Choir on Wartime Prayer :Suprise

[MortenDK]

Hey Tchad
My name is Morten, I have a question for you about the choir treatment on Wartime Prayer on Paul Simons Surprise album.
If you would elaborate on what you used, if you recall, to me it sounds like some heavy chorus with some phase or something.
When I first heard it I thought it was recorded that way, but it sound so cool and like nothing ive ever heard before on a choir.
How did you come up with that!?

Thx for sharing
Morten

[sedohr]

Hi Tchad. It has been very informative, inspiring and entertaining having you here. I, like many, have been reading every post without chiming in. But thsi question is like written out of my own head so I'm excited too...

Karl "Kalli" Olgeirsson

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by MortenDK

Hey Tchad
My name is Morten, I have a question for you about the choir treatment on Wartime Prayer on Paul Simons Surprise album.
If you would elaborate on what you used, if you recall, to me it sounds like some heavy chorus with some phase or something.
When I first heard it I thought it was recorded that way, but it sound so cool and like nothing ive ever heard before on a choir.
How did you come up with that!?

Thx for sharing
Morten

That is an Eno effect. A played, kaos pad manipulation. I just ran it through the Hughes SRS in the mix.
I love the treatment as well.

[MortenDK]

Originally Posted by tchad blake

That is an Eno effect. A played, kaos pad manipulation. I just ran it through the Hughes SRS in the mix.
I love the treatment as well.

Whoa ok!
Thx for the ansver
The Surprise Album is one of my favorites! I just love the mix/work you did on it!.
If I may ask, did you get any directions from paul simon on how he wanted it to sound or did you just "do you thing" and mixed it like you wanted!?. I ask cause its such a new sound opposed so hes earlier work!, like a new level.
It sounds like the Ahuja! , was used on the odd peace of vocal, gtr and such. And is that your sans amp on the drums aswell ?.

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by MortenDK

Whoa ok!
Thx for the ansver
The Surprise Album is one of my favorites! I just love the mix/work you did on it!.
If I may ask, did you get any directions from paul simon on how he wanted it to sound or did you just "do you thing" and mixed it like you wanted!?. I ask cause its such a new sound opposed so hes earlier work!, like a new level.
It sounds like the Ahuja! , was used on the odd peace of vocal, gtr and such. And is that your sans amp on the drums aswell ?.

Mixing is always a collaboration. Paul was extremely open minded about treatments and I was looking for ways to do my thing without it sounding like a bulldozer. Main thing for me was that mix treatments had to compliment the vocals/lyrics. It was a very fun process with him.
Yes, the Ahuja and Sans Amp are in there.

[MortenDK]

Thx Tchad
Man this is very interesting stuff!!

Originally Posted by tchad blake

Main thing for me was that mix treatments had to compliment the vocals/lyrics.

How did you approch the mixing from the vocal/lyric point?, like how do you vision your mix that way, I know its a big question!.
But would you mind expanding a bit on that, like what you made you mix for example Wartime Prayers the way you did!?.
What did you vision!!

Did you mix it on an analog board(which?) or in the box ?. (Im guessing analog.. he he)

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by MortenDK

Thx Tchad
Man this is very interesting stuff!!

How did you approch the mixing from the vocal/lyric point?, like how do you vision your mix that way, I know its a big question!.
But would you mind expanding a bit on that, like what you made you mix for example Wartime Prayers the way you did!?.
What did you vision!!

Did you mix it on an analog board(which?) or in the box ?. (Im guessing analog.. he he)

Mixed on SSL J series with sub-mixing odds and ends ITB.
I really don't know how to write about what I do in detail but I can tell you this much....
when I do get a 'vision' 99.9% of the time it's radically changed within the first half hour of working because it was just plain wrong.
And my secret to mixing.....?...
I bring everything up and start whittling & twiddling until it makes sense to me. That's it.

[mamm7215]

Originally Posted by tchad blake

I bring everything up and start whittling & twiddling until it makes sense to me. That's it.

There's hope for me yet!! Thanks Tchad, I love Surprise as well. I took my wife to see him last year here in Vancouver. Awesome show.

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by mamm7215

There's hope for me yet!! Thanks Tchad, I love Surprise as well. I took my wife to see him last year here in Vancouver. Awesome show.

Wish I could have seen a show. He's an amazing man. Glad you like the album.

[MortenDK]

Tried to reply awhile back but I guess it got lost, so ill try again

I mixed this live recording I recorded with a band, and they where playing a Daniel Lanois song called The Messenger, and while mixing it, I just felt that the drums needed something couldnt put my finger on it......it was around the time when Surprise came out, so I put Surprise on and was listening to it, and I think it was That´s Me that has this kinda like Bolero reverb effect on the drums towards the end, and Bingo!! got inspired to try some delay and reverb effects. And it ended up working beautifully with the performence I think.

So Thank you Tchad for doing this and ansvering our questions, its making me wanna be better at what I love to do, which is recording and mixing

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by MortenDK

Tried to reply awhile back but I guess it got lost, so ill try again

I mixed this live recording I recorded with a band, and they where playing a Daniel Lanois song called The Messenger, and while mixing it, I just felt that the drums needed something couldnt put my finger on it......it was around the time when Surprise came out, so I put Surprise on and was listening to it, and I think it was That´s Me that has this kinda like Bolero reverb effect on the drums towards the end, and Bingo!! got inspired to try some delay and reverb effects. And it ended up working beautifully with the performence I think.

So Thank you Tchad for doing this and ansvering our questions, its making me wanna be better at what I love to do, which is recording and mixing

That's great. That's what it's all about.
THX for the note.