Producer, Engineer, Mixer

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a home studio setup that can handle nearly every requirement, but I have made a second home in professional studios all over the country and abroad. Something I’ve learned over the years is that you have to be able to record anywhere, whether it’s a barn, a country house, a castle, or a post office, all of which I’ve done.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: George Martin’s work with the Beatles deserves all of the recognition it’s gotten, of course. He and his EMI co-conspirators were the very definition of ‘make it work.’ When George opened AIR Studios in London, I made sure to take my projects there, both mixing the Tommy film soundtrack there as well as recording Bad Company, the Faces, and UFO. I’ve always been fond of Gus Dudgeon’s production on Elton John and Tom Dowd’s production on nearly everybody else, from Atlantic Records artists to Derek and the Dominos. I’ve been lucky enough to learn from or work with all three and draw inspiration from them daily.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Matthew Thomson

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Make sure you do your homework and choose someone who has the experience for the type of project you envision, and then let them do their job and help you achieve it.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started as a live sound mixer working with Traffic, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Jefferson Airplane, even mixing their sound at Woodstock. I then worked as an engineer at Island Studios in London and within a couple of years was the engineer on the Who’s Quadrophenia, Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, and Bad Company’s first three albums. I joined the Record Plant as the chief engineer in the mid-70s and started producing Dave Mason, the Babys, UFO, Jefferson Starship, Survivor, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Chicago, and Damn Yankees, to name a few. Almost five decades later, I’m still on it.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I’m especially proud of engineering the Who’s Quadrophenia for several reasons. First, I built the Airstream mobile studio (LMS) that I used to record it and even converted it from 8 to 16 track in the process, which involved no small amount of troubleshooting on the job. Secondly, I was able to capture one of the world’s most dynamic rock bands on tape performing one of their most ambitious albums, including an ARP synthesizer and host of sound effects and field recordings. And last, I mixed the entire album with Pete Townshend at his home studio. This was literally my first album—trial by fire.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I think both media have their advantages and disadvantages. I was raised on analog and made some of my biggest recordings in digital. Although the fuller, warmer sound of analog is certainly nice, it has become a scarce luxury that doesn’t have the flexibility and ubiquity of digital—of course, that situation has begun to change slightly.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: To listen to what they have to say and find a way to make it real for them.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: When I do something that the artist(s) love, and it becomes a hit.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Aside from my background, many of my customers are justifiably concerned about my turnaround time and my rates. Clients are leery of a project getting mired in unproductive studio time and endless mixing sessions. My answer to them is that experience removes many of these obstacles, and if they arrive knowing what they want and prepared to work, making and recording music is anything but tedious. Rather, it’s fun and exciting, and the mix you receive will be the clearest representation of that.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: The biggest misconception about engineering and producing albums is that I am here to either take your music away from you by changing the sound of it or that I magically take something that’s bad and make it good. The quality of the work is what makes anyone’s music sound as great as it does.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How do you hear the music you want to make? Which albums and sounds do you love that made you want to record your music in the first place? What kind of attitude do you want your music to give off?

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: A U-47 tube mic, a Urei 1176 black-face limiter, a Neve 1073 mic-pre/EQ, Pultec EQP and a pair of KRK E8 monitors.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My body of work is most easily characterized as big guitars and big voices, but that overshadows the other sonic contributions I’ve made to bands. For example, I was the one that put the phaser on John Bonham’s drums, added female vocals to the Babys’ two hit singles, and helped UFO crossover with string and horn arrangements. Another major aspect to my style is working with artist on repertoire, either tightening the songs they bring in or helping them find suitable material, as I did with Heart.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: There are so many, but U2 and TV on the Radio comes to mind as they write the kind of adventurous, no-limit, soulful music that reaches everyone on a deep level. They are the epitome of vision and ambition and talent equaling results.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always jump to conclusions slowly, and make decisions as you work, so in the end, all you have to do is balance what is already a satisfying collaboration.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Rock, hard rock, R&B, blues, and pop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Getting great vocal performances, building dynamic arrangements, and maximizing hooks for an unforgettable impact on the listener.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: For a producer’s bedside manner, it’s important to be a music fan first and an engineer second. We all started by listening to songs first before we started taking them apart and putting them back together again. When an artist plays me a song, I have to understand the why of the song before I can accent its virtues and shore up any of its shortcomings. Some songs arrive fully formed and the discussion shifts to what is the best way to present it. Aside from being a sounding board for the artist, what I bring through my experience is a body of technical knowledge that can give the artist a concise and authoritative choice on how they can put their material across to others. In a field with too many options, guidance is key.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Talking comes first. Listening comes second. Tracking comes third. Mixing comes last. And throughout all of it, a hell of a lot more listening and talking.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Producing, Engineering and Mixing