When committing a song’s schematic of sounds to 2-track, Bottrill applies a strict definitive ‘dogma’ to the procedure. “I always mix to 2-track analog 1/2” tape. You have to. I’ll mix to DAT at the same time, but its negligent to only have your mix on DAT. When DATs go wrong, they go horribly wrong.” He prefers Sony’s 7030, R500 or R700 models, and at times Prism A/D converters or the newer Apogees, which he really likes. The 1/2” machines of choice are an ATR, Studer or Otari machine loaded with Quantegy GP9. He embraces 24-bit technology for its increased clarity. “You don’t need to go much further than 24-bit. After that it becomes a question of storage. You get conned into buying more storage space!”

Even during the finalizing period that is the mastering process which involves tweakage and assembly of the final running order of a project, Bottrill’s rabid obsession with achieving THE mix will continue when dealing with the mastering engineer. “We talk about sonic problem areas from wherever it is that I’ve mixed. I have the fortune or misfortune, I’m not sure which, that every project I do I usually end up mixing in a different studio. So I try to learn a new studio every time. When I go into mastering I say, ‘Well okay, what do I need to know about this studio that I just mixed in - what the sonic problem areas are’... and so on. I like to rely on a mastering engineer who has good ears and knows his room and he tells me what to work on in my mixing technique in terms of strong and weak points. I like [the mastering] stage because I can listen to the music as a whole album and learn from them each time. I hope that stage never goes away!”

His voyages have taken him to world landmark studios such as Olympic, NRG, Bearsville and Abbey Road. His recent accomplishments include mixing for London-based the Infidels and Belgium’s dEUS, which he describes as “a curious blend of angst rock and Abba-style pop.” He recently returned from a stint at The Warehouse Studio (owned by Brian Adams) in Vancouver to mix the aptly named Unified Theory, featuring members from the defunct Blind Melon. "They have a lot to offer,” concedes Bottrill. He travels next to Paris to work with Spor, a loud beat-driven Belgian band that incorporates some rap/rock elements with “interesting sounds.” Although constantly busy, he still manages to find time to listen to other’s work. He respects a multitude of fellow producers and engineers, and cites Kevin Killen as somewhat of a mentor, from whom he admits learning a great deal during the recording of So. Alan Moulder, Flood and Tchad Blake (see TO #16) have also left an imprint on him. “Tchad’s stuff doesn’t sound like anyone else’s. You put it on and you have to listen to it. Everything has a character to it and his sonic characteristics have a sensibility of how sound ought to be. They have a real sound. It’s ear candy.”

Bottrill’s amassed a wealth of expertise and working familiarity with top-notch consoles such as SSLs ENG, J and 9000 series - the Neve Flying Fader and the Euphonics systems. He is smittenly inclined towards the new 24-bit Sony Oxford digital console for its ergonomics and proficiency. At the time of printing, only four are known to exist worldwide. Peter Gabriel acquired two of them, which logically means that the two have reunited for yet another collaboration, this time for the Millennium Dome in London. “It is a structure on the bank of the Thames river as a celebration and exhibition for tourists and family outings. Peter wrote the music for a performance that goes on three times a day and is kind of a bit Cirque du Soleil and a bit musical show with floor dancing and aerial flying and the like.” Given the console’s capability for spacious 5.1 or 7.1 (an addition of left center and right center channels) mixing, Bottrill was the ideal choice for creating a surround sound mix of the music during the dome’s construction, thereby adding an eccentric irritant edge to the job. “It was mixed inside the Dome while two huge cherry pickers, angle grinders and cranes worked away - it was an adversarial process. The project was mixed down to Pro Tools, and plays back from that for the show. The subsequent mixes for the album of the show’s music was mixed to the new Sony [professional PCM9000 Master Disk Recorder] Magneto Optical drive.” Usage of the device is standard practice at Real World and Bottrill observes that it seems to sound better than DAT especially with its depth and bottom-end characteristics.

Dawning upon nearly two decades of experience in the recording studio domain, David Bottrill appears to be constantly moving forward, having bypassed any signs of succumbing to a tiring or detrimental formula that some artists might fall victim to with time. His demeanor seems to be devoid of a crippling ego, (one wonders why he doesn’t speak in the third person) which no doubt serves as a passport to merge with other craftsmen worldwide. By osmosis his exposure to the planet’s finest talents pushes his creative envelope, and the end result manifests in a highly enveloping experience for the rest of the world that listens. In spite of the fact that he ventures to a potpourri of locales, his Canadian identity remains relatively intact as the avid skier tries to keep up on the progress of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. “Shit! The Leafs lost to the Senators!” he griped, interrupting our conversation at one point (upon learning the final outcome of the game).

In any occupation diversity is the key to survival. Authoritatively, Bottrill stresses a straightforward reasoning - “If a band hears what I do and they want to work with me then that is where I get my inspiration from. I’d rather feed off the band and their sound and put a little character into it. I want good quality but it always has to sound different. I mean it’s good to have a ‘sound’ , but if it goes out of fashion, you’re out of work, aren’t you?!” r