I've just found this very cool interview with Jacob Hansen on Home Theater Shack. Enjoy!
"-What steps do you follow when you have to deal with first-studio-experience bands?
I explain them as much as possible, and I also talk a lot about my experiences in the music business, if they want me to. It's sometimes very rewarding working with new bands, as they're most of the time very interested in using my expertise.
-What's the funniest event that has happened during any of your sessions?
There's been so many. I often laugh at these people who arrogantly THINK they know a lot about studio work, but fails completely. Once I was asked by a band how we could get that "airy" sound of big production albums. This was in the late 80's early 90's. This band member had this vision that if we used a 24-track reel-to-reel and SKIPPED every second track (kept it blank), we'd get some more air in the recording. I also had a great time reading all of Bob Clearmountain's anecdotes in the same vein. Quite amusing.
-How does analogue and digital equipment merge in your signal path when recording or mixing?
I track through a bunch of 60's to 80's broadcast preamps, and when tracking vocals, they run thru a lot of old stuff before they hit Protools. When I mix, I sum all tracks into a Tube-Tech SSA Summing Amp, which I think sounds absolutely fantastic. Furthermore, the bass has a CL1B inserted. I have a few other great analogue things that are being hooked up, such as NTP comps, dBx de-essers etc. Right now, they're not in my insert-chain, but I'll start using them when I get everything hooked up.
-What are your ”first choice” of microphones and preamps when starting a new project?
RE-20 for Kick. Sennheiser 421 for toms and snare. Sometimes 441 or 21. Neumann KMi84 for overheads and ambiance. 421's, 409's and ADK A51s for guitars. 421 for bass. SM57 for talkback The pre amps are Neumann, Tab, BFE and Siemens + Gyraf and Tube-Tech.
-I would like to get the explanation why people suggest us to listening monitor at 85 dB SPL ? I feel it just too loud...
I always mix as low as possible. It's hard when bands are around - they can't hear anything Occasionally I play a song at a moderate or louder volume, but I mix full albums at what you would call "living room volume". This way, I think I get punchier mixes. Loud always sounds great, and it'll trick you into thinking the mix is great when it's actually not. I've always done that, and lately I read that one of my fave mixers, Chris Lord-Alge also mixes at low volumes. Another thing is that 8-hour mixing sessions will burn your ears, if you're mixing too loud.
-What's the most important thing to remember when you are mixing?
Phew! I can't think of one most important thing. A lot of things have great importance when mixing. I think it works best for me to build it up from the rhythm part, which is so important in metal. Drums -> bass -> guitars -> vocals. In that order. I build up and god back to drums - work on them. Then Bass etc etc. It takes time to build a good mix. Remember that it doesn't have to sound "like a record" before you have a final mastering.
-Which record you didn't produce would you have loved to produce, and why?
Oooh. Motley Crue - Motley Crue by Bob Rock. King's X - Dogman by Brendan O'Brien, ELO - Time by Jeff Lynne, Jellyfish - Spilt Milk by JJ Puig. There may be more. Most of them because of their groundbreaking sound and production, but also because they all hold some of the most magic music defining genres. To me, doing these albums means being part of history.
-Which record you produced would you love to re-do, and why?
Haha, there might be many Seriously, I think I've always done the best I could at that very time. So did the bands. There are some that suffered from not so great mixes because there were too many compromises and little freedom for me. These I would love to remix. I wont mention any names.
-We often hear from American industry people how much the industry is changing and the ongoing debates about copyright infringement and piracy, the ubiquity of the internet and the overall decreasing value of music amongst listeners. How have these issues impacted the European music industry generally and your work specifically?
I think there are little differences between the European and the American music business in that respect. We also suffer from everything you list there. Fortunately, there are a lot of people out there believing in music and being real fans, so I think we're barely getting by. The worst thing I see is when (young) bands sit in my studio and ask for internet connection so they can download music, movies and software illegally. It's like shitting where you eat! They are here to record something which they hope will be picked up by a label... But all their peers will just download it and the label is losing money. You follow? I have a principle: I wont download illegally - I do not watch or borrow stolen copies of movies - I wont give my kids cracked games for their Nintendo DS and whatnot. I buy on iTunes or physical CDs. I rent movies. I buy games. I use purchased software on my PC's and MAC. This is not because I'm either stupid or preaching - I'm just thinking that I want to make a decent living in this business, so I might start doing the right thing.
-Has ”preset” killed sound personality?
Preset is a weird thing. I don't use presets, but it does help noobs get closer to what make things sound better. I just think - maybe I'm old - that you need to know some quite important basics before you can record and mix great. Yes, you can learn how to mix good, and use simulators without knowing how to place a mic, but then, why limit yourself? I still think many great mixers/producers has their own way of doing it, even though we all use the same plug-ins.
-What's your take on the "Loudness Wars" in mastering and how they've particularly impacted your genre?
It's not that important. Most bands know that it's not about how loud it is anymore. Everybody complains about how bad e.g. the new Metallica sounds in headphones, so nobody wants their music to suffer from that. I try to get loud without it being ridiculous.
-In what way your experience as a musician interacts with your producer's mind?
I very much use my musicianship in the production. It's nice to know a little bit of theory when working with vocals for example. It's also great to have a good sense of rhythm so that you know what to look for.
Thank you, mr. Hansen!"
"-What steps do you follow when you have to deal with first-studio-experience bands?
I explain them as much as possible, and I also talk a lot about my experiences in the music business, if they want me to. It's sometimes very rewarding working with new bands, as they're most of the time very interested in using my expertise.
-What's the funniest event that has happened during any of your sessions?
There's been so many. I often laugh at these people who arrogantly THINK they know a lot about studio work, but fails completely. Once I was asked by a band how we could get that "airy" sound of big production albums. This was in the late 80's early 90's. This band member had this vision that if we used a 24-track reel-to-reel and SKIPPED every second track (kept it blank), we'd get some more air in the recording. I also had a great time reading all of Bob Clearmountain's anecdotes in the same vein. Quite amusing.
-How does analogue and digital equipment merge in your signal path when recording or mixing?
I track through a bunch of 60's to 80's broadcast preamps, and when tracking vocals, they run thru a lot of old stuff before they hit Protools. When I mix, I sum all tracks into a Tube-Tech SSA Summing Amp, which I think sounds absolutely fantastic. Furthermore, the bass has a CL1B inserted. I have a few other great analogue things that are being hooked up, such as NTP comps, dBx de-essers etc. Right now, they're not in my insert-chain, but I'll start using them when I get everything hooked up.
-What are your ”first choice” of microphones and preamps when starting a new project?
RE-20 for Kick. Sennheiser 421 for toms and snare. Sometimes 441 or 21. Neumann KMi84 for overheads and ambiance. 421's, 409's and ADK A51s for guitars. 421 for bass. SM57 for talkback The pre amps are Neumann, Tab, BFE and Siemens + Gyraf and Tube-Tech.
-I would like to get the explanation why people suggest us to listening monitor at 85 dB SPL ? I feel it just too loud...
I always mix as low as possible. It's hard when bands are around - they can't hear anything Occasionally I play a song at a moderate or louder volume, but I mix full albums at what you would call "living room volume". This way, I think I get punchier mixes. Loud always sounds great, and it'll trick you into thinking the mix is great when it's actually not. I've always done that, and lately I read that one of my fave mixers, Chris Lord-Alge also mixes at low volumes. Another thing is that 8-hour mixing sessions will burn your ears, if you're mixing too loud.
-What's the most important thing to remember when you are mixing?
Phew! I can't think of one most important thing. A lot of things have great importance when mixing. I think it works best for me to build it up from the rhythm part, which is so important in metal. Drums -> bass -> guitars -> vocals. In that order. I build up and god back to drums - work on them. Then Bass etc etc. It takes time to build a good mix. Remember that it doesn't have to sound "like a record" before you have a final mastering.
-Which record you didn't produce would you have loved to produce, and why?
Oooh. Motley Crue - Motley Crue by Bob Rock. King's X - Dogman by Brendan O'Brien, ELO - Time by Jeff Lynne, Jellyfish - Spilt Milk by JJ Puig. There may be more. Most of them because of their groundbreaking sound and production, but also because they all hold some of the most magic music defining genres. To me, doing these albums means being part of history.
-Which record you produced would you love to re-do, and why?
Haha, there might be many Seriously, I think I've always done the best I could at that very time. So did the bands. There are some that suffered from not so great mixes because there were too many compromises and little freedom for me. These I would love to remix. I wont mention any names.
-We often hear from American industry people how much the industry is changing and the ongoing debates about copyright infringement and piracy, the ubiquity of the internet and the overall decreasing value of music amongst listeners. How have these issues impacted the European music industry generally and your work specifically?
I think there are little differences between the European and the American music business in that respect. We also suffer from everything you list there. Fortunately, there are a lot of people out there believing in music and being real fans, so I think we're barely getting by. The worst thing I see is when (young) bands sit in my studio and ask for internet connection so they can download music, movies and software illegally. It's like shitting where you eat! They are here to record something which they hope will be picked up by a label... But all their peers will just download it and the label is losing money. You follow? I have a principle: I wont download illegally - I do not watch or borrow stolen copies of movies - I wont give my kids cracked games for their Nintendo DS and whatnot. I buy on iTunes or physical CDs. I rent movies. I buy games. I use purchased software on my PC's and MAC. This is not because I'm either stupid or preaching - I'm just thinking that I want to make a decent living in this business, so I might start doing the right thing.
-Has ”preset” killed sound personality?
Preset is a weird thing. I don't use presets, but it does help noobs get closer to what make things sound better. I just think - maybe I'm old - that you need to know some quite important basics before you can record and mix great. Yes, you can learn how to mix good, and use simulators without knowing how to place a mic, but then, why limit yourself? I still think many great mixers/producers has their own way of doing it, even though we all use the same plug-ins.
-What's your take on the "Loudness Wars" in mastering and how they've particularly impacted your genre?
It's not that important. Most bands know that it's not about how loud it is anymore. Everybody complains about how bad e.g. the new Metallica sounds in headphones, so nobody wants their music to suffer from that. I try to get loud without it being ridiculous.
-In what way your experience as a musician interacts with your producer's mind?
I very much use my musicianship in the production. It's nice to know a little bit of theory when working with vocals for example. It's also great to have a good sense of rhythm so that you know what to look for.
Thank you, mr. Hansen!"
