My debut blog about the DNA blanket was meant to be light-hearted, (and admittedly really gross), but I want to follow it up by digging deeper into the more serious point I was trying to make. The DNA blanket plays a huge role in the non-technical part of what I do as an engineer/producer during a recording session. The common thread of all the ‘vibe’ stuff I have is that they are all part of the fabric that becomes the subtle tapestry hanging in the background which helps the band forget they are in a studio; hopefully leading to their best performance of their material. (OK, enough with the DNA blanket tie-ins already)
I won’t be talking about technology too much in this blog. In fact, I believe technology has very little to do with making a great record. Think of your top 10 favorite records of all time- they were probably recorded across a few different decades, utilizing the technology (or lack thereof) available at the time. But they’re all great records. Here’s my point: if the band isn’t in the right mindset to deliver a kick ass performance, then what good is the technology?
Hmm, the right mindset….is that why people sometimes talk about how an engineer and producer have to use proper psychology in the studio? Well I personally don’t sit around with those ink-blot flashcards asking bands if they see a bunny rabbit or the aftermath from a murderous rampage…but I do have spare couch around if necessary. And what is this ‘vibe’ thing people always talk about? Why is it so important? Now we’re asking the right questions.
To me, everything I do in the recording process (no matter how seemingly tangential) boils down to this: Bands that are comfortable are confident. Confident bands deliver confident performances. Confident performances kick ass. Kick ass records sell.
Do you smell what I’m stepping in? Good, because I plan on tracking it all over the house.
I’ve come to realize that the bands I record have worked very, very hard to become comfortable, confident and kick ass on stage- and that it takes a long time to get comfortable on stage, often years and years. A big part of my job is to get bands comfortable in a studio setting, and fast! But it’s tricky. I don’t want bands to try to get comfortable…that just leads to trying too hard. We’ve all tried too hard at things. It can be dangerous. Whether it’s trying too hard to be funny, using too many big words (like watermelon) to appear to be smart, or trying too hard to impress someone, it always seems to backfire. Same with being comfortable-it’s the one thing you can’t fake in the studio, or add with Pro Tools. Comfort should just come. It’s that feeling you get when you’re wearing your favorite pair of jeans with that T-shirt you’ve had forever. You feel invincible- that’s the essence of what I’m trying to get on tape every time I’m in the studio.
I guess this is the reason I refer to myself as an “(anti) professional.” I’ve worked really hard over the years to get good enough at the technical aspects of what I do to be able to place it firmly in the background. My version of “studio psychology” is based on the fact that technology doesn’t make bands comfortable!! So, I make a lot of jokes while I work, I wear a silly brass bell with a pink ribbon around my neck, and I smile a lot (you kinda have to when you’re wearing a bell with a pink ribbon…) I don’t talk about the technology that I’m using during a session, I don’t squint and point at computer screens that sit between me and the band. I’d rather move them off to the side of the console (or shut them off!) and focus on lighting some candles between takes, adjust the lights and light just the right incense as I listen to the bands’ headphone mix to make sure it kicks ass. That’s huge!
Looking back, I’ve come full circle on the subject. When I first started out I took great pride in telling the lead singer how much the microphone costs that he’s singing into. I quickly realized what a dumb ass I was. Turns out, when you tell someone they’re singing into a mic that cost more than the new Camaro they just bought – they’re ass tends to pucker up a bit….which defeats the whole thing. Now when I’m asked how much the mic costs- I tell them it’s some old piece of shit that sounds great, and that it’s indestructible. I want the singer singing his little (un-puckered) ass of into that mic with reckless abandon. He can’t do that if he’s afraid he might break it and it’ll cost him his new car. For every piece of high-end gear I buy now, I make sure to buy some trinket for $50-$100, like a bullhorn (police issue!!) or a candolin. (That’s either a mandolin made from a tin can, or a candle made from a violin, I’ve forgotten which folks). This is the stuff that tends to make the difference; which in turn, makes them priceless. These "comfort zone creators" are the rarest of all ingredients in the hit record recipe; so treat them with as much respect as any of the coveted high dollar gear you may own. You know...like a DNA blanket.
Chris Mara
www.chrismara.com
www.myspace.com/chrismara
When I first talked to Musicscene.org about writing a blog on the subject of recording and studio stuff for their website, my initial question was “What about, specifically?”… “Anything- just keep it music related” was the answer. Well, this sounded like a recipe for an industry rant (which I’m prone to do from time to time). In order to avoid the temptation of any soap boxing, I thought I’d rather take this spotlight opportunity to introduce a rather infamous ‘friend’ of mine, and tell the story about his rise to notoriety… and leave the ranting to Dennis Miller.
I’m a (anti) professional recording engineer based out of Nashville, TN. I bounce around from studio to studio, city to city and am hardly ever in the same studio for more than a week or two. So, over the years I started bringing certain things to each gig that would make it feel more like home. This turned into a full fledged “vibe kit” full of candles, incense, Mardi gras beads, my favorite slippers, et cetera. One of the items was a green blanket that I’ve had since I was a kid. I put it to good use over the kick drum of each session, faithfully protecting my outer kick drum mic from cymbal bleed. You guessed it- this article is about the green blanket.
Read on- it’s a good story, I promise.
Almost since day one of me bringing the green blanket to studios, I noticed that some mornings the blanket wouldn’t be in the same place as I left it. This happened almost every time some of the band members would crash at the studio. It seems that there really aren’t that many blankets hanging around professional studios- so band members would snatch it off the kick drum in order to get a good nights’ sleep. Harmless enough, right? Well, most bands that I work with travel from surrounding states, and they also like to bring things from home- like girlfriends. Some would even find girls to come back to the studio with them. In each case, they’d seek out the help of my trusty friend, the green blanket to comfort then in their time of need.
Fast forward about 6 years, countless bands, countless “times of need” and absolutely zero washing machine encounters - I’m serious, the green blanket has not been washed since 1995-it’s got a sheen to it that ensures you that water would bead up and roll off it like water off a duck’s back… the green blanket had taken on a life of its own! About four years ago I stopped folding it up after sessions- that’s why God made interns, right? I would quietly snicker as the intern would dutifully fold it up and place it in one of my road cases. I would also ask band members how they slept as they crawled out of underneath the green blanket. I would also offer it up in a heartbeat to any slightly chilled band groupie- that’s the best! I’m not always the best at hiding my giddy laughter, so I’ve had to tell a few bands what the deal is with the green blanket. Most didn’t believe me, but upon close inspection, you can really see that a ton of people have left their mark- it’s seriously gross. Almost every color associated with the human body is somewhere on this blanket.
This leads me to the next part of the green blanket’s story. After one side-splitting confession after another- it was brought to my attention that the green blanket needed another name- maybe a “code name” or something. After much thought (and a few other “times of need”) I came up with the perfect name, The DNA Blanket. The name stuck, as have a lot of other things to it over the last couple of years.
Why don’t I throw the blanket away? Well, I really can’t shake the image of me throwing it into a dumpster, and a few minutes later someone dumping a dead hooker into the same dumpster. The police would assume that The DNA Blanket was used in the crime and take it to the lab. Then the technicians would print out the 80 page report of all the people’s DNA that appeared on the blanket (you know who you are) and the trial of the century would begin. I can see the CSI script writers warming up in the wings…
I even have a list of people that have asked for a framed section of The DNA Blanket if, God forbid, anything should happen to it that would render it unusable, so it can live on in infamy; a true testament to its contribution to their record.
Well, that’s the story of The DNA Blanket. Not the typical recording and studio article- but that’s the point. I’m not your typical “professional” engineer, and there’s no such thing as a “typical band” or a “typical session.”
Hope you dug it.
Chris Mara
Nashville, TN
www.chrismara.com
www.myspace.com/chrismara