ISSUE #30 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #30 MMUSICMAG.COM PRODUCER Who are you working with now? your face, which allows you to stick the I have been developing Nikki Lang—a 21-year- vocals into a track where you keep the old singer-songwriter from L.A.—for a while band pretty wrapped around the singer now. She recently did a Google+ Artists in and you never lose the voice. James Taylor, the Plus show, and she’s headlining a festival Kim Carnes, the Motels—everybody sang that’s being broadcast around the world. I’ve into that mic. been working with her on her songwriting and live performance, and we’re starting to Do you prefer vintage gear? get to where she’s ready to take on the world. Oh, I love cutting-edge technology. I love testing out beta versions of new audio What’s happened to artist development? products. I do it for Apogee, Avid and Waves. Too many don’t want to spend the time. They Carlos Santana I actually designed a plug-in for Waves called just want signed acts they think they can the Apex Aural Exciter, which I pioneered in take to the marketplace right away and be punching in blind—sometimes I would splice the ’70s. I’m probably more on the cutting successful. The industry has scaled down so the tape and insert paper to ensure I didn’t edge than a lot of kids who are 25. When much that major labels basically don’t do any run into the next line. That said, I can’t recall Avid started coming out with beta Pro artist development. But artist development ever having to fix a phrase with her. I think Tools stuff, I had an Apogee converter that has to happen somewhere. I’ve been J.D. Souther brought her Roy Orbison’s wouldn’t talk with the Pro Tools software, so developing Nikki for two years and want to “Blue Bayou,” and she pretty much learned there I was sitting in the Apogee workshop make sure this project sees the light of day. the song while we were getting the track with their head tech trying to figure out how down in the studio. And she performed it to make it work. It’s funny, because I work like she’d been singing it since she was 8. with a lot of young guys who look at what I’m That’s just the way she’s able to do things. doing and go, “Wow, I’ve never tried that.” They try it and then don’t go away from it. Recall the vocal chain? It’s the same vocal chain I use today. We What’s an example? recorded in a studio that had API consoles, The vocal chain I use is a good one. A lot so I used an API 312 preamp, 525 of young kids never heard of an API 525, compressor, and 550A EQ. I’ve used the even though API still makes them. They use same microphone—a Neumann U67 tube plug-ins a lot, and they’ll use the Universal mic—on every artist I’ve recorded since 1971, Audio 1176s and LA2As with vocals. Those and I still have that mic. I’ve tried others—like were invented in the ’60s, and they’re really the Telefunken 251, which is very close—but not fast enough, especially if you have I always come back to the Neumann. I have somebody who really chugs along and Bonnie Raitt the Neumann pop screen, which is this round changes volume a lot. To me, the 1176 is a thing with a hole in it where you can see the guitar limiter, not a tool for vocals. VAL GARAY What qualities do you look for? pattern switch on the mic. I get artists to stick Sharing the studio secrets behind some of music’s best vocal performances When I started producing, I was looking for their noses right in that hole, which gets them So, will you be recording and mixing on songs to record with an artist. A friend had very close. No matter how hard or loud they an iPad anytime soon? By Michael Gallant signed a duo, so I listened to their songs sing, they can’t fold that capsule. That’s really No. (laughs) I have a good-sized studio at and cut one. They were called Longbranch the only mic you can do that with. my house with a D-Command, 24 faders, EVEN AMONG TOP-TIER PRODUCER-ENGINEERS, at Stanford University’s School of Medicine—but he soon dropped Pennywhistle—J.D. Souther and Glenn and lots of outboard gear. If you need to go Val Garay’s credentials are impressive: more than 125 million out because he’d joined a band and “started not showing up for Frey. So I’ve always had that kind of ear for It doesn’t distort? somewhere to record a vocal, an iPad could worldwide record sales and over 200 gold and platinum albums, 8 a.m. lab classes.” Playing in bands throughout the ’60s, Garay songwriters all through the years. While I Listen to Linda’s vocals, do they sound be a great way to do it, but I grew up with a spread across a vast array of artists that include Bonnie Raitt, James met legendary recording engineer Dave Hassinger, who took Garay was working with Linda Ronstadt, she would distorted? They do sound like they’re in console. I need a fader in my hand. Taylor, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Santana, Ringo Starr, Linda under his wing as an apprentice. choose writers nobody knew. Nobody had Ronstadt and many more. Garay’s talents have earned him nine That association brought him together with Linda Ronstadt, heard of Warren Zevon. Nobody knew who Grammy nominations, as well as Record of the Year honors in 1982 which jump-started his career. “Dave was 55, had spent millions Elvis Costello was. I’ve always been a song for his work on Kim Carnes’ hit “Bette Davis Eyes.” of hours in the studio, and wasn’t really interested in doing more,” person, and Nikki has that interesting ability to Music has always been in Garay’s life, from an uncle who recalls Garay. “He told Peter Asher and Linda, ‘I’ve got this hot new turn a phrase. That’s what got me interested. taught him guitar to his father, an accomplished singer and actor. young guy. You should work with him.’ I started doing rough mixes, “My father sang in a movie with Clark Gable and performed at every and the next thing I knew, I was doing the whole album.” Ronstadt’s What was it like producing vocals for major nightclub in America through the 1930s and ’40s,” says Garay. Heart Like a Wheel went on to great success, catapulting Garay in Linda Ronstadt? “We were always listening to music together.” Garay’s aunt Margie the process. He went on to work six more of Ronstadt’s hit records You really don’t have to do much, because was Cole Porter’s longtime personal assistant. “I used to hang out while expanding his hit-making resume to include other stars. Garay she can sing as well as anyone I’ve ever with all of them, and I guess it rubbed off,” he continues. now produces and engineers for a number of different artists while worked with. What I did do, because it But not right away. Despite Garay’s musical roots, he enrolled also focusing on developing a new generation of artists. was analog tape back in those days, was Jeff Fasano, Val Garay; Timothy Saccenti, Garay; Timothy Carlos Santana;Jeff Fasano, Henry Diltz, Linda Ronstadt Val assign the output of her vocal to three separate tracks at once. The idea was that, ‘I’m probably more on the cutting edge than a lot of in the event that we needed to fix a phrase and I missed, I’d have backups. We were kids who are 25.’ Linda Ronstadt 50 51 M mag 30.indd 50 10/13/13 4:25 PM M mag 30.indd 51 10/13/13 4:25 PM ISSUE #30 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #30 MMUSICMAG.COM PRODUCER Dolly Parton Chuando & Frey ‘I find that people who are successful, whether it’s Bruno Mars or Max Martin, believe in what they’re doing.’ Nikki Lange, Val Garay Recall a memorable experiment? very quiet, sitting with a little spiral-bound and his whole career resurfaced. That guy In the ’70s I was working at the Sound notebook with his lyrics, just writing. But can play, and it was a lot of fun to collaborate Garay Jeff Fasano, Nikki Lang/Val Factory in Hollywood. And they had a when he went out to sing, he was a maniac. with him. One thing that separates him from really wide selection of mics, including five It was like he turned into a completely other guitar players is when he solos, he Telefunken 251s—which were normally used different person. What has amazed me is stays on top of the beat, which gives him for orchestras and are worth about $15,000 just how much singers have to give it up at that kind of edge. He’s not like Eric Clapton each today. I pulled them out of the mic the microphone to make the vocals really who lays back. I’d never realized that—but locker one day and put them on the drum happen.