David Castillo - Ghostward studio question and answer

[Klosure]

Ghostward studios David Castillo has kindly offered to try to answer some questions for me, and I am sure many others here would love to ask some questions.

As per his request I have started up a thread so we can get some answers that I am sure many of us are very curious to find out.

If you know little about David check out Katatonias last album "Dead End Kings" and "Night is the New Day" of which he mixed both. I also believe he was very involved with The Great Cold Distance.

Anyway - before you ask more read this interview as many questions may be answered:

http://www.audiogear.it/interview-with-producer-david-castillo-katatonia-opeth-klimt1918/

 

[Klosure]

I'll start with one for now...

I know when mixing getting the energy just right is much of the sound of many metal albums. Automation seems to play a key roll in this. How much do you automate? I believe Jens is a big fan of automation.

 

[miguelrx10d]

Really cool stuff!

 

[egan.]

Why did you cut your dreadlocks?

 

[Castillo]

Hi Klosure,

I would say that automation is the most important part of getting a good mix. I use tons of automation, it's time consuming but you won't regret it in the end.

 

[Castillo]

Hi Egan,

Long time no speak. Hope you are doing good.

I had the dreads for ten years and it was time to move on without them. I still have them in a bag somewhere in the attic if you want them

 

[Manicompression]

Thanks for answering questions David. I love your work on the Katatonia records.

Do you have any favorite delays or verbs for vocals that you return to often?

Do you have any favorite effects chains for vocal processing, ie: do you eq into your compression or afterwards, any favorite software comps or are you all analog?

Do you have any tips for making multiple vocal tracks gel together and sound singular rather than a collection of disparate performances?

What things outside of Volume do you find yourself automating specifically? Eq cuts on guitars during vocal passages, like what kinds of things specifically that are maybe outside of obvious?

How do you go about bass guitar tracking and mix processing generally, do you just work off of the DI or do you prefer recorded amps and how do you process these individually or as a whole?

 

[Klosure]

Hi David,

Firstly, thanks for doing this, I know its always time consuming and not easy to get across stuff sometimes, but after your interview I can see your very good at explaining the art!


I wanted to know what you feel is the secret to a great low end, you definitely nail it for me on Dead end Kings. The kick is clicky but not nasty with decent thump and the bass is warm but not muddy at all.

I always find that most mixes seem to really suffer on the low end - its always lacking or sounds artificially boosted somehow.

Do you drive a mixbus compressor? Does this help in anyway the bass relationship?

 

[Kalapuikko]

I wanted to know what you feel is the secret to a great low end, you definitely nail it for me on Dead end Kings. The kick is clicky but not nasty with decent thump and the bass is warm but not muddy at all.

Great question, the kick punch is brilliant and really drives the music forward.

In the interview you told your opinion about drum sampling etc. Where there drum replacement/augmentation on Dead End Kings and how it was used, if any?

Thanks a lot for doing this, you're quickly becoming one of my favourite engineers! Seems like a lot of mixes I've been liking lately have been coming from Sweden, go figure.. I guess I was born at the wrong side of the gulf...

 

[Colin M. St. Claire]

David, I have no specific questions at this point, just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to do this! This is great. And NITND is probably my favorite production as of late. That snare!!!! So much crack, yet warm and delicate. The ghost notes shine through amazingly.

 

[ChrisTanakaCanwell]

+1 to the low-end question... thanks for taking the time to post here!

 

[if6was9]

How have you felt being a live engineer has helped your studio work? Any philosophies you carry over from one to the other?

Do you approach a mix that you've been involved with in the tracking stage differently from one that you are only mixing on?

 

[Colin M. St. Claire]

How have you felt being a live engineer has helped your studio work? Any philosophies you carry over from one to the other?

+1 for this question.

 

[Colin M. St. Claire]

David,
Can you tell us about the chain for the bass on The Fathomless Mastery? Was it one clean channel and one dirty? Was it recorded with a guitar amp? That bass tone is one of my favs as far as death metal goes.
Thanks

 

[Sickan]

David,
Can you tell us about the chain for the bass on The Fathomless Mastery? Was it one clean channel and one dirty? Was it recorded with a guitar amp? That bass tone is one of my favs as far as death metal goes.
Thanks

This!
Can you tell us anything about the guitar tone aswell? I know there is a HM-2 involved (read something about a Peavey Bandit too), but the rest seems top secret.

 

[Agonal]

David,

On Dead End Kings how much post processing did you need to do to make the keys fit into the mix? My band has a lot of keys and sometimes its a struggle getting everything to blend nicely.

 

[Klosure]

Noticed you also use the Focusrite Liquid Mix.... they seem to be going cheap on ebay these days and I didn't realise they had a distressor emulation. Worth getting then?

 

[Castillo]

Hey guys!

I forgot about this thread, I'm sorry! Better late than never, right?:Spin:

I'm going to try and answer your questions the best that I can. You'll find my answers in red below...

Thanks for answering questions David. I love your work on the Katatonia records.

Thanks for you kind words. I'm just happy to help.

Do you have any favorite delays or verbs for vocals that you return to often?

I use my M5000 a lot and for delays I love tape delays.

Do you have any favorite effects chains for vocal processing, ie: do you eq into your compression or afterwards, any favorite software comps or are you all analog?

I eq both before and after the comps. I think it's 50/50 analogue vs. software. It's mostly all the classics as LA3A, 1176, LA2A and Avalon.

Do you have any tips for making multiple vocal tracks gel together and sound singular rather than a collection of disparate performances?

Do you mean for doubles or harmonies?

What things outside of Volume do you find yourself automating specifically? Eq cuts on guitars during vocal passages, like what kinds of things specifically that are maybe outside of obvious?

It's got to be FX's I automate the most besides volume. I tend to chop tracks up to many tracks just to avoid automating eq's for example. For different parts and even for different words.

How do you go about bass guitar tracking and mix processing generally, do you just work off of the DI or do you prefer recorded amps and how do you process these individually or as a whole?

I always track an amp when it comes to bass. I then blend it with the D.I most of the times and process them both individually and summed together. If I get a song to mix which only consist of D.I I re-amp it.

 

[Castillo]

Answers in red below...

Hi David,

Firstly, thanks for doing this, I know its always time consuming and not easy to get across stuff sometimes, but after your interview I can see your very good at explaining the art!

Thanks! I try my best and I love what I'm doing, I think that's the reason the explaining part come easy to me


I wanted to know what you feel is the secret to a great low end, you definitely nail it for me on Dead end Kings. The kick is clicky but not nasty with decent thump and the bass is warm but not muddy at all.

I'm glad you like it because the low end is something I spend a lot of time with. I think the "secret" is that you've got to love low end and you've to make the kick and bass play together as one.

I always find that most mixes seem to really suffer on the low end - its always lacking or sounds artificially boosted somehow.

I think that's the artifacts from when you try to correct the low end in the mastering process.

Do you drive a mixbus compressor? Does this help in anyway the bass relationship?

Most of the times, yes I do. What I have on my mixbus can differ between mixes though. And it's more about glueing the mix together than treating the low end. What you put on the mixbus won't save a poor mix it's just there for those last small adjustments.

 

[Castillo]

Thanks man, I appreciate your kind words!

David, I have no specific questions at this point, just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to do this! This is great. And NITND is probably my favorite production as of late. That snare!!!! So much crack, yet warm and delicate. The ghost notes shine through amazingly.