Dean Rispler is a NYC based Producer. He has produced tons of awesome bands over the years like The Candy Snatchers, The Star Spangles, Bad Wizard, and 25 Ta Life. He is also a accomplished musician who has played with Murphy's Law, The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black, The Brought Low, and Benny Mardones. He is one of the nicest, giving, most friendly and talented people you will ever come across in your travels through the music industry, with a record collection that will put almost anyone's to shame. In this interview he sheds a quick light on some of his theories on producing bands. To get in touch with Dean go here and to see more bands he has worked with check out his allmusic page.
Hi. Before I answer any of these questions, let me first give a tiny
bit of information about myself and what I do. I am a producer and
not an engineer. I produce records by working directly with bands,
their songs and their performances in the same way some of my
favorite producers did. I model myself after producers such as George
Martin, Shel Talmy, Rick Rubin, Brian Wilson and Phil Spector (without
the firearms). Not that I would ever in the world put myself in the
same categories as any of those guys, but it's what I aspire to do.
Sometimes it is embarrassing to not know so many technical things, but
other times it is an advantage to really focus on an artist and not
worry too much about the technicalities (as long as it sounds good to
me).
1. What are your tracking philosophies as far as processing now or later, explain however you'd like to take that?
I'm not really sure I understand the "processing now or later" part,
but I will take a stab at it. First things first - I try (not always
successfully) to do as much pre-production as possible until I feel
that the band or artist is ready. I have always worked in tight budget
situations - it's been 16 years now - so I have to make sure that
there are really no surprises in the studio. I don't want a band
paying a day's rate to write songs or parts. It's one thing if
someone comes up with something and it has to be briefly worked on,
it's another when someone or the whole band can't play their own songs
correctly. I'm not going to go into my whole pre-production process -
I will need a few pages here - but I will say that the band/artist has
to be completely prepared and able to play the material they want
recorded. I know it sounds so simple, but if you're an engineer,
producer or in a band, you know what I'm talking about.
As far as the "later" processing thing goes, I believe you are talking
about post-recording production and mixing? Maybe. I will go with
it. Well, as we all know, a good mix could save a record that was
not so great to begin with and a bad/mediocre mix can kill a record
with good songs and performances. As far as I'm concerned, all
depends on the music. Some songs call for a very involved mix with a
lot of extras thrown in. I know there's millions of recordings out
there where the engineer and/or producer basically becomes a band
member (whether the band knows it or not) and makes moves/decisions
that can really alter or color the songs and/or the "original
direction" the band had (if they had any) and basically makes a more
listenable record out of something that really wasn't there before the
mix. Other times, when you're really lucky and everyone has their
shit together, a band/artist comes in and knows their tone and what
they want and the mix can be very easy on the engineer and producer.
The song and the sound is already there. I also must say that I consider myself a very lucky person because for the last 8 or so years I've been using the two best engineers ever.
Not only are they technical geniuses, they both aren't nerd robots who just know engineering - they understand what's cool and what's not. They are music freaks who understand when I or the artist refers to all kinds of records - from death/black metal to electronica to
obscure 60s punk/garage to hip-hop to modern edge indie rock. They are open-minded and sometimes opinionated, which can sometimes be a wake-up call to a situation that may not be working.
2. What is a Song Dealbreaker for you? AKA something in a song that will make it so you cannot listen to it?
This is a tough question. I'm very open-minded, so I can't say there's one deal breaker. It's so very subjective and depends on what I'm working on or listening to. As much as I love "song-oriented" music, I also love noise, ambient stuff, harsh death/black metal and
doom, abrasive industrial and a lot of other things many would consider unlistenable. I think it all has its place - as long as it's played with passion. I guess that's it. I don't like fake music.
Meaning I don't like music played without passion. I don't know. Sometimes I can tell when something is passionless. As far as "song-oriented" music is concerned, I don't like when a
band/artist brings in music that they think is poppy or is catchy and it absolutely has no hook or chorus at all. Sometimes I make bands write a complete new chorus so at least it has something. I also know I talk for a lot of people out there when I say a really
bad vocalist can be a song deal breaker, too. There are plenty of singers out there who aren't always in tune (sometimes never!), but they still get the idea of the song across with enough feeling and passion that the technicalities don't matter much. And then there are
other singers who just can't cut it at all and end up ruining a band's whole record. Sad, but true.
3. What is the best tip you could give about recording Guitar?
Personally I try to go for the most direct guitar-to-amp sound as possible. I think you must have a good amp - or at least an amp with a cool sound. Some guitar players are so good and in tune with their sound that they could play a crappy $200 guitar through a (gasp!)
solid state amp and sound fucking awesome. (You know why? Because it's their fingers making that sound and they will sound the same no matter what you put them through. Try learning every riff that Chuck Berry, Keith Richards and Eddie Van Halen ever played and you won't sound like them - only they sound like them). O.k. I'm going off on a tangent that I'll probably come back to soon. But, obviously, you need a good working guitar and amp. Some guitar players are hands on and they know their tone (and hopefully you'll agree that it sounds
good) and you don't have to do much except place a mic or mics on their amp (or amps if you are using multiples as I do almost 80% of the time - I will get to that soon, too). Some guitar players have a good tone but don't know much about amps or they leave that up to the
producer/engineer. As for me, most of the amps that the studio uses most are mine. So I know what sounds good. I usually put up two guitar amps for one guitarist. I get the best tone I can get out of both of them. If the guitarist is used to playing with a lot of drive or distortion, I'll set up one amp with that sound. I'll set up the other one a lot cleaner - way cleaner than the guitar player is usually used to in a rock-n-roll setting. The blend of those two amps
is usually awesome. You get the sound they usually use plus that clean thing right along with it. That clean amp adds so much definition and usually brings out the punch that you miss in all that creamy distortion from the other amp. When I set this up, most guitar players are at first semi-skeptical and then very pleasantly surprised. They usually want that set-up for live afterward! Of course they are concurrently praising me for the sound and cursing me
for making them look up prices for a 68 Bassman or 72 Princeton on eBay after the recording is over. As far as mics on amps go, my favorites are AKG 414s, Shure SM-57s and the Shure SM-7.
4. What is the best tip you could give about recording Bass?
Bass is such a funny instrument. It seems so simple yet it's complicated. Unlike the guitar player above who can get away with the crappy cheap guitar and half-broken amp and still get a good sound somehow, it's not the same with bass. I've heard some really good
bass players play on shitty basses and amps and get away with it, but they usually sound so much better when they pick up a better bass and put it through an SVT. I usually record a combination of direct and amped. I send the bass through a direct box (usually the SansAmp
BassDriver) and then to an amp. We've been particularly into the little Ampeg B100R which is just a little solid state amp but it sound great. Sometimes I will run the bass through my 68 Bassman into a mini-SVT 4 x 10" cab. That sounds good as long as you don't turn it
up into fart land which can happen with bass going through a 50 watt head. The bass that one uses is also a big deal. It has to be a good, solid bass. That doesn't mean you have to own a vintage Fender Precision or Jazz (though that definitely doesn't hurt!), but your bass has to have good pickups and just sound good. You know when you plug it in and
hear it. Some basses have it and some don't (this goes for vintage guitars/basses as well - not all vintage Fenders, Gibsons, Gretsch stuff sound amazing - every guitar is different).
IMPORTANT - The same thing applies to basses as it does to guitars when it comes to the bottom line out of getting a good sound (this also applies to drums) - the player must play for tone. If the player is playing for tone, it will shine through on any recording through
any equipment. Did you read what I wrote about Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, etc. in the guitar section? Maybe you didn't. Put any guitar in Jimi Hendrix's hands (obviously when he was alive) and it will sound like Jimi. Put a crappy drum set in front of AC/DC's Phil Rudd
and guess what? It will sound like Phil Rudd. Get the picture? They play for tone and it will always be audible.
5. What is the best tip you could give about recording Drums?
Drums can be a real pain in the ass, can't they? So many things even on the most stripped down and primitive of set-ups. Imagine recording Neil Peart or Keith Moon? So many drums! I don't like when a drummer shows up with more than one rack tom or more than two crash cymbals. Again, I go off on a tangent. That's neither here or there. O.K. Go up and see my IMPORTANT message under recording bass. That applies here, too. Drummers must play for tone. You ever hear John Bonham on poorly recorded bootlegs or on the under-produced Screaming Lord Sutch record? You still know it's him.
Now for the technicalities. Drums have to be in tune just like guitars and bass. What we try to do in the studio is get them tuned to as low as they can go with out flapping out or sounding wrong. Of course this is somewhat subjective and it may take a while to figure out what
sounds good. I believe that the resonant head should be slightly higher than the batter head. You will get the most tone and sustain that way. I'm not going to continue with tuning - that will take another page and a half and I wouldn't be able to explain it better than professionals who have posted their secrets all over the internet. You're using a computer to read this now, right? Go google drum tuning just like me and my engineers did and you'll find a
veritable plethora of information. What those drum tuning sites won't tell you is about the room you record in. The room where you record is one of the most important part of the recording process. Some rooms sound too dry and/or small. Some have a wind-like woofiness that can be cool sometimes but annoying most other. I like relatively big rooms that aren't that
big. Hard to explain, but if the room is too big it's hard to control what you get in the room mics. I like the combination of close mics and room mics. Some songs or parts call for the tight mics and some call for more room. More on this later.
As far as mics go on drums we usually use 421s on the toms, a D112 on the kick, a 57 or SM-7 on the snare. Overheads seem to be changing all the time. Sometimes a pair of 414s. Sometimes a pairs of weird stubby cylinder shaped mics that are cool and probably way too
expensive. And lately we've been using these really cheap Chinese mics that sound awesome. I believe they were under $100 for the pair. If I remembered the name, I think I may tell you what they are...
6. What is the best tip you could give about recording Vocals?
O.k. I can go ahead and tell you about how the mic is so important
and it's really crucial for you to try a whole bunch of different mics
on a vocalist to see what works - does the $5000 Telefunken sound
better than the SM7? Does the AKG 414 work? Maybe. Maybe not. And
yes - all of this is cool and great if you have a bunch of mics to
play around with. Knock yourself out. I know we do every time we
record vocals. But honestly, the best tip I can give you is to make
the vocalist feel comfortable. Is the room too hot, too cold, too
bright, too dark, etc? This may seem trivial, but it's not. How are
the headphones? Can he or she hear everything o.k.? Do they want
some reverb? Less guitars? More of them? This is the best tip I
can give not only for recording vocals, but for recording a whole
band. Make sure everyone is comfortable and having fun! (Does anyone
remember laughter?) This is crucial. But back to the vocalist. Is
he or she comfortable where they are? These are all questions you
should be asking yourself and the artist. A lot of people, whether
they are absolute animals on stage who love attention, are somewhat
shy under the so-called microscope in the studio. They need to be
coddled a bit so they feel relaxed enough to give their best
performance. Don't be afraid to take your time to get the singer
feeling good about where they are and what they are doing. You will
get their best stuff that way.
As far as technical stuff, I can't say much. I like all those mics i
mentioned before. They all have their place with different vocalists.
Put it through a Distressor and you're ready to go.
And as far as tuning issues go...it's a touchy subject with some
vocalists. I know it's important - very important - that the vocals
are in key (most of the time). But to me (and this is important to me
across the board when it comes to recording music) it's way more
important if the vocals come through with passion. Just like a good
drummer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, horn player, etc. - you have
to play for tone! It applies to a vocalist as well. Some vocalists
find their tone and it doesn't matter if they go off key. 9 times out
of 10 you won't notice. You know why? Because the singer has found
his/her tone and sings with passion and means what they belt out -
whether it's an important message delivering the world's current
events or just a "yeah baby baby!" If the singer means it when they
sing, it means more than being 100% right on key. If they happen to
do it on key, more power to 'em!
7. What is the best tip you could give about Mixing?
I don't know if I can give any general tips. What I can say is that
it's all relative to the song/music you are working on. Some songs
call for a lot of post-production mixing studio magic. I've seen my
engineers do some crazy shit in Pro Tools - fixing wrong notes,
bending vocalists voices with pitch benders to get them more in tune,
cutting up drum fills to make more sense, etc. All this has it's
place if the performance was the band's very best and it's just not
going to get any better and y'all are on a time schedule/budget and
the shit just has to get done. I've been there. And, luckily because
I have fucking awesome engineers, I've seen and heard my guys make
magic. Problem is, some engineers get really used to this and start
using their new found techniques on everything they record forgetting
that the original performance should shine through prior to the mix.
Maybe this is just me and my old school ways. I still think that a
song should hold up on its own with a just an acoustic guitar and a
vocalist. Or just a piano and vocals. (sounds like I'm going off on
a tangent? I'm not.) This applies to the mix as well to me. Mixing
can be more like fixing sometimes, but it should only do that when it
needs to. How many times have you heard "we'll just fix it in the
mix." You know, you could do that, but it's lame. Fix it before you
mix. Mixing to me should be an art. It should only make a great
recording sound even better just as mastering should make a great mix
sound better. I know we are imperfect humans living in an imperfect
world, but I believe in less fixing and more mixing.
Let me also finish this by saying that everything that I talked shit
about in the previous paragraph I have done. Yes. Many times. And
will probably do it again sometime soon. That doesn't mean that's
what I strive for in a production.
8. What is your favorite new recording tool?
This is a funny question for me. I spent almost 10 years recording
analog, so Pro Tools is still new to me. I think it's awesome in the
right hands. Again (here I go with my bromance with my engineers) the
guys I work with are analog kids by heart who just adapted incredibly
well to Pro Tools and the Macintosh computer. You would think both of
those guys were born with Macs in their hands. They both are very
aware that digital can sound, well, digital when used in the "wrong"
way. My engineers and my mastering engineer have both thoroughly
convinced me that today's modern Pro Tools system, when used
correctly, sounds just as good as analog and will actually sound even
better in the future. We shall see. I know this subject can open a
whole new can of worms that I'm really not interested in getting into.
I am just interested in the final outcome and how it sounds to me.
That doesn't mean I am anti-analog. I am still a big fan and am
trying to convince my house mate to go in with me and buy a 2" 16
track machine for the basement. What can I tell you? There are many
dichotomies in my life.
So, the answer to this question is Pro Tools. It's pretty awesome.
Plus we don't have to wait to rewind tape nor align the machine. Plus
there are multiple "do overs." That can be bad sometimes...
9. What is an unappreciated recording tool?
O.k. Here's a very old school answer and it relates to my answer
about recording drums - the most unappreciated recording tool is the
room. The room where you record is so important. A lot of people
record in their bedrooms or basements and then "fix" it in the mix to
make it sound more "ambient" or "warm." It'll never sound as good as
recording in an ambient and/or warm room. (And lucky you if you have
an ambient and/or warm bedroom or basement). If you know how to mic a
good room correctly (not that I do - I leave that to my engineers!)
you can get so many different sounds out of it that you can
incorporate into your mixes without having to resort to the plug-ins
or outboard gear which you may or may not even have.
Besides the technicalities of a room, it has to be comfortable for the
artist or band recording in it. I know I talked about it before, but
it is so important. You ever walk into a room and it had a vibe?
Hopefully it was a good one. A recording studio's rooms should try to
have a good vibe to them. It will make all the difference in the
world for the artists recording there. If the band is happy and
comfortable, the better the performances you'll be getting out of
them.
10. Favorite Plug-in?
I don't even know the names of half the plug-ins we use. They all
seem so cool. I like the one where you can use reverbs from all
different places - like weird famous European churches and the like.
And the plug-in shows you the picture of the church? Crazy. Very
cool. Don't remember what it's called at all.
I did just use a brand new plug-in for Pro Tools last week that had
amazing Hammond organ sounds that were fucking incredible. Of course
I don't know the name of that either.
bit of information about myself and what I do. I am a producer and
not an engineer. I produce records by working directly with bands,
their songs and their performances in the same way some of my
favorite producers did. I model myself after producers such as George
Martin, Shel Talmy, Rick Rubin, Brian Wilson and Phil Spector (without
the firearms). Not that I would ever in the world put myself in the
same categories as any of those guys, but it's what I aspire to do.
Sometimes it is embarrassing to not know so many technical things, but
other times it is an advantage to really focus on an artist and not
worry too much about the technicalities (as long as it sounds good to
me).
1. What are your tracking philosophies as far as processing now or later, explain however you'd like to take that?
I'm not really sure I understand the "processing now or later" part,
but I will take a stab at it. First things first - I try (not always
successfully) to do as much pre-production as possible until I feel
that the band or artist is ready. I have always worked in tight budget
situations - it's been 16 years now - so I have to make sure that
there are really no surprises in the studio. I don't want a band
paying a day's rate to write songs or parts. It's one thing if
someone comes up with something and it has to be briefly worked on,
it's another when someone or the whole band can't play their own songs
correctly. I'm not going to go into my whole pre-production process -
I will need a few pages here - but I will say that the band/artist has
to be completely prepared and able to play the material they want
recorded. I know it sounds so simple, but if you're an engineer,
producer or in a band, you know what I'm talking about.
As far as the "later" processing thing goes, I believe you are talking
about post-recording production and mixing? Maybe. I will go with
it. Well, as we all know, a good mix could save a record that was
not so great to begin with and a bad/mediocre mix can kill a record
with good songs and performances. As far as I'm concerned, all
depends on the music. Some songs call for a very involved mix with a
lot of extras thrown in. I know there's millions of recordings out
there where the engineer and/or producer basically becomes a band
member (whether the band knows it or not) and makes moves/decisions
that can really alter or color the songs and/or the "original
direction" the band had (if they had any) and basically makes a more
listenable record out of something that really wasn't there before the
mix. Other times, when you're really lucky and everyone has their
shit together, a band/artist comes in and knows their tone and what
they want and the mix can be very easy on the engineer and producer.
The song and the sound is already there. I also must say that I consider myself a very lucky person because for the last 8 or so years I've been using the two best engineers ever.
Not only are they technical geniuses, they both aren't nerd robots who just know engineering - they understand what's cool and what's not. They are music freaks who understand when I or the artist refers to all kinds of records - from death/black metal to electronica to
obscure 60s punk/garage to hip-hop to modern edge indie rock. They are open-minded and sometimes opinionated, which can sometimes be a wake-up call to a situation that may not be working.
2. What is a Song Dealbreaker for you? AKA something in a song that will make it so you cannot listen to it?
This is a tough question. I'm very open-minded, so I can't say there's one deal breaker. It's so very subjective and depends on what I'm working on or listening to. As much as I love "song-oriented" music, I also love noise, ambient stuff, harsh death/black metal and
doom, abrasive industrial and a lot of other things many would consider unlistenable. I think it all has its place - as long as it's played with passion. I guess that's it. I don't like fake music.
Meaning I don't like music played without passion. I don't know. Sometimes I can tell when something is passionless. As far as "song-oriented" music is concerned, I don't like when a
band/artist brings in music that they think is poppy or is catchy and it absolutely has no hook or chorus at all. Sometimes I make bands write a complete new chorus so at least it has something. I also know I talk for a lot of people out there when I say a really
bad vocalist can be a song deal breaker, too. There are plenty of singers out there who aren't always in tune (sometimes never!), but they still get the idea of the song across with enough feeling and passion that the technicalities don't matter much. And then there are
other singers who just can't cut it at all and end up ruining a band's whole record. Sad, but true.
3. What is the best tip you could give about recording Guitar?
Personally I try to go for the most direct guitar-to-amp sound as possible. I think you must have a good amp - or at least an amp with a cool sound. Some guitar players are so good and in tune with their sound that they could play a crappy $200 guitar through a (gasp!)
solid state amp and sound fucking awesome. (You know why? Because it's their fingers making that sound and they will sound the same no matter what you put them through. Try learning every riff that Chuck Berry, Keith Richards and Eddie Van Halen ever played and you won't sound like them - only they sound like them). O.k. I'm going off on a tangent that I'll probably come back to soon. But, obviously, you need a good working guitar and amp. Some guitar players are hands on and they know their tone (and hopefully you'll agree that it sounds
good) and you don't have to do much except place a mic or mics on their amp (or amps if you are using multiples as I do almost 80% of the time - I will get to that soon, too). Some guitar players have a good tone but don't know much about amps or they leave that up to the
producer/engineer. As for me, most of the amps that the studio uses most are mine. So I know what sounds good. I usually put up two guitar amps for one guitarist. I get the best tone I can get out of both of them. If the guitarist is used to playing with a lot of drive or distortion, I'll set up one amp with that sound. I'll set up the other one a lot cleaner - way cleaner than the guitar player is usually used to in a rock-n-roll setting. The blend of those two amps
is usually awesome. You get the sound they usually use plus that clean thing right along with it. That clean amp adds so much definition and usually brings out the punch that you miss in all that creamy distortion from the other amp. When I set this up, most guitar players are at first semi-skeptical and then very pleasantly surprised. They usually want that set-up for live afterward! Of course they are concurrently praising me for the sound and cursing me
for making them look up prices for a 68 Bassman or 72 Princeton on eBay after the recording is over. As far as mics on amps go, my favorites are AKG 414s, Shure SM-57s and the Shure SM-7.
4. What is the best tip you could give about recording Bass?
Bass is such a funny instrument. It seems so simple yet it's complicated. Unlike the guitar player above who can get away with the crappy cheap guitar and half-broken amp and still get a good sound somehow, it's not the same with bass. I've heard some really good
bass players play on shitty basses and amps and get away with it, but they usually sound so much better when they pick up a better bass and put it through an SVT. I usually record a combination of direct and amped. I send the bass through a direct box (usually the SansAmp
BassDriver) and then to an amp. We've been particularly into the little Ampeg B100R which is just a little solid state amp but it sound great. Sometimes I will run the bass through my 68 Bassman into a mini-SVT 4 x 10" cab. That sounds good as long as you don't turn it
up into fart land which can happen with bass going through a 50 watt head. The bass that one uses is also a big deal. It has to be a good, solid bass. That doesn't mean you have to own a vintage Fender Precision or Jazz (though that definitely doesn't hurt!), but your bass has to have good pickups and just sound good. You know when you plug it in and
hear it. Some basses have it and some don't (this goes for vintage guitars/basses as well - not all vintage Fenders, Gibsons, Gretsch stuff sound amazing - every guitar is different).
IMPORTANT - The same thing applies to basses as it does to guitars when it comes to the bottom line out of getting a good sound (this also applies to drums) - the player must play for tone. If the player is playing for tone, it will shine through on any recording through
any equipment. Did you read what I wrote about Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, etc. in the guitar section? Maybe you didn't. Put any guitar in Jimi Hendrix's hands (obviously when he was alive) and it will sound like Jimi. Put a crappy drum set in front of AC/DC's Phil Rudd
and guess what? It will sound like Phil Rudd. Get the picture? They play for tone and it will always be audible.
5. What is the best tip you could give about recording Drums?
Drums can be a real pain in the ass, can't they? So many things even on the most stripped down and primitive of set-ups. Imagine recording Neil Peart or Keith Moon? So many drums! I don't like when a drummer shows up with more than one rack tom or more than two crash cymbals. Again, I go off on a tangent. That's neither here or there. O.K. Go up and see my IMPORTANT message under recording bass. That applies here, too. Drummers must play for tone. You ever hear John Bonham on poorly recorded bootlegs or on the under-produced Screaming Lord Sutch record? You still know it's him.
Now for the technicalities. Drums have to be in tune just like guitars and bass. What we try to do in the studio is get them tuned to as low as they can go with out flapping out or sounding wrong. Of course this is somewhat subjective and it may take a while to figure out what
sounds good. I believe that the resonant head should be slightly higher than the batter head. You will get the most tone and sustain that way. I'm not going to continue with tuning - that will take another page and a half and I wouldn't be able to explain it better than professionals who have posted their secrets all over the internet. You're using a computer to read this now, right? Go google drum tuning just like me and my engineers did and you'll find a
veritable plethora of information. What those drum tuning sites won't tell you is about the room you record in. The room where you record is one of the most important part of the recording process. Some rooms sound too dry and/or small. Some have a wind-like woofiness that can be cool sometimes but annoying most other. I like relatively big rooms that aren't that
big. Hard to explain, but if the room is too big it's hard to control what you get in the room mics. I like the combination of close mics and room mics. Some songs or parts call for the tight mics and some call for more room. More on this later.
As far as mics go on drums we usually use 421s on the toms, a D112 on the kick, a 57 or SM-7 on the snare. Overheads seem to be changing all the time. Sometimes a pair of 414s. Sometimes a pairs of weird stubby cylinder shaped mics that are cool and probably way too
expensive. And lately we've been using these really cheap Chinese mics that sound awesome. I believe they were under $100 for the pair. If I remembered the name, I think I may tell you what they are...
6. What is the best tip you could give about recording Vocals?
O.k. I can go ahead and tell you about how the mic is so important
and it's really crucial for you to try a whole bunch of different mics
on a vocalist to see what works - does the $5000 Telefunken sound
better than the SM7? Does the AKG 414 work? Maybe. Maybe not. And
yes - all of this is cool and great if you have a bunch of mics to
play around with. Knock yourself out. I know we do every time we
record vocals. But honestly, the best tip I can give you is to make
the vocalist feel comfortable. Is the room too hot, too cold, too
bright, too dark, etc? This may seem trivial, but it's not. How are
the headphones? Can he or she hear everything o.k.? Do they want
some reverb? Less guitars? More of them? This is the best tip I
can give not only for recording vocals, but for recording a whole
band. Make sure everyone is comfortable and having fun! (Does anyone
remember laughter?) This is crucial. But back to the vocalist. Is
he or she comfortable where they are? These are all questions you
should be asking yourself and the artist. A lot of people, whether
they are absolute animals on stage who love attention, are somewhat
shy under the so-called microscope in the studio. They need to be
coddled a bit so they feel relaxed enough to give their best
performance. Don't be afraid to take your time to get the singer
feeling good about where they are and what they are doing. You will
get their best stuff that way.
As far as technical stuff, I can't say much. I like all those mics i
mentioned before. They all have their place with different vocalists.
Put it through a Distressor and you're ready to go.
And as far as tuning issues go...it's a touchy subject with some
vocalists. I know it's important - very important - that the vocals
are in key (most of the time). But to me (and this is important to me
across the board when it comes to recording music) it's way more
important if the vocals come through with passion. Just like a good
drummer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, horn player, etc. - you have
to play for tone! It applies to a vocalist as well. Some vocalists
find their tone and it doesn't matter if they go off key. 9 times out
of 10 you won't notice. You know why? Because the singer has found
his/her tone and sings with passion and means what they belt out -
whether it's an important message delivering the world's current
events or just a "yeah baby baby!" If the singer means it when they
sing, it means more than being 100% right on key. If they happen to
do it on key, more power to 'em!
7. What is the best tip you could give about Mixing?
I don't know if I can give any general tips. What I can say is that
it's all relative to the song/music you are working on. Some songs
call for a lot of post-production mixing studio magic. I've seen my
engineers do some crazy shit in Pro Tools - fixing wrong notes,
bending vocalists voices with pitch benders to get them more in tune,
cutting up drum fills to make more sense, etc. All this has it's
place if the performance was the band's very best and it's just not
going to get any better and y'all are on a time schedule/budget and
the shit just has to get done. I've been there. And, luckily because
I have fucking awesome engineers, I've seen and heard my guys make
magic. Problem is, some engineers get really used to this and start
using their new found techniques on everything they record forgetting
that the original performance should shine through prior to the mix.
Maybe this is just me and my old school ways. I still think that a
song should hold up on its own with a just an acoustic guitar and a
vocalist. Or just a piano and vocals. (sounds like I'm going off on
a tangent? I'm not.) This applies to the mix as well to me. Mixing
can be more like fixing sometimes, but it should only do that when it
needs to. How many times have you heard "we'll just fix it in the
mix." You know, you could do that, but it's lame. Fix it before you
mix. Mixing to me should be an art. It should only make a great
recording sound even better just as mastering should make a great mix
sound better. I know we are imperfect humans living in an imperfect
world, but I believe in less fixing and more mixing.
Let me also finish this by saying that everything that I talked shit
about in the previous paragraph I have done. Yes. Many times. And
will probably do it again sometime soon. That doesn't mean that's
what I strive for in a production.
8. What is your favorite new recording tool?
This is a funny question for me. I spent almost 10 years recording
analog, so Pro Tools is still new to me. I think it's awesome in the
right hands. Again (here I go with my bromance with my engineers) the
guys I work with are analog kids by heart who just adapted incredibly
well to Pro Tools and the Macintosh computer. You would think both of
those guys were born with Macs in their hands. They both are very
aware that digital can sound, well, digital when used in the "wrong"
way. My engineers and my mastering engineer have both thoroughly
convinced me that today's modern Pro Tools system, when used
correctly, sounds just as good as analog and will actually sound even
better in the future. We shall see. I know this subject can open a
whole new can of worms that I'm really not interested in getting into.
I am just interested in the final outcome and how it sounds to me.
That doesn't mean I am anti-analog. I am still a big fan and am
trying to convince my house mate to go in with me and buy a 2" 16
track machine for the basement. What can I tell you? There are many
dichotomies in my life.
So, the answer to this question is Pro Tools. It's pretty awesome.
Plus we don't have to wait to rewind tape nor align the machine. Plus
there are multiple "do overs." That can be bad sometimes...
9. What is an unappreciated recording tool?
O.k. Here's a very old school answer and it relates to my answer
about recording drums - the most unappreciated recording tool is the
room. The room where you record is so important. A lot of people
record in their bedrooms or basements and then "fix" it in the mix to
make it sound more "ambient" or "warm." It'll never sound as good as
recording in an ambient and/or warm room. (And lucky you if you have
an ambient and/or warm bedroom or basement). If you know how to mic a
good room correctly (not that I do - I leave that to my engineers!)
you can get so many different sounds out of it that you can
incorporate into your mixes without having to resort to the plug-ins
or outboard gear which you may or may not even have.
Besides the technicalities of a room, it has to be comfortable for the
artist or band recording in it. I know I talked about it before, but
it is so important. You ever walk into a room and it had a vibe?
Hopefully it was a good one. A recording studio's rooms should try to
have a good vibe to them. It will make all the difference in the
world for the artists recording there. If the band is happy and
comfortable, the better the performances you'll be getting out of
them.
10. Favorite Plug-in?
I don't even know the names of half the plug-ins we use. They all
seem so cool. I like the one where you can use reverbs from all
different places - like weird famous European churches and the like.
And the plug-in shows you the picture of the church? Crazy. Very
cool. Don't remember what it's called at all.
I did just use a brand new plug-in for Pro Tools last week that had
amazing Hammond organ sounds that were fucking incredible. Of course
I don't know the name of that either.
i love dean.
In so many situations it is easy to fall prey to the whole 'fix it in the mix' path. And that works.. basically never!
Great info All around Dean, thanks.. and thanks for your hand in making some truly GREAT RECORDS!
I wasn't really playing music the right way until Dean sat in on our band and quickly diagnosed us with lack of dynamics.
I've been a pro ever since!