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MixLine Feature: Opiate for the Masses “Rev Up” for New Album

Jim Kaufman at his 8227 Studio

Photo: Robert Knight

Rock band Opiate for the Masses (OFM) is currently on tour with Disturbed and is preparing for another jaunt with Static-X; however, they still found time to write and record material for a new album, working in both local studios and the back of their tour bus.

Guitarist/keyboardist/programmer Jim Kaufman produced and recorded much of the work; on the road, bed cabins served as guitar booths. For drums, Kaufman used a combination of MOTU’s Mach Five sampler/plug-in and his Pro Tools 192 rig. When a track required live drums, the group sought out a studio in whatever town they happened to be playing in that night.

With much of the basic tracks and a lot of demos complete, Kaufman plans to mix an album’s worth of material during the holiday break at 8227 Studio, his home/project facility in Laurel Canyon, Calif. Once stationary, Kaufman can mix on his Pro Tools|HD workstation, which he pairs with a Control 24 work surface, a solid collection of outboard gear and Spatial One monitors. “The best part of the room is how it’s treated,” says Kaufman of the 19 x 35 space. “Steven Cline designed the room so well, I don’t have to burn reference discs at all; it’s that accurate.”

Helmet used his studio to mix a recent project, and Kaufman tracked vocals and mixed his band’s current album, The Spore, at 8227.

When he’s not on the road (which is rare these days) Kaufman stays busy as a producer. He wrapped up a new six-song EP for The Black Moods (formerly Chalmers Green); tracking at the Salt Mine in Phoenix, Ariz. and mixing at his own place.
Look for the new OFM record in 2006 on Kaufman’s own label, American Voodoo Records, distributed through Warcon Entertainment.

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