P-ART JOURNAL

25

 

Bruce Swedien:

"My mikes are like cameras"

Bruce Swedien (USA)

We know that you use many different microphones. How important is the choice of the right microphone?
Bruce SWEDIEN (sound engineer and producer) answers:
For Michael Jackson I use many, many mikes: oldies and new ones.
I own 105 microphones that I have always with me, 15 cases are filled and they are all new bought. My mikes are like the cameras of a photographer. Depending from mood and song I use an other one.
I know exactly how my microphones sound. I have been working for years with. Through my experiences and several experiments I hear the speaking voice of the artist and then I can already decide to the right mike for the right person.

How do you begin to make the mix of a song?
 When I hear the piece for the first time, I "save"also all spontaneous ideas and reactions. For the mix I bring my first impressions back in mind, because the first impression is very important. During the mixing process a  piece is changing so far that it would be very difficult to recognize the song.
Many times, Michael Jackson gave me a DAT-tape with his original first version of a song. And what happened? The song is completely different - completely natural and instinctive.
Indeed, musicis a spontaneous and emotional thing that you can produce "out".

Excerpt from the interview with Bruce Swedien
in the german instrumental magazine KEYS ,  10/95.



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