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If I have to identify the song that best represents my style, surely "Calimero Syndrome" by Morgan Ics is the song that represents my being very bass in productions. In that song, which I remember mixing on a hot summer night in Trento with my friend Marco Dal Lago, I found the perfect combination of drum-machine and acoustic bass. I remember that, hearing the mix grow and adjusting the frequencies and mixing the sounds, Marco and I were increasingly convinced that that song represented my style very well.
I take care of almost everything in the productions that I follow, starting from writing, pre-production, recordings, arrangements to the mix and many times also mastering, but if I have to talk about a fundamental role when I find myself having to follow a new artist in an artistic path, I must say that a really important role is that of the psychologist... (laughs ndr). Joking aside, I noticed a lot of insecurities from mostly young artists.
I started playing folk guitar when I was 6. I insisted so much with my mom to buy one and after so much pressure I succeeded. I had a teacher who set me perfectly on the instrument. I remember that during the first lessons I hated it very much (laughs ndr) because I wanted to play the guitar, while he made me play the panarmonica, and I didn’t understand the meaning. I remember coming home so angry. But then, when I switched to guitar, I immediately felt comfortable and I was really relaxed playing. Wow he was right.....
I started playing in a band at the age of 14. My brother had a band that missed the bass player and I proposed even though I had never picked up a bass. It was the classic band born on the school benches and it was really a disaster. Everyone played for their own sake even if in time something nice came out.....
This leads me to play with artists much older than me who see me a little like their successor and teach me a lot, both humanly and artistically. During these experiences, I always find myself playing with really good drummers and, always arriving first of all in the rehearsal room, I start sitting in the drum kit seat, an instrument that I have always loved to the madness. In short, continuing to look at the drummers and studying them a lot during rehearsals, I realize that once I sit down I play without big problems. In love as I was with this tool I immediately bought one that was the happiness of my parents.
I was always playing, every free minute.... I remember I had an 8-track Fostex tape and recorded bass and drums having a great time.
Surely the birth of the group NEUROTICA has influenced a lot my musical growth. I remember that with the inclusion of Alessandro Emiliani (guitar) in the band we started playing the odd times that before that moment I had never heard and tried. OK, Pink Floyd’s Money was once an odd time, but I never noticed.
I remember shifting my listening a lot, listening to King Crimson, Area, Steely Dan and many others. From that experience that lasted from 1992 until 1996 I learned a lot. Starting a shift after playing with NEUROTICA was certainly easier and more rewarding.
From the point of view of the part of sound engineer and producer, one of my GURUS behind the mixer was and still is the great Esau Remor, with whom I collaborated in the studio as a session with the drums for some albums and then, as a producer and sound engineer, I still feel today when I have some doubts about my productions.
Surely, with the mindset I feel I have today, I would have studied theory more than the technique of the instrument. I would have spent more time studying the spaces, frequencies, compressors and technique even though I have always been a great observer with so much attention when I worked in the studio and practice, in this work, fundamental and is worth much more than many theories. Surely having a good knowledge of theory helps to expand the important factor of the experience in the studio or concerts.
I have a series of old preamps that I use on vocals, among other things, one of them is owned by Marco Dal Lago and sooner or later I will have to bring it back (laughs ndr). I have a set-up in the studio that is not very expensive but when I move to other studios I always miss it very much. Being used to certain listenings and situations is a great convenience.
Every now and then I hear colleagues, with whom I collaborate on some project, asking me how I can record with that quality certain voices and when I list what I use they are incredulous, because I don’t really use anything super expensive and technological. It’s the result of a good ear, I hope....(laughs ndr)
The sage says.... (laughs ndr) Words of wisdom there are always many, only when you start to pass for wise you and I don’t think I’m old anymore. To understand well how an artistic project can work, I started to propose growth packages at the level of singing and production including vocal expression and interpretation. It does not want to be just a course of singing but a path that leads the artist to an evolution that goes from the conviction of their abilities to the success of a project that is not always only discographic.
One of the results that I find really exceptional is that of the Ticino and South African artist Camilla Cristine, aka Manillac. With her I started a journey that took her from the catwalks of Milanese fashion to singing and the stages on which she has performed and will perform. Having never sung before in public, the work with her was and will be very intense and challenging, but when there are the potential and the will on the part of the artist, everything seems easy and fun.
I have always used headphones, now for more than 30 years, both in the studio and live. Live I almost always use mine in-ear that I customized with the mold of the pavilion of my ears, while for the study I really tried everything. Open-back for mix and mastering and of course closed for the recording phase.
I have always focused on voice mixtures using headphones. I've consistently aimed to refine the details of individual sounds and their spatial positioning through headphones. Throughout my life, I've tried numerous headphone models, but none have provided me with such precise reference as Audeze. With other headphones, I had to adjust mixes after listening through external audio monitors once I returned to my studio.
The new MM 100 has become my audio reference, allowing me to work in other studios without worrying about losing my usual audio benchmarks. What struck me the most was the quick adaptation to listening with these headphones.
Before starting work on my project, I spent a lot of time listening to a variety of music. Like every sound engineer, I have audio benchmarks categorized by genre and instrument. Wearing the Audeze and starting the test playlist, my initial impression was, "It seems like they were made just for me!" The listening habit was practically instantaneous, and the references with highly professional audio monitors I'm familiar with were excellent. Comfortable to wear, extremely precise across all frequencies, especially in the low frequencies, they have become an essential tool for my mixing and mastering. Since I started using them, I can't do without them; they are now my fixed reference.
To test my new Audeze headphones, I decided to revisit a mix done before the arrival of my new MM-100. I started from scratch, and listening track by track, I noticed how much my work has improved with such precise listening. I discovered that even the editing of individual tracks has become significantly easier and more immediate with my new Audeze. The track I worked on is the new single by Manillac, which will soon be available on all digital stores.
