inside track_ ken andrews and paramore

11/4/2015 Inside Track: Ken Andrews and Paramore

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul13/articles/it-0713.htm 1/6

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InsideTrack:KenAndrewsandParamoreSecretsOfTheMixEngineersPeople+Opinion:Artists/Engineers/Producers/Programmers

KenAndrewswonablindshootoutagainstsomeofthebiggestnamesinthemixingworld.Hisprize:theplumjobofmixingParamore'sacclaimedcomebackalbum.PaulTingen

henabandlosetwooftheirfourfoundingmembers,includingtheirprincipalmusicwriter,inanacrimonioussplit,fewwouldputmoneyonthebandgoingontobiggerandbetterthings.YetthisisexactlywhatTennesseeemobandParamorehavedone.Whenguitarist

andsongwriterJoshFarroanddrummerZacFarroleftattheendof2010,thethreeremainingmembersstayedtogether,refocused,and,twoandahalfyearslater,cameupwiththeeponymouslytitledandwidely

praisedParamore.ReleasedinApril,thealbumreceivedravereviewsandtoppedchartsaroundtheworld,includingtheUKandtheUS,makingittheband'sfirstnativenumberone.

Perhapsthehookladen,punkypopdirectionofParamore'sfirstthreealbumshadreacheditsnaturalendandareinventionwasoverdue,eveniftheFarrobrothershadn'tleft.Eitherway,theremainingthreememberssetaboutrecastingtheband'ssoundwithgusto,dressinguptheirstillhookypopsongswithquirkysoundsandleftfieldarrangements.Tohelpthem,theyenlistedJustinMeldalJohnsen,whohasbeenBeck'smusicaldirectorfornearly10yearsandhasforgedareputationasaninnovativeproducer,workingwithexFailurefrontmanKenAndrews,altrockbandssuchasDivisionDayandNeonTrees,andFrenchelectronicbandM83.ItwasthroughMeldalJohnsen'sconnectionwithKenAndrewsthatthelatterendedupmixingParamore,butonlyafterfirstclearingaserioushurdle:amixshootoutthatsawhimpittedagainstahandfulofAlistmixers.Againsttheodds,Andrewsmixedandconquered,andthisishisstoryandthatofhismixofthenewParamorealbum.

TheKidDoesn'tStayInTheFilm

BorninSeattle,KenAndrews'careerbeganwhilehewasatfilmschoolinLosAngeles,wherehetookadetourfromwhichheneverreturned."Istartedaband,Failure,andwedidn'treallythinkit'dgoanywhere,becausewewereprettyleftofcentre.By1991,Iwasactuallydirectingmusicvideosandmakingadecentlivingfromthis,butinthatyearFailuregotsignedtoSlashRecordsandIputthevideostuffonholdforawhiletodotheindierockthing.Twentytwoyearslater,hereIam!

AsFailure'sleadsinger,guitaristandbassist,Andrewsmadethreealbums:Comfort(1992),Magnified(1994)andFantasticPlanet(1996).FollowingthishereleasedanEPandtwoalbumswithasoloprojectcalledON(19992002),andassembledashortlivedbandcalledYearOfTheRabbit,whichreleasedanEPandaselftitledalbum(2003).Andrews'firstsoloalbumunderhisownname,SecretsOfTheLostSatellite,wascreatedwithhelpfromMeldalJohnsenandreleasedin2007.Thetwomenarealsocurrentlyinvolvedinthe"digitalbandDigitalNoiseAcademy,whofundedtheirrecentlyreleaseddebutalbumviakickstarter.com.Sofar,thisreadslikethetypicalcareerpathofamoderatelysuccessfulmusician,exceptthat22yearslater,Andrews'mainworkingarenaisnotthestage,buthisRedSwanprivatestudioinLosAngeles.Hisreputationasamixerhasgrowntosuchanimpressivedegreethatbeatingthetopguysattheirowngamesimplyseemslikethenextlogicalstepupwards.Howdidhegetsogoodatit?

"ThegenesisoftheFailuresoundwasfourtrackcassetterecordingsthatIhaddoneoffourorfiveofourearlysongs,explainsAndrews."Forme,recordingandbeingabandmemberwerehandinhandfromthebeginning.WerecordedourfirstalbumwithSteveAlbini,andfollowingthatwerecordedsomeverydetailedfourtrackcassettedemosforthesecondalbum.Therecordcompanywantedtoreleasethemastheywere,butwechosetoredothem,becausewewantedtohaverealdrums,andsoon.Weworkedwithaproducer,butendedupfallingoutwithhim,andrecordedagoodhalfoftherecordourselves.Iwasn'tentirelyconfidentinmymixingabilitiesatthatstage,sowegotDavidBiancointomixit,andIlearnedalotfromwatchinghim.Bythetimewedidourthirdrecord,wewerereadytocompletelytakethereinsandIengineeredandmixedit.Weconvincedtherecordcompanytoallowustospendtherecordingbudget,$75,000,onrecordingequipment,sowegotaMackie32:8andthreeearlyADATs,andsoon.AfterFantasticPlanetcameout,Iwasimmediatelyapproachedbyseveralbandstorecordandproducetheirstuff.Eventoday,IstillgetworkbasedonwhatIdidonthatalbum!

Inthe16yearssincethereleaseofFantasticPlanet,Andrewshasworkedasamixer,engineerand/orproducerwiththelikesofNineInchNails,Beck,PeteYorn,APerfectCircle,TenaciousD,BlackRebelMotorcycleClub,Candleboxandmanyothers.HealsorecentlymixedtheendtitletrackforthesciencefictionfilmOblivion,whichwaswrittenbyM83,andiscurrentlyworkingwithM83onanotherfilmscore.

TotalRecall

Andrewsisanoutspokenfanofdigitalaudio,whichledtohimbeinginterviewedafewyearsagoonanAmericanTVprogramcalledWiredScience,inwhichhisviewswerecontrastedwiththoseofanaloguebelieverSteveAlbini."TheADATwasthebeginningofthehomestudiorevolution,explainsAndrews,"andIusedcomputersforthefirsttimewhenrecordingON.IworkedonLogicforawhile,butswitchedtoProToolsin2003.IhavedoneanumberofprojectswhereI'vegonetotape

Inthisarticle:TheKidDoesn'tStay

InTheFilmTotalRecallTheMixFactorThreeByThreeSynthsVersusGuitarsSwanSongsRegionalVariations

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11/4/2015 Inside Track: Ken Andrews and Paramore

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul13/articles/it-0713.htm 2/6

KenAndrews'principalreverbanddelaypluginswere,respectively,AudioEase'sAltiverbandSoundToys'EchoBoy.

first,ormixeddowntotape,butsinceIstartedusingDAWs,I'veworkedononlyahandfulofalbumswithouttheinvolvementofacomputer.InowworkcloselywithAvid,betatestingstuffforthem,makingvideosfortheirteaserads,andwritingmusicthattheycanusefordemopurposes.Thesonicqualityofdigitalisreallygoodnow,andthere'snogoingbackforme.

"MyentireworkflowhereatmystudioisbasedonafastpacedmixingstylewhereI'mbouncingbetweenquiteafewdifferentmixesonanygivenday.Youjustcan'tdothatintheanalogueworld.Also,artistscaremuchlessaboutattendingmixsessionstoday.Instead,theyhavebecomeusedtotheprocessofreceivingdraftmixesasanMP3,andtheylistentothesewherevertheyare,onwhateversystemtheyareusedto,andtheythensendmetheirnotes.I'dsaythatoftherockIalbumsthatIhavemixedinthelastthreeyears,inabout50percentofcasestheartistsarelisteningandmakingtheircommentswhiletheyareontour,sometimesseveraldaysafterIsendthemtheMP3.Thismakestheabilitytoinstantlyrecallmixeswith100percentrepeatabilityessential.

TheMixFactor

Theroleandstatusofspecialistmixengineerswithinthemusicindustryisalsochanging.Althoughtheirstockhasrisendramatically,tothepointwheretheyareoftenexpectedtomakecreativecontributions,recordingbudgetshavecontinuedtofall,andmixinghasnotbeenexempt.Manymixengineershavehadtodroptheirfees,andinacompetitivemarket,ithasbecomeincreasinglyfashionabletoorganiseshootoutsbetweenseveralpotentialmixers.Theseshootoutsareoftenunpaid,andit'sasignofthetimesthatevenAlistmixersfeelunderenoughpressuretoparticipateinthem.SoitwaslastAutumnthatAndrewsfoundhimselftakingpartinwhathecalledinhisblog"aninvolvedandsomewhatnerverackingauditionprocess.

"Justin[MeldalJohnsen]gavemethechancetodothemixofffortheParamorealbum,Andrewsexplains."Thebandhaddecidedthattheywantedtodothisblind,witheveryonemixingthesamesong.Themixfileswerelabelled'A'to'E',andthebandandJustinlistenedtothemforanhourorso,andunanimouslypickedthe'C'mix,whichwasmine.Ihavetosaythat'showIgotthelastseveralmixingjobsIhavedone.It'sbecomingareallycommonthing,andmixersarewillingtodoit,becauseprojectswithhealthymixingbudgetsarebecomingincreasinglyrare.Mixersworkingmoreandmoreintheirownstudiosisdefinitelyhurtingcommercialstudiosthathavemixrooms,thoughstudiosingeneralappeartobedoingbetterinsofarasrecordingisconcerned.WhenIrangaroundLArecentlytobookastudiotodosometracking,Iwaspleasantlysurprisedbythefactthatmanystudioswerebacktotheiroldrates.Ithinkthatwhenitcomestorecording,peoplestillvaluegoodrecordingspaces,deepmiclockers,andgoodsoundingrecordingconsoles.

ThreeByThree

Paramorehadrecordedawhopping17songsforthealbum,andAndrews'alldigitalsetupwasideallysuitedtohandlingsuchamassiveproject.Ittookhimsevenweekstomixallsongs,beginningOctober15thandfinishingearlyDecember,buthestressesthathewasn'tworkingonthealbumexclusivelyduringthisperiod."Ikindofdomydayinthreechunks:threehoursinthemorning,threeintheafternoon,andthreeintheeveningafterthekidshavegonetobed.IoftengettheentiremixdoneduringthedayandI'llthendosomerecallsintheevening,andoccasionallyI'llfinishamixinthemorning,dotherecallsintheafternoonandstartanewmixintheevening.Itreallydependsonthesongsandonhowmanytracksthereareinasession.InthecaseofParamore,ittookmeabouttwoweekstodothefirstdraftsforallsongs,andIthenstartedworkonanotherrecord,whiledoingrecallsontheParamorealbum.

"ThesessionsfortheParamorealbumusuallyhadabout5060tracks,sometimesmore,becausetherewereacoupleofsongsthathadasmallorchestraonthem.Butthemixesdidn'ttakethatlong,becausetheyhadbeenprettysmartabouthowtheyhadrecordedeverything.Theengineer,CarlosdelaGarza,isreallytalented,everythingwassuperwellrecordedandthesessionswereorganisedthewayIlikeit,whichisprettycommon,withthedrumsatthetop,thevocalsatthebottom,andtheinstrumentsinbetween.WhenIreceiveasession,thefirstthingIdoisa'SaveAs'withmyinitialsattheend,andIthenlistentotherough,whichusuallyhasbeenprintedbackintothesession.IgetasenseofthevibeanddirectionofthesongandIfamiliarisemyselfwiththetracksthatareinthesessionandthendosomehousekeeping,likegoingthroughalltheregionsanddeletinganyblankspaces.Theseblankspacesdon'tusuallyhavenoiseonthem,it'spurelyformetohavevisualcuesintheEditwindowtoseewherepartsbeginandend.

"Also,becauseIhaveagoodrelationshipwithJustinandCarlos,Ihadbeenawareofwhattheyhadbeenworkingwith,softwarewise,andtheygavemealistofthepluginstheyhadusedfortheroughs.TherewereonlyahandfulthatIdidn'talreadyhave,andthesewererelativelyinexpensive,soIboughtthemallandinstalledthemonmysystem.Thisallowedmetoopentheirsessionsandnothavedisabledplugins.Anotherpartofhousekeeping,forme,istoripoutallthehardwareI/Othat'sinthesessionandmakesurethere'snoautomationanywhere.IthenimportmyowninternalI/Oandbussingsetup,whichcontainsatemplateofauxiliaryplugineffectsandinstrumentsubgroupslikedrums,bass,guitars,keyboards,vocal,andsoon.Eachinstrumentfamilyhasitsownstereoauxtrackatthebottomofthesession,andImakesureeverythingisroutedthewayIwantit.Mytemplatewillgenerallyhavethreeorfourreverbs,twoorthreedelaysandsomedrumbuscompression.That'smystartingpointforarockmix,butthesettingsalwaysgetchanged,dependingonthesong.It'saquickwaytogetgoing,andforthemostpartIcangothrougharocksongjustusingthese,eventhoughImaycreateafewnewoneshereandthere.

"Mynextstepwillbetogetareallyquickoverallbalance,withoutlookingattheprocessingonindividualtracks.IthenpicksomethingI'dliketoworkoninmoredetail.Thismaybethedrums,orthebass,sometimestheguitars.It'susuallynotthevocals,becausewiththiskindofmusic,theconceptofgettingthevocalstosoundgoodandthenfittingthemusicaroundthatdoesn'tworkforme.It'snotjustaboutthevocalsound,it'sabouttheentirepackage.SoIfirstgetagoodinstrumentalmix,andthenIaddthevocalsinandmakesuretheycancompetewithinthatinstrumentalmix.Atthatpoint,ImayaddresssomeoverlappingfrequenciesandEQsome1kor2koutoftheguitarsorkeyboards,orpanthingsoutabitmore,tomakeroomforthevocals.Butingeneralmystrategyforarockmixistofirstgetareallygood,punchy,rockinstrumentalmixgoingbeforeaddingthevocals.

SynthsVersusGuitars

"TheroughmixesfortheParamorealbumwereareallygoodrepresentationofwhattheywanted,especiallyintermsofoveralltoneandbalance.Ifyoucomparedtheroughswithmyfinalmixes,you'dnoticethattherewasasensibilityintheroughsthatIkept.Iwasn'taskedtoreinventthingsoranythinglikethat,ormixwithaneyeonthecharts.Thedrumswerereallywellrecorded,but,likemostmixers,Ihavemybagoftrickstomakethemsoundbiggerandpunchierandwhatnot.Mixingwassimplyamatterofpleasingmyselfandtheband,andoncewehaddonethat,wetrustedthatotherpeoplewouldalsolikeit.Havingsaidthat,therecordingswererelativelypolishedandthebandwereclearlynotafteranuncommercialsound.Weweren'tmakingaWhiteStripesrecord.Thatdictatedthepresentationsomewhat.

DryMortarMixer

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lafurArnaldsComposer&Producer

11/4/2015 Inside Track: Ken Andrews and Paramore

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul13/articles/it-0713.htm 3/6

Thecoverofthealbum,featuring(fromleft)JeremyDavis,TaylorYorkandHayleyWilliams.

"Whatseparatesthisnewrecordfromtheirpreviousrecordsis,toasubstantialdegree,thesynthesizers.Theyhadmanyinterestingguitarandbackingvocalparts,buttheyalsohadallthesesynthesizerpartsthathadbeenaddedbyJustin,andalsoTaylor,theguitarist,plussomepercussivedrummachinetypethings.IbelievethebandpartlyhiredJustinbecausetheywantedhiskeyboardsensibilityonthealbum.They'dexperimentedwithsynthesizersintheirdemosbeforetheygotintouchwithhim,sotheywerealreadygoingdownthatpath.Whenitgottothemix,mychallengewashowtorepresentthat.Thesynthswereimportant,andwerethekeytothenewsoundoftheband,butwedidn'twanttolosethefeelingthatyou'relisteningtoaguitarbasedband.Therewereusuallyoneortwomelodicguitarsgoingon,plusarhythmguitar,andthekeyboardtracks.Tomyears,theresometimesweretoomanykeyboardparts,soIappliedanumberofcreativemutesjusttocarvethingsoutabitandopenupthesections.

"Atothermoments,I'dreallyletthekeyboardsshine,ifIfeltthatthesongcalledforitandthattheguitarhadalreadyestablisheditselfstronglyenoughearlierinthesong.Inasituationlikethat,I'doccasionallyallowtheguitartodriftalittleintoasupportingpositionandallowthekeyboardstotakeover.Arelatedaspectisthattherecordisnotsuperbassheavy.Whenyouhaveanultrabassheavymix,it'shardertoachievethesamedetailintheguitarsandkeys,soitwasaveryconsciousdecisiontomakesurethemidrangewaswelldefined.Overthetopbasscanworkforsomehiphop,becausethegrooveisthemostimportantthing,butinarocksongitcanreallyskewthewholethewholepicture.TheParamorestuffhasalotofcounterpointandmelodicinformationinthemidrangethathadtospeakinthesongs,otherwiseitjustsoundedwashy.Decidingwhethertheguitarsorthekeyboardsdominatedatanygiventimeinthemidrangewasprobablythemostfun,interesting,andchallengingaspectofmixingthisrecord.

Drums:WavesSSLGChannel&L2,AudioEaseAltiverb,AvidDigirackEQIII.

"Iaddedonekicksampletothissession,whichisthesecondtrackfromthetop.Sothere'stheir'KickIn'mic,mysample,their'KickOut'mic,snaretopandbottom,andtherestofthedrumtracks,includingtwosetsofoverheads,consistingofonewidersetofNeumanKM84sandanotherwithanarrowersoundcomingfromastereoRoyerSF12ribbonmic.Isplitthehatstrackoffintotwotracksfordifferentsectionsofthesong,togetmorecontrolovertheautomation.Idothatalot.The'S'ontheinsertsofallthedrumtracksandtheridetrackistheWavesSSLGChannel,whichismyfavouritepluginfordrums.Inaddition,IsentalittlebitofthetopsnaremictotheAltiverbAMSRMX16auxtrack,butotherthanthat,Iusedtheambiencethattheyhadrecorded.Therewerestereocloseroommics,stereofarroommicsandamonoroommic,andtheyallsoundedawesome,soIwasabletogetagreatdrumsoundjustusingthem,plustheSSLGChannelandthesnareAltiverbAMS.

"Therearealso10tracksofacousticpercussionoverdubsinthesong,withtambourine,cowbells,cabasa,triangle,woodblockandsoon,andthreesnareoverdubsinthebridge.It'salmostlikethere'sapercussionpartystartinginthebridge.ThesnareoverdubsaresenttothePlatereverb.IalsohaveaWavesL2andthesevenbandDigirackEQonsomeofthepercussiontracks.

"TheSSLGchannelpluginisonestopshopping:yougetanEQ,acompressor,gateandexpansion,anditallowsmetoquicklyshapethedrumtracks.ManyofthedrumGChannelpluginsdidnothing,theywerejusttheretounifythedrumsound.Usingthesamepluginonallthedrumtracksallowsmetotreatthedrumsasoneinstrument,andthishelpswithlatency.Igenerallymixwiththedelaycompensationon,buttherearetimeswhenIturnitoffbecauseIwanttoaddapartmyself.ThisissomethingthatIdoalotonprojectsthatIammixing.Itjustseemsnaturaltome,andoftenIwon'teventelltheartist,andtheywillnoticeit,ortheywon't.Oftenitisnotanentirelynewpart,butmoresomethingthatsupportswhat'salreadythere,likedoublingaguitarpart,oraddingashakerverysubliminally.OnthisrecordIdidnotdotoomuchofthat,apartfromsingingsomedifferentharmoniesonacoupleofsongsandImaybeaddedsomekeyboardshereandthere.ButforthisreasonIprefertoorganisemymixinsuchawaythatwhenIturnthedelaycompensationoff,itdoesnotfallapart.Iwanttobeable,atanytime,tograbamicrophonetoaddaparttoasession.

Bass,keyboards&guitars:WavesC4,CLA2A&CLA3A,SoundToysCrystallizer&EchoBoy,AvidDigirackEQIII&Echo,AudioEaseAltiverb,TrilliumLaneAutoPan.

"Belowthepercussionisabassguitartrack,whichisacompthatImade.Thebassonthisrecordwasmostlydeliveredinthreetofivetracks,allofoneperformancebutwithdifferentsoundsources,likeDI,pedals,amp1,amp2,maybeadifferentmicononeoftheamps,andsoon.Usually,whenI'mhalfwaythroughtheinstrumentalmixandwillingtocommittothebasssoundIsubitdowntoonetrack.Havingoneperformancespreadovermanytracksmakesitdifficulttoworkwith,forexampleifyouwanttohaveaglobalEQonitorsomethinglikethat.IhadtheWavesC4multibandcompressoronthebasstrack.Thatpluginisabigpartofmyworkflow.It'sincredible,Iloveit.Youcantameatrackthathasafewunrulymomentswiththispluginandyou'renothearingitwork,becauseit'smultiband.Soit'sgreatforsubtlecontrol.InthistrackI'musingittocontrolabuildupinthelowmids.Afterthatthere'satinybitofoverallcontrolfromtheWavesCLA2A[compressor],withprobablyjust1dBofgainreduction.

"Iaddedrelativelyfeweffectsontheguitarsandthekeyboards.SomeoftheguitarshavetheWavesC4andCLA3A,andIsentthreeguitartrackstotheAltiverbplatereverbandtwototheAltiverbbathroomspace.Peopleoftenrecordguitarsveryclosemikedwithoutanyambience,andIfindthattogetthemtospeakbetterinmixestheyneedalittlebitofambience,justsoitfeelsliketheyareinarealspace.I'dsaythatabouthalfofthepluginsonthekeyboardsareJustinandCarlos's.Ilistenedtowhattheyweredoing,andinprobably75percentofcasesIleftthemin.SometimesIremovedapluginandreplaceditwithsomethingthatIfeltimprovedit.The'C'istheSoundToysCrystallizer,andtheywerereallyintothatone,becauseofitsmodulationeffects.TheglockenspielhadanEQandaCLAeffect,andIputontheWavesC4andthentheDigiracksevenbandEQ,whichwasjustdoingahighpassfilter.There'salsoaDigirackEchodoingaquarternoteecho,andIalsosenttheglockenspieltomyEchoBoyquarternotedelay,andthetwotogethermakeitastereoquarternoteecho.IalsoaddedalittlebitoftheAltiverbplatereverb.The'T'onvarioussynthtracksisaTrilliumLaneautopan.It'sasimplepluginthatIlovetouse.

Vocals:WavesQ2,C4,CLA3A&Deesser,CranesongPhoenix,AudioEaseAltiverb,SoundToysEchoBoy.

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11/4/2015 Inside Track: Ken Andrews and Paramore

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KenAndrews'vocalchainforParamoresingerHayleyWilliams:WavesQ10highpassfilterandC4multibandcompressor,WavesCLA3Acompressor,CranesongPhoenix'analoguewarmth'pluginandWavesDeesser.

"Theleadvocalwasononetrack,withoutplugins.Itendtobreakupatracklikethatintodifferenttracksforsectionsofthesong,likeverse,prechorusandchorus.TypicallyIwillfirstgetachorusvocalsound,togetmygainstructuresright,becausethat'susuallysungtheloudest.Iwillthencopyandpastethesepluginstoalltheotherleadvocaltracks,andtailortheirsettingsforeachtrackyouseethatalltheseleadvocaltrackshavethesamechain,whiletheothervocaltrackshavealmostexactlythesamepluginchain.ThefirstpluginistheWavesQ2,whichactsasahighpassfilter,setat62Hzonallthevocaltracks.NextistheC4,justforsomegeneralcontrolonallfourbands.Thenthere'stheWavesCLA3Aforsomeactualcompression,togetthatfamiliarrockvocalsoundthatpeopleareusedto.Itobviouslyhelpsthevocaltositinthetracknicely.IusedtheCLA3Aonabouthalfthesongsonthisalbum,becauseIreallythoughtitsuitedHayley'svoice.Itaddsanicelowermidrangequality,anddoesn'thavemanycontrols:it'smostlyamatterofhowhardyou'rehittingit.Afterthat,there'stheCranesongPhoenix.Ilovethatplugin.Ithasfivedifferentversions,andunlessIreallyspecificallywanttodarkenorbrightensomething,IusuallypulluptheIridescent,becauseitisthemostneutralintermsofEQ.Itjustaddsmoresaturation.TheGoldsettingwithinthatisthemostEQneutralsetting.TheSapphiresettingbrightensthingsalittlebitandtheOpalsettingdarkensalittlebit.Typically,I'musingaround30to40percentofthat,butinsomethinglikeadenseoutrofullofguitarsandkeyboards,Imightbumpthatupabitinordertokeepthevocalontop.TheIridescentallowsyoutokeepyourvocalsontopwithoutactuallychangingthelevel,becauseitbringsoutmoredetail,sotherearetimesI'mautomatingthatpluginasopposedtoactuallyautomatingthevolumeofthetrack.ThelastinsertpluginistheWavesDeesser.Thatwasprettymuchmyvocalsoundforthisalbum.ThesendsaregoingtotheAltiverbplatereverb,andtheEchoBoyslapandlongdelays,andtheamountsaretailoredtoeachsectionofthesong.

Mixdown:WavesNLS,SSLGMaster,HEQ&Dorrough380D,PSPVintageWarmer2.

"Thesessionwas24bit,48kHz.Iprefertokeepthemixfilesinthesession.Theyfirstgothroughastereobusandarethenprintedtoanotherstereoaudiotrack.Iliketohavethevariousversionsofthemixesintheplaylist:mixesonetwo,andthree,vocalup,vocaldown,andaninstrumentalversion.Onthestereobus,IhavetheNLS[plugin]onaSpikeStentSSLsetting,theWavesSSLGmasterbuscompressor,andtheWavesHEQ.ItismyfavouriteEQ,butit'sabitofaprocessorhog,soItendnottouseitonindividualtrackstoomuch.Itisreallygoodonthemixbusbecauseithasalivefrequencyanalyseronitthatallowsyoutoseewhatyourmixisdoingandwherethepeaksare.Afterthat,there'soneofmyfavouritethingsonthemixbus,thePSPVintageWarmer2,whichismostlyasaturator,thoughitalsofunctionsasalevelmaximiser.Itsoundsawesome.Iusedverylittleofit,lessthan1dBgainreduction,butitreallyshapesthesoundinagreatwayforrock.OnceIamatthepointofaddingthevocals,Iturnitonandmixwithiton.IalsousetheDorrough380D,whichisjustastereometer,andontherightsideofmydisplayI'llalwayshavetheNLS,theSSLGMasterandtheDorrough,becausetheyshowyouallthethingsyougenerallywouldseeifyouweremixingonadesk.Youreallywanttobeconstantlyawareofhowhardyouarehittingthebuscompressorswhenyouaremixing.

"ThealbumwasmasteredbyTedJensen,andIreallylikedwhathedid,becausetonallyitwasnotfarawayfromthemixesIsenthim.Hedidn'taddalotofbassorhighend.Onceagain,it'snotahiphoprecord,norisitanultraslick,glossypoprecord.It'smorelikeacoolrockrecord,withthemidrangebeingthemostimportantthing. .

InsideTrack:RecordingAerosmithSecretsOfTheMixEngineers:ProducerJackDouglas

TheirlatestalbumsawAerosmithreturntotheirroots,withJack

Douglasintheproducerschair.Butitwasntallretro...

BeyondTheGraveJanus:GravediggerThenAndNow

SignedtoHarvest,Janusmadeonealbumandhatedthewayitsounded.

Fourdecadeslater,theyfinallygotthechancetomixitproperly...

KhanDoShahidNaughtyBoyKhan:ProducingEmeliSand

ShahidKhanhasgonefrompizzadeliverymantoindemandproducerwith

alittlehelpfromNoelEdmonds.

InsideTrack:MixingtheLedZeppelinReunionAlanMoulder|SecretsOfTheMixEngineers

ThefilmofLedZeppelinsreunionconcertwasfiveyearsinthemaking

yetAlanMoulderhadonlythreeweekstomixtheentiresoundtrack!

PeterCobbin&KirstyWhalleyInsideTrack|SecretsOfTheMixEngineers:

Underpinningthebiggestspectacleof2012LondonOlympicGames

wasprobablythelargestmultitrackrecordingevermade.Justhowdoyoumixathousandtrackproject?

RoyalAppointmentMikeStevens:MusicalDirectorForTheQueensJubileeConcert

MikeStevenshasworkedwithsomeoftheworldsbiggestpopactsat

countlesshighprofileliveevents,includingtheQueensrecentDiamondJubileeconcert.

11/4/2015 Inside Track: Ken Andrews and Paramore

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul13/articles/it-0713.htm 5/6

KenAndrewspreferstouseneitheradesknorafaderbasedcontrolsurface,relyinginsteadonatrackballandlargeflatscreenmonitors.

Whilemixing,KenAndrewskeepshismasterbuspluginspermanentlyopentotherightoftheMixorEditwindow,inordertokeepaneyeontheamountofcompressiontakingplace.

SwanSongsKenAndrews'RedSwanStudiosistheultimate21stCenturystudio.It'saprivatefacilityentirelybasedaroundhisProToolssystemandGenelecmonitors,withnocontrolsurfacesandonlyafewchoicepiecesofanaloguegear.Andrewsexplains:"Webuiltaroomwithintheexistinggarage,sonobodyoutsidecanhearmeworking,whichisnice.IhavefiveGenelec1031Amonitors,whichhavebeenmyfavouritemonitorsfor15yearsnow,plusalargesubwoofer.I'msousedtotheGenelecsit'stoolateformetochange.Theonlyacousticproblemwiththespacehereisthatthesweetspotisverysmall.Yougothreefeetbackwardsandthebassiscrazy.It'soneofthereasonswhytheadvantagesofjustusingkeyboardandmouseandjustbeingabletostayinthesweetspotoutweighshavingabunchoffaderstocontrol.Ialsofindthatwhenyouareusingacontrolsurface,youtendtolookatthesurfacewhenyougrabaknobandthenlookupatthescreentocheckwhetheritisdoingwhatyouwantittodo.Thescreeniscontrollingyourmix,sotomeit'sfastertojustgotherewithatrackball.It'salsomuchmoreefficienttometogetanoveralllevelforatrack,andthentodrawinvolumeautomationwhensomethingjumpsoutoristoosoft.Whenyourideafader,you'realwaysreactingtosomethingthathasjusthappened,unlessyoulearneverythingandpreemptyourmoves,whichseemslikealotofunnecessarywork.

"Mostofmyanaloguestuffhereismicpresandguitarpedals.IhavefourChandlerLTD1s,whichare1073clones,andfourAPIandthreeUAmicpres.Inaddition,Ihaveacoupleof[EmpiricalLabs]Distressors,acoupleofAPIEQs,andthat'sit.That'smyfrontendforwhenIamdoingoverdubs,andIhaveitallpatchedinpermanently.Irecordvocalsinmycontrolroom,butalsohaveaguitarampclosetthat'sadecentsize,withtallceilings,socabinetssoundprettygoodinthere.IhaveanAKGC414TLIIforvocalsandacousticguitar,acoupleofRoyerR121sandsomeShureSM57and58sforguitars,andthat'sit.Mystyleisthatonceit'sinthebox,itstaysthere,allthewaytomastering.Idooccasionallyrunthingsouttopedals,butIalwaysprinttheresultonanewtrack.Itrytoavoidhavinganyanaloguegearliveinamix.Ingeneral,Ikeepmysetupassimpleandleanaspossible.Ifindthathavingitthiswaykeepsthefocusontheemotionofthesong,asopposedtothegear.

RegionalVariationsTheProToolssessionforKenAndrews'mixofParamore's'StillIntoYou'consistsof81musictracks.Fromtoptobottom,thesecomprise15drumtracks,14percussiontracks,13guitartracks,sevenintrokeyboardtracksand17morekeyboardtracks(theregionnamesindicatethatthehardwarekeyboardsusedincludedanArturiaMiniBrute,RolandJX3P,RolandJuno106,KorgMS20,ARP,Doepfermodular,EowavePersephoneandAtomoSynthMochika),plus15vocaltracks,includingthemainleadvocalspreadoutoverthreetracks.BelowtheaudiotracksaresixauxeffecttrackslabelledShimmer,Room,SnareReverb,Plate,LongDelayandSlapDelay,andnineauxgrouptracks(threedrumauxes,percussion,rhythmguitars,leadguitars,keyboards,leadvocalsandbackingvocals),astereobusandamixdownmastertrack.Unusually,perhaps,theregionsintheEditwindowhavenotbeencolourcodedbyinstrumentgroup.

KenAndrews:"Idon'tlikecolourcodingtheregions,asinmakingallthedrumregionsthesamecolour,becauseitmakesithardtodifferentiatebetweentrackswhenyouzoominandalso,ifyouhaveanartistintheroomwhoislookingoveryourshoulderandallthetrackshavedifferentcolours,heorshewillbeabletosay:'It'sthatgreentrack.'Colourcodedregionsareabigconfusingthingforme,soifIgetasessionlikethat,Ichangeitrightaway.Myalternativeisgroupbussing,andinthissession,Ibussedtracksforthevariousinstrumentfamilies,likedrums,percussion,bass,guitars,keyboardsandvocals,intotheirownstereoauxes.Thisreallyhelpsasavisualaidforwhenthetracknamesthemselvesdon'ttellyouwhatyou'relookingat,particularlyifinasmallMixwindow.InthiswayIcanquicklyseeundertheI/OsectionwhatkindoftrackI'mdealingwith.Ipreferusingcolouredtrackstoindicateactualgroupingratherthanidentifyingtracks.Goingthroughthisprocessispartoforganisingthesessionandfamiliarisingmyselfwithit.Another

11/4/2015 Inside Track: Ken Andrews and Paramore

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul13/articles/it-0713.htm 6/6

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AllcontentscopyrightSOSPublicationsGroupand/oritslicensors,19852015.Allrightsreserved.Thecontentsofthisarticlearesubjecttoworldwidecopyrightprotectionandreproductioninwholeorpart,whethermechanicalorelectronic,isexpresslyforbiddenwithoutthepriorwrittenconsentofthe

Publishers.GreatcarehasbeentakentoensureaccuracyinthepreparationofthisarticlebutneitherSoundOnSoundLimitednorthepublisherscanbeheldresponsibleforitscontents.Theviewsexpressedarethoseofthecontributorsandnotnecessarilythoseofthepublishers.

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PublishedinSOSJuly2013

reasonforhavingthemastergrouptracksistobeabletoquicklymuteallguitars,ordoaglobalrideonthekeyboards.It'salsoreallyhelpfulwhenfinishingamix,becauseartistsandlabelsnowrequireyoutodeliverstemsofallthemixes.

"Asfortheauxeffecttracks,ShimmerisaValhallareverb.IwasturnedontotheValhallasuitethroughJustinandCarlos.Theyuseditalotonthisrecord,soit'soneoftheonesthatIbought,andit'sreallycool.Iuseitalotnow.Room,SnareReverbandPlateareall[AudioEase]Altiverbeffects,respectivelyabathroom,anAMSRMX16andanEMT140plate.IloveAltiverbbecausetheydon'tonlyhavestudiosandchurches,butalsosomereallyinterestingsmallspaces,likebathroomsandkitchens.TheLongDelayandSlapDelaytracksare[SoundToys]EchoBoyeffects,onebeingaquarternotedelayandtheotheraslapdelay.ThethreedrumgroupbusesareDrumClean,DrumSmack,onwhichIhavethe[Waves]CLA76inbluemode,andDrumAll,onwhichIhavetheSoundToysDevilLocDeluxe,followedbytheWavesC4multiband,andthentheCranesongPhoenixIridescent.TheDrumCleanandDrumSmackgroupsthengothroughtheDrumAllbus.