1. I know you've used ProTools in the past, but you're a Logic user now.  Why?
I can't say that I've abandoned Pro Tools or anything; it really just depends on what I'm doing that day.  I think Pro Tools is a fantastic program and it's what I learned on.  I'm really fast and comfortable using it, and most importantly, it's easy for me to troubleshoot when things go wrong.   I'll always use Pro Tools to record a band or a vocalist.  If I'm doing a writing session by myself I prefer to work in Logic.  I'm way past the stereotype that "Logic is good for midi and Pro Tools is good for audio."  I think it's funny when I hear that these days because it's just not the case anymore.  Honestly my midi programming is not that crazy and neither is that of most users out there.  As long as a can drag and adjust things I'm good, and you can obviously make midi edits simply in both programs now.  
    My challenge with Logic was migrating from Pro Tools.  There are certain commands and moves that you just can't do in Logic that I was so used to using in Pro Tools, and I know most other people in my situation feel the same way.  I think my problem with Pro Tools is that I get so used to the HD software and then I can't stand the limitations with LE in my home studio.  It really bothers me that I can't run certain HD plug-ins because I don't have the Digi cards at my house.  That ties into the overall theme of Digidesign's hardware dependency.  I know my 8-core Mac Pro is capable of so much processing and it's unfortunate to be limited in certain ways.  That's why I love Logic Pro- it runs on my Mac Pro and my laptop and my sessions can travel back and forth.  I think Apple nailed it with the instruments and effects.  I haven't met anyone who thought the stock plug-ins were bad.  I use some of them, but I like to spice things up with third-party stuff too.

2. The Hit Factory was an incredible studio with a rich history and also where you got your start.  Why exactly did it close?
Well, everyone is going to have a different opinion about that one.  There are all kinds of "experts" out there who have their theories and I respect those, but I was also working there when it closed so I heard things first hand and have some of my own opinions as well.  While I would have loved to see the studio push and fight until they had no money to pay us and were forced to close, I think the owners made a decision that was best for them at the time, plain and simple.  It was definitely sad to see such an iconic place take a fall like that.  If you have ever been in that building you know what I mean - it was seriously the coolest place I had ever been in.  It was definitely slowing down as record labels were looking for ways to cut back, but I do remember us being booked solid when the announcement came.  Several other major studios closed right after, so it's obvious that times were tough.  I think using the term "home studios" may send the wrong message that I think a bunch of hobbyists in their bedrooms made The Hit Factory close.  I think a better way to put it would be "project studios," which are just smaller, less expensive rooms using high caliber engineers.  It would blow your mind to see the difference between a Hit Factory invoice and a project studio invoice.  And that's where labels looked to save money and cut their losses.

3. During your time at the Hit Factory, you got the chance to work with Coldplay on their album X&Y.  We always hear about them being a really hard working band - what was their process like in the studio?
Working with Coldplay was a remarkable experience.  One of my favorite parts of that session was that the band showed up a week before the producer and engineer (Ken Nelson and Mark Phythian), so we set up Studio 1 as a big practice space for the guys.  They were still writing some of the big songs for the album, including "Talk" and "Speed of Sound."  My friend Bryan Russell and I got to record some of the demos for them.  The thing I like about Coldplay is that they are all very talented musicians and they can all play multiple instruments as well as sing.  While writing, it is clear that everyone contributes equally rather than having someone dictate what everyone else would play, and all ideas are tried.  They just stand in a circle facing each other like every other band and try to come up with parts.  If they don't like something, they just all start laughing.  They joke around so much that I think that's how they get through the monotonous moments.  They really are all good friends and they enjoy working together, and they all have the same vision.  I think most bands struggling today don't have a common goal, and their different priorities make it impossible for them to stand out even if their sound is good.
    I've never really considered them to be one of the hardest working bands out there.  I think my old bands worked extra hard!  They do put their time into it though, and they're very organized.  I'm sure it doesn't hurt that you can afford to fly off for a quick island vacation if you need one.  One great thing about that session was that we would work like 10AM to 7PM everyday, and sometimes take the weekends off.  It was like going to a real job.  There was definitely a lot of work done, but I can't forget that we converted half of the gym-size live room into a cricket field to take cricket breaks throughout the day.  Will made a bat out of a broom handle and a cardboard box, and everyone would play.  It was awesome!  There was nothing more surreal than Chris Martin running at you full speed and then pitching a tennis ball at you cricket-style.  The best part was the rush that you thought every hit was going to break one of the $3K - $5K mics that were set up around the room.
    One thing I took away from that session was that I felt that if I could work in a session with one of the biggest bands in the world then I could work with anyone.  That session took away any nervousness I had about recording people.  In addition, I was always trying to keep track of how every mic was used and every setting and so on, and that's funny to me now because we could have recorded that album a million different ways and it would still sound great.  You've got to have good writing before you can have a good recording.  That's when I really first began analyzing arrangements of songs.

4. Lately, you've been recording a lot of vocals at Electracraft Studios in Chelsea.  What are the biggest mistakes you are hearing vocalists make?
One of the biggest mistakes I see is that a producer will bring in a new artist who is just not ready to record.  To me it's so obvious, but I think people have a hard time understanding that you don't just walk in and start recording smashing vocals.  Every serious vocalist should take voice lessons so that they're not singing themselves hoarse, they'll know their range, and they'll know when they're off pitch.  Vocalists in rock bands should do this too.  Even if you only go for a few times you'll learn things that you didn't know before (like the hilarious warm up routines).  My only other suggestion is that you have to imagine yourself singing in the correct venue for your song.  It is so easy to tell when a singer is thinking about the vocal booth or the mic or something besides their performance.  Clear out the room if you have too (maybe even the engineer) and visualize yourself giving that performance somewhere else besides the studio.  Sing it to the person you wrote it about and I guarantee it will sound better and more authentic.


5.  I would characterize your mixing style as extremely clean - is this something you specifically focus on or are you unconscious of your process (mixing by instinct)?
Mixing is my favorite part of making a record.  All of the complicated decisions are already made and now you just get to make everything sound as good as possible.  I think it's important to know how to control all of the mix elements so that you can make the adjustments that you hear in your head.  Right now that's my problem with sound synthesis and design- it takes me so much longer to get the synth sounds I want because I'm still learning how to create sounds and master the instrument.  So yes, in a sense I do try to get the mix as clean as possible at some point so that I can fully control everything that's going on.  I like a clean slate. Then I feel comfortable smashing the drums if necessary and making everything sound like it's supposed to.  There's certain times where I'll like the way the recording engineer's stuff sounds and I'll usually bounce those tracks down and print any effects so that I can keep the original sound.  With everything else I'm likely to make my own decisions about compression, EQ, etc.
    Separation is usually just a result of cleaning up the bottom end of a mix, setting your levels right and panning.  Using these three things you can create a solid mix.  I tend to roll off most everything below 150 Hz that is not a bass part or a kick drum.  I like panning things pretty wide, but I always keep the bass, kick and snare in the middle, which is pretty standard these days of course.  I would love to talk about all of the compression I use and of course there's frequency masking, but that stuff bores me.  I've read so many articles about both topics.  There's no magic answer, and there's so many articles about it that people need to just try things out and play around.  What I used to do was sit in a room in The Hit Factory, put up a demo mix of something I was working on and copy EQ settings right off the article I was reading.  I would listen to how it sounded, and then change it and see what that sounded like.  Over time and after several EQ guides, I started realizing the frequencies that I responded to, both good and bad.  You eventually will learn what frequencies are important to which instruments, and from there it's all about prioritizing and making sure that the frequencies are distributed evenly and there's no masking.  I love organizing, and that's how I tend to look at my sessions, especially when EQ'ing.  Most importantly, you should be referencing music that you like and making sure that the changes you're making are actually good in comparison.

    
6. At Musformation we have a tendency to downplay the idea of everyone needing to go to audio school to be a good engineer or producer.  You didn't go to formal audio school, do you ever regret that or have you enjoyed learning on the job, so to speak?
I'm really proud that I have a business degree and that I did not go to audio school.  I had a small connection to the studio and it really helped me get a job doing something that I thought would only be a hobby.  If I had any disadvantages, they only set me behind for the first month or so.  I never felt behind anyone on our staff, and when I was interviewed I was clearly told that my job would be like graduate school and I would be getting trained everyday to be a great assistant and then an engineer.  Honestly, the most important contribution you can give to a studio as a new employee is a willing attitude.  Every studio would rather hire someone who's good at wrapping mic cables and cleaning properly over a person who can explain hysteresis.  You most likely won't use any of your audio knowledge for a long time, because guess what?  No one in the session cares what you think unless you're the artist, producer, or engineer.  With that said, most of the people I worked with had degrees from good audio schools.  The main thing to understand is that just because you have a degree that says you're an engineer, or you have a Pro Tools or Logic certification, it does not qualify you to be an engineer or a producer.  There's no such thing as selling yourself to a potential client by using any method like that.  Your main goal should be to get real session experience with real artists and producers.  I know friends of mine whose interns are getting just as good an education for free as many students that are paying for audio school.  They're getting more hours as an engineer as well. Learning on the job was best for me.

7. The trend today is for many bands to try and record themselves.  What are some of the biggest mistakes you hear in mixes from bands who are just starting to mix and record themselves?
The main thing to remember is that if you're making an album, it should sound better than a demo.  Before you start recording everything you should really seek some help from someone with experience.  If you know who will be mixing, ask them to come check out your recording levels and mic positions and sounds before you really get going.  Ask yourself why you're trying to record or mix yourself in the first place.  If you're trying to figure it out to save money, then you're actually going to waste tons of time and you'll probably end up hiring someone to do it anyway.  I know a pretty successful indie band with a few records out who spent a good year recording and mixing an album themselves, and I just never really understood that.  They could have spent all of that time writing and touring.  Another problem that arises is that it "just never seems to be done."  Recording yourself means there are no limits and you can change things as many times as you want, and the bad news is that you will!  If being a musician is your thing, you might be best off letting an engineer do their thing and everyone will be happy.
    
8. What is the best way for a band to prepare their music to be mixed?  
If you do record yourself, just keep your sessions as organized as possible.  Label everything, and if you make a channel strip that really defines a sound's character, then bounce down the track to an audio file so that the mixing engineer isn't left guessing what to do with all of your plugins.  Do a save as and delete all of the session elements that are irrelevant, like unused tracks and plugins.  While mixing engineers appreciate your effort to compress the kick guitar and EQ the toms, they're going to probably remove every plug-in you've inserted and do it their way.  Don't slow things down by making them figure out what's what.  Also, if you have any midi tracks, rewire devices, or special plugins then you should probably bounce these down to audio tracks as well unless you work closely with your mix engineer.  One thing a lot of bands and artists don't know is that there can often be several hours of editing to do after tracking.  While some mix engineers might not mind doing the edits (for money), that is one of the best things you can do yourself that doesn't require much engineering skill.  Spend time learning how to edit tracks by watching someone with experience.  There are lots of cuts, nudges, and fades that take place and lots of shortcuts to help you get there.  I like it because it's relaxing.  Don't forget to include reference tracks of music similar to what yours should sound like.

9. Currently you've been working on your own music in an electronic project called Pager.  You've got some really heavy kicks on those recordings - what program do you write beats on and where are you getting your samples from?
To write all of my new stuff I've been using Logic.  I was using Battery 3 to help me sequence the beats, but it was acting up a bit which led me to recently learn Ultrabeat, and that was something I've wanted to do for a long time.  I wish I could simplify the interface and take out some things I don't ever use, but I've been happy so far.  The most important part with Battery or Ultrabeat is to use the multi-output feature to put your different instruments on separate channel strips so that you can mix them independently.  I'll start with the Drag and Drop preset and pull all my samples that I want from a big sample library which I've been building for the last 5 years.  I'll usually use the Logic EQs and compressors to get my sounds, then send everything to a drum bus where I can apply a multi-band compressor to glue it all together.

10. It's a desert island and you can only have one soft synth on your laptop.  Which one are you taking with you and why?
I'm really looking forward to Trilian from Spectrasonics.  If it's actually better than Trilogy then I'm sure I'll love it.


Adam can be reached at adam@theaudiodivision.com