MWTM with Manny Marroquin: Right Brain Momentum

About a month ago I had the opportunity to attend another Mix with the Masters seminar in LA.  This seminar was with the prolific and award winning mixer Manny Marroquin (John Mayer, Kanye West, Bastille, Sia, Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Keith Urban, and many others...)

At 9:30am, I met with 14 other mix engineers at Larrabee Studios in Los Angeles, close to North Hollywood.  Larrabee has been Manny's primary mix studio for years.  We were served breakfast and coffee, and the breakfast was a good time to get to know the other attendees.  Manny arrived around 10am, and we joined him in one of the mixing studios.

Manny mixes mainly in 2 different rooms within the facility.  Each room is equipped with an SSL 9000K console, his most preferred outboard compressors and EQs, NS-10 near field speakers, and Ausperger main speakers.

He introduced himself, and gave us a brief run-down of the day's plans.  He began the first half of the day mixing a hip-hop track from an artist named Post Malone.  The track was heavy on the 808...kind of a mid tempo, moody club banger.  Manny listened through the rough mix only once, turned it off, and then began to bring up the faders on the console

Early on, Manny described his thought process when starting each mix.  It soon became apparent that Manny is extremely philosophical in his mixing approach.  He's a deep thinker and verbose in his explanations, while at the same time is deeply concerned with how he feels while mixing more than using any specific set of techniques.  

When beginning a mix, he establishes a point of reference that "feels good" and "works for the song" based upon what he determines as the "essence" of the song (usually the 2-3 elements that are most important to the feel of the song).  He keeps this inner feeling of comfort/confidence at all times.  He refers to his point of reference and confidence in direction as his "comfort zone".  This "comfort zone" is the culmination of his experience, his highly developed listening skills, his intellect, his emotional intelligence, his command of technical audio skills, and a myriad of other factors...most of which are intangible, taste-based abilities.

If he starts to feel he's drifted from his "comfort zone", he'll back track to what he knew was working for the song, spend some time letting the feeling return, and then carry on.

He likes to start by establishing the groove...which will most often mean starting with the drums.  He joked, "I start with the drums even if there are no drums!"  He builds a balance with those groove elements and handles any broad stroke EQ and compression changes he wants to make.  Once the main groove of the song has a decent balance and is in his "comfort zone" for the song, he begins to pull up the faders on the other most essential elements.

He has a unique EQ technique that I found quite interesting and useful.  As he adds each element, he will turn on the SSL channel EQ, boost by 15db, and very quickly sweeps through the frequency bands to search for particular parts of the frequency spectrum.  He explained that he is searching for elements of the sound to either boost or cut, to get that particular instrument to fit in more appropriately.  

Many times he cuts harsh or muddy frequencies when using this technique...but sometimes he uses it "just to see what's there".  He keeps a running list in his mind of what he's found in each mix element. Then later on, if he wants to manipulate it in a certain way, his EQ is already set to do that particular adjustment.  He just needs to then boost or cut the appropriate amount.

After adding the most essential elements to the established groove, he moves on to the other (less essential, more support role) tracks...all the while referencing his comfort zone.  If he brings the fader up on a track and feels like it is fighting against the established feel, he'll quickly hit the mute and bring the fader back down.  He'll revisit that later.  It is more important to him to continue to build upon his "comfort zone" than to problem solve a track that isn't quite agreeing with aesthetic he has built.

It's hard to describe how quickly he employs these techniques.  It isn't based on analysis, it is based on how those frequencies make him feel.  When watching him do this, it's like watching a skilled artist sculpt a beautiful sculpture.

Here is Manny at work:

Manny talks a lot about the left hemisphere of the brain vs the right.  (Our left brain being our logic center - where we analyze and problem solve...the right side our emotive functions - our intuitiveness and feelings).  As you can guess, he encouraged us to mix from the right brain instead of the left.

Over the past few years of mixing and teaching, I've come to the belief that the best way to stay in the right brain when mixing is to be so proficient at the technical aspects of mixing (signal flow, troubleshooting, operation of specific EQ, compression, and effects devices, etc...) that they become rote...almost like muscle memory.  That way, when employing a technique, the action itself is based off of the desired emotional manipulation of an element within the mix.  If at any time you can't immediately figure out how to enact a certain manipulation, the problem solving left brain will take over and the emotional momentum gained in the right brain will be lost.  

Manny uses his "comfort zone" as a reference to staying in the right brain.  If anything happens during mixing which pulls him out of the right brain thinking (like a troubling element which will need a lot of "fixing"), he will ignore that element until later, take a break, or back track a few steps to regain his right brain momentum.

And of this right brain momentum, he is a master.

At 1pm we took a break for lunch.  MWTM is always impressing me with the food and amenities they provide for seminar attendees.  This time they brought in really great sushi from a place called Sugarfish. 

After lunch, we returned to the studio, and Manny began mixing another song.  This time the song was a new single for Alicia Keys.  He hadn't yet heard the song, so when he played the rough mix we were all listening to it for the first time.  The song was an emotionally charged pop tune, much different than the hip-hop tune he worked on during the morning.

Again, he played the rough mix once, and then immediately began acclimating himself with the multitrack on the console (where each element was placed on the console by his assistant).  Although the song was very different, his approach and technique was the same...build the groove and then search for the essential elements - keep the right brain momentum.

He continued to mix, pausing to make remarks or answer questions, until about 6:30-7pm.

At around 7 we called it a day, and headed to dinner.  Manny is in the process of building out and opening a restaurant next door to the studio.  Right now, he is using the building as a pop-up restaurant and art gallery.  Very cool space and idea.  All 15 of us - Manny, and the MWTM guys (from France) - all walked together over to the space.  

We were immediately served champagne, and then were seated in a dining room surrounded by art.

We were served an amazing meal, and I had a blast getting to know all of these engineers from all over the world!  We spent the rest of the night drinking wine and talking about life, music, and mixing.  At around 10:30, we went our separate ways.  I hailed an Uber and headed to the hotel.

The experience was amazing, and MWTM always puts on a great event.  Manny was engaging, encouraging, and inspiring.  Hope to go to another event soon.

-Ty

Why I Moved the Screen in My Studio: The McGurk Effect

This past year, I have been mixing a majority of client projects on a large-format analog console, and the process has been very enlightening. I still mix some projects in the box, due to project/client priorities and budgets - and also to continue to develop my Pro Tools mix abilities.

This back and forth has illuminated a few things for me, and I'd like to share one major change that has followed.  I've removed my computer screen from between my speakers, and placed it outside of the sound-field of my speakers.  More specifically, I've moved my iMac from between my speakers to a small desk on my right hand side.  The top of the screen is now at about shoulder height (as not to reflect sound directly towards me at ear level), and is about an arms length from the listening position.

My keyboard, mouse, and new Avid S3 control surface sit in front of me on my Argosy desk, and I can comfortably look to my right to see the screen and manipulate my session.  The S3 allows me to control many mix and session parameters without the need to look at the screen (most notably, my session faders, pan, inserts, sends, transport control, and PT HD advanced automation features).

The reason for this change started when I realized how much more enjoyable and intuitive it was to mix on a large format console.  I started to notice that from a practical perspective, during much of my time spent mixing on the SSL 4000 my eyes are directed downward and my vision is somewhat zoned out...disconnected from my active brain and my decision making awareness.

I compared that to mixing at home in my own mix room (with a mouse and screen in between the speakers), and realized that much of that time is spent with my eyes fixed on the screen...my brain's attention center focused on the shining, colorful PT session in front of me.

This realization coincided with my reading of this book...

In it, the author (a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience) details the workings of the human brain - the functionality and limitations of the prefrontal cortex (our brain's attention center) and the abilities and limitations of our brain to focus.  Essentially, humans have a very narrow field of focused attention.  Our brains are not able to focus on more than one thing at a time.

This reminded me of a specific perceptual phenomenon I had read about previously...The McGurk Effect.    The McGurk Effect shows us just how much what our eyes see can effect our perception of what we think we are hearing, regardless of the sound our ears actually receive.  

If you've ever spent a few minutes tweaking a plugin, just to realize you had the plugin in bypass the whole time, then you've been a victim of The McGurk Effect (admit it, we've ALL done it or something similar!).  Your eyes see change happening on the plugin, so your brain believes the sound is changing.  Yikes.

Here's a good short video which demonstrates the effect:

These limitations of our human brain have a profound effect on our creative endeavors, especially the mixing endeavors we embark upon in the studio.

So, to redirect my brain and buy back some of the attention I've been expending on visual information, I'm forcing my brain to focus where I want it...the sound.

So far the inconvenience of having the screen to my right has been far outweighed by a new found intuitiveness in my mixing room...much like I experience on the SSL.

I would suggest giving it a try, and maybe investing in a control surface with faders and session/transport control.  I have the Avid S3 and like it:

Give it a shot.  I hope it helps you gain a better perspective and more focus when you mix!

Overstayer MAS

I'm trying out the Overstayer MAS this week.  I've been in search of the depth and cohesion that comes from mixing on the SSL 4000, and I was hoping to find some similarities in the way the MAS claims to "bend peaks" and add 2nd or 3rd harmonic excitement.

I got it in this past week, but just had the first opportunity to try it out on a dynamic, ultra epic M83 type instrumental track, heavy on the synths.

Lately, when mixing in the box, I've had about 6-8 plugins on the mix bus.  Each does only a little bit.  I find with getting your curve, generating some glue and dynamic pump, and adding some harmonic color, trying to push one plugin for each of those jobs ends up in a kind of sizzley mess.  So I use multiple high quality EQs, compressor, exciters, and emulations to add up to something useful.

Generally it's looked like:  UA Studer 800 or ATR 102, Slate VMB, UA SHMC, brainworx V2, UA Pultec, izotope exciter, McDSP ML4000, EQuillibrium, Oxford Inflator.  Sometimes even DMG Limitless for a bit of clipping.  The result is exciting and works for me, but I still sometimes miss the grandeur, cohesion, and depth of field from the SSL 4000.

So today I tried out the MAS, and after putting it through the paces, I really really like it.  In fact, it did just what I had hoped, adding excitement, a little smiley curve, and cohesion...but best of all...it added depth of field and took some of the digital "flatness" away.

After experimenting with the aforementioned plugins to see which ones would play nice with the MAS, and also to verify I was really into what the MAS was doing, I found a chain that worked.

MAS (inserted in DAW through Apogee Symphony I/O DA/AD) > UA SHMC > brainworx V2 > UA Pultec (no boost or att, just for the mid range color it adds).

So the MAS effectively replaced the tape sim, exciter, EQuillibrium curve, multiband compression, and inflator.  Plus it added its own depth that I really like.

I'm excited to hear it do what I wanted today, and am anxious to try it out on more mixes...especially some pop type mixes with vox.

New "Interview"

While filling out some info for a website recently, I found this "interview" and gave it a shot. It was fun, so I thought I'd post it here.

What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

There are a handful of older mix engineers and producers who have honed their craft for so long, all I can do is respect them and learn from them. If you have the passion and endurance to stick with it like they have, I respect that tremendously.

Tell us about your studio setup.

I have 3 mix rooms available to me...one with an SSL 4000 e/g and tons of outboard, one with a Slate Raven MTX and some choice outboard, and one primarily in the box. I enjoy mixing in all of them, so client needs and budget usually dictate where I take the project.

What's your typical work process?

I'm a strong believer in a lot of good communication between mixer and client, especially early on in the project. Then once the files are delivered to me, I spend some mix-prep time making sure the files are appropriately edited and check against the rough to make sure no files are missing.

What do you bring to a song?

I try to marry technical knowledge and critical listening skills with a sense of drama and excitement in the moment. Mixing any project is best served when the mixer is so comfortable with the technical left brain minutiae that they can let go and spend the time they are mixing in their intuitive right brain.

What's your strongest skill?

The two above...communication and working in the moment.

What type of music do you usually work on?

Any and all. Certain kinds tend to find me, and those are the ones I chose to list on this site.

Can you share one music production tip?

Learn to see a stereo mix in terms of left-right=pan, bottom-top=freq(eq), front-back=dynamics(volume and compression)...and train yourself to visualize your mix processing.

Which artist would you like to work with and why?

Recently digging Young the Giant's latest releases. In the "legendary" category I'd go with U2.

How would you describe your style?

I wouldn’t.

What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

Graduated from MTSU with a Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering in 2005, since then have worked as an engineer, producer, and mixer.

If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

Goodness gracious, who can think of gear in a time like this! I need water and sunscreen! ...Ok, I'll bite. (besides computer and DAW) good I/O, Dangerous Monitor ST, Focals or NS10s, Shadow Hills Quad GAMA, and I'd really have to toss it up between a plugin suite or a case of Bombay Sapphire gin. Oh wait, microphones - man, who can narrow it down to 5?

What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

Make sure you feel comfortable when you meet with them or when you correspond with them. If they aren't giving you a good impression early, it will probably only get worse.

What questions do you ask prospective clients?

What are your goals for this project? Do you have any specific references in mind that might give me a better picture of your artistic and technical aim for the mix?

What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

There's a lot of file/data management in our field these days. More than one might realize if not in a similar field.

What do you like most about your job?

The excitement of working with different people and on different projects constantly. Who knows what tomorrow might bring!

Analog or digital and why?

Both. Neither. Are we still arguing about this? ...sheesh, ok. I love em both.

What are you working on at the moment?

Finishing mixing an electronic/pop record I co-produced.

Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

Check the single from the aforementioned electronic project... 

https://itun.es/us/nnbjdb  Mixed and mastered by yours truly.

New projects and the SSL 4000

Hey there!  The summer has brought with it both the Houston heat, and the culmination of a handful of projects I've produced and mixed.

Late last year I started mixing on an SSL 4000, and the switch has been so enjoyable.  I love the immediacy of the cause and effect philosophy inherent in mixing on a large format, analog console.  I've had to build up a new workflow, which is a hybrid workflow.  

Believe it or not, I mix from my laptop, bypassing the studio's computer.  I bring my own converters (an Orion 32+) and I patch 32 outs from my laptop and ProTools via the Orion into the SSL via the studio's DB25 patchbay.  I sum down to 30 tracks in ProTools, bring those 30 up on the desk to process and automate.  The stereo mix off the console is patched into ins 1 and 2 of the Orion to print.  Then 31 and 32 send the printed mix back out of Pro Tools so I can monitor post-print.

To keep the PT session and the SSL synched when automating on the console, I patch the analog LTC SMPTE timecode out of the console into a MOTU device, which converts the LTC to MIDI time code, which Pro Tools can follow.  So my laptop and session are slaved to the transport controls of the SSL.

The reason I've put together this rig and workflow (instead of using the studio computer) is so that I can use any and all of my plugins in my session and always know the state of my rig.  Otherwise I would have to try to keep up with plugins and updates at the studio, and that would be a major bummer when I can do that at home, and focus on mixing when I'm at the studio.

I still mix in the box as well, as I see this as an important skill to keep sharp.  But mixing on the SSL has been so much fun.

I've had a blast working with fellow Houston artist and producer Ben Rothberg on his new project Bright House.  In fact, I mixed the new single "All That Remains" on the SSL, and you can get it here...

https://brighthouse.bandcamp.com/releases

http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1126437709?ls=1&app=itunes

I've just finished up the 3rd EP with singer and songwriter Lisa Renee for her "Better Place Project", a trio of EPs named "Faith", "Hope", and "Love".  Lisa was a blast to work with, and her jazzy influences bring out sweet and contemplative songs.

Also finished up one of my best friends debut EPs...the amazing Lauren Holmes (Niscavits) released "Panoramic View" this week.  Grab it here...

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/panoramic-view-ep/id1127248684

I've begun pre-production with a rock/punk band named Gunrocku.  This 3 piece is super energetic and fun.  Already having a blast working through the tunes and getting ready to track in July.

At MediaTech, where I teach business of music, I've begun teaching an advanced mixing class for the students nearing graduation.  It's been fun to take the students on a deep dive into the technical and philosophical aspects of record mixing.

Keep a look out for the Bright House EP coming out soon!

-Ty

MWTM with CLA

Greetings!

A little over a month ago I had the chance to fly to LA and attend a meeting and seminar with audio mixing legend Chris Lord Alge. It was an incredible experience.

I flew into LAX on Monday morning to have some time to hang out in LA to take in the sites and meet up with some friends before the CLA meetup on Tuesday.

I had brunch by myself on Melrose, and then headed to hang out with my college roomate, and longtime friend Brad Murphree. We played catchup on the last few years, and headed into the Hollywood hills to hike about 4 miles up to the Hollywood sign. We talked about life, audio gear, and great memories. Here's a pic at the top...

Afterward we met up with another MTSU grad and all around swell guy - Adam McCants - for some Thai food in North Hollywood.

I stayed at Brad's place Monday night, and got up early for the Tuesday session. 

On tuesday morning I met 14 other audio engineers and CLA at his studio in Tarzana, CA. After meeting Chris and the other engineers, we dove right in to a mix. From about 9am-1pm, Chris mixed a rock band's song from start to finish, answering questions as he mixed. 

We discussed his EQ, Compression, and SSL automation philosophies. Chris was very open and forthcoming. He had no secrets he kept from us. And why would he?! Even with all of his gear and techniques, none of us has his ears, brain, or sensibilities. That's the beauty in the art of mixing songs...even with the same gear, no two mixers will do it the same.

MWTM (www.mixwiththemasters.com) did an amazing job hosting the event. Around 1pm, we took a break for a sushi lunch at the studio provided by MWTM. 

After lunch, we went back to the control room, and Chris mixed another song - this time a Carrie Underwood single. This time the questions, and the answers, were even more in depth. Chris showed us each of his reverb settings, soloed out reverbs, delays, eq and compression settings, and showed some of his more advanced techniques of using the SSL 4000 console routing and automation.

The discussions between the other 14 experienced engineers, Chris, and myself were amazingly informed, technical, artistic, and fun. We all shared information about gear, plugins, techniques, and mixing mindsets.

At about 7pm, we wrapped up the mixing portion of the day, and headed to dinner together. MWTM and Chris hosted us at one of his favorite local wine bars/resturaunts, hidden away in a beautiful stucco building. Over pizza, pasta, and wine, we all reflected on the day, and got to know eachother on a more personal level.

At about 11pm, full of wine and spinning from the amount of information and good vibes the day had held, I hailed an Uber to head to the airport. I had just enough time to get through security and hop on the red-eye home to IAH.

The whole time in LA was incredible. Big thanks to Victor with Mix with the Masters for putting together a great event...and for all that he's doing with helping train the next generation of engineers by giving them access to training from the best of the best.

Hope to get to another MWTM event soon!

-Ty

Summer in Texas

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post!  I've been busy with projects and starting a new venture with friend and fellow producer Jay Snider.  

Bravebird Music is a music licensing and production company.  We believe that human expression through music is vital and precious, and we want to be champions for artists who choose to express themselves through great music.  Check it out here:

www.bravebirdmusic.com

Jay and his wife Lindsay just had George, their first kid.  Congrats guys!  He's adorable, and hopefully he takes more after his mother (kidding Jay!)

My wife Sarah and I took a little trip to NYC about two months ago.  It was my first time there, and there was so much to take in and do.  We had a great time.  The buzz of the city is amazing.

Also, I just finished up the first of 3 EPs for singer/songwriter Lisa Renee.  The project focuses on Faith, Hope, and Love...with 3 releases of those same names.  Faith was just finished, and it was a great project.  Lisa is super talented, and so much fun to work with.

I've started a project with a band called Early Birds.  Very cool vibe coming from this 4 piece rock group.

Hope all of you are doing well!  I'll check back in soon.

-Ty

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Hope you've been having a great holiday season.  

A lot of great music was made in 2014.  It was a great year for collaborating with some extremely talented artists.

2015 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for music.  A lot on the horizon for Ty Robins LLC and even more plans in the works to expand to new places within the music industry.

Check out the "Work" section of this site to hear some newly posted examples of music made in 2014.

-Ty