RECORDING May 2023 - 35

Walking Together, Rocking
Together, Recording Together
A Talk with Kevin Seconds, Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara
I'll give you an example. I'm reading from my 1984 Journal.
This is October 20, 1984:
" It's noon; I'm waiting for 7 Seconds. They don't show up
until 9:00 p.m. So we had to cancel the first day of the session
at Inner Ear. Apparently, there was some confusion on their end
about the studio date. Oh well. " So the first day was out already.
On the second day, October 21, 1984:
" At 4:30 p.m., I go to the studio with 7 Seconds. We have
a great time, and we get everything recorded by 10:30 p.m. It
sounds great. Especially nice to be back at Don's. It's been six
months since I did the Rites Of Spring session... "
So in six hours, we finished all the recording. The next time
we return to the studio is on the 23rd. I worked at a record
store every day, so we can only go in the evening.
On October 23, 1984, my journal says:
" I had been up all night, and then I had to go to work, and then
I get off at 7 p.m. I go straight back to Dischord. I nap for 15 minutes
and then go to Inner Ear to get back and mix and sequence
the 7 Seconds, finish at 2:00 a.m. Don charges them $200. "
So the whole nine-song record was recorded and
mixed in two days?
Ian: Not even two days, the whole thing was recorded and
mixed in a 12-hour period, and it cost $200-which is kind of
a rip-off now that I think of it.
Kevin: Yeah, come on, we were poor then, man. You guys
took advantage of us! [Everyone laughs].
Ian: At that time, economy was a huge part of the mission.
You just gotta get the stuff down. You couldn't obsess over the
" right " mix. It was, " we can't be here any longer. " Those guys
had to leave the next day to go to Morgantown, WV, so we
had to finish the session.
Kevin: Keep in mind we were in the middle of a month and
a half long tour.
Ian: And under that kind of pressure, you can get results.
I still like making records that way. Don and I recorded last
week. A band came into the basement, and we recorded three
songs with vocals, and we did that in about four hours maybe.
I can't wait to mix it. We'll mix it in two!
Don: The source is one of the most important things, which
has limitations. A drum kit will sound a certain way. A guitar
amp sound sounds a certain way. You take it, you listen to it,
you try to reproduce it, and there you are. If you are obsessing
over, I can't hear the fifth string on my guitar or something like
that, then you go down a rabbit hole you never get out of.
Ian: We have certainly been down that rabbit hole over the
years. I've done a lot of recording, and there are many experiences
where we're like, I'm so lost. But I think in that era,
especially, there was no time to get lost.
Ian, when you produced this project, you had your own
band, records and label by that time. What did the term
32 RECORDING May 2023
I am curious how today's process of making albums--
especially vinyl compares to 30-40 years ago. Were
mastering engineers even a thing back then in the
DIY market, or did your final mix go straight to the
pressing plant?
Ian: What comes out of the studio is the master mix of the
session. And then that tape would go to the mastering person
who will cut it for vinyl.
In 7 Seconds case, I think I probably shipped the tape to
BYO [the label that released the original EP] in Los Angeles,
because they're the ones who ultimately released it.
Producer mean to you?
Ian: I actually had no idea. When Minor Threat or the Teen
Idles went into the studio, Skip Groff, who ran the Yesterday
and Today (Y&T) record store, came in and was the producer.
He sat with Don, and he helped us mix the record. I thought
that's what a producer does.
With 7 Seconds, I just loved the band. I loved recording
at Don's, I thought we were making really good-sounding records,
and I really wanted to record them.
What I love about going in the studio with bands is you become
a defacto member of the band-you have an emotional
investment in the project. For me, it was just the opportunity to
be a part of a creative process and be involved in it-it's an
intimate relationship.
I like the idea of going to the studio and trying to put this stuff
down. I love the hang. I don't think Kevin called me and said,
" Hey, would you be willing to produce this? " I think more likely,
I said, " If you're coming out here, let's fucking record. "
Original Tracking Sheets
RECORDING May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING May 2023
