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Digital Audio Workstations
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Mixing With An Attitude: An Interview With Chris Lord Alge
The man behind Green Day, Paramore, Deftones, Madonna, Tina Turner, James Brown, among others, shared his working methods and ethics from his studio in Tarzana.
Hi Chris, can you tell us what are you currently working on at the moment?
Chris Lord Alge: What I am currently working on right now is finishing up an album by a band called Shinedown, just wrapping that up. The single is already out to radio and then the record comes out.
Just before I finished Shinedown, I finished mixing Bruce Springsteen. I kind of co-mixed that with Bob Clearmountain. Bob mixed it himself and then Bruce wanted me to mix a few songs.
I literally just had dinner with Clearmountain last night and we were definitely having some good laughs about it.
There’s a good partnership between engineers! I’d like to go back to the beginning of your career, and just to know a little bit more about how you started and the reasons for why you do this job today? What pushed you to become a sound engineer? Specifically, a mixing engineer…
It started with my mom having a band. My mom is a Jazz musician and a professor of music theory. She’d have her trio set up at my house, so here I am 12 years old and there are musicians rehearsing every day at my house, with tape recorders, a small board and a few microphones. Every chance I could get, when they would leave to go do a gig, I would take the gear down into my basement and let the experiments begin there.
So it’s a family thing?
Yes, absolutely, my mom is a musician, I’m a musician, it was just what I wanted to do since I was young, and by having some gear to tinker around with it was fun to start there. I already had my own band when I was 12, I just used that gear to start recording it. At that point I played keyboards, and then I moved to drums; I kind of filled in where the weaknesses in the band were.
Is there any personality or mentor who showed you the path or took you under his wing? Showed you some tricks, who gave you the will to do this, someone apart from your family?
Yes, of course! So what had happened was that my mom had realized that I really wanted to do this, so she took me to a studio to interview for a job. I got a job at H&L Records under the mentorship of Steve Jerome (GrandMaster Flash, Bobby O, Pet Shop Boys, NDA). They had hired me for $50 a week to be a runner, an assistant. I started with the toilets, to the tea, to the coffee, to the track sheets, until I finally became an assistant and then Steve Jerome had trained me and showed me how he’d like me to do it. He was in essence, my mentor at that time. When I was at a young age 13/14, he showed me the ropes, all the disciplinary moves that became embedded in my life.
So then I read that you’ve been working at Unique Sound Studios?
Well, let’s not cut to that straight away. I put in a bunch of years right there with Steve with Hugo and Luigi, and that studio ended up being taken over by Sugar Hill Records, which in essence was the birth of rap. So I was right at the beginning of rap, with Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”, GrandMaster Flash’s “The Message” and “White Lines”; all the big initial rap records were all done under that roof with Steve or with Eric Thorngren. So I was there for all of that.
What a period! So then Unique Sound Studios came later on?
At that point I started to work in New York freelancing with a few artists, and then I actually apprenticed to get a job. I went back down the food chain to be an assistant at Unique because I saw it as the cutting edge hip studio that was happening at New York at the time, in 1982- 83. It kind of ended around 87- 88. I became an assistant and then staff, basically kind of took over, had a few reasonable hits, and then I just kind of took over working there. Just doing what I wanted.
So it was kind of the normal evolution: you started as a runner, then an assistant, and then as an engineer, very naturally.
Exactly. But you can always go back from an engineer back to an assistant, it helps put you in your place.
The fact that your two brothers are also working in the industry, was there any competition with the two others?
It’s pretty simple. My brothers worked with me; Jeff used to do live sound for my band, Tommy used to run the lights. Jeff started as my assistant in the studio first, and then I convinced Tommy not to do live sound and come and be my assistant also. Both of those guys started working with me and I trained them.
Tommy, I basically dragged in, put him in front of every other assistant waiting in line to be my assistant and trained him right at the forefront. So was there any competition? Not really, because they are my brothers and we work together ! (Laughs) It wasn’t really about that, it was about, “there’s plenty to do, you want this gig, do it, or that gig, do it.” I don’t compete with my family! (Laughs)
But absolutely, I have a very competitive attitude towards anybody else. My attitude is : “You better take your best shot, because I am not going down without a fight.”
Are there any working methods that you acquired back in the 80’s that still serve you today?
Well that’s an interesting question, because the reason why the business has changed is because all the engineers now weren’t brought up with the severe discipline of a mentor. They buy a Pro Tools rig, they buy a few plug-ins. They compress something and they think they are a mixer.
And that’s not me being angry or derogatory, it’s about, you know, until you have cleaned a few toilets, written up a thousand track sheets, have been beaten to submission wrapping up mic cables, putting away mics, and being completely intimated in front of every producer and artist that you can, you haven’t earned your wings to sit behind the desk. Not that I believe that my way is the only way, but I think there are a lot of guns for hire out there that didn’t even earn the gun.
So all the experience, it all pays off, but you learn something every day. It’s not just about being an engineer but about being a people person and dealing with the attitudes and the relationships with the artists. What you do behind the desk means nothing unless they are comfortable.
I am doing so many seminars to change the course of recording by getting every possible student a 3- or 5-hour lecture with me, at my cost, with SSL, to come down and inspire them to show them the path that makes sense. And see who wants to be inspired and who doesn’t. And just try to push the next generation into the hot seat in the right way. I’m working that angle.
You consider education as something that’s really important. You are doing a lot to promote that.
Yes, here’s an example. I call up the president of SSL and say, “Look, I want to do a seminar for the engineering students in L.A., and I’m going to host it in my studio at my cost. You bring a film crew, you bring the best 30 students you can, and I will give them 4 hours of pep talk about mixing, recording and everything. That’s great, here’s the date, let’s do it.” Now that’s in L.A.
And then I said, “Let’s really move and now next weekend I’m doing another one at the Power Station in New York with another 30 students for SSL.”
And after that I’m going to go to Real World - which is Peter Gabriel’s studio - and we’re going to do it for like a 100 students there. And speaking of Paris, I’m trying to orchestrate one because I’m doing a seminar called Mixing with the Masters in July in La Fabrique. So I am going to try to do something with Studio Guillaume Tell, I believe is the big one in Paris, using one of the big SSL rooms there and bring all the French or Swiss students and do a seminar there.
I just want to do it at a room that has the big G console, so I can show them how I mix on that console, and a big enough room where I can get 30 or 40 students in there for the whole day, talking about the whole deal and giving them all the insight. (I’ll probably need a translator.)
You still find it very important to show others how to do it and train people. Do you know how many assistants have you trained over the years?
I probably only trained 10 or 15, I’ve probably touched a few more, because assistants stay with me, they don’t really want to quit.
Let’s put it this way, they want to quit every night because I am so annoying ! (Laughs) I have the best assistants in the world. They have been trained to the point where no one can mess with them and I give them that self-esteem and that attitude to completely outdo every other assistant on the planet.
And that’s the mentality because the clients we deal with expect perfection, they expect you to be on 24 hours a day. It’s a hard job, you need a life too. I’m on duty 24 hours a day - and it’s not because I am mixing 24 hours a day - but because the artists are around the world and they are emailing and texting, they want to be taken care of.
It’s a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes, but when Mick Jagger calls you or Bruce Springsteen or David Bowie or someone important calls you or texts you, you take care of them; that’s just what you do. It doesn’t matter what bottle of wine you are drinking or where you are. It doesn’t matter.
Can you remember mixing your first real hit? The moment where you left the studio and you said to yourself: “Wow, that song was really really cool or this album was so cool and I have great expectations for it?”
I would say the earliest moment was when as an assistant under Steve Jerome we completely tracked and mixed a song called “The Message” by Grand Master Flash which became their biggest hit. I guess it was 1981 or 79-80. In that situation, Steve had mixed it and it was 8 pm, he splits to go home, and the band is still hanging around and they are like “Hey, why don’t you mess with it a bit?”
So I end up making my own version, which only the mastering engineer knows for sure which one ended up as the release - mine or Steve’s. That’s where it crossed the line a little bit. You are the assistant engineer, that means when the engineer is gone, you are the engineer. So when the band asks you to do something you don’t say no.
My first involvement in actually pushing faders on something that became large was that. After that point, the one that becomes obvious was “Living in America” by James Brown, which was a huge hit in 84 or 85. I engineered and mixed the whole thing with Dan Hartman. I remember making the edit, the single version from a 7-minute album version down to 3 and a half. It was my first real stint at making a short version.
Do you remember the first mixes - where you respected the artist’s vision - but still had your own signature sound come to life?
The whole signature sound was created and came from Bob Clearmountain. As soon as I heard Bob’s first mixes… the first mix that I heard and liked was “Good Times” by Chic. People don’t really know that he mixed the Chic stuff. They think that he just did Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, David Bowie, they don’t realize that some of his earlier stuff was so amazing.
I didn’t even realize that at the time. I was more about what he did with rock. To me he had a signature drum sound. Right off the bat, for me it was the drum sound and the vocals that I just went after; being as good as Bob, if I could be in the same league with Bob back then, that’s what mattered. I was always striving to be like Bob—“BLB“—that was my whole thing ! (Laughs)
Funny enough, sitting at dinner last night, it complements the reverse, he (Bob) is like, “Man, you must be able to hand pick anything because you are so freakin’ busy at this point.” And I said, “I’m just trying to keep up with you. You’re the one doing the Rolling Stones and Springsteen at the drop of a hat every day!”
I think the signature sound comes from just how I hear it, and it was making the drums louder than they should be on all those early hip-hop records.
Making the drums louder than they should be is one of the first things that comes to your mind when doing your own signature sound?
Being a drummer I always heard the drums being really upfront, like “Oh my god, here they come!” Definitely some of my earlier mixes are really drum forward. And it’s still the case today, the records are pretty drum forward.
And the artists really like the “larger than life” drums today! O.K., let’s move on to the technical side of your work. Let’s be a techie for a while.
Technique
I know you are set up at the former Can Am studios in Tarzana for a while now. And besides the SSL 4K, what was your reason for moving to this studio at the time?
It started out as a simple process of logistics. I lived in Tarzana and I’d commute to Burbank and Hollywood to work. I was not in my own studio, I was in a studio owned by someone else.
After all this commuting and not being able to actually get home to my family because of the traffic—I had worked in Cam An in the 90’s—I mixed the Damn Yankees and John Wetten (Asia, King Crimson), I mixed a few records here back in 90-91.
One day I drove down here to see if it was still here, and sure enough I walked in, and of course it was in disrepair and under some new ownership. I came in and looked at it and wow, I talked to the owners and said “Hey, I’d like to check that room out.”
I started by leasing it, basically renting the room from the guy, and in one day, I’m like, “I’m not renting the room, I’m buying the place. Let’s get this guy out of here.” I started by taking over the Studio B side, and soon as there was a chance to buy Studio A, I bought it. There were a couple of other people interested in buying it, but I just steamrolled over it.
My business manager said, “Look I don’t care how you do it, I’m taking over the studio.” It was a no-brainer. I didn’t really need both studios, I needed to have control of the whole facility because I needed to make it mine and under my control. The best thing about it is that it already came with the console I wanted. It just took me some reverbing. I am completely happy about.
I read that you are still using some 3348 tape machines for mixing. Can you describe a little the process and the reasons for using that? Are you still using the 3348 for mixing?
Of course. Even last night, Bob was getting a couple of good chuckles because he’s been off those tape machines for at least 5 or 6 years now. Look, they stopped making the tape in 2008.
For me the format was the best format ever invented because it puts your song on a finite piece of tape that once you print the song on there as a multitrack it doesn’t change form. So there is no opening a session, there is no worrying about hard drive crashing, it’s on a piece of tape, it’s digital and I like the way the machine sounds and it’s all transferred digital from ProTools.
So when the tape goes in the box after the album is done with the track sheet, it’s exactly where we left off when we mixed the record. Aside from sounding good—which is always the number one reason—you know that, when you put it back on, it’s exactly where you left it. My work flow does not slow down because my assistant is preparing the next song while I am mixing the first song.
It’s a bit of an antique, but not really. It’s sonically great. I have plenty of virgin tapes. It’s not going to last forever, but I still like all the things it brings.
That leads me to another question. You have 48 tracks on the tape, I can figure that you have some Pro Tools sessions from your clients, so your assistant is doing some pre-mixes to fit onto the 48 tracks… But if for example there is something in the string stem, and you’d like your assistant to redo the mixing of the stem how does it work?
Well it’s really easy. When you want to modify what is on the tape, you open the session, you make the changes and you punch it in. Say, in the bridge, I want more high strings and less low strings, we just modify in the Pro Tools session, we punch it in and it’s done, backgrounds, whatever.
Generally, even a 200-track song folds down pretty good without a lot of comps. And by comps I mean when there’s 4 tracks to 2 or 8 tracks to 2 or whatever. Most of it is hand-offs. Which means a pair hand-off to a pair, which hand-off to a pair. We are so good at making the comps be as uncompromising as possible so the master tape is still not just a comp, not just a stem reel. Plus we have the original sessions it came from. So that work perfectly also if we ever want to spread it out.
So it forces the mixing process to make decisions very early if the client doesn’t do so.
Right, it makes all the difference because it makes no matter what you get, manageable.
Which monitors do you use?
I still use 3 sets of monitors. I still use the original NS10’s with covers on them from the 80s with the original Yamaha 2002M power amps and a subwoofer, which is an Infinity BU2.
Then I have the M&K top-of-the-line powered speakers with two subs, to hype it up a bit more. And still, a Sony ZS-M1 boombox which is, you know, managed right off the console feed and it’s in a rack. So between those 3 monitors it’s plenty.
Do you have any monitor controller or are you using the monitor management form the SSL?
It’s just what is built up to the console. It’s an A/B monitor, it’s minis, and then large. And then your boombox is basically your studio loudspeaker vibe control so it’s all off the bus at the console.
I have some questions about the Waves plug-ins you developed with the Waves guys. Can you just tell us about the process of doing that, and how the idea came about?
It really started when they were coming out with their SSL E Channel Strip, which is exactly what I sit in front of for 30 years or since the SSL came out.
They came after me and said, “Look, can you listen to these and tell how you think they sound?” I helped them modify them and make them as good as they can be, and they became the most popular plugin they ever sold. I still use them to this day as they are really simple and they are exactly what I know.
We started with the SSL emulation, which I made some presets for, after that point it became, “let’s make copies or emulate my 1176’s, LA3A’s and LA2’s because I use them every day.” So they came out with the CLA76, LA3, LA2, all that.
They actually took my original units to Tel Aviv for months, they scoped them, we went back and forth until they sounded distorted enough, and I was really happy with the result, the GUI, the whole deal.
Once we did that, then it was like, “design your own plug in!” Then I literally took a cocktail napkin with Mike Fradis—who is product manager—to a steak house one night and wrote the original design for the Signature plug-ins, which look like little mixing boards with buttons on it, something really simple for the user.
I’ve been using the CLA Bass or Vocals, and they sound really great. It’s compiling some of the units or effects that you use a lot of time like reverb, delays, presets for the reverbs, voice doubler—it’s basically taking the chain that you’re using on those instruments?
Well, the thing I was trying to accomplish: have a plug-in for the new user so they could just have my Signature plugins only. And that’s all they would need because it has everything you want built in. The thing is that you have to have sends and returns, and that’s a pain in the ass after a while. Believe me, I know, you have to set up sends and returns, and it’s complicated.
With this, you could just drop it in on everything and you have EQ, compression, gain, preamp, all that in one plug-in. I think it conquered it. Look, if you want to get more detail then you can get some separate delay plugins. It’s really made for like 80-90 percent of your mixing you can use those.
Do you use your native plug-ins as well on Pro Tools sessions?
Of course. If I am looking for one of the effects I want, I always use mine.
So it’s you and your assistants who use the plug-ins in front of the mixing during the Pro Tools process. You can use the plug-ins there and then everything is transferred to the 3348, and then it is you with the SSL and the outboards.
Exactly!
You work hand in hand with your assistants, you have a special partnership with them. They are very complementary to your work. I can figure that they are really important for you while you are working. They have to be trained very well to let them mix stems and things like that.
Well of course. The most important thing is when the clients are in here, they want to experiment and do some things, move some vocals around, do some editing, move some backgrounds. My assistants just pay attention and make it happen, just punch it in.
The outboard gear that you use, for example, the 1176 or LA3A, are pretty much inserted on the same desk channels and then you have the same kind of track sheet for your 3348 tapes, then the drums from, let’s say, track 1 to 10, then bass, then guitars…? You pretty much have the same workflow all the time?
Right. The most important thing is making the song work. So if you have to figure out where all the parts are coming from that becomes a real struggle.That becomes difficult.
I take all the difficult stuff out of the equation, then all I am doing is focusing on the song. When you go to reach for where the drums are, they are always at the same faders. They are not always the same sound, but they are always at the same place.
When you are a chef in a kitchen, you know where the knives are, you know where the flour is, you know where the cutting boards are, you know where the pans are. When you go to create an inspirational meal, all your tools are in the same place, but you always create something different. That’s the mentality.
Let’s go back to the instruments a little bit. Can you describe to us what you use for basic rock instruments? Like drums, bass, guitars, keyboards… What do you use most of the time as outboards on drums, for example?
The first thing you do is put all the faders up and find where the song is. If I solo the drums, I take all the compression off, so I start to balance them with no compression. Literally. And I see which samples I need to add to make the drums come alive. Then I see if I can get away with no compression.
Once you start putting the other instruments in, if the drums aren’t speaking enough, then I say “OK, I have to compress the overheads, or I have to compress this room track.” I try to do the least amount of damage because I can just start by compressing the bejesus out of everything, but then it just starts to sound backwards and dull. I try the least amount first, and add just a little bit at a time.
A lot of it is how much room or reverb I am using. I have 6 different reverbs and I just feather them in to taste. It’s not like “I’m going to use this reverb on this snare drum,” it’s more “I’m going to use these 4 reverbs on the drums or these 6 reverbs that are just on one send.” It’s a palette. I have 14 different reverbs set up - in total - and I will just push those returns up. It’s like, “this balance is working great for the chorus, this balance is working great for the verse.”
It’s not an exact science, but you are definitely using digital reverbs, some typical analog compression, and EQs all off the desk, plus there are a couple of Pultecs helping the kick and snare. So we are definitely using some old school technique.
Speaking of reverbs, what are your favorite reverbs?
My favorite ones are EMT246, originally Yamaha Rev1, a Sony DRE2000, and an EMT252. The Lexicons I use are the 224 and 480 originals, which have their own sound.
Then there are the newer ones, the Bricasti M7, which is probably the only new reverb I use. But then I also use an AMS reverb, the Ursa Major Space Station, which is not really a reverb, but somewhere in-between. And then there is also the Eventide SP2016. They are all chained together, all getting used. Sometimes I’m using 4 or 6 of them at the same time. They are all on their good settings, and sometimes I just adjust the times. You can’t really beat the original digital reverbs.
If you’re using up to 6 reverbs on the drums, I can imagine that you can do the same for the vocals…?
The vocals have their own line of delays. The vocals have 6 delays that I can use, and in 4 different channels of slap that I can use as a package, and then vocal doubles and then specific vocal reverbs.
They have their own arsenal of stuff. Between the vocal reverbs and the drums reverbs, that covers everything.
Talking about outboards, are there any outboards apart from the 1176 and the LA3A that you use all the time? Like Pultecs?
There are always 2 Pultecs going, all the delays and reverbs are always engaged, they are always sending, it’s just how much you’re returning it.
Some songs I look back and I go, “oh, I’m only using 3 compressors on this” and some songs I look back and I’m using 23 compressors, and then some songs need all 8 reverbs to make it do something. It’s all dependent on what the tune is. By having all those faders available, here’s some more flavor, here is some more reverb, here is some more delay. You just texture. It’s like the sous-chef ! (Laughs)
What about new gear? Have you seen some new pieces of equipment that made you feel like you want to have it? New compressors? New EQs?
Shadow Hills makes these new compressors—I use a whole bunch of those—the mastering compressor and their 500 series compressors. Steve Firlotte makes his own Inward Connections compressor, I use the new ones, the FETs; I even hand built my own 1176s with my tech staff. They just make new sounding ones. The ones I use the most are the Retro 176s—they’re brand new, those new tube limiters, they’re great.
What about the Vac-Rac?
Yeah, the Vac-Rac is fairly new. I use new and old. Of course there are some delays and reverbs I use, even the Line 6 EchoPros, are still relatively new—the TC reverb and all that, that’s all brand new stuff.
What is your mix bus processing chain? Do you have some compressor and EQ inserted on the mix bus or do you print your track with the compressor on?
Well, your mix is your mix. The compressor is built in, you never unglue it by turning the compressor off, and I am not really compressing it that much. It’s either the Shadow Hills mastering compressor on the bus or the Focusrite Red 3, which is an original Red 3, a very low serial number early ones. It sounds different than the new ones.
For EQ, I have some mastering Pultecs that I use on my mix bus so the whole mix goes through tubes and transformers.
How do you print the mixes? Do you print to them a Pro Tools session through which converter? How many versions can you do?
It’s always a six-pack and it’s always printed through the Apogee Symphony at 192 kHz.
OK, so you do main mix, playback, instruments….
You do master mix, vocal up, TV track, instrumental, then you do lead vocal acapella, and background vocal acapella. And then, no matter what version you have, if there’s a single edit, there are six versions of it. If there is a long edit, there are six version of it. If there is a clean edit, there are six versions. So everything becomes six. This way the artist has a TV instrumental that matches every configuration you have.
Artistic and Human Point of View
I’d like to talk a little bit about the relationships you have with producers, you have been working a lot with Don Gilmore. Are there any other producer’s you like to work with?
Let’s get to the right names here. The producer I mixed the most records for is Howard Benson.
Howard Benson and I have done at least 100 records together. We started working in 98. It could be more than that. One of these days I am going to have one of my guys tally it up, but I’d say it is pushing the 1500 to 2000 song limit.
After Howard Benson, another client is Rob Cavallo, who is now in charge of Warner Bros. I’ve been mixing his productions since the 80s. He produces Green Day, he produces Shinedown, he produced some great bands—the Goo Goo Dolls, the Dave Mathews Band. He’s the second runner up.
Then if falls to Don Gilmore, Matt Serletic, John Fields, and then it is everybody else at that point - Rick Rubin. The list goes on with the producers. I’m skipping names off the top of my head, but I want to make sure that I put them in order; Howard, Rob, are the key players. Bryon Gallimore, I’ve done all the country records with for 10 years. There is definitely a loyalty and an attitude that we can do whatever you want, whenever you want always.
What’s your advice to any mixer or student aspiring to become a mixing engineer?
Your relationship with the band and the producer is what makes your job. Unless you have a relationship with the band and the producer and they are happy with what you do, and want you to do it all the time, you don’t really have a title then. That really defines who you are. The band wants you, the producer wants you, the record company wants you to be doing it, and they are happy with what you do, then you can consider yourself a mixer at that point.
How do you see the evolution of the business now? The record business crisis at the moment, and it’s happening in every country… How do you see the evolution of making records and selling music today?
I think today is the new frontier. People still, no matter what, want music. We just want them to pay for it. They are paying for it in a different way. We have to be more creative in how we make it. To be more efficient in how we make it.
Bottom line is, bands still want to make music. Bands still want to record, and bands still need you to mix. We’re still going to have people buying the music, we just have to keep them from stealing it. I think the excitement is more than it has ever been.
That’s a very positive point of view.
Everyone is just doom and gloom. Well, that’s just your attitude. If you want to be a doom and gloomer, go work in a different business. But as far as I’m concerned, music is only going to get better, and you just have to be positive and make it happen.
The Bernard Pivot Style
What’s your favorite memory from mixing an album or working on an album?
My favorite memories would probably be from records I produced. They are all favorite memories, it’s hard to say “this was the best.”
I think the ones I got the most laughs on were albums I produced by Tina Turner, or John Miles or Rick Price or Joe Cocker, where being the producer, it was basically tweaking your last rough mix, with the artist in there and having some laughs and some fun with it.
Knowing that you’re playing on it and you’re producing it… And it came out great and you are excited. Rather than, mixing something that you didn’t produce.
Of course, working on “American Idiot”, which went by so fast… It was exciting because the songs were so good and you didn’t really realize it at the time.
But the best memories are definitely the ones I produced because there is more at stake because you’re a producer. Human wise, because you are artistic about it, you play parts of it, there is more “blood” on the tape, than you just mixing someone else’s record.
You mean that this job is 60, 70 percent human aspect?
It’s 100 percent human. It’s not a business at all. It’s a personal, emotional business, that unless your heart is into the song, you’d might as well go back into the car and go home. You have to be emotionally attached to the music or there is no point in doing it.
Your worst memories/moments from mixing of all time?
There have definitely been some moments. I’m not going to name the bands, but there were full-on fights in here internally with the band mates. No one agrees with what you’re doing. Each guy leaves the room and comes back with a different idea. It makes it really difficult when the band doesn’t get along.
There have been a couple where the band is breaking up or fighting at the time you are mixing it, or completely unsure of what you are doing. It’s not you, it’s them, and that’s what makes it difficult. A lot of the best records I ever mixed are when nobody is here but me.
Sometimes, they are their own worst enemy. It’s not their fault. They’re really better off coming toward the end. When they want to come in here and do battle with it, sometimes they can unglue some of the magic that you’ve put into it by isolating their favorite parts.
Which artist would you still like to work with and why?
I want to work with Paul McCartney, I want to work with Coldplay, I want to actually mix a full fledged U2 album, not just one or two songs like I have done in the past—I want to be in the room with the band. I’d like to mix a new Rolling Stones record with the whole band in here.
I want to go after the ‘last of the Mohicans,’ the biggest guns that are left while they still have something. It’s more the absolute legends of rock and roll.
Of course, I want to work with Muse and Foo Fighters and all the newer bands, but still they have some time. I want to get the old guys while they still got some action. I want to get it while there is a chance.
You’re engaged to mix an album for an artist you love but the requirements are less is more. So you have to pick only 5 pieces of your equipment. Which do you choose and why?
If I can pick only 5 pieces of equipment, I’d pick my favorite vocal limiter, I’d pick my favorite vocal reverb, drum reverb, that’s three…
Which ones?!
It would be my Urei Blue1176, my original EMT246, my Sony DRE 2000, then it would be a pair of Pultecs on my bus, and my Focusrite Red. The Pultecs I say they are one piece of gear cause they are a pair.
You’re cheating! (Laughs)
They come as a pair. With those 5 pieces of gear in a rack, I can go anywhere.
Just to finish up, do you have any leitmotiv or quote/catch phrase about music that you like to use?
One of the things we say in the studio is “Don’t try this at home”! (Laughs)
Everything I have here is not going to work at home. It’s really meant to be in the proper facility, in a temple of sound. Not your garage. For me it doesn’t work!
Find out more about Bootzhere. The author thanks Sarit Bruno (Chater-La) for making this interview happen. Photography by Brian Petersen.
For more audio/sound related content and resources, go to Audiofanzine.
Get more of the latest news from the 2012 PL+S show.
Solid State Logic is pleased to announce the release of Soundscape V6.2 at Musikmesse 2012.
This new version of SSL’s industrial-strength DAW introduces significant new features that will benefit the existing Soundscape user community and facilitate a series of ”workflow specific” products based on Soundscape’s highly evolved audio workflow and file management.
Soundscape V6.2 actually combines two of SSL’s software products with the integration of Pro-Convert, SSL’s DAW Project translation tool. The Soundscape V6.2 Pro-Convert installation offers direct import/export to a series of third-party DAWs from the Soundscape File Menu.
V.62 imports and exports the audio file and selected audio track, clip and marker data for Pro-Tools 9 Sessions, Cubase/Nuendo Track-Archives, Final Cut XML and Samplitude/Sequoia EDL projects.
A new Console Control Module introduces a hardware control implementation that offers elegant physical control over the software using SSL’s Nucleus and Matrix hybrid DAW control consoles. The new hardware control implementation delivers deep integration between SSL’s multi-award-winning hardware control surfaces and Soundscape’s advanced audio production workflow.
The Soundscape V6.2 release also enables Soundscape to be used with SSL’s MadiXtreme 64/128 PCIe audio interfaces for the first time, facilitating direct connection to audio converters, MADI-equipped consoles and routing systems for lower-cost system specification where systems don’t require a software mixer environment.
Soundscape 6.2 can still be purchased with an SSL MX4 interface if a DSP driven mixer and plug-in environment is still required. MX4 systems include the SSL Bus Compressor and EQ & Dynamics plug-ins as standard. The Soundscape V6.2 release also includes new MTC Master/Slave and MMC Slave Sync added to MX4 and MadiXtreme-based setups.
“It is fantastic to be working with new partners to integrate SSL’s control surfaces with software in different applications, and we intend to continue to develop profiles for the software our customers use,” says Jim Motley, Head of Workstation Partner Products at SSL. “As well as winning numerous awards since launch, Nucleus continues to be the controller of choice for the serious audio professional, whether in music production, post production, content creation or game audio.”
Roland Systems Group Releases Software Update To Flagship M-480 V-Mixer
Get more of the latest news from the 2012 PL+S show.
Roland Systems Group (RSG) has released a new firmware update (V1.5) for their popular M-480 V-Mixer console. This firmware update comes only six months after a previous firmware release demonstrating a continued commitment to supporting users of V-Mixer Consoles.
The M-480, like the M-400, M-380, and M-300, is the central component in a VMixing System with integrated Digital Snakes, multi-channel recording and the world’s finest personal mixing system. With a growing number of V-Mixing System installations in Theater and broadcast markets, Roland Systems Group engineers have packed this free update with significant features that assists this user group including:
• Increased number of DCA’s from 8 to 24
• Scene Fade Function
• Increased delay time up to 1.2 seconds for broadcast and large outdoor applications
• Five new effect processors including Multi-Band Compression/Expansion and BOSS digital effect models
• Second order shelving on Lo and Hi EQ
• Mutually Exclusive LR/C assignment for cross-matrixed linear array speaker configurations
• Delay setting in “samples”
• Monitor dimmer setting
The increased DCA groups to 24, provides new power increasing mixing effectiveness in larger and more complex applications such as theater/broadcast and when using cascaded 96 channel configurations. Scene Fade function allows channel fader levels to be set to fade smoothly when a scene is changed. Fade time is selectable up to 100 seconds and can be set to on or off for each channel and each scene. This function is ideal for musical and theater applications.
New Delay parameters can now be set up to 1.2 seconds on any input or output channel. This is especially important when longer times are required in video/streaming production or audio time alignment at large venues.
Five new channel effects include Multi-Band Compression/Expansion and four modeled BOSS compact effects including OD/DS series (Overdrive/Distortion), DD-3 (Digital Delay), DM-5 (Delay) and CE-1 (Chorus Ensemble), brings more control and snap to live productions.
About M-480 V-Mixer: 48-Channel Live Mixing Console
The M-480 V-Mixer features 48 mixing channels and 6 stereo returns for a total of 60 channels. Bussing is strong with a total of 27 consisting of 16 auxiliaries, 8 matrices and full support for Mono, Stereo or LCR sound design. With a configurable choice of available digital I/O boxes, the M-480 can support up to 90 inputs and 90 outputs - all fully assignable via the digital patchbay. The patchbay also has the unique ability to route any input to any output without going through the mixer. Each mixing channel includes 2 stages of dynamics processing, 4-band PEQ, and delay. Dedicated 4-band PEQ, limiting and delay are available on every output.
In addition to these powerful features the M-480 has a “Cascade” function allowing two units to be connected together enabling a 96-channel mixing solution. The two connected consoles share AUX/Matrix/Main/Solo buses with bidirectional communication allowing a very compact, affordable and powerful high channel mixing solution. This is ideal in production rental and institutional environments where two consoles can be used separately for numerous events and then brought together for larger productions only when needed.
About REAC
REAC (Roland Ethernet Audio Communication) is the audio transport protocol developed by Roland to meet the Pro-Audio market’s need for a point-to-point 24 bit/ 96kHz, low latency digital audio transport for live sound use and commercial applications. The REAC protocol is capable of transmitting 40 channels of 24bit audio over inexpensive Cat5e/6 cable and can be easily split using standard gigabit switches making it easy and very cost effective to have lossless all-digital splits of the stage audio for FOH, monitor, broadcast and recording locations.
Avid Mbox And Mbox Mini Now Deliver The Pro Tools Experience
Get more of the latest news from the 2012 PL+S show.
Avid (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that its ultra-portable, professional-grade Mbox and Mbox Mini audio interfaces now come with Pro Tools Express software included at no additional charge, giving customers the award-winning Pro Tools software experience at a great value.
These offerings are in addition to the current Pro Tools + Mbox bundles offered for the three Mbox designs.
With Pro Tools Express, customers can record, edit, and mix up to 16 stereo audio tracks—in addition to virtual instrument and MIDI tracks—using the core industry-standard toolset embraced by top producers, engineers, and artists. Paired with Mbox and Mbox Mini interfaces, which offer best-in-class audio quality and performance, Pro Tools Express empowers users to create their best work with more affordable, professional solutions.
Pro Tools Express key features
Record and mix up to 16 stereo audio tracks at 96 kHz (Mbox) or 48 kHz (Mbox Mini) resolution
Compose music easily with premium AIR virtual instruments, plus the same MIDI editing and Sibelius notation tools as Pro Tools
Create pro-quality mixes with Automatic Delay Compensation and a collection of high-quality plug-ins
Change tempo, timing, pitch, and create harmonies in real time with Elastic Time and Elastic Pitch
Take projects to the next level—and to studios around the world—with session file compatibility across all Pro Tools systems
“Customers and critics have raved about the audio quality of the Mbox and Mbox Mini interfaces,” says Tony Cariddi, Avid pro audio marketing manager. “And while they work brilliantly with Core Audio- and ASIO-compatible systems, they really shine the brightest as part of the Pro Tools experience. We’re excited to now share that professional Pro Tools experience with all Mbox users, whether they opt for a Pro Tools + Mbox bundle or a standalone Mbox with Pro Tools Express. This perfect union of hardware and software tools delivers the performance, sound quality, and stability that let’s them focus on composing, recording, editing, and mixing their very best work.”
Availability and pricing
Mbox (with Pro Tools Express) and Mbox Mini (with Pro Tools Express) are available today worldwide for $499 and $299 USMSRP, respectively.
As customers needs and skills grow, they can upgrade from Pro Tools Express to Pro Tools 10 for just $399. For complete feature specifications, see the Pro Tools Software Comparison page.
Get more of the latest news from the 2012 PL+S show.
Waves Audio has announced the availability of V9, the new version of Waves plug-ins offering 64-bit support, faster scanning, faster loading, and faster processing.
One of Version 9’s most highly anticipated features is 64-bit operating system support. Now Waves users can take advantage of massive amounts of RAM memory in the DAW hosts of their choice.
V9 also marks the introduction of Waves’ new easy-to-use authorization system, Waves License Center, which eliminates use of the iLok, ushering in an era of simplicity, flexibility, mobility and security.
Waves License Center offers users authorization activation straight to their computer or any USB flash drive; easy license management; license mobility via USB flash drive or users’ License Cloud; and one-click license recovery in the case of lost or damaged devices.
With new V9 plug-ins added to Waves’ Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Horizon bundles, it is a good time for users to renew their Waves Update Plan coverage.
New plug-ins in Horizon: Kramer Master Tape; PIE Compressor; HLS Channel; Bass Rider; CLA Guitars; Maserati Drums; OneKnob Filter; and OneKnob Driver. New plug-ins in Diamond: GTR3 Software; OneKnob Filter; and OneKnob Driver. New plug-ins in Platinum: GTR3 Software and OneKnob Driver. New plugin in Gold: GTR3 Software.
To most older (or shall we say “classic”) engineers and producers, it’s avoided like the plague, preferring to work the singer until he gets it right. Of course, no one complains when it’s used on that one note that just can’t be comped.
Then there’s T-Pain, who took Auto-Tune to a new level, using it as a integral piece of his act by using it on literally every song. It was bad enough when Cher did it way back in 1998 on her hit “Believe,” when we thought the fad was over.
Not so, apparently.
But perhaps the real story is that Auto-Tune was that it was accidentally invented by an Exxon scientist while interpreting seismic data using sound waves. The researcher was Andy Hildebrand, who was using audio to map elements deep below the earth’s surface, which means basically looking for oil.
To his credit, Hildebrand, who loves music, determined that his method could be used to help singers everywhere, and so he founded Antares Audio Technologies in 1990. The rest is history.
Great singers still don’t need or want it, but mediocre singers, engineers and producers everywhere live by it. In fact, many big touring acts actually use it live on stage. If that’s not cheating, I don’t know what is. Perhaps Auto-Tune is another reason to hate the oil industry?
Here’s an interesting and amusing video on the history of Auto-Tune:
Bobby Owsinski is an author, producer, music industry veteran and technical consultant who has written numerous books covering all aspects of audio recording. For more information be sure to check out his website and blog.
Vocal sibilance is an unpleasant tonal harshness that can happen during consonant syllables (like S, T, and Z), caused by disproportionate audio dynamics in upper midrange frequencies. Sibilance is often centered between 5 kHz to 8 kHz, but can occur well above that frequency range.
This problem is usually caused by the actual vocal formant, but can also be exaggerated by microphone placement and technique. This article will discuss some ways to control vocal sibilance, and keep the problem from becoming a musical distraction.
Sibilance at the Source
(best read with sibilant whistle)
In phonetic terms, sibilance comes from a type of vocal formant called a fricative consonant. During these sorts of utterances, the airway (usually the mouth) is drastically constricted by two anatomical features, like the teeth, tongue, or palette.
This pressurization causes some amount of noise that forms the consonant sounds we would recognize from a phase like, “Sally sits sideways on the tennis trolley.” Sibilance is a very necessary feature of human speech, but when there’s (subjectively) too much noise created during these consonants, we get a very distracting harshness.
It isn’t really practical or productive to address micro-muscular vocal technique during a session, so your best bet to mitigate sibilance at the source is microphone selection and placement. Here are a few suggestions:
—Every vocalist is remarkably different, so don’t pre-suppose that anything you’ve tried before will or will not work again. —Be sure to leave some space between your vocalist and the microphone. Twelve to eighteen inches would be a nice starting point. —A pop filter won’t do anything to help with sibilance. —Once you find a microphone and distance combination that helps, try angling the microphone downward 10 to 15 degrees to place the 0-degree axis toward the throat instead of the sibilant source.
Audio Dynamics Processing
Vocal sibilance is a phenomenon of disproportionate dynamics within an isolated frequency range. In other words, it is a problem of too much loudness contrast within a small frequency range of a waveform that has a dynamic profile of its own.
‘De-essing’ is the classic compressor technique used to address vocal sibilance through processing. In fact, de-essing is just one example of many uses for compression that is conditioned on a limited frequency band, or a modified harmonic profile.
De-esser Signal Flow
Audio dynamics processors like compressors and expanders contain two signal paths:
1) The audio path, which is subject to conditional gain reduction and;
2) The sidechain or ‘key’ path, which the gain reduction is conditioned on.
In short, gain reduction happens (or not) in the audio path based on the interaction between the sidechain signal and the detector settings (i.e. threshold and time constants). By placing an EQ in the sidechain path, we can further condition gain reduction on user definable frequency conditions.
The de-esser technique typically uses a narrow peak EQ in the sidechain path to boost the most offensive sibilant frequencies. This EQ exaggerates the dynamic difference between the sibilant band and the rest of the vocal waveform, making it much easier to achieve gain reduction during those consonants (and only then).
A pre-configured de-esser may provide an interface as simple as a compressor threshold and the peak EQ center frequency. These often work just fine. For more detailed control, one could patch an EQ into the sidechain of a relatively fast compressor, or use any number of compressor plug-ins that provide detailed EQ in the sidechain path.
There are lots of great techniques based on this signal flow, so spend some time with it. Frankly, de-essing is the least of what you can do by adding frequency conditions to your gain reduction.
Other Precautions
When you’re recording a vocal performance that may have a sibilance problem, resist the urge to compress the signal in the channel path. Over-compression can exaggerate sibilance. Instead, try using a fader to level the vocal performance, or just record with an adequate amount of headroom.
The same applies to the mixing process. Once you’ve done your best to control vocal sibilance, try using a fader and automation to maintain a consistent vocal volume in the mix. If you simply must instantiate a compressor on every vocal track, keep the attack time slow (> 30ms), and the ratio low.
Finally, don’t listen too loudly when you mix. That’s good general advice, but quality control issues like sibilance highlight its importance. Try a control room volume of 78-83 dB(C) SPL. You might be surprised how much detail you’re suddenly able to hear.
Rob Schlette is chief mastering engineer and owner of Anthem Mastering (anthemmastering.com) in St. Louis, MO, which provides trusted specialized mastering services to music clients across North America.
Be sure to visit the Pro Audio Files for more great recording content. To comment or ask questions about this article go here.
Go here to read the other installments in this series.
I find it hard to think about the electric guitar without thinking about distortion. There was a time when electric guitars were always clean. Hard to imagine now.
Traditionally distortion was an unwanted feature in amplifier design. Distortion only occurred when the amp was damaged or overdriven. Possibly the first intentional use of distortion was in the 1951 recording of “Rocket 88″ by Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm.
Chuck Berry liked to use small tube amps that were easy to overdrive for his trademark sound and other guitarists would intentionally damage their speakers by poking holes in them, causing them to distort.
Leo Fender then started designing amps with some light compression and slight overdrive and Jim Marshall started to design the first amps with significant overdrive. That sound caught on quickly and by the time Jimi Hendrix was using Roger Mayer’s effects pedals, distortion would forever be associated with the electric guitar.
Not Just For Guitars
When you’re recording and mixing, you can use a bit of distortion to give any sound more edge, grit, energy and excitement. Drums, vocals, bass, samples – they can all benefit from a touch of distortion at times. Understanding the different ways distortion can be created and how they sound can help you get better sounds and make better recordings.
So What Is Distortion?
The word distortion means any change in the amplified waveform from the input signal. In the context of musical distortion this means clipping the peaks off the waveform. Because both valves and transistors behave linearly within a certain voltage region, distortion circuits are finely tuned so that the average signal peak just barely pushes the circuit into the clipping region, resulting in the softest clip and the least harsh distortion.
Because of this, as the guitar strings are plucked harder, the amount of distortion and the resulting volume both increase, and lighter plucking cleans-up the sound. Distortion adds harmonics and makes a sound more exciting.
Amp Distortion - Tube & Solid State
Valve Overdrive. Before transistors, the traditional way to create distortion was with vacuum valves (also known as vacuum tubes). A vacuum tube has a maximum input voltage determined by its bias and a minimum input voltage determined by its supply voltage.
When any part of the input waveform approaches these limits, the valve’s amplification becomes less linear, meaning that smaller voltages get amplified more than the large ones. This causes the peaks of the output waveform to be compressed, resulting in a waveform that looks “squashed.”
It is known as “soft clipping”, and generates even-order harmonics that add to the warmth and richness of the guitar’s tone. If the valve is driven harder, the compression becomes more extreme and the peaks of the waveforms are clipped, which adds additional odd-order harmonics, creating a “dirty” or “gritty” tone.
Valve distortion is commonly referred to as overdrive, as it is achieved by driving the valves in an amplifier at a higher level than can be handled cleanly. Multiple stages of valve gain/clipping can be “cascaded” to produce a thicker and more complex distortion sound.
In some modern valve effects, the “dirty” or “gritty” tone is actually achieved not by high voltage, but by running the circuit at voltages that are too low for the circuit components, resulting in greater non-linearity and distortion. These designs are referred to as “starved plate” configurations.
Transistor Clipping. On the other hand, transistor clipping stages behave far more linearly within their operating regions, and faithfully amplify the instrument’s signal until the input voltage falls outside its operating region, at which point the signal is clipped without compression, this “hard clipping” or limiting. This type of distortion tends to produce more odd-order harmonics.
Electronically, it is usually achieved by either amplifying the signal to a point where it must be clipped to the supply rails, or by clipping the signal across diodes. Many solid state distortion devices attempt to emulate the sound of overdriven vacuum valves.
Distortion Pedals
Overdrive distortion. While the general purpose is to emulate classic “warm-tube” sounds, distortion pedals can be distinguished from overdrive pedals in that the intent is to provide players with instant access to the sound of a high-gain Marshall amplifier such as the JCM800 pushed past the point of tonal breakup and into the range of tonal distortion known to electric guitarists as “saturated gain.”
Some guitarists will use these pedals along with an already distorted amp or along with a milder overdrive effect to produce radically high-gain sounds. Although most distortion devices use solid-state circuitry, some “tube distortion” pedals are designed with preamplifier vacuum tubes. In some cases, tube distortion pedals use power tubes or a preamp tube used as a power tube driving a built-in “dummy load.”
The Boss DS-1 Distortion is a pedal with this design. This is what that sounds like: Listen
Overdrive/Crunch. Some distortion effects provide an “overdrive” effect. Either by using a vacuum tube, or by using simulated tube modeling techniques, the top of the wave form is compressed, giving a smoother distorted signal than regular distortion effects. When an overdrive effect is used at a high setting, the sound’s waveform can become clipped, which imparts a gritty or “dirty” tone, which sounds like a tube amplifier “driven” to its limit.
Used in conjunction with an amplifier, especially a tube amplifier, driven to the point of mild tonal breakup short of what would be generally considered distortion or overdrive, or along with another, stronger overdrive or distortion pedal, these can produce extremely thick distortion.
Today there is a huge variety of overdrive pedals, including the Boss OD-3 Overdrive: Listen
Fuzz. This was originally intended to recreate the classic 1960s tone of an overdriven tube amp combined with torn speaker cones. Old-school guitar players would use a screwdriver to poke several holes through the the guitar amp speaker to achieve a similar sound.
Since the original designs, more extreme fuzz pedals have been designed and produced, incorporating octave-up effects, oscillation, gating, and greater amounts of distortion.
The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff is a classic fuzz pedal: Listen
Hi-Gain. High gain in normal electric guitar playing simply references a thick sound produced by heavily overdriven amplifier tubes, a distortion pedal, or some combination of both – the essential component is the typically loud, thick, harmonically rich, and sustaining quality of the tone.
However, the hi-gain sound of modern pedals is somewhat distinct from, although descended from, this sound. The distortion often produces sounds not possible any other way. Many extreme distortions are either hi-gain or the descendants of such.
An example of a hi-gain pedal is the Line 6 Uber Metal: Listen
Power-Tube. A unique kind of saturation when tube amps output stages are overdriven, unfortunately, this kind of really powerful distortion only happens at high volumes.
A Power-Tube pedal contains a power tube and optional dummy load, or a preamp tube used as a power tube. This allows the device to produce power-tube distortion independently of volume.
An example of a tube-based distortion pedal is the Ibanez Tube King: Listen
Other Ways To Distort
Tape Saturation. One way is with magnetic tape. Magnetic tape has a natural compression and saturation when you send it a really hot signal. Even today, many artists of all genres prefer analog tape’s “musical”, “natural” and especially “warm” sound. Due to harmonic distortion, bass can thicken up, creating the illusion of a fuller-sounding mix.
In addition, high end can be slightly compressed, which is more natural to the human ear. It is common for artists to record to digital and re-record the tracks to analog reels for this effect of “natural” sound. While recording to analog tape is likely out of the home studio budget, there are tape saturation plugins that you can use while mixing that simulate the effect quite well.
Here’s a bass guitar with a bit of tape saturation from the Ferox VST plug-in: Listen
Digital Wave Shaping. The word clipping in recording is usually a bad thing. And generally it is, unless we’re trying to distort something on purpose. In the digital world we can use powerful wave shaping tools to drastically distort and manipulate a sound.
Rather than subject you to the technical explanation of how it works, just listen to Nine Inch Nails, they use this a lot. It’s perfect for really harsh, aggressive, unnatural and broken sounds.
Here’s some examples of Ohmforce Ohmicide on a drum loop: Listen
Why Is This Important?
Knowing those sounds can help you be a better musician, engineer and producer. It will help you make decisions on what gear to purchase and what is appropriate for a song.
What Else?
Besides guitar, what else is distortion good for? Well, pretty much anything, as long as it’s appropriate for the song.
—Slight distortion can make something sound more exciting, too much can sometimes make it really tiny sounding. —When recording electric guitars, you can get a way bigger sound by using less gain and recording the same part multiple times, double or quad-tracking. —Distortion can sound really cool on drums, but you may have to heavily gate the drums, the sustain can get out of control.
*Note: All audio samples except the last two were copied from various internet sources, mostly manufacturer websites.
Jon Tidey is a Producer/Engineer who runs his own studio, EPIC Sounds, and enjoys writing about audio on his blog AudioGeekZine.com. To comment or ask questions about this article go here.
Producer/Bassist Brent Milligan On The Road With Steven Curtis Chapman & PreSonus Studio One
Grammy-nominated producer and bassist Brent Milligan is on the road again, touring with multi-platinum singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman in support of his current album, re:creation.
Milligan, a Baton Rouge native whose credits include Michael W. Smith, TobyMac, Backstreet Boys and a host of others, has been working with Chapman for a number of years as a band member, producer, and musical collaborator.
On the road, Milligan works with Chapman to lay down tunes and record unplugged-style videos on his laptop, using a PreSonus AudioBox 1818VSL recording system and Studio One 2 digital audio workstation. For Milligan, it’s a chance to capture some rare solo performances of Chapman’s songs while discovering the ins and outs of Studio One.
“We basically just lay down the performances wherever we can find a quiet space, whether it’s backstage, in a hotel room, whatever’s available,” says Milliigan. “I just set up a camera and a couple of mics, and we’re good to go. It’s pretty organic.”
Although his studio in Nashville is based around another popular DAW setup, Milligan says he has been developing a new affinity for Studio One. “Even though I’m still learning my way around the user interface, the more I do with Studio One, the more I like it,” he says. “What’s nice is that I can take any of the tracks I recorded in Studio One, open them in my home setup, and Studio One immediately recognizes my current studio hardware. I don’t have to hook up the 1818 to get it working, so if I want to do something to the track, like add a cello or sweeten something, I can get right into it without a whole lot of setting things up.”
Though he’s still relatively new to Studio One, Milligan says that so far, he likes what he sees. “I’ll admit I’ve been a bit resistant to change,” he says. “I’ve been working with my old DAW for many years, and I’m just used to where things are, used to the key commands, the file-management system, and I’m very fast with it. But the more I work in Studio One, the more I like it, and the more intuitive it becomes.”
Milligan is also not the first to remark that Studio One just seems to sound better. “I would always laugh when I’d hear other people saying that one DAW sounded better than another - I mean, bits are bits, after all,” he says. “But listening to the stuff I’ve recorded in Studio One and comparing it to tracks I’ve recorded on my other system, I can honestly say I hear a difference. I don’t know if they’re using a different summing algorithm or what, but it really does seem to sound better. It’s more detailed, more dynamic.”
Milligan says he’s looking forward to getting further into Studio One. “My next thing will be to do a full production in Studio One,” he says. “Thus far I’m really enjoying working with it.”
Recording the music in your worship services on a two-track recorder, such as a CD recorder, seems like it would be simple. But if your mixes sound terrible, here’s how to do it the right way.
Most mixing consoles have a set of connectors labeled “tape out” or something similar. And while you may be tempted to simply plug your CD recorder into that output, there’s probably trouble on the way.
Here’s why. Let’s suppose you have an electric guitar or drum kit on stage. It’s probably so loud all by itself that you don’t have to add much, if any at all, of these instruments into the main PA loudspeakers. But you’ll probably also have a vocalist who will need to be fully amplified in the main speakers to be heard at all.
This may mix together nicely in the room, but if you record this PA loudspeaker mix directly to your CD recorder, it will sound all wrong. There will be overpowering vocals and almost no electric guitar or drums at all, save that which is picked up by any open mics on stage.
That’s because a “console recording” doesn’t include anything that was loud on stage to begin with. Essentially this recording is the inverse what actually happened on stage and bled into room. What’s a sound tech to do?
Just use a spare auxiliary (aux) send to develop a separate recording mix. Using a post-fader send for this will automatically track any fader moves. Note that the aux send for each channel will be the opposite of the fader position. That is, if you have a fader pushed most of the way up to amplify a vocalist, you’ll probably need to turn that aux send down quite low.
On the other hand, an electric guitar (or other loud instrument) will have its fader most of the way down, so you’ll need to turn up that particular aux send. Remember not to pull the fader down all the way, or its sound won’t go to the aux bus at all.
And you can always un-assign that instrument from the main loudspeaker by using the bus selector switches if need be. Note that adding even a small amount of e-guitar in the main PA speakers helps even out a room.
This, by the way, is also the mix that you want to send to your remote speakers in another room.
If your console has a stereo aux send bus, you can also do this recording in stereo. Many Mackie boards have stereo aux sends, as do several consoles in the Allen & Heath product line. But most of the time, a mono mix will be sufficient.
Monitor this mix with a good set of sealed headphones from the CD recorder’s headphone-out jack to get the proper balance between the vocals and drums or guitars. Then you’re on your way to making great recorded mixes everyone will appreciate, especially the drummers and guitar players.
Happy mixing!
Mike Sokol is the chief instructor of the HOW-TO Church Sound Workshops. He has 40 years of experience as a sound engineer, musician and author. Mike works with HOW-TO Sound Workshop Managing Partner Hector La Torre on the national, 36-city, annual HOW-TO Church Sound Workshop tour. Find out more here.
This week we’ll feature isolated vocals on some big hits by major artists.
Gimme Shelter
Here’s a track that I featured a couple of years ago that was taken down by the record label shortly after it posted. It’s another version of the isolated vocal from The Rolling Stones’ great “Gimme Shelter” that’s a mindblower. On it we hear Mick Jagger, Mary Clayton and an uncredited third voice singing the song like you’ve probably never heard it before.
Here are a few things I noticed.
1) What jumps out is how thick and long the reverb on the vocal track is. The verb is delayed so it stays out of way of the lead vocal a bit, but there’s a lot more of it than I ever remember hearing on the record.
2) The other thing that jumps out is the third harmony vocal on the choruses in between Mick’s lead vocal and Mary’s high part. Never heard that before, but I like it.
3) It’s interesting to hear how distorted everything is, especially on Mary Clayton’s parts when she begins to belt it out.
4) Mary Clayton’s part in the bridge is still great, no matter how many times I’ve heard it before. What a performance. Gives me chills!
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How Will I Know
Next is a 1985 song by the late Whitney Houston called “How Will I Know,” which was a huge MTV hit that helped push her to superstardom. Eventually Whitney went on to sell an incredible 170 million albums during her lifetime, far more than most people realize. Here are a couple of things to think about as you listen to this vocal track.
1) You can hear the compressor work a fair amount. There are a few parts where her breaths are exaggerated where you can hear the compressor pushing up the level. You can’t hear it in the track with the music though.
2) The reverb is pretty long and there’s really a lot of it on the vocals. It’s a good sounding verb that’s filtered so it doesn’t have a lot of highs or lows so it fits the track well.
3) Whitney doubles herself in the choruses, sometimes very closely, sometimes not so much. It’s a popular technique that many producers and vocalists use frequently.
4) You can’t hear many of the actual punches, but some of the vocals are pretty are pretty much on top of one another, which happened a lot back in the days of limited tracks due to the limits of magnetic or digital tape.
5) Note the long delay on the vocals in the bridge, which sounds like it’s about a full quarter note and timed to the track.
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Any Way You Want It
Now let’s look at the vocals from a Journey hit from their 1980 Departure album called “Any Way You Want It.” The song only hit #23 on the charts, but has since found great favor among advertisers, being used on commercials by Heinz, McDonalds, Ford, State Farm and Samsung. Here are some things to listen for:
1) The vocals have a very long verb that sounds like it has a slight (20ms) predelay on it. The verb is a little on the bright side but still fits the track well.
2) There’s a timed delay also on the lead vocal in addition to the reverb. Listen to how band-limited it is. Hard to tell if this was the result of a tape delay with a worn out tape or one of the then-new digital delays that were intentionally filtered, but either way, there’s not= high end at all on it.
3) The harmonies are very tight - maybe too tight, in that it sounds like they got one perfect then just flew the rest of them in on all the other spots in the song as needed. That’s no big deal today since you can easily cut and paste in your DAW of choice, but don’t forget, this song was recorded way back in 1980 in the days of magnetic tape. You had to do this kind of thing manually, which was a process we called “flying it in” back then.
4) Steve Perry’s voice is wonderfully glorious, soaring to the heavens as always. That’s why it so unusual to hear a flat note that was left in at around 1:20. Obviously it didn’t hurt the popularity of the song any. I can’t say I ever heard it before listening to the isolated vocal track.
Bobby Owsinski is an author, producer, music industry veteran and technical consultant who has written numerous books covering all aspects of audio recording. For more information be sure to check out his website and blog.
Go here to read the other installments in this series.
A noise gate is a form of dynamics processing used to increase dynamic range by lowering the noise floor, and it is an excellent tool for removing hum from an amp, cleaning up drum tracks between beats, background noise in dialog, and can even be used to reduce the amount of reverb in a recording.
The common parameters for a noise gate are:
Threshold – sets the level that the gate will open, when the signal level drops below the threshold the gate closes and mutes the output.
Attack – how fast the gate opens.
Hold – how long before the gate starts to close.
Release – aka decay, how long until the gate is fully closed again.
Range – how much the gated signal will be attenuated.
Sidechain – for setting an alternate signal for the gate to be triggered from, sometimes called a Key.
Filters – the filters section allows you to fine tune the sidechain signal.
What’s It For?
The normal use for gating is for removing background noise. An essential tool for clean dialog recording.
Some other uses for gates are gated reverb and using the sidechain to activate other effects.
How To Set A Noise Gate
To setup a gate properly, start with the the attack, hold, and release as fast as possible. Set the range to maximum, and the threshold to 0 dB.
Start lowering the threshold until the sound starts to get chopped up by the gate. Slow down the attack time to remove any unnatural popping. Adjust the hold and release times to get a more natural decay.
If you don’t want the background noise to be turned down as much then you can reduce the range control.
Other Uses
Gated reverb was a popular effect in the 80s, mostly because of Phil Collins records.
To set it up, take your drum tracks and send them to a stereo reverb with a large room preset. After the reverb, insert a stereo gate. Adjust the gate settings so that the reverb is cut off before then next hit.
In this example you’ll hear the unprocessed drums, then with reverb, then adding the gate. (Listen)
Favorite Gates
The classic Drawmer DS201 is a hardware noise gate that is hard to beat.
Noise gates aren’t very much fun to talk about, but they are a powerful tool that you need to know how to use.
Compression
Compression is an effect that can take a while to understand because the results are not always as obvious as other effects. To explain it as simply as possible, when a signal goes into a compressor, it gets turned down. That’s it. How it does this, how fast, and smoothly is what makes each one unique.
Compressor Controls
Most compressors will have the same set of controls:
The Threshold control sets what level will start the gain reduction.
The Ratio sets how much gain reduction, with a 4:1 ratio for every 4 dB of signal above the threshold 1 dB will be allowed through.
The Attack control sets how fast the compressor reacts to peaks.
The Release control sets how fast the compressor reacts as the signal lowers
Makeup gain is used to bring up the overall level of the compressor after the peaks have been reduced.
Sometimes there is an auto makeup gain control which will increase the output level to match the gain reduction.
Some compressors have a knee control that starts compressing at a lower ratio as the threshold is approached, this is very helpful for a more natural compression.
Compressors will usually have a few meters, an input level, gain reduction and output level. If there are only two meters there is usually a switch to change the output level to show gain reduction. Gain reduction meters go in the opposite direction of the level meters.
Setting A Compressor
This is my method for setting a compressor:
I choose a ratio depending on how aggressive I want the compression to be. The type of sound I’m using it on determines this, softer sounds like voice get lower ratios, bass gets a medium ratio and drums get a higher ratio.
I turn the attack and release controls to the fastest setting, and make sure the meter is showing gain reduction.
Then I lower the threshold level until I’m getting about 1 decibel of gain reduction on the peaks.
From there I’ll fine tune the attack and release for whatever sound most natural, and use the makeup gain to match the output with the input level.
If I want more compression, I’ll lower the threshold more.
Here’s an example of some electric guitar with and without compression. I’m using more compression than I normally would on this so that the effect will be easier to hear. It should be pretty obvious that the compressor has evened out the dynamics of the performance. (Listen)
Compression can bring out more details in a performance, but it will also bring up background noise especially at higher ratios, that’s not usually what you want.
A slow attack will let some of the transient through, you can use this when you want to increase the punch of drums. You want to compress the sustain of the drum, and use the make up gain to make the drums larger than life.
In this example there is an ambient room mic for a drum kit. First you will hear it without compression, then with (actually with a ton of compression), and I’ll increase (slow down) the attack time with each loop. Notice the increased bigness of the drums, and how the transients get through and keep it punchy. (Listen)
Limiter
A limiter is a compressor that’s output stays at or below a specific level regardless of the input level. It only turns down remember. The compression ratio starts at 10:1 and can go up to infinity. Limiters need very fast attack and release to be effective.
A brick-wall limiter (aka Maximizer), is a mastering tool used to increase the volume of a song as much as possible. These brick-wall limiters have an infinite ratio and will not let anything past the threshold. This type of limiter has two main controls, one for threshold and one for the maximum output level.
With these you basically set the maximum output level, something like -0.02 dB and then crank the threshold to crush everything and make it sound really loud and obnoxious (like Death Magnetic). The misuse of the brick-wall limiter is often associated with the loudness war and with compression in general.
Multi-band
Another common mastering tool is the multi-band compressor.
A multi-band Compressor is actually four compressors in one. The frequency range is split up into four bands like an equalizer, Low, low mid, high mid and high frequency bands. This can give you a much smoother compression with a lot more control.
De-Esser
There is one more type of dynamics processor, the de-esser. A de-esser is designed to reduce the harsh esss sounds in a voice. The compression works on a single frequency or frequency range rather than the entire input signal. These are generally used for voice processing but you might find some other uses for it.
Jon Tidey is a Producer/Engineer who runs his own studio, EPIC Sounds, and enjoys writing about audio on his blog AudioGeekZine.com. To comment or ask questions about this article go here.
Propellerhead Announces Significant Price Reduction On Reason Essentials
Propellerhead has announced a major price drop on Reason Essentials, the company’s streamlined version of the award-winning music making software Reason.
Propellerhead is also lowering the price on the Balance with Reason Essentials package. The integrated system featuring the critically acclaimed Balance audio interface and Reason Essentials music making software will be available at a new lower price starting today.
Distilled from the core of Reason, Reason Essentials contains a wide selection of instruments and effects in a virtual rack that builds itself, or can be infinitely customized—drum machine, loop player, sampler, synths, reverb, delay, distortion, mastering effects and more.
For guitar players, the built-in virtual guitar and bass PODs from Line 6 bring a wide range of quality guitar amps, cabinets and effects. The built-in audio and MIDI sequencer simplifies the recording and arranging song ideas, loops and full-blown tracks, and without concern about track counts, latency issues or adding that extra reverb or effect.
“We want Reason Essentials to be within reach for everyone,” says Leo Nathorst-Böös, Reason Essentials product marketing manager. “With this new price-point for Reason Essentials we’re opening up the Reason platform to all musicians who want to record, mix and produce their own tracks in a straight-forward way.”
Skills learned and song files created in Reason Essentials are directly transferable to Reason, providing users with a smooth transition to Propellerhead’s full-blown music making platform should they need more instruments, effects and advanced mixing tools.
Reason Essentials and Balance will be available for purchase at the new lower pricing worldwide starting today.
The suggested retail price for Reason Essentials is now $129 USD / €120 EUR, with the street price expected to be $99/€99. And, the new suggested retail price for Balance with Reason Essentials is $449 USD / €429 EUR, with an expected street price of $399/€349.
Formed in 1994, Propellerhead Software is a privately owned company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Renowned for its musician-centric approach, Propellerhead has created some of the world’s most innovative music software applications, interfaces and technology standards. Musicians, producers and the media have praised Reason, ReCycle and ReBirth applications for being inspiring, great sounding and of superior quality. Technologies such as ReWire and the REX file format are de-facto industry standards, implemented in all major music software. Today, Propellerhead’s products are used all over the world by hundreds of thousands of professionals and enthusiasts for all kinds of music making. http://www.propellerheads.se
Here are some of the top compression mistakes that I’ve come across.
If you’re guilty of any (or all) of these, don’t worry. I am, too.
Here are five compression mistakes that keep even us “smart” folks stuck.
1. Waiting until the end of the mix to add compression to the mix bus.
This is the easiest way to unravel a great mix. If you want to compress the entire mix (which is totally fine to do), make sure you add the compressor to your mix bus EARLY in the process.
Then make all your mix decisions while listening to the mix THROUGH that compressor.
2. Using compression instead of automation to bring out quieter parts in a lead vocal.
Doing this WILL make everything the same volume, but it can sound super squashed.
3. Compressing each piece of the drum kit BEFORE adding compression to the drum bus.
This is similar to number 1. If your drums tend to sound too compressed, try compressing the drum bus FIRST, then decide if you need a little more compression on individual tracks.
Sometimes the bus compressor makes individual compressors unnecessary.
4. Not using an “aggressive” compression setting — even though it sounds good — because you think it’s “wrong.”
I oftentimes squash the crap out of bass tracks. Why? Because it sounds good in my mixes.
If it sounds good, you’re doing it right.
5. Using too much make-up gain, so the compressed signal is always louder than the uncompressed signal.
I like to be able to bypass the compressor and hear the track at the same volume. If the compressed signal is louder, it will sound “better” to me, even if it actually sounds worse.
Make ‘em the same level, and you’ll be able to tell if the compressor is helping or hurting.
Hey, compression is one of those things I couldn’t figure out on my own. I needed someone to teach it to me, THEN things got really fun (really fast).
Joe Gilder is a Nashville-based engineer, musician, and producer who also provides training and advice at the Home Studio Corner.Note that Joe also offers highly effective training courses, including Understanding Compression and Understanding EQ.
Hal Leonard Publishes Mixing And Mastering With Pro Tools
Hal Leonard Books is now shipping Mixing and Mastering with Pro Tools ($16.99) by Glenn Lorbecki. This book is part of Hal Leonard’s Quick Pro Guides series and is designed to be a companion guide to help readers get the most from their software.
In Mixing & Mastering with Pro Tools, multiplatinum engineer/producer and certified Pro Tools trainer Glenn Lorbecki shows, step by step, how to achieve excellent mixes using Avid’s award-winning software. This focused guide will help unlock the full potential of Pro Tools as a professional mixing and mastering platform.
Avid’s relatively recent move to open the Pro Tools software platform to third-party interfaces has given the user numerous new options, making the Pro Tools recording platform available for Mac and PC systems.
Lorbecki is an award-winning producer/engineer, musician, and composer. President of Glenn Sound studios, he has been in the recording business since music was recorded on rusty plastic film. Lorbecki teaches at the University of Washington and is director of studies at MediaLab/Seattle. He currently serves as secretary/treasurer of the Recording Academy Board of Trustees (a.k.a. NARAS, the Grammy People).
This Quick Pro Guide cuts to the chase and puts the best of Pro Tools at the user’s fingertips, with plenty of sessions, audio examples, and video assistance to help along the way. The Quick Pro Guides are efficient and accessible, and the included DVD-ROM provides audio and video demonstrations of key Quick Pro topics.
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