Mixdown Monthly Beat Magazine

DARREN GRAHN

Darren Grahn

How to get a job with Metallica – Part 1

Andrián Pertout speaks to Pro Tools operator and editor, engineer and producer Darren Grahn from Vancouver about his beginnings, his work alongside Bob Rock on albums by Metallica, and redesigning music with Pro Tools.

It was after a lucky strike in the early 90s as assistant to Bob Rock at Vancouver Studios that Darren Grahn began that influencial association with the legendary producer as his Pro Tools operator and editor.  He went on to attain engineering/digital editing credits on Metallica’s ‘S&M’ with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and ‘Reload’, with an ‘additional engineer’ credit on the ‘Binge & Purge’ box set.  Other Grahn output includes acts such as Monster Magnet, Protein, Catherine Wheel, Bryan Adams, KD Lang, The Cult, Veruca Salt, Venessa Williams, Nine Inch Nails, Arthur Funkarelli and Morning Maker, among many.  Darren is now scheduled to visit Australia in July 2001 as host of the Studio Sessions 2 tour, a ‘Pro Tools from Songwriting to Mastering’ Digital Recording Workshop revealing the editing techniques of some of his major projects.

Tell me a little about your background.  How did you initially get into the sonic side of music design?

DG: ”Well, I basically started out in high school, playing in bands.  I’m a drummer, and I also play guitar now.  But that’s just in the past couple of years.  But I started off as a drummer in high school.  You know, I had all types of bands going.  And at the time I was thinking, ‘Well, it might be cool to do the band thing.’  But when I was in first year college I remember a friend of mine – who was a bass player – got a brochure from one of these SAE type of schools, engineering schools.  And we were just sitting down over lunch one day, and he goes, ‘Look, there’s actually a career in recording bands!’  And you know, I’m like eighteen years old, and I just had no idea.  I’m like, ‘I thought Van Halen, AC-DC just went into the studio and recorded themselves.’  I didn’t know much about what was going on.  So there was this thing – practical miking of a drum kit, how to record vocals – and it was like this light went on, and I’m like, ‘That is perfect, for what I wanna do!’  So our plan was, ‘OK, let’s go down to Vancouver – ‘cause I grew up in a town a couple of hours outside of Vancouver – and we’ll go look at this school and suss it out.’  It turns out that there were actually two other ones that offered a similar program, and we just sort of explored them all and I immediately went, ‘You know what?  I think this would be a really cool thing.’  And because I had this electronic technical side of me, and also this thing where it’s like, ‘I don’t want to have to rely on three or four other musicians for my career!’ – you know what I mean? – it seemed as though I’d have a little more control over my destiny by going behind the scenes.  So yeah, we came down together, checked it out, and sure enough he ended up bailing out.  His dad pressured him to do something else.  But I went for it.

“And that’s what got me down to Vancouver.  And while I was taking this course, I was meeting people with similar interests, and discovering studios here in town.  I’d go through the phonebook and go, ‘You know what?  I wanna get something going before I graduate, like a volunteer position or something.’  And I volunteered at a studio here in town while I was doing my last year of production.  And I ended up working not for money, but for studio hours, and used those studio hours to actually get a better project result for school (laughs).  Because you’re allowed so many hours at the studio at school, so I would secretly go over to this studio and like to do a better mix or something.  So that got me hooked on the whole making of records; the black art of doing it.  And after graduating I started looking for a salary position somewhere.  That’s when I went to another studio called Vancouver Studios, and they hired me.  And there was a band called Queensrythe.  I believe they’re still together, but in the 90s they were a really popular band.  They had a single called ‘Silent Lucidity’, which I’m sure was pretty popular in Australia.  It was a big radio hit.  Anyway, there was that record, where I was the sort of studio lackey, going to get food.  But they were really cool guys, and they’d let me in the studio.  And I was just fascinated with the whole thing.  That was like 1990, and shortly after the Queensrythe thing, Bob Rock started working at the studio.  He was one of the house guys at Clearmountain Studios, and I guess he was looking for other places to work in.  So just as luck would have it, he came out to Vancouver Studios.  I was one of the assistants, so I was put on their project, and it was Cher.  She was doing a new record, and Bob Rock was producing four songs for her.  But she wasn’t there.  Bob was doing all the sessions stuff, like the drums, bass, guitars, and then they’d send the tapes to her in New York.  And so that’s how I met Bob, and I still to this day work with him.”

How did the gig with Metallica come about?

DG: ”It was just through developing that relationship with Bob.  He’s a very loyal person; he likes to build a close team, so myself and Randy Staub have worked with him for years.  Also, during the 90s, there was a lot of rock and roll stuff, like Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, The Cult, a band called The London Choirboys, Skid Row.  And Bob was producing all this stuff.  And of course, whilst all that was going on, there was always time in between each project.  I would be engineering my own bands, that I would bring into the studio, because the studio managers would encourage their assistants to bring projects in, just to build their jobs.  And so I was constantly doing that, and of course working with some other local producers.  I got a chance to work with Bob Ezrin, legendary – he worked with Peter Gabriel and Alice Cooper – with a British band called The Catherine Wheel.  And this was actually just a few years ago.  And that was a great experience; just to see how he approaches the building of a track, and how he looks at a song.  It’s really quite amazing.  I’ve been very lucky.”

Why Pro Tools?  What about similar programs such as Cubase and Logic Audio?  Where do you fit in with regards to the IBM versus Mac debate?

DG: ”Well, I was brought up on Macintosh, and just because Pro Tools really designed the code around Mac.  They didn’t initially have it for PC.  It was a SCSI-based system, and they developed it on Mac.  Now you can get Pro Tools for Windows, but that’s really only in the past couple of years.  So Macintosh and Pro Tools has sort of been a hand-in-hand-thing since around ‘92, when they first came on the scene.  And Bob Rock was using a Pro Tools guy named Scott Humphrey, who has gone on to become a successful producer in his own right.  But he was one of the first guys to really push Pro Tools to the maximum, in terms of heavy multi-track editing, and syncing it up with another tape machine.  These Pro Tools rigs just became more and more popular as producers could see what they could do.  They were like, ‘Wow!  We can tune vocals with this without changing the length of the sample, and really get in there.’  You know, do incredible drum editing without having to cut tape.  Because that was the old school method of doing it.  And it was an incredible amount of work; to go in and cut two-inch tape for three days.  It just takes for ever, so being able to use Pro Tools was just great.  And of course it’s non-destructive; there’re multiple levels of undo, so just the flexibility you have is really incredible.  And to answer your question about Pro Tools versus Logic and Cubase – Logic and Cubase were MIDI-based sequencers that eventually added audio because they had to – Pro Tools is a strictly rock solid audio editor which now has incorporated MIDI.  So it’s like the opposite.  I’m not a programmer.  I will basically assemble loops; audio in Pro Tools as audio sample, as opposed to doing stuff MIDI wise.  It’s just the type of music that I work on; they’re bands.  You know, you’ve got them playing the stuff, so you then edit that, as opposed to going in with a songwriter who basically has a keyboard and a drum machine.  Although, I have done that stuff, but I don’t do that as much.  But I’ve never tried the PC version of Pro Tools.  I’ve never even seen it!  I’ve just seen it in an ad, and that’s about it (laughs).  I’ve heard that it’s not that much different, that it’s pretty much the same.  But your key commands would be different, and I am so used to the Mac interface.”

How is Pro Tools utilized, from the songwriting to the mastering stages?

DG: ”That’s actually a good question, because that’s what I’m going base this whole workshop on; just to show the instant flexibility that you get.  Say if I’m going in with a band, pre-production wise, for example.  You basically go to their rehearsal spot, and set up somewhere.  And I’ll just bring down my laptop, and record everything into that.  I’ve got a little version of Pro Tools in there called Power Mac, just two-tack.  And I’ll find a good location where I can hear everything OK, and basically record them live, off the floor there.  So I’ll record their song right into Pro Tools, and show them right there.  Like say you want to shorten the chorus, or you want to add a re-intro that’s a little bit longer or something; you can do it right there, right after they play, and play it for them.  And believe me, the reaction that you get – especially from a band that’s never worked with computers before – is amazing.  It blows them away, because it’s just so easy to do.  It’s all visual, and they can hear the results right away.  And a lot of times you might try to explain – you know, I’ll be sitting there listening and go, ‘Yeah, that sounds really good guys, but let’s get rid of half of the second verse, let’s try getting the chorus a bit sooner.’ – but it’s hard for them to do it, unless they hear it.  They’ll try it and be a little tentative, so psychologically, it’s a very cool tool.  Of course at that point I don’t really get into the overdubs or anything like that, where you might say, ‘Let’s hear what it sounds like with an acoustic guitar over the top of what you’re playing.’  But I’ll open up another track and have them do a quick overdub right there, just loose and sloppy, not too concerned about performance being perfect.  And especially with a young band – that hasn’t gone in and cut a whole record – it really gives an idea of what layering does, although it’s just basic multi-tracking.  And you can’t do that this quick on like an ADAT, stuff like that.  And it’s not as compact.  I’ve just got my little computer with a single stereo mike, real simple.”

For further information contact Catherine Hutchison at International Artists Management (0418) 563 278), or visit The Studio Sessions Home Page on the World Wide Web. Email: studiosessions@yahoo.com.au

ANDRIÁN PERTOUT

'Mixdown' Monthly ~ Issue #86, June 6, 2001

BEAT MAGAZINE PTY LTD

All rights reserved. All text, graphics and sound files on this page are copyrighted.
Unauthorized reproduction and copying of this page is prohibited by law. Copyright © 2001 by Andrián Pertout.

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DARREN GRAHN

Metallica: S&M

How to get a job with Metallica – Part 2

Andrián Pertout speaks to Pro Tools operator and editor, engineer and producer Darren Grahn from Vancouver about his beginnings, his work alongside Bob Rock on albums by Metallica, and redesigning music with Pro Tools.

“Over the past 8 years he has worked alongside Bob Rock on the Metallica albums as his Pro Tools operator and editor, performing 48-track drum edits, spinning and repairing guitar and bass performances and even doing complete timing and repairing of an entire 140-piece symphony – mixing to 5.1 surround sound for the last Metallica record straight into Pro Tools through Apogee converters and then sequencing the whole two-hour show digitally,” states the Darren Grahn bio on the Studio Sessions Web Site.

In continuation to the previous May issue of Mixdown, Darren Grahn returns to the discussion of ‘How Pro Tools is utilized, from the songwriting to the mastering stages,’ and using as example Metallica’s ‘S&M’ with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, reveals many Pro Tool tricks of the trade.

What about the use of Pro Tools in the production stage?

DG: ”As far as the production stage – it’s used for countless things.  As you go through the process, you might start with assembling say a drum track.  In the old days – still nowadays.  I shouldn’t say the old days…”

Yeah, not that long ago…

DG: ”Yeah, yeah, say two years ago (laughs).  But with the analogue world – I still cut drums to analogue, I love it, because two-inch tape’s got saturation, and just sounds wonderful – I might do two or three takes of a song, and then I’ll load it right into Pro Tools.  I usually record drums across twelve or sixteen tracks.  I’ll load those four takes in, and then do a ‘best of’.  And I’ll stack them, so that I have take one through four appearing on the screen.  And then I’ll just go, ‘Yeah, I’d say for the most part take two is the one.  Now, let’s go through and listen to take two; that verse is really nice.’  And you just copy and paste it, because I’ll have them playing to a click.  And of course you can instantly do cross fades right there so that it sounds perfect.  And then I’ll go through and start looking at the fills.  You know, you can go in and really tweak things, without having to worry about cutting tape, and it’s all non-destructive.  So once I go through and cut the drums, and everything’s done timing wise, I might cut it to the click visually – go through and do everything perfect – if I’m looking for that airtight sound.  And at that point I’ve got a new master, once I’ve got this assembled.  I’ll then throw that back to two-inch tape, more than likely, and continue overdubs, because I don’t really use Pro Tools so much for a main recording device.  I still like to use a tape-base sort of safety.  In other words, either two-inch or 48-track Sony, because I still work in studios that have that kind of environment, and I really like doing things that way.  And that way I’ve always got it backed up, it’s archived.  I’ve got it on Pro Tools and my tape-based format.

“And as I’m doing overdubs, I’ll be recording stuff to tape.  I then load everything into Pro Tools.  So I might do three or four vocal takes, load them into Pro Tools, comp it, tune it with Autotune, spin choruses – it’s instant!  I can copy and paste stuff.  It’s just so fast; it’s an incredible tool.  It takes a lot of pressure also.  And this is a big argument, because nowadays people are saying, ‘Oh, they don’t even have to play anymore.’  That sort of thing.  But you still have to get that feel.  I use the typewriter analogy, where it’s like, before computers were processors, using a typewriter – when you have to liquid paper it out and redo it again – that’s like the analogue way of doing, but with digital everything is just like a word processor.  You take it as far you want it to go, or you can be as gentle as you want.  It’s just up to the operator.”

“I use Pro Tools right from pre-production, and after I’m done mixing.  I’ll even mix into Pro Tools in addition to DAT.  I’ll have it going into Pro Tools, and then do like nine or ten versions of a mix.  So I’ll do my master, and then I’ll do like a vocal up, depending on the song I might do a bass up, more strings, less strings, depending on the elements.  And then live with that for a couple of days.  So the mixing is done, but I’ll have everything in Pro Tools, and then have whoever the main songwriter in the band just come by my place, we’ll listen through and go, ‘You know what, on song A the master’s fine, but I think the strings are too quiet.  Let’s cut that in.’  We just line it up, copy and paste it, done.  So I’ll assemble all the mixes, and put the songs in order, as they would appear on the CD that you buy in the store.  I assemble it and do the cross fades, the spaces between the songs, and then basically give the mastering guy an assembled DAT, and a data CD also, of a Pro Tools sound designer file.  So he’s got everything he needs, it’s in order, everything.  All he needs to do is do his EQ.  He doesn’t have to worry about piecing anything together.”

“48-track drums edits, spinning and repairing guitar and bass performances and even doing complete timing and repairing of an entire 140-piece symphony,” states the brief description of your work as Metallica’s Pro Tools operator and editor.  Could you explain some of these techniques and why they are necessary?

DG: ”The orchestra is a great example because with the Metallica stuff, they basically did two nights.  It was a live performance done with the orchestra, and everything was close-miked, every violin, every single orchestra piece was close-miked.  And they went to their own 48-track.  So the orchestra existed on a 48-track digital tape and the band existed on a 48-track digital tape.  So there were two 48-tracks.  Now, my responsibility started off with the band, but it turned out once we listened to the orchestra with Bob, he’s like, ‘Well, there’re going to be some instances where the master of the band will be from night one – that’s the best band performance – but the orchestra will come from night two.’  So you basically have a situation where you have to cut an entire orchestra to the band, from a separate night.  So you’ve gotta go through and work out roughly the tempos of the thing.  Let’s say ‘Master of Puppets’ is 125 beats per minute – it will probably be within 125 and 127, no matter how many times you play it.  So that being the case, I have to go through and cut everything to basically Lars Ulrich (the drummer), that’s our timing record.  And of course you have to cut across all 48 tracks, you can’t just cut the strings, you have to cut everything simultaneously.  And I can remember that with one song the orchestra version was slower than the band, so in that case you are actually taking air out, you’re making it shorter, as apposed to putting air in, putting time in.  So it’s a little bit easier to do that.  It’s one of those things where it’s basically two different performances of the same song made to sound like they played it together.  And you can’t do it any other way.  There is no way of doing that without a computer; you would lose all your sync.  And to do it on two-inch tape would take for ever – if you could even do it, because you are also moving around within – once you get everything cut to 48 track, then you’ll go, ‘Oh, the horns, they’re a little bit early, let’s push those back.’  And because the isolation was so good, you could move the horns without hearing leakage in the other mike.  It was very well recorded.  I didn’t record it.  Randy Staub recorded it with Bob.  I think Steve McLaughlin recorded the orchestra.  Some of the best recording I’ve ever heard.”

How was the recorded information initially entered into Pro Tools?

DG: ”It was all done digitally through the Neve Capricorn, and recorded to Sony 48-track.  So it all went straight from tape, digitally right into Pro Tools.  All the conversion was done through the Neve Capricorn.  So microphone straight into the Neve Capricorn, which converts it to digital – at that point it tapes digital – all the way until mastering, which was very cool.  24-bit, 48KHz.”

What are some of your favourite plug-ins for reverb and compression?  How do they compare to conventional digital sound processors?

DG: ”The plug-ins for Pro Tools are actually getting really good.  There’re companies like Bomb Factory that have the classic compressors, like the Fairchild.  They’ve got a pretty good algorithm; they sound really good.  But it’s one of those things where I still tend to go for an analogue version of them if I’m mixing.  I still tend to do mixes through an SSL.  I haven’t really done a full album mix straight out of Pro Tools.  Yeah, it’s like, until they have a really cool interface – the ProControl is definitely getting there, but until you can start actually plugging in pieces of outboard gear, any type of analogue compressor or a reverb – I don’t see myself doing that till that is sort of happening.  And that could be anytime, but I just haven’t been in a scenario where it’s been necessary.  The Metallica project, we did mix the symphony entirely within ProControl, which was very cool, but the thing is with the symphony it’s sort of like you put a little bit of reverb – we used the TC Megaverb plug-in, and we used the Focusrite Q within Pro Tools for the orchestra – and it sort of mixes itself; dynamically an orchestra sort of mixes itself.  There wasn’t a lot of processing that had to be done, per say, within Pro Tools, once everything was cut in time.  We then just outputted 16 subgroups out to the SSL…”

For further information contact Catherine Hutchison at International Artists Management (0418) 563 278), or visit The Studio Sessions Home Page on the World Wide Web. Email: studiosessions@yahoo.com.au

ANDRIÁN PERTOUT

'Mixdown' Monthly ~ Issue #87, July 4, 2001

BEAT MAGAZINE PTY LTD

All rights reserved. All text, graphics and sound files on this page are copyrighted.
Unauthorized reproduction and copying of this page is prohibited by law. Copyright © 2001 by Andrián Pertout.

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