EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRODUCER/MIXER KEVIN ANTREASSIAN
Kevin Antreassian runs a booming recording business out of Backroom Studios in Rockaway, NJ. In addition to helping make countless local metal bands sound like Gods, Kevin has been the man behind sessions with Coheed & Cambria’s Chris Pennie, The Number 12 Looks Like You, Knife the Glitter, The Binary Code and more.
A couple of weeks ago I shot Kevin a list of questions via email about his studio, producing, the recording process, gear, getting all up in a band member’s face when they play a sloppy take and some of the bands that he’s worked with. It’s clear from his answers that not only is Kevin a talented engineer/mixer/producer but he gets metal, a characteristic that most studio guys on a local level just don’t have. production Kevin’s answers, after the jump.
How did you first get into recording?
I first got interested in being a recording engineer when I was in the studio with my old band (whose name i will leave out). I was the only member of the group in the control room 100% of the time and would always call out our engineer on stuff, not to be a dick but just because I wanted perfection. One day he said to me, “wow, you have a good ear… maybe you should think about being an engineer?!” That got me thinking, so I started recording local acts in a friends garage on a Boss BR-8 on old floppy ZIP disks! Apparently people liked what I was doing so they kept coming back. When I was in college I inquired about the music program, but they informed me that it was a difficult program to get into, especially since I knew ablsolutely nothing about music theory at the time. I made it a priority to get into that program and I graduated from it five years later.
When did you start up Backroom Studios?
My last year in college, our band Knife the Glitter had lost its rehearsal spot in our bass player’s garage so we had to start looking for a new place to play. Up until then we’d always been fortunate enough to have a free place to jam. In our search for a new rehearsal space we came across Backroom Studios. I had done a project in college where we had to come up with a business plan for a studio or whatever we wanted to pursue after graduating. My idea had been a recording studio that also had rooms for rehearsal and teaching lessons. When I heard that Backroom was planning on installing a studio in it, AND was actually up for sale I freaked out. In June of 2007 I had officially bought it from the previous owner, and started working on putting the studio in place.
Do you identify yourself as an engineer, mixer or producer? Or all three? Where do you think your strengths lie and what’s your favorite part of the process?
I typically [record] a lot of local acts who generally cannot afford to have their own producer sit in on sessions so I tend to produce almost every band I work with as well. I also mix the final product in most cases. As far as strengths go, I consider myself to have a pretty decent ear for musical taste, whether I’m a fan of the genre or not. I don’t ever hesitate to tell a band when something they’re doing just sucks. They may not agree with me 100% of the time, but they’re paying me to make the track the best that it can be, not be their friend. I find a lot of engineers would rather just sit back and record instead of being honest with their clients. This limits them from becoming part of the experience of making something epic. I’ve had people cry in my studio, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. I’m also a complete computer/tech geek, which is a must for owning your own studio.
The hours recording engineers keep can be grueling. How do you deal with it emotionally?
Since i’m my own boss, I try and keep my schedule somewhat normal. I offer incentives to clients willing to block day rates from 10am-6pm and charge more for nights and weekends. I’m usually there, running back and forth from home to the studio, till about 11pm most nights anyway. I can’t really complain much; not many of my friends are their own boss.
What are some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on?
In the three years i’ve been doing this professionally, I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of really talented musicians… too many to name. Ones that stick out in my head are drum tracking with Chris Pennie of Coheed and Cambria and lately I’ve been working with this band Impossible Voyage. Those guys are amazing young musicians who always write songs with lots of textures. They aren’t afraid to do something completely different. They also always seem to be the biggest, most complex mixes I end up working on, which is a fun challenge.
You’re also in the band Knife the Glitter. How do you balance your time with the band and your time in the studio?
It’s really tough. Lately we’ve just been so busy with our own lives that we have very little time to rehearse which, in a band like ours, is pretty crucial. When we actually do meet up, we spend most of the weekend just rehearsing older songs so we dont forget the progressions and changes. Also, over the past few months I’ve been on tour with Knife the Glitter, The Dillinger Escape Plan in Europe (as their tech), and also most recently Todd Rundgren (also as a tech). Someone needs to invent a 32-hour day!
Do you record your own band, and if so, does your personal involvement affect the outcome at all?
I do record my own group, though it seems I put way less effort into our tracks than my own clients. I try to treat it the same as I would any other group. If my drummer sucks at a section or my bass player misses a note, I’ll gladly tell them to do it over. Lucky for me, they’re great players, so this rarely happens. When it’s time for me to track, I’ll usually have them hit the record button and act as engineer and guide my playing. I’m usually too busy focusing on the riff to actually listen to my performance, so they keep me in check.
What are your feelings on Pro Tools (or other digital editing suites) vs. analog recording?
I guess I’m one of those bleeding edge nerds who always prefers the new tech to the older stuff. When amp modeling came out, I totally jumped on that and have been a full supporter ever since. Yeah, about 10 years ago it wasn’t so hot, but now it’s so close [to sounding like real amps] it’s ridiculous. I’ve had players come in with Soldano SLO 100’s which is almost a $3K amp, who then hear the emulation of it on my Axe-FX Ultra and end up just using that for their record, no joke. I’ve had to edit tape by cutting it before, as well as fully aligning a 2″ machine before with test tones. To me it’s totally unnecessary and a waste of the client’s time. If you’re a young musician on a budget do you really want me to be changing tape reels on the tape machine for half an hour on your dime? And for what? Lots of engineers glorify old gear, and old record tones. If anything, the songs were WAY better than pretty much most music out today and I wont argue that point one bit…but have you ever heard a record from the 70s and said, “yeah, i totally love the drum sound on that record.” Maybe its just me or the fact that I didnt grow up with a record player, but I haven’t.
Do you mix entirely inside the box?
As of now, yes. I am currently looking into getting a Dangerous 2-Bus for outboard analog summing but I just bought a bunch of API 512c mic pres, so I’m broke for the time being! I had the option of buying an SSL 6000 board or the ICON I had last year, but I went the digital route. For my situation, it just works way better for me. If I didn’t have total recall and automation on my board I wouldnt have a business. I typically work on 4 different groups a week, so the amount of mix notes I’d have to keep for each band would be insane. It’s not uncommon that I’ll have two different groups in the same day, so when group A is done and group B shows up, their mix is just as it was when we left it a few days ago [because of total recall]… so nice.
How do you approach producing? Do you get involved with song structures and arrangements or are you more of a “tones” type of guy?
As I stated above, I GET ALL UP IN THAT SHIT! There’s been a lot of sessions where we end up re-writing the entire arrangement of a tune, and it’s always for the better. I always leave it up to my client to make the final call, but when I feel strongly about something I’ll let them know. After all it is their vision I’m trying to help create, not mine. I get a lot of repeat business because groups know that their songs will change for the better after they leave the studio, and it’s such an awesome feeling when you see them so pumped for the way the “new” version sounds.
Where would you like to go in the future with your recording career? What’s next for you?
In the far future I’d like to get a private studio either attached to my home or nearby it and actually own the property. I’ll most likely always keep Backroom Studios but somewhere down the line I would like to expand and have another rehearsal spot somewhere else, like a franchise! Maybe it’s just a dream, but we’ll see.
-VN
