EQ Magazine - January 2008 - (Page 32)

responsible for the majority of the backing instrumentation on The 8 Diagrams. Their presence does more than just build a bridge between the classic sound of 36 Chambers and the crisp, sparse programming of RZA’s Bobby Digital-era production. It affirms RZA’s development as a composer and arranger. “This is a natural progression for RZA, ” says James. “He’s always going to have the same ear for making that Wu-Tang sound, but now he’s able to understand things like instrumentation and style. I think throughout the years he has learned to add his own musicianship to the overall picture. He shocks me on the piano, and now he’s playing a few guitars. ” Stone Mecca also appears on the brooding Beatles’ interpolation, “The Heart Gently Weeps”—which features a hook sung by Erykah Badu, lead guitar by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante (who also appears on “Windmill”), and some additional guitar by George Harrison’s son, Dhani. “Me and Russell Crowe did American Gangster together, says RZA, “and he gave ” me this 1961 Gretsch guitar at the end of the film. I gave it to Dhani to play on ‘The Heart Gently Weeps.’” The track was co-produced by George Drakoulias at Paramount Studios. Harrison’s overdubs were handled in New York, where Soper ran the Gretsch through a Music Valve Vacuum Tube direct box, and then into Pro Tools, where Harrison tweaked the sound using Line 6 Amp Farm. The track is set to be the first single off The 8 Diagrams, taking the place of the cello-infused posse cut “Watch Your Mouth, which had to be removed due to ” sample clearance issues. “Even though we kept sampling to a minimum, we still ran into problems with that song, says RZA. “The sample is from Mission ” Impossible, and it’s turning into a mission impossible. ” “Watch Your Mouth” is featured on the group’s MySpace page, and it can also be found (along with “Thug World” and the ODB tribute “Life Changes”) on a downloadable 8 Diagrams mix tape available on loud.com. You can tell, however, that RZA is still frustrated at its lack of inclusion on the album. The consummate perfectionist, RZA was still sitting in on mastering sessions up until this article went to press, and due to each Clan member’s personal and professional commitments, few have even heard most of the songs in their entirety. “GZA loves it, Rae said it’s different, and Meth says he’s digging it, except he don’t like ‘The Heart Gently Weeps,’” laughs RZA. Someone consistently in tune with the album’s evolution, of course, is Rifkind, who has been a part of the group’s collective efforts since it brokered its deal with Loud in 1993. “Iron Flag never got the opportunity to do what it was supposed to do because of everything that was going on with Sony, says ” Rifkind, alluding to the lack of label support he received once Loud fell under the Columbia Records umbrella. “Everybody went off to do their solo things, but there was never really closure with Wu-Tang. So you couldn’t ask for a better time for this album. ” Would you like to mix concert sound like Conservatory graduate Eddie Mapp for Evanescence, Staind, POD and Zakk Wylde? What about winning a Grammy for Radiohead’s ‘Hail to the Thief’ like Darrell Thorpe? Thousands of audio recording professionals have graduated from the Conservatory to work in a career that they had only once dreamed about. With your passion and our training you too could be working as a recording engineer, mixing sound for motion pictures and even touring with bands as their Front of House engineer. When it comes to audio…WE ARE THE EXPERTS. LET US HELP YOU GET IN THE MIX. PUT YOURSELF IN THE MIX CONSERVATORY OF RECORDING ARTS & SCIENCES 2300 E. Broadway Rd. | Tempe, AZ 85282 1205 N. Fiesta Blvd. | Gilbert, AZ 85233 1-800-562-6383 32 EQ JANUARY 2008 www.eqmag.com www.audiorecordingschool.com/eq.html http://loud.com http://www.audiorecordingschool.com/eq.html http://www.audiorecordingschool.com/eq.html http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - January 2008

EQ Magazine - January 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Robbers On High Street Rafter RTX Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Toolbox Rahim Dimmu Borgir Wu-Tang Clan Special Feature! Mastering for Musicians Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drumheads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Cakewalk Sonar 7 IK Multimedia Virtual Instruments Yamaha MSP7 Shure KSM137/SL K+H O 300 & O 800 Sonica Livetracker Apple Logic Studio Novation XioSynth 25, Audio-Technica ATH-M50, Samson G-Track

EQ Magazine - January 2008

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