{"id":13582,"date":"2021-06-11T11:38:29","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T09:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pureaudiorecordings.com\/interview-with-giles-martin\/"},"modified":"2021-09-29T10:05:31","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T08:05:31","slug":"interview-with-giles-martin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pureaudiorecordings.com\/en\/interview-with-giles-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Giles Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u201cBlu-ray is the best way to listen to immersive audio.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Giles Martin<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
music producer<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We<\/span> <\/span>gotto speak<\/span> <\/span>with <\/span>the <\/span>British<\/span> <\/span>music producer<\/span>,<\/span> composer<\/span> and
<\/span> <\/span>multi-instrumentalist <\/span>Giles Martin<\/span> about<\/span> his work,<\/span> especially focusing<\/span> on his<\/span> experiences<\/span> <\/span>with<\/span> <\/span>with immersive<\/span> audio<\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Martin is the head of audio and sound at Universal Music Group and has been in charge of delivering new immersive mixes like The Beatles\u2019 \u201cAbbey Road\u201d and The Rolling<\/span> Stones\u2019 <\/span>\u201cGoats Head Soup\u201d.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Due to your family situation, you have certainly been confronted with working in a recording studio at an early stage. Could you give us some insights into your biography, how you found your way to the music?<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Being the son of music production legend George Martin, the now fifty-one-year-old has always had a connection to music and music studios.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cI was aware of recording studios from the age of two or three, because I used to run around \u2013 my father had a studio in Oxford Circus in London called Air<\/span> studios<\/span>and I used to go and visit him there. I remember I much preferred that building to his office, because it had a hot chocolate machine and it was more fun. So, unlike most other kids I was aware of recording studios.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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But <\/span>at first,<\/span> <\/span>it <\/span>did <\/span>not<\/span> seem<\/span>,<\/span> as <\/span>if<\/span> <\/span>Giles\u2019<\/span> career<\/span> was going to<\/span> go into the<\/span>musical<\/span> <\/span>direction<\/span> <\/span> <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>a direction<\/span> <\/span>his <\/span>father didn\u2019t <\/span>want<\/span> <\/span>for<\/span> <\/span>him in the first place<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cI was going to become a car designer, I was good at physics and art. But then I fell in love with music when I was about eleven or twelve, I fell in love with writing and the piano. But my father was very keen on me not to do music for a living. I remember I said to him when I was fourteen: \u201cI want to do music\u201d and he goes: \u201cYou\u2019re just not good enough\u201d and I remember thinking at the time: \u201cI\u2019m gonna show you\u201d.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When George Martin<\/span> started<\/span> losing<\/span> his<\/span> <\/span>hearing<\/span>, <\/span>Giles<\/span> <\/span>remembers<\/span>:<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cI ended up being his ears and I remember listening for him. (\u2026) He wouldn\u2019t tell anyone that he was going deaf, but by the end <\/span>of his life<\/span> he was very deaf. And so, I learned what frequencies were and what compression was and all of those things. I went through a stage of thinking I want to write and compose music and I still do that to some degree, but I suppose genetics and circumstances met for me to end up doing what I\u2019m doing now.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Having a famous father meant for Giles Martin, that he would be watched very closely especially at the beginning of his career in music.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cIt was like having a microscope on me (\u2026) \u2013 you can\u2019t be average. You either couldn\u2019t get a proper job so you did what your dad did, or you\u2019re the second coming and you’re some genius, there\u2019s no middle ground. And you learn to navigate that and you try to tell people that, actually you are average and you\u2019re not one or the other. But I think, without any question, I had huge privilege and <\/span>opportunities<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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As it\u2019s really difficult with the current Covid19 situation, how do you experience this situation within your creative surrounding? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During the first lockdown Martin created a home studio to work in and says he got a lot of great and creative work done, \u201cbecause I was locked in and had no distractions.<\/span>\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But it also made the working process more secluded.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cI miss the collaborative process; I miss the walking into a room and being able to hear something or having people walking into a room and seeing how they react to what I\u2019m doing. (\u2026) You can really tell what something sounds like of what you\u2019re doing by someone\u2019s reaction. And because you don\u2019t have that reaction, you don\u2019t really know. You work in a <\/span>bubble<\/span>and that’s hard.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martin also says, that most of the creative projects, like films, albums and even a Broadway show, have been pushed back to the next year, which resulted in \u201cless creation going on\u201d.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Creation that would usually take place in the famous Beatles\u2019 studio Abbey Roads studios.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Abbey Road studios are a magical place for us. What was it like for you to work in those studios?<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cAs soon as you take it for granted, that you\u2019re in this amazing building where<\/span> some of the most incredible music<\/span> is being made, then you shouldn\u2019t be there. As soon as you think you deserve it, you shouldn\u2019t be there. And so, I <\/span>try and make<\/span>every day fun and<\/span>I try to make every day creative<\/span> . And my father was the same. We\u2019re not saving people\u2019s lives, we\u2019re not putting out fires, we are working in a luxury sector. Music is important to us but it\u2019s not like water or food and so, we should romanticize it and we should enjoy it and we should feel lucky. Hopefully that\u2019s what people who work with me feel as well.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Music listening experience has moved from mono to stereo to multi-channel. At the beginning of the millennial the SA-CD was already a medium that made it possible to experience multi-channel sound but this has not really caught in the market. With the new immersive formats, such as Dolby Atmos, this seems to be different. More and more products are being mixed accordingly and released on Blu-ray. What were your experiences when you started mixing productions in Dolby Atmos? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201c<\/span>\u201cI would go back to 5.1, because I think that 5.1 and Dolby Atmos are very related in processes \u2013 Dolby may disagree though. So, I suppose first real experience with immersive audio was the LOVE show and the LOVE album [The Beatles]. That was the first 5.1 album and actually one of the best we did. That was because I got a chance to build a theatre in Las Vegas which has seven thousand speakers in it. So, I was doing Dolby Atmos before Dolby Atmos did Dolby Atmos. We had a room with speakers in the ceiling, speakers in the chairs and speakers in the stage. (\u2026)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

I then came back to Abbey Road and made a 5.1 album of it and I just thought it was beautiful. It was a beautiful work process; it was beautiful to put someone inside music. (\u2026)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

When Dolby Atmos came along, I was fairly early. I think I did the first album in Dolby Atmos, which was Sgt. Pepper\u2019s, which we did as a theatrical thing and didn’t get released, I did that as an experiment. (\u2026) For me it was an extension of the Love Show, I was doing the same thing. I was creating an immersive sound field.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martin further explains that, when working with new technologies like Dolby Atmos, you have to \u201cbe careful not to become a slave to technology\u201d and not use the technology simply because it\u2019s available, but because it makes sense.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

He also adds that the working process isn\u2019t just with technology, but an interactive process with other people.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cAnd the great thing about my life and the people I work with is, while we all respect each other, we disagree. Bob <\/span>Clearmountain<\/span>, who is a good friend of mine, he likes to mix vocals sometimes right or left and I don\u2019t like that, I like it to be the center of the performance. And neither of us are right, I think he\u2019s one of the best mixers of all time, we just disagree.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martin sees the immersive audio as a way to create hyperreality when mixing \u201cEDM and crazy stuff, but if you got a voice and a guitar, what it\u2019s good for is reflections.\u201d He adds that <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cBlu-ray is the best way to listen to immersive audio.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a9Alex Lake. Giles Martin is as expert for immersive sound and recommends Blu-ray to listen to music.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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You\u2019ve been appointed as head of audio and sound at Universal. Streaming is the most common way to consume music today The quality of today\u2019s studio recordings, including multi-channel options, is hardly accessible to most consumers. The physical media format Blu-ray offers a great alternative for enjoying music at home in the highest quality. How do you see the development between streaming subscription models and purchased old products, also under the aspect of the future financing of music productions? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cI think the first thing I would say is, that<\/span> the consumer<\/span>never had it so<\/span>good<\/span>, because they have options. Us old people sit and complain about the good old days, but the good old days weren\u2019t all that great. Now, on my smart phone I can have all the music in the world and I can hear it and I can enjoy it. And I don\u2019t believe that, despite being a proponent and an expert in audio quality, I don\u2019t believe bad audio quality will destroy your enjoyment of a good song. We listened to AM radio and <\/span>the cassette walkers<\/span> growing up and their sound is worse than the music on my phone. And you can fall in love with a song coming on AM radio.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martin then goes into detail about the future of music production:<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThe music industry has to understand that convenience wins. We can\u2019t change that, convenience for the consumer wins. So, what we have to do is, we have to match that convenience with technology. (\u2026) I think technology will bring the level up as it\u2019s always has done \u2013 as it has done with television, with phones, with everything else \u2013 so I think that Blu-ray will be in a situation where you have to match the output source that you\u2019re listening to. (\u2026) And then as time goes on, that will improve and the products will improve.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

What I\u2019m not keen on doing is telling people \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t listen to this, because it\u2019s bad\u201d because it\u2019s not true. People should listen to how they want to listen to it and they will do it. So, I think to answer your question, I would love \u2013 and I\u2019m passionate about it \u2013 I want people to be able to hear [tollen Sound in Musik][great sound in music] in their home. And I think we\u2019re getting there; I think it\u2019ll just get better. So, I\u2019m interested in people experiencing great sounding music without realizing they\u2019re actually doing it. (\u2026) What we all really want, is everyone to enjoy it.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Music recordings that are conceived immersive from the beginning will certainly influence the future way of recording music. What do you think are the most important points to achieve an optimal result for an immersive audio product? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cIt depends on what the music is. If it\u2019s real, like performance or bands I would say the most important thing is to catch the room. So, you feel as if you could be in the room with the artist. It\u2019s making sure you catch the walls. Catch the performance as good as you can, as always, but make sure you capture the walls. So that would be the rule I would say.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And then, when it comes to EDM and dance music and non-real music, it\u2019s really a question of making sure that the balance and relationship of what you have in your spectral space and your spacial space doesn\u2019t distract you too much.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Beatle\u2019s album Abbey Road is one of your works in the Dolby Atmos format. How did you feel about the process and the result from the original recordings to the immersive sound dimensions in Blu-ray? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jokingly Martin answers: \u201cI mean, obviously I feel good about it, otherwise you wouldn\u2019t be hearing it!\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The he goes into detail of the working process for Abbey Road:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as audio perfection. (\u2026) If you take, for example, \u201cGolden slumbers\u201d of Abbey Road or similar to that \u201cYou never give me your money\u201d, which have orchestra in them, it\u2019s just a mono recording with the orchestra, and they\u2019ve gone through a TG-desk and they\u2019re compressed and they have this little steady, honkey sound to them \u2013 it\u2019s not this big sound, it just sounds big because we fill in the blanks \u2013 as a stereo format that\u2019s great because you get that beautiful sounding record. But it\u2019s not perfect, so when you start pulling it apart for Dolby Atmos, you want to make sure that people don\u2019t hear those imperfections and the experience is still the same. So quiet often, we make things less perfect, than they are, so that the feel of the record is the same.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

perfect, than they are, so that the feel of the record is the same. I\u2019ll give you an example, that I was lucky to learn early on: I mixed \u201cI am the Walrus\u201d for LOVE, which was the first Beatles song I did about fourteen years ago, and I just thought it was great! And I listened to the original and the original sounded horrible, but sounded better \u2013 because it was claustrophobic, it had that feel to it. And that\u2019s the thing, it\u2019s like paintings. Great paintings aren\u2019t necessarily complete facsimile of what the subject matter is and records are the same. And so, I want for a Dolby Atmos mix to be a beautiful veil that wraps around them and they are familiar [with], but at the same time they\u2019re experiencing something different<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing much wrong with Abbey Road to begin with, but I want the Atmos experience to be enveloping. We do a lot of techniques, but the essential DNA of the record is preserved. I want it to be Abbey Road, but more than you remember.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Dolby Atmos mix on Blu-ray is part of the Super Deluce Edition \u201cAbbey Road \u2013 50th Anniversary\u201d which also includes a new stereo mix and two additional CDs with twenty-three unreleased session and<\/span> demo<\/span> recordings \u2013 available here in our shop.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martins immersive mix is Part of the Abbey Road - 50th Anniversary Edition.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The soundtrack \u201cRocketman\u201d as a music film was produced by you and appeared in multi-channel mixes, also in Atmos. How different is the working process for pure studio albums and for music or concert film productions? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cIn a way<\/span>Rocketman<\/span> was more like the Love Show, because I was creating sounds for it. And so, I could do things like, Rocketman the song <\/span>itself<\/span>was this big production number where Taron, who plays Elton, commits suicide in a swimming pool and he gets his stomach pumped and gets up on stage and then he shoots up into a plane. I used two full orchestras on that. So, I\u2019m creating a sound field which I know I can put into immersive space opposed to being given \u2013 the difference is like when cooking being given the ingredients to make something or finding the ingredients yourself. (\u2026) When he dove into the water, I was trying to get that effect of when your ears click, because I knew in the space people would notice. And I put some whale sounds on there as well and you can just go crazy.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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While on the one hand Martin had more freedom to experiment with sound, he also had<\/span> more responsibility for<\/span> Rocketman.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cIt\u2019s more challenging because with <\/span>Rocketman<\/span> I\u2019m completely responsible for everything that happens, but at the same time it gives me a palate to work with. And I said to Dexter, the director: \u201cListen, just let me do stuff and the fun thing about music is that I\u2019ll get it all wrong and then I\u2019ll get it all right!\u201d\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The movie Rocketman with Martin’s soundtrack is available on Blu-ray here in our shop!<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martin is responsible for the soundtrack to Rocketman.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The current Rolling Stones release Goats Head Soup also went through your mixing desk. What are the differences and difficulties in bringing recordings of artist like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones into a new immersive listening experience? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cEvery one of them is different, every album is different and every song is different. (\u2026) For The Rolling Stones (\u2026) someone had done some mixing for the album and Mick came in and, in my role as head of audio at Universal, we listened to it together. And it was very clean, it was very precise and he goes: \u201cThat\u2019s not very Rock’n’roll is it?\u201d That was because he made it too wide, when you make it too wide you lose the punch and The Rolling Stones, especially this album, kind of needs to hit you in the face. (\u2026)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Stones album is interesting, because it wasn\u2019t recorded at any stage in its life to be a high-definition audio experience. It\u2019s a band playing in Jamaica, drinking a lot, the microphone is all over the place, just a challenge! So, the original album, when you listen to it, it sounds cool but it\u2019s really Lo-Fi. (\u2026)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s Rock\u2019n\u2019roll, the frequency responses are huge even when it\u2019s compressed and so, the challenge is to keep that aggression, but (\u2026) make it immersive. Obviously, there\u2019s certain songs which suit that and then there\u2019s songs like \u201cStar star\u201d where you go: \u201cThat\u2019s just a Rock\u2019n\u2019roll song!\u201d In that case I want to feel as if the band is performing in a room with me, I want to get as close as I can get to that.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The new immersive mix on Blu-ray<\/span>as well as alternative mixes,<\/span> rare recordings, three unreleased tracks, a live video of the album<\/span>\u201cThe<\/span>Brussels<\/span>Affair<\/span>\u201d and a photo- and<\/span> storybook<\/span>make up the Limited Super Deluxe Editionof Goats Head Soup \u2013 also available here in our shop.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Martin's immersive mix is part of the Super Deluxe Edition of Goats Head Soup.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How long does it take from the listening sessions to the final master? What is the process during these remixes in terms of time? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cIt depends on the song; we\u2019ll generally do a song a day in stereo. When it\u2019s like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles or other legacy artists, you need to make sure that you\u2019re not making the record worse. (\u2026) It takes about a day to do the stereo and then less time to do the Atmos and 5.1. And then I spend ages revising stuff, because I\u2019m a pain. I\u2019m very laid back as person, but in front of the speakers \u2013 some days the people I work with set things up and then I go and change everything.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Sam Okell, who worked with me on The Beatles\u2019 stuff and who is a great engineer, he always goes: \u201cI knew you\u2019d notice that!\u201d And that\u2019s part of the process and that\u2019s going back to your first question: That\u2019s what you miss in lockdown, you miss the collaboration.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Finally, we\u2019d like to ask you, what you think how music recordings will look like in the future in a world that is going to be more and more digital interactive? <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cI\u2019m concerned about people going over the top. There was an engineer at Abbey Road that had eighteen mics on a harp. I don\u2019t believe in that, it\u2019s not in my DNA. I\u2019d put a microphone in front of a harp or maybe a stereo pair of microphones in front of a harp. I tease Sam, who did Rocketman with me, about having microphones too many and I keep unplugging them. Because I don\u2019t want to have all those options, it doesn\u2019t make things sound better. Directness is always good, that\u2019s what we need. If everything sounds disperse you have nothing to hold onto. That\u2019s not how we listen in real life. (\u2026)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s improved is playback and speakers and multi-channel, but the recording process actually hasn\u2019t gotten that much better since 1966. And the other thing, that can actually ruin everything, is, you can have a great singer sing into a shure sm58 and sound better than a bad singer sing into a Neumann 48 \u2013 that\u2019s a fact. A great selling band is ultimately a great selling band. (\u2026)<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Us nerds, we can argue about compressors, microphones and everything else, it\u2019s really the artist who makes a good song good.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t