This is s record by a band called VISTAVISION that I produced. I’m very proud of this album. Perhaps my finest work (to date) as an engineer/producer.
I had a strong vision going into this project. I wanted to make a naturalistic rock record. I wanted the listener to hear how a live rock band interacts within a space. Instead of throwing the amps in isolation boxes or in far off corners of the studio I had the band set up as if they were playing live on stage, in a line with the amps adjacent to the drums. I did some very minimal baffling between the drums and the amps. About 15 feet away I set up a an array of microphones facing the drums and amps (one stereo pair and a mono centre) and had the band adjust the levels of their amps until everything sounded balanced in the array. I then placed close mics on the amps and certain drums, but the array remained the foundation for the sound of each track. I believe that the VISTAVISION record is the most representative of the inherent sound of Chemical — you can really hear the space in the music. It’s almost like a 5th instrument. It is only by chance that this particular space works so well with this particular band — that was a risk — but it really was a match made in heaven. I feel the realness of the sound enhances the eerie vibe of the performances and compliments some outstanding and evocative songwriting.
Photos I took of the session can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chemicalsound/sets/72157626105983965/with/5511998225/
I want to thank Dave and JM for letting me share this with you. Consider it a Holiday gift from us to you. Thinking about this project and sharing it with the world puts me into the right frame of mind in terms of working on our own album!
-dean
