and sound engineer who has managed tours for artists like Will Banister and most recently toured as lead guitarist with Grammy-winner Rick Trevino, Garrett has now had 28 years of experience in the music industry. He has played on over 50 albums and written songs such as “You’re Gone” recorded by the Tommy Gallagher Band. Garrett’s newly released “Tequilla Night” can be found on Spotify. You can listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/album/37qchYWgCQv18jq8KWHOVZ.
He's also had tons of producer credits, and he is using his knowledge and experience to teach others at New Mexico Junior College where he has served as a Director and Professor of Entertainment and Music Technology in Hobbs, New Mexico, since 2022.
“There are many talented individuals in this program, so I’m glad to be able to offer that to students who might not otherwise have easy access,” said Garrett.
At New Mexico Junior College, his program has a full onsite studio. Students have vast opportunities to learn multi-track recording, video production and running sound for live events.
“We have a live sound system by RCF that we take to multiple venues,” Garrett said. “Students get to work in large venues like the arena and small venues, too.”
For more information, visit: https://www.nmjc.edu/about/directory/dustin-garrett.aspx.
His advice to others who produce live shows of any size is to consider budget and training when installing or selecting a more portable sound system. Sometimes, it is best to choose a system that is easy for students to use instead of one that requires a dedicated sound engineer, though that often means restrictions on volume and other protective measures may need to be in place to keep from blowing the speakers. The number of performers, onstage placement and weather conditions can also be factors in managing sound.
Garrett is getting ready to play guitar for an upcoming vocal recital for the Caldwell Kids program that will feature 40 young Lubbock area artists. You can also catch him playing country music every Thursday night from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Silver Bullet Saloon.
