EQ Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 28)

BANG THE DRUM There’s no doubt that Andy’s clever, but the fact is that nobody kept a firm hand on the tiller. Andy was essentially running the record through a distillery. I knew to expect this going in, and I warned the band that I would finish the record. I would not quit. After the turmoil of the recording process, we went to Woodstock to mix. My mixing process is to go in alone, get a mix in the neighborhood of where it needs to be, and then invite everyone in to listen and make adjustments. By the time we got to the third song the band was so tired they just returned to London and I finished the record without them. It was the complete opposite of the process they had developed up until then. Andy was pissed that he had lost control of the project and started bad-mouthing the record before anyone had even heard it. Then, when the record came out, they did everything they could to sabotage it. They took “Dear God” off the record and threw it on the B-side of their first single. You seem to have such a great love for R&B music. What do you think of the current state of popular R&B, both in terms of songwriting and sound? Disappointing is kind of the least of it. Is it enough to put a drum machine on never changing, little “doot-doot” thing with somebody in hysterics on top of it? But there’s a world of difference between those artists, like Missy Elliot, and some of the other artists, like Mary J. Blige, who can really sing and put feeling behind it. Yet they are lumped together in the same category. The basis of R&B was always a great song. None of these Justin Timberlakes, or the people who write for them, seem to have any connection with that, or realize how far away they are from Marvin Gaye or the Four Tops. A lot of it is hip-hop claiming R&B because of a sample or a guest artist. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with hip-hop or the pure strains of rap. It’s the equivalent of punk music. It’s not supposed to be sophisticated, that’s not where it gets credibility. I think one of the greatest recordings of all time is [Public Enemy’s] Fear of a Black Planet. It’s an unbelievable record. But as we in the music industry know, 90 percent of the products are substandard. Most of these albums are manufactured as quickly and cheaply as possible. The remaining 10 percent are the industry standards, and about one percent of that are true, state-of-the-art products. Any advice to musicians recording themselves? How do they put out a state-of-the-art product? Music is a circular art form. Everything that was happens again. Things aren’t too great right now. We have a lot of room for improvement. But if I was to give one piece of advice it would be this: Don’t underestimate the value of woodshedding. It’s not a stampede to the top of the charts. J.J. Blair is a Grammy-winning producer and engineer based in Los Angeles. He moderates the Use Your Ears forum at www.eqmag.com. Visit the site and leave him feedback on this interview. 28 EQ SEPTEMBER 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com http://www.fullcompass.com http://www.fullcompass.com http://www.fullcompass.com http://www.eqmag.com

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

EQ Magazine - September 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Freak Folk Todd Rundgren Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Sony Acid 6 Ableton Live 7 Portable Recorder Showdown Gadgets and Goodies Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - September 2008

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