Marc De Sisto (U2, Pink Floyd, Melissa Etheridge)
Starting At A&M Studio, Producer And Mix Engineer Marc De Sisto Learned From Several Legendary Producers, Including Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, And Mike Shipley. He Assisted On Seminal Albums Such As Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse Of Reason And Tom Petty's Let Me Up, Engineered U2'S Rattle And Hum And Don Henley's The End Of The Innocence, And Was Grammy-Nominated For Best Rock Album For Melissa Etheridge's Breakdown.
Tell us about your current studio setup.
Recording and mixing start with an SSL Analogue Origin Console 32 input. My DAW is Pro Tools 12 HDX with an SSL EU Control Surface and Focusrite A16R Interface I/O. I use a whole patch bay. For monitors, I use NS-10 old dome tweeters with a Subwoofer, Adam A7s with the Adam Subwoofer, and ROR small speakers.
In regards to analog outboard gear: SSL Fusion, LA 2A Tube (2), 1176 Bluey (2), Distessor EL8 (2), 1073 Heritage Audio mic pre (2), UA 2-610 mic pre-amps Tube (2), Time Machine analog delay, and 8 SSL Dynamics/gates 500 series.
My go-to plugins include Waves Collection, Abbey Road, Plugin Alliance, Boz Digital, UA, Eventide, IK, and Kornef Audio.
Having worked on so many songs over the past few years, how do you stay fresh and excited about making music these days?
When it's laid out in pieces in front of me, music is like a puzzle to make. So many ideas start flowing in my mind! You need to start with vocals instead of the drums with some mixes. It is all-important to the big picture of the band's sound. Dialing EQ in the track is key to making sounds poke out or fit in the music.
How do you typically approach the mixing of a song?
Listen from the top-down, get to learn the arrangement. Make notes quickly of possible edits or a new intro, possibly with a few instruments in it. Maybe there is a cool mute or two in a verse section of the song to make it build better, or try creating a breakdown if it feels natural. The mix should sound like the band live, a performance.
I have also created a custom mix template with my auxiliary sends and returns with effects already set up. I import the template in my mix session, and I am up and running. The more you do in advance means the more time to focus on the music.
What's typically on your mix buss these days?
Mainly the console's SSL Master bus compressor, and that's it. I always start with it on; you have to mix through it as it's the glue of the mix. Changing attack and release times are huge for the feel of the song. You don't want to notice it, though. Too much, and you can kill the vibe.