Chris Shaw (Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Jeff Buckley)
Four-time Grammy-winning producer and mixer, Chris Shaw got his start at Greene Street Recording, where he would work with hip-hop legends like Run-DMC, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J. Since going independent, he’s made records with Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, Lou Reed, and Cheap Trick, with a discography that includes six of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine.
Having mixed and produced so many songs over the past few years, how do you stay fresh and excited about making music every day?
Every new project brings along with it a new approach towards making music - everyone has their own way of working, their own process. Because of this, I always look forward to getting a fresh perspective on making records with other people, whether it's Bob Dylan or a brand new artist.
Tell us about your current studio setup.
When recording, I always prefer working on a large format console (Neve, API, or SSL). But I'm just as comfortable working with a handful of mic pres, EQs, and compressors and recording straight into a DAW (preferably Pro Tools). The same goes with mixing. These days I do the majority of my mixing in the box with Pro Tools and a few select pieces of outboard gear.
How do you typically approach a mix: what's your process for setting it up? How often are you making big editing decisions in your mixing?
The first thing I do is listen to the most recent rough and get an idea of where the song is heading and create a mental picture of how I think it should sound. The song usually dictates what that should be. I also rely on whatever notes and references the artist may have for the mix.
I spend quite a bit of time organizing the tracks and files in my template. While doing this, I make notes on any tracks that may need some fixing: tuning, timing, and so on. By the time I'm done organizing the tracks, I pretty much know the song just as well as the tracking engineer and I'm ready to go.
How does the mixing work come to you these days?
Most of my mixing work comes from word of mouth and from people noticing my previous work. The best advice I can give is to do as much mixing as you can get your hands on. The quality of your work, your attitude, and problem-solving skills will get you farther than you think.
What's one piece of advice you can pass on to aspiring mixers and producers looking to get better at their craft?
Always be prepared to change your way of thinking. Not every popular opinion on ‘the correct way of doing things’ is correct. Every problem has at least three solutions and knowing which solution to apply in any situation is what will make you nimble and quick. Also, get to know everything there is to know about every piece of gear and software that you own. There's always a feature that can be used in other ways that the maker or manufacturer didn't intend.