The Creative Music Recording Magazine

Boo Mitchell
Royal Studios, Memphis, Uptown Funk
Richard Swift
Damien Jurado, Lucius, Pretenders
Mac Demarco
Home Recording Hits

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Audiotree.tv
Rick Fritz & Patrick DeWitte
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Jeremy Ferguson
Battle Tapes in Nashville
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Dusty Wakeman
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of Mojave Audio in Behind the Gear

Gear Reviews
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Issue No. 120

July/Aug 2017
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Hello and
welcome to
Tape Op
#120!
10 Letters
14 Dusty Wakeman in Behind the Gear
18 Mac Demarco
24 Audiotree.tv
32 Richard Swift
38 Boo Mitchell
p a g e

54 Jeremy Ferguson
60 Gear Reviews
74 Larrys End Rant
Online Only Content:

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Recording the 50th Anniversary
Monterey International Pop Festival
Online Bonus Content:
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Jeremy Ferguson extended interview
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Real magic is not in a vintage console. It is not imbued in the walls

of a famous studio. Its not in the floor of an old, rented house. Its not in the crisp
air high in the mountains, or in the thick atmosphere near the swamps. Its not in
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a tube circuit within a steel chassis. Its not in a blank reel of tape or an empty
hard drive. Its certainly not in a microphone, sitting alone in an empty room.
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Its in collaborations. Its in seeing the beauty in mistakes. Its in being open to
all possibilities, yet finding a clear direction. Its in supporting emotional
connections. Its in protecting pure beauty, or exaggerating ugliness.
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Magic is in the music. Its in you.

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Larry Crane, Editor

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 The Creative Music Recording Magazine

Editor
Larry Crane
Publisher &!Graphic Design
John Baccigaluppi
Online Publisher
Geoff Stanfield
CTO & Digital Director
Anthony Sarti
Gear Reviews Editor
Andy Gear Geek Hong
Production Manager & Assistant Gear Reviews Editor
Scott McChane
Contributing Writers &!Photographers
Cover artwork by
Mike Reddy <www.mikereddydesign.com>
Ben Berke, Jay Mamana, Yuki Kikuchi, Joey Miller, Zachary Gresham,
Neil Mclellan, Pete Weiss, and Garrett Haines
Editorial and Office Assistants
Jenna Crane (proofreading), Thomas Danner (transcription),
Maria Baker (admin, accounting)
Tape Op Book distribution
c/o www.halleonard.com

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Disclaimer
TAPE OP magazine wants to make clear that the opinions expressed within reviews, letters, and
articles are not necessarily the opinions of the publishers. Tape Op is intended as a forum to
advance the art of recording, and there are many choices made along that path.
Editorial Office
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(For submissions, letters, music for review. Music for review is also
reviewed in the San Rafael office, address below)
P.O. Box 86409, Portland, OR 97286 voicemail 503-208-4033
All unsolicited submissions and letters sent to us become the property of Tape Op.
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Advertising
Pro Audio, Studios & Record Labels:
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John Baccigaluppi
916-444-5241, (john@tapeop.com)
Laura Thurmond/Thurmond Media
512-529-1032, (laura@tapeop.com)
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Marsha Vdovin
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415-420-7273, (marsha@tapeop.com)
Kerry Rose
415-601-1446, (kerry@tapeop.com)
Printing: Matt Saddler
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@ Democrat Printing, Little Rock, AR

Subscriptions are free in the USA
Subscribe online at tapeop.com
(Notice: We sometimes rent our subscription list to our advertisers.)
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Subscription and Address Changes

Can all be made online at <tapeop.com/subscriptions>.
Missed issues of your free subscription can be purchased via
<tapeop.com/issues>. If you have subscription issues that cannot be fixed
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online, email <circulation@tapeop.com> or send snail mail to

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Please do not email or call the rest of the staff about subscription issues.
Postmaster and all general inquiries to:
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Tape Op Magazine, PO Box 151079, San Rafael, CA 94915

(916) 444-5241 | tapeop.com
Tape Op is published by Single Fin, Inc. (publishing services)
and Jackpot! Recording Studio, Inc. (editorial services)

8/Tape Op#120/Masthead
www.tapeop.com
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I was tickled to read Build Your Own Spring Reverb
in the latest issue [#119]. I found the article
fascinating, and hope to see more projects in future
issues. Perhaps a mic pre? I cant wait!
Ryan <ryan@discosmas.com>
In issue #30, the same author, Scott Hampton,
showed how to build a tube mi preamp, and in #37 he
had a piece on building JFET mic preamps. -LC
Yesterday I went to Juana Molinas show in Niceto Club
in Buenos Aires. Today my Tape Op issue [#119] arrived at
my email, and there she was. I have been waiting for
someone to get into the studio with Juana Molina. Im
happy to see a fellow citizen being appreciated outside
my country. Thank you for this article.
Gonzalo Villaverde <gonvillaverde@gmail.com>
Ive been a fan of your magazine for many years.
Thanks for all the [printed] info and, now, the podcasts. the source and the knowledge of the
Im sure Im not the first to notice this issue, but why engineer. Thanks for such a great magazine for the
does the Glyn Johns interview sound so poorly recorded? financially challenged engineers of the world!
The birds in the background have more presence. Did Mr.
Johns not want to wear a lavalier mic? It sounds like
either a camera mic was used or a Zoom-like recorder was
just placed on a table between the both of you. Anyways,
I was expecting a better recording, especially considering
the subject. Thanks for letting me share this complaint.
Joe Savastano <joe@joesavastano.com>
Good ears. I recorded this interview on two different
Zoom recorders. The better one failed (I accidentally set
the file format to WAV from MP3!), so I used the audio
from my Zoom video recorder that was there for backup.
None of the four interviews that weve used for our Tape
Op Podcasts was captured for podcast use; they were only
recorded for interview transcription use. Hence my voice
usually being much quieter than the interviewee,
background sounds (windows were open at Glyns, it was
a nice day), and other sonic problems. Thanks for
understanding. -LC
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Reading Tape Op #118 reminded me why I love this
magazine. One interview is with a producer who has a
cool studio with a lot of expensive gear, who hasnt
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produced one album of note. (This article had the feel
of being written by, or hired by, a publicist. Is Tape Op
taking articles from publicists? Just an honest question
to help clarify.) This issue also contained another article
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about a musician who made incredibly beautiful albums
with inexpensive, uncool gear. The contrast
between these two articles really
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captured what I love about recording.
Thank you, Tape Op!
Doug P <dougandlees@gmail.com>
We dont accept articles written by peoples publicists.
But thanks for noticing the variety of articles! -LC
10/Tape Op#120/Letters/
I just finished reading
your opening quip
[Intro] on the contents
page of issue #117 of
Tape Op. I wholeheartedly
agree with what you are
saying. Being an engineer
and former recording
instructor, I was very
fortunate to learn early in my career that it is not the
gear that makes the track/recording/final product. It
starts from the source. You need to be fortunate enough
to be working with a musician who knows how to play
their instrument. The instrument needs to be in tune,
properly maintained, and, if any gear is involved, it
needs to be dialed in. The musician needs to be
seasoned and play with emotion, with their head in the
game. Your job as an engineer is this: You need to have
an understanding of both the physics of sound and the
physics of how microphones pick up and translate that
sound. Knowing the limitations of what the available
gear has to offer will help. Some preamps may sound
better once the signal is above a certain dB level, for
example. You should be able to use a Shure SM57, a
basic EQ, any simple recording device, and still get a
good sound. It is not about the gear. It is about
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Vincent Calcavecchia <rockindepth@gmail.com>
I love the Lego recording studio on the cover [issue
#118]! I would own the set, if it were available. You
guys rock!
Erik Saari <erik.saari@gmail.com>
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Hey folks, the paper smell of my old hard copies is
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fading; how about a Tape Op scratch n sniff card option
for overseas (digital) subscribers?
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Andi Picker <andi@thedustbowlaudio.com>
I received Tape Op #117 and was both amused and
nostalgic as I recognized the tape recorder drawing on
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the cover. The Sony TC-630 was one of the tape decks
that started me on a lifetime of recording music. My
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high school buddy owned one and, along with the Sony
TC-500 deck that I owned, we recorded our young
musician selves. First recording guitars onto the 500, we
then mixed that recording with new instruments/vocals
through a Radio Shack 6-channel mixer onto the 630.
There was a feature on the 630 called Sound-on-
Sound, which was basically a built-in tape delay and,
in addition to being a fun and even sometimes crazy
effect, it kept our recordings from sounding too dry
when used in moderation. This was around 1972; there
was no Tape Op, so what aided us were random
published newspaper and magazine interviews with
producers and engineers. Nowadays I use computers to
record my music, and my buddy owns a recording studio
in Nashville. But working with those tape decks,
recording, and mixing, was great experience for a couple
of teenagers who were already enamored with the audio
recording process. Thanks for the memories!
Ruben Lopez <rl@jettz.org>
In issue #117, on Larrys End Rant, I caught this item:
and the creation of a physical CD master, or cutting
vinyl, is Mastering. We only cut to lacquer and press to
vinyl. I really liked your definition of the mastering and
pre-mastering process. As a former Motown disc
mastering engineer, I have always believed everything we
do to create the final product is pre-mastering. The
real master is when you drop the
needle, or hit play on the CD player, because thats
the only one that really matters. I love reading Tape Op
articles and interviews. Take care, my friend.
Norm Elder <telecatnorm@yahoo.com>
Just dropping a line to say thank you for this
incredible Susan Rogers interview [issue #117]. Susans
story is fascinating. It was truly a joy to read this piece.
Madeleine Campbell <www.womeninsound.com>
Just finished reading your Susan Rogers interview
really great! A beautiful example of what you do so well.
Tom Dyer <greenmonkeyrecords.com>
Tape Op has acted as a bit of a brake when I found
myself succumbing to the Gear Acquisition Syndrome!
All the great music it covered has reminded me that it
doesnt take a lot of stuff to do good recordings but
it does take constant effort to come up with good
songs! So, thank you!
Robert M <robertm@operamail.com>
The Build Your Own Spring Reverb [#119] article
reminded me of a project I built decades ago. I got the
idea when I was in the hardware store and saw the large
selection of springs available. I bought a couple of long,
thin, lightweight springs and attached them to a 4-inch
radio speaker by punching small holes in the cone and
securing the end with silicone to prevent rattles. I then
mounted the speaker at one end of a piece of wood, and
ran the springs to the other end where they were secured
with screws. Underneath the springs I placed a guitar
pickup. By splitting my guitar signal with a 1 in, 2 out
box, I ran one side to my guitar amp and the other to a
small amp connected to the speaker. I soldered a cord to
the guitar pickup and plugged it into another guitar amp.
By adjusting the volume and tone of the amp driving the
small speaker, positioning pieces of foam on the springs,
and moving the pickup fore and aft, I was able to create
a variety of unusual (and mostly horrendous!) reverb
effects. I am thinking I may try this again, just for fun.
Michael Longeneker <freakmagnet_451@yahoo.com>
I have a question that no one here in Las Vegas has
an answer for. I record old school using a Studer A827.
Just about everyone else I know uses Pro Tools and
records at 96 kHz. Does anyone know what the
equivalent Hz value of 2-inch, 24-track tape at 15 and
30 ips would be? Would it be 16 kHz, 24 kHz, 48 kHz,
or 96 kHz? Is there an equivalent? If I switch to
computer recording, how would the sound value differ?
Nurredin <www.nurredin.com>
Send Letters & Questions
to: editor@tapeop.com
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 In my opinion, there really is no equivalent. Tape and
digital work in very different ways, and deliver different
results. Ive been dealing with both for decades, and all I
can tell people at this point is its more important to decide
what you need to get done, and what format will work best
for you, than to argue about using one format or the other.
The argument is over for me: whatever gets the best
results, wins! -LC
Whats up with publishing all the praise letters? You
just wasted a whole page on useless adulation. Another
ad with a cool gear photo would have been a better use
of space.
Matthew Gardner <siriusbuilding@gmail.com>
We just wanted to pat ourselves on the back and feel a
little better after a long day at work. Sorry! LC
Keep up the good work. Tape Op is the best magazine
I have ever read. Period. There is no fluff, nor does
every review get kid glove, royal treatment. You guys
are honest. I truly dig that. I learn so much from each
article, even if the information needs to sink in over the
course of a month or two. Its always informative, and
I have gotten so many ideas for my own projects from
the magazine.
Bjorn Haga <bjorn@lasanche.com>
What a great magazine. Read it cover to cover.
Probably the most inspirational reading I do.
Doug Beal <bealdoug513@gmail.com>

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12/Tape Op#120/Letters/(Fin.)
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Behind The Gear
Dusty Wakeman
Managing Mics and More
Mojave Audio makes some of the
highest quality mics at a great
value; Ive used several of them
since they debuted and am a big fan.
Dusty Wakeman has been running the
company for years. I wanted to know
more about his past, and how he ended
up at a fine company like Mojave.
I knew of you as a bass player, engineer,
and studio owner before Mojave.
What was your path to this?
Bass players are always the guys in the band who had to
fix the PA or want to record the band. I was that guy
in high school. Growing up in Texas, I was fortunate;
I was in a really good band. We had a guitar teacher,
Dale Mullins, who was kind of a legend down there;
he taught me and our two guitar players. He actually
had a studio. In fact, we helped him build it. It was
a 4-track, part of his house in the suburbs. I just
immediately got the bug. I went to school, played in
a bunch of bands, and recorded a lot as a musician. I
got in this band called The Barons. They played the
south Texas dance halls. They owned a studio in a
town south of Houston. It was a 3M 8-track, which
back then in the early 70s was a pro studio. I wanted
to study recording engineering at UT [University of
Texas, Austin], but you couldnt back then. There was
no curriculum! The Barons owned this studio, they
also had a couple of labels and they recorded Mexican
bands. They said, You want to engineer? Heres the
key. Your first session is tomorrow. My first session
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was a mariachi trio. I had two years of just living in
the studio, night and day. I was a kid in my early
twenties, making good money in that band. Then I
got drafted for a band in Houston, Buzz Bone, which
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was a ZZ Top spin-off. It was the keyboard player, Tom
Moore, and drummer, Dan Mitchell, from the Moving
Sidewalks [Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top had played guitar].
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Thats the band that got me up to L.A. to showcase.
We drove out in the middle of the summer and ended
up recording at Indigo Ranch [Tape Op #103].
From all accounts, that was a really idyllic
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setting and an amazing studio too.
It was good. I woke up with a view of L.A. that was like
paradise. Theres the ocean, therere avocado trees, and
theres Catalina Island. It was gorgeous. I want to live
here. The band didnt get signed, and Id gone back to
14/Tape Op#120/Mr. Wakeman/(continued on page 16)
8108, and a Studer 24-track from Keith Olsen [Tape
Op #33]. There was a period where we worked for
Enigma Records Monday through Friday,. We were like
their studio. We got to work with everybody from
T.S.O.L., to Stryper, to Channel 3. We did a lot of work
by Larry Crane with Rhino Records, back when they made novelty
albums. I got to play on a bunch of those. Those were
really fun. I just wanted to live my life and go into
the studio every day. Thats basically what I did with
my life for 25 years.
You did about ten years, or longer, at
the first Mad Dog space?
It was about 15 years. Crack cocaine had made Venice
really ugly, and wed outgrown the place. We just
wanted to be in either Burbank or Glendale, to get out
Houston. We were going to re-form out here. I got
of L.A. We were over here looking at another building;
hired at Brook Mays Music Company, selling guitars and
we drove past a rehearsal complex called Studio D,
strings. I found out I was really good at that, and I
and they were putting up a For Lease sign. Some of
liked it. When I was ready to move out here, I sent out
the soundproofing work was already done.
a bunch of rsums. One of them went to Don Griffin,
You had rehearsed there too, right?
who owned West L.A. Music. The home recording boom
Right. With Dwight Yoakam. We called the room The
had just started then with TEAC 3340s, Tascam 80-8s
Stage, because it had been a big sound stage.
and 40-4s, and the Model 5A mixer. Because I had
How many years was Mad Dog in that
engineering experience, I was the only person who
location?
could sell those. All these rock stars were coming in,
It was there from 95 to 2008.
buying, and thinking, Im going to save a fortune. Ill
What changed for you at the end of
get my budget and record at home.
Mad Dog?
Those kinds of studios were very The model for Mad Dog was Id have David Bianco [Tape
different from what someone would Op #104], Sylvia Massy [#63], or somebody like that in
know now as a home studio.
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the A Room; almost always with acts on their first
Nobody used them. They would get them, and pay me to
major label album with a $150,000 to $250,000
set them up, but they never used them. There was a
budget. Theyd come in there for four to six weeks and
learning curve. But that was probably the best
do all their tracking. Sometimes theyd mix there, and
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education I ever got; those three years at West L.A.
sometimes theyd go to an SSL room. The rest was indie
Music. I went on to manage the place. I was also
records and Americana sessions; all the shit I was
playing music every weekend, which was against the
doing. On a good day, youd have two of those going
rules. You werent supposed to be in a band. You were
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on, plus me a lot of times when all three rooms were
supposed to be a professional salesperson. I had a client
booked. After 2001, labels stopped signing new bands.
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named Mark Avnet that I had sold one of those Tascam
It was the end of artist development. I decided to
studios. He actually used his. At that time his family
downsize, move everything to the Stage. I leased out
owned Guild Guitars, and BIC Turntables. He said, Im
the other side to this poor guy who was doing Foley for
going to start a studio in Venice. You want to do it with
the TV show 24. I let him out of the lease eventually
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me? I was burned out on retail. I gave my notice and
and found Scott Cutler; he kind of turned it back into
we started a studio. It was January of 1980 that we
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what it was, which made me happy.
opened. It was the original Mad Dog Studios.
What led you out of the studio
Where did the name come from? ownership world?
We went to fill out the paperwork for the business
I worked with a lot of great artists. Lucinda Williams,
license. We were just calling it MD Productions, Mark
Jim Lauderdale, and all those great people. That could
and Dusty. Its like, MD? Thats Mad Dog. We cant call
have kept going on indefinitely. I had that down. But
it MD Productions. Thats boring as hell. We started
then I went and took two semesters of accounting,
with a Scully 16-track. It was a giant machine.
and it changed my life. I learned how to use
You dont see those very often. QuickBooks and read financial statements; it really
No. We also had a Tascam Model 10 console. That lasted
helped. I loved it. I was like, How do people function
about six months. After six months we had an Otari
and not know this stuff? All of a sudden, one by one,
MTR-90 16-track and an Auditronics Son of 36 Grand
loans started getting paid off, and I actually started
console, which I wish I still had. In 86, Mark, my
making money. The last six years I was there, I was
original partner, left. His parents said, All right,
actually making money off the studio for the first time
youve had enough time fooling around in Hollywood.
in like 20 years, just through attrition. There was
Come back and join the family business. He took
nothing left to buy. I wasnt paying rent, because all
most of the gear. My second partner, Michael Dumas,
my sub-tenants were paying rent. And the gear was
who was Dwight Yoakams front-of-house guy, came
all paid off. It was working. It was a great time.
on board; a fellow Texan. We pooled every resource we
How did you discover the Royer mics?
could find and bought our first Neve, a 32-channel
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I had done a Meshell Ndegeocello album [Bitter] in 99
with Craig Street [Tape Op #32]. Craig came in with a
bunch of Coles ribbon mics and was using them on
everything. I fell in love with ribbon mics. I had a
couple of Shure ribbons early on, but we never really
used them. I used the RCA ribbons at Capitol for
things, but, other than that, I didnt know ribbons.
That album ended, and a week later I saw the first
thing in Mix Magazine about Royer Labs. My daughter
is adopted, and the night before we were going to
China to pick her up, John [Jennings, a partner at
Royer Labs] and I talked for three hours. I said, Im
getting burned out on being the guy in that chair. Im
having my second kid now, and I dont want to be an
absentee father. I want to be around. Ive got a pro
audio background, and Ive been around a small
business. If you ever need anything, or hear of
anything, let me know, because Im kind of looking.
Like I say, the studio was doing great, but I was tired
of comping vocals in Pro Tools. When youre a studio
owner, sometimes youre forced to take projects you
might not necessarily want to do otherwise, because
you need the income. Then youre sweating bullets
over something that just doesnt inspire you. I had
such a great run with Pete Anderson [Tape Op #57],
Dwight, Lucinda Williams, Roy Orbison and k.d.lang
(the duet of Crying that won a Grammy), and Jim
Lauderdale. I got to play with Buck Owens, mix his
record, and play with him live. I lived my dreams. Im
But having that David Royer opener, people are Im working right now on a dynamic microphone. I
willing to give it a shot. Im the President of the would have thought the dynamic mic market was
company, so I do everything, other than what David saturated, but, according to our dealers, its not.
and John do. Its still stressful, but its not stressful So a good dynamic, something in the $200 range.
like owning a studio is. Thats a different kind of stress. David Royer hates dynamic mics. He says the only
With the Mojave products, are they reason to have a dynamic is to hammer a nail, or
partially made in China? How does for target practice. Why would you want to use a
that process work? dynamic when you could use a ribbon or a
We were the first company to do this, but now everybody condenser? I kept explaining to him that people
has mics done like that. We use Jensen transformers, buy dynamics for tours. He just wouldnt do it. So
and the tubes various parts we source here. We have I tricked him. I got a big bag full of capsules, a
to ship them over to the factory; they build the mics, bunch of samples, and I said, Which one of these
and then they come back. For the tube mics, we burn do you like? Which one of these is the best? He
them all in for 24 hours. David listens to each one. said, Well, this ones not too bad. I said, What
There are little things we do back in the shop. Like would you do to make it sound better? He said,
well put a dab of Loctite on all the screws on the Id design a damping circuit, a network, to take
capsules. Just little things like that. We have a list of the peaks down and smooth it out. I said, Why
things we like to do. dont you do that? He finally did it.
Youre able to keep the price point Obviously youre not going to make
reasonable. ribbon mics.
That was the whole point. To make great-sounding mics I cant make ribbon mics! Thats a Royer thing. We can
that people can afford. When I was coming up, there was make anything but that! r
nothing like that. We love our customers. Im not a great <www.mojaveaudio.com>
businessman; Ill take the short end of the stick anytime
to make the customer happy. If we have a mic in more
than two times and cant get the bug out, we just send
Tape Op is made
a new one. Mics are tricky. Theyre fussy little things.
possible by our
Anything thats electromechanical... advertisers.
Please support them and tell them
And with a tube in it, and a capsule. Some of the capsules you saw their ad in Tape Op.

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not unfulfilled, at all. When we moved to Burbank, we get in look like the surface of the moon. They didnt
we were able to swap our 32-channel 8108 for a 48- use a pop filter. Theres spit and dirt all over it. Were
channel one that was much nicer. After a few years, super customer-centric. In the early days, our shock
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I bought the Neve 8088 from Sylvia Massy it was a mounts sucked. They were generic. It made me so mad
dream console. I lucked out selling the studio when I that I got on a mission to make a better shock mount.
did. It wasnt for sale. Tony Rancich [Tape Op #94] We took the basic thing, but used these handles that
just happened to cross my path and was like, I want come on tripods. It cost us $7 a piece.
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this console. How much is it? Your day-to-day is just managing. Do you
Oh, he got that one? have to figure out the Chinese
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Yeah, its in the Adobe Room at Sonic Ranch [near El situation, like what the timing is
Paso, TX], his fourth room. going to be to get product?
Thats perfect. Its an amazing place out Oh, man, its such a bitch to try to look that far down the
there. How did you end up working
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road. Ive got a batch of MA-1000s now that are a

with Mojave Audio? month late. Theyve been sitting there, and its all
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John Jennings came over one night with a prototype of
the Mojave MA-200. Eddie Kramer [Tape Op #24] was
working at my studio, and he had my [Neumann] U67s
out for drum room mics. Eddie said, Put it up there.
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because of the logo badge. We had to reject the logo
badges, and we had to find somebody else to do it.
Now were installing the capsules and transformers here
more and more with that mic getting what we can

We listened and thought, Okay, any of these three from China and finishing it here. Thats going to speed
could be 67s. I said, What are you going to do with things up and be better. It saves money, in the long
these? He said, Were starting this new company. We run. With the MA-1000, thats basically Davids ELA-M
pe

talked for hours. I said, If you need any help with 251. Thats gone so well, other than being able to keep
that He said, Were looking for somebody to run it, up with the demand. Its such a hit.
but its a full-time job. I was like, Sign me up, bro! Is that a higher price point than
It was perfect. That was 11 years ago. previous mics?
um

Its been that long? You work within the Yeah. Its $3,000 retail. Its winning shootouts like crazy,
Royer facility and share David Royer as so thats fun. There again, if I were a better
a designer. businessman, we probably should have priced it
st

Davids the gold card. I wouldnt even try to do this higher. I do all the purchasing, bookkeeping, as well as
without David. I get to work with a true genius. Royer all the marketing and advertising. Its stressful at
was already a hit, so I was able to follow in their times, but I love it. Its a blessing to be here.
footsteps. I knew how great the mics sounded, how What do you see with the future of
good our products are, and what a great value they are. Mojave?

16/Tape Op#120/Mr. Wakeman/(Fin.)

st
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 These days, with computers and all, What mics were you using? Were these tape machines staying in
a lot of people have recording I had a bunch of [Shure SM]57s. For some reason I had good repair?
equipment sitting around before a couple of the [Shure] BETA 58As and BETA 57s. I The belt would get fucked up, so Id need to take one
they start making music. Was that the had no idea. I was like, Mics; cool! My friend gave out of another tape deck. Or I would have to call
case with you? me what I think was a Roland DR-80C, some really Tascam and say, Yo, do you guys have one of these
As soon as I turned 16, I was playing instruments, and entry-level condenser mic that I dont somewhere? The funny thing is Ive
then my mom brought home one of those white think they had that since like 2008, and Ive
MacBooks with GarageBand. I played never cleaned the heads on it once.
around Its funny to me because some of

Mac Demarco
with that, the older recordings I did
but I never on it were so blown-out

Varispeed and Beyond

really did and hissy, but Ive had
anything on other recordings without
it. Eventually by Ben Berke and Jay Mamana changing the machine at
my friend, photo by Yuki Kikuchi all that sound clear and
Jeremy, got
MAC DEMARCOS PERSONA PRECEDES HIM. Hes a bedroom crisp. Now its in really
me this little bad shape, but I can still
auteur in the great tradition of R. Stevie Moore and Ariel Pink, and hes
Fostex VF-80 turn it on and mess
managed to cut some of the most fan-beloved records of the 2010s.
sketchy 8-track around every once in a
Budgets? Shoestring. Mic closet? Not enviable. Collaborators? Once a
recorder with while. With larger tapes,
guy named Garfield helped him break a TEAC machine. How does he
built-in effects like 1/4-inch, 8-track, I
do it? How many full-length albums did he cut before he turned 25 years
and a funny started to get track
mastering old? Enough to call him one of the hardest working guys in indie rock. dropouts and weird shit
section. It had a With his newest full-length release, This Old Dog, Mac outgrows a tape happening. Then I
16 GB drive on it. fetish and lunges into the adult world of boutique digital recording rigs. learned about isopropyl
Thats what I alcohol. I bought a tape
learned on, in a demagnetizer off eBay. The
w a y. I t w a s only time I had anyone else
plugging into the come in was when I bought

om
weird little preamps this big, nasty TEAC [deck].
and seeing what I I got it for $400 in Saint-
could do, but it Lazare [near Montreal]. It
worked. A lot of the was a drive, and we had
Makeout Videotape
.c to take it down these
music [Macs old stairs. It was a 16-track,
band] was done on 1-inch machine made for
l
that. I brought it to home use. But even
Vancouver. I brought it when it came out,
ai

to Montreal. Eventually, people were like, This

the guy who used to sucks. I had no idea.
play bass guitar in my It was working a little
band, Pierce [McGarry], bit, but I ended up
m

was like, Nah, dude. destroying the bias

@g

Tape, tape. So I got a 4- oscillator. This guy

track; a Tascam 244. Even Garfield [Lamb]
when I was 17, and cheap, works out of that
I was into John Maus, Ariel studio Hotel2Tango
le

Pink, Tomita [Isao], and R. [Tape Op #47], in

Stevie Moore. They were all Mo nt re a l ; he d
doing it at home. It come over, but it
sounded sketchy, but I was was beyond repair.
pe

like, Ah, I want that sound. All that I ended

You buy a little 4-track off up getting out of
Craigslist for $200 well, the the machine was
um

songs are different, but the a bunch of marks from

sound is definitely there. leaving a soldering iron on my linoleum.
Luckily I had a bunch of gear. even make anymore. But I So were you releasing music as Makeout
It came to me from being in used it on everything. Acoustic guitar, vocals, drums Videotape, at that point?
st

high school and playing with other bands. I had mics,
and my little brother took drum lessons so I had a set,
a couple amps, and my guitar equipment. Then I
threw [in] mics wherever I could, and saw what I
could get.
18/Tape Op#120/Mr. Demarco/(continued on page 20)
even on a lot of the Mac DeMarco records. I had a The Makeout Videotape music was with the Fostex. Then
RDE NT2A that my other friend gave me, but I ended there was a little EP in the middle called Eating Like
up trading that for a little open-faced 8-track reel-to- a Kid that I did on the [Tascam] 244. I went back to
reel machine. It sounded too crispy to me. I thought, the [Roland] VF-80 for another album called Ying
Nah, I dont know about this one. Yang, and from there on I used the 244 more and
st
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 more. I did Rock and Roll Night Club on that 244, It wasnt the point in time when I was like, Ooh, API Casio SK-1 and make a patch that way, or I had some
except one song that was done on the VF-80. desk. Neve desk. It was more like, Ooh... desk! For crappy thrift store Casio with an organ patch on it.
And when you did Rock and Roll Night 2, and after that, I used a [Fostex] A8. Then I bought Sounds like a ton of work. Were your
Club you were in Montreal? this Fostex desk in an alleyway garage sale in buddies doing this? Would you work
Yeah. That wouldve been probably 2011 or 2012. Montreal. It was $50. It was so sketchy, and probably for a day, and then go hang out with
Is that where you made the album 2 as entry-level even in 1985, but it sounded legit. your buds and talk shop?
well? Surely there were equipment changes No, I closed myself off. The only person that really came
I had a little apartment in Montreal that me and my between the making of Rock and Roll in to see me was this guy living across the courtyard
girlfriend shared, and I made that there. Rock and Roll Night Club and 2? from my place. When I was mixing, hed ask, Can I
Night Club was made in another apartment, around That $50 desk was the 2 desk. And I used the Fostex A8 come check it out? Im a musician too. Other than
the corner. which, in the end, is probably similar to the quality of that, Pierce came in and I almost had him sing backup
That record sounds deep. As in literally the 244, but maybe a little nicer. I just spent more vocals on My Kind of Woman, but it didnt work out.
deep. What was in your microphone time. Id never recorded a full drum set until that I stayed at home for a month and figured it out. Now
collection when you made Rock and point, so I put the drum kit in the corner of my I can think, Ooh, I want this sound. Ill go on
Roll Night Club? apartment and put up a bunch of blankets around it. Sweetwater.com, and itll be here tomorrow morning.
I think I used a 58 for all the vocals and the drums. I had my little shitty condenser mic, and I was like, But, back then, it was like, Fuck, this is all I have. I
Everything was getting slowed down, and all the Where do I put this? I finally figured out a had no money. Even buying reel tape was like, Fuck,
guitars and basses were super slimy, DI-style. placement that maybe some people use, but not for twenty-five bucks! Luckily there was a place across the
Why were you slowing things down? the whole sound. People call it the fat mic or street that had a whack load of weird shit.
I was trying to make a Ramones record. I used to do something. I was putting it above the kick, looking Were you ever tempted to switch over to
everything in open tuning, with melodic guitar down at the beater head, and also seeing the snare a digital? If this is between 2012 and
playing. But then I thought, Im going to do basic little bit. I raised the cymbals and the hi-hat up a 2014, I feel like most people who
power chord riffs, Im going to do solos, and Im going little bit, and then played quietly especially because were doing the DIY thing would get a
to do it really fast. It turned out Im awful at it. I was in an apartment. That was the only mic I used Pro Tools rig.
When I slowed things down it was like, Ah, now Ive for the drums. I had one of those little [Avid] Mboxes and an Apogee
got something. Its when I learned to ping-pong the Wait, really? So it was a mono overhead? Duet, but I only used them to bounce the stereo out of
4-track too, so I would do three tracks, bounce it to Yeah, but its way closer than an overhead. Its almost the board when I was done recording a song. I tried
one, do another three, and hopefully the song would kissing the bass drum. I would crank the bass; it digital when I was still using that digital 8-track [the
be done by then. If I bounced it to one again, it would give the kick drum a little bit of presence and Fostex VF-80]. I tried Logic, and I was using a little

would sound so savage. Id learned about it from The
Beatles, but they obviously did it from one 1-inch, 4-
track to another, so they didnt lose a lot of shit.
This is really complex work. Did you Had you experimented with a more
have any instructional materials or
helpful friends while you were
learning the tricks of the trade?
With the ping-pong thing, I had the 4-track still and I
hadnt used it in a while. I was using that VF-80 still.
om
carve out the mids so they didnt sound super shitty.
And the drums I was using at the time were fucked as
well. It worked out, though.
.c
complicated microphone setup for
recording the drums?
No, not until last year. For Salad Days, Another One, and
l
even Some Other Ones, its always been the one in the
same spot. The drums change, sometimes Ill get a
ai
computer. I had a shitty interface, and I didnt
understand latency, so I could never get a product out
of it. It fuckin frustrated the hell out of me. It was so
much easier for me to use tape. When I was using a 4-
track, Id go to the thrift store, find some blank Type II
tapes, and think, Okay, chill. I can make a record
now. If I use a tape machine now, I buy a nice reel.
Ill go to the Pro Audio store and get nice reels. But,
back then, I was erasing these crusty brown reels that

Then I got into a lot of Joe Meek [Tape Op #100]
music, like the I Hear a New World album.
Ah, that record is so good.
Oh, its amazing, yeah; but its super blown out and
nicer cymbal, or a nicer snare.
When we were talking about
interviewing you, we were like,
Macs clearly learned more about
m
Id found at thrift stores. It worked out, but thats the
funny thing Even on 2, some of the songs sound way
thinner, or more distorted, because of the tape. I was
like, The tape is fucked up, but I already got all the

tape-y. So I realized, Okay, Im going to figure recording drums on Salad Days. tracks on it, so what am I supposed to do?
out how to 4-track again. Because the Tascam Hell, no. I started pitching them differently, so Id record But Salad Days, for instance, sounds
@g

244 has a little mixer built into it, you have to them fast, or record them slow, and that would change super consistent. Did you have access
pan things so they dont bleed into other the timbre of them a little bit. But thats another trick to better tape, at that point?
channels. I thought, Well, if I pan everything to that I do on everything. On 2, Id slightly warp things Yeah, I was going to Mikeys Hook-Up in Brooklyn; I
le

this channel, and then engage this one channel, when I sang. On Salad Days I did it on the voice a lot. could buy the same kind of reel when I had to do
then everythings right there. And then I was Listening back, sometimes I think, This is my another song.
like, Uh-huh, now were chilling. chipmunk record, because I sang every song slow. Did you mix 2 and Salad Days by yourself?
What were you using to mix, at We saw a video of you recording vocals The funny thing about that is that I didnt even consider
pe

the time? and guitar in a bathroom. I think it it mixing at the time. Like I said before, I would
For effects, I used this little Alesis MicroVerb 4 for was Still Together. record the tracks, set the EQ, listen to all the tracks
everything. I ran the vocals and guitars through it. As I was a kid in that video, actually. Still Together is an together, and see if there was something I needed to
um

far as mixing went, it was whatever I could do on the
machine. Honestly, for the guitars, I cranked the
parametric EQs as high as they could go. Then I
cranked the gain and tried to cut all of the bass out
st
older song, so I redid it for 2, but I did it in the living touch. Everything Ive ever done since Rock and Roll
room. I had the condenser mic set up, and I sang vocal Night Club and even with this new album always
and guitar into that. Everything for that whole record goes through an Alesis Micro Limiter. Its that
was done in my living room in Montreal. I had my compressed, squeezed sound at the end of everything

of those to let things live in their sketchy zone.
But I feel like that contributed to
the distinctiveness of the recordings
from that time. Its a very
specific vibe.
20/Tape Op#120/Mr. Demarco/(continued on page 22)
[Fender] Twin Reverb set up on the couch. The guitars
went through a Fender Vibro Champ. I was playing the
bass through the Twin, which is why the bass has no
butt. Its very plucky. I used a bit of keyboard
sometimes, but its deceptive. Id play my guitar into a
that Ive ever put out. So, yeah; Id set the EQ,
bounce it, and then Id have to clear the board and
go do another song. So even if I was like, Ooh, that
sounds a little weird, too bad! I couldnt pull up the
same mix again. Its not like I wrote it down.
st
um
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 What type of jobs were you working to did the instrumental album [Some Other Ones],
save up for this equipment? which is just me enjoying myself at my house. I
I did medical studies in Montreal for a little bit at did those, and finally I have another real record
the universities. That didnt pay very well. I did coming out.
video game testing. Everybody goes through the How was the approach for This Old Dog
gamut of doing weird ass jobs there. I ended up different from the preceding EPs?
working at a grocery store for several months. For This Old Dog, I got interested in nicer gear. Now
After Rock and Roll Night Club the label said, I have legitimately nice shit, for better or for
Were going to give you a $1000 advance. At worse. I have a bunch of really nice preamps and
that time, in Montreal, that was 6 months rent. little sidecars. I have a set of Coles [4038 mics].
Rock and Roll Night Club and 2 were Its more intimate, to use a clich.
made in Montreal, but Salad Days For one, youre using a lot of
was made in New York? acoustic guitar, which is
It was done in this warehouse space called the Meat relatively new for you.
Wallet, in Bushwick where I lived with guys from I used a computer for this one, so it was different in
other bands. I had a small, windowless room; but that way, as well. I asked my sound guy, Can we
somehow I jammed all the gear in there and made get a nice mic? And he said, Okay, well buy a
another record. [Neumann] U87. Its good for a lot of shit. I also
You lived in that room? got a ribbon mic, which I had never had. A Royer
Yeah, we had a bunk bed above [the gear] that me R-121. Then my sound guy said, If youre gonna
and my girlfriend shared; then all the gear was get nice mics, you gotta get nice preamps. So I
slammed up against every wall, every corner, and got a couple of those. A four-channel Neve Portico
every crevice underneath it. [5024]. Not a lot of flavor to them, but they
How come you never brought in band sound cool. I had a little Apogee Quartet which I
members to help record parts? was toting around. A lot of the songs on This Old
I didnt really have a band. With Makeout Videotape, Dog were just me with this nice mic, inputting
I wrote and recorded everything. It was guitar, with a splash of reverb onto it, and enjoying a
floor tom, and snares, so it was pointless to bring nice, rich sound. I strayed away from throwing a
someone in anyway. Then, with Rock and Roll chorus on everything. I wasnt really thinking of

om
Night Club, I was used to that. Theres a part of
me thats like, Its my diary-style thing, so I do York in that setup, just keyboard, guitar, and
it alone. On Rock and Roll Night Club, I had a
couple of people come over and play guitar solos
.c
or do backup vocals; but it was funny, jokey,
jovial butt-rock, or whatever. Then, when I did 2,
I finally had my own space. Its not like I even
l
had to worry about roommates listening through
the walls. Well, I had the family across the
ai
making a record. I wrote 12 to 14 songs in New
voice. Maybe a little bit of instrumentation, here
and there, but not a lot. But then I had them sit.
When the time came, the label said, Well, if you
want to put it out this year, you should probably
have it done by around New Years. Ive had a lot
of qualms with doing it on the computer, and Im
not sure Ill do it again.

hallway, but they didnt complain until I was What were some of the problems you
tracking the last track of drums. encountered with the computer
Thats lucky. Do you work quickly? Do that you hadnt dealt with before?
you finish a song in a day? Just too many options. Especially when you get
m

Thats one thing that bothers me that the label down to mixing, and therere a bajillion plug-ins
you can use. Eventually, with this record, I ended
@g

didnt understand at first. Theres been instances

where theyve said, Oh, we really like this old up not really using any effects on the computer
song. Itd be cool if you re-recorded it. I would at all. We used real effects.
say, Nah, I dont think so. The inception of What inspired you to switch over to
le

something, or the moment when its born, is the the computer in the first place?
realest itll ever feel. So I like to do that as quickly I had done Some Other Ones on the computer, but I
as possible. Usually, even if I lose something for a was still using that Roland mic and a Zoom H6
day and I come back to it, itll go unfinished. [recorder]. I was using the [Apogee] Quartet to
pe

So Salad Days came out, and there was output to a little Bluetooth speaker. It was a set
a lot of attention paid to that up that I could pack in my backpack and use
record. You were going on bigger anywhere I wanted. I almost had this retraction
um

tours with the band. What from, Oh, the big tape machine, the desk! Its so
happened when the time came to heavy, its so great! Something that I miss about
make another record? using lower grade formats, like 1/4-inch tape or
I moved to Queens. Instead of going for the third cassette, is that when I input something [with
st

record right off the bat, I made a little EP. It was
a low pressure environment. I had a good time
writing songs one week, made some recordings,
made some videos, sent them to the label, and
there you go. Similarly, a couple months later, I
22/Tape Op#120/Mr. Demarco/
tape] and listen back, its not what I put in, at
all. Its distorted and manipulated in all these
crazy ways. For me to finally have some sound
where I could play it back and be like, Oh, my
god, thats what Im playing! Thats cool, in
 some ways, but the tape thing is cool in other Theres piano on Moonlight on the Have you helped record anyone elses
ways. With the compact set up, as soon as I got River. Do you own a piano now? music?
more into it, I got a 16-channel I/O, and then I I have a piano in my house [in Los Angeles]. I was trying Just my friends. I lived with this guy, Tall Juan, in
have all these other desks. You need outboard gear to record it, which I had never done before. Its Rockaway; I recorded a 7-inch and a couple other
to spice it up if youre using digital. almost as interesting as recording drums. I was tracks of his. Hes from Buenos Aires [Argentina].
Were you ever worried, moving into getting a lot of sounds from it because its a spinet Hes a nice man. And then theres this kid from
digital, and this rabbit hole of piano. I looked on Youtube and learned that I could Japan named Yuki [Kikuchi] whos been around a
outboard gear, that you were going get rid of a lot of clicking by adjusting the whippen lot. Its a fluke that were friends, but he was
to lose the essence of Salad Days or 2? screws. All you have to do is pull out the entire action hanging out at the house in Rockaway. He would
I was almost tired of it, in a way. My songs felt like and adjust these screws. What I didnt realize is that play my songs, and my friend Juan Waters songs,
these nuggets. At the time I thought, Therere no getting the action out is easy; its the getting it back on the guitar. Juan said, Yo, Yuki, man, youve
dynamics! Theyre so distorted. Theres so much in and not destroying your entire piano that is so got to play your own songs. So he wrote his own
noise all over everything. I love them for that, but difficult. Now Ive got this absolutely trashed Spinet songs. And then Yuki said, I want to record
even since doing those records, my taste in music piano thats too big to really move. It came with the them. So I helped him do that. A lot of those
has changed a lot. Im more into synthesizer and house, but I completely fucked it up. Now Ive got one recordings turned out really well, too. Theyre
ambient music, and I think that certain sides of of those [Yamaha] CP-70s, and that thing is much cute. I enjoy doing it, so Im not in any position
using digital recording, especially nowadays, lend easier to record. For the record, I actually took my to ask for money, or even to extend my, Please,
themselves to that better. Now Ive got this hybrid interface over to my friend Brads place. He rents this come record with me. Maybe someday, but right
rig because I know what works well on what. nice Yamaha upright, so we used that. now I feel like I would be letting people down, for
What kinds of things were inspiring Is your landlord pissed about the the most part.
you musically for This Old Dog? Its spinet? Well, having traced this whole
kind of a country vibe, in places. I own the house, so Im a little pissed at myself. I lineage of your recorded history
Ive always been trying to make something that found a garage and we floated the walls. I did a leading to This Old Dog, its no
sounds like Harvest by Neil Young. Clean, right up in pointed roof. It sounded like a cathedral when they fluke. A serious education,
your face. Its not outlandishly loud, by any means. finished the renovations. Ive got some panels up wouldnt you say?
You can crank it up and theres no distortion. now, so its not as heinous, but I was worried. I was Ive learned a lot of things, in strange ways. r
Youve got to get that orchestra like, Oh, my god, I cant record anything here. If <www.mac-demarco.com>
behind you. Im right up at the monitors, its okay. Ive got to fix
I dont know about that. Unless I can play every it up a bit. I want the half live room, half mix room;

om
instrument one at a time. like The Band. I dont want to have to press record
Whats the pedal steel sounding guitar and run into the other room.
on the title track, This Old Dog?
Thats a DId guitar with some chorus delay through .c
one of those Ernie Ball volume pedals.
Did you use varispeed at all this time?
Still Beating is definitely varispeeded. Which other
l
ones? I mean, little hints, here and there.
Especially if Im doubling a vocal, Ill try to make
ai

it seem like two voices. Like Ill tune it down and

bring the second voice back up to the original.
Is it hard to time it so the tracks sync
up in tempo and pitch?
m

Well, Ill slow the whole track down and see if I can
get the notes. With drums, its really easy I can
@g

make them sound hip-hoppy and tight. On the

computer its funny, because I forget which
original tempo it had, and I cant figure out
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where 440 Hz [is]. For On the Level, I changed

the key of the keyboards, and then I couldnt hit
one of the notes when I recorded the bass. So I
sped it up and played the bassline really fast in
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a higher octave, before bringing it back down.

Youve used lots of varispeed on pretty
much every Mac Demarco album. It
um

seems like nobody has really picked

up on the importance of varispeed
to your sound.
The only people that notice are kids who are trying
st

to cover the songs, and theyre like, Why cant I

tune my guitar to this? Its not at 440 Hz. Its
either a little below or above. So, yeah, I use it
a shitload.

Mr. Demarco/(Fin.)/Tape Op#120/23

 Ive been a fan of Audiotrees video webcast for
a couple of years now. Its by far my favorite
live-music program available online and, in my
opinion, its the best sounding and best
looking one too. But it wasnt until I saw a
series of tutorial videos on YouTube featuring
Audiotrees music engineering team that I
became interested in how the show is put
together. Audiotrees office and studio are
located in Chicago. Luckily, I had a tracking
gig in Chicago, so I set aside a weekend
morning to sit down with Rick Fritz and
Patrick DeWitte at Audiotrees studio. Since
then, Patrick has moved on (hes a
software/web developer now), but Rick is still
Audiotrees chief engineer. Hearing about Rick
and Patricks strategies, in regards to
facilitating a comfortable, creative
environment for the visiting musicians, as well
as listening to Ricks stories about working
with Brian Wilson, Destinys Child, and other
demanding artists in the past, made it clear to
me why the performances on Audiotree are so
special. Discussing the business of distributing
music and promoting bands in todays world
of media streaming and online discovery was
also enlightening.
le
pe
um
st
Talking with Rick Fritz and Patrick DeWitte
24/Tape Op#120/Mr. Fritz & Mr. DeWitte/(continued on page 26)
Tell me about how Audiotree was RF: No. They just happened to show up to talk business
started. with Ira Antelis, who is part of Jira, the music
Rick Fritz: I think the original idea was that Michael production company here. When they came in,
Johnston, the owner, and Adam Thurston, the co- Michael and Adam were sitting in the back of the
founder, just wanted to do something in music. They room talking while I was doing a mix. Then Ira said
thought they were going to be a record label, at first. to me, Hey, you should meet these guys. We started
Then they decided they wanted to help bands build having conversations about it.
this tree of managing, recording, promoting, and You had experience doing radio
tours. They wanted to make a website that a lot of broadcast, but what about video
things could come through, like a hub to help people production?
find managers or be managed, recorded, or whatever RF: I studied video more than audio at the beginning of
a hub for everybody involved to help indie bands. my life. When I used to work for a record label, video
Then the brainstorming started. They came to our people were always coming around in the 90s. Id work
studio downtown not this one, but a previous studio on album projects, and people were always saying we
we were in and they were kicking around the idea should document this or that. In the back of my mind,
of recording, or doing some kind of streaming. It I was thinking, This is silly. Were recording bands, but
evolved from that. I was like, I used to do live sound we dont have anybody filming or taking pictures.
over the airwaves for WXRT [a radio station in town]. Somehow that idea got thrown out there to do this. Jon
Famous bands would come in, and wed do on-air LeClerc sought out videographers from Columbia
broadcasts. It was just radio though not TV or video. College. Three or four bands were in the studio right
I threw that idea out there to Michael and Adam. Like away; we were bumping each other around, and trying
everything, you just try it. The first time we did, it to figure it out. They were documenting it making the
was kind of a mess. videos. We werent broadcasting the video, at that
How many years ago was that? point. We were just doing the audio through a little
RF: I met Michael and Adam in July of 2010. portal in the website.
Did they seek you out because you were When did you start doing the video
already on the radio? broadcast?
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by Andy Hong
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 RF: How it started was, we were broadcasting through
RF: Within a year, which is insane. I never left the RF: Iras always had studios, and Ive always worked for
this webcast portal using Adobe Live for the audio.
studio. They would have to kick me out. I had an other people at other studios. Ive always been
Were encoding it, and Im looking at this stupid little
overwhelming amount of work, and training, and had independent, ever since we got rid of our studio that
picture on the window. I thought, Thats a video
to rise up. I learned every time someone came we had with Brian Wilson. I decided I wanted to be
picture. Where is that coming from, anyways? What if
through there and did something that blew my mind. an independent engineer and own all the equipment,
we just plugged in a USB camera? Would something
Id say, Well, Im going to put that in my little bag but not have a space. I foresaw that studio ownership
happen? I went and bought a USB camera, plugged it
of tricks. would be an imploding thing that would be
How long did you last at that studio?
in, and the video showed up in that window. I was like, disappearing. I always thought you could record
Thats crazy! We put one USB camera out there, and
RF: We closed down the studio in 97. It turned into a anywhere. I built a studio in my house and could
thats how it started. Then people thought we could
record label and all these other things. It became record full-blown, isolated, and all that.
Platinum Entertainment and traded on the NASDAQ as After you got back from New York, you
plug in more and switch them. Ustream started making
a producer program, and we got more USB cameras and
a record company. We got funded by A&M and built a studio in your house?
started switching. I instigated the broadcasting side of
Polygram. When it ended, I was doing a bunch of RF: and I hated it. Id have bands come over; theyd
it with my laptop and USB cameras. Then everyone
records with Brian Wilson there. We became more of a be floating around in my house, out in my yard, and
started getting into it. Oh, we can type little bumpers
private studio, at that point. We were a public studio through all my stuff. Id be working, and all of a
and overlays. We just kept pushing with, Hey, when
at first, with eight rooms when we were going crazy. sudden Id go from seeing the whole band in the
are we going to tether the cameras? How can we split
We started using the main room just for our own room, to wondering where some of them went. Theyd
them off? Michael suggested that we put GoPro
projects doing an album with Brian Wilson and The be everywhere. I didnt have the home and studio
cameras on them all these ideas and thoughts.
Beach Boys. Brian was like, Hey, I think I want to separated enough.
live in Chicago. At the time, our rent from the Tell me about the history of the studio
Eventually other websites were doing nice broadcasts.
Why cant we do that? My friend, Bill Allan, he does
building was so high. We said, Why dont we just that were in now.
all this TriCaster [live video switcher] work he was
build a studio out in the suburbs? RF: This used to be called Engine Studios. It was Brad Woods
This was in 97?
doing it for Comcast, and teaches it in school. I was place [Tape Op #99]. Its a great space. Its one of the few
like, Bill, how can we do this? He said, Oh, its this
RF: Yeah. Brian had bought a brand new, just-built studios in town that I thought felt like a Nashville or an
TriCaster thing, which was the same thing Adam
house out in the suburbs. I was like, You cant build L.A. room, where theres a density to the space. You walk
said we needed to get. We got it, plugged the cameras
a studio in this basement. The ceilings only eight feet in, and you just feel the thickness of the walls; the low-
in, because the cameras have the output, and started
tall! They bulldozed through the house a brand new end comes back tight. This room here has a lot of
doing it that way. million-dollar home and dug the whole thing out. midrange color, and you can hear it when we bring it up.
Rick, you told me earlier that you We put in this giant SSL and all this gear. When you do an Audiotree broadcast,
attended Columbia College here in Who designed the rooms? whos involved in the production?

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Chicago. Were you in an audio RF: My former boss [Joe Thomas] and myself. We RF: Me and Patrick usually do all the audio setting up,
engineering program? had already done about a dozen rooms, at that recording, mixing, and mastering. We usually have four
RF: It was recording. They had an engineering degree for point. I got sick of going to St. Charles, Illinois,
.c videographers who split duties on setup. One or two
a couple of years. I didnt complete it because it was where it was. Brian wasnt a prolific writer or will be doing the lighting, others will be out getting
ridiculous to me. I became a chief engineer at our worker at that point in his life, so there would be the cameras set up and formatted, and then they go
studio downtown in the late 80s. It happened so fast long stints of nothing going on at that space. I and shoot. Then theres Keelan Dellisse, our Technical
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for me. I went to Los Angeles right after high school started working in Nashville then, because I had Director. He sits here in the control room, runs all the
to go to the Musicians Institute. I ran out of money, a lot of great relationships down there. TriCaster switching, and talks to the videographers in
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came back to Chicago, and met an old producer of a
band I was in. He said, Hey, were building a new
studio downtown, and were looking for people to
help build it. I was 18 or 19 years old, at that point,
You lived in Nashville? their ears to get everything looking right.
RF: I lived here in Chicago, and also drove to Whats happening as the band arrives?
Nashville weekly and started doing records down PD: Unless its a large band, well always set a two-hour
there with a producer named Barry Beckett. The window, from load-in time to live time. If its a 2
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so I helped carry drywall and build the studio. The stint of going to Nashville was only about a year oclock broadcast, and we want the band here by
crazy thing was that it was a Tom Hidley-designed and a half. I worked with LeAnn Rimes, when she noon, well be here by 11. Ideally, the band gets set
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studio. Then we got to working. The first session in had just been signed by Chuck Howard, and we up in a half hour or less, and then we try to jump right
there, I was so overwhelmed. It had a Neve 8068 cut that acoustic version of Blue. Barry had me into soundcheck get everybody checked and
board, a pair of Studer A 800 tape machines, a Lexicon slated to do Kenny Chesneys first record, but I comfortable. Rick has impressed upon me the
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480L a brand new thing back then, and old plate
[reverbs]. There was a great microphone collection,
because it was a collective of a lot of engineers in
town. Because of that room, and the sound of that
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wound up going to New York to work for Ira, with importance of the philosophical side of getting bands
a kid that got signed by Tommy Mottola. in here, and getting them comfortable and excited
What was it like to be working in New putting them in a positive, creative space.
York City at that time? Whats involved in getting the artists in

room, it made me sound good. I got sucked into it,

RF: The sessions in New York we had unlimited funds. that creative mood?
and we got an SSL for another room. The studio space
This was 98 or so. I worked with Destinys Child, RF: Well, youre just overwhelmingly nice to everybody.
exploded. I think the first session I did by myself was
Usher, and this kid JoJo. They were all unsigned, or We love doing this. There are so many people who
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in spring of 87 as just like, Hey, you can go in the

they had just been signed. I was in New York for only dont care about bands in the touring food chain.
B Room and mess around. I had engineered in little
three months, and then I ended up back here. Most bands come in here and are like, Is it okay if I
Why did you decide to move back to
studios as a kid doing bands or whatever, but I didnt stand here? Is it okay if I go to the washroom? A lot
Chicago?
know what I was doing. I learned fast. It was like of them are very worn down by sound engineers,
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working in L.A. at a major studio. Famous people

RF: Family, my wife, and everything. I had a house here. managers, or whomever. When they come in here, you
came in every day. To be honest, I just knew so many people here, and want them to feel all right. Theyre so beaten up on
You went from someone who was the work was easy, friendly, and convenient. the road. Most bands that we deal with arent
helping build a studio, to chief Did you build another studio when you established; they arent massive touring bands that
engineer at River North Studios? came back? have all their things and assistants.
26/Tape Op#120/Mr. Fritz & Mr. DeWitte/(continued on page 28)
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 Do you find that some of the bands are
nervous when they come in?
RF: Yeah. I have to un-nervous them. I have to throw
myself out there like Im a blithering idiot half the
time. As soon as I meet somebody on the street or
wherever, I read where theyre at. I understand the
psychological impact of being overwhelmed or
nervous. There are even times when two minutes
before were going to go live, and these cameras come
up from nowhere, theyre like... [makes nervous face].
And then Im out there. Ill slay the host or myself in
front of them, and just do anything to get them to
laugh and be happy. Patricks seen it, obviously. I say
the stupidest things in the universe.
PD: He really does.
Lets talk about setting up and running
the sound check. What happens?
PD: Ideally well come in and introduce ourselves to the
band. Basically everything will be pretty much micd
up, assuming theyre using our drums, piano, and
amps. If not, then well have mics loosely positioned.
The videographers have everything mapped out for
what they want the room to look like.
So, the videographers know ahead of
time what the band setup is going to
be like?
RF: Yeah, we all do. We get a rider from them as part of
the whole agreement.
PD: Yeah, everyones positioned, and were pretty much
set up. Weve set up the console, Pro Tools, and all the
mics. Everything will be mostly cabled up. Well let the
bands get comfortable and get them anything they
need as far as power, stands, and backline. Once What about bass?
theyre in position and locked down, ready to go, then RF: Bass, we do always a DI, and then mic whatever amp
well do final placements on the mics. Then well hop
into the control room and start sound check.
Given that you have two hours to set up,
and youre going to be broadcasting
live, my assumption is that youve
got certain mics that are going to
work, and specific signal chains that
you rely on.
PD: For kick, weve got a new Telefunken M82, which we RF: We have a Soundelux IFET7. We have several
like a lot. Its like an AKG D 112.
RF: Sort of a fat, Neumann U47fet kind of sound.
PD: That through a Neve 1073 channel. Sometimes we
do a Chandler TG1 compressor on it. Sometimes we
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just use the SSL channel compressor on the board.
Then, from there, its into Pro Tools. Snare is a [Shure]
SM57 through a 1073. Again, sometimes well put a PD: I feel like were kind of the anti-gearheads, in a way.
TG1; sometimes just the SSL compressor. AKG C 414s
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on toms, which is something that Rick introduced me
to, and I think is cool... unless you smash them up
too bad.
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RF: There are definitely a few that have been dented, but
its okay. Its just the windscreen. 414s always sound
open to me. Dynamics just sound like shit, compared
to condensers on toms. I put 414s on the drums when The concept of using the vocal and talk
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I was in Nashville. The drummers were like, Man, you
care about the toms.
What about overheads?
RF: Heres the joke. This one engineer came through and
he used AKG C 460s on all the cymbals. It was a jazz
28/Tape Op#120/Mr. Fritz & Mr. DeWitte/(continued on page 30)
thing, with Omar Hakim on drums. Man, the cymbals RF: That was a byproduct of that initial setup, because
sounded so clean and clear. I immediately latched it was there. After I started to get into EQing and
onto that idea, with the pencil condensers for close using multiband compression on the vocals, the room
micing the cymbals, and using additional room mics started to come through and help everything. You
for the depth. I kept that going forward. I read a story could hear guitar, but it didnt sound close-micd
20 years ago that Bob Clearmountain [Tape Op #84] just bleed from the space. All the usual instincts
did the same thing. isolate it, gate it, throw a blanket over everything,
But youre still using 460s? put the amps in the hallway all those instincts were
RF: Yeah, theyre just spotlights, in this scenario. Ive there in the first probably half a dozen sessions. I
used all different mics. I did a couple records with think we were doing the band Company of Thieves. I
Eddie Kramer [Tape Op #24] and John Mellencamp. realized, Wow, all these bleeding mics, if you just
Mellencamp wanted to do a sound like Physical Graffiti leave them up at a certain level or ride them, you
from Led Zeppelin. We got a bunch of U 47s and put could make some cool shit. It just clicked in my
them in the classic overhead configuration. That head. Its what makes the difference with the thing
sounded cool too, but it definitely sounded like that, that I was entranced about with the original studio,
as opposed to the clean bell kind of sound. Ive done where there was such great bleed sound. You have to
different scenarios like that for sure. manage it while youre recording, and you have to
What about guitars? really listen to the end result. Even when were sound
PD: SM57s. checking, I rarely solo anything discretely. Instead,
RF: Royer ribbons, if were feeling its too bright. its just how it fits. Is it in its position, sonically
PD: Ninety-five percent of the time, its SM57s. But if its fitting into the place it belongs? I dont think doing
just an electric guitar on its own, we feel like we the discrete thing really helps me anymore. I want to
either want a little bit wider image or a little more hear what the whole package sounds like, and then
nuance. So well put an SM57 and a Royer on the make observations. Does it seem like theres a little
cabinet and blend the two mics. too much going on? Is it too fuzzy? Are we running
On separate channels? the vocals a little too hot? If I hear something
RF: Separate channels, yeah; we just move them around leaking, Ill go, Oh, its the bass amp. Or the
to make a wider image or add some Fulltone Tri Stereo background vocal. You find it and just do a couple
Chorus on it to spread it out a little bit. It always quick adjustments, and it comes together fast.
sounds terrible to me when its just a single guitar What about for a band that is primarily
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player stacked on top of everything else. There needs acoustic instruments? Is there
to be a little separation. a difference in how you approach
the session?
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RF: We really want the acoustic band to sound good
is being used. The DI is either ours or comes out of a and not all DI. I think if we can capture the
pedalboard. performance with mics, then its better. We definitely
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PD: Weve had some cool DI sounds come through here. have bent some of the things. The other day there
Aguilar is a cool brand. The olive-colored MXR M81 is was a guy playing acoustic guitar, and it sounded
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a bass preamp pedal weve seen three or four times more DId than micd. Maybe a year ago we would
now. Ashdown their DI sounds great. I like a clean have fought to put a spot mic on it. The artist said,
DI signal that you can blend with... whats the 47 Im going to move around a lot. I said, The mix
version we have? just sounds better. Even if you have 10% of that
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feathered in.
U 47 fets, but I just choose not to put them out. There Do you set up separate room mics, or do
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are so many people in this room setting up, and you rely on the vocal mics?
moving around, that Ive had too many mics get RF: Room mics always, with acoustic bands. I think
knocked around. Youll see it laying on the floor with lately, unless no channels are left on the board, we
a dent in it, and thats gonna cost $300 to fix. The will always put a pair of room mics on top.
mics we use are affordable, not irreplaceable. What do you typically use for room mics?
RF: A pair of Royer R-122 ribbons. We have a couple
We love gear, and we love trying out new gear, but sets of different mics. If were using the Royers for
those Audiotree tutorial videos we did came about something else, then well grab another selection,
because we had a lot of people asking how we get our but weve been leaning on those for room mics most
particular sound. Like any engineering, theres no of the time. They work in this room. We have to EQ
magic. Theres no trick. Its just finding what works for them a little bit.
the situation, knowing how to work it to your Does every mic typically have some
advantage, and just going for it. processing on it?
RF: We have enough outboard gear that you can pretty
mics as the room mics the bleed much make it sound pretty darn good, between the
thats in those mics becomes the glue Neve, SSL, and all that. Outside the box, for reverbs,
that puts it all together. Did you guys we either use the plate down the hall or the Lexicon
discover that accidentally? Or did you 480L. And then for slaps, the Fulltone Tri Stereo
know ahead of time? Chorus [That 80s Rack Chorus]. I like that on vocals
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 and instruments to widen out the sound when its internet to the world, instead of touring. Its just
too discrete. Honestly, we have a lot of processing like, Well, were going to go into our virtual
going on in Pro Tools. For example, we use performance concert thing and boom.
multiband compression on vocals for the plosives. PD: We havent presented that idea explicitly, but a lot
We also do some rolling off. Theres a lot of of what Ive talked about with some labels is, if they
processing going on before the mix hits the air. have an album coming out in three months, Ill say,
Youve got compression, all the colors hitting the We can have this finished and good to go in two or
rack, and the upward compressors in the SSL. And three weeks. You guys put your promotional muscle
then in-the-box, well have things, like Patrick will behind it, and then you guys have a teaser for the
put on some notch filters if theres something gross album. The fans will also have some idea of what to
poking out. expect if they go see the band live. Streaming is
How many channels do you have set up how people get music nowadays. Im always going
for, lets say a band that has two to buy records. I prefer to pay for music and have it,
guitars, two singers, a bass player, but the biggest part of the population is going to
and a drum kit. What would you do? move towards streaming, because thats the easiest,
PD: 20-ish channels. We really oversimplify it. A and thats whats being pushed.
typical four-piece band looks like kick, snare top, RF: I think, in general, what its doing for a lot of the
rack, floor, overheads, hi-hat, bass DI, bass mic, a bands is creating an awareness for them. Doing an
mic on each guitar, and a vocal mic for everybody in Audiotree session is a great promotional thing. If
the band. And then we have our host mic and the theyre on tour, they go to the next city, and
audience clap mic. however many more people show up for their show.
Patrick, as the person who is involved It was originally designed to help those bands.
in some of Audiotrees business Michael, who started the company his original
activities, how do you find that the idea was to help build an awareness for these bands.
technology landscape today affects He always kept saying, When I was growing up,
your work? there wasnt anywhere to find these bands in
PD: Id say its probably just a matter of trying to find Kalamazoo. Then, when he moved here to Chicago,
the creative balance in the business side of it. A lot he wanted to be involved in that community. Adam
of the opposition that we get from labels when we worked at Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern. Its just

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present them with our agreement, and say we want
to distribute this everywhere is, Well, its going to well as figuring out a way to make that tree with
be in direct competition with our official release,
and weve already spent $30,000 on recording and
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promoting it. Rather than get into a conversation
about the legalese, or what sort of waivers we need
to get around an exclusive recording contract, I
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want to make it seem like, Look, this is something
that will bolster your release. This is essentially a
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that whole thing of wanting to be submersed, as
all the branches to help different people to be a
hub for managers, and labels, and artists. Its been
a lot of twisting and turning, and ups and downs,
dealing with people and bands, and trying to figure
out how to make it all work. But this is the one
thing thats stuck. Creating this technology, and
developing it, is definitely creating a brand for

live teaser. Weve always talked about how
Audiotree is the midpoint between a live show and
an album. Its the best of both worlds.
RF: One of the goals is to be a service for the label.
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them. Weve had repeat bands come in, or we go out
and people will be like, Hey, remember me? I was
in this band; that session was the greatest thing in
the world and helped our band immensely. Thats

The bands are great. They want to come and do what its there for to do that. If you keep building
this. I remember, as a kid, my understanding of that brand, eventually itll be big enough. r
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the business was that record labels used to have

the studios and the producers. Youd get signed <www.audiotree.tv>
by Capitol Records, and youd go and work at
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Capitol Records, and you would have a Capitol

Records producer and engineer, and all that. I
feel like record labels nowadays outsource
everything. In my mind, its like, Why cant we
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start doing that too for labels? They can test a

band, record them, and see if they can perform
live and under pressure.
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Have you presented that model to

record labels?
RF: You can see how they look and feel on a format
thats now established. If you inject them into the
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thing, you can judge them, I guess, or rate them, or

whatever see what they have to offer and how
they interact. Thats the model of the future. Its an
intimidating situation, but what do you think in five
or ten years? Bands might be playing live over the
30/Tape Op#120/Mr. Fritz & Mr. DeWitte/(Fin.)
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 Where did you grow up? What inspired you to start recording? Yeah, exactly. That wears off after a little while. But I
I grew up in Minnesota. I moved out here when I was 16 When I turned 15 and I moved here, I had this buddy, wanted to make my dreams come true down in L.A.,
or 17. My stepdad and my mom, when she was alive, Greg [Lawless], who was in a band called Adam Again. and they did.
moved almost every year, and we ended up moving out I dont even know how to explain them, but they were How did you pursue that, especially
here. They were on a road trip from California to a big influence on me. He was a mailman in town, but with three young daughters, at some
Minnesota and stopped here. They made some friends he was also in this Christian rock band. Our buddy, point?
and said, Were moving to Cottage Grove, Oregon. I Gene [Eugene], owned the studio [The Green Room, Ive got a really supportive spouse [Shea]. Shes never
was like, Orygone? Where in the heck is that? Funny in Huntington Beach, CA] that I recorded my first had to have a job, but I work my ass off. I took every
enough, they thought that I had some promise as a record in. They were big heroes. He turned me on to gig I could take.
musician. Maybe itd be better for us to be on the Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Sly and the Family Had you made contacts with people in
West Coast. But in the middle of nowhere on the West Stone. It really changed my life. The first time that I the music scene in Los Angeles
Coast? Okay. We moved out here, I met my wifes ever really recorded music was here in this space. The before?
brother, and then met my wife. I got married at 20 and studio used to be upstairs. I was working with Greg. Yeah. I was working there, out of Genes studio. I would
had three kids by the time I was 25. My sister passed away, but her ex-husband borrowed do day work and then go in late at night and record
How did you teach yourself recording? money from my parents and built this place out. Ive my own projects. I was learning Pro Tools during the
My older stepbrother, Kevin, had a 4-track. I must have been working out of this studio for 15 years now, but day, and then Id sneak in at night with my 4-track.
been ten or eleven. I was like, I can add a vocal on in different incarnations. Thats how I recorded The Novelist, which is one of my
top of this other vocal? Once you see behind the I didnt even think there would be an earlier records. I got my head around a lot of analog
curtain, you tend to get obsessed with it if youre the upstairs. shit. They had a Studer there, so I recorded to the
right person. Thats what happened with me. Two of my kids live upstairs, actually. Studer. I dumbed my way into the hustle.
Did you study a lot of instruments when This is a building behind your home. Were your solo recordings the calling
you were young? You play quite a few. Its ten feet away. I need to show you the cabin next card for your career?
Not really. I play anything youd need to make a record. door that I designed. My buddy Chris built it. Ive got I think that was it. It was like, This guy seems to know
It came naturally. a serious history here. It is a bit of a compound. what hes doing.
Was your family musical? When did you move to L.A.? Did that initially lead to people having
No. My parents didnt even really listen to music. I didnt It was September 8th or 9th of 2001; right before you record and produce them, or did
grow up in an artistic family, or anything like that. My September 11th. It was really bizarre to try to make it in it lead to the sideman gigs?
dad, who Im really close to, listened to a lot of oldies the music biz all businesses were on hold for a while. I dumbed my way into the sideman shit, and the
he had all these old cars and wed drive around Entertainment starts to feel ephemeral. producing and recording was from my solo records. I

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Southern California. You dont need it. signed a record deal and a publishing deal with Polydor,

Richard Swift .c
Dumbing His Way In?
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interview and photos by Larry Crane
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For ten years Richard Swifts been luring

the hippest of indie rock bands to
Cottage Grove, in the middle of
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Oregon, to work with him at his

National Freedom Studio in his
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backyard. In a career that started

with solo albums made during L.A.
studio off hours, as well as on the
road as a sideman for The Shins
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[Tape Op #39], The Black Keys,

Fruit Bats, and others, hes proven
to be an asset to many artists.
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Damien Jurado, Lucius, David Bazan,

Valerie June, Foxygen,
The Pretenders, Nathaniel Rateliff,
The Mynabirds, Ray LaMontagne,
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Cayucas, and Guster are among the many

whove sought his expertise in the studio. What
I was curious to meet this songwriter, singer, you can
control
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multi-instrumenatlist, producer, and engineer in

person, so after a two hour drive down from are knobs,
Portland we had lunch and a wonderful chat. faders, and
being a nice
person.
32/Tape Op#120/Mr. Swift/(continued on page 34)
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 I made money, and then I moved back up here. My
overhead was super low, and people started asking,
Do you want to produce my record? Some of them Do people in town notice that theres an
got good reviews, like The Mynabirds [What We Lose
in the Fire We Gain in the Flood], and it worked.
Those were records you did in this studio
here?
For the most part, yeah.
Its an interesting path. How did the All this gear is obviously mine. The guy that was in here
sideman gigs happen?
I was working a lot with my buddy Eli [Thomson], who
plays with Josh Tillman (Father John Misty), and my
buddy Frank Lenz, whos an amazing drummer. We
hustled as much as we possibly could. My solo music
was doing really well. As soon as I made money, I
said, Im not spending a dime of this in California.
Im going back to where my wife grew up. Initially
we were moving up to Seattle, because my buddies
Yuuki [Matthews] and Casey [Foubert], who play in
The Shins, were playing in my band. I thought, Im Do you ever get local musicians wanting
going to hang out with my buddies for a while. On
our way to Seattle we hung out with Sheas family Yeah. I dont record local musicians. If anything, Im Yeah. Dan said, Youve got to play drums on this. We
here, and a house came up for rent for super cheap.
Its all been very serendipitous.
It does seem brilliant, to keep your
overhead reasonable.
Its getting lower and lower now that Im actually Thats the thing. Ive been on tour for 21 years. Seven
buying this place. We almost moved to Portland
during The Shins days. Ive done a lot of work on the
new record [Heartworms]. James and I are really close
friends; thats why I ended up in the band. For a while
I was thinking about moving to Portland. Then I
thought, I should stay down here and buy this house When you get an inquiry, is it
for super cheap.
How do you and your wife work around
the times when you are knee-deep in It all depends. I enjoy working as a straight-up engineer Were you doing those at Dans Easy Eye
a session here?
The good thing is well cook a lot of meals together. We
try to make it as homey as possible. If people come
here, were going to eat chicken or duck eggs from
somebody that I know. Weve had chickens. Were going
to have ducks this year. We raise pigs, and Ive
butchered them, so our freezers full of straight-up local
shit that youd pay a lot of money for in Portland.
Theres something about being here. Maybe its the
comfort of being able to roll out of bed and see my wife
and kids, and remember what they look like.
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People want to come to a fairly remote
town in the middle of Oregon and
work with you. I think thats
fascinating.
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Exactly. If Ive got Lucius, and Nathaniel Rateliff, and
Houndmouth coming here, part of it is that theres a
charm to this small town life. I know tons of people
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by their first names, whether its a bartender, our
mailman, or whomever. The big city folks come here
and its a bit of a cave. They can be away from
Babylon; be away from Trump.
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Where do people stay, say when a band
like Lucius comes out?
I think they Airbnbd. Close friends of mine will stay out
in the cabin [next to the studio]. For instance Sonny
Smith [Sonny and The Sunsets] will stay out there.
34/Tape Op#120/Mr. Swift/(continued on page 36)
David Bazan will stay out there. My friend Stacy also just mix your demos. I could get more money
has a tiny cabin behind her house. recording them, but to me its like, I like what youre
saying already. Let me mix that! Talking myself out
indie rock band visiting? of work, essentially.
Yeah, certainly. Oh, some well-dressed people in town. Do you have management that funnel
Okay. jobs to you?
Like Lucius, for sure. What did the Ive gone through a couple, and Im really, really happy
studio originate with here? with my management now; Adam Katz [of Next Wave
Management]. He manages Chris Walla [Tape Op #19,
earlier, ten years ago, had a Mackie board and some #111] and many others. Adam is awesome. But a lot
Mackie speakers. We partnered up for maybe six of the work I get comes directly to me.
months, but shit fell apart between he and my sister. Like David Bazan, or such?
It was like, Okay, Im moving all my pianos and all of Yeah, exactly. Bazan, Damien [Jurado], Lucius,
my gear in here. Its been a process. The Studer Houndmouth, or Rateliff; all those people come directly
console, which Im selling, is the most money Ive to me, but its great to have proper management. I
spent in the studio. Ive been fortunate that people worked on the last Pretenders record [Alone].
have given me a lot of the gear you see in here. I got Right, I was going to ask about that!
an organ through The Shins. Its been this weird, Chrissie Hynde is a good friend of mine. We email every week.
organic process. How did the Chrissie Hynde sessions
come about? Was that through Dan
to know if they can use the space? Auerbach [producer of Alone]?
trying to take time off. Ive learned how to say, No. were doing a lot of The Arcs [a band with Dan,
I imagine that between touring and Richard, Leon Michels, and others] at the time. It was
producing records, you end up with a Dan, Leon, Chrissie, and I. Chrissie and I totally hit it
full schedule. off on that session. I played a lot of instruments, and
I had a lot to do with that record. We finished with
of those years were absolutely non-stop. In between the record four or five days earlier than we expected,
tours Id have three weeks, and Id book a session for and I got laryngitis and lost my voice. I ended up
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19 of those days. I got used to working and working. singing background vocals with a lost voice on a Lee
Now Im like, Shit man, I want to take a couple of Fields record. Dan Auerbach and I have done quite a
days off and watch some survival TV shows. few records together. Hes actually working on a
.c Shannon and The Clams record right now; I wrote two
understood that youre going to be or three songs on her new record, and we did some
playing on songs, in most cases? work together while I was out there.
Sound in Nashville?
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sometimes, and then sometimes Im playing
everything on the record. If a band comes to me, and Yeah. Its the only other place I want to record. Its
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they send me their demos, I say, Maybe I should just beautiful. Its a little more put together than here.
mix this shit for you, because this sounds really Your studios kind of chaotic. Im not
good. Ive talked myself out of jobs before. I just saying that in a bad way!
mixed some tracks for Walter Martin, from The Yeah. No, I know. Trust me, its actually cleaner in here
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Walkmen. He came here and we recorded two or three than its been for a while.
songs. Then he played me some demos, and I said, I love that it looks like a record store on
@g
Dude, these demos sound awesome! Maybe I should the left side of the control room.
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 People come in and well listen to records for an hour, and Where do you spill your beer? Id rather be in a yurt with Do you find its more productive to buy
then well start recording. Recording is obviously the a 4-track. Its funny, because people like you and I instruments instead of recording
end product, but if we get a song or two done a day, perpetuate the myth, in a certain way, but its also, equipment, or is it a little bit of both?
thats pretty good. I want it to be as comfortable and There is no myth! Theres no curtain! Ive always tithed to the studio. Ive always put a
lived-in as possible. It should always feel like a home Your gear choices are interesting. certain percentage of the budget back in. Im
studio like youre in my garage recording and not on At the end of the day, I love Tascam. I think its a pretty guilt-free.
the clock. weird Freudian thing, because I learned on that! As a sideman or a producer, you can be
How do you work out the timing of your Whether its Foxygen or Tahiti 80, Im bouncing talented yourself and have your own
days with sessions here? down to 4-track cassette. projects and records, but also you need
Well start around noon-ish, one-ish, go for a walk, get You mix down to that? to be able to sublimate into a band, a
some Mexican food; whatever it might be. Its still Oh, yeah. project, or a recording session.
pretty loose. I worked with Born Ruffians, and we were The whole mix? I feel pretty fortunate. Ive had fans of mine bust my balls,
only supposed to do five songs in ten days. We ended Yeah, the stereo mix. like, What the fuck are you doing being in The Shins
up doing nine or ten songs we got a full record done. Really? No way. or The Black Keys? I reply, Im paying the bills. And
You seem to have your own pace and style Yeah. Like that Foxygen record, Tahiti 80, and the new guess what? James Mercer is a really fucking talented
of working. Do you find sometimes Jonathan Rado record, whos in Foxygen. guy. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, these guys are
someone comes in to work with you But you mix the record out of Pro Tools, really fucking talented. I wont suffer a fool. There have
and has a different idea about how through the console, to the 4-track? only been a few people who have tried to bust my balls
things are going to proceed? Yeah. Out of the headphone mix into the 4-track. Super about it personally. I dont know what it is online.
Yeah, there was one record I wont mention. That was the un-pro. Then I send it to mastering. A fan might also think your solo records
only time that I have ever butted heads. Other than The cassette? make you a living.
that, its always worked out really well. Yeah. Which is not the case.
Do you ever find yourself working on Who has to deal with that? It could have done better, maybe 15 years
sessions where it seems things are TW Walsh and Christopher Colbert. ago, but now its really tough.
taking too long? Its crazy to mix to cassette. Yeah, exactly. Dont fucking bust my balls for being in
Not really. There have been a couple records where its It sounds great though! The high-end gets round. these pretty big bands that actually still sell
like, Really? You want to record for a whole month? But you lose everything above 16 kHz. records. Not only that, but theyre really talented,
Just give me ten to fourteen days, or something. With Yeah. great people.
a band, thats like, You guys should know your songs. Do you say, I want to do this, and show the Do you have any advice to someone
artist what the differences would be?

Let me put up microphones. For the most part, Ive
been pretty fortunate, in terms of time. I try to pace
myself. Do you know Mark Neill [Tape Op #29] at all?
We interviewed him a long time ago.
That guy is fucking legit. I talk to him once a week, and
hell talk my fucking ear off. Hes a badass. Dans
modeled his studio after Marks thing. Mark was
buying vintage gear because it was cheap, not because
it was cool.
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wanting to put their own studio
Oh, yeah. Normally theyre really happy with it. Well together?
record it to my Black Lion Mod [Digi 003r], and then Advice? I think that the only advice I can give is out
dump it to 4-track cassette. The work efficiency is so
.c of personal experience. Keep it simple. Listen to a
on top of it. We can put down any idea, and it hits tape bunch of records. I think thats the most important
at some point. There are no rules youve got to serve thing. Listen and serve. My buddy Leon [Michels],
the song. If youre an actual fan of music, then its like, who plays in The Arcs, is one of the best musicians
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Oh, shit! If people try to remix any of my mixes, that I know. He runs this label called Big Crown,
which never goes well, theyre like, What the fuck? Its out of upstate New York. I constantly say to him,
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Vocals Up!
We were talking about [Donald] Trump earlier. Ive
been mixing the vocals way more forward than I usually
so distorted! How come your rough mix doesnt sound
so distorted? It gives me more headroom, or
Dont get greedy, man. Fucking roll with it. Record
the music that you love. Keep your overhead low.
something. Im pushing it hard. Ive got two Its all like math, basically. I think that half of what
compressors, an EQ, and a lo-fier. People in Nashville we do as engineers and producers is psychology. I
m

would. Like on David Bazans record [Care], theyre right

fucking hate me. Do you not know what youre doing? think that moving every year of my life forced me
in your ear. This is my version of protest. A loud vocal
It sounds good in my room though.
@g

to make friends at school every year. I figured out

mix is my protest. Ive been like, Get those fucking
If youre producing and playing some of how to become friends with people. I think thats
vocals loud. I want to hear every lyric.
the instruments, do you think about half of what we do. I think that being able to make
Hes learned all the techniques, too. the songs defining the textures and friends with a new band, and hopefully help them
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Thats the other thing about Mark. Im a dummy when it
comes to technical shit, but Marks all about it. Like the
dbx 165A [compressor] that I got on a whim, Mark
said, Oh, yeah, Ive been using those for years. I
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the sounds? have a really great musical and life experience, is
As soon as I hear music, I see it as colors, as shapes, or more the goal than making a hit record.
with certain amounts of warmth. I can see it before I can Its determined by other factors.
hear it. Its like, This needs to be well-rounded, or, That are totally out of your control. What you can

started using it on the bottom snare, which is great. I This needs tremolo guitar. So far its worked out for me. control are knobs, faders, and being a nice person. I
do a three-mic technique on the drums. I used to only People get obsessed with recording think its listening to music, as well as listening to
do a single overhead on a lot of the records that I equipment, but when I walk into a people and their ideas. Being open. I think, also, as
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recorded. Then I thought, I want some more boom-tat
on this shit. I said, What about a kick mic? I bought
one of those CAD Drum Mic Packs for $200. It sounds
awesome! It comes with seven mics.
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place like this I see instruments. much as you can, its [about] being egoless. I
Exactly. Really good instruments. I dont have a huge definitely have a certain sound, or you might have a
guitar collection, but the guitars I do have are fucking certain sound. But that comes from whatever
badass. Some of them are super shitty too. Ive got this information weve gotten. Our musical tastes. Youre

The studio feels so casual here.
Exactly. Id rather have this place, which is thoroughly
straight-up lived in. All these other places, nobodys
fucking living in there. They show up and clock in.
Where do you put your beer?
36/Tape Op#120/Mr. Swift/(Fin.)
[Fender] Squier fake Jaguar. Ive got a 63 [Fender] going to connect with that person, for the most
Mustang bass that I got from Dan. Ive got lots of old part, because of your record collection. r
keyboards. My next move is to get a proper [Hammond]
<richardswift.us>
B3. Thats why Im selling the Studer console. Mark
Neills going to get me two channels of Studer preamps.
I only need one or two channels of it.
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Lawrence Boo Mitchell
Royal Studios and Memphis
interview and portrait by Larry Crane
Famed producer, musician, and arranger Willie Mitchell became involved with Royal Studios (and the associated Hi Records) in Memphis, Tennessee,
in the early 60s. He took more control of the studio operations as time went on and, in the early 70s, his collaboration with singer Al Green led to millions
of albums sold, all of which cemented Willies reputation as a producer of note. These days his son, Lawrence Boo Mitchell, a musician, songwriter,
engineer, and producer in his own right, runs Royal Studios and co-owns Royal Records. He keeps the legacy alive, while also looking to the future.
Boos produced and/or engineered a wide range of acts including Melissa Etheridge, Solomon Burke, Al Green, Cody Chesnutt, Rod Stewart, John Mayer,
Snoop Dogg, Bobby Rush, William Bell, Keb Mo, Terrence Howard, and Boz Scaggs. I met up with Boo one evening at Royal Studios (currently celebrating
their 60th year) in the back control room to discuss his life in the studio. Later that night we went out to Beale Street, ran into Leroy Hodges at a club,
danced to a live cover version of Uptown Funk, and maybe had a few too many drinks. In other words, a pretty awesome night in Memphis.

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Royal Studios c Joey Miller

 Your dad was producing records as you grew up. What are your first
early memories of that?
I remember coming to the studio when I was real small. Probably four or five. Hed been
here since almost the beginning, since like 58 or 59. When Elvis Presley left Sun in 55,
Elvis bass player, Bill Black, was trying to do his own thing. There were another couple
of guys at Sun. One was the engineer Ray Harris, and the other was a producer, Quinton
Claunch. They were trying to do their own thing with Bill. They got the guy who owned
Poplar Tunes Record Shop, Joe Cuoghi, to buy this place [Royal]. Thats where Hi Records
comes from. Cuoghi owned all the jukeboxes in town. Any time you saw Elvis in a record
shop in the 50s, it was at Pop Tunes. Pop [Willie Mitchell] became probably the second
or third artist signed to Hi. Joe Cuoghi died in 70. He left in his will for my dad to take
over the operations of Hi Records. I was born in 71, so it was always his place to me.
The other owners were never here. I dont think they had offices here. They had offices
in Pop Tunes, and my dad even had offices in Pop Tunes. I started coming in when I was
like four or five, and Id really be after the Coke machine! But every time I came down
here, I always felt like there was something enchanted about it. I think by about the
time I was nine, I started coming down here with Pop on the weekends, spending my
summers down here watching him.

Al Green & Willie Mitchell

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Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 40)/Tape Op#120/39

 Were you helping? that Pop first bought us [Boo and Archie, Boos we had the 24-track tape machine by 87, but he put
Yeah, just whatever little simple tasks that a nine-year brother] a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder. By the it upstairs and said, Were going to need a bigger
old could do. Mostly just watching him. I played keys. time I was 17, he bought us a Fostex 8-track cassette. board. When we came back down here, thats when
It must have been 80 or something, and all the cool We thought we were slicker than goose shit. I got my hands on gear. I was here helping them build
Moogs were out, and the [Roland] Juno. I just Its like, Here you go. Heres a 4-track. the room out. I remember the whole process. Even
wanted to be in the studio all the time. Watching the Learn on your own. putting this board in. This board [MCI JH-536C] came
guys play, you know! Yeah. It was amazing. We started to cut all this music. from Compass Point Studios [Nassau, Bahamas]. I
Did Willie keep a pretty straight schedule Thats when I started working on my rap album, when think what sold my dad on the board was Randy
here, or was he doing late nights? I was 17, and when I started messing with the big Blevins [Blevins Audio], in Nashville, who said, Man,
Wed stop and get breakfast, get here around ten or boards and gear. We moved back here [to the rear they cut some Stones records on that board. My dad
eleven, and then stay until we got it done. He was control room] in 89. The last record we had cut was like, Yeah, I just did Keiths new record. Let me
always working; always doing something. He would go upstairs was Keith Richards Talk Is Cheap album. This check it out!
to other studios, too. He would kind of break bread. I place was bought in 56 and turned into a studio in Thats funny.
remember going to this place called Shoe Studios & 57. So from 57 to about 73, the main control room Even when they were installing the board, because the
Productions, over on Broad. It was Warren Wagners was here, with those big, green [Altec Lansing] Voice time transition was only months, Keith was calling my
studio. I remember going there as a kid, but I didnt of the Theatre speakers. The actual ones that he dad trying to get him to come master the record with
really know why until after my dad passed away. I got mixed all the Al Green songs on are back in the him. Pop said, Keith, man, I cant come! Im trying
this nice letter from Warren saying, Your dad cut this preproduction room by the bathroom. All of his to get my studio up. I told you, I cant come! I cant
Christmas album at my studio because we were having equipment was in here, the old 8-track decks and do this.
a hard time. Pop got some label who had given him a gear. Then, whenever quadrophonic came out, and Your dad was a producer. Was he an
deal to cut this Christmas record. He was like, Man, if 16-track, they moved the studio upstairs. engineer?
yall are struggling, Ill just cut it over there. Ive never been upstairs! Well have to go He was. He stopped the older he got. When he got
When he could have been here? Thats up there later. here, his first contract was with this company
pretty generous. All my memories were mostly from upstairs. called Home of the Blues Records in 59. Ruben
Yeah. He was just that type of dude. Were both studios running at the same Cherry owned it. The store was on Beale Street,
Were you playing in bands when you time? but they cut their records here. Ray Harris was
were young? Probably only for about a year. I think by 74 or 75 the engineer from Sun, and my dad never liked
No, I was just playing on my own. I think I probably everything had transitioned to being done up there, the way his records sounded. Ray told my dad,
wrote my first song when I was about 14. I started and this room was collecting dust. In 89, right after Black people cant touch the board.

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rapping when I was 16. That was around the time we cut that Keith record, gear was changing. I think Wow.

Boo & Willie Mitchell .c

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40/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 42)

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 Yeah. Pop was like, Okay, whatever He had left Exactly. Its just what you want at the time. All of that that I liked, as well as some rap. I made tracks too,
Home of the Blues, and Joe Cuoghi signed him to Hi design is his doing. He got it like he wanted it by 69, but I never really liked making tracks. If I was in the
Records. The first two Willie Mitchell records didnt when he perfected it. He had his all tube, 8-track mood, I would do one. But if somebody hired me to
have his picture on it. Ray and the other guy said, tape machine. I think [Al Greens] Tired of Being do one, I never really liked that, for some reason.
Well, you know, you cant put a black dude on there. Alone was the first record that has the perfected Your brother Archie was doing projects
Just put a nice white lady on it and everybody will sound. You can even listen to other Al Green records, in here too, right?
buy the record. like I Cant Get Next to You, and the sound is Yeah. He was making most of their tracks. We also had
Oh, yeah. Ive seen some of those covers. different. But when Tired of Being Alone comes on, William Brown. William Brown started engineering for
This A&R guy, Dickie Klein from New York, was the its like, Oh, shit! Thats it, right there. my dad in like 86, I think.
promotion man for London Records; the distributor Youre talking about an era when studios He had a long history with Stax, didnt he?
for Hi Records. He told them, If Willies picture is not and regions were known for a sound. Yeah. William was from The Mad Lads, and William
on the next record, Im not working another Hi Yeah. And most places were going the opposite engineered all The Bar-Kays hits of the 80s, like
Record. He was a really good friend of my dads. Hi direction. But Pop, everything he did even when he Freakshow on the Dance Floor. William was like this
Records had a Jumpin Gene Simmons Haunted would be working on a record, or producing it he wizard dude that had the 80s sounds down, as well
House single that was a million seller, and Dickie had wouldnt listen to the radio, because he didnt want as a little bit of the 70s, like cutting tape. When we
broken that record. So Dickie had a meeting with Joe to unconsciously steal. Thats where I learned most of started doing our rap music, William was engineering
Cuoghi. He was looking to Ray, Quinton, and others my engineering; from him. It was only when I got a lot of it. Wed do remixes on 1/4-inch, cutting tape
to tell him what to do with the record company, older and smart enough to say, Hey, how did you do up. William had a stroke at the beginning of 2001,
because he hadnt ever run a label before. It was like, that? When I first got into this, me and my brother and Pop still let him work for a few months, but it just
Okay, put Willies picture on the next record. In 59 Archie were doing rap. My brother was always of the got to where he couldnt really talk.
Bill Black had this record called Smokie, Part 2, mindset that we need the same gear that other He would have been an amazing
which was his biggest record. But it was a Willie studios have. There was this big argument about JBL interview.
Mitchell record. speakers and this board. Pop said, We dont need any Oh, my god. That dude had stories. My brother Archie
Oh, really? fucking JBL speakers. started engineering at the end of 2001. He became the
It was Pops record with Pops band; the record was so You can still make a good record! head engineer, and I was just doing most of the
good, and Bill was so big an artist that they put Bill Yeah. It was just a little argument and I was finally business. When Al Green got the deal with Blue Note
Blacks name on it. Pop was pissed, man! Joe Cuoghi thinking, Hes got more gold records than weve got. Records for I Cant Stop, I was the project manager;
said, Youre just ahead of your time. I think it was He knows what hes talking about. trying to figure out what union scale was, and all that.
sometime around 64 that Ray Harris sent somebody Youre young, and you have to rebel. That was a nice comeback. It gave Willie
a lot of acclaim too, because people

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to get something out of his car. The guy opens his Yeah. I had my rap career from 87 to about 93. Then we
trunk up, and theres this fucking KKK outfit in his opened a club on Beale Street; Willie Mitchells
trunk. One of the black musicians was walking by, saw Rhythm N Blues Club. I started out as busboy, then I
it, and knew. He was like, What the fuck? Pop had was a waiter, then I was a bouncer for most of the
.c
a meeting with Joe about Ray, like, What are we time, then I was a bartender, and then a manager. I
going to do about Ray? Joe said, I dont know. Pop was also getting people to come in and perform. We
replied, Let me buy him out. So Pop bought Ray did an Al Green concert, Bobby Rush, Johnnie Taylor,
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out. Pop told him, Ray, I learned a lot from you. Ray and Michael McDonald even sat in a couple of times.
said, Whats that? Pop said, Never cut a record like Is that venue still open?
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realized that was the combination of
these two guys that had made those
hits in the past.
Yeah. They really wrote some cool songs. I was there for
all of that. My dad had some health issues too,
around 2000. Hed been in and out of the hospital. I
always loved him and looked up to him, but me and
him started getting really cool around 99 or 2000. He

you cut it.
What not to do!
Yeah. The studio looks the way that it looks because
my dad never liked the way his records sounded. He
Its a Coyote Ugly now. I was at the club most of the
time, and then Id come to the studio after I would
get off at like three in the morning. I produced a
record on this Japanese artist and Pop ended up
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wasnt driving anymore; I would pick him up and take
him to work every day, and take him home at night.
They put out a Best of Willie Mitchell record, and I
was like, Damn, Pop has some dope-ass

would always complain and say, You cant tell the producing the rest of the guy. The guy liked a demo, instrumentals. Wed listen, and it would be songs
difference between a Willie Mitchell record and an or something I did, and wanted me to produce his hed even forgot about. I started picking his brain,
@g

Ace Cannon record. Once he got Ray out, he record, so I wrote one song. Then it got too big, and and asking about whos playing the solo. He said,
started experimenting with Bill Cantrell, the guy Pop ended up producing the rest of it. There are Oh, thats Fred Ford on that song. I said, Fred
who built probably most of the studios in Memphis. people like JVC [Records] calling, and I didnt know Ford? Really? Who wasnt in your band?
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They started experimenting with putting in
insulation and burlap until he got the sound he
wanted. You can listen to Willie Mitchell
instrumentals in order, and you can hear the sound
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what to do! When we got rid of the club in 98, and At some point, everybody!
I came back to the studio, but I was helping people Yeah. He was like my best friend. I just started asking him
copyright their songs. I thought I wanted to be a questions. By 2004, they had done another Al Green
lawyer for one split second of my life, so I started record called Everythings OK. It must have been in the

dialing into the Al Green sound. If you listen to reading up on all the music law, as well as trying to fall of 2004, they were trying to put the record out, but
Willies 20-75 [1964] and then Soul Serenade, find out about copyright law. I knew enough to be they wanted You Are So Beautiful and Blue Note
which was tracked in 67, you can hear the sound dangerous. I would help guys set up their publishing wanted it remixed. My brother had kind of disappeared.
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everythings getting quieter.
Drier and more focused. I always tell
people you can have a jazz number
playing in a room, and it sounds
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companies through BMI. I was kind of managing the He was off; I think he went out of town and didnt
studios. Like, Fuck, man, we dont have a logo? We really say anything. Pop didnt know that he had gone
should have a logo! Wed had Royal out on the on vacation, and he was sitting there pissed off at the
building since 1939, but this isnt Royal Theater. front desk. He goes, Man, we gotta remix this record

roomy and in a space, and then you Thats right, it comes from the former and your brothers on vacation! I said, Its not a big
can have Al Greens snare; this big, theater that was here! deal. I know how to engineer, and you have the best
thick, deep sound right in your face It started out as the Shamrock Theater in 1915, and ears, so why dont me and you go back there and mix
going thwoomp. Theyre both then, I think by 39, it became the Royal Theater and it? We went back here; I was scared shitless. Im like,
completely valid. stayed that. I would still produce some R&B projects What have I got myself into?
42/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 44)
 Eric Bent & Boo Dave Stewart & Boo

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Jeff Bhasker, Boo, & Mark Ronson RZA & Boo
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Bruno Mars & Boo Willie & Snoop Dogg

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Cody Dickinson, Lightin Malcolm, Boo & Robert Cray

Robert Plant, Boo, and Luther Dickinson
Now Ive got to do a good job.
This is an Al Green record! Blue Note loved it. From that
moment, it was the first time that wed actually worked
together. The other times would be me back here, mixing
somebodys project and everything sounded like shit. Id
go up front and get him, Pop, come back here. I dont
know what... Hed come back and turn two little knobs,
and it sounded like somebody pulled a blanket off the
mix. It always fascinated me. How did you do that? Id Thats insane. Craig mustve been
cut some rap, R&B, and gospel on the side, and he would
always bail my ass out. But this was the first time that
we actually sat down and did something together. From
that moment on, I became his head engineer. The next
thing we did was John Mayers Continuum. We didnt
have Pro Tools. Before this, Id wanted to master. I
looked to see what kind of PC could run Pro Tools. I
found something on a Pro Tools message board, and I
built a PC computer. I put Windows on it, and I had this
little MOTU 24 I/O that computer still runs now, with
a single core processor. So when John Mayer came in, I
recorded everything to tape and backed it up into
Windows. After that it was then Buddy Guy. Steve Jordan
was the producer on a lot of this, and they had Pop
doing horn arrangements. The Buddy Guy interaction
with my dad was hilarious. Don Smith? He passed away.
Wow, what a dude. Absolutely out of his mind, but he
was a genius. He was engineering Buddy Guy, and I was
assisting. So when it came time to do the horns, it was
like, Okay Boo, how do you do horns? Buddy and Pop
would be having this OG conversation. Two masters, who
have been through everything.
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44/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 46)
I can imagine.
So my friend, Craig Brewer, was working on this movie
called Hustle & Flow all during that time, and he came
by to say Hi to Buddy Guy. He and Buddy were
talking, and Buddy goes, Man, I havent been to a
movie since that movie about the... He goes, Hey,
Willie? Whats that movie about the fish? Then Pops
down the hall yelling, Jaws!
scratching his head.
Its like, What? What the fuck? In 2007 I was picking
Pops brain about everything I should have been
asking him 20 years before, when I was talking
about the JBL speakers. So Solomon Burke calls. The
last time I saw Solomon was during the Stax 50th
Anniversary Show at the Orpheum. I was dropping
off some checks from a session and I ended up being
trapped backstage with Solomon. I wasnt even
planning on going to the show. Wed talked about
him and Pop cutting, but Solomon was signed to
somebody, so it didnt happen. Then, in 2008, the
phone rings, and its Solomon. He said, Hey, Boo?
Man, were coming through there. Would you get
your dad and some musicians together? Were going
to cut some stuff. I said, Okay. Pop, Solomon
wants to come, but we dont have any songs. I just
called all these badass musicians, like Lester Snell
[keys], Steve Potts [drums], and Dave Smith [bass];
all these dudes. Im like, Man, just be here at six. I
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dont really know what were gonna do.
Oh, my god.
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Solomon came through, wrote some, and stayed a
couple of days. We got some cool songs out of it.
Then, after that initial little contact, they spent
about another month trying to figure out how to
come back and do it proper. Pop and Solomon went
in on the thing; we started cutting this amazing
record that ended up being basically my graduation
record. All the way up until then, even going back in
the day, I would always wonder, Man, what am I
going to do if something ever happens to Pop? What
if hes not here to bail my ass out? I wasnt
depending on him like a crutch, but he was my
cushion and my support. He could tell that Id always
be trying to do work that would be pleasing in his
eyes. It was during the mixing of that Solomon record
when he looked at me and said, Man, when youre
mixing, dont try to please me. Im the only
motherfucker in the world that can please me. You
cant please me. Youve got to please you. This
lightbulb went off. He was basically telling me,
Youve got to do what sounds good to you. Youve
got this. We mixed that record, like three or four
songs a day. I had never mixed anything that fast. At
that moment, I thought, Okay, I think I might be
able to do this. But I still wasnt sure. I wasnt so
worried about it after that. He was trying to get me
to trust myself. That was a profound moment in my
engineering career. You can what if anything. With
the snare drum, you could nitpick it, but at some
point you have to make a decision and trust yourself.
So true.
I always loved him
and looked up to
him, but me and him
started getting really
cool around 99 or
2000. He was like
my best friend. I
just started asking
him questions. I was
picking Pops brain
about everything I
should have been
asking him 20 years
before.
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 Boo & Willie mixing session
Then Pop broke his hip. We didnt even know it. We just
came in one day and he said, Man, I fell. I said,
Lets get you to the hospital. He said, No, man.
Just sit me up on the couch. That went on for a
couple of weeks until I said, Dude, you need to go
to the doctor. We went, but he had diabetes, and it
kind of snowballed. In the midst of all that, Rod
Stewart wanted some arrangements. Pops in a
about Martin Shore and this Take Me to the River film.
What he wanted to do was put older musicians with
younger musicians, and play music in Memphis and
the Mississippi Delta. He said, Boo, hes trying to do
the right thing. It just resonated. I met Martin, and
we hit it off instantly. He wasnt trying to screw
anybody over. All of his cards were on the table.
During that call with Cody, I said, Who do you want
Yeah. We got to do the strings, so I started to mic the
strings. Nikos going, What in the fuck are you
doing? I said, Im micing the strings! He just
shook his head and said, Okay. So they start
playing, and he said, Holy shit. He called Al Schmitt
and was like, Al, youre not going to believe this.
Whats different in your technique
here?
Its just mic placement and selection. Theres no Decca
Tree! Ive even altered my style lately to be more like
Pop, with one microphone on the strings. Even horns
too. During the William Brown era, music was getting
modern, and Pop wasnt using a lot of his OG
techniques that hed used in the 70s. He was letting
William do his thing. I had come from that, because
I learned a lot from William Brown, initially. The 80s
kind of engineering, where youre EQing everything
and all that, thats how I learned. It always sucked to
me. Then I had the little voice, Try it with no EQ! I
thought, Whoa, that sounds better! I used to try to
gate my tracks. I remember when Pop was saving my
ass on a mix one time. He said, Man, take all that
off the toms. You get some of your drum sound from
the tom mic. Youve got some snare in that. Thats
why all the gates are in the hallway, and theyve been
there since 2005.
Just put them away.
Yeah. What Ive learned on my own has been

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wheelchair, he wrote them, we cut them, and then he to produce it? Cody said, I want you to produce it.
went right back into the hospital. It all got worse So the next thing I know, Im recording William Bell,
after that. Kirk Whalum, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Rush, Frayser Boy,
Yeah. Sad days. Were people realizing Otis Clay, and Terrence Howard. That was 2012; a
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that you were able to take on the good, heavy year. I always say that Solomon Burke
reins, or was it kind of hard? opened the floodgates to Royal and blessed us.
No, it was hard. All you know is what you feel. I was Was Solomon Burkes Nothings
Impossible Willies final record?
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feeling like the word on the street was probably,
Willies done all this, but we dont know what the Yeah. From Al Greens last record, from about 2005,
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implementing what Pop did, as well as using his
methods and approach. How does it sound? Who
gives a shit if it looks wrong or is textbook wrong.
What does it sound like? What does it feel like?
Thats always so much more important.
He was like, Were not selling music. Were selling
feelings. Dont be caught up, like if some instrument
is out of tune, or there are some mistakes. How does
it make you feel? He said, If youve got a hit record,

fuck hes doing. Thats normal. I get that. times were weird for studios everywhere. There were you can cut it in the bathroom on a cassette.
He had a lot more years on you. a lot going out of business, and the economy was all Its enough.
Yeah. There were a few people, like this dude from Spain screwed up. When Solomon came in, people started Really. When I was working with Mark [Ronson, Tape Op
that wanted my dad to do this record. He said, Well, to want to come to Royal again. After Take me to the #105] doing the Uptown Funk vocal, we had Bruno
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me and you will do it. We did a record [Jus Blue] for River, next thing I was doing was Wu-Tang Clans [Mars] in the vocal booth, and all of us, like me,
this lady, Barbara Blue, whos been singing on Beale record [A Better Tomorrow], and then Boz Scaggs Kameron Whalum [his trombone player], Mark
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Street for 20-something years. She has a real big [Memphis]. Steve Jordan normally only did overdubs Ronson, [co-producer/writer] Jeff Bhasker, and [co-
voice. These people had talked to Pop about doing here, like horns, strings, keys, vocals, or whatever. writer] Philip Lawrence were all in here [the control
records, and they trusted me to do them. I was But Steve called and said, Were coming down there, room] jamming. Brunos like, I want to come in there
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working on Deering & Downs record [Out There and were going to track. with you. With Bobby Blue Bland, one of his last
Somewhere] during that time, but then Pop passed. Youve got to be ready. recordings we did with him on a [Shure SM]57 in here
The first real major break was Cody Dickinson [of He brought Niko [Bolas] with him. Every time I work with somebody telling him the word right before he
North Mississippi Allstars]. with some other badass dude, I think my engineering was supposed to sing it. Thats the only thing I could
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Oh, yeah. skills do like the Intel chip they split, and I become think of. He wants to do a vocal in the control room?
Pop had been passed away for about a year, and this was twice as good instantly. The only way youre going to SM57! It was five in the morning and Bruno had an
right at the end of 2011. Cody calls me, and he starts get better is to work with motherfuckers who are eight oclock flight. Weve got to get this. So he does
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telling me about this Take Me to the River project. If better. Niko was my confirmation. Niko and Steve a couple in here, kills it, and everybody is having fun.
you say the D-word, the documentary word in asked, How did Willie get the Al Green drum I just know theyre going to replace this track. I get
Memphis, you clear the room. All the major, older sound? It was funny, because I knew it, but I had a call a couple weeks later from Charles [Moniz],
musicians will just scatter, because there have been never done it. It was the first record where I was like, Brunos engineer, and hes like, Man, you know that
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so many documentaries made, and everybody got Damn, that works. A lot of people try to study it vocal we did in the control room on the 57? Were
fucked. Nobody got anything, and whoever made it Three mics, damn. So I started incorporating that. At keeping that. I said, What? Cheapest mic in the
got all the dough. Everybody had a bad taste in their Royal, textbook shit just doesnt work. building!
mouth about documentaries. So Codys telling me Because of the sound of the room? And it worked.

46/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 48)

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 That is what is going to get the performance. Youre
trying to capture the magic, man. Thats what was
needed to put him in the zone.
That record went nuts. Was Mark and
Jeff coming down here to work on
that with you a turning point for
revitalizing Royal too?
Yeah, that was another. Working with Steve Jordan on
the Boz Scaggs record, I was like, Oh, Im about to
implement some of this Willie/Al Green micing. My
drum sound went from okay to like a motherfucker,
overnight. I did Wu-Tang Clan after that, and they
sounded like they were using my rough mixes!
They keep it raw.
So that helped. All my recordings started sounding way
better, implementing a little bit of the OG micing. What are they all doing in the same room?
Uptown Funk, yeah, it changed my life. Its so weird And this Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Chabon,
how this happens. I had been going through a lot of
family shit, and those dudes came right when I was
feeling like, Im doing the best I can. Am I doing
something wrong? Its so ironic, because they came
through looking for singers, and I didnt really know
who they were. I knew their work, but when this
person was telling me about them, I didnt. I wasnt
catching the names. I was like, How do you spell
that? I was trying to Google them!
Someone mentioned Jeff Bhaskers name
to me the other day and I thought they
said Jeff Baxter. Not The Doobie Last minute?
Brothers guy!
I got called about the sessions, about them coming
through looking for singers. They came in and really
freaked out about the studio for about an hour. I
remember Mark coming in here and saying, Oh, I
know that desk! I have one of those! Your dad had
one of those, so I bought one. After they listened to
people sing, Mark said, Hey, I want to make my
album here. I had gotten their names right by that
time, and Googled them, and I was like, These guys
are two of the heaviest fucking dudes in the music
industry! Marks agent called the next day and said,
We want to come in for ten or eleven days. I already
had another session booked, and the guy had paid me
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48/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 50)
a deposit. It was a local, famous Memphis songwriter
and he had some guys coming in from out of town. I
didnt know what Mark was doing, but I had the
feeling like, I know this is going to change my life.
I dont know why. I had to call the Memphis dude and
say, Man, Ive got to move your session. He was
like, Ive got people coming. I said, I will give you
free studio time. Theres something about this
session; I know Ive got to do it. He ended up doing
it at another studio, and I gave him his deposit back.
Mark showed up a week later with Steve Jordan
[drums], Willie Weeks [bass], Emile Haynie [co-
writer], Kevin Parker [Tame Impala, Tape Op #95],
Homer Steinweiss [drums], and Trombone Shorty
[trumpet/trombone].
who insisted on walking the neighborhood. He said,
Oh, its a lovely neighborhood. I was at the Sons of
Light Motorcycle Club. Mark was so cool. About day
seven, Marks said, Hey, man; Ive got this song I
want Bruno to come here and record. Let me play it
for you. I said, Mars? He played the Uptown Funk
demo, and I was like, Oh, thats going to be pretty
cool. They flew Bruno in; the song wasnt even
finished being written. They had a verse and part of
the chorus, but they actually wrote the rest of the
song in the hallway here.
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Yeah. It was surreal. At four in the morning, theyre out
of booze, and its like, We need some booze. I go
and look in my dads office, and next to his Grammy
is a bottle of this small batch of Four Roses bourbon,
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signed by the master distiller. I just looked at it, and
it was another one of those moments thats like,
Damn, Im going to have to take one for the team.
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Im pouring it in Brunos cup, and he goes, Yeah,
Boo! Fill my cup! Put some liquor in it! About 30 For sure.
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minutes later that ended up in Uptown Funk. Bruno Thats what made me the most proud, and happy. Pop
was here for three days. They wrote another song
[Feel Right] with Mystikal while they were here, and
we tracked that. All the women in my family are
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Boo & Mark Ronson during
Bruno Mars sessions
Thats hilarious, man!
Yeah. Brunos playing drums on it.
What happened after that?
The record came out. I remember the first time I heard
it on the radio thinking, Damn, its too long. Theyre
not going to play it again. They hadnt edited it, at
that point. It was four and a half minutes, or
something. That was November, and by January, man!
I remember somebody emailing me and saying, Your
records number one. Then it started going nuts. I
looked it up; Memphis hadnt had a record on the
[Billboard] HOT100 number one since [Rick Dees]
Disco Duck.
Thats a weird fact.
Yeah. It started getting stupid: 12 weeks, 13 weeks in
the charts. All of a sudden people are calling me. Im
on magazines in Memphis. Then the whole Grammy
thing started happening. When the nominations
came up, I remember checking the website and I was
like, Theres my name. What does that mean? Am I
nominated? The night of the Grammys, Hal Lansky
[Lansky Bros.] hooked me up with clothes before I
went. He said, Youre going to the Grammys. Come
on! He used to do my dads clothes, as well as Elvis
and Al Green. I went and got Lanskyd up. I had all
my Lansky that I was going to wear, the jacket and
whatnot. I thought, I think Im going to wear my
dads leather jacket. From my childhood, that was a
jacket hed worn all the time when I was growing up.
Hed given it to me in 2007. I never wore it. I didnt
know if we were going on stage or not. I thought, I
dont work for any of these guys. I dont know what
yall are going to do, but if I hear Boo Mitchell, my
ass is going on stage. It was just an awesome
moment. I felt like it was a Willie Mitchell victory.
And I felt like it was kind of a Memphis victory, you
know what I mean?
fought all the people that talked shit about our little
studio and didnt think we could do anything
meaningful. In the 90s I used to be mad that people
werent calling my dad to work.
Just because someones not on the
charts at the moment doesnt mean
they dont have all the skills to help
you make records. Its a fickle
industry.
Yeah, exactly. Thats another cool thing about Mark. I
guess he grew up in a similar situation as me. He has
a lot of respect for the past, as well as older
musicians. Hed bring Carlos Alomar down here to do
a guitar part. Im like, Mark, your part here is dope.
Hed say, Nope, Im going to get Carlos to play.
[Guitarist] Teenie Hodges is on the album. That was
the last record Teenie played on. Im all about the
future, but if we still have these treasures its just
ridiculous to not have these guys. Like, Charles and
Leroy Hodges [keys and bass], from the Hi Rhythm
Section. They played on 26 gold and platinum records
in a row! That wasnt an accident! If you get them in
the studio, something is going to happen. I work with
some young musicians, but I dont do anything
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 without having one of those dudes present. Most of
the time its all of them, coming full circle to this
Melissa Etheridge record [Memphis Rock and Soul].
I was going to say, thats a great example
of this.
Royal control room c Joey Miller
Man, John Burke [co-producer] is just awesome, but
thats the first record with a major artist where
they let me pick all the players, as well as 100
percent of the engineering. Do your thing, you
know? Im like, Okay. If I was cutting it, then I
would get Charles Hodges, Leroy Hodges, Archie
Hubby Turner [keys]...
Man, thats a treat.
That record is my latest transition to, Hey, this is me.
You did all the engineering, and then
Vance Powell [Tape Op #82] mixed it?
Yeah, Vance mixed it. I think they might have
overdubbed some of Melissas vocals. John
Mayers playing guitar on a couple of tracks that
I didnt record.
Shes belting out soul songs on this
album.
She owns that stuff. She owns it. It alters your DNA, like evolution, which weve started, is to have a label. And it doesnt pay the bills when its
records should. Thats got some feeling. Shes got a Otherwise were just working for hire for everybody empty.
killer guitar sound. I went to private school, so I had else. All the great studios back in the day were just Yeah. Theres really no room for growth. People will
my dose of rock growing up. I would get AC/DC and merely arms of a record company. They were there to always come to this place for one reason or another.
Def Leppard from my friends. Then Id have my facilitate the need of the label. Hi Records needed It would be nice for a week, or five days out of each
cousins come over on the weekend, and wed listen somewhere to record. month, to just concentrate on what I want to do. But
to Rick James Street Songs. This is all the music I Sun Studios wasnt called Sun. It was were really blessed. Im getting a lot more calls to

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grew up listening to. Ive been trying to get the called Memphis Recording Services.
guitar sounds she gets, which is almost like an Angus Yeah. Staxs first record was recorded here. They werent
Young kind of thing. She came in and I was like, trying to get into the studio business. John Fry
Holy shit! Its the guitar sound Ive been trying to [Ardent Studios, Tape Op #58] probably was the only
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get for 20 years. dude [in Memphis] who was like, Okay, Im going to
What do you think it is? open a commercial recording studio. These places
Man, its the way she plays. were to facilitate the need of a record company.
One thing about Royal is that youve Thats what we see David Porter [Tape Op Then people always want to know, What do you think
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retained a lot of the original #118] doing right now.
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produce records. I like to engineer big projects, like
Mark Ronsons or something like that, but I really like
to produce. Im always giving it away for free, anyway.
When someone comes in, its just like, Okay, the
problem is the bass player. You need to alter your
bass line to match what the drummers playing.
Ive been there.
about it? Its like, Dude, youre not paying me for

equipment. The console and the tape And thats what Im doing. My sister, Oona Mitchell, and what I think about it. Engineering and producing,
deck are still here. I see theres Pro I just started Royal Records. You probably saw the the lines always get blurred. Sometimes when guys
Tools going on now. logo in the hallway. We need to be owning some are really asserting that theyre the producer, it pisses
Its in a flight case, just to let it know that its not intellectual property. If I book this place every day at
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me off a little bit. Its like, Dude, youre asking me

permanent. Ill just crate you up! X amount a day, theres still a cap. Therere only 365 what I think every five minutes. You aint producing
But is there a conscious thing for you to
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days in a year, and youre locked in. shit. And then theyre going, Oh, were going to
keep a lot of this? make sure that you get credit for engineering on it.
Yeah, its that, and I really like what the gear does. Im like, This is what youre supposed to do anyway.
Music sounds better. Even when Im recording Oh, yeah. Its interesting.
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synthesizers. On Uptown Funk I ran synthesizers Im really blessed to have a lot of people who want me
through a 1961 Altec mic pre. Its like somebody to produce their records, so Im getting to do what I
melted a huge stick of butter on it. All the harsh, want to do. I carefully pick and choose. I like all kinds
digital bullshit it just gets rid of it. Im all about
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of music. I even do some bluegrass.

what I said: tipping a hat to the past, and embracing Deering & Down might be something
the future. I use some plug-ins, but theyre mostly people wouldnt expect you to work
emulations of the past. Like if I run out of Pultec EQs. on stylistically, but theyve got songs
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Everything in your racks has been and a great singer.

emulated. Exactly. Ive always got one foot in the rap world, too.
Yeah. And the upstairs studio room is being completely My son is an artist, and I help him. He makes tracks
restored to its 1974 glory. The 8-track tape machine
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like he was born to do that. Ive been playing keys a

just had all the power supplies re-capped. lot more lately. I started out in that when I was 17
8-track 1-inch? I played keys on one of Al Greens gospel records. But
All tube. Yeah, man. You just run your tracks through it. only because he was going to use the bathroom Pop
Where do you see the studio heading? had bought me and my brother a synthesizer and
Theres a cap to the studio business, and our next logical
Royals Custom tube 8-track Ampex deck
50/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(continued on page 52) c Joey Miller
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 drums, and we were jamming out. Al says, Willie, let
the boys play on this next one. Were like, Shit!
Thats hilarious.
Ive been playing a lot of keyboards, piano, and Wurlitzer
on records. I really like doing horn arranging, and
strings too. I feel like my dad and Uncle James are just
whispering in my ear. All of this is becoming second
nature to me. Even on Melissas record. Its like, Lets
do this. Is that cool, John [Burk, co-producer]?
Johns like, Hell, yeah! As Pop used to say to me
back in the day, Youve got to hear that. Im like,
What do you mean, Pop?
To hear what could be added, or what
could be wrong?
Yeah, or just hear what could be added or should be there.
Thats the producer. Thats what I try for. Sometimes
you dont know exactly what it is all the time, but you
know it when you hear it, and you know what it aint!
Ive been working on a lot of records, man. My ears and
my arranging It used to scare me. Like, Oh, shit,
were doing a horn session. I hope I hear something.
Now its like, Bam.
You know where they should fit, and who
to call?
Yeah, thats ninety percent of it!
What kind of artists are you looking for
with Royal Records?
Nothing genre-specific. I want unique artists. Like if Im
going to have a country artist, I want them to be

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something a little bit different.
Have you found some artists lately youre
excited about working with?
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who went to Berklee. Im doing the development.
Sometimes things need tweaking.
Yeah.
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Even when Pop found Al Green, it took a couple of years
of developing. A lot of time the artists dont know who
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they are. You have to help them.

Find their strengths.
Help them find themselves, really. r
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Photos courtesy of Royal Studios except as noted.

<royalstudios.com>
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52/Tape Op#120/Mr. Mitchell/(Fin.)

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#120/53

 Jeremy Ferguson
Battle Tapes Recording
interview and photo by Zachary Gresham

Battle Tapes Recording has been at the
epicenter of left-of-Nashville rock and indie
music since 2003. Tristen, PUJOL, Forget
Cassettes, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires,
HeCTA, Turbo Fruits, and Lambchop have all
made records there in the last five years
alone. We sat down with owner/operator
Jeremy Ferguson in his beautiful tracking
building to talk about growing a professional-
caliber studio at home from a basement with
a Digi 001, to a 2-inch analog/digital facility
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home-pro it was a bit of an investment. They had 2-
inch tape machines; A Studer A820 or A827. I had gone
to Purdue University [in Indiana] for a couple of years.
When I was a kid, I was really into drawing and writing,
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so I went to Purdue thinking I was going to do
marketing, but I was also really getting into recording
at that time. It took me a couple of months to get used
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to the South, but there were all these venues, shows,
and bands, which was not like where I came from.
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Of course. It was all fundamental and helpful, especially
since up until that point I wouldnt have known
anything, except what Id read in a manual or
something. They had the technical side, and the
business side, and you had to take both. Like
copyright law and all those other things.
So you graduated in 2001 and got the
house in Nashville in 2003. In
between?

with a dedicated tracking space, to owning What year are we talking about? I stayed down there for a couple of years. I was
one of the first new Spectra Sonics [Tape Op
#103] console in 30 years. 98. Murfreesboro had already gone through the whole recording and doing other things. I was constantly
Self and Spongebath Records period, but it was trying to record bands. I continued to do things at
When did you get this house? getting ready to move into the next phase with a Alex in an assistant capacity, whenever they needed
m

March of 2003. I was moving up from Murfreesboro to bunch of other different bands. We had the Red Rose me, for about four or five years after that. The day I
@g

Nashville. I was looking for a house that had multiple
bedrooms. I wanted to have roommates that would
help pay the mortgage, and I was looking for a house
that had a recording space or a basement.
le
and a hundred venues. It was a really good time. A lot
of those bands were people who ended up moving to
Nashville. It was the whole DIY scene that really led
What was your personal rig when you
me to want to do the thing in the basement.
moved to Nashville, I was sick with a cold. I moved
all our stuff in and then had a session at Alex the next
morning tracking overdubs and mixing for a week.

Theres a lot to be said for a basement Murfreesboro is very unMusic Row in got into the house?
space. that way. I had Pro Tools and a Digi 001. I had a Mackie 1604-
I started off recording in garages in Indiana, because we When I interned at Alex the Great [Recording], the vibe VLZ. Those were my preamps and EQs. I had Mackie
pe

didnt have that many basements. I was comfortable with was this bohemian, converted house thing. I was able monitors, some [Shure SM]57s, and an old Radio
that kind of environment probably more comfortable to get in front of the computer, or get on the tape Shack PZM mic that I really liked. At some point I
with that than I was in a professional studio. machine, right off. I had to do a bunch of shit work got an AKG C1000 or C4000 mic, but I mostly used
You studied recording at Middle too, but it was never the focus. dynamics and the PZM, which was usually a room
um

Tennessee State University. What Did you luck out, or did you know you mic. Sometimes I would put it inside the bass drum.
kind of rooms did they have? wanted to work at Alex? Everything fit on one little portable desk, and I had
The first time I ever spent in a real, professional space was I had no idea. I didnt spend any time thinking a little rack that fit underneath that with my 001
st

at that school. It was set up more like a commercial about Nashville studios. My friend, Tony Read, and two pres. Tony Read played metal and hardcore;
studio of the day. They had three rooms back then.They had interned at Alex the semester before me, and we were roommates by then and kind of splitting
had an SSL in Room C, a Neotek in B, and I think they he introduced me to Brad Jones and Robin Eaton the gear. He ended up getting a couple of pres and
have an API Legacy in A now. The first Pro Tools class I [co-owners of Alex the Great]. a couple of mics, like some Oktavas. I had some
took was in the summer of 2001. I think the Digi 001 Did you learn much in recording school other roommates who played in bands. Everybody
was introduced around that time, but even for the that you still use? had day jobs, and we recorded on the weekends.
54/Tape Op#120/Mr. Ferguson/(continued on page 56)
st
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 Tony recorded a couple of hard things, as well as the first Justin Townes Earle EP
[Yuma], and I recorded the Apollo Up! records. I established Battle Tapes Recording
as an LLC in January 2002.
So you were making enough dough at your day job and
recording in the basement?
Ill look like an asshole saying it, but there werent that many people doing rock records
in Nashville then that I knew about. I knew Alex the Great would do some. Roger
Moutenot [Tape Op #20] was around, but he was doing mostly bigger records or more
established bands. Mark Nevers [Tape Op #21] was doing bigger records. I was in my
mid-twenties at that point and none of us had that kind of money. Then there was
Eli [Lij] Shaw, who worked at Alex the Great, but he didnt have his place [The Toy
Box] set up yet, so there really werent that many places. Joe McMahon was around.
Dean Bratcher was recording bands like Ole Mossy Face, and Eric McConnell had done
that Loretta Lynn record [Van Lear Rose] with Jack White [Tape Op #82] not too long
after I moved up here, but those guys were doing their own thing and I didnt really
know them. So I got a whole lot of different bands people I knew from parties or
shows. I was definitely way affordable, based on the fact that I had roommates who
could split things, so my overhead was fairly low.
How long did you stay on the Digi 001?
I was on the 001 for a while. I cant tell you when I switched to a Digi 002, but I had
the 002 all the way up until 2013, when I got a [Universal Audio] Apollo. I never had
an HD rig or TDM rig. I would either rent them or go to another studio like Alex the
Great when I needed those, which is what I did for any records that had budget like
the Forget Cassettes record [Salt]. We were there for two weeks. It was really cool for
them to have enough money to say, Lets go to a studio. Most bands recorded in
the basement, but whenever bands had budgets I always liked getting out.
Did you mix there?
No. We didnt even finish tracking completely. On the day before our last day in the
studio, we had a hard drive crash on us, so the next day and a half were spent trying

om
to recover that. Then, once we had it all secure, I think we did a couple more
overdubs at my place and we mixed it here. At the time, Salt was a bigger record for
me, even though I had done the Be Your Own Pet records. That was out on a bigger
label [XL Recordings]. I was just the engineer on that. Records like the Forget
.c
Cassettes record were more my productions. Steve McDonald of Redd Kross produced
Be Your Own Pet. Hes great.
Who asked you to do Be Your Own Pet?
l
The band did. They were doing demos at Alex the Great, but whenever Brad got things
that he wasnt interested in, or the money wasnt good enough, he would say, Hey
ai

Jeremy, you want to engineer this? Its some kids. I said, Sure. We did the demos,
they got signed to XL based on some of those, and then they said, You wanna make
a record?
That opened a lot of doors for you, right?
m

To some extent. It opened the door to what mid-aught label money was like. It was
interesting to see a label really throw money at something, because I havent seen it
@g

like that since. I think it opened more doors for me down the line, maybe five years
after the fact. Thats fine, because I remember thinking, I hope my whole thing isnt
going to be trashy garage music. I was doing plenty of projects like that, and I still
le

do plenty like that, but it wasnt the thing that turned me on. It was more, This is
fun, and I can make it sound cool. That was a peak example of what I was going for
when I started blown-out, in-the-red recordings. Be Your Own Pet is a more
unchained version. Forget Cassettes is a more thought-out version, where shit jumps
pe

out of the speakers at you. I imagined them in actual spaces, other than the
recording environment. It was like a rocking cave that wasnt too reverby.
Its been ten years since Be Your Own Pet, but you still get a lot
um

of teenage bands coming in to record.

I love working with young bands. Somebody will say, Hey, I listened to Be Your Own
Pet a lot when I was starting to play guitar. Now I have a band and I want to record
with you because you did those things. When I went to Brussels [Belgium], it was
st

based on the fact that Lucy Lucy! and the label [62TV] liked the Turbo Fruits records.
I was there for six weeks. I spent a lot of time finessing and editing, so I brought it
back here to finish things off because I ran out of time. I definitely enjoy working
with younger people and helping them sort it out, because thats where I came from.

56/Tape Op#120/Mr. Ferguson/

 Some of the best records Ive ever heard were made by people in their early 20s.
Your inhibitions are low; youre just making this interesting music that youre just
now figuring out. Pet Sounds, Talking Book, Innervisions, Highway 61 Revisited,
and Rubber Soul were made by young people. Not that old people cant make
great music; I just think older people end up with that scope of textures and
experience that lend to a broader picture, but it never has the energy and
excitement it has when youre young. If a band is young and plays well, its easy
to make them sound cool. You put up some microphones, press record, and make
sure theyre comfortable. Youre not dealing with the fact that their back hurts
and their bills are due. Im working with some bands that are still in high school,
but Im working with less really young bands at the moment. More because I need
to make more money now, since Ive got a kid. Getting married and having a kid
have been nice ways for me to stop giving shit away. Usually, if I got excited
about something, I would say, Lets just do it, and if I can make some money
off of it later, thats cool. And that has worked out sometimes. Ive been doing
the Hands Down Eugene records for my buddy, Matt Moody, for 12 years now.
Some of those have been released on labels, but, for the most part, they havent.
But I get to do what I want to do production-wise and enjoy myself, and Matt
gets to do what he wants to do, and he ends up with something he really likes.
Ive pretty much always done it on spec, but then he sold a commercial in 2010
and we both made pretty good money because I owned 50% of the master. It was
a handshake deal, but he was good on that.
And, in the meantime, youre covering overhead with paying
clients.
People ask me all the time, How do you go from recording things for free so that
you can actually get some work to charging the same people to make their next
thing? And I still have to negotiate that, to some extent. You have to be able to
say, If you like this enough, then youre going to have to pay for it. I have
overhead. I finally had to charge more if I wanted to get the kind of gear that

om
people were asking me to have. When they were saying, I really wish you had a
2-inch machine, that would be great, I needed to make enough money so that I
could get one. I got the Studer in early 2012. It was Dave Cobbs. He wanted to
get rid of it, and, just prior to that, he had Studer Steve Smith put on the last .c
new old stock Studer 16-track headstack left in the world. So it was literally the
last new 16-track thing made by Studer. I dont have a 24-track headstack at the
moment. Ive recorded on 2-inch, 24-track a number of times and I think its fine;
l
but 2-inch, 16-tracks is definitely the sound. That fat thing. That Studer was the
last big upgrade before we built out the room in 2013, and I also got the Apollo
ai

around that time.

There are a lot of ribbons mics here.
I use a lot of ribbons, for various reasons, but a ribbon mic into a tube pre is a really
nice thing to me. I dont mind going into the Spectra Sonics preamps either. They
m

sound great. But theres something about an electric guitar, a tube amp, a tube pre,
and a ribbon mic thats a really satisfying sound to me. But, then again, I used those
@g

[Electro-Voice] RE15s this weekend on the [Lee Bains] electrics and I really favored
them on the Peavey amps. They sound fantastic.
This tracking building was a garage, correct?
le

Yes. We put the beams in for structural and aesthetic reasons. We walled in everything,
including the spray foam and double drywall, floated the floors, and also used plank
floorboards so they can be sanded down a number of times. It was a big deal,
especially going from the basement. I found a way to make the basement sound
pe

bigger than it was; but getting out gave me the ability to open everything up, as far
as having vaulted ceilings and everything.
Its also pleasant for the bands to have a lovely building of
um

their own while they record.

There were a number of bands who I know for sure didnt come record with me
because they didnt want to record in the basement. If this is your job, you want
to make it as comfortable for the client as possible. If nothing else, its adding
st

equity to my house. I cant imagine this being a bad investment in Nashville. It

took a number of years to plan out the build, but once it got going it was fairly
fast. Kind of like the console.
Lets talk about the Spectra Sonics console.

Mr. Ferguson/(continued on page 58)/Tape Op#120/57

 Jeremys new Spectra Sonics console
I really lucked out on that in a number of ways, as far as
getting in on the first one, and being in on the
drafting table for the whole process. I knew I wanted
to get a console. I was having to go to other studios
whenever I wanted to mix on a nice desk. I had gone
to enough places like Blackbird to use theirs. I had
even gone to other peoples home studios to use
theirs. I had purchased a summing bus, the Shadow
Hills [The Equinox], thinking, Well, its a console in a
box! No faders, but whatever. But, at the same time,
mixing on a console, even if youre only summing,
theres the whole tactile thing where you can touch
things instead of just moving your mouse. You can
nudge it up a little bit, or sweeten it with some EQ
those are all things I really enjoy, and Id kind of
forgotten that I liked that experience so much. Plus I
had a number of clients who said, You know,
everythings awesome here. It would just be amazing
om
if you had a really nice console. I like the idea of
mixing being a performance. Its entertaining when
people say, I cant believe all the edits you just did
in Pro Tools! But I dont enjoy the fact that I can do
.c
that, I just can do it. I dont get a whole lot of
satisfaction out of the mixing process in the box and
doing automation. I enjoy the result, but the whole
l
process is [sighs]...
Data entry.
ai
Yeah. But whenever Im mixing on the console and
actually doing a live mix, even if Im just doing the
summing thing, it feels more like Im doing
m
something, and that has a more enjoyable energy.
When did you know you wanted to find a
@g
Spectra Sonics desk?
My ideal console at that time would have been a
Flickinger. I had some Flickinger EQs that I really liked.
But there were only a handful of those desks ever
le
made, so finding one would have been really difficult,
and then fixing it up would have been really
expensive. Im not that much of a tech guy, A
pe
Flickinger would be even more of a problem. Who
would you find to fix it, and where would you find the
parts? How many of their 535-7 cards did they make
in the first place? How many of their op amps exist?
um
But he [Daniel Flickinger] had originally worked for
Spectra Sonics, and the more research I did, the more
I realized there was a lot I really love that was done
st
on this gear. The Record Plant in New York had one, so
John Lennons Imagine was done on it. Records done
in Memphis were on Audiotronics consoles, which used
Spectra Sonics parts. Theres one in the Stax Museum,
which is actually the old Ardent Studios [Tape Op #58]
console. So Spectra had some of the sound that I
58/Tape Op#120/Mr. Ferguson/(Fin.)
enjoyed about Flickinger; certain records were made
on it, and it had this unique sound. I found a couple
of old Spectra Sonics EQs, a 500 and a 502, on eBay.
I got those and started talking to the Spectra Sonics
guys about a console. Its unique, in that its the first
theyve made since 1979 [see the Bill Cheney bonus
article in Tape Op #103]. It is a brand new layout,
based somewhat on the Helios layout, as far as the
tiered format. The other ones were mostly flat, if not
all flat. It is the first one to use (as a console) new
CineMag transformers on the outputs and Sowters on
the inputs, but all the inductors are new old stock.
Some of the consoles in the old days had ribbon
connectors, but this is more of a straight wire. At its
core its a [Spectra Sonics] 1024, which is kind of what
they had at Record Plant. Its pretty much the same
console, but they made it aesthetically a little bit
different with a few little things, like the transformers.
Dave Cobb had been talking with them for a long time.
I think hes got some 610 compressors. Dave liked
their gear, and Tchad Blake [Tape Op #16] says he uses
610 compressors, so there are all these people who
have been using their equipment for a long time and
trying to keep it secret, for the most part. When I was
talking about getting the Spectra EQs fixed up, my
friend, Travis Atkinson, told me they were going to
make consoles again. There were all these things like,
Console! Console! Console! coming up at the same
time, and it was all making sense: I can get what I like
about an old console, but have a warranty, and when
it shows up its probably going to be working fine. This
is as opposed to the horror stories Ive heard about
people getting old consoles that were supposedly
totally great, and then they get them and they say,
Oh, I just spent another $15,000 or $20,000 dollars.
I could not invest in a console that was then going to
require more money. Its interesting being in an
industry in which everything is so expensive. On my
end of things, being a freelance engineer and studio
owner, I try to have the kind of equipment and gear
that draws people in because they want something
thats cool. Heres this company that I think is really
cool, that makes amazing sounding equipment, and I
could have the first console theyve made in this many
years. Its a good selling point. r
Read the complete interview with Jeremy at <tapeop.com>.
<www.battletapes.com> <battletapes@gmail.com>
<@battletapes>
<Zachary Gresham is the founder of art music ensemble The
Mute Group. www.themutegroup.com @themutegroup>
 om
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#120/59


Focusrite
The Red Range is Focusrites latest series of audio interfaces,
currently comprised of the Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre. The former
has four built-in Red Evolution preamps, and a total I/O count
of 58 in and 64 out, divided across digital and analog channels.
The latter has eight preamps, and a total of 64 in, 64 out. Host
connectivity is through Thunderbolt or DigiLink Mini. (A Pro
Tools DigiLink I/O license is required for use with Pro
Tools | HD.) Dante Audio over Ethernet lets you connect the Red
Range to other networked devices or to a Dante-equipped host
computer. When I first read about the Red Range, I wondered
what compromises were made by Focusrite to fit all that
functionality into a 1RU-height chassis. Would it be difficult to
use? Would the sound quality suffer?
It just so happened that my colleague Neil Mclellan, who
was working in London on a production with The Prodigy, was
about to embark on a Dante-based studio build in Bali. Over
a Skype call, I proposed that he look at the new Red Range,
and Neil nonchalantly mentioned that the Focusrite London
office was just down the hall from his rented studio. A couple
of quick emails later, Neil had a Red 4Pre in his hands, and he
dove right into it. With Neil being clearly impressed with the
unit, I soon realized that I needed to try one myself. I asked
Focusrite to loan me a Red 8Pre. Over the course of a couple
months, Neil and I traded notes over email the narrative of
which is now represented in this review. AH
NM: Its beyond me how Focusrite managed to cram so
much into the Red 4Pre. The design and build quality is just
fantastic, and I really appreciate the layout on the front of the
unit. The color displays on the front are almost full height,
and you can read them from quite a ways away. There are
three displays, one each for input settings, metering, and
output settings. Depending on what youre adjusting, they
show you a mix of graphics and numbers that are all nice and
le
clear. Obviously, they had real recording engineers using these
things to inform them of what worked and what didnt.
AH: A good example is the default Preamp Overview screen
for the leftmost display. Anyone whos flown a plane or driven
pe
a race vehicle knows that rotary indicators are much easier to
see at a quick glance, and a quick glance at the Red 8Pre is all
it takes to see if your virtual level knobs and phantom-power
status are where they should be. The Red 4Pre and 8Pre are
um
remote-controllable, as well as fully recallable, so they dont
have dedicated analog potentiometers for things like input
gain. The combination of a well-designed color display and a
st
large pushbutton rotary encoder is the next best thing. The
encoder in conjunction with the left screen is used for other
settings as well 80 Hz HPF, polarity reversal,
mic/instrument/linelevel selection, and stereo linking. The
right screen shows you monitoring settings and levels, and it
too has its own rotary encoder to access functions like mute,
60/Tape Op#120/Gear Reviews/
dim, main output volume, and headphone volume. The middle
screen is dedicated to showing input meters (post-
conversion), eight channels at a time. Thankfully, the meters
are big enough to be seen from across the room, and you can
page through the channels using the righthand rotary
encoder.
NM: I really like the feel of the two encoders. Theyre quick
to use, but theyre also very precise. The buttons are just lovely
too. Theyre backlit, and they have an invisible texture to them,
as if theyre grippy, without looking grippy if you know what
I mean. And the power button is something the labcoat-
wearing folks at Focusrite got right; Im sure they must have
gotten feedback from real users. Unlike the devices in the
RedNet line, the Red 4Pre cant easily be knocked and turned
off, even if its in a rack at knee height. Ive heard more than
my fair share of horror stories of some poor bugger bringing a
recording to a halt with his knee. Once you push in the button
to turn on the Red 4Pre, the button remains recessed enough
that anything bigger than the end of your thumb cant push it
again to turn it off. Brilliant. With that said, I wish there were
meters for the individual output channels too. Theres a lot of
routing you can do inside the box, so its not always
immediately clear if one of the input meters youre seeing is
related at all to a particular output. Im told that a firmware
update that enables output metering is planned.
Speaking of channels and routing, its all very easily
handled by Focusrite Control the software application you
install on your Mac and the Dante networking is where this
unit really shines. Its massively flexible. In addition to using
the Red 4Pre with Pro Tools | HD, we also tried it connected
to the Ethernet port of one of our Macs, with Audinate Dante
om
Virtual Soundcard installed on the Mac. Its basically a
software layer that pretends to be a 64-channel Dante
interface, using the bog-standard network jack in lieu of a
.c
hardware PCIe card very keen and very easy to set up. If
your Mac doesnt have Thunderbolt or a Pro Tools | HD card,
this is the way to go.
Unfortunately, if you want to make adjustments to the
l
Red 4Pres internal routing, you have to use Focusrite Control
through a Thunderbolt connection. That wasnt an issue when
ai
I was recording with the Red 4Pre on my MacBook Pro laptop,
but some of the Pro Tools rigs we are using do not have
Thunderbolt. Fortunately, I could set up routing on my laptop,
but still use our Pro Tools rigs for the actual recording. Whats
m
nice is that the Red 4Pre retains its routings even if you turn
@g
it off and shuffle it between computers.
AH: I ran into the same issue, but in a different scenario.
My studio computer is a rackmount PC running Windows 10
Pro. Focusrite Control is only available for macOS, and the
Red 8Pres Thunderbolt connectivity is not Windows-
compatible anyway. So, when I wanted to use the Red 8Pre
with my studio PC, I first had to configure it with a borrowed
MacBook. With that said, the Red 8Pre ran fine connected to
my PC using Dante Virtual Soundcard, and needless to say, it
also worked flawlessly as the Thunderbolt audio interface for
the MacBook. I even strapped 16 additional channels of
conversion to the Red 8Pres ADAT ports. Moreover, Focusrite
iOS Control is an iPhone/iPad app that has an abbreviated set
of controls for remote controlling the Focusrite Control
application running on the Mac (which in turn is controlling
the Red 8Pre). Its a handy way for musicians to wirelessly
change their monitoring levels, or for engineers to tweak mic
preamp settings.
NM: Focusrite Control is easy to use and well laid out, but
I will add that it can get tedious to set up routing for a lot of
channels. I wish it had shortcuts like Pro Tools for assigning
a series of I/O channels at once (using multiselect and the
Option key, for example), instead of having to go through
dropdown menus individually. Once I had my channels set up,
and I connected the Red 4Pre using standard DigiLink Mini
cables to Pro Tools | HD, it was off to the races.
I first used the Red 4Pre as a monitor controller and
headphone amp for mixing. It has everything I needed, and
the headphone amp has loads of headroom and sounds nice
and clean. There are two independent headphone jacks that
you can configure with the same feed, or two different feeds
if you want one for yourself and one for the artist. I then did
some tracking through the Red 4Pres mic preamps, which also
sound nice and clean. Even at the highest gain settings,
theres really no noise to speak of. The Air setting is
something I love; it adds a top-end sheen in a similar manner
to the classic Focusrite ISA preamps that Ive used countless
times over the years. Instead of fussing with an outboard EQ,
I just turn on Air and tell the artist that were recording.
AH: Contrary to what I had assumed, the Air effect is 100%
analog. Internally, the Red Evolution preamp circuit includes
impedance switching at its input stage and a passive filter at
its output stage to implement the Air settings gently tilting
lift of the mids and highs. (The original Air effect in the ISA
preamps is transformer-based.) I love using the Air effect with
passive ribbon mics, especially on drum overheads. I find it
interesting that turning on Air will often have the side effect
of tightening up the low end, especially at high-gain settings.
Speaking more broadly, the Red Evolution preamps sound
fantastic, and as a whole, the Red 8Pre sounds unbelievable. Its
transient response, in particular, is exemplary better than
any other multitrack converter at my disposal. For example,
drums tracked through the Red 8Pre have punch and impact
that seems visceral. Piano has so much more depth than Ive
grown accustomed to hearing from my other converters. And
mixes with subtle percussive elements really come alive.
After hearing the result of my recordings, I put the Red 8Pre
on my test bench and ran measurements. Unlike all of my
other multichannel converters, the Red 8Pre exhibits zero pre-
ringing in its impulse response, and it presents no significant
aliasing artifacts (or IM distortion) at any of its sampling rates
up to 192 kHz even if it doesnt have the flattest amplitude
response, the highest SNR, or lowest THD. Apparently,
Focusrites design engineers knew where to focus their
resources in implementing a converter thats optimized for
actual music. To be honest, I was expecting the Red 8Pre to
sound great, given its price, but I certainly wasnt expecting
the difference in sound to be so apparent between it and my
other converters.
I also measured roundtrip latency (analog input to analog
output) via Thunderbolt, and here too I was impressed. In Pro
Tools on macOS at 44.1 kHz with a 32 word buffer, the delay
was 2.90 ms. At 96 kHz with a 64 buffer, 2.38 ms. In Cubase, I
was able to drop the delay down to 1.708 ms with a 32 word
buffer at 96 kHz (although curiously, the Red 8Pre driver
reported 1.697 ms latency in this instance). Sound travels at
roughly 1 ft per ms; therefore, a 2 ms delay is roughly equivalent
to listening to a source thats 2 ft away, which would mean an
electric guitarist monitoring through headphones would hear a
close-micd amplifier in the headphones before hearing the
sound traveling naturally through the air.
NM: One thing to keep in mind is that some of the
Red 4Pres analog I/O is on DB25 connectors. Other than four
XLR mic jacks and two TRS monitor outputs around back, there
are 1/4 instrument inputs and 1/4 TRS headphone jacks on
the front. For the rest of the analog channels, youll need
DB25 breakout snakes.
 AH: I very much prefer DB25s for multichannel I/O over
individual connectors. And I love how the eight mic inputs of
the Red 8Pre are on a single DB25 instead of individual XLRs,
because I was able to connect the Red 8Pre to my mic-level
patchbay in a matter of seconds. Same with the rest of the
I/O to my line-level patchbay. Moreover, if I were using the
Red 8Pre for remote recording, Id purchase a DB25-XLR rack
panel for connecting mics one that I could move to the
front or to the rear of the rack, or even to another rack, as
needed. Given how much I/O and routing capability is built
into the 1RU-height chassis, I strongly believe that DB25
connectors are the right choice.
With that said, I found it extremely frustrating that the line
input channels are divided up in standard banks of 18 and
916 across DB25s, while the outputs go 12 TRS, then 310
and 11-18 DB25. This means that if you have a DB25-
equipped patchbay and you use standard DB25 snakes, your
input and output channels wont line up vertically unless
you opt for custom-made cables. [Fortunately, Focusrite
Control 2.1.7, released after I wrote this, allows reassignment
of line-level I/O to address this very issue.] I also found it
mildly annoying that the analog input and output levels have
different calibrations, presumably to reduce the chance of
overloading the inputs during loopbacks. In Cubase, I can set
send/return levels individually for analog inserts, but that
functionality is missing in Pro Tools, which makes A/Bing
analog inserts difficult. For me, the odd channel-banking and
mismatched I/O calibration are the two lone defects in the
Red 8Pres otherwise ideal I/O.
NM: The DB25 channel assignments didnt bite my arse. I
was using DB25-XLR breakouts where necessary. If Im not
mixing on a full-sized desk, Im usually in-the-box, and I dont
often use analog inserts on individual channels in-the-box.
So, from where I stood, all of the analog I/O was easy to work
with, and very flexible. I will mention that I am very much
looking forward to Focusrite adding Ethernet-based remote
control and I/O mapping of the Red Range interfaces to the
RedNet Control application (versus Focusrite Control), for
systems that lack Thunderbolt or are too far away.
At the end of the day, the Red 4Pre does exactly what it
says on the tin, and its amazing with DigiLink, Thunderbolt,
and Dante making it one of the most flexible interfaces Ive
used. Its really future-proof. And the bottom line is that it
sounds great.
AH: We should also mention that the Softube Time &
Tone plug-in bundle, and the Focusrite Red 2 and 3 plug-in
suites come free with both Red Range devices. Plus,
registered owners of Focusrite hardware receive monthly
offers for free or heavily discounted plug-ins from the likes
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of FabFilter, Eventide, Sound Radix, iZotope, Softube, etc.
Theres a lot to love here with the Focusrite Red 4Pre and
Red 8Pre great user interface; impressive sound; solid
build; flexible I/O and routing; remote control; interfacing
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through DigiLink, Thunderbolt, and Dante; and access to
first-class plug-ins.
I think Neil said it best when he called the Red 4Pre
future-proof. In my opinion, Focusrite is making the most
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forward-looking recording interfaces available today. Even Pro
Tools | HD users tied to the past (whether they know it or not)
can take a step forward in time by investing in a Red Range
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interface one that will not only upgrade the sound of their
systems today, but will also allow effortless expansion in the
future. (Red 4Pre $2,499.99, Red 8Pre $3,499.99;
www.focusrite.com)
AH & Neil Mclellan <www.neilmclellan.rocks>
Kii Audio
Kii THREE active monitors &
Kii CONTROL monitor controller
This powered monitor incorporates the most impressive
speaker technology I have ever experienced. Its a real game
changer. The Kii THREEs dispersion pattern is cardioid, even at
the lower end of the frequency spectrum, where reflections
from nearby wall/floor/ceiling surfaces normally wreak havoc
to frequency and timedomain response. A single Kii THREE
utilizes six drivers and six built-in Class D amplifiers (1,500 W
total), while its enclosure remains compact enough so that a
pair of Kiis fits easily on top of a meter bridge or on stands
behind the desk. Advanced DSP algorithms do clever things
with the Kii THREEs array of drivers (some of which face to the blog is excellent too), Phil was a speaker design manager for
side and some to the rear) in order to focus the sound in front
of the speaker, while simultaneously optimizing the speakers
impulse response. My ears and my measurement mic confirm
how incredibly effective Kiis technology is. For me, listening
to the Kii THREE for the first time wasnt a case of it sounding
a little bit better (or different) than anything else. On the
contrary, it was a full-blown, holy-tmesis-cow moment.
Before we go on, take a seat, so I can tell you how much
this speaker costs $11,495 per pair. Now, let me explain
why this price might very well be reasonable once you
factor in potential savings in other areas of your budget. To
do that, lets start by talking first about the detrimental
effects of speaker-boundary interference.
Sound waves that emanate from speakers in an untreated
room will reflect off the rooms surfaces. When this happens,
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certain frequencies will be reinforced while other frequencies
will be attenuated when the direct and reflected waves
combine. The results are a frequency response with peaks and
deep valleys, and smearing of transients due to multipath-
.c
induced delays. The two most common solutions? Treat the
room to absorb reflections, and position the speakers to
minimize points of reflection. Thats why professionally
designed control rooms have carefully chosen
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dimensions/angles, strategically integrated acoustic
treatment, and soffit-mounted speakers. Many of us dont
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have the luxury of working in such rooms, so instead, we place
our speakers in a listening triangle, mount acoustic treatment
on our walls, and call it a day. Unfortunately, most
m
freestanding speakers radiate sound in an omnidirectional or
near-omni pattern at lower-midrange and bass frequencies;
@g
and these same frequencies are the most difficult to treat. This
means that lower-frequency waves are bouncing off more
surfaces, and therefore, monitoring accuracy suffers most in
the lows. Have you ever wondered why the lower-midrange
and bass elements of your mixes dont translate to other
rooms as well as other elements do? This could be why.
If youve never taken high-resolution acoustic
measurements of your room, set aside 10 minutes to try the
following exercise. Pull up your favorite signal-generator plug-
in and output a sine wave to one of your speakers. While
sitting at mix position, sweep the frequency of the sine wave
very slowly from 20500 Hz, and listen for changes in volume.
(You can even automate this sweep if you want to get fancy.)
Youll hear peaks and nulls resulting from room modes,
speaker-boundary interference, and even listener-boundary
interference. Now, move your speaker a couple of feet to
another position, and try it again. Fascinating, right? Unless
your room is perfectly treated, youll hear specific frequencies
drop so low in volume that they almost disappear. When you
move your speaker, some of those frequencies will change due
Gear Reviews/(continued on page 62)/Tape Op#120/61
to the quarter-wavelength distances to the walls changing.
When you do this test, note that the most problematic area of
the spectrum is down low, which again is where conventional
speakers radiate in all directions and boundary reflections are
hardest to mitigate.
That brings us back to the Kii THREE. This is the first
freestanding speaker that Ive heard that has a cardioid output
pattern that is wideband even down to 60 Hz, according
to my measurements. Additionally, Kii employs DSP-based
phase-response correction and a current-drive amplification
scheme to reduce intermodulation distortion. I first heard
about Kiis unique approach when I read a review in Sound On
Sound <www.soundonsound.com> authored by Phil Ward. In
addition to being a great writer professionally (his personal
several manufacturers so he knows his stuff. His analysis
of the Kii technology is definitely worth reading (and its now
freely available, even if you arent an SOS subscriber). Soon
after seeing Phils review, Grace Design [Tape Op #61]
contacted me, not only to tell me about their new distribution
partnership with Kii, but also to give me the opportunity to
demo the Kii THREE in my own studio. I quickly said, Yes!
When I set aside my HEDD Type 30 monitors [Tape Op #118]
and ADAM Sub12 subwoofer [#69] to listen to the Kii speakers
for the first time, I honestly said Whoa! out loud to myself.
The imaging I heard from the Kiis was almost as sharp and as
clear as what I would expect from headphones; except with
the Kiis, the soundstage was in front and around me not
just constrained to the space between my ears. Importantly,
there was still a sense of natural ambience (something thats
often lost to me when listening on headphones) because
there was still room reverberation to be heard except that
the reverb sounded tight and controlled. It was as if my room
had gotten the perfect virtual acoustic-treatment makeover,
and the speakers were no longer fighting the room.
Serendipitously, I was about to embark on a real makeover
of my room, so I had the opportunity to pull down most of
the acoustic treatment behind and to the sides of the
speakers. Pressure-based resonant-panel bass traps, velocity-
based traps, active bass traps, and broadband absorbers
covering over 200 sq ft of area were removed, leaving the
nearby walls, corners, and floor surfaces bare.
When I fired up the pair of Kii THREEs again, I was blown
away a second time. Incredibly, the speakers still sounded
amazing, despite being surrounded by untreated surfaces; and
the imaging was still beyond reproach better than Ive
heard from any other speakers in my treated room.
Importantly, the bass and lower-midrange response remained
surprisingly even too. I swapped in my HEDD Type 30 as well
as my PreSonus Sceptre S8 [Tape Op #99] speakers to confirm
that what I was hearing from the Kii THREE was indeed
something special. I also used this opportunity to take
comprehensive measurements with my CrossSpectrum Labs
calibrated mic [Tape Op #96].
Surrounded by untreated walls, the frequency responses
measured at mix position from the HEDD and PreSonus
speakers exhibited huge swings. At 72 Hz in particular, there
was a 30 dB null due to the quarter-wavelength cancellation
corresponding to a 4 ft distance between speaker and wall.
With the Kii speaker placed in the same position, the null
measured only 5 dB deep. In fact, the frequency response of
the Kii THREE, despite the untreated surfaces surrounding it,
deviated by at most 5 dB from 32 Hz to 30 kHz with far
less bass and lower-midrange resonance displayed in the
waterfall plots, compared to the other speakers. Anyone who
has spent time measuring in-room frequency responses would
 agree that a 5 dB reading is exemplary even in a fully
treated room, no less a partially treated one. This is real proof
that Kiis technology is effective not only in minimizing speaker-
boundary interference, but also in reducing the amount of
spurious bass energy in the room so even the adverse
frequency and timedomain effects of room modes and standing
waves are tempered.
I also looked at impulse and phase responses, and again, the
Kii THREE excelled. Of note is that Kiis phase-correction
processing adds 87 ms of delay according to my measurements,
which is far too much latency if youre monitoring through the
speakers while tracking. But you can toggle the phase-correction
off while keeping the speakers cardioid polar pattern active,
which reduces the delay to under 1 ms.
All this is not to say that the Kii THREE is a better speaker.
I still prefer the highs of my HEDD Type 30, and the Type 30s
low end is stronger and clearer too given well-treated
surroundings. I heard and measured less harmonic distortion in
the lows from the Type 30 versus the Kii THREE, particularly
below 60 Hz, and especially below 35 Hz. In fact, the Kii has
greater harmonic distortion from 300 Hz down, as well as a bit
more distortion at 13 kHz and up. But in my opinion, all that
isnt as consequential as the overall experience of listening to
the speaker in a room, where the Kiis unique design allows it to
perform with far less interference from the room. Therefore, you
www.colemanaudio.com
could easily make the case that the Kii THREEs overall accuracy
of reproduction is better due to significantly less speaker-room
interaction. Moreover, because youre pulling interference
specific to your room out of the mix, so to speak, you increase
the chances that mixes completed on Kiis will translate
successfully to other listening environments.
om
Now back to the Kii THREEs price $11,495 per pair and
why I think this number would fit well into some budgets. Even
without acoustic treatment behind and to the sides of the
speakers, the Kiis still provided a clearer image than my other
.c
speakers with treatment in place. The cost of that treatment?
About $6,000 total for the passive absorbers alone. With the
Kiis, I was also able to forgo my subwoofer, which I have
l
positioned in one corner of the room to specifically counteract
the speaker-room interaction of my stand-mounted monitors.
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Thats another $2,000. So, would that be a smart tradeoff
spending less on acoustic treatment and a subwoofer, so you can
spend more on Kiis? Well, I cant make that decision for you, but
in my case, the numbers add up very much in the Kii THREEs
m
favor a net cost of $3,500 for the pair. (I would challenge
you to find a $1,750 speaker or even a $6,000 one, for that
@g
matter that outperforms the Kii THREE in a real room.) Also,
if you have a room that cant take significant bass trapping or
has already reached the limits of acoustic treatment, then the
price of the Kiis may be justifiable.
le
At this point, if you are seriously considering a purchase of the
Kii THREE, let me quickly mention the optional Kii CONTROL,
which is a tabletop USB interface and monitor controller for the
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Kii speakers. It connects via a single standard UTP network cable
to the back panel of the first speaker, and then you daisy-chain
the second speaker. The manual recommends CAT5 or higher; and
a nice CAT6 cable is included, as is a USB 2.0 cable. Power to the
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Kii CONTROL is provided from the connected Kii THREE, so you
can forgo the USB connection, which is what I did during my
loan period. (At the time, the Kii CONTROL wasnt yet Windows
compatible. A Windows driver has since been posted on Kiis
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website.) The Kii CONTROL allows source selection between three
digital inputs on its rear (USB, S/PDIF coax, TOSLINK), and one
input on the back of the speakers (XLR digital or analog). It
also offers mute, dim, and speaker EQ functions using
62/Tape Op#120/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 64)
capacitive-touch buttons and an OLED display. A large rotary
encoder adjusts speaker volume. Plus, it lets you easily toggle
the aforementioned phase-correction processing without having
to reach behind the speaker.
At $1,595, the Kii CONTROL may initially seem expensive too,
but its price is half that of other reference monitor controllers.
Moreover, its USB input supports sample-rates up to 384 kHz
PCM, as well as DSD 64 and 128. (DSD 256 arrives soon in a
firmware update.) Theres also real value in its seamless
integration with the Kii THREE speakers, including lossless
volume control for all connected sources, as well as deep
parameter control.
Let me end this review by quoting Phil Ward: Well I could
honestly finish this review in one line simply by writing that the
Kii THREE is one of the finest speakers Ive ever heard and
undoubtedly the best Ive ever had the privilege and pleasure of
using in my own home. After playing around with the Kii
speakers in my studio, I took them home for a couple of days
and my conclusion matches Phils exactly.
(Kii THREE $11,495 per pair, Kii CONTROL $1,595;
www.kiiaudio.com; www.gracedesign.com) AH
Fostex
T40RPmk3 & T50RPmk3
headphones
Having worked (and played) in various recording studios since
the mid-80s, Ive seen (and worn) my share of Fostex
headphones. Along with AKG K240 and Sony MDR series models,
Fostex cans were everywhere in the 80s and 90s. I remember
two basic versions from back in the day. There was the
inexpensive T10 model, which didnt necessarily sound great;
but it was durable, comfortable, and loud. The T20 was nicer
more comfortable, better sounding, and with more isolation to
avoid spill into a vocal mic kind of a treat.
Fostex has never stopped refining its studio headphones, and
the RP series (RP stands for Regular Phase, referring to the
proprietary diaphragm design) has been running with the ball
admirably for four decades now. With a replaceable, lockable
cable system, the latest RPmk3 variants win my praise for
actually being user-serviceable, while many other brands of
headphones have to be sent in for repair, or often are just
trashed out of convenience. The RPmk3s newly-redesigned
earcups are super-comfortable I would actually use the word
luxurious. At least for my head and ears, there was just the
right amount of cushioning and snugness. These would be easy
to wear for an all-day session.
Sound-wise, the new RPmk3 cans, at 50 impedance, are
capable of significant volume (helpful for drummers struggling
to hear a click track, for example). I auditioned two of the three
RPmk3 models the T40RPmk3, which has closed-back earcups
that provide significant isolation, and the T50RPmk3, which is a
classic semi-open design. To me, both sounded quite good,
although perhaps a bit dark which can translate to non-
fatiguing of course. The T50RPmk3 seemed a bit more natural
sounding, while the T40RPmk3 provided a nice bass thump
perhaps the best bet for a drummer or bassist.
I was glad to check out these new twists on old classics and
could see picking up a few pairs for my studio. Because of the
slightly colored sound of the Fostex RPmk3 series, I prefer other
headphones for mixing reference. On the other hand, for
comfortable and efficient studio tracking and for headphones
I wont need to repair a few times a year my new go-to will
be the Fostex T40RPmk3 and T50RPmk3.
($159.99 each; www.fostexinternational.com)
Pete Weiss <www.weissy.com>
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#120/63

 NextDrive
Spectra mobile
headphone amp/DAC
In my recent review of the Audeze Deckard headphone amp/DAC
[Tape Op #119], I emphasized the value of high-quality monitoring
systems for laptops, iPhones, and other portable devices. An
enhanced mobile listening experience really makes a difference,
and its merits should not be ignored. What has become accepted
as listenable by the mainstream music consumer is downright
miserable, especially from free streaming accounts that deliver
low-bitrate MP3s. I admit, high-resolution audio is starting to
creep around the edges of the conversation and is being made
available as an option directly from artists as well as from services
like Bleep <www.bleep.com>. But that is only one side of the story.
If you have a great high-resolution file, its sure to sound better
than a 128 kbps MP3; but if your playback device is also mediocre,
so will be your listening experience. Most computer DACs are
okay at best, but they are nothing like we get to experience with
a good converter/interface in our studio environments, even on
the low end of the quality spectrum. Its a shame, because the
public really should have the pleasure of listening to music closer
to its intended fidelity.
Problem is, most standalone DACs are out of the price range
that the average listener is willing to spend. The aforementioned
Deckard is around $700. Although worth it, in my opinion, its an
unlikely purchase for those who are not heavily invested in hi-fi
listening or who simply lack the paper to burn. The Spectra DAC
from NextDrive may change that. At $149, the entry point for an
elevated listening experience is within reach.
om
The Spectra is a small and lightweight (17 g) unit thats not
much bigger than a 1/4 headphone adapter. Its available with
a USB Type A or Micro USB connector, and soon USB Type C, but
its compatible with a range of third-party USB-Lightning .c
adapters so you can use it with late-model iOS devices. You
simply plug one end into your computer, tablet, or phone; plug
headphones into the other end; and choose the Spectra as the
output from the appropriate sound settings panel of your
l
computer or mobile device. From its 1/8 output jack, the Spectra
was able to drive various earbuds, headphones, and even the
ai
Audeze LCD-3 and LCD-X planar-magnetics [Tape Op #113] in my
collection without issue.
Handling the Spectras conversion and amplification is the ESS
m
Sabre 9018Q2C chip, which is also found in many hi-fi units from
the likes of Krell, Weiss Engineering, Accuphase, and McIntosh. It
@g
has a claimed frequency response of 20 Hz 40 kHz, and it
supports playback bitrates up to 32-bit, 384 kHz. Software
installation is not required for macOS, but Windows users will need
to download and install a driver for high-resolution playback.
le
The most dramatic differences between the headphone outputs
of my MacBook Pro and the Spectra are an enhanced stereo image
and a touch more dimension from the Spectra. There is slightly
more clarity and robustness to the low end as well, and a sense
pe
of real space around the elements. Quick A/Bing between the
laptop and Spectra reveals improvements in the sound stage and
overall clarity, but where I feel the most noticeable gain is in the
um
length of time I can listen to digital files without fatigue.
I have noticed this effect when mixing on high-end DACs
versus older or cheaper DACs and the same holds true here.
The difference is of course even more apparent when listening to
st
full-resolution (FLAC, WAV) versus data-compressed files. For
engineers that tend to be more tuned-in to the technical aspects
of recordings, the Spectra makes the listening experience more
pleasurable by cleaning up a bit of the flotsam and jetsam (jitter)
that a lesser converter can suffer from. You know when your
windshield seems clean and you think you can see through it just
64/Tape Op#120/Gear Reviews/
fine, but when you rub a cloth on the inside, you notice that a
slight haze build-up is obscuring some of your view? Better
conversion is like that. It was all fine until you wiped the haze
away and realized, Oh, the window was a little dirty.
I can see the Spectra being a perfect solution for those
recording on the road or in small home studios, where super
high-end conversion is not an option due to concerns over price,
convenience, or mobility. With that said, if you are already the
user of a high-end DAC, the Spectra will probably not blow you
out of the water in terms of what you are accustomed to. On the
other hand, if youre looking for a better, portable listening
experience where performance far exceeds the price point
the Spectra DAC from NextDrive is a great place to start.
($149; www.nextdrive-spectra.io) GS
ElevationLab
The Anchor under-desk
headphone hanger
Elevation Lab is an industrial design firm based in Portland, OR,
that cant decide whether its name includes a space or not. It
makes the kinds of products that we wish were included with the
gear we purchased. From iPad and Apple Watch docks, to magnetic
chargers the company offers a portfolio of useful accessories for
many of the everyday electronic gadgets in our lives.
The Anchor (which is a better name than Upside-Down Rubber
T) is a hanger for two sets of headphones. Made from silicone
rubber molded over a steel core, it is designed to be stuck to the
underside of a desk using the included 3M adhesive pad. Elevation
Lab loves to mention it is the same adhesive used by GoPro. As if
most audio engineers we who avoid sunlight for years at a
time know what a GoPro is. Remember the Tape Op Conference
when we all went to Goth Night at the local bar? We were all paler
than the regulars and they were in makeup. Good times.
Halo effect aside, I had problems with the adhesives holding
power at first. Sticking to the underside of my Sterling Modular
workstation [Tape Op #72] shouldnt be a problem, but my Audio-
Technica ATH-M50 headphones [#63, #113] (which, for the record,
weigh 284 g, not including the cable) hit the deck twice on day one.
Boo! As I was cursing out Elevation Lab to myself, I got a timely
check-in email from the company (who had no idea I was reviewing
the product). Their email gives nice tips for removing the adhesive
down the line funny, because I just want the thing to stay in
place. I replied to their message, telling them about my problem,
but I have yet to hear back. Like most of my life problems, this was
most likely user error, so I devised my own solution.
First, make sure your location is clean, dry, and free of any oils
or surface treatments. (Steal some alcohol from the tape-machine
cleaning supplies, if you must.) Second, find a way to really press
The Anchor against the surface, hold it there, and count to ten. (If
you cant count that high, or if you forget your place easily, count
to four, four times.) Also, choose a location where you wont be
slamming your knee into the thing day-in-day-out.
I really like knowing where my headphones are, while keeping
them off the floor and not tangled on top of a rack, half hanging
on my chair, tossed in a drawer, or in where are those
headphones? land. The Anchor is one of those devices that
makes life easier for very little investment. Im probably getting
more of these hangers for engineer friends; its a thoughtful little
gift. ($11; www.elevationlab.com)
Garrett Haines <www.treelady.com>
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 Yueqing Towon (OEM)
USB Detector power meter
USB products are everywhere. macOS-based mastering
engineers have been dealing with external disc burners for many
years, ever since Apple decided internal units were pass. And it
seems everyone has clients who rely on thumb drives and those
small portable hard drives. All that moving around can wear out
cables and connectors. Before you declare a peripheral to be dead,
you might want to test its cable or port. One way to do that is
with a USB meter.
There are several inexpensive USB meters to be found, but I like
the USB Detector best, because its numeric displays are big, bright,
and easy to read, even with the units compact form. Voltage is
shown on a red LED panel with three 7-segment digits, while
amperage is simultaneously shown on a blue panel. The unit looks
like a thumb drive with a short USB tail growing out of it. Plug
the tail into the USB Type A port of your computer, hub, battery
pack, power brick, or whatever is supplying USB power; and then
plug whatever device is receiving power into one of the USB
Detectors two outputs. Output I is a power and data pass-through
port, while Output II blocks data but has the necessary resistance
between certain terminals to trigger fast-charging on some non-
compliant devices (e.g., Samsung Galaxy, Apple iPad). Moreover,
Output I correctly handles the Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0
protocol (aka Motorola TurboPower), allowing the connected
device to draw a maximum current of 3 A with a negotiated
voltage of 5, 9, or 12 V, dependent on the revision of the YB26VA
circuit board inside the USB Detector. There are at least two
revisions currently available for purchase from Amazon under many
different brand names (Drok, AboveTEK, Soondar, X-Dragon,
Vktech, Lazada, etc.). Revision 1.0 is speced for a maximum of
10 V, and Revision 1.3 for 15 V. Revision 1.3 also includes a
pushbutton that accesses additional readings (W, mAh, etc.).
Given its price, I wouldnt rely on the USB Detector for
scientific or detailed measurement work, but its accuracy is close
enough for cricket; and it is great for peace of mind to know if
a cable, port, or device is acting up. And since these issues only
happen when clients are present, having a way to quash the
problem is a stress reducer. ($613; www.amazon.com) Garrett
Haines <www.treelady.com>
Audio-Technica
AT8459 swivel mount for mic clips
The AT8459 is a product that encourages you to say, How
did I ever live without it? Its a compact, double-socket arm
with mic threads on the ball ends. After you screw on a mic
clip to the male-threaded end, and attach the female end to
a mic stand or boom, you can articulate your mic into
whatever angle you desire. Its amazing for aiming a snare
le
mic just perfectly, even if the mic stand is limited in
placement by the drums and hardware. I use it in
conjunction with a Primacoustic CrashGuard shield [Tape Op
pe
#80] surrounding my expensive condenser mics; without the
AT8459, its often impossible to move the shielded mics into
the desired positions. I also use the AT8459 with a large,
spring-mounted clamp thats big enough to attach to
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handrails and furniture. The spring clamp has a fixed mic
thread, so without the AT8459, I dont have much control
over mic angle. Durability wise, the AT8459 is bombproof. Its
all metal, with the only exception being the tough plastic of
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the turnhandle molded onto the metal center bolt. Once you
tighten that handle, the balls do not slip within their sockets.
Ive even used the AT8459 to hold various large-diaphragm
condensers without slippage. Every studio should have at
least one of these. ($69 MSRP www.audio-technica.com) AH
Brainworx
bx_subfilter plug-in
Four knobs, a three-position switch, and no bull! bx_subfilter is
touted as a simple but effective tool for tightening up bass
frequencies, and it is 100% free for all Plugin Alliance members.
Ive been drinking the Plugin Alliance Kool-Aid for almost two years
now. As an informed member, I downloaded my free version of
bx_subfilter back in April, while fighting a mix with a tricky kick
drum. Though the kick drum did bear a unique, big and open sound
on its own that worked well within the context of the drum set, in
the rest of the mix, its definition and punch disappeared. I tried
different combinations of compression and EQ processing. Filtering
and gating (yuck) were also attempted. Every time I thought I was
close, more tweaking ensued.
The day I installed bx_subfilter was the day I climbed out of the
rabbit hole. Dont yell at me for using presets theyre great
starting points for those of us that cant be bothered to read the
instructions. I began with a preset called 02 Bass Drum Tight,
adjusted a few settings, finished the record, and got some sleep. The
filter section in bx_subfilter appears to be a trimmed-down version
of the one in bx_subsynth. A modest control set includes a switch
for Resonance (Low, High, and Extreme); knobs for Tight Punch
(2090 Hz and off), Low End (10 dB), Gain In, and Gain Out; and
meters for In and Out as well. Tight Punch sets the frequency for the
resonant high-pass filter. Resonance selects the peak settings for
the high-pass filter. And Low End adds a fixed band-pass filter.
In addition to tightening up kick drums, I found bx_subfilter to be
super handy for sculpting bass guitar tracks and helpful in clearing up
muckiness when placed as an insert on a plate-reverb effects return.
While marketed as a great utility for tightening up your low end,
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bx_subfilter was also useful for beefing up thinner sources like a picked
electric bass or a clicky kick drum micd near the beater. EDM folks
will also find this plug-in to be a husky, additive, low-end
.c
enhancement and focusing weapon. I know Ill continue to discover
new applications as I get into more mix rumbles.
bx_subfilter is a tool youll definitely want in your arsenal. Its not
going to disentangle you from all your low-end predicaments, but
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youll know immediately if its appropriate for the task. Yes, when
you sign up to get this free incredible plug-in, you will get emails
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about other offers. But these offers are insanely good, and you
should be primed I purchased bx_boom for just $9 last year!
Another great tool from the brains at Brainworx. Go Plugin Alliance!
(Free download; www.plugin-alliance.com) SM <scottmcchane.com>
m
Opolar
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Model F511 USB fan
Opolar sells a variety of fans. The F511 is a 9 diameter, three-
blade desktop model with two speeds and a built-in stand. It can
be useful in remote-recording situations or anywhere you have
200600 mA of current available from a USB Type A port. (I mention
this because most USB hubs have an output limit, and on low
speed, the F511 pulls about 200 mA. On high, about 600 mA.) The
fan is driven by a 5 V brushless motor and is advertised as being
whisper quiet. On low, it is virtually silent. I purchased two units
for my mastering desk, placing one at the bottom of the gear bays
to direct cool air up through the rack. The built-in stand features
rubber anti-vibration feet and allows 360 rotation of the cage.
During an on-location test, I was able to power the fan via my
laptop just fine (but I could have taken along a USB battery pack
or USB power brick for the fan). The slow speed kept the gear cool
and did not contribute any ambient noise to the recording. If the 9
fan is too large for your application, the company also sells several
smaller models. Just remember, youll need to supply the USB power;
but these days, that shouldnt be an issue. ($22; www.opolar.com)
Garrett Haines <www.treelady.com>
Gear Reviews/(continued on page 66)/Tape Op#120/65
 SE Electronics
guitaRF Reflexion Filter
When sE Electronics invented the trademarked
Reflexion Filter [Tape Op #56] in 2006, I recall many
engineers in our industry thinking it was a
groundbreaking product, while others were skeptical.
Since then, the basic premise of the Reflexion, a curved
acoustic barrier that surrounds the rear of a mic to
attenuate sound waves approaching the mic from the rear
and sides, has been copied by countless manufacturers.
Why? Because the concept can actually work well to
reduce bleed and control room ambience. These days,
youll find a whole range of these kinds of filters from
simple, barely effective ones that are made only of low-
density foam, to the impressive, multilayered systems in
SEs growing Reflexion line. One of my favorites is the sE
Electronics guitaRF, a filter specially designed for
recording guitar amps, but incredibly useful in so many
other situations. The guitaRF is compact about 8 tall,
10.5 wide, and 4 deep. Its made primarily of 1.25 I decided to go upscale, and I bought a Panduit GTS-E
thick acoustic foam inside a vented, molded plastic shell,
with what looks like a fiber membrane in between. A
flexible rubber opening thats offset by 1.5 from center
allows you to push a front-address mic, like a Shure
SM57, part way through the back of the guitaRF into the
acoustically treated volume in front. Additionally, theres
a bracket with variable drop and depth that you can use
to hang a side-address mic, like a Royer R-121 ribbon mic
[#19] or even a large-diaphragm condenser. The whole
assembly mounts onto an included stand that has a base
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uniquely shaped to fit underneath a guitar amp, which
assures that even the heaviest of mics wont hit the floor.
You can also mount the system onto a mic stand or boom.
So far, Ive used the guitaRF to mic amps using the
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included stand, brass instruments using a straight stand,
and live-tracked vocalists using a large boom. Ive even
used it sideways to reduce cymbal bleed in a kick drum
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mic, and vocal bleed in an acoustic guitar mic. Being the
gear geek, I took measurements to see how effective the
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guitaRF actually is. As you would expect, attenuation is
greatest at high frequencies. From 4 kHz on up, the
guitaRF blocks at least 12 dB. In the midrange, from
150 Hz to 1 kHz, there is 2 dB reduction not amazing,
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but still useful. Surprisingly, the guitaRF is actually quite
effective in the lows, blocking 47 dB below 70 Hz,
@g
depending on the depth of the mic. What I like best
about the guitaRF is that its often the perfect
compromise it reduces bleed and room ambience to a
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lesser degree than its bigger Reflexion siblings, but it
doesnt block sight lines or take up too much space.
($99; www.seelectronics.com) AH
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Tape Op Subscriptions
are FREE! Print & PDF.
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bonus/archived
reviews online!
66/Tape Op#120/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 68)
Gear Geeking w/ Andy
Years ago, I reviewed the Eclipse Tools 900-005 Cable Tie Gun
[Tape Op #29]. If youve ever used a tool like this to tension
and cut cable ties, youll never go back to using your fingers
and a set of diagonals (or pliers) to perform the same job.
A cable tie gun is essential for bundling together wires, and
for attaching those wire bundles, as well as wall warts and
other items, to racks, power strips, and other mounting
points. Last year, I looked for replacement cutting blades for
my well-worn Eclipse guns, but I couldnt find a supplier. So
I purchased a new gun for just $4.99 from my local Micro
Center a price far lower than the $19.99 I paid for one
from the same store 15 years before. The new gun looked
just like my old ones, but it was built to a much lower
quality level; the moving parts had tons of slop, and
subsequently, the tools performance was very inconsistent.
I did some research online and discovered that reviews for
the Eclipse tool (and its countless lookalikes) mirrored my
experiences with the one I had just purchased. Therefore,
<www.panduit.com> for $150. The GTS-E is the newest in
Panduits line of cable tie tools, and its standout feature is
less kickback. If youre a professional wire installer using
this tool thousands of times a day, youll appreciate the
reduced chance of injury from repetitive impact shock.
The rest of us will extol the perfect cuts the tool makes
every time, due to its greater stability as the trigger snaps
and releases the cutting blade. The GTS-E is bigger than the
Eclipse gun, but its also lighter, and its barrel nose is
thinner, with a clearer view of its tensioning jaws; therefore,
I can position and tension ties more accurately with it.
Plus, its tension setting is far easier to change. And unlike
the equally expensive Ty-Rap tools from Thomas & Betts
(the company that invented the cable tie), the GTS-E
doesnt seem to have any issues with ties inserted upside-
down into its head. Speaking of tools, I like to keep my
mics in the drawers of tool cabinets, the kind that you see
in auto repair shops. In my studio, I have cheap, generic,
multi-drawered cabinets that I bought online years ago,
but in my garage, I have Home Depot Husky
<www.homedepot> chests. The tack-welded Huskys arent
crazy expensive like the fully-welded ones from Proto and
other companies serving the aviation market, but the
affordable Huskys are still solid, and their full-extension,
ball-bearing drawer-slides operate better than the friction
ones in my generic chests. I find that these kinds of tool
cabinets are ideal for holding mics; you can roll the chests
around, multiple drawer heights are available, and a single
key will lock all their drawers. Plus, the selection of
aftermarket organizers and liners for the near-standard
drawer depths and heights seems endless. In this regard,
I recommend products designed for kitchen use that wont
secrete or off-gas any chemicals that could damage delicate
mic capsules. My favorite are silverware trays and drawer
organizers from Madesmart <www.madesmart>. These are
made of just-flexible-enough plastic that seems
unbreakable, with semi-soft, in-molded rubber liners. When
I place my mics (with their clips attached) inside these trays
and organizers, the mics stay in place, even when I roll my
tool cabinets across door thresholds. For my larger tube
mics, I sized and placed non-slip, kitchen shelf liners along
the bottoms of the taller drawers. Resting on the liners, the
heavy mics and shockmounts stay put, and they dont bump
into each other when I roll the cabinets. AH
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#120/67

 Audio-Technica
AT8470 & AT8456a
Quiet-Flex mic clips
AT8471 isolation mic clip
While organizing my mic cabinets recently, I decided to
replace some of the crappy plastic mic clips that Ive
collected over the years. Some of the cheap clips I
bought separately, some came with low-cost mics, while
others came with expensive Sennheiser, Neumann, and
AKG mics. And some mics, like my Gefell condensers and
Royer ribbons, never came with clips to begin with. The
ones included with my Audio-Technica mics were by far
the best engineered and most durable, so without
hesitation, I ordered more Audio-Technica clips to
supplement the ones already in my collection. Three of
the models I ordered multiples of, because I feel they are
studio and stage essentials: the AT8470 and AT8456a
from the trademarked Quiet-Flex series, and the AT8471
isolation clip. The two Quiet-Flex ones are designed to
hold standard vocal mics and wireless vocal mics,
respectively, but I use the smaller AT8470 with my Royer
and Beyerdynamic ribbons, Groove Tubes medium-
diaphragm condensers, AKG condensers both small and
large, and of course, handheld-style dynamics from
various manufacturers. The AT8456a is great for bigger-
barreled mics, including my AKG C 1000S and even my
1.5 diameter SE Electronics R-1 ribbon. Quiet-Flex refers
to the rubbery wings that grab the mic. The material is
flexible, and it doesnt make much noise when you attach
or detach a mic whether you slide the mic in from its
rear, or push the mic through the opening of the wings.
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The material also provides just the right amount of
clamping friction, and its unbreakable. The AT8471 is a
different, unique design, in that it utilizes a thumbscrew
to clamp itself fully around the barrel of a mic. The
material of the clamp is dense and flexible enough to
provide some mechanical damping and isolation. I
purchased a bunch of AT8471s for my many ~ 21mm
diameter condensers from Gefell, AKG, Neumann, and
Oktava. Another unique feature of the AT8471 is a
turnhandle for the pitch angle. Most compact mic clips
require a coin (or the back of key) to adjust clutch
tension. The AT8471 requires just your own fingers
awesome. All of Audio-Technicas mic clips utilize a brass
insert for the threads, so you dont have to worry about
undue wear or cross-threading. If youre frustrated with
the cheap mic clips that came with your mics, or you
need replacements for missing clips, Audio-Technica gets
my top recommendation. (AT8470 $22 MSRP, AT8456a
$26, AT8471 $29; www.audio-technica.com) AH
Guillaume Gte
DiskMaker X macOS boot disk
creator
In my opinion, macOS 10.8.5 running Pro Tools 10.x is
stable and rock solid. Some of us put off inevitability to
maintain productivity, but eventually progress (be it for
our own benefit or not) will move us forward... or our older
hardware will fail. For the time being, Im gambling that a
brand-new Mac might just as easily fail as a used one might.
In a desperate last ditch effort to steal time from progress,
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I recently purchased a refurbished, downgradeable Mac Mini
with a faster processor and more RAM than a new Mac Mini
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that would have cost me twice the price. If you think Im
being cheap, try to remember how much we generally get
paid for our work, and understand that Id prefer spending
my money on mics, not Macs.
Downgrading to an earlier version of macOS isnt a simple
thing for the layperson, but the basic requirement is that
you need to create a bootable installer from a macOS image
file. If youre familiar with the Teminal application, you can
use the createinstallmedia command to generate a boot
disk. Disk Creator <macdaddy.io/install-disk-creator> and
the standard Apple-provided Disk Utility application can also
be used. MacWorld <www.macworld.com> has published
easy-to-use step-by-step tutorials, one of which turned me
on to DiskMaker X. This application simply finds the original
installer on your computer, then creates a bootable installer
on most any external drive (USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt),
8 GB or larger. DiskMaker X is available in Lion, Mountain
Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, and Sierra macOS
versions. I created a handy Mountain Lion boot disk on a
USB thumb drive to downgrade the aforementioned Mac Mini
from Yosemite.
Whether you want to restore your Mac to factory settings
or downgrade to an earlier macOS version like me, there are
many advantages to creating a bootable installer drive. My
rule is this: make sure you backup everything before you
install anything. Things should go smoothly if you do a little
research and read the instructions. You might also throw a
few bucks to Guillaume for saving you some time.
(Donationware; diskmakerx.com)
SM <www.scottmcchane.com>
 JOTO
Cable management sleeve
The landlord of our new studio location really likes
organized racks and cables. His control room looks like a
server farm installed by IBM. Cables are loomed, labeled, and
cut to length. No excess clutter can be found. But I come
from the school of thought that anything behind the rack is
fair game. Thats where the sausage is made, and it is
nobodys business. Leave extra connectors hanging to test
review gear for Tape Op? Do it. Want a MIDI octopus for that
EDM side project? Whatever. I have records to finish, and I
dont have time to make this look like a showroom. Its a
working studio, FFS!
Recently weve had a bunch of visitors corporate
people, movie producers, business investors, professionals
from other sectors, and decision makers from trusts,
organizations, and institutions. Maybe even an orthodontist
or two. And you know what? Few of them have ever been in
a real recording studio, so when they see a mess of cables,
do you know what they think? That youre a busy stud? No!
They think youre a slob who cant manage your workspace
and are unworthy of their business.
So, I started cleaning up my rats nest. Lookie here! I
found several expensive IEC cables that powered... nothing.
Numerous pairs of expensive XLR cables hid a punch-down
tool that we had thought was lost forever. Two lacrosse
balls, and a fire extinguisher also chimed in, Present! In
short Im trying to clean up the cable runs.
Once you get the cables running in groups, you want to
keep them bundled. This reduces strain, decreases the
chance someone will trip, and improves the look. When
covered in a black sleeve, cables almost disappear from plain
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sight. Like many readers, I grew up with those plastic tube,
split down the middle, cable organizer things. Theyre cheap,
flexible, and allow cables to enter and exit freely. However,
they tend to crack over time, cut the snot out of your
fingers, and never stay straight on floor runs.
JOTO makes a nice alternative a stretchable neoprene
sleeve in your choice of 19 or 40 lengths, and beige or
black colors. A sturdy zipper runs the length of the sleeve.
Lay it flat, put cables in, wrap the sleeve around, and zip.
You end up with a nice wire-burrito. The tube will lay
straight and flat, or as curved as you want it to be. The
neoprene itself is very flexible while still offering strain
relief. Once zipped, the outer diameter is about 1.2,
although the neoprene can expand. When I couldnt fit all
my cables in one, I was about to see if JOTO made wider
models. But then it hit me just zip two or more sleeves
to each other! Connect the male side of the zipper from one
sleeve to the female side of the next sleeve, and so on. The
one downside is that you cant branch off a cable from the
main trunk without poking a permanent hole in the
neoprene. But then again, if you cut a small slice into black
neoprene and decide later not to utilize that opening, youll
probably never see the cut unless youre intentionally
looking for it.
While my rack doesnt look like the wiring harness inside
a modern attack helicopter, it is vastly more organized than
my previous setups. Having a flexible cable sleeve like the
JOTO is the final touch to keep things together. It reduces
the risk of accidents and increases the likelihood that cable
runs will stay organized. Very recommended.
($14.99 for 19 4-pack, $14.99 for 40 2-pack;
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www.amazon.com)
Garrett Haines <www.treelady.com>
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@g
 Artnovion with iffy acoustics. I told her that I was most interested in the
companys bass traps, because bass trapping is the most difficult type
Komodo W Bass Trap 2.0 of acoustic treatment to get right; and I wanted to run my own tests
Eiger Tunable Bass Trap to determine if the traps perform as well as they look. A few weeks
after the show, I sent Kat dimensions and photos of my control room,
Fixart Tube mounting rails and she promptly sent back an analysis report describing the
When the music-recording market made a shift towards
calculated problem areas, with recommendations from the Artnovion
project studios and converted spaces, many of us had to
team for specific bass traps as well as placement options for the traps.
suffer through years of crappy sounding rooms. I have
I followed the recommendations and ordered eight Komodo W Bass
countless memories of working in studios that lacked
Trap 2.0 panels and six Eiger Tunable Bass Trap corner traps.
acoustic treatment, while sitting behind the console cursing
The Komodo is a pressure and velocity-based panel trap adorned
at the difficulty of making production decisions because
with a beautiful, furniture-grade wood face featuring a pleasing
everything sounded terrible. Luckily, this period only lasted a
pattern of drilled holes. A single Komodo 2.0 is just under 4 ft 2 ft
decade or so for me, because the various recording magazines
in size and 2.25 deep. Behind the wood face is a multilayered, low-
and online communities eventually got the word out that
frequency absorber consisting of a microperforated front membrane,
acoustic treatment is a necessity, not a luxury. These days,
air space, high-density foam damping material, and an MDF rear
there are dozens of manufacturers fulfilling that necessity
membrane. Its designed to be mounted flat against the wall, side-
with ready-made absorbers, diffusors, and bass traps.
by-side with more Komodo panels or any other panels from
Chances are, any studio you walk into will have a bunch of
Artnovions extensive line, for that matter. Mounting is with Fixart
fabric-covered panels hanging on the walls. With that said,
Tube, an ingenious rail system that you lay out and attach to the
there are very few off-the-shelf acoustical products that go
walls (or ceiling); and matching clips are screwed to the back of the
beyond necessity. For the most part, acoustic treatment looks
panels. Once thats completed, the panels are simply pushed onto
all the same to me. Thats why I was immensely intrigued
the rails. Because the rail system allows for some adjustment in two
when I was first shown the Artnovion catalog. From my
dimensions (horizontal and vertical for wall mounting), the eight
perspective, Artnovion is as much a high-end acoustical
panels I placed across three adjacent walls lined up perfectly on the
furniture company as it is an acoustics company, and their
first try with submillimeter accuracy.
product line has the look and feel of luxury.
The Eiger is a multi-cavity, multi-membrane, pressure/velocity
At the NAMM Show earlier this year, I met Kat Ourlian,
absorber and Helmholtz resonator designed to be glued into 90
the U.S. representative for the Portuguese company
corners, and it too features a beautiful wood face in this
Artnovion, and she walked me through the products in her
instance a slatted diffusor that clips onto a fabric-covered front
booth. Everything looked incredible to me, but clearly, Kat
surface measuring just under 2 ft 2 ft. A unique feature of the

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could tell I was a little skeptical, because she too is a
Eiger is a sliding switch on the front that changes the size of the
recording engineer with her own stories of working in rooms
holes into the resonant chamber, which allows tuning of the
.c resonator to absorb different frequencies. My control room
purposely lacks parallel surfaces, so I had no right-angle corners
available for glue-mounting. Instead, I devised a workaround using
the aforementioned Fixart Tubes. The Eigers too lined up perfectly.
I pulled an all-nighter mounting the Artnovion bass traps by myself.
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The result is a room that looks absolutely stunning. Seriously, find me
on Instagram (@TapeOpGeek) to see the photo I took immediately
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after I finished installation. More importantly, the Artnovion bass traps

do indeed work, and the room sounds great. Bass anomalies resulting
from room modes and speaker-boundary interference have been
reduced in magnitude, and settling time for room resonances has been
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cut down significantly. I took dozens of high-resolution

@g

measurements before, during, and after installation using my

calibrated mic from CrossSpectrum Labs [Tape Op #96]; and I
compared SPL, waterfall, and RT60 plots to confirm that frequency and
time-domain responses in my room truly improved. Previously, I had
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MiniTraps and MondoTraps from RealTraps [#38, #48, #85], as well as

six of the 7 ft tall, original (no longer sold) pressure-based wood-panel
SB7 and LB7 RealTraps [#36], mounted where the Artnovion traps are
now. Dont get me wrong RealTraps products are awesome, and I
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will continue to recommend them, especially for their price. But in my

room, the Artnovion products perform measurably better, and they
bring the visual aesthetics of my room to a whole new level, to the
point that I feel much more inspired to work in my room and my
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clients do too. That in itself is worth something too.

Check the Artnovion website for the many finish options (including
custom) available for their extensive line of absorbers, diffusors, and
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traps. Youll also find technical explanations as well as statements on

the companys environmentally sustainable manufacturing and
distribution strategies. Readers in North America should contact
Rutherford Audio <www.rutherfordaudio.com> for pricing and
shipping options. Moreover, Artnovion offers design services and
publishes an iOS analysis app. (Komodo 2.0 pair $1050 MSRP; Eiger
70/Tape Op#120/Gear Reviews/(Fin.) Tunable each $500; www.artnovion.com) AH
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#120/71

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Manufacturer of the Warmenfat Micro Amp.
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#120/73
 When Does the Production Happen?
Years ago, while talking to the late Cosimo Matassa [Tape Op #40], I remember marveling at the
sounds he had achieved while recording early hits for Little Richard, Fats Domino, Roy Brown, and
many others in the 40s, 50s, and beyond. Initially he was working with a limited number of tracks,
a small microphone selection, and a mixer with a couple of channels. Yet he captured some
amazing music and performances with this modest gear. In most cases, everything had to be
happening on the floor as the song went down.
Once a song had been recorded, the production was finished.
Music recording, outside of a few wild, inventive folks like [the late] Les Paul [Tape Op #50],
mostly continued in this fashion up into the 60s. Musicians and/or singers would gather and run
the song down live while a balance engineer would submix through a console down to a few tracks,
as needed. Many engineers didnt even understand what to do with 4-track and 8-track machines
when they showed up. What do we need extra tracks for? Many others, especially visionary
producers and artists like George Martin and The Beatles, saw multitracking as a way to open up
new creative doors. Production moved into the realm of overdubs and reduction mixes, and layers
were being added. But as Geoff Emerick [Tape Op #57] has famously noted, mixing Sgt. Peppers
was easy, as it was almost all reduced down to four tracks of audio, and decisions had been made
already. Production had occurred in the tracking with the reduction mixing and overdub passes
(many times, of multiple instruments, to one audio track).
Once all the parts had been recorded, the main job of production was finished.
But as the 70s dawned and 16-track and 24-track tape decks became
the norm, more control came into play. With drums, the engineer could now record
kick, snare, et.al. to their own tracks on tape, and then apply changes to the sounds and levels
later. Almost every instrument, voice, and overdub could have its own track on tape and channel,
granting an unprecedented level of control at mixing.
Now production could continue into the mixing process, with multiple mix passes and
revisions. Heck, you could even ship the reels to someone else and see what they could do with
by Larry Crane
Its obvious what has happened. The more that audio
tracks can be saved and sorted through, the more decisions
can be put off. Production, once confined to getting
everything ready for that important, live studio recording
date, can now be the responsibility of the mix engineer.
Artists and producers should understand that when they are
working this way, they are asking more of their mix engineer.
No longer is mixing a simple balancing of elements, such as
adding a touch of reverb and printing it down. Nowadays
mixing is production. If someone sends unsorted tracks to a
mixer and says, Pick what you like, they have just front-
loaded the mixers job. They are also asking them to produce
and make important decisions. Lets hope this time has been
budgeted for, and lets see if mixers can start getting proper
credit in situations like this.
Recording has come a long way from pushing up some
faders on a few mics and capturing some magic in a room to
one track of tape. Theres no reason to be afraid of the future,
but its good to be aware of the past, and to understand how

the mixes!
And now we live in the digital recording age. My studios Pro Tools system claims it can handle
768 simultaneous audio tracks, as terrifying to mentally assimilate as that might sound. Ive .c
personally worked on sessions with over 150 tracks. Mostly I actually welcome this luxury. The
tambourine hit that comes once in the song with infinite reverb on it? It can get its own track
now, instead of being a performance move required during an analog mix session. Set it and forget
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it. I rarely worked on automated consoles in the past, but now I can chop up or automate tracks
to change their panning, sound, or effects at different times during a mix. I can also adjust and
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methods have changed over the years. r
* I am noting this phenomenon for the purpose of this article,
and none of this should be taken as any of us simply complaining.
Im personally grateful for any work, and I do everything I can to
finish a project to my clients satisfaction. I know my colleagues
feel the same way.

set levels for better vocal clarity or to highlight solos. We have gained more control over our audio
productions in recent years than at any other time in history.
But with this ultra-wide canvas to work upon comes a new shift. When does the production
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happen now?
Sometimes people bring me home recorded sessions to mix with DId electric guitars, MIDI files
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for drums, and chopped up, disjointed vocals that need assembly, as well as a fair amount of
sonic restoration. Other sessions have banks of takes that need to be comped. Sometimes the
actual tracked sounds a band may have gotten in the studio isnt really what they desired, and
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a lot of work is required to morph the tones and feel. I frequently get mix sessions that require
overdubs of new parts.* Nashville-based engineer Craig Alvin remembers a recent session working
on a pop songs mix: It had 52 stereo pads for the intro. We spent almost 18 hours on recalls,
mostly just getting the pad balance right. The producer refused to send me a stem mix [submix
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of the pads]. Another engineer told me of a mix session with several passes of drum takes. When
he asked the artist which drum set was the keeper, the artist wasnt sure. When asked which kit
the overdubs had been played to, this also got a shrug. These are decisions that would have
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ideally been sorted out long before mixing. As Manny Marroquin told me in Tape Op #109, I feel
like were still in the Wild West of how to send proper sessions to people to mix.
Ive even caught a glimpse of microphones and instruments in a mastering suite. When asked,
the mastering engineer recounted sessions where vocals and parts were being added in at
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mastering. I dont even want to have this concept in my head while Im in a mix session!
Cosimo
Matassa!
74/Tape Op#120/End Rant/
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