Production Interview

An overview of my Productions

Q. What are your production Influences?

A. The Beatles, David Bowie, Grizzly Bear, Bob Marley, Blur. The Clash.

Q. What, if any, production techniques have you implemented?

A. For the recordings of ‘Hello Radio’ and ‘My Frends, My Cavelcade’, I was interested in creating a unique and interesting overall sound, and experimenting with new techniques. After hearing the critically acclaimed Grizzly Bear album ‘Vekamist’ and seeing the band live, I was inspired to recreate some of the atmosphere and nuances that are prevalent in the albums production. I really like the ‘big’ atmosphere the album has, and of course the musicianship and song writing is world class. Much of the guitar playing on ‘Hello Radio’ is heavily influenced by this record. I have included many influences in my recordings, and one that I believe that has influenced me the most would have to be The Clash.

What is your reasoning for recording at MFM, and do you believe are the benefits of using an all analogue system?

After getting used to the modified desk and all of its strange routing system, I am now enjoying the system a lot more. The desk at MFM is custom made and as such is a pain sometimes to fully understand the in’s and outs. Although now it is all set up and (mostly) working it is a really enjoyable experience to mix entirely on the system. What I like most about it is the hands on approach to the mix, having a large console in front of you and using physical faders and pots to control the sounds. I often get frustrated using logics sends because using a mouse to do this isnt ideal. The mixing procedure isn’t entirely analogue though, as I do use logics EQ as a corrective EQ to fine tune and eliminate and unwanted nastiness/muddiness in the recorded sounds. I am very fond of the desks EQ as a creative tool, and find they add a lot of character to the recordings more so than a digital representation. I am very privileged to be able to work with the desk and the outboard gear, and have learnt many new techniques using the various equipment available. The hands on aspect of manual automation is a personal favourite of mine, as I believe controlling volume by hand is a much better way of getting into the ‘feel’ of the song. Of course the analogue equipment has its place, but I wouldn’t use it for all the productions I am involved with. The SoulMethod productions for example are made entirely in logic, and need the overall feel of a digital workstation to sound the way they do.

The downsides of using the desk aren’t uncommon however, as is the nature of using older technology. My biggest annoyance is having relied on motorised faders and generally being able to ‘save’ a project half way through.