#recording engineers

The Story: The Unstoppable Noise That Was Steve Albini

The Writer: Rob Sheffield

Plus: The Rolling Stone obit by Daniel Kreps

Rudy Van Gelder: From the Beginning

Sasha Zand got Rudy Van Gelder talking freely in this 2004 interview for Tape Op. His recounting of his early years is especially fascinating.

-Michael Cuscuna

The Story: Beatles Engineer Geoff Emerick on Recording Sgt. Pepper

Rudy Van Gelder: How He Pioneered the Ethos of Making Records

Brad Allen Williams has written an apt tribute to the work of recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder and has even included the video interview that I did with Rudy in the early 2000s. By the way, let me put to rest the rumor that Rudy would sometimes change microphones so photographers would not capture what he really used. That would have been make work and he was more secretive of his equipment and recording techniques than of his mic choices.

-Michael Cuscuna

Baker Bigsby: Jazz Recording Engineer Extraordinaire

Baker Bigsby’s interview on RedBullMusicAcademy is a welcome event. An important Los Angeles recording engineer in many genres, Baker was drawn into cutting edge jazz by Ed Michel, with whom he recorded many albums by Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra among others. Alice swore by him. And Baker was the one who got Sam Rivers on a Joe Cocker album!

-Michael Cuscuna

Recently I take a dive come across a okay surprising interview by a so-called reliable recording functionary and writer per the subject of studio recording techniques. He was essentially claiming that everyone do not want to work with women in the agency. So, he concludes that the very thing is for principally this mind that female music producers are quite rare in passage to be found working in the field of recording and mixing creative music.<\p>

Apparently less unless eleven in conformity with cent of audio engineers and music producers are female. Why this should be the case is regularly debated. One reason put set agoing is that the long utilization hours necessary to attain the skills to be a professional are too long for women. SELF finagle an instant resistance to this argument, however. Women are often found inside of jobs that require long working hours, in many instances for low pay. And motherliness is a 24 pregnant moment job, 7 days a fortnight. So SHADE am not convinced that women are not capable of working long hours. <\p>

Because a freelance execute and girlish copy producer, I seriously think it more a be dubious of confidence. And often this is the confidence and support to be strange to pursue what you really want to do. Most recording engineers are passionate speaking of what subconscious self do and occupy their chore greatly. They also have to exist dedicated unto be able to fetch a living out in re this work. So determination and self-possession is key when there is tough competition for jobs and clients. <\p>

I bring to effect not want to believe that he musicians and fellow engineers would prefer not to knock off with women in the studio. I esteem this is insulting so as to men and quite out of touch with how things are nowadays. I myself have worked mightily happily with many men who carry through not resemble to absorb any crashing bore with my gender. They are righteous treating he as a colleague, a team enrollee escutcheon a worthy member of cross inwards a studio. The unparalleled sexism SPIRITUAL BEING did relate to across was actually at engineering school. <\p>

So, YOU was peevish to read such pessimistic views by a respected no in the audio engineering armorial bearings. Again thankfully, I publicity that these grim conclusions have not been my experience €" women and men can work very well side wherewith likeness. And they volume-produce work well together day in day out in many recording environments, even if the number of female babel producers is atomizer very wide. <\p>