RECORDING January 2023 - 54

WWGD: What Would Gadd Do?
Conversations with Dr. Steve Gadd
Photo by Bill Zules
Prologue
Throughout the years, I've had the opportunity to mix various
tracks that Steve has played on. It's funny how he can make the
most complex thing sound simple, and the simplest thing sound
so intentional. You can literally turn up the bass drum and overheads,
and you're good to go! That's the player, not the drums,
the mics or the plugins.
I'll leave you with a short story from Gary Katz taken from
a live Q&A organized by the London Song Company several
years ago. He was telling a couple of stories about producing
Steely Dan's Aja.
" Perhaps the most astonishing of all was Steve Gadd's drumming
on Aja. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen always talked
about using him, but every time they came close, one of them
would say, 'I don't really love his backbeat,' and they wouldn't
call him.
Having problems with the drum track (and extended solo) on
the song " Aja " , someone said, 'Maybe this would be a good
time to try Gadd.' When he came into the room, he said, 'Let
me put the score up.' It was a very long score because [the song]
was eight minutes, so they set up a semi-circle of music stands.
Gadd said, 'Can we just run it down so I can mark it?' So
What's your opinion of people that keep redoing
takes over and over again? Do you think you
can beat a performance into submission?
Well, that's what we used to do back in the 70s. I think the
magic is in the earlier takes. I like first takes. Nowadays, I'm
not involved with guys that want to do one take after another.
I try and discourage that. At that point, you're trying to play
what you played the take before, and you're thinking about
that instead of letting the music play you.
That's excellent advice. Along those same lines, what
do you think makes a good-sounding record?
First and foremost, the music must be good. That's gotta be
there first. Musicians and engineers have to allow the music to
happen, not try and make it happen. That's beyond equipment
or sound. It's all about guys in the room coming up with an
agreement, agreeing on a feel, agreeing on a groove and
letting the music take you for a ride.
You've always been a music guy who's
about serving the song(s).
Your music isn't good because you play the same instrument
all the time. Your music is good because you take a piece of
wood and come up with something that works musically. You
have to take whatever is at your disposal-whether it's recording
gear or instruments-and make that work for the music. It's
not like if you don't have a certain snare drum, it's not going
to happen, you know what I mean? It's whatever you can use.
Absolutely. One last question: what are
some of your favorite records?
I love Ray Charles. I love Stevie Wonder. I love The Temptations.
I just like old music. When the music's good, I'm happy!
And with that, thanks for your time, Steve!
Thank you.
54 RECORDING January 2023
Chuck Rainey and Victor Feldman, great musicians, ran it
down, and Gadd marks it. Steve said, 'Okay, I'm ready.' Walter
and I were in the control room, and Donald was outside
with his back to us, doing the scratch vocal. He only played the
whole thing once. Walter says, 'You know, we may have made
a mistake about Gadd'. "
Mark Hornsby is a music producer, audio engineer, studio
designer and musician who travels around North America in
his Airstream with his English Bulldog, Murphy.
Gadd-Tracks
" 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover "
This iconic song by Paul
Simon was the second single
from his fourth studio album,
Still Crazy After All These
Years,
released in 1975. It
features one of the most recognizable
drum patterns by musicians
and fans alike. " Everything
is a collaboration, " says
Gadd. " Someone hears you
do something, and they say, " Hey, let's try and get something
out of that. " I was in the studio a lot back in those days, and
in between takes, if we didn't go in to listen to a playback, I
would stay in the drum booth and practice different things. One
of the things I was practicing was playing the foot with the hihat,
and then hitting it with the stick after. I think Phil (Ramone)
heard me doing that and wanted to try and develop it, and
that's how it started.
" 50 Ways " became Simon's sole number-one hit as a solo
artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the States and took home the
GRAMMY for Album of the Year at the 1976 GRAMMY Awards.

RECORDING January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING January 2023

Fade In
Fast Forward
Roland SPD-SX PRO Sampling Pad
Session Log with Marc Urselli: Trasfrontera Japan, taiko drums, Kaoru Watanabe and Anna Sato
Soundware Showcase: Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
PreSonus Studio One Version 6
Hugh Padgham: Behind the Gates of the Hitmaker
LEWITT BEATKIT PRO
Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Orchestra: Low Percussion
Studio 101 with Joe Albano: An Intro to Drum Recording
sE Electronics T2
Solid State Logic SSL CONNEX
API 3122V
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Steve Gadd
Plugin Outlet: Strymon BigSky Plugin
Panda Audio Future Impact v3
EFNOTE 3X & EFNOTE 7
Readers’ Tracks
Fade Out: New (Year’s) Studio Resolutions
RECORDING January 2023 - Intro
RECORDING January 2023 - Cover1
RECORDING January 2023 - Cover2
RECORDING January 2023 - 1
RECORDING January 2023 - 2
RECORDING January 2023 - 3
RECORDING January 2023 - Fade In
RECORDING January 2023 - 5
RECORDING January 2023 - 6
RECORDING January 2023 - 7
RECORDING January 2023 - Fast Forward
RECORDING January 2023 - 9
RECORDING January 2023 - Roland SPD-SX PRO Sampling Pad
RECORDING January 2023 - 11
RECORDING January 2023 - 12
RECORDING January 2023 - 13
RECORDING January 2023 - Session Log with Marc Urselli: Trasfrontera Japan, taiko drums, Kaoru Watanabe and Anna Sato
RECORDING January 2023 - 15
RECORDING January 2023 - 16
RECORDING January 2023 - 17
RECORDING January 2023 - 18
RECORDING January 2023 - 19
RECORDING January 2023 - Soundware Showcase: Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
RECORDING January 2023 - 21
RECORDING January 2023 - 22
RECORDING January 2023 - 23
RECORDING January 2023 - PreSonus Studio One Version 6
RECORDING January 2023 - 25
RECORDING January 2023 - 26
RECORDING January 2023 - 27
RECORDING January 2023 - Hugh Padgham: Behind the Gates of the Hitmaker
RECORDING January 2023 - 29
RECORDING January 2023 - 30
RECORDING January 2023 - 31
RECORDING January 2023 - 32
RECORDING January 2023 - 33
RECORDING January 2023 - LEWITT BEATKIT PRO
RECORDING January 2023 - 35
RECORDING January 2023 - 36
RECORDING January 2023 - 37
RECORDING January 2023 - Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Orchestra: Low Percussion
RECORDING January 2023 - 39
RECORDING January 2023 - Studio 101 with Joe Albano: An Intro to Drum Recording
RECORDING January 2023 - 41
RECORDING January 2023 - 42
RECORDING January 2023 - 43
RECORDING January 2023 - sE Electronics T2
RECORDING January 2023 - 45
RECORDING January 2023 - Solid State Logic SSL CONNEX
RECORDING January 2023 - 47
RECORDING January 2023 - API 3122V
RECORDING January 2023 - 49
RECORDING January 2023 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Steve Gadd
RECORDING January 2023 - 51
RECORDING January 2023 - 52
RECORDING January 2023 - 53
RECORDING January 2023 - 54
RECORDING January 2023 - 55
RECORDING January 2023 - Plugin Outlet: Strymon BigSky Plugin
RECORDING January 2023 - 57
RECORDING January 2023 - Panda Audio Future Impact v3
RECORDING January 2023 - 59
RECORDING January 2023 - EFNOTE 3X & EFNOTE 7
RECORDING January 2023 - 61
RECORDING January 2023 - 62
RECORDING January 2023 - 63
RECORDING January 2023 - Readers’ Tracks
RECORDING January 2023 - 65
RECORDING January 2023 - 66
RECORDING January 2023 - 67
RECORDING January 2023 - 68
RECORDING January 2023 - 69
RECORDING January 2023 - 70
RECORDING January 2023 - 71
RECORDING January 2023 - Fade Out: New (Year’s) Studio Resolutions
RECORDING January 2023 - Cover3
RECORDING January 2023 - Cover4
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