Post by sunsetdriver on Jan 13, 2006 23:24:58 GMT 1
Bruce Swedien interviewed by Marc Salama
Los Angeles, Sept 25, 1990
Q15 : What about your drum sounds? (01: 16: 35 )
I record a lot of my own drum sounds mainly kick and snare and i'm sort of a frustrated drummer. I use to play drums and so I know how to make the drum sounds, initially I can't play in time or anything but with modern technology we don't have to. so here in my little studio at home i'll bring in a dozen of drums and spend a day or two recording them on digital tape and I then transfer them digitally into my drum machine and i'm very very careful with these sounds. They're...they're recorded the way I want them to sound and I try to make them fit in the music. (01: 17: 50 ) and I did play several of the drum sounds on quincy's record and er...kick and snare.
I can't remember exactly each song but er...I do an awful lot of that and I absolutely love it. And I don't believe in stealing other people's sounds, not for any reason that I don't want to sound like other people and because I know they steal my sounds and i'm happy and flattered that I hear my drum sounds on everybodies elses, not everybody but a lot of other people's records but er...
(01: 18: 05 ) For instance the drum sounds on "man in a mirror" on Michael's "bad" album is me playing a snare drum and I repitched it once I tuned it up, recorded it digitally and on top of that I put the sound of a great big pair of plywood squares being babted together and mixed those two and that what makes the snare drum sound in "a man in a mirror" and then the kick drum in "a man in a mirror" is a big noble and cooly kick drum that I recorded and put in my sampler and then played it as part of the tracks. (01: 18: 40 ) So that worked out really well and to me that shows where digital technology is a definite tool and we really make good use of that. I still use analogue of course a lot in my work. I have a 16 track 2 inch machine that I use for recording drums and percussion because I love the sound of it. it's just fantastic and one of the things to me, i've always tried to listen to this little voice right here!
(01: 19: 28 ) Quincy calls it my belly button and that little voice which says: "don't record that on digital, it isn't going to sound right" and so...as a result I haven't been able to give up my analogue machines, I still use analogue recording 16 track, I use it for drums and percussion and 24 track, I do a lot of vocal recording and orchestral recording on 24 track. Then what I do is transfer that analogue recording to digital and from that point on, then manipulating the sound and the music is easy and wonderful. And what digital does, well at that point of this process is so dramatic and so wonderful is that there's really nothing to talk about, nothing to discuss on that stand point.
But a lot of times digital recording on the human voice for instance I really don't like what it does. (01: 20: 24 ) I almost never record voice direct to digital, it has a..i don't know if it's the artifacts that are acquired during the process, but it doesn't sound right to me. So I have learned, and i'll tell you something, this is something i've learned from quincy: trust my instincts! Listen to that little voice and don't use, don't cerebralise the music too much. Because it has to communicate, if music and the sonic field that we create or that I create in pop music, if it doesn't communicate, if it doesn't say something to you what good is it? (01: 21: 21 ) You know, we don't make this music for scientists. They don't buy records!
Q18 : (01: 23: 08 ) Could you describe a typical session with Michael Jackson?
Well, a lot of times on the songs I produced with michael, for instance, er...it's wonderful, we'll decide on a piece of music to do and then I kind of get to work on it on my own a little bit and then give michael a tape once I get a rhythm track down and he'll say it's great but let's do this.....then i'll go back and work on it some more. so it's kind of an in and out type of thing. Michael is so professional, so wonderful to work with and doing vocals with michael is an absolute joy. he's got ears for days and the pitch and everything. Michael is polite and kind. You know, he'll say: "can I hear a little more piano in the earphones please". And he'll say thank you. this is an industry where you don't hear those words a whole lot. (01: 24: 20 ) So for that reason I totally respect michael and the musical integrity is so...well we usually listen to a composition and a demo and we'll listen and decide whether or not we want to record it. so from then on i'll get musicians in and we'll do an arrangment and record it. Then we'll try michael's voice on it or try the structure to see how it feels and everything and then once we get passed that initial bare bones stage, once we get the overall structure right and it fits michael's voice, then we start sweetening and overdubbing and finishing it. (01: 25: 08 ) So there is a stage in there where we are still experimenting to get the right structure and the right feel so that this music with what Michael will do with it.
Q19 : Can you tell us more about how Michael works and how he relates to the people working with him?
I've never ran into anybody that works with michael and doesn't regard it as a pleasant experience, it's just great. He's really easy to deal with in the studio because
(01: 26: 05 ) When we record vocals, there's seldom more than four takes or five on the lead vocal. then we'll sit there and make a couple of punches but it's nothing. And another thing i've learned with recording michael is i'll set up the vocal mike and i'll have michael perform singing on my drum platform which is an eight foot square plywood unpainted platform about eight inches off the floor, and then michael is on that. He'll sing and one reason is that he dances when he sings and I love to have that as part of the sound because first of all his time and his rhythm is impeccable and even (01: 26: 50 ) when I do backgrounds, michael does little vocal sounds and snaps his fingers and taps his foot. I keep a (?) of that as part of the recording.
One time I even made, for one of my seminars, I made a special mix of the background vocals on "the way you make me feel", took all the band out so that my class could hear all the sounds in there, and how they work in the overall picture because when you put the rhythm section in there, you can barely hear them, but they are really there, they're an important part I think. (01: 27: 38 ) I would hate to record him and take what I call the clinical approach and try to have it antiseptically clean or something. I think it would loose a lot of its charm.
Working with quincy myself and michael has really been a wonderful experience because not only do we work together well, but we're really friends and it's a three men team and our votes count equally. That's the way it works, it's easy, it's wonderful and we've had such a good time doing "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". Quincy has just formed a Quincy Jones entertainment corporation so he's off doing TV. and movies, and producing and directing. Doing things that he's wanted to do for years. Quincy is not working on michael's new album.
I'm producing three songs and coproducing a couple with Michael.
Quincy is very happy. I just spoke to him yesterday and he sounds great, he's having the time of his lifz and happy as a pig in the mud. so i'm doing a little different too...I'm producing and doing things in areas that i've always wanted to be involved in. Building my beautiful studio here at home just for my projects. (01: 30: 29 ) I won't be doing everything here because my home is a sanctuary and I don't want to bring all my work here, but a certain amount I want to be able to do here, really looking forward to it.
source: absy.com
(click to read the whole interview)
click here to see Swedien in his studio.
Enrico
Los Angeles, Sept 25, 1990
Q15 : What about your drum sounds? (01: 16: 35 )
I record a lot of my own drum sounds mainly kick and snare and i'm sort of a frustrated drummer. I use to play drums and so I know how to make the drum sounds, initially I can't play in time or anything but with modern technology we don't have to. so here in my little studio at home i'll bring in a dozen of drums and spend a day or two recording them on digital tape and I then transfer them digitally into my drum machine and i'm very very careful with these sounds. They're...they're recorded the way I want them to sound and I try to make them fit in the music. (01: 17: 50 ) and I did play several of the drum sounds on quincy's record and er...kick and snare.
I can't remember exactly each song but er...I do an awful lot of that and I absolutely love it. And I don't believe in stealing other people's sounds, not for any reason that I don't want to sound like other people and because I know they steal my sounds and i'm happy and flattered that I hear my drum sounds on everybodies elses, not everybody but a lot of other people's records but er...
(01: 18: 05 ) For instance the drum sounds on "man in a mirror" on Michael's "bad" album is me playing a snare drum and I repitched it once I tuned it up, recorded it digitally and on top of that I put the sound of a great big pair of plywood squares being babted together and mixed those two and that what makes the snare drum sound in "a man in a mirror" and then the kick drum in "a man in a mirror" is a big noble and cooly kick drum that I recorded and put in my sampler and then played it as part of the tracks. (01: 18: 40 ) So that worked out really well and to me that shows where digital technology is a definite tool and we really make good use of that. I still use analogue of course a lot in my work. I have a 16 track 2 inch machine that I use for recording drums and percussion because I love the sound of it. it's just fantastic and one of the things to me, i've always tried to listen to this little voice right here!
(01: 19: 28 ) Quincy calls it my belly button and that little voice which says: "don't record that on digital, it isn't going to sound right" and so...as a result I haven't been able to give up my analogue machines, I still use analogue recording 16 track, I use it for drums and percussion and 24 track, I do a lot of vocal recording and orchestral recording on 24 track. Then what I do is transfer that analogue recording to digital and from that point on, then manipulating the sound and the music is easy and wonderful. And what digital does, well at that point of this process is so dramatic and so wonderful is that there's really nothing to talk about, nothing to discuss on that stand point.
But a lot of times digital recording on the human voice for instance I really don't like what it does. (01: 20: 24 ) I almost never record voice direct to digital, it has a..i don't know if it's the artifacts that are acquired during the process, but it doesn't sound right to me. So I have learned, and i'll tell you something, this is something i've learned from quincy: trust my instincts! Listen to that little voice and don't use, don't cerebralise the music too much. Because it has to communicate, if music and the sonic field that we create or that I create in pop music, if it doesn't communicate, if it doesn't say something to you what good is it? (01: 21: 21 ) You know, we don't make this music for scientists. They don't buy records!
Q18 : (01: 23: 08 ) Could you describe a typical session with Michael Jackson?
Well, a lot of times on the songs I produced with michael, for instance, er...it's wonderful, we'll decide on a piece of music to do and then I kind of get to work on it on my own a little bit and then give michael a tape once I get a rhythm track down and he'll say it's great but let's do this.....then i'll go back and work on it some more. so it's kind of an in and out type of thing. Michael is so professional, so wonderful to work with and doing vocals with michael is an absolute joy. he's got ears for days and the pitch and everything. Michael is polite and kind. You know, he'll say: "can I hear a little more piano in the earphones please". And he'll say thank you. this is an industry where you don't hear those words a whole lot. (01: 24: 20 ) So for that reason I totally respect michael and the musical integrity is so...well we usually listen to a composition and a demo and we'll listen and decide whether or not we want to record it. so from then on i'll get musicians in and we'll do an arrangment and record it. Then we'll try michael's voice on it or try the structure to see how it feels and everything and then once we get passed that initial bare bones stage, once we get the overall structure right and it fits michael's voice, then we start sweetening and overdubbing and finishing it. (01: 25: 08 ) So there is a stage in there where we are still experimenting to get the right structure and the right feel so that this music with what Michael will do with it.
Q19 : Can you tell us more about how Michael works and how he relates to the people working with him?
I've never ran into anybody that works with michael and doesn't regard it as a pleasant experience, it's just great. He's really easy to deal with in the studio because
(01: 26: 05 ) When we record vocals, there's seldom more than four takes or five on the lead vocal. then we'll sit there and make a couple of punches but it's nothing. And another thing i've learned with recording michael is i'll set up the vocal mike and i'll have michael perform singing on my drum platform which is an eight foot square plywood unpainted platform about eight inches off the floor, and then michael is on that. He'll sing and one reason is that he dances when he sings and I love to have that as part of the sound because first of all his time and his rhythm is impeccable and even (01: 26: 50 ) when I do backgrounds, michael does little vocal sounds and snaps his fingers and taps his foot. I keep a (?) of that as part of the recording.
One time I even made, for one of my seminars, I made a special mix of the background vocals on "the way you make me feel", took all the band out so that my class could hear all the sounds in there, and how they work in the overall picture because when you put the rhythm section in there, you can barely hear them, but they are really there, they're an important part I think. (01: 27: 38 ) I would hate to record him and take what I call the clinical approach and try to have it antiseptically clean or something. I think it would loose a lot of its charm.
Working with quincy myself and michael has really been a wonderful experience because not only do we work together well, but we're really friends and it's a three men team and our votes count equally. That's the way it works, it's easy, it's wonderful and we've had such a good time doing "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". Quincy has just formed a Quincy Jones entertainment corporation so he's off doing TV. and movies, and producing and directing. Doing things that he's wanted to do for years. Quincy is not working on michael's new album.
I'm producing three songs and coproducing a couple with Michael.
Quincy is very happy. I just spoke to him yesterday and he sounds great, he's having the time of his lifz and happy as a pig in the mud. so i'm doing a little different too...I'm producing and doing things in areas that i've always wanted to be involved in. Building my beautiful studio here at home just for my projects. (01: 30: 29 ) I won't be doing everything here because my home is a sanctuary and I don't want to bring all my work here, but a certain amount I want to be able to do here, really looking forward to it.
source: absy.com
(click to read the whole interview)
click here to see Swedien in his studio.
Enrico
