Brauer, Kahne Transferring McCartney Live Magic to
Disc
Walsh, Christopher. Billboard - The
International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment
114. 31
(Aug 3, 2002): 34.
Abstract (summary)
Producer/engineer
Michael Brauer has spent most of July 2002 in the SSL 9000 J Series-equipped
Studio One at London's Sarm West, along with producer David Kahne, mixing 36 live tracks from Sir Paul McCartney's recent
"Driving USA" tour for several upcoming releases. Brauer is creating
a two-channel mix of the live
tracks while simultaneously preparing for a subsequent 5.1 mix for a DVD
release documenting the tour. Concerts were recorded direct to Tascam MX-2424
hard-disk recorders, then transferred to Steinberg's Nuendo digital audio
workstation platform. Brauer is adding compression to McCartney's vocal and
bass with hardware from his own racks, processing two multitracked vocals on
separate tracks. Brauer's objective is to put the listener 10 to 15 rows from
the stage. A photograph is included.
Full text
NEW
YORK-Often found in an SSL 9000 J Series-equipped room at Quad Recording
Studios in New York, producer/engineer Michael Brauer has spent most of July in
the 9000-equipped Studio One at London's Sarm West. Armed with a substantial
arsenal of eclectic and vintage outboard gear, Brauer and producer David Kahne
are mixing 36 live tracks from Sir Paul
McCartney's recent Driving USA tour for several upcoming releases.
Brauer,
who spent several years in the 1980s mixing
and producing for London-based labels, is creating a 2channel mix of the live tracks while simultaneously
preparing for a subsequent 5.1 mix
for a DVD release documenting the tour.
"The
tour is so good," Brauer enthuses. "It's beyond the imagination that
he could have written that many hits. When I saw him [at Madison Square
Garden], I got a rush from my head down to my toes."
Concerts
were recorded direct to Tascam MX-2424 hard-disk recorders, Brauer explains,
then transferred to Steinberg's Nuendo digital audio workstation (DAW)
platform. "It sounds fantastic," he says of the MX-2424. "It's
probably around 40 tracks: If [McCartney] is playing the piano, there might be
four tracks for the acoustic piano, but if he's not, those are four less
tracks. Other times, he might be playing the guitar and Brian [Ray] plays bass.
There's basically four tracks for Wix [keyboardist Paul Wickens, who also plays
accordion and guitar], then four tracks available for Paul on the piano. And
there's six tracks for audience."
Kahne,
who produced McCartney's Driving Rain (Capitol) at Henson Studios in Hollywood,
Calif., does any editing in Nuendo before giving tracks to Brauer to mix. "Normally," Brauer
says, "everyone's been doing [Pro Tools] HD, but the Nuendo sounds
great."
Brauer is
adding compression to McCartney's vocal and bass with hardware from his own
racks, processing two multitracked vocals on separate tracks. "The main
one was through the [Inward Connections] Vac Rac [TLM-1] limiter/EQ; the second
was either a Decca, [Empirical Labs] Distressor, or Dept. of Commerce, an old
vocal compressor that is vicious! On the bass, I used either the E.A.R./Moog EQ
and/or the Avalon 737 [tube preamplifier/compressor/EQ]. I put the bass up on
two channels; the 737 was put up for fatness and the E.A.R. for
definition."
Brauer is
mixing to half-inch analog
tape for stereo; for 96kHz resolution for DVD, the 5.1 mix will go to Pro Tools HD. His objective, he
explains, is to put the listener 10 to 15 rows from the stage. Along with the
concert experience the CD and DVD will replicate, he adds, mixing decisions are made in no
small part by the songs as originally recorded by the Beatles. "I grew up
with these songs, and I want to maintain their integrity," Brauer says.
"David also makes sure that the spirit of the song is again brought out.
And Paul is here to listen to it. I've got all the original songs from the show
on my iPod, so I'll listen to it, asking myself, `What were the elements that
made it so cool?' A classic is a classic-you don't want to mess with it."
Narrow
subject
Broad
subject
Naxos
composer
McCartney,
Paul
People
Title
Brauer,
Kahne Transferring McCartney Live
Magic to Disc
Author
Publication
title
Volume
Issue
Pages
34
Publication
year
2002
Publication
date
Aug 3,
2002
Year
2002
Prometheus
Global Media
Place of
publication
New York,
N. Y.
Country
of publication
United
States
Journal
subject
ISSN
0006-2510
Source
type
Magazines
Language
of publication
English
Document
type
News
ProQuest
document ID
990165
Document
URL
http://search.proquest.com/docview/990165?accountid=144516
Last
updated
2012-09-17
Database
International
Index to Music Periodicals Full Text
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