Gun to the head: the 4 records that I’m most proud to have been involved with.
Releases that I’m still happy to hear when they’re occasionally bumped by iTunes on ‘random.’
Albums that marked certain milestones for me as a mixer, or that stand as little zeitgeist moments throughout my time making records so far.
I don’t know… maybe something about hind-sighting highlights from my own journey will feel familiar to others out there. Maybe everyone can feel just a little bit less alone in this stupid pursuit we’ve taken upon ourselves.
In relative chronological order:
BEEF BOYS -
MELTED LIKE A WITCH
I think this was maybe the 2nd LP that I was actually paid to work on. I knew the bassist (Grant) from highschool and drove out to meet the band in Peterborough, ON… like, three hours away. I remember paying for $22 of gas in literal pocketchange because I was so broke at the time, hoping to hell that I’d make it to their rehearsal room.
The band could sense how serious and, frankly, desperate I was do the record with them and we sorted out the details on the spot. I think they gave me a $40 cash advance so I could put enough gas in my car to make it home.
We recorded the bedtracks live-off-the-floor and the dudes were just awesome.. it’s unmistakably punk in feel and attitude but they also managed to fit in all of these sensible melodies and counterpoints throughout the songs. The singer (Germ) is an animal, both as a vocalist and guitar player.. he had this cool pop element going on, but it’s being yelled at you through a fucking bullhorn. It’s interesting. I think we overdubbed some guitar parts and all of the vocals at the flophouse where I lived at the time; I’m pretty sure the band slept on my bedroom floor for a couple nights as well, but who remembers… too much whiskey.
The album has a bunch of depth and we thought about track order and transitions between songs a lot.. it’s a cool listen start-to-finish, all over in about 25 minutes, and far more mature than I remember us being. Because I wasn’t particularly manly as an engineer back then, I likely helped foster an attitude of “just go with the ideas,” and you can hear that energy and heedless confidence in the final masters. Some pretty drastic tempo experiments between sections, dynamic shifts… that type of thing. What we lacked in technical skill, we made up for with determination and it shows in the end product.
While it’s most certainly early sonic territory for me - from a mixing standpoint - the record has a wicked vibe and it reminds me of how much fun it was to work with good people and untethered idea-chasing. A cohesive punk record from a band that is very comfortable with their own identity.
Key point (as an engineer/mixer/producer):Memorable records are more about having great songs and a cohesive vibe, than purely about sonic quality. Think about some of your favourite records as a kid… I bet a lot of them don’t actually sound great; they sound interesting.
This was the band’s second full-length and we lived together in the same house for a few years during this time - one of those situations where the engineer is basically an outside member of the band. I loved making this record. At the time, these guys were building a reputation for being this upstart DIY rock ’n roll band in the Hamilton scene and they were beginning to make some noise… it really felt like we were doing something with this release.
We tracked the beds at a proper studio and then spent a few weeks recording all the overdubs at our mutual home studio (the above-mentioned flophouse). There are a ton of weird guitars, vocals and ‘sounds’ layered into these songs and we went to great (read: stupid) lengths to get some of those sounds. The whole group was fully onboard to explore arrangements and find ways to push sonic moods because we had the time, the means to do it, and plenty of terrible Sangiovese to fuel the antics. Yes, those are fluorescent tube lamps getting smashed in a bathtub to kick off the first track.
The dudes brought some awesome songs to these sessions and, again, we focused hard on the concept of making a record and not just a collection of hip hardcore tunes. The band at the time was two guitars, drums and a lead vocalist (ie - no bass guitar), so we tracked one of the rhythm guitar parts while splitting the guitar signal, dropping it an octave and recording that through a bass rig to inform the low end of the mixes. The main guitarist (Evan) was also a capable engineer and we bounced ideas off each other constantly throughout the recording and mixing processes; he certainly had a hand in how this album came out. He’s also the ‘clean’ vocalist you hear on the record.
We worked feverishly to make the mixes super dynamic and to kinda counter the ‘normal’ sound of hardcore records at the time; I don’t know if we succeeded, but Bad Sounds certainly retains it’s own sonic aesthetic that is both aggressively grinding and oddly pleasing. Hence the title. We were listening to a lot of ETID back then and were probably inspired by the way their releases sounded so heavy and distinct without following the ‘formula’ of most of the -core records that were coming out in the 2010’s.
If I were a more competent mixer at the time, I’m sure this record would have sounded different (more hi-fi), but we would have lost something in the feel and authenticity of the final masters. I’m still close with most of these dudes and was super proud to be involved in this one.. a big stepping stone in terms of my own growth as a co-producer and mixer at that time.
Key point:Working with highly-committed bands/artists makes the whole process more enjoyable, and you’ll probably produce a better release, to boot.
This record came at a critical period when I was flirting with being able to make mixes sound the way I heard them in my head, and actually knowing how to execute on those aims through production and planning. We’d worked together previously on a short EP and the band wanted to re-record a couple of tunes from that release while also filling out a wide-ranging track list of songs that spanned multiple thematic borders.
Joe, the band’s principle songwriter and vocalist, did a wonderful job with the content and lyrical ideas, embedding darkly poetic prose over a backdrop of mid-tempo punk riffs that reminded me a little of The Menzingers, circa 2012. We decided to craft the songs in a way that would take listeners on a journey from beginning to end, sometimes entrenched firmly in rock n’ roll tradition, and at other times venturing into delicate emotional territory. The loud-quiet-loud dynamic was considered heavily throughout.
With the recent addition of a solid lead guitarist (Nick), the band took on a new level of depth and we were able to bring texture and contrast to the arrangements, often with call-and-response treatments or overdubbing barely-heard countermelodies on guitar and keys. The few tracks we’d re-recorded from their earlier EP became much stronger and filled out in ways we hadn’t previously imagined. There are also a number of great guest vocal spots (including an ugly one from myself) and the record features 3 of its 4 band members singing lead vocals on different tracks. Like I said, a lot of depth for the right listener.
The guys basically gave me free-reign on the mixes and I spent inordinate amounts of time balancing individual instrument clarity while maintaining a definitive grasp of the overall vibe and feel. Through their feedback and some minor amendments, I think we nailed the sound we were after and I learned a tonne about mixing. They gave me the time and freedom to really explore what we could do with the tracks sonically and were a blast to work with. There are a couple of fun soundbites spliced into song transitions, including the Oppenheimer excerpt which still makes me shiver when I hear it. A cold fucking sample for a rather chilling record (if you’re paying attention to the lyrics).
Hearing this one back with some time and perspective, I’m stoked on the fullness and range we were able to get on tape. I think this album will still sound fresh in 10 years which makes me really happy.
Key point: Once you’re a reasonably competent technician, the next step is learning to envision the end result first, and then leveraging your skills to deliver on that aim.
Ahhhh, these boys are probably my favourite Ontario punk band right now and I absolutely adored working on this record with them. After hearing the band’s original rehearsal demos, I was sure that this release would have some legs in the local scene and the number of people who have referenced it to me since (often without realizing I was involved) stands as proof of that impact.
These lads wrote some stellar material that playfully teeters between funky indie rock, almost-street punk, and something heavier. They’re all really interesting, capable players and each has their own way of bringing something weirdly melodic to the table. Their guitarist/lead vocalist (Chad) in particular seems to bend all of his vocal lines a little bit, making you think he’s about to fall off-key, without ever actually doing it. Their drummer is a monster who moves seamlessly from double-time punk rhythms to swung jazz beats and their bassist is just a badass who can scream for longer than anyone I’ve ever tracked (check out the downbeat on ‘Fantasy…’).
Bedtracks were recorded live-off (there’s a theme here, people) and we went to a separate studio to track guitars, which was one of my first times working out of that particular room.. this place had a ridiculous amount of guitar gear and everyone was stoked on the tones we pulled. As someone who had previously recorded out of the same studio for almost a decade by this point, the change of scenery was a pretty stark growth moment for me on it’s own. I loved the new gear, new sounds, and new atmosphere.. the different setting definitely played a role in how the songs turned out.
Chaotic and jarring at times, the whole album seems to ebb and flow between heavy sections, frenetic punk riffs, and the occasional subtle, dreamy passage (see ‘Slackjaw’ or ‘Speed’). Meter and tempo changes abound throughout and serve to keep the listener a little less-than-comfortable about what’s coming next. It feels exotic yet familiar; classic but progressive. A searing verse will settle into a latin-rhythm-drenched chorus.. it’s a lot of fun.
This is a fairly recent album and I was a half-decent mixer by the time we worked on this one. Would I do some stuff different if I mixed it today? Sure. Do I think that really matters here? Fuck no. The vibe is stellar and the mixes fit the music.
Go listen to this album.
Key point: Finding ways to showcase the unique strengths of a band is often the best approach to crafting strong records.
At the end of the day, full-length albums still hold a special place in my cold, dead heart and working on longer-format releases will likely remain my focus for the next few years. I love spending a month or more really getting into a single collection of songs and working with a band to find the best ways to express their individual voice. Thanks to the artists above for the trust they put in me and my advance apologies to the dozen or so other LP’s that I thought about while putting this list together… you know who you are.
When you decide to become an engineer, producer or mixer (or fuck meee, to play in a band…) you’re unknowingly committing to a much longer journey than one would expect… years of hard work, dedication, and soul-searching while you continue to develop your own abilities with the goal of bringing value to listeners that might never even materialize. Sometimes it’s nice to have a look back at the progress and actually appreciate how far you’ve come.
For me, the list above is a pretty solid (albeit shortened) overview of some of the more important records in my own evolution as a mixer… I wonder what yours looks like.
