felt like I nailed it ( laughs ), but I almost never do the same thing twice .
CM : Can you think of any unique and innovative ideas you ’ ve employed on recent recordings that resulted in a really special sonic moment ?
EP : Most of my favourite sounds are a result of a musician standing behind me , unimpressed ( laughs ). That ’ s when I dig through my years of watching other producers and engineers get sounds that blew my mind , put a bunch of their tricks together in a chain , and try and one up them . That happened on the Said The Whale sessions , recording bass . It ’ s my favourite bass I ’ ve ever recorded , and it came about because once I had impressed myself , I turned around to find that the sound wasn ’ t there yet , for the band . There are all kinds of moments like that on [ their upcoming ] record . They pushed me to get something different , and much better than I could ’ ve imagined .
It involved a Sonic Farm 2DI4 , Mohog 1176 , both channels on our Fatso , a Microsynth , Retro 2A3 , Chandler TG2 , Roland SBF-325 , Marshall 1960A , an old Ampeg flip-top , and our API 1608 to buss it all down and EQ it , in case you were wondering . Oh yeah , and a great player .
CM : I ’ d think that many cool and innovative recording techniques have been born of engineers having a limited number of tools at their fingertips . How do you ensure you ’ re still pushing the envelope and coming up with new ideas despite often having a plethora of indemand gear at your fingertips ?
EP : I try not to let the tools get in the way of the music . They are there to inspire and capture , but the ideas and innovation are going to come – or not come – regardless . There are still plenty of limitations when it comes to making a record ; sometimes there just isn ’ t time to get into all the toys , but learning to work without them can be just as inspiring .
CM : Do you find “ outside the box ” recording ideas particularly conducive to any genres of music over others , in any sense ?
EP : I think breaking new ground in any genre is the pinnacle of music making , so I guess , no – I don ’ t think it is conducive to one genre over another . I would say that most times , an outside the box approach to any kind of music will make it more interesting . I believe those who stretch the boundaries of their genre will ultimately define them .
Dajaun
Martineau
A senior staff engineer with Toronto ’ s iconic Phase One Studios , Dajaun Martineau ’ s fingerprints grace recordings by the likes of Ghostface Killah , Yelawolf , and Cancer Bats . Current projects include hardcore supergroup Hundred Suns , rockers Diemonds , metal outfit Six Side Die , and an all-home-based recording with In This Alone .
CM : How important is it to your work to be pushing the envelope with gear , techniques , and approaches to recording ? Is it important to constantly be trying new things , or is there something to be said for “ sticking to what works ?”
DM : It really depends on the session I ’ m working on . If I ’ m booked on an afternoon session at Phase One to do a two-hour vocal session and I ’ ve got another client coming in right after , then we ’ re definitely sticking with the tried and true techniques . That being said , in order to stay relevant as an engineer and producer , I ’ m always looking for opportunities to experiment and try new things .
A great way to experiment is to keep your safety workflow while adding extras . For example , if I want to try a new set of overheads during a drum session , I ’ ll probably set up my regular overheads in addition to the new pair so that not only do I have a safety to fall back on , but I also have a point of reference for comparison . I think people should always be striving for more and experimenting to push the envelope but definitely read the room and feel out the session before you start running guitar cabs through potatoes !
CM : Can you think of any unique and innovative ideas you ’ ve employed on recent recordings that resulted in a really special sonic moment ?
DM : Yes ! I have been noticing an interesting correlation between the pop industry and the hardcore industry lately . The mixes on heavy bands like Architects and PVRIS now feel closer than ever to projects like The Weeknd or Ariana Grande . This has led me to explore lots of cross-pollination in mixing . I ’ ve started discovering that I like using distortions and heavy compression in the oddest places , for example reverbs in pop mixes . It creates a distinctly different sound than just extending the reverb time or equalizing the reverb .
CM : How do you ensure you ’ re still pushing the envelope and coming up with new ideas despite often having a plethora of in-demand gear at your fingertips ?
DM : This is a great question ! I regularly preach that you have to limit yourself in order to create . One of the things I teach my students at Harris Institute when we talk about mixing in the box is that when you are presented a system with seemingly infinite routing possibilities , like most DAWs , console emulations , and more outboard gear simulations than you could ever reasonably use , you have to limit your options . So I tell them to try and imagine the studio that they ’ d want to mix that project in . Is it an old Motown studio ? Is it Abbey Road ? Is it Ocean Way ? Now that you have the studio in mind , build yourself a desk and a gear list in Pro Tools and try and limit yourself to those restrictions .
CM : Is it important to you to be exchanging ideas with others in your line of work ?
DM : I keep a constant dialogue with friends and colleagues regarding relevant techniques . I always want to know all the things they ’ ve tried and how it worked out and I am always eager to share my results . Just this week , I actually ran out of Studio A at Phase over to Studio B to grab one of the other engineers because I had to show him a new routing technique I had developed purely out of necessity . Not only was he able to benefit from my new technique on his session , but we were also able to work together to streamline it even further . Being able to walk down the hall and share ideas or pick up tricks is one of the reasons I believe that the big old multi-room studios just won ’ t die . A team of people working together with a little healthy competition thrown in is going to push each individual farther than any one could get independently .
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