Today I am sharing my interiew with Mike Purcell from Nashville TN. I hope you enjoy it!
Mike Purcell has a long list of recording, mixing and mastering credits including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brad Paisley, Waylon Jennings, and Billy Ray Cyrus. He is a recording artist himself, and has a passion for indie rock. He is also an entrepreneur with many business ventures. He grew up in Nashville, and started playing guitar when he was 14. He began recording with 2 cassette decks and a Radioshack mixer, and his first recording studio experience in 1988 solidified his passion for recording.
Here are some outtakes from my interview with Mike. If you want to listen now just jump down the bottom of the post and give a listen. (Also comment below and tall me if you prefer watching the Youtube video or would rather me use the new Steemit video embed feature. And if you know of a great way to add an audio post directly then I'm all ears!)
Early Career:
Mike attended Belmont University from 1990-1994. He interned at The Castle recording studio and was offered a job there for $150/week. He later went to LA for a six month trip to record Lionel Richie. When he returned to Nashville, he got a ProTools rig and was very into digital audio. He did a lot of vocal tuning work at this time. He would also often record using the Otari RADAR II digital multitrack recorder.
Demo Recording:
A demo recording is done for songwriters who want to pitch something to a recording artist. These songs are often done with session musicians who do not rehearse extensively before the session, because they can sight-read the charts. At County Q studio, Mike would record a high volume of demos in a single day. Because of his ability and experience as an engineer, and the quality of the session musicians, they were able to record songs very quickly and efficiently.
Philosophy/Advice:
-What comes next in the recording industry is what you invent. Don’t be afraid to try new things and make mistakes.
-Mike prefers to find music he loves, and capture it, rather than finding music that he kind of likes and reinventing it.
-Take every job you can if it has anything to do with music. Take the gigs that you’re uncomfortable taking; you’re probably uncomfortable because you don’t know much about it, so you’ll probably learn from the experience.
-Don’t have an ego as an engineer. Try to fulfill the client’s vision rather than your own.
-Get hooked up with someone who is successful and doing something that you want to be a part of. Do the best job out of anybody there, and confess to your mistakes, and you’re likely to be successful.
Jam session:
Q - what was holding you back at the beginning of your career?
A - lack of resources to and access to the good studios. That’s different now, because you can buy ProTools.
Q - what was some of the best advice you’ve received?
A - do it right and do it once.
Q - What is your favorite recording trick?
A - Sidechain compress the bass, using the kick drum as a key input, and squash it down half a dB. It helps keep kick punch through the mix.
Q - Do you have any book or magazine recommendations?
A - Abbey Road book. & Tape Op magazine.
http://amzn.to/1Lp3Ln9
http://www.tapeop.com/
Q - Favorite piece of gear that you have?
A - SansAmp gt 2.
http://amzn.to/1Lp3QHA
Q - Favorite software tool?
A - I use an old standalone version of T-RackS (version 3) for mastering. You can get stuff really loud with it.
http://amzn.to/1XVrHrL
Q - Favorite internet resource?
A - Facebook (maybe it will be #Steemit next time I ask him! lol)
Q-If you were dropped in a strange city, and could only take a simple recording setup, what would you take? How would you find people to record? How would you make ends meet?
A - Take a simple m-box setup with a couple of mics. Go to shows to meet bands. Deliver pizzas or something like that to make ends meet. (Maybe the advice will be to post on #Steemit one day soon!)
Links to Check Out:
-Mike’s current project, 6minor Films, which creates documentary films about the music creation process:
-Website - http://6minorfilms.com/about/
-Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/6minorFilms
-Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpwqIzngTo-qltV-umtDnA
-Mike’s facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikepurcell?fref=ts
-County Q website - http://www.countyq.com/
If you have any questions or suggestions for the show please comment below...
Cheers!
Lij