Devin Townsend Quotes

I try to listen to a lot of music when I'm in the mixing process of a record, when I'm in post-production and trying to get everything to sound a certain way.

Engineering and mixing are absolutely key. Once a song is done, for me personally, it's usually two or three days to get the mix down.

We always did our own mixing.

I think anyone who knows the audio process knows what mixing and mastering is.

Some of the songs I've made, I'm really disappointed in how I mixed them.

I've got the recording process down, and I can knock it out very quickly.

Bobby is really the one who did all the editing on that stuff. And he did all the mixing. I particularly like the record we did with Logic because Scott Harding did a great job mixing it. He's really a killing engineer.

My very first records, I was very interested in how you get the particular quality you want out of it, and I began to learn about the engineering and aspects of production and things very early on. I got hands-on with the process and taught myself how to engineer, as opposed to just being a producer who asked the engineer to make it sound nice.

The studio that we mix in is still in Chicago.

It was all recorded and mixed and there's more continuity in it more direction.

Once a song is done, for me, personally, it's usually two or three days to get the mixdown.

I treat recorded tapes the way a film director treats his rushes.

I've watched and learnt from DJs and remixers and paid way more attention to how I want my voice to sound. Before, as long as it was loud and in tune it was fine. I've discovered the difference made by various microphones and effects, so each track has a different vocal sound, my voice is woven into everything and it's above everything.

The studio part, to me, can be pretty laborious. You're inside for hours on end and can be pretty frustrating to get the sound you hear in your head to come out of those speakers.

It's big production. It's huge. It's using studio technology to your benefit. You don't go in and play live and then just take the tapes and get them mastered. You have to create.

The late '70's and early '80s is the zenith of a certain craftsmanship in sound recording.

Pro Tools was invented to quicken the recording process.

Darrell is really good in the studio. I mean, he has a real working knowledge of how the process works, and what sounds good coming back over tape, and how the stuff works together.

But really important, perhaps most important is the craft; how you make your record, the creation of these sonic worlds you want your listener to hear.

In recording, you're trying to make something work sonically - getting the right inflection on the right guitar sound - and maybe a part that would be musically great doesn't sound as cool.

My idea is to play with the people who you know want to get it right. Then it's fun and easy to record, and you can get down to details, like taking out cymbals so the verse doesn't dwarf the chorus, something like that.

Well, whether it's on film or on TV, you don't want to throw too many curves at your audio and video guys.

All you have to know is mathematically how many times to scratch it and when to let it go - when certain things will enhance the record you're listening to.

I usually make records very quickly. I usually go in and record them and mix them, and I'm done within a couple of weeks.

When I listen to a record, or when I'm making a record, I listen to everything. I listen to the drums, the bass, the voice, the arrangement. I listen to the whole piece as an ensemble.