Dan Korneff (My Chemical Romance, Paramore)
Dan Korneff is a producer and mixer with an extensive discography featuring some of the biggest names in new rock such as My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Pierce the Veil, Papa Roach, Breaking Benjamin, and Sleeping With Sirens. Korneff works out of his own studio space, Sonic Debris Recording Studio, in New York’s Long Island. In addition, Korneff is the owner and developer at Korneff Audio, producing a selection of custom plugins.
Having mixed so many songs over the past few years, how do you stay fresh and excited about making music every day?
Music is constantly evolving, and the presentation of music is expected to evolve as well. It's the discovery process that really gets me excited. Finding that new way of processing an instrument, or exploring that vocal melody that is out of your comfort zone, keeps things fresh.
Tell us about your current studio setup.
I currently own and operate Sonic Debris Recording Studio, a multi-room facility in New York-based around a Solid State Logic 8048G console. Rooms are fitted with Cubase, Pro Tools, Reaper, Studio One, and Logic. The studio is mostly analog and there are too many pieces of gear to list, but some of my favorites are my Gates SA-39, Norelco C-61's, and my custom-designed Korneff Audio 72078 FET Limiter.
I'm always reaching for those Korneff Audio plugins first (I may be a bit biased), but I really enjoy using Waves CLA Effects, Waves R-Bass, UAD Studer A800 and U-He More Feedback Machine on all of my mixes.
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?
I typically start a mix by finding out what the band wants to achieve. Once you get some kind of direction that is a little more elaborate than "we want it to sound huge", you can start to plan how to use your tools to accomplish the goal. I like to build a solid foundation of music to highlight a focal element. Whatever the main focus is, your mix needs to support that element.
What do you enjoy most about working with independent artists?
The ability to create freely with the only focus being your art is the best part about independent music.