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KURT
BALLOU:
The
Producer Behind Some
of the Most Forward
Sounding
Hardcore Releases.
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Hardcore today is
not what it used to be back in the 80's. The genre has expanded
in unimaginable ways and has morphed and evolutioned so much it
is hard to have only one definition for it. At the core of those
changes is Converge, and at the core of Converge is guitarist
Kurt Ballou, who is also one of the best and brightest producers
in the underground. Read on and spread the word.
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How and why did you become a producer?
I started recording in the mid 90’s as a way to demo ideas for
bands I played in. I’ve always looked at recording as part of
the creative process. And learning to record, much like
learning as many instruments as possible, helped me develop my
overall musicianship and songwriting. As my abilities and gear
progressed, I started recording demo’s and 7” for friends and
eventually started doing albums and making some money to
reinvest in the studio. In 2001, I was laid off from my day job
and decided to see how long I could get by doing music. I never
intended, or thought it possible for me to have a career in
music, but I found myself in a position where I was able to, so
I went for it.
- Do you think that being a musician gives you an advantage as
a producer?
I’ve always
strived to do everything I can musically to make myself a better
total musician. Being a producer helps me be a better
musician. Playing drums and piano make me a better guitarist.
Playing country helps me play punk better. Being an engineer
makes me a better drummer. Etc. Etc. The more musical
experience you have and the more people you play with, the
better you understand musical composition, how to interact with
other musicians, what works, what fails, and why. All of this
has to do with expanding your vocabulary. The larger you
musical vocabulary, the better able you are to articulate
yourself.
- I was looking at your discography as a producer and you have
recorded, mixed and produced a wide range of hard-edged bands.
Can you please explain the difference between producing and
recording?
First of all, I should note that on most of the records I’ve
been given 'producer' credit on are records the band produced
and I engineered. If I’m spending any less than 2 weeks on a
record, I’m probably not doing any real 'producing.' Recording
is the physical act of setting up musicians in a way they feel
comfortable, listening to how they sound in the room, and
choosing, connecting, and adjusting equipment to document their
performance in the most flattering way possible. A producer’s
job is to fill in any gaps that aren’t being taken care of. At
a high level, a producer often hires the studio, engineer, drum
tech, studio musicians, and vocal coach, assists in writing and
arranging songs, interfaces with the A&R department of the
record label, coaches the band’s performance, and any other odds
and ends that are necessary to get the record done. On the
level of a producer/engineer/studio owner such as myself, it
usually just means assistance in song writing and arranging as
well as suggesting instruments and effects for certain songs.
- How does your approach as a producer differ when working with
a more straight ahead sounding band and a band that is more
experimental?
My approach is certainly scaled based on how much time I have,
how complete the ideas of the musicians are, and how welcoming
they are of new ideas. I’m not usually looking for ways to
leave my stamp on a record. I just try to identify problems and
figure out ways to fix them. I also look for ways to exaggerate
the bands ideas that I’m already hearing.
- Have you ever said NO to producing some bands? If so, what
would drive you to that?
Yeah. All the time. These days, I don’t have time to work on
everything that comes my way. I probably take on about 1/3 of
what I’m offered. If the band are people I like and respect and
are creating music with some sort of artistic relevance, I’m
going to try to squeeze them in somewhere. If they are
Christian mosh wiggers trying to make it big, I’m not going to
be interested.
- What happens when you are producing a record and you think;
‘this song is sucks’. Do you ever confront bands because
you consider some of their material to be subpar? Do you make
suggestions? I mean it’s gotta be hard to be totally sincere.
I used to have a really hard time being honest, but as I’ve
become more confident in my abilities and instincts, I’ve
learned to be honest and direct, but tactful. Typically, if I
think something sucks, I won’t record the band. But if the band
is great and they just have 1 shitty song or 1 shitty part, I’ll
let them know, but I’ll also try to suggest an alternative or at
least be able to articulate what it is I don’t like about
something. Just saying something sucks doesn’t help the song,
and is potentially damaging to people’s confidence. Presenting
some alternatives is much more nurturing and productive. On the
occasion that I can’t sway the band, I’ll just tell them that
I’m going to remain neutral about the song and let them just
tell me what to do and I’ll do it. No matter what, I try to
keep the vibe pleasant and tension-free.
Something that seems to happen a lot is that bands will tell me
they want a producer, and tell me they want my opinion, but when
they actually hear it, they don’t want it. They’re like, “wait…
you don’t love everything we came up with?” When a band puts a
lot of effort into creating a song, they don’t usually want to
see it dismantled. It’s hard to separate yourself from the song
and the process sometimes, but a producer has the benefit of
having no emotional connection to the process that went into the
song prior to entering the studio.
- I read an interview with David Byrne where he said that
studios might become obsolete since basically people can make
good recordings in laptops nowadays. Would you agree?
I doubt it. I think that certain smart, very self-aware
musician/producers will be able to do most of their work outside
of the studio environment., but most people will still need a
studio for at least part of the project. There’s more bands and
less money in the music industry than ever before, so it’s
become more competitive than ever. Therefore, the need for the
best recording and mix is more important than ever. You can
certainly make great recordings at home, but for the best sound,
you need the best rooms, the best equipment, the best
monitoring, the best engineers, and someone who can coax your
best out of you.
- You have your very own, Godcity Studios. You use analog and
digital equipment? What is the difference in results between
both? How do you choose what type of equipment to use?
I feel like, these days, the sound of a record has more to do
with the people involved, the rooms, and the choice of mics, mic
preamps, eq’s, etc. and less on the recording medium. I’ll
record on tape when I won’t need to manipulate performances much
and when I’m looking for a more compressed, richer sound. I’ll
record digitally when I’m looking for more detail and more
ability to manipulate sounds. At this point, just about
everything I do is mixed out of Pro Tools for the editing and
automation capabilities. But rather than doing the entire mix
in the computer, I’ll run the tracks through analog eq’s,
compressors, and consoles, essentially using Pro Tools as the
tape machine. I have 32 outputs from Pro Tools, but often have
more than 32 tracks in my sessions, so I often have to combine
certain elements of the mix inside the computer. For example,
if I have a top and a bottom snare mic track in Pro Tools, I
don’t need to use 2 channels on my mixer. I can assign both
tracks to the same output and save mixer channels for something
more crucial.
- What would you recommend to someone who aspires to be a
producer?
Don’t plan on making any money. Do it because you love doing
it, not because you’re trying to have a career. Aiming for
success is a sure way to fail. Just buy some gear (a smaller
quantity of great gear is always better than a larger quantity
of bad gear) and just start doing it. Don’t let anyone tell you
can’t record because you haven’t been to school, or don’t have
the right equipment, or the right space. Just get started, read
as much as you can about recording, experiment, and have fun.
- When you listen back to your work as a producer, do you often
hear stuff you wish you could improve?
Of course. But there’s very few things I think I could have
done better with the skills, time, equipment, and caliber of
musicians and songs I had at the time of making the record.
I’ve always done my best with what I’ve been given.
- Are there any records that you listen to and think it has
great songs but suffer of poor/awful production?
Sure. Most of the hardcore records made in the 90’s suck. I
prefer most 70’s and 80’s punk and hardcore production to what
happened in the 90’s. I think the 90’s was a transitional time
for hardcore, not only stylistically, but with regards to
recording as well. I’ve also been on record with saying that I
don’t care for the sound of My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless”
despite the fact that I love the songs. But ultimately, if a
recording gets across the desired emotion response, then it’s a
good recording, despite its technical short comings.
- In your opinion, across all genres and ages, what is the best
produced album you've heard?
I don’t think I could pick 1, 5, or even 10 favorites.
- Which record are you particularly proud of? What old record
from any era/genre would you have liked to produce?
I’m proud of a lot of stuff I’ve done. In recent history, aside
from Converge records, the Torche, Pygmy Lush, Coliseum, Disfear,
and Genghis Tron records I’ve made are all things I’d actually
listen to if I hadn’t been involved.
- What can you tell us about the following recordings:
Doomriders - Black Thunder - Drums, bass, and rhythm
guitars were recorded live to tape, all in the same room with no
isolation and mixed to tape with lots of pushing the tape into
distortion. Part of that record is actually the demo which was
recorded about a year earlier.
Trap Them - Seance Prime - They recorded the drums for
this at home before even really writing the songs. After the
drums were recorded, Brian finalized the riffs and arrangements
to and edited the drums to match what he wanted to play. He
brought me the tracks and I did some editing to them, then put
them on 4 tracks of my 1” 8 track machine. I believe it was
kick on 1 track, snare on another, and toms, overheads, and room
all on a stereo pair of tracks. The remaining 4 tracks were for
guitars, bass, and vocals. So those instruments were never
digitized until mastering.
I Hate Sally - Don't Worry Lady (I really enjoyed this
record) - They recorded this one in Ontario and I mixed it.
Genghis Tron - Board Up the House - Their method of
writing is interesting because they don’t have a drummer. That
means they have no way of jamming out ideas. They have to
program their ideas, then record demo tracks to them to see if
they work. It’s laborious, but it’s the key to their sound. It
also means that potentially, the songs are never done. We were
importing new versions of the drum tracks right until the final
mixes went down. This was possibly the highest track count I’ve
ever had to deal with, and consequently, it was difficult
balancing things during mixing. I spent about 10 days mixing
that record. Two of which were getting the basic sound of the
record, and the remaining 8 were writing automation to perfect
the balance between all of the different elements.
- Some musicians/producers opt to use outside producers, I
guess it's an issue of objectivity, do you find it easy to
produce your own band Converge? Are there any conflicts there?
I’d like to use someone else, just so that I could observe and
learn for my own benefit. But when it comes down to it, no one
knows what Converge should sound like better than I do. And who
else is going to put as much effort into it? And why should we
pay someone else to do something I can do myself? Sometimes
there can be a conflict with regards to a band member being a
peer as a band mate, but the boss with regards to the record,
but we’ve been doing this long enough that we don’t really have
that problem.
- What's next for Converge?
We’re currently working on a recording a new record. I’m very
pleased with how it’s turning out. We’ve got a good variety of
material and we’re getting lots of our friends to contribute.
It should be out on Epitaph in the fall.
- Finally, please list a few albums that inspired you to get
into music.
Run DMC – Raising Hell, The Pixies – Doolittle,
Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic, Suicidal Tendencies –
ST, Slayer – South of Heaven, Sonic Youth – Goo.
Converge MySpace
Godcity Recording Studio MySpace |
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