THE TECHNICAL SUPERIORITY OF RAW TALENT

If you think great mixing is all about the latest tech, think again. It’s not the best console or high-end mic collection that elevates your mixes to greatness, but rather the musicians delivering their sublime performances of well-crafted and arranged songs. Receive that talent down the Cat5 or copper cable and you’re already in the home straight!

I’ve been mixing a tonne of music over the last few months, both live and in the studio, and I’m currently ’match fit’, as I like to describe it.

When I get this way, one thing becomes crystal clear to me: that great performances and raw talent are fundamental to the success of my role as a mix engineer. Bad performances, mediocre song arrangements and poor sonic choices on stage, meanwhile… well, they’re much harder to pull together.

Particularly when a bunch of bands are lumped together at a festival, it becomes excruciatingly obvious from front-of-house who’s spent more time on makeup and clothing than practice and song craft. The ones that hit the stage thinking it’s all about posing or the right colour guitar are no match for those who’ve honed their craft musically, or who possess clear, attention-grabbing raw talent. When these musicians are contrasted side-by-side on stage, the comparison can be downright embarrassing. And it’s no coincidence which bands are the easiest and most satisfying to mix – raw musical talent and great musicianship win out every time.

As technology’s relentless advancement continues to impose itself on almost every aspect of our audio productions it’s easy to forget that performances of talented people are what count most in music, not technology. A better EQ, a slightly more nuanced multi-band compressor, a better DAW, a new mic or a fancier reverb algorithm are all fantastic tools to have at one’s fingertips. But these are no match for simply lifting a fader on a brilliant musical performance.

I’ve mixed at least four standout acts in the last three weeks alone, all of them local artists, along with at least twice that number, both local or international, that were in one way or another exceedingly difficult to pull together off stage. The exceptional performances, each and every time, unquestionably made my good mixes great, which is why, when people approach me after a gig to congratulate me on the sound, my response is essentially the same each time: “When you have musicians on stage performing like that, my job’s easy… and exceedingly pleasurable.”

And I’m being sincere when I say that, not bashful. Nothing is more astounding to me than direct involvement with great songwriting, musicianship and raw talent. I never grow tired of it, even if I’ve been mixing for 14 hours straight, or every day for months.

Some of these recent acts have been older, others younger, some very young indeed. Without exception, each of them has had a brilliance that’s shone off stage like a supernova. In many cases – and these are the ones I find the most fascinating – the artists themselves have seemed scarcely aware of their own talent. I love that, and I think most music fans lucky enough to witness it do too.

I’ll mention a few names directly here, given that this issue of CX is the ‘Local’ issue.

Normally I’m loathe to name names, but in this case they’re well worth mentioning, if for no other reason than to get people out to see them. It’s a crying shame when brilliant Australian musicians play to half-empty venues, meanwhile down the road 100,000 punters are prepared to re-mortgage their house and navigate a hailstorm to see Tay Tay at the ‘G’. Each to their own of course, but I’m convinced people think our home-grown talent is inferior somehow. It’s not. It’s just fundamentally undervalued… and in many cases, unknown.

What’s also fascinating about my recent experience of local artists is that it can’t just be coincidence. I’m not somehow lucky enough to be mixing all the best acts in the country right now. It proves to me that great talent is everywhere! So if you’re one of those people in our industry who goes around bemoaning the lack of musical talent in Australia, try going to a local gig once in a while rather than staying at home and spinning a record from 40 years ago. Great music is everywhere, always has been, and there’s something out there for everyone, no matter how obscure, refined or specific your tastes. You just have to find it.

Naming Names

One of the acts I mixed recently is someone I’ve worked with before. Queenie is her stage name. This young woman is a highly skilled, outrageously talented, fantastic sounding singer who blows away audiences with her extraordinary range, power and stage presence. She’s a modern-day rocker with all the talent required to rise to great heights, and on stage she is so good it’s breathtaking. She sang into Shure’s new Nexadyne 8/C handheld dynamic mic at the gig (which I’ve been field testing)… and the combination of her incredible voice and this new, well-balanced, crystal clear dynamic delivered a truly breathtaking outcome that day.

Go see Queenie; you won’t be disappointed.

The next day I mixed The Counterfeit, who were playing the music of Ennio Morricone. This band were fantastic, bringing to life on stage the iconic music of the legendary Italian composer in a sophisticated and sensitive way. The band weren’t cheesy or trite or clichéd – though that was the risk – they were brilliant, and the audience was repeatedly brought to tears, as I might add, was I. Dunno what it was about that band or that music, but they were deeply moving at times. The fun part of the gig from my perspective was that I was given carte blanche (by me) to mix with some huge, over-the-top reverbs… the spaghetti western horns and whistles were suitably drenched! If you see The Counterfeit around the traps, go see them.

Another act called Ozone Street, a local band from Southern Victoria, have a remarkable young guitarist named Archie Leggett, who is an outstanding talent on blues lead guitar. If he keeps playing into his 30s and 40s, I suspect he’ll have quite the reputation by then. He’s a rare talent, incredibly gifted on his instrument, and nonchalant, almost dismissive of his abilities. Remember that name! He’s fantastic.

Three other acts of note that I mixed in quick succession, all of whom are remarkable performers, were: Loretta Miller, one of Australia’s best female vocalists who always plays with great musicians around her. She sang up a storm and performed brilliantly, as usual, but to too few, which was a real pity. Georgia Fields and her string quartet played sublimely. Some of the members of this all-female outfit are members of the MSO, and that was clear from their performance – remarkable. Finally there was Hussy Hicks, another all-female band made up of brilliant players; well known in certain circles for their high-energy performances, and yet another example of an Australian band whose raw talent and musicianship far exceeds the size of the audience that witness them. Julz Parker is an amazing talent on guitar in that band, and Leesa Gentz is a phenomenon on the mic. The rhythm section absolutely rocks as well. If you’re bored and Hussy Hicks are playing at a venue near you, get off the couch and go!

Last mention: I mixed a gig a couple of weeks ago now featuring the duo of Kevin Welch and Heath Cullen, who were both also singing into the pair of recent test mics I’ve had with me: the Shure Nexadyne 8/Cs. Kevin’s strictly speaking an Oklahoma-raised, dyed-in-the- wool American, but he’s lived here for some time now, and is well worth going to see if you like mature, heartfelt songwriting and sublime singing craft. Heath is Australian, and another great guitar player (the list seems long at this point!) Kevin is a very experienced singer/songwriter, with several awards under his belt. His voice through the Nexadyne 8/C was beautifully detailed and clear, which gave the mixes that night a special intimacy in the smaller venue.

So from my perspective in this crazy industry of ours, there is no drought of musicality, only the one outside the studio in the surrounding paddocks. Australian music is healthy, and awash with talent despite the disgraceful lack of support from the industry around it. I can hardly keep up with the endless stream of great musicians I’ve encountered over this summer alone, and I’m hopeful that at least some of them will appear on some upcoming recording projects I’ll be working on throughout the year ahead.

I can’t help but be enthralled by great songs and performers – they’re the lifeblood of the music industry. Without them we might as well pack it all in and go home!

Andy Stewart owns and operates The Mill in the hills of Bass Coast Shire, Victoria, and he’s also the Editorial Director of mutech.media