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 I
recently
finished mastering a compilation of RAS
Records' "dub mixes" that I mixed over the years. It took days and
days to go though all the tapes in my vault. I had to lock myself in the studio
for two weeks with no interruptions. There were all these unedited reels and
DATs with notes as to what mix is where. I proceeded, to make sense of all the
track sheets and notes and started to listen back. As I listened back, I began
to re-live the process and events associated with each mix.
When you
mix, you have the opportunity to climb in to every nook and cranny of the
recording. You start with the bass drum. As you listen, you imagine the original
session engineer, place the mic, route the board, EQ, and set the levels. You
notice the fidelity and tone of the recording. You make your adjustments. You
bring in the snare and hi-hat, set them. Next, add the bass. You start to see
the picture, feel the vibe. When the vocal is added you unearth the structure of
the song itself, giving praises to the singer for this wicked song. You add the
rest of the instruments; piano, guitars, keys, horns, BU vocals, percussion.
With each track, you are able to appreciate the pool of talent that the producer
has assembled.
The
recording engineer is the best witness, to the birth of a song, to history in
the making. And in the tracks, you can see the recording engineer’s talent,
how he organized and adjusted the tracks. With engineers like Errol Brown,
Solgie, O. Palmer, Chris Daley, Scientist, Steven Stanley, Bunny Tom Tom, Mad
Professor at the controls, you must marvel at their work. The singer brings the
blueprint of the song structure, mood, and message. While each musician’s
genius and talent are printed right onto the tape. Great musicians like Dwight
Pinkney and the rest of the Roots Radics, Sly and Robbie, the Wailers, 809,
every musician in this dub collection have crafted their parts to artist
perfection.
So as you
mix each song you spend hours adjusting and blending each track. You build each
track to stand alone. The bass and drum can stand alone. The rhythm
can stand alone. The melodies can stand alone. The vocals can stand alone. You
blend them all together to form the final mix. It’s amazing. It’s alive.
By the
time you have finished the vocal mix, all the tracks have left a serious
impression on you. Now is the time to create a mix that spotlights the deepest
parts of the recordings. You rewind and Dub it. At this point the most amazing
thing happens. As you begin to let each section shine through, the song itself
calls out to you as you work the board. The bass and drum want to play, soon the
piano and rhythm guitar call out ‘let us control’. Part by part the song
itself becomes a collage of all the distinct elements. Wicked!
Fox
1997
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