Producer/Engineer Jacquire King with Dangerous Music Gear
Jacquire King uses Dangerous Music 2-Bus to mix follow-up to the band’s 2009 “Record of the Year” Grammy
Edmeston, NY – October 20, 2010 – One of the most prestigious of the Grammy Awards is ‘Record of the Year’ and in 2009 it was awarded to the Followill family of rockers Kings of Leon for “Use Somebody” – co-produced, engineered and mixed by Jacquire King. Jacquire also shared the producing credit for the Grammy with Angelo Petraglia. It wasn’t Jacquire’s first foray into producing and mixing A-list artists though, having worked with Norah Jones, Modest Mouse and Tom Waits to name only a select few. These records along with many others in the past 10 years are where Jacquire formed a deep knowledge of and unique techniques in the use of both digital and analog recording gear.
Jaquire now swears by his Dangerous Music 2-Bus analog summing amp and
Dangerous Monitor ST monitor controller, both of which he used to mix the latest Kings of Leon album “Come Around Sundown,” released in October 2010.
“With the advent of the Dangerous 2-Bus,” Jacquire says, “being able to bypass the summing in the computer, plus the option of creating a hybrid setup where I can use a lot of the really fine analog outboard pieces that I have, I find that it’s absolutely comparable to mixing on a great analog console. In the past I’ve had to mix things completely in the box, and it’s kind of a losing battle. You can get to where you need to be I guess, but it’s not as emotionally or technically satisfying. I have done quite a lot of mixing on large format consoles, that’s how I learned, and up until recently that’s how I had mixed the stuff that I considered to be my better-sounding work.”
“Now I use the Dangerous 2-Bus for mixing,” he adds, “and I use the Dangerous Monitor ST as well. I listen through them during the whole production process whenever it’s possible, from tracking to overdubs and then through mixing so I’m always listening to what my final stereo outcome is going to sound like.”
Detailing some of his reasons for using the 2-Bus summing amp, he says, “The recall is much better because of the way it is designed as a dedicated back-end to a DAW system. There are fewer variables in the signal path to get in the way. The amount of analog gear that I can insert is perfect. It is the sonic equivalent of a large format analog console. It’s something that you can take with you. I can have the same sonic setup and footprint in a few racks that can be moved around to wherever I’m working – it’s repeatable and convenient to use.”
Describing his use of the Dangerous Monitor ST controller, Jacquire says, “I have used an outboard volume control for more than 10 years, even when I was working on consoles, because I’ve always been a believer in that you should try to listen through as much of your final signal chain as possible. It’s a concept I’ve been using for a long time. The things I like about using the Dangerous Monitor ST are that the remote is very convenient, it has a lot of features, and it has a very transparent and true sound. I don’t feel tricked when I suddenly hear something played back on a different system, like I haven’t heard it that way before. The music all fits together the same way.”
Further explaining his listening concepts, Jacquire states, “When I mix I use a lot of analog processing, inserts, buss compression and EQ. As the recording process goes along I can start to have the gain structure set up, with everything stemmed out, so I can be creating the final gain structure along the away, and not simply leaving it to be redone at mix. This way rough mixes are being run through the Dangerous 2-Bus and so I am understanding what I am hearing. It’ll put me closer to the finished work.”
“Working in front of a computer screen, having the ST remote control with the knob right there, it quickly becomes comfortable and familiar,” adds Jacquire. “Listening through something that’s transparent and audiophile quality gives you confidence because you end up not thinking about the gear, so you are thinking about music and the stuff you should be worried about! That the ST remote control is on shielded CAT-5 cable is brilliant, you can use a really long cable. I know that I can always have the ST remote right there where I am working – either on a console or at a computer – it’s great. The ST has plenty of auxiliary features – it’s a well thought out device. I use the Mono button quite a lot, since listening in mono is a really good indicator of the quality of your ‘balances’ in a stereo field.”
The new Kings of Leon album was recorded by Jacquire at New York’s Avatar Studio, then he moved onto the mixing process utilizing the Dangerous 2-Bus. He always tries to listen through his Dangerous 2-Bus – and other key equipment – he did this to a large extent on the Kings of Leon record, as well as on a recent record for the Cold War Kids. Summing up his experience with Dangerous equipment he says, “I can hear things very accurately with the Dangerous Music gear, it’s not a colored, tricky sound, it’s transparent and true. And as I can use it during any stage of the process – obviously it’s critical in mixing – but as I can get the gear involved in any part of the process, it gives me a better listen to what’s going on, and understanding how I need to shape, correct or enhance something along the way to get the final mix to be in the best possible place. A place that feels good, sounds good, and is rewarding for everyone.”
Find out more about Producer and Engineer Jacquire King at his website: http://www.jacquireking.com/
About Dangerous Music, Inc.
Dangerous Music, Inc. designs and builds products that are indispensable to any DAW-based recording environment. Dangerous Music electronics designer Chris Muth has spent over 20 years working in and designing custom equipment for top recording and mastering studios. Muth and company founder Bob Muller pioneered the concept of the dedicated analog summing buss for digital audio workstations with the Dangerous 2-Bus in 2001. Today the company offers a wide range of products for recording, mastering, mixing and post-production facilities, all designed and built with mastering-quality standards and a practical aesthetic. Key products include the Dangerous 2-Bus and 2-Bus LT, Dangerous Monitor ST-SR and its Additional Switching System expansion units, Dangerous D-Box, Dangerous Master, Dangerous S&M, Dangerous Monitor and Dangerous Bax EQ. For more information visit http://www.dangerousmusic.com phone 607-965-8011 or email: [email protected]
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