Meet Michael Brauer

A few days ago I was introduced to the personal website for Michael Brauer.  I’m a big fan of his mixes – maybe you’ve heard a few:  Coldplay “Viva La Vida” & “Parachutes”, John Mayer “Continuum”, The Fray, Gavin Degraw, Ben Folds, & Matt Kearney.  It’s always especially interesting to find a well developed personal website for an engineer who’s work I enjoy.  Michael’s site has a rich Q&A/FAQ section and reprints of various articles featuring his work.  Definitely some good reads here.

Below are a few highlights of things in the Q&A section that struck a chord with me.

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Could you speak to the issue of how you achieve movement in a mix (or your philosophy about movement in a mix)? I read in one of your other posts of how you rode a pad in one of the Coldplay mixes. Do you generally ride all instruments/sources…or are there some sources that remain rather static and others source that your regularly “move”? If you can’t give a general opinion, perhaps you can comment on your philosophy in mixing with movement in mind. With the large amout of dynamics processing that today’s mixes go through, how important is movement in a mix when the song is going to get pulverized to 5 – 6 dB of dynamic range anyway?

The song will dictate everything that needs to happen. Not gear, not technique, not the “go to” button. It’s about the song and nothing but the song.

Dynamics are going to play a major role in giving the chorus the payoff it needs. I’m not necessarily referring to riding the stereo track up. I mean internal rides going into the chorus like riding the drums up on the last bar or riding up the first chord of the guitars. These are just tiny basic examples to get you started.

I’m riding a whole lotta faders during the course of a mix. I’m riding the vocal to drive the song, riding the bass, toms, cymbals…well pretty much anything that helps make the song come alive. I’m making the mix as animated as possible to get the message of the song across to the listener. Imagine you’re watching an action cartoon and that will be a good starting point for how dynamics work.

Of course, not all songs are going ballistic. I probably do more rides on a ballad than I might on a rocker. It’s the accumulation of many subtle rides that add up to an emotional mix. You can probably set a good level of a compressed string section in a chorus and just let it rip. I prefer to do internal rides within those strings and overall small crescendos of the group to accentuate the passage. I may very well compress them, but that may not be enough to do the section justice. The point is to add movement to the song in order to make it seem to come alive. You’ve got to ask yourself one question, “Do I feel lucky?, Well do ya punk?”…oops sorry, I mean, What rides can help a great hook?…punk.

There are no set rules for what stays static or doesn’t because every song is different, the recording is different, the parts are different, basically, everything is different. The point is to use dynamics to bring out the best a song has to offer. What can be done to make the story and the hook of a song burn into your brain forever.

Rides are an essential part of mixing a song to its full potential regardless of the amount of compression the mix is going to get hit with by the time it goes to radio. An emotional mix will help the song survive the squash. It’s all about the song. Repeat after me, it’s all about the song.

In your opinion, what do you think gives a snare drum stroke the ultimate catchy sound in a mix?

Thats a tough one to answer because there are so many variables.

For me every song is different. I decide early on how the snare should be placed and how important it is to a song. If the recorded snare doesn’t sound good in the the track I add one or a combination of samples to get the sound I’m looking for. I rarely replace the source kick or snare.

I like the snare to give the song’s midrange a brightness without interfering with the vocal. How bombastic, fat, funky, snappy, etc is determined by the style of music I’m mixing. If it’s funk, I’m not gonna give it a rock feel…unless it works. It’s always a work in progress.

The snare has over the years defined in what time period the song was released. Some snare sounds had a very short shelf life and dates a song so terribly that it’s hard to listen to. I decided many years ago to come up with snare sounds that would withstand the test of time. Many times, it’s the snare that gives the song it’s unique hit quality. Within my discography, Coldplay’s “Yellow” is probably a good example.

In general, i’m changing my snare sound every six months. As soon as I find one that is catchy, I drop it because I don’t want two different artists to share the same sound. It’s an easy temptation to just repeat the same snare sound but I think that’s lazy and eventually people would get bored by it, not to mention it gives every artist the same generic sound. That’s not the reason why artists want me mixing their record. It’s harder to accomplish but so what, it’s not as if I’ve got anything else to do.

Do you like the artist being present at the mixing session?

Hello? I’m not the artist, I’m just the mixer. It’s their vision, not mine that I want to mix. If the vision is unclear on a particular song, I can help.

The band has spent months making their record. They’ve been part of every decision, change, fight, and they’ve finally gotten their vision recorded and documented. The rough mixes are feeling great. And now for the most important part of the recording process, they aren’t allowed at the mix? Wrong, I’m not interested in mixing an album for myself. I want to know about each song including the story, the vision, the likes and dislikes of the rough mix, tracks that should be left off or changed, etc. For a new band it’s even more crucial because I want to help set up a sonic template that is unique to them that also sets them apart from other bands.

I make it very clear to the record company that if the band’s visionary or someone they completely trust to represent them isn’t at the mix, I’m not interested in mixing the record. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Sometimes the reasoning behind a record company’s request of “no artist attendance” may be valid, but most of the time I don’t buy it. I get the “they don’t know what they want”, “They’re too young to have a clue about the mixing process”, “they are such a pain in the ass that they’ll screw up the mixes”, “we don’t have the budget” and “they’re on tour.” In my mind, these reasons don’t qualify for them being excluded from the mix.

If the band agrees the producer or A&R has a better idea what is best for the band, then they should attend the session. If it’s a money issue, I can set up live Ednet sessions. The artist can be at a studio in London or LA and listen back to the mix in real time using the same speakers I’m monitoring. They can make comments via a talkback and they have visual via ichat . It works like a charm. I would prefer them to be in the same room, but this is a great alternative. And finally, I’m from NYC, nobody is going to want to be a pain in the ass for very long on my session.

It comes down to this: it’s their record, not mine. I have years of experience at their disposal. I have a short time to make their songs come to life and they have a lifetime to live with it.

Grammy FOH Production

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was a tad bit disappointed with the broadcast mix for the Grammy’s this year. However, here’s an interesting video interview with the FOH guys. Enjoy!

You can find more about the Grammy’s here at Mixonline’s Grammy Site.

Super Bowl Profile from ATK

In honor of the Super Bowl, here’s a really cool profile on the 2007 event from the PA vendor, ATK Audiotek.  If you’re like me, it’s an interesting read.

Places to go

I am an audio geek.  There, I said it.  With this in mind, there are several cool online resources to stay up on what’s happening and learn new things.  The first few are Digidesign specific…the others not so much.

First, and most importantly, the Digidesign User Conference is invaluable and was a factor in our decision to partner with Digi.  I’m so glad the Venue has a vibrant user community.  This is a daily check-in and read.

The next one might be new to some, old to others.  Regardless…there’s a great resource of tips and tricks for the Venue platform that’s published by Digidesign on their site.  Topics such as the events list, tap tempo, managing multitrack recordings, gain guess, etc.  Really good stuff.  If you want to receive these tips as a part of the live sound newsletter that’s normally published once a month by Digidesign, go to their site and sign up.  There’s far more usable content than sales babble so you won’t be disappointed.

Another really great resource is the archived Webinars that Robert Scovill has been conducting the past 8 months.  Each one lasts about an hour and includes a 45 minute presentation and 15 minutes of q&a.  Topics include introduction to Venue, Virtual Soundcheck, Plug-Ins, Snapshots, PQ/Aviom Integration, D-Show vs. D-Show Profile, etc.  A new webinar normally happens on the last Wednesday of every month.  Check it out here.  While these webinars definitely focus on Digidesign hardware, many of them also include just general good practice stuff from Scovi that would be beneficial to users of other platforms.

Outside of Digidesign, the best overall live audio forum I’ve ever found is the Live Audio Board over at ProSoundWeb.com.  There is another board there for Church sound but I don’t find that one very inspiring.  But the LAB has a huge list of contributors and is normally a pretty good read.

A new one to me that I think is flying way below the radar is a forum set up at Rat Sound’s website.  If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m a pretty big fan of Dave Rat.  The forum on their site is full of some really great content and, if you’re like me, you’ll be sucked in till you lose track of time the first few times you visit.  Places to specifically check out are the Doing the Gig, Sound Questions, and Sound Business.  Archives go all the way back to 2004 so you can keep yourself busy here for a while!

Some adds to the blogroll…

I’ve made a bunch of adds to my blogroll as I continue to try to collect the really quality, useful links for church audio ministry. Along the way, I need to stop and point you to a recent addition that is well worth the read!

Dave, audio leader at North Point in Alpharetta, GA has been blogging for several years now and from his ministry philosophy to approach to service volume, I’ve found my long lost twin!!!

Check it out…http://www.diveproductions.com/goingto11/

If you wonder what I’m reading and digesting over the next few days/weeks until I get through it all, now you know. For the benefit of KCC’s audio guys, I’ll probably re-post a few of the gems that I intend to implement or want to remember.

Audio in the Big Leagues!

Plugging In the 49th Grammy Awards
Written by Jerry Cobb (from FOHonline.com)

I’m standing at front of house inside L.A.’s Staples Center the night before the 49th Grammys broadcast. I’m surrounded by some of pro audio’s biggest heavyweights, and the mood is best described as “watchfully relaxed.” After six grueling days of install and rehearsals, the crew is ready to wrap and get ready for show day.

But first, we’re all in for a treat: The Police are about to re-form before our eyes and ears. Some thumps from the bass, the stage lights come up and Sting greets us with a cheeky “We’re back,” and the ‘80s icons launch into “Roxanne.” Ron Reaves is at the main desk, with Sting’s sound guy by his side. Reaves seems to be giving the band a little time to settle into a groove before sliding anything. Then the magic happens, and the sound blooms in the cavernous hall. Which, strangely, is not empty of spectators. About 100 radio contest winners, hardcore Police fans all, take up a small row of bleacher seats on the west slope of the arena. The band must have wanted an audience; previous Grammy performers, such as Madonna last year, demand the set be completely cleared of non-essential personnel for these rehearsals. By the second run-through of the song, Reaves has the audio dialed in beautifully, but the band will have to run through it four times for the camera crew and stage director. Smiles all around. Everything works. But getting to this point was anything but easy.

“Music’s Biggest Night” is also audio’s biggest install. And that’s the word from the guys who pretty much do all the big shows: MTV’s VMAs, the Oscars, the half time show at the Super Bowl. Of all of these, the Grammys have the most musical acts, the most microphones, the fastest pacing. You name it; this is a pretty labor-intensive production. Keep in mind that the Grammys are really two shows in one three-and-a-half-hour package: there’s the live gig inside Staples Center being mixed for the industry’s movers and shakers in the house and the separately mixed audio for the live broadcast. And it’s not really just one night. The P.A. and set install, which transforms L.A.’s famous basketball palace into music’s showplace, took from February 5-7 followed by three days of rehearsals and run-throughs.

Although much of the audio gear brought in by ATK/Audiotek is essentially the same as last year’s, and the XM/Effanel trucks and personnel are back at their state-of-the-art-stations, some aspects of the show get more complicated. “The bandwidth problem, for one,” says monitor mixer David Velte from his perch high above stage right. “With the Feds selling off radio frequencies as fast as they can and more HDTV stations coming on board, available frequency bands for us to use are becoming harder to find. They’re filling up all the holes we used to use.” With the trend toward personal monitoring systems and wireless mics, this can spell trouble. “Rehearsals are one thing. We have some control of the venue. But on show day, ENG’s can suddenly switch on without warning,” explains Velte, referring to the electronic news gathering circus that sprouts up around Staples for the big day, not to mention in-house security and private bodyguards who can compete for radio space. “The wireless thing is out of control.” So what’s a struggling RF professional to do? “This year we’re limiting wireless to the essentials. See my body pack? My Shure PSM 600 is hard wired into the floor because I don’t move around much when I’m doing monitors. We’re doing the same with drummers, keyboardists, pedal steel players; anyone who doesn’t require mobility gets wired. Every day it becomes harder to get wireless gear to work.” Indeed, RF problems arose during the telecast, perhaps most noticeably when James Blunt’s wireless mic failed near the end of “You’re Beautiful.”

“I was five feet from Blunt when he did his song,” said a seasoned observer in the audience.” There were actually three occasions during the song that the mic cut out. I had been present for the Blunt rehearsal, and it was flawless. Gnarls Barkley sang at the same stage for half the song; he did not have a glitch.” A small event in the course of a three-and-a-half-hour show, perhaps, but a testament to the technical challenges that can crop up unexpectedly.

Out on the floor where the show is constructed and plugged in to 1000 inputs, nothing about the Grammys is simple. Michael Abbott is the guy in charge of everything audio. His official title of audio coordinator tells little of his ever-growing responsibilities.

“All the advanced planning done is based on the info provided to me starting a month in advance by the Grammy producers Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette. During this period leading up to the show, there are significant changes/variables in the spec and layout of the broadcast right up to going live on Feb. 11 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time,” states the 21 year Grammy veteran.

“I am responsible, in the four days leading up to the live broadcast, for passing on the vision of the producers from the weeks in advance and the 40-plus pages of wire schedules and band audio I/O lists and hardware specifications of the project to the 40- plus Grammy audio engineers, the 30 onsite manufacturer tech and reps and the 45 IATSE Local 33 stagehands involved with the project.”

Examples of these variables are as follows:

“The number of musicians and instruments in each orchestral segment,” says Abbott, just getting started. “Will the performances require a recording session for string parts to be doubled? Do I have enough equipment onsite for changes when an artist decides to go live days before the show, or adds an orchestra and then cancels onsite? I have a deadline for equipment being shipped from manufacturers that’s a week prior to the show being installed at Staples, and lots of changes occur in that amount of time,” he finishes.

During last year’s Grammys, the first rehearsal with an artist transpired like this: Two–three weeks in advance, Abbott speaks with this artist’s management and engineers, and confirms that the artist will perform live with a band. The rehearsal day arrives, and band shows up and says they are playing to track. The A2s un-wire the band carts that they set up the day before, and 20 minutes later the band decides to play live. Which in turn means that Abbott has re-wire the band.

“Seems like a small issue,” says Abbott, “But multiply that example of ‘oh, by the way’ times 14–18 performances, and you have a lot of variables. The per hour labor overtime cost for a project the size of the Grammy’s can be in the six-figure region. You can see there is little room for a scheduling error with pop-up requests like this.”

Especially when its complicated enough just getting things working normally. In the days before the show the Grammy Pro Tools Engineer is kept busy constantly updating and conforming Pro Tools sessions brought to the show by the artists. Pro Tools has become a part of the show that is just as important and integral as the seven-foot Steinway piano that John Legend played during his performance. After these broadcast-quality .wav files are ingested into the Grammy Pro Tools platform they then need to be configured for the playback during the rehearsals and actual live broadcast. The tracks for performances are also routinely synched to video playbacks throughout the show. These “lock to video playbacks” require finding the pre-roll timecode location and determining various timecode offsets between the various playback devices in order to cue the playbacks at the right moment.

“This year our engineers had to perform what is usually an audio post-production procedure by re-striping one of the PT sessions,” says Abbott. “It had to be played back during the broadcast as a timecode source to trigger a video playback; the PT session provided by the band was found to have low level timecode on the master session. Our engineers had to re-stripe the session on site so the artist could use their video in their performance.”

And Pro Tools isn’t the only thing prepped off-site.

“This year, again, there were three performances where the PM1D monitor consoles were programmed remotely by the band engineers,” explains Abbott. “The files were brought to the venue and ingested into the Grammy consoles for the artists’ rehearsals at Staples. This seems like an easy transfer, but it requires the artist to give us the info of their complete audio specifications in advance, then we need to integrate that into the Grammy audio config to patch into the split system, and give it to the Grammy foldback engineer assigned to that artist’s specific stage, then program a template that is sent via e-mail to the band foldback engineer, who may or may not be familiar with the operation of a PM1D.”

Not to mention the fact that the artist’s engineer also has the luxury of a completely different focus than the Grammy staff.

“The artist engineer is not concerned with the busses of redundancy we program into the mixes at all mix platforms, the additional audio I/O config of many sources and mix destinations required between 12 consoles and the multiple crossfeeds and patches that are involved for a live TV broadcast,” says Abbott. They don’t need to be. That’s because Abbott and his staff will program and sequence each scene, and there’s a lot more involved than a single application for one artist out on tour. All the programming demands a fair amount of coordination and involvement from the entire Grammy audio team.

Luckily, artists and their production companies are very aware of the exposure a Grammy broadcast provides. “They want to maximize what is going to be their Grammy moment,” says Abbott, but it takes a lot of contingency planning in order to accommodate all these changes.

“What I try to do every year as audio coordinator,” says Abbott, “is marshal the audio team so that the Grammy engineers can say ‘the gig is the same as last year.’ The Grammy Awards audio is to outsiders a ‘smooth operation,’ but to the staff it is controlled chaos for five 12-16 hour days.”

And Abbott is quick to give kudos to his staff.

“Given the seemingly insurmountable obstacles we encounter throughout the week onsite, you have to give credit to the team of engineers that come to this event with positive attitudes and a work ethic that you don’t find every day.”