Working with the Mars Volta, It's Never, 'Oh, People

Welcome To Digizine http://www2.digidesign.com/digizine/archive/digizine_july04/content... Cover Story 7.2004 E D I T O R ' S i N O T E I remember back when I got my first The Mars Volta 4-track recorder.... Andrew Scheps on Mixing in the Box [read on] By Stephanie Jorgl It's a hot day outside, but Andrew Scheps sits C O N T E N T S comfortably in his airy, spacious recording studio, "PunkerPad West" which is tucked away in the woods Dave's Dirt behind his Los Angeles home. He's just finished Creative Options with Pro Tools working on the new record by wide-ranging Mixing Revealed neo-psychedelic band the Mars Volta. "We just Step Away from the Mix finished putting the drums together on a bunch of songs, and recording a ton of bass," says Scheps. Guitar Tools "They're great. Omar [Rodriguez-Lopez] and Cedric Pro Tools Guitar Plug-ins [Zavala] are two of the most talented people I've worked with." Post Scripts Cleaning Up Your Mix Scheps has engineered and mixed many of the greats of rock and roll. In addition to the Mars Volta, Groundwork he's worked with Iggy Pop, the Rolling Stones, Recording Vocals, Part 5 Audioslave, Johnny Cash, and The Red Hot Chili Pro Techniques Peppers. He has also worked on film and television Pro Tools Tips and Techniques scores like Soul Food with Wendy & Lisa, and The Mothman Prophecies with Steve Porcaro. Scheps is a Centerfold Digidesign diehard with four Pro Tools|HD Accel Focusrite Forte Suite cards under his belt. Cover Story The Mars Volta The Mars Volta Scheps holds the utmost respect for the Mars Volta's creative process. "When they come to work on Trainspotting tracks, Omar always has the thing finished in his Madison Media Institiute head, but still loves to get surprised along the way," Tech Talk he says. "But as soon as he finds a new thing, he Mixing in the Box incorporates it, and it always works." One of the new Mars Volta songs is really long — longer than any The Mars Volta Archived Issues rock track Scheps has ever worked on. "The one thing about the Mars Volta — much like working with artists like John Frusciante — is that there is nothing except the music you are working on that you take into account," he says. "It's never 'Oh, people might not get that,' or 'Let's try to make it sound like this.' I mean, you look to things for inspiration, but it's never about what you think people are going to want. All you're doing is making it as cool as you can, using anything — it doesn't matter what you do." Why do bands like the Mars Volta feel "Working with the Mars comfortable working with Scheps? It could be his pleasant demeanor, or his years of experience. But the straightforward, Volta, it's never, 'Oh, people seemingly simple way he runs his studio definitely helps. "The amount of technology might not get that,' or 'Let's here is ridiculous, but it's not obvious when you come in here," says Scheps, who stands in try to make it sound like front of a wall of rackmount gear ten feet across and eight feet high, filled with vintage this.' All you're doing is and other outboard processors, plus his Pro Tools|HD rig. "Sure, I've got ten grand worth making it as cool as you of wire back there, but you're not going to have to see it. If you want to do something, I'll can, using anything." spend five seconds patching it, and I've got six programs we'll use to do it, instead of, 'Oh, let's see if I can find a cable. Wait, why is that humming?' I tend to make the technology disappear, and you're just playing. I think that's my strong point. The Scheps Studio Setup Scheps relies on a dual 1 GHz Power Mac with a 23" Cinema display running Pro Tools. "It's an HD Accel system with four cards," he explains. He's also got three Digidesign 192 I/Os, and a 96i I/O that he uses for synths. Scheps uses an Edirol controller to play in MIDI data or control virtual instruments, plus a vintage Yamaha CP70 electric grand piano and a Kurzweil PC-88. As for monitors, he relies on some older Tannoy SRM-10Bs and Yamaha NS10s. "I've been using HD for just over a year, and it's great," says Scheps. "I put it off for a while, because I had a huge MIX system — six 888's and three ADAT bridges and all this stuff — and the thought of upgrading was just too much. So I finally made the jump and thought, 'Well, I'll just have both systems side by side, for all the plug-ins that haven't migrated," but I never turned the MIX system on again. I just sold it off. I love HD." He also uses the Digidesign ProControl. "I had boards in here when I started out, Mackie mixers, Andrew Scheps rackmount mixers, the Mackie Digital 8-Bus, and so forth. But it got to the point where Pro Tools 1 of 2 7/12/06 11:08 AM.

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