amp that speaks, a 57 in front and an API
module that has a great preamp and equalizer, and you’re off and running.
What are the biggest or most common mis-
takes guitarists make in the studio?
Overplaying. One really meaningful lick is
worth more than a lot of really fast playing. Narrow yourself down to what’s really
important. Even Mark overplays, but we trim
it back, and it’s nothing he doesn’t know. He
really does listen to himself.
Effects are easier to achieve, but at what
price to creativity?
That’s it. I mean, before we had digital anything, before digital delay, digital reverb, all
we had were chambers and plates to create
effects with, and we were more creative,
because we had to come up with something. It’s so easy to open up a plug-in and
pick a preset that’s your sound. So much of
that is applied to recordings that it’s all a
wash. It’s not about turning on every equalizer and compressor in the box. A lot of
times it’s about not equalizing or compressing something, and the result will
be larger and bigger. It just requires the
effort to put your finger on the fader and
ride the volume. I don’t use compression
on Mark’s guitar, and it allows him to
play with dynamics. If I refrain from using
compression and play dynamically to the
recording, I find that the recording has
more depth to it.
Usually in front! They’re the ones always
pushing ahead! And not in a negative way.
Mark plays very much in front. In the past I
was tempted, with hard disk recording, to
put every note in time and it sounded horrible. The excitement and energy is someone pushing ahead with the bass and drums
holding down the fort. A lot of excitement
comes from guitar players. I think they are
allowed to be on top a little bit. Obviously,
it depends on their style. It is important to
realize that with Pro Tools you can put everything perfectly in time. I see people go into
a live session, record everything, then go
back and put drums to the click, every beat,
and you’ve lost the idea of the emotion of
the tom fill going into the bridge, or the
bass player getting a little riff in the chorus.
You can always get in trouble if someone
is not aware of where the pocket is. As a
young musician, it’s a good idea to learn
to play to a click, but when you’re making
music, abandon it. Listen to each other and
react to each other. It’s so lame and boring if
you put in a click. Don’t do it!
Let’s talk about tracking a two-guitar band.
Recording in a group is the musical language between the participants. Everyone
has to listen and provide information to
each other. It’s not about working out every
note. You should be able to know where
the bass player is going if you’re the drummer, or where the guitar player is going
if there’s another guitar player, because
you’re listening to each other. Multi-channel
headphone boxes, where everyone has
their own fader, are wonderful for the engineer, because everyone asks for more of
themselves and you can’t do it, so it eliminates that and allows all the musicians to
listen to themselves. With Mark, everybody
has the capacity to adjust the volume. We
make everybody listen to the same mix,
and add a little of this and that to what
they’re doing. There are very few rides to
do when mixing, because everyone has
played to each other and the parts all fit.
Be conscious. You have to listen to everybody else, not just yourself.
How do guitarists get themselves into
technical trouble in the studio?
I work with so many great guitarists;
they’re all so experienced. Occasionally, I
work with guys who have not done a lot of
studio work. Their amp buzzes and rattles,
their guitar doesn’t stay in tune very well,
or the battery is going dead and they have
active pickups. A bit of maintenance goes
a long way. Check your gear. Make sure
your tubes aren’t going harmonic. Change
your strings the day before the session so
they have a chance to set in. You don’t
have to fill every space with music. The
biggest recordings have less in them.
More is usually less, and space is the most
valuable thing in a recording if you want it
to sound really good.
Bassists and drummers always talk about
being “in the pocket.” Where does the
guitarist fit into that equation?
