Analog Dialog: Gary Paczosa Says It's About Listening to the Instruments Part 2
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Gary Paczosa
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"I bought two of the 6176s because we just loved the sound of them. It's the first analog piece of gear in years that I've really been excited about. The first time I heard it, the first time somebody brought one in, I knew that it was something I'd been looking for. I'm currently using it on vocals for the new Alison Krauss record."
"[6176 is] the first analog piece of gear in years that I've really been excited about."
"My favorite setting changes with everyone I record. I haven't fed the 6176s anything I don't like it on yet. That's awesome. I know the characteristics of the 1176; it was always a good electric guitar compressor. I kind of left it at that. Now I'm finding that it feels like it has a quicker attack than the old ones. That becomes more useful to me, having quicker attack and release because I'm really just trying use it more for peak protection, as opposed to getting really aggressive on the compression. I can get there if I want, and get that sound, but I'm also capable of doing lighter compression without having the entire top end sucked out of it. So far everything we've put it on has really sounded great."
"I'm still not trying to really jack things up and manipulate them. Just add a little warmth, open up the top end, try and shape the bottom. There's not a lot to do, because I'm fortunate in that the players I'm working with, literally, they bring in some of the finest instruments in the world - 1940s and 50s Martin guitars, great Dudendostal mandolins. They've hunted their whole life for their sound, their voice; and it's my job to capture that--not alter it."
Personally, I find that mainstream records can be so over compressed these days. Gary echoed my sentiments.
"Yeah, Nashville records in particular can be a compressed nightmare to me. When everything on the record sounds like a single, when it seems like from the downbeat of the song everything is full on, my feeling is there's no sense of pacing or space. That's where Alison really shines. She has patience. You might have to wait until the third chorus to get the harmony vocals, while in mainstream country all that's happening from the very top. They just don't have time to build because they can't afford to have a listener turn to another station."
"Alison is great because she's not afraid of space, and a lot of people are. It's often really, really hard to maintain space with other artists. Usually they hear a hole and they've got to fill it. She's the opposite. She likes to clear things out. If it's not really adding to the track it's gone. We're not keeping it just because we spent a day on it. It's instantly gone and that's that. As an engineer, I can't fall in love with anything, I can't hold on to any sounds or parts or start thinking 'These are really going to make it exciting in the mix.' With her, I learned early not to fall in love with, or count on anything; because if it's not adding something that matters to the lyrics of the song, if it doesn't help the lyrics be heard or help the mood of the lyrics, then it's history."
"Also the problem with these kind of projects on digital workstations is that people don't make choices anymore, they save everything, so that there's ultimately so much to weed through during the mix. "'
"If we're going to do a solo, I'll take six tracks of it, then the guys will usually sit down and comp it out. Then we'll erase the other parts, because then we'll know it's done. They don't want to be second-guessing and wondering if they should go back in and try another part. We make decisions right here, even when it comes down to keeping versions of mixes. In Nashville, and I'm sure everywhere, there's a usually long list of versions: Up and down backgrounds, up and down solos. Alison's theory is, 'We're all listening, we all love what we're hearing now. I don't know why we need versions when we're all here?' That was just real different. The attitude of 'C'mon, Step up to the plate. Make a decision.'"
When I have to step in on a project as an outsider, something that somebody else has done, I often feel like so much of it can be weeding through things. At that point you're not mixing, you're arranging, spending time trying to convince the producer that this is not adding anything, or it's getting into the realm of something else. I don't have a lot of that anymore."
With so many great albums under his belt, I wondered if Gary had any favorite tracks or albums?
In terms of Allison, I like New Favorite- it's a Gillian Welch song. She's an incredible artist, definitely someone you should check out. I love that track. It's got great space, and a great lyric, and it is so understated. It's probably got a little too much reverb on it, but I love the song. The last Nickel Creek record This Side, I love everything about it - songs, sonics, production, and performance. No weaknesses, no excuse not to make a great record. I just want to emphasize how important it is to listen to the instruments."
But how does Gary get that affinity with the players, whether women or guys?
"I love helping the players. I think my role up until the mix is giving them an inspiring headphone mix and getting their tone, getting an awesome tone; it makes them play better, and when they play better they're giving better tone which gives us more to work with. If something's feeling uninspired my first thought isn't, 'Boy, they're not really feeling it today.' My first thought is, 'What can I do to tweak this to find some way to give them an inspiring mix, whether that's playing with reverb, making it dry, or just changing the balance, you really can affect what they play or how inspired they are.' If they're enjoying their tone while they're playing, they're so much freer to explore, to work things out."
Does Gary have any advice for someone up and coming? Whether a musician starting to record or engineer?
"I am very lucky right now, I'm booked six months out. I'm kind of amazed because there are some really talented engineers that are not working at all. The industry has been hit pretty hard because of pirating and illegal downloading as well as the market move towards video games and DVDs."
"When I was an intern at Eastman, I was constantly in the hall listening to what instruments sounded like. I do the same thing now. If somebody's in the room playing, maybe working something out, or if they're a singer just working on background parts or something, I'm listening to how that guitar or that voice sounds. I'm listening to find out what's there. The point of my work is to capture what you're hearing, put a magnifying glass on it and hype the good things in it, or sometimes you've got to duck the things that may be annoying."
"I'm out at the instruments four or five times while we're tracking, every time they go back out and sit down, I'm back in there adjusting the microphones, because to me that just makes all the difference in the world, and they may not be paying attention to microphone placement."
"The only compliments that I get that matter are from musicians saying, 'That's what it sounds like to me when I play.' That's it. That's as good as the compliments get, because guys who have worked this long on their tone, they know what it is to go into a studio when someone's just dialing up the same-old same-old."
What does Gary have coming up?
"I'm currently in the middle of a new Allison Krauss record, John Prine record and Chris Thile record."
Stay tuned for more from Gary Paczosa...
- Marsha Vdovin
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