TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
This is an email interview conducted with Mike McCarthy, Producer of Spoon's albums 'Girls Can Tell' and 'Killing the Moonlight'. If you haven't heard any of their songs check them out for you own good. Both albums are tight productions with a great British pop sound that doesn't try to be too retro or lo-fi just for the sake of it.
They prove you can record great sounding albums in a home studio given some decent, albeit expensive, gear and a lot of creativity.
Would you mind introducing yourself and giving us a bit of your
background?
Mike McCarthy……Caucasian male, 5’ 10 1/2” tall, 162 lbs. salt and pepper hair, brown eyes, polyester pants, nice shoes.
You are credited as Producer/Engineer and Guitar player.
I go to Austin and record the music with spoon. I played a guitar part on one song.
Is Spoon a regular band or is it more of a production based on Britt Daniel's songs?
A band. Most of the time it is Britt, Jim and I working on the main structure. The other guys come in when we are ready for them to put on their respective magic parts.
I was curious what type of recording/mixing gear you used on 'Girls Can Tell' and 'Kill the Moonlight'. Looking at the credits it looks like Girls was a home studio recording and Moonlight was a studio production. What were the main differences between the two productions?
Most of the tracks for both albums, were recorded at Jim Eno’s home studio. I believe two tracks from “GCT”, were recorded on 24 track 2” by John Croslin somewhere else. Britt and Jim then had several more recorded on 1” 8-track at Jim’s house. I came in after that. I believe I tracked five more with them and did some overdubs on the previously recorded ones recorded on an ampex mm-1200 2” 16 track.
The mixing took place at a combination of Jim Eno’s, and two other Austin studios: “Brooklyn Bridge”, and “Hit Shack”. ”Kill the Moonlight”, was recorded and mixed exclusively at Jim and Britt’s.
I was particularly impressed with the vocals and drum sound on Moonlight and would like to know the signal chains and techniques. Both seem very compressed, what did you use on those?
Britt has a unique, really cool voice, as does jim have a great drumming style and sound. Vocals were always recorded differently according to the song. effects were usually in line, going to tape. Many Neumann tube mics were used, as well as an rca ribbon and an electrovoice 666. An sm-58 was used on occasion as well. I tend to like the sound of 2 or more compressors chained together while recording the vocals. In this case it was usually an 1176 and a dbx 160.
The drums were in Jim’s studio and were miked with 421’s, a sm-57 and Neumann tube mics. Since Jim’s room is small and dry, I did not feel the need for much “double” miking up close, however, a Neumann tube mic was combined with a 421 for the bass drum. The snare had a sm-57 on top with a Neumann tube near the floor facing the snares. All patterns cardiod. 421’s on top of the rack and floor tom. Neumann tube mics overhead(pair). Generally that was it. Sometimes there would be a hi hat mic requested by Jim, a Sony lavalier on the drum overdubs, anything could go. Sometimes vari-speed, different old reverbs or delays would be incorporated.
The bass sound on "Way we get by" is killer. I'd love to know what the chain was on that one.
That part was attempted several different ways before it was decided upon. The main thing was that it was played with this metal pick. I think it’s direct through a Ampex 350, then into an 1176. It may have gone through an API EQ in mix mode to get the bottom backthat the 1176 pulls out. The bass was a jazz that belonged to Neil Busch. (Trail of Dead)
There is obviously a lot of Beatles influence in the guitar tones and mixing on Moonlight. Were you using Rics through a vox for some of those tracks?
No rics that I know of. We fake it. Britt has a few off brand guitars that are used for the most part. He does have a reissue ac-30.
Was there any objections by the label or anyone else to the Beatles type panning?
We were forced by the label to do that.
I haven't quite figured out if the pianos were samples or real. I'm leaning towards samples but thought it might be a recorded upright. What did you use on for the piano tracks?
That’s Jim’s upright piano. There are other electric keyboards used on several songs, though, “that’s the way we get by”, is upright…
It seems like most of the tracks are either bone dry or have a lot of room reverb. Was that natural ambience or a processor?
Some parts were done in Jim’s house, which has wood floors for
natural ambience. The others were spring reverbs, and foot pedals.
Anything in particular you were especially proud/surprised/dissapointed with in doing the albums?
I am very happy that so many people have enjoyed the albums. I like to mix on 8068, or 8078 neve consoles. We mixed “kill the moonlight”, on the monitor section of jim’s trident 24 series. I guess that means all the sounds were there on 2”.
Disappointments????? I am surprised I cannot get merge to send more than one cd copy of each album to me.
Any advice for other musicans/engineers who are recording their own music?
Getting started is the toughest part, I think. First, financially it is difficult to see justification in buying gear that you may not feel is good enough but if you get started it will get better.
Do you find that being your own engineer allows you more freedom or does it restrict you in any way?
I guess I have more control on getting on tape what is in my head but sometimes I wish I could work with someone who’s sounds I liked. That would free me up to interact musically without technical distractions.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer any questions. I love the albums and hopefully I can catch you guys live sometime. Thanks.
You can catch my live strip act every Wednesday night at the ‘Kristal Blue Persuasion Club’ in East Nashville, TN.
Thank you.
They prove you can record great sounding albums in a home studio given some decent, albeit expensive, gear and a lot of creativity.
Would you mind introducing yourself and giving us a bit of your
background?
Mike McCarthy……Caucasian male, 5’ 10 1/2” tall, 162 lbs. salt and pepper hair, brown eyes, polyester pants, nice shoes.
You are credited as Producer/Engineer and Guitar player.
I go to Austin and record the music with spoon. I played a guitar part on one song.
Is Spoon a regular band or is it more of a production based on Britt Daniel's songs?
A band. Most of the time it is Britt, Jim and I working on the main structure. The other guys come in when we are ready for them to put on their respective magic parts.
I was curious what type of recording/mixing gear you used on 'Girls Can Tell' and 'Kill the Moonlight'. Looking at the credits it looks like Girls was a home studio recording and Moonlight was a studio production. What were the main differences between the two productions?
Most of the tracks for both albums, were recorded at Jim Eno’s home studio. I believe two tracks from “GCT”, were recorded on 24 track 2” by John Croslin somewhere else. Britt and Jim then had several more recorded on 1” 8-track at Jim’s house. I came in after that. I believe I tracked five more with them and did some overdubs on the previously recorded ones recorded on an ampex mm-1200 2” 16 track.
The mixing took place at a combination of Jim Eno’s, and two other Austin studios: “Brooklyn Bridge”, and “Hit Shack”. ”Kill the Moonlight”, was recorded and mixed exclusively at Jim and Britt’s.
I was particularly impressed with the vocals and drum sound on Moonlight and would like to know the signal chains and techniques. Both seem very compressed, what did you use on those?
Britt has a unique, really cool voice, as does jim have a great drumming style and sound. Vocals were always recorded differently according to the song. effects were usually in line, going to tape. Many Neumann tube mics were used, as well as an rca ribbon and an electrovoice 666. An sm-58 was used on occasion as well. I tend to like the sound of 2 or more compressors chained together while recording the vocals. In this case it was usually an 1176 and a dbx 160.
The drums were in Jim’s studio and were miked with 421’s, a sm-57 and Neumann tube mics. Since Jim’s room is small and dry, I did not feel the need for much “double” miking up close, however, a Neumann tube mic was combined with a 421 for the bass drum. The snare had a sm-57 on top with a Neumann tube near the floor facing the snares. All patterns cardiod. 421’s on top of the rack and floor tom. Neumann tube mics overhead(pair). Generally that was it. Sometimes there would be a hi hat mic requested by Jim, a Sony lavalier on the drum overdubs, anything could go. Sometimes vari-speed, different old reverbs or delays would be incorporated.
The bass sound on "Way we get by" is killer. I'd love to know what the chain was on that one.
That part was attempted several different ways before it was decided upon. The main thing was that it was played with this metal pick. I think it’s direct through a Ampex 350, then into an 1176. It may have gone through an API EQ in mix mode to get the bottom backthat the 1176 pulls out. The bass was a jazz that belonged to Neil Busch. (Trail of Dead)
There is obviously a lot of Beatles influence in the guitar tones and mixing on Moonlight. Were you using Rics through a vox for some of those tracks?
No rics that I know of. We fake it. Britt has a few off brand guitars that are used for the most part. He does have a reissue ac-30.
Was there any objections by the label or anyone else to the Beatles type panning?
We were forced by the label to do that.
I haven't quite figured out if the pianos were samples or real. I'm leaning towards samples but thought it might be a recorded upright. What did you use on for the piano tracks?
That’s Jim’s upright piano. There are other electric keyboards used on several songs, though, “that’s the way we get by”, is upright…
It seems like most of the tracks are either bone dry or have a lot of room reverb. Was that natural ambience or a processor?
Some parts were done in Jim’s house, which has wood floors for
natural ambience. The others were spring reverbs, and foot pedals.
Anything in particular you were especially proud/surprised/dissapointed with in doing the albums?
I am very happy that so many people have enjoyed the albums. I like to mix on 8068, or 8078 neve consoles. We mixed “kill the moonlight”, on the monitor section of jim’s trident 24 series. I guess that means all the sounds were there on 2”.
Disappointments????? I am surprised I cannot get merge to send more than one cd copy of each album to me.
Any advice for other musicans/engineers who are recording their own music?
Getting started is the toughest part, I think. First, financially it is difficult to see justification in buying gear that you may not feel is good enough but if you get started it will get better.
Do you find that being your own engineer allows you more freedom or does it restrict you in any way?
I guess I have more control on getting on tape what is in my head but sometimes I wish I could work with someone who’s sounds I liked. That would free me up to interact musically without technical distractions.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer any questions. I love the albums and hopefully I can catch you guys live sometime. Thanks.
You can catch my live strip act every Wednesday night at the ‘Kristal Blue Persuasion Club’ in East Nashville, TN.
Thank you.
