Mike Plotnikoff

[jredrecording]

Hey guys,
just wondering if anyone has any info on MP?
He seems to have a great track record, engineers some great stuff, and pulls great tones as far as radio ready rock is concerned on Howards stuff.
Anyone worked with/for him, or have any technique insight?

thanks all

J

[kcmoonshine]

I dont know, but he is mixing a good friend's album soon so I should get some technique insight. Perhaps I'll revive this thread then.

[Watersound]

I worked with Mike a couple years back at Longview Farm, he's an amazing engineer and a really great guy. There was about a week worth of sessions, we were really behind schedule and he was working nonstop for days on end with no sleep- I'm very happy to see how well he's doing these days he deserves it! Unfortunately I didn't get much of a chance to pick his brain because of how intense the sessions were with the time schedule and stuff, but I remember him saying when tracking rhythm guitars that he preffered a more symetrical approach with doubling and panning L-R. He would keep the same amps/guitar set up and just double and pan which is actually the way I've done it for the most part. But of course there's no right or wrong, it's just a matter of taste.

[taylorooney]

cant say enough good things about mike. my band (rooney) did a record with him and howard that we scrapped and did not put out. however, this was in no way mike's fault, as he is a brilliant engineer. if u have any specific questions about his techniques, i would be happy to answer. he is also a great guy. we have kept in touch since the record and i hope to work with him again someday. by the way, howard has very particular ways that he wants the tracks to be recorded (the same for each record he makes), and while mike does a great job of delivering the tracks to howard's satisfaction, he could do much more sonically interesting work if he was working outside of howard's world (IMO).

[taylorooney]

by the way, i reckon he has grown tired of the symmetrical rhythm gtrs, but that is one of howard's sticking points.

[planet red]

How is working with Howard? I know some stories of him totally rearranging songs while the band isnt around.

I really like the production on some of his records.. super slick protooled sound but still with a little depth.

How much layering did you end up doing guitarwise and how much did he add in synthwise (he always seems to layer stuff with synths).. Was it always just a 57 on the guitar cab?

I'd love any info you have on working with him and Mike.

[Watersound]

Originally Posted by taylorooney

by the way, i reckon he has grown tired of the symmetrical rhythm gtrs, but that is one of howard's sticking points.

Yeah Howard is quite the clinical guy...

[Watersound]

Originally Posted by planet red

How is working with Howard? I know some stories of him totally rearranging songs while the band isnt around.

I really like the production on some of his records.. super slick protooled sound but still with a little depth.

How much layering did you end up doing guitarwise and how much did he add in synthwise (he always seems to layer stuff with synths).. Was it always just a 57 on the guitar cab?

I'd love any info you have on working with him and Mike.

When I worked with Mike it wasn't a project Howard was involved in, but I can say from my experience Howard is a very detail oriented producer- love him or not, he knows how to get that commercial sound and yes, he has a factory going on over there...down to a science.

[taylorooney]

everything in pairs, like noah's arc. like 2 mono mixes being played simultaneously. a pair of bright/middy guitars (vox ac30's), a pair of aggressive meaty guitars (marshalls), and a pair of subby guitars (bogner, sometimes with fuzz pedal). also, a pair of baritones for more lows, and a pair of nashville tuned guitars for more highs. mike is great at stacking complementary tones. his amp collection is phenomenal and he knows just what he's looking for and how to get it. there is never any doubt. he is very confident and owns many classic pieces that are his tools for getting exactly what sound he likes at that moment. also, there is a great guitar tech named marc vangool who works side by side with mike to get great sounds. he has an expert ear for tuning (often tuning guitars for a section where certain chords need special attention). also, only 4-8 bars are recorded before stopping, retuning and doubling. only then do they move onto the next section. mike usually just uses 57's, and occasionally a shure ksm condenser. there is not that much lead playing on howard records, because he is terrified of anything melodic thats not the lead vocal. ive heard he adds synths of records, but not ours because we have a keyboard player in the band.

[jredrecording]

thanks mate, so much. great info. any drum info?

[taylorooney]

mike tracks drums WITHOUT compression or EQ. drum micing technique is your basic, modern, cover the entire kit and room with shit loads of mic's so the mixer has tons of options. (the mixer being CLA on MOST howard record's, although andy wallace for ours.) no fancy tricks, just a well tuned kit, and tons of coverage. the mics all hit a neve board, however they are not 1073's...its a later neve with the blue knobs.

[planet red]

Originally Posted by taylorooney

everything in pairs, like noah's arc. like 2 mono mixes being played simultaneously. a pair of bright/middy guitars (vox ac30's), a pair of aggressive meaty guitars (marshalls), and a pair of subby guitars (bogner, sometimes with fuzz pedal). also, a pair of baritones for more lows, and a pair of nashville tuned guitars for more highs. mike is great at stacking complementary tones. his amp collection is phenomenal and he knows just what he's looking for and how to get it. there is never any doubt. he is very confident and owns many classic pieces that are his tools for getting exactly what sound he likes at that moment. also, there is a great guitar tech named marc vangool who works side by side with mike to get great sounds. he has an expert ear for tuning (often tuning guitars for a section where certain chords need special attention). also, only 4-8 bars are recorded before stopping, retuning and doubling. only then do they move onto the next section. mike usually just uses 57's, and occasionally a shure ksm condenser. there is not that much lead playing on howard records, because he is terrified of anything melodic thats not the lead vocal. ive heard he adds synths of records, but not ours because we have a keyboard player in the band.

So is there like 8 seperate guitar takes or is it just a couple split into all those amps? A lot of his records sound so tight, its hard to imagine its 4 takes on each side.

A lot of his stuff sounds like each chord is punched individualy (or the guitars are played at half speed) because there is no flub from any chord changes.

What was the bass setup like? Did he autotune all the bass? Doubled with a moog or anything?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm a big fan of his records.

[taylorooney]

AT LEAST 4 on a side. thats why only 4 or 8 bars of playing before retuning and doubling. then mike mutes the drums and sits between the speakers and analyzes the tightness of the 4 bars. he does this for each pair. bass is cut AFTER rhythm guitars. once again, no keyboard doubling of bass on the sessions we did but howard is known to do that a lot of the time. keep in mind, all guitar layers are not mixed equal volume. there is usually a pair leading each section with the others tucked underneath.

[Sofa King]

Originally Posted by taylorooney

cant say enough good things about mike. my band (rooney) did a record with him and howard that we scrapped and did not put out.

Hey Man,
Oddly enough I heard one of your records today at my brothers place.

Great songs, great tones.

well done.


all the best,
Sean

[planet red]

So were all the parts copied and pasted for later in the song or did you have to record every verse and chorus again? Seems like a PITA to do that many takes.

Did he keep a DI to tighten the doubles up in PT?

I take it all the drums were totally snapped to a grid right? I picture him having a bunch of guys sitting in front of PT editing all day.

I went to your bands myspace (good stuff BTW) and Howard seems like a strange match for you guys since his stuff sounds so modern. Who ended up doing your record?

[taylorooney]

john fields did our new album "calling the world". he was the perfect fit for us and continues to be a great buddy/mentor. he also engineered and mixed it. there was a clean DI rolling on howard/mike sessions to make editing easier. there is a PT editor named paul declarli who works on a seperate rig, tightening things up, making them howard-acceptable. this sytem works for them. and no, we did not copy/paste rhythm gtrs, we played each section.