Robert, your Mixing skills (and supervisory skills) are SUPERB! I could sense that you had a recording studio background. You had good control over the system, Loud without being overbearing, the system produced, without pumping, or distorting. The Band's Vocals were clear, natural, and in the sweet spot of the Mix. The Instruments had good levels in the Mix, they blended together well, while still having separation! The Drum sound was great, sounded like Drums should sound.(The Drummer is TOP NOTCH for his young age) Your overall Mix was at a good Level for the Room. Being a tricky room, you did a fantastic Job! One of the Best Mixed shows I've seen in years. Push Play has a future in the Music Business. They are all talented musicians,can write songs, have good personalities and know how to entertain their audience. I enjoyed the show. (I'm a grouchy old bastard) Good Luck to You and Push Play, and again Thank You, and Push Play for a great evening.
Cheers,
Hammer"
- Charlie "Hammer" Zurecki
"I've fully listened to the final mixes of Bill Shanahan's songs and I must say that I was inspired to write you, commending your professionalism, ear, talent and overall creative production. The songs sound great and the sound is tight,"
- Jason Szkutek, vocalist on Bill Shanahan sessions.
"You've worked your ass off and done a beautiful job on this project. The mixes I've heard are fantastic." "These f#@!ing mixes sound incredible! Just listened to the most recent additions. Crisp, clean, powerful, vibe-y, and great work with Jason on the vocals & BG's. Damn!! Great work, mate!"
- Marc Shulman, guitarist on Bill Shanahan sessions.
"It really has been a great experience working with you Void. We wouldn't rather be with any other producer. You've got the skills, the experience, the young ear, and you are overall a great, fun guy to hang with. Any bands out there that are looking to step up and record a pro album with a great producer....look no further."
- Tramping Ground
"We solemnly swore on the 1st day in the studio to record the best rock record ever and that's just what we did!!! You helped us capture the BIG, FAT LIVE sound of Bluish like no one had before. "The Likelihood of Storms" kicks all ass and as the rest world finds that out, we will help you get the single-name recognition that you long for. THANKS!!"
- Bluish
"I'm so glad we did this album together. Everyone loves it! Someone actually told me on that our tunes were the best sounding songs they have ever heard on myspace. That made my day. I've been spreading the word about you and will continue to spread the word because you are one of the truly reputable producers. Thanks!"
- Steve K - Woodfish
Link To Industry Article Regarding mp3 Compression
Link To Mix Magazine re; Woodfish
Link To Mix Magazine re; Tramping Ground
Link to Nessaholics (?) re: Hot Action Cop
Quotes
Rants & Raves
I get lots of emails from up-and-coming youngsters asking about the gear and techniques I use in the studio. I like these questions as I am passionate about what I do and the tools I use to do it. So, here's a few tidbits: (BTW, unless noted, all items are exclusive.)
*I mix on SSL (preferably G or G+ series) consoles in the studio.
*For live mixing I specify Digidesign Venue consoles of any model (D-Show, Profile or SC48.)
*I record on Neve or API consoles.
*I use ProTools HD with Apogee converters (sometimes Digtal Performer) on Apple computers.
*I tend to use German/Austrian mics such as: Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser etc.
*I DO NOT use plug-ins as a crutch to compensate for a lack of talent ie: Auto-Tune to correct bad vocals. A little tweak here and there is one thing but geez, let's not get out of hand.
*I use ProTools as the world's most advanced tape recorder...put the band in the room (after many rehearsals), mic 'em up, hit 'record.' If the take isn't right, DO MORE takes until it is. I don't get hired to sit in front of a monitor for hours editing your band until you sound good, you should be good in the first place.
*For live audio my favorite speakers are d&b line arrays with lots of aux-driven subs.
I was brought up in an old-school 48-track analog, Neve equipped recording studio (Cove City Sound, Glen Cove, NY) run by guys who knew how to use a studio as an art form. No "in the box" mixing...it was all fingers and ears. Working in a place like that taught me about mic technique, song arrangement, the artistry of production and the subtleties of engineering. In my humble opinion (shared by many of the REAL producers and engineers) the art of record production and recording is being decimated by tone-deaf sonic assailants with cracked plug-ins galore on their hard-drives. Mark "Spike" Stent sums it up quite nicely:
"I think that the art of recording in general is getting lost with everybody learning their techniques in home studios instead of commercial studios."
When people ask my advice as to what recording school I think is the best (Full Sail, IAR etc.) I tell them the best recording school is the nearest recording studio. The best teacher is an older engineer that knows how to work in one. Save all the money of an expensive and drawn out education and get an internship at the nearest studio. The money you save you will have to live off of since it's likely you will not be paid from the start. Read every book and internet forum on recording and production. BUY A MAC! Parents insisting you go to college? Go for a music major, much more useful in the studio than how to program a beat in Reason (I have to say I LOVE Reason.) Besides, many colleges these days have some kind of audio-related program so that in conjunction with music can be very rewarding. Be advised: no matter what you do, be prepared to start at the bottom, even if you do have a diploma from an accredited school. That's one thing they don't tell you...you graduate from a school with a degree in audio engineering/production thinking you are now an engineer/producer, you knock on the door of your local studio looking for work as such and they tell you: "We have an opening for an intern. Can you clean the toilets and make coffee?" Take that internship. Trust me, that's the best thing you could do to begin learning studio recording and production techniques. Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. I had to learn that the hard way but I'm the better for it now.
BTW, a HUGE pet peeve of mine is people abbreviating the word "microphone" with "mike" or anything except the proper abbreviation, which is of course "mic."
*I mix on SSL (preferably G or G+ series) consoles in the studio.
*For live mixing I specify Digidesign Venue consoles of any model (D-Show, Profile or SC48.)
*I record on Neve or API consoles.
*I use ProTools HD with Apogee converters (sometimes Digtal Performer) on Apple computers.
*I tend to use German/Austrian mics such as: Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser etc.
*I DO NOT use plug-ins as a crutch to compensate for a lack of talent ie: Auto-Tune to correct bad vocals. A little tweak here and there is one thing but geez, let's not get out of hand.
*I use ProTools as the world's most advanced tape recorder...put the band in the room (after many rehearsals), mic 'em up, hit 'record.' If the take isn't right, DO MORE takes until it is. I don't get hired to sit in front of a monitor for hours editing your band until you sound good, you should be good in the first place.
*For live audio my favorite speakers are d&b line arrays with lots of aux-driven subs.
I was brought up in an old-school 48-track analog, Neve equipped recording studio (Cove City Sound, Glen Cove, NY) run by guys who knew how to use a studio as an art form. No "in the box" mixing...it was all fingers and ears. Working in a place like that taught me about mic technique, song arrangement, the artistry of production and the subtleties of engineering. In my humble opinion (shared by many of the REAL producers and engineers) the art of record production and recording is being decimated by tone-deaf sonic assailants with cracked plug-ins galore on their hard-drives. Mark "Spike" Stent sums it up quite nicely:
"I think that the art of recording in general is getting lost with everybody learning their techniques in home studios instead of commercial studios."
When people ask my advice as to what recording school I think is the best (Full Sail, IAR etc.) I tell them the best recording school is the nearest recording studio. The best teacher is an older engineer that knows how to work in one. Save all the money of an expensive and drawn out education and get an internship at the nearest studio. The money you save you will have to live off of since it's likely you will not be paid from the start. Read every book and internet forum on recording and production. BUY A MAC! Parents insisting you go to college? Go for a music major, much more useful in the studio than how to program a beat in Reason (I have to say I LOVE Reason.) Besides, many colleges these days have some kind of audio-related program so that in conjunction with music can be very rewarding. Be advised: no matter what you do, be prepared to start at the bottom, even if you do have a diploma from an accredited school. That's one thing they don't tell you...you graduate from a school with a degree in audio engineering/production thinking you are now an engineer/producer, you knock on the door of your local studio looking for work as such and they tell you: "We have an opening for an intern. Can you clean the toilets and make coffee?" Take that internship. Trust me, that's the best thing you could do to begin learning studio recording and production techniques. Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. I had to learn that the hard way but I'm the better for it now.
BTW, a HUGE pet peeve of mine is people abbreviating the word "microphone" with "mike" or anything except the proper abbreviation, which is of course "mic."
