Top End on that Rapture record!

[benhallen]

Tony

This is Ben H. Allen. I was an assistant, long ago, on some Puffy sessions in the Bahamas that you were on as well. We ran into each other last summer over at Downtown's studio. Hope you are well. Glad to see your name up here and that you are contributing your knowledge!

I still listen to the Rapture album that you mixed. It sounds fantastic. Tight, punchy, heavy but really pretty and airy on the top end. I know that's what you're famous for!

I wondered if you could share some of the techniques you used to get that sound on that record. Specifically, the drums sound so tight and crunchy, but also really nice in the top end. Are the snare drums replaced or was that the original snare?

Was that record mixed on a desk or in the box?

Lastly, do you typically subgroup your drums and then compress them as a group in addition to buss compression?

Thanks again for sharing here and keep up the good work!


b
e
n

[Tony Maserati]

Originally Posted by benhallen

Tony

This is Ben H. Allen. I was an assistant, long ago, on some Puffy sessions in the Bahamas that you were on as well. We ran into each other last summer over at Downtown's studio. Hope you are well. Glad to see your name up here and that you are contributing your knowledge!

I still listen to the Rapture album that you mixed. It sounds fantastic. Tight, punchy, heavy but really pretty and airy on the top end. I know that's what you're famous for!

I wondered if you could share some of the techniques you used to get that sound on that record. Specifically, the drums sound so tight and crunchy, but also really nice in the top end. Are the snare drums replaced or was that the original snare?

Was that record mixed on a desk or in the box?

Lastly, do you typically subgroup your drums and then compress them as a group in addition to buss compression?

Thanks again for sharing here and keep up the good work!


b
e
n

Hey Ben,
Thanks for reaching out. Hope all is well with you and perhaps we'll run into eachother at Downtown again...

The rapture record is a fantastic example of how things work in this business. The producer Paul Epworth was on his honeymoon while I was mixing the record, so he sent his second engineer to give me some basis of where they were when recording the record. Vito the drummer is one of the best drummers I've ever worked with (seriously), and they did a great job at capturing his energy and he's very in-tune with how he'd like to sound. So Vito and I worked together to get that punch, tight drum sound. There were some additional bits that either Paul or I placed in for support, but not much.

The part about the airy top is slightly funny, cuz the record was mastered by George Marino. Great mastering engineer who I'd used many years ago, but was re-introduced to him by my friend Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith, KT Tungstil). George's first run at the album was too bright for me because I wanted the record to have a bit less 'fancy' vibe to it than my usual stuff. It actually took two tries before George got this done and I still thought it was too bright. So hearing you say you dig the sound, makes me have tons of respect for George!!!

The record was mixed on a J9K at Sony Studio D (when it was open).... I did some automation in the box, but mostly the console was our thing. Lots of Pultec's, Manley and LA3A's on there as well.

I do some subgrouping of drums (leaving the Kick and Snare) on it's own output. I use hardware inserts to put analog compression on individual drums and usually send (via Aux) to a parallel compressor (Alan Smart C2)... The drum out to the summing mixer usually doesn't get compressed but the Kik and Snare do individually on their own outputs.

Yikes.. gotta get the day started... refer to my Waves vid for more on compression techniques I use Waves Signature Series | The Tony Maserati Collection (sorry for the plug y'all, I gotta get up and running today... Snow is slowing me down... did a 360 in my truck and landed in a ditch... luckily a farmer was close and pulled me out, not before I ruined his cattle fencing!!

Yikes!
t

[Tony Maserati]

Originally Posted by benhallen

Tony

This is Ben H. Allen. I was an assistant, long ago, on some Puffy sessions in the Bahamas that you were on as well. We ran into each other last summer over at Downtown's studio. Hope you are well. Glad to see your name up here and that you are contributing your knowledge!

I still listen to the Rapture album that you mixed. It sounds fantastic. Tight, punchy, heavy but really pretty and airy on the top end. I know that's what you're famous for!

I wondered if you could share some of the techniques you used to get that sound on that record. Specifically, the drums sound so tight and crunchy, but also really nice in the top end. Are the snare drums replaced or was that the original snare?

Was that record mixed on a desk or in the box?

Lastly, do you typically subgroup your drums and then compress them as a group in addition to buss compression?

Thanks again for sharing here and keep up the good work!


b
e
n

Hey Ben,
So it didn't register at first (maybe becuz of the 'h' in yer screen name), but we shared mixing on the Rapture record and most recently on the Reni Lane record, no? Why you comin in all stealth man??

I really love what you did with that Reni stuff. Fact I'm diggin all yer stuff! What were you doin at Downtown anyway? (too many 360's in a fourwheele drive vehicle for me to remember much, I guess)... I'm a little slow on the uptake, I've been told.

How do I reach you?
t