MAY 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MAY 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM ENGINEER Did you face resistance as a woman? with the mix, but I hadn’t yet saved the I never realized until I went to school that parameters of the mixing board. When the engineering was such a male-dominated power went back on, it spiked through the profession. I was in a class of 165, and 160 board and all the faders just went crazy. All were male. I did get a lot of flack, a lot of of my EQs were out, my routing to stereo people saying I’d never make it and that this busses was wiped, my effects sends were was just not something that women did. I felt gone and so were all my levels. The good I had to prove myself not 100 times more, thing was that I had already printed a mix but 1,000 times because of that. that everyone involved had approved. So I had to calm down first. (laughs) I listened How did you do that? to the printed version and brought back When I landed the internship at the Hit the levels, A- and B-ing between the Factory, I knew it was going to be dirty With Nelly Furtado printed version and the mix. It took me work and I didn’t mind. I did whatever it took. two hours to bring it back. I had a similar My days would start at 6 a.m. to open the Give us an example. circumstance in London mixing for Natasha studio, clear out the rooms, paint walls, blow Mary J. Blige gets so into the song that she Bedingfield—which was even crazier. The leaves out of the parking lot. Once a TAD 15 moves around a lot as she’s singing, and you power had gone out and I basically had speaker blew in one of the studios at 2 a.m., can hear that when she’s recording. It’s the 45 minutes to bring the mix back before and the assistant engineer asked me to help job of the mixer and the sound engineer to Natasha and her management were coming him bring it downstairs. It’s pretty heavy, but make sure that her vocal sounds strong and by to listen. I had printed a mix reference, forward the whole time—otherwise you’ll hear so I was basically doing the A and B volume dips as she moves away from the thing again. Thankfully, they showed up mic. And with Mary, she has that great voice 10 minutes late—when they walked in I where her verses might be quiet, but then at had just finished. the chorus her ad-libs could be screaming at you. So you have to get the compression How did you meet Danja? just right to make it sound balanced. I’d been working with Timbaland for a few years and he was thinking about retiring, What mics do you like? so he brought in Danja to join the team Capitol Studios What works for one artist often won’t work and follow in his footsteps. The first time for another, so I always set up four or five I met him in the studio, he walked over to Tim’s equipment and started messing Bernard Coutler different mics. They can range anywhere With Nicole Scherzinger from the Sony C-800 and the Neumann around on the Korg Triton keyboard. In of Pussycat Dolls U 87 and U 67 to the Shure SM7 and the 10 minutes he created a beat that was MARCELLA ARAICA SM58. I love the SM58—it’s one of my phenomenal. I remember thinking, “Who is I’m a strong cookie. When I picked it up, he favorites, but it has to be right for the voice this kid?” Danja and I would be in the studio “Painting the sound of the song” for some of pop’s biggest hitmakers said, “Sorry, I forgot you’re a woman. Put it and the song we’re doing. with each other for 12 hours a day, so we down.” I had some words with him—actually started growing with each other. By Michael Gallant ended up cussing him out. (laughs) I was Any studio horror stories? working so hard at that point, and I had never The other day I was mixing my artist Luke How did the partnership evolve? WHEN ENGINEER AND MIXER MARCELLA ARAICA STEPS continues to develop her newest project, the Red Bottoms shown a sign of weakness. That comment James and the power went out. I was done Tim’s music would come out of the speakers into the recording studio tonight to mix Beyoncé’s latest track, Foundation. “It’s geared toward empowering women through upset me, but our interaction also created chances are she won’t be thinking about producers, record labels mentorship programs,” she describes. “I plan to have webisodes a new relationship. or the millions who will soon hear her sonic craft. More likely, she’ll available where you can be in the studio with me, where we be too busy channeling Pablo Picasso. “I always compare mixing can mix a song together.” What’s the engineer’s role? to painting,” she says, resting in her New York hotel lobby less than Araica began her career in Orlando, Fla., graduating from My job is to understand who I’m recording. an hour before the session. “I take what’s been given to me and I the Full Sail Production and Recording Program and winning the I just finished recording with Joe Jonas. I three-dimensionalize it. I lift it up. I splash on colors—compression, school’s Advanced Recording Engineer Award. After landing an wasn’t familiar with his stuff, so I listened EQ, effects. I’m always painting the sound of the song.” internship at Miami’s Hit Factory recording studio, she earned a lot before we started working together— The deftness with which she crafts her aural canvases has made her stripes as an assistant engineer for artists like Missy Elliott. specifically for his vocal sound. He’s got the 30-year-old Araica a top-call engineer for a vast array of artists. Araica has become accustomed to working with A-list stars, but this cool, clear pop feel, but he can also Her credits include stars like Madonna, 50 Cent, Usher, Whitney she admits that at the moment her mind is on tonight’s Beyoncé get into this soulful rock sound. That’s how Houston, Duran Duran, Britney Spears, Nicole Scherzinger and Mariah session. “I’m a huge fan and I haven’t worked with her, so this I knew what microphones, mic preamps Carey, to name just a few. She is best known for her collaborations is very important to me,” she says. “It’s a pinnacle.” Though she and vibe setting to use. It also helps when with star producers Tim “Timbaland” Mosley and Nate “Danja” didn’t hint if the creative spirits of Picasso or Monet would be I’m figuring out how much compression Hills; the latter is her professional partner in the studio and in their guiding her tonight, Araica did speak to us about her painterly to use on an artist’s vocals. I’m not a big joint-venture imprint New Age Rock Stars Records. Araica also adventures behind the board so far. fan of compressing to tape heavily while I’m recording. But sometimes you have to, depending on the dynamic range of the ‘A lot of people said I’d never make it, that this was singer and his or her mic technique. With Keri Hilson just not something women did.’ and Danja 5252 53 M mag 11.indd 52 5/31/11 8:39:33 PM M mag 11.indd 53 5/31/11 8:39:18 PM MAY 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MAY 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM With Joe Jonas and ENGINEER producer Jim Beanz Bernard Coutler Do you prefer analog recording? With Duran Duran and I’m lucky because when I got into the producer Jimmy Douglass business, tape machines were still around, but being slowly pushed out the door. I did sessions with two-inch tape, and with ‘I take what’s been given to me and I mixers who printed to half-inch. I got to understand the sound of it. The thing I love three-dimensionalize it. I lift it up.’ about analog boards like the SSL 9000 or a Neve is the headroom. The more you push an analog board, the better it sounds. On and smack you in the face. The challenge Recall your favorite sessions. a digital board, you can’t push the stereo with Danja in the beginning was that he could Working on the album Loose [2006] with bus without it distorting. I’m an aggressive make phenomenal beats, but his music came Nelly Furtado was like family meeting at mixer and like things to hit hard and be in out of the speakers sounding tiny. So I’d tell the clubhouse every day. All those records your face. I don’t need a board to stop me him, “Give me your parts and I’ll rough mix came out of a vibe session. I worked with from doing that. them for you and make them sound bigger Timbaland, [sound engineer] Demo and Danja than life.” Given that I had this studio at my on that project. Demo had a 64-channel How do you create a great mix? fi ngertips 12 hours a day, I started mixing SSL 9000 J mixing console and we were When I’m preparing for a mix session, I dress his music more and more and getting a recording to two Pro Tools HD 4 systems.