Tchad Blake... Who else digs his work like me?

[Wiggy Neve Slut]

Tchad for me is one of the few LA types that i ahve an iactiv einterest in... i try and find and listnen to most of his work and hear what new tricks he is upto etc.

I just love his restrained and effect EQ technique and the abuse of Spectrsonics 610.... gota get me some of them....

He quite an inventive engineer and very underrated for this craft... combine his with mitchel froom and its a producer engineer combo that is so steeped in uniqueness and life.. its a hallmark that rubbs off on all their collaborative productions.

Some of my fave works of his are the 'los lobos', 'Crowded House' and 'the Finn Brothers' albums...

Lets hear your thoughts.... Discuss

PEACE
Wiggy

[nick]

By the way here's an interview with Tchad Blake from the Pro Sound Web site:

Tchad Blake Interview

He talks about some 'Level Lock' thing he uses for drums, anyone know what that is?

[groundcontrol]

It's a cheap limiter made by Shure for on-location/broadcast work.yuktyy

Definitely not "High End"!

[e-cue]

The Level Lock sounds like it was used on Peter Garbriel's new record, which is one of the best records I've heard in YEARS! The Shure's were a great secret about 4 years ago. Now, good luck finding one on ebay. They actually took a MIC input... The Level Lock is a Tapeopper's wet dream. Tchad is also a master of the Sans Amp on non-guitar appilications.

The Soul Coughin' and Tom Waits stuff he worked on was groundbreaking to me.

[nick]

Groundcontrol,

Do you have a link?

If it's cheap I suppose I might as well try it , seeing as I like his drum sounds.

[groundcontrol]

I don't think they're still being made... TB is to be held responsible for the silly price they can go for on eBay.

[3rdpath]

his work on suzanne vega's 99.9 F degrees is brilliant. i popped that cd into the car about two weeks ago and just can't quit listening to it.

[dave-G]

Actually, I believe the level-loc was made for installation in amplified podiums... good for the southern-preacher hopped-up on caffeine effect.

I can't believe how many times I've heard the SpectraSonics 610 mentioned in connection with Tchad Blake recently... the vogue oddball vintage-gear hype around it is palpable. I just sold my last one about 6 months ago. Those things really are vicious; about half of the available travel in the attack and release controls will cause an inimitable waveform-envelope-tracing distortion. Nothing murders drums in quite the same style as a 610.... and yet at the more moderate settings they can function nicely for such innocent tasks as smoothing out bass tracks, perhaps even vocals.

For those of you who still must have 'em, I believe they're still being made (SpectraSonics still exists, on the campus of an airport in Provo Utah if memory serves)

-dave

[e-cue]

Bombfactory could make a killing with an emulator.

[thethrillfactor]

Hey Wigs,

Is it me or am I the only one who wasn't digging his "binaural ambient drum techniques" in some of Mitchell Froom's productions? Or is it just the fact its a Mitchell Froom production(who I think is way over rated)?

I did like his tracking of some of Sheryl Crow good recordings.

He seems like someone that is easy to work with, for both artist, producer and assistants.

[mitgong]

Count me in. I'm nuts about the guy. He weened me off Lanois, God bless him. I consider his work with Los Lobos (especially "This Time") and Soul Coughing to be milestones, and as much as I love the new Peter Gabriel record, I wouldn't give it a second listen if Tchad hadn't mixed it.

Check out the Low article in the most recent (I think) TapeOp for more tantalyzing TB trinkets. He's not an L.A. guy anymore!

The coolest thing about him is that he gets the basics right. Spectral balance is phenomenal (actual, unapologetic bass!!!!!!). That often gets overlooked in all the attention paid to his love of far-out sonics. I think I even read that he's one of Bob Ludwig's favorite clients, which is not what you'd expect to hear about someone who is creative but exclusively "lo-fi"/lazy.

[Jay Kahrs]

I dig his work most of the time. The Level Lock's are just stupidly expensive now thanks to him. They used to be really cheap. You can still find the schematic and build one for about $40-50 of parts. But basicly grab the cheapest, most over the top, nastiest compressor you can think of. Spectrasonics still makes the 610 but they're over a $1000 now. I just passed on a pair for $700 because I didn't have the bread. madd

[Jules]

Tchad mixed a project a close friend of mine co-wrote (he got to hang out while it was mixed)..


The artist ended using HALF the mixes and found Tchad didnt dig much input at all to the outcome of each mix.


Oh well the whole project had MANY superstar mixers on board so a 50% sucsess rate seems about average!

Kinda spendy though!

Perfectly normal for big budget albums I am sure.

[mitgong]

That's a tough call. I don't know if I'd go to Blake (as opposed to, say, Bob Clearmountain) if I had a strong idea of what I wanted in a mix, as opposed to seeing what he'd come up with.

He didn't get to do all of the songs on that Sheryl Crow record, or Pearl Jam neither (and he "produced" that one).

Of course i liked the ones he mixed more than those done by Andy Wallace on the former, and Brenden O'Brien on the latter. But love is blind.

[thethrillfactor]

Well I know Trina Shoemaker did some of the songs for that Sheryl Crow record.

I love Bob Clearmountains work(one of my biggest influences, I got started mixing in the big 80's). Once in a while a cool new artist with a great sound pops up these days and when you look on the back of the CD there he is...mixed by Bob Clearmountain.

Andy and O'brien are great in their own right, especially with the right artist/songs.

As for Bob Ludwig, I would take what he says with a grain of salt these days. I am not digging much of his mastered stuff these days. Everything sounds thin and bright. It must be those Egglestons he is using. Or maybe he is just passing the work to some of his assistants. Or maybe its too many lobsters up there in Portland Maine.

Originally posted by mitgong
That's a tough call. I don't know if I'd go to Blake (as opposed to, say, Bob Clearmountain) if I had a strong idea of what I wanted in a mix, as opposed to seeing what he'd come up with.

He didn't get to do all of the songs on that Sheryl Crow record, or Pearl Jam neither (and he "produced" that one).

Of course i liked the ones he mixed more than those done by Andy Wallace on the former, and Brenden O'Brien on the latter. But love is blind.

[thethrillfactor]

By the way for all of you Tchad Blake fans, I may be selling my Shure Level-Loc(i will post it on the Gear Classifieds). I am interested in a trade for the Logic 5.0 platinum for the mac. I am still debating this a little bit, but I think i am pretty sure. I'll keep you guys posted.

[alphajerk]

i'll buy it from you for $50... about what its worth. someone would be dumb to pay more than that for a one trick pony.

[Benjy King]

That's exactly what it is worth. It's unfortunate that this little weapon got ruined by someone who can ask their assitant to 'find' them one, no matter the cost. Price paid. Boom...done!
I found a few a while back but the owners had obviuosly read the Blake article and wanted five hundred dollars. That is just plan silly. It's a little 'field' mic pre with two settings [I'm trying to remember...it's pretty funny].
Oh, well.
Benjy

[cram]

$500 dollars!?!?!

$500 dollars!?!?!

For a SHURE Level-Loc?

I have a $50 Audio Logic box that does the same thing. OOOPS! Now those are gonna inflate! :eek: grudge

[Benjy King]

That's right! Five hundred bongos.
Check this out.

******//www.shure.com/pdf/discontinued/m62v.pdf

Benjy

[cram]

Yup, that's the one. I threw 5 or 6 of them into a dumpster about 11-12 years ago.

c'est la vie

[alphajerk]

Originally posted by cram
I have a $50 Audio Logic box that does the same thing. OOOPS! Now those are gonna inflate! :eek: grudge

where? still made?

[cram]

What? Who? I didn't say anything...


































MT66 (it operates differently, but can sound very similar)

[Benjy King]

Well...here we go again. I just found an Audio Logic MT66 for sale. $289.00 Prepal says the average price of the last five sold was $55.00
Benjy

[alphajerk]

that quickly... damn.

[alphajerk]

found one for $125, another for $100/

[Benjy King]

Found two for $100 and one for $89. The $89 is about five blocks from me in Manhattan. HA!
BK

[alphajerk]

and dated '01

[Drumsound]

Back to Tchad. I think he makes some very cool sounding things. I like the combination of he and Mitchell Froom. I'm a big fan of Richard Thompson's Rumor and Sigh and also Mirror Blue. Colossal Head my Los Lobos is also a favorite.

I won't go as far as some and buy a record because he (or anyone else) made it. For instance, Soul Coughing may sound good, but I just can't get into them...

[Wiggy Neve Slut]

I won't go as far as some and buy a record because he (or anyone else) made it

I have to admit im such a sucker for production these days more than an artist...and Tchad is one of them.

Most of my cd purchases these days are dictated directly by an engineer that i love or producer or mixer (rarely however) etc...

Granted there are albums that i will allways buy regardless of who or what factor.. simply cos i luve them..

Im a major sucker for Godrich productions and a local Engineer here in Australia that is abosutely great fro textural guitar sounds... his main ambition is to recrod perfect guitar tones.. and they are quite unique..He also gets fantastic drum tones with little or no compression yet they have all the impact and dynamics of being processed accordingly......

PEACE
Wiggy