mamamamanabe

[b]i felt like there was definitely a pop feel this time. [/b]
we didn't particularly decide to do pop consciously. but it seemed a good way to punctuate the band's stance after the release of our best album in february. so, because this was our long-awaited chance, the producer, zin yoshida, said 'let's try lots of things' before we started recording.

[b]manabe-san, you managed the mixing yourself, right? [/b]
mixing wasn't something i rushed into. my mixing debut was the secret track on the ride on shooting star single. and then this year i did the mixing on my solo release as nine miles, solomonic polar bear. so i've slowly broadened my territory, and this time i mixed the whole album.

[b]so how did you get interested in mixing?[/b]
i've always thought that the people who came up with the songs should do the mixing, because it's your own work. like wanting to play instruments yourself, for a long time i've wanted to participate in mixing and making the sounds.

[b]where did you learn to mix? [/b]
mostly from books. but i've been with a band for more than 10 years, so i think my experience working with skilled engineers is a big part of it. zin yoshida is really awesome, i feel like i've been around a lot of good teachers. recording in itself is a good way to learn, you could say the knowledge just naturally accumulated.

[b]so, tell me about the recording process for 'smile'. [/b]
first, including our support bassist, we laid down the four piece basics at aobadai studio. i took those recordings back to polar bear studio, and mixed in the rest of the tracks, then brought them to mr. zin yoshida's garden wall studio, and finally dropped it all to analog and mixed it on a mackie 32.8 [recording console].

[b]mr. yoshida also participated in the mixing, then? [/b]
at the point i brought the recordings to garden wall, i was already adjusting the balance, and i asked mr. yoshida to do the final level adjustment.

[b]at the same time that you're mixing, did you also use pro tools to edit the audio? [/b]
yeah. actually, until now, we've always worried the most about the phase gap on the drums. we just kept trying things until we all agreed on that area. also, as for getting rid of lip noise on the vocals, it's annoying and you can do something about it. that's what kind of work we do in pro tools. and, in good morning good news, we made a compositional edit and brought the middle of good morning good news to the intro. but basically this isn't a bold compilation.

[b]were there any plug-ins you used a lot? [/b]
the WAVES plug-in was definitely useful. we also used the BOMB FACTORY Pultec EQP-1A a lot. also the bomb factory fairchild model 660 and 176 compressors were really great.

[b]did you make use of any software synthesizers? [/b]
we're a four piece band, but we want a playfulness to come out on the album that's different from live shows. so this time we used the koblo vibra 9000 software synthesizer a bit. like the simple analog synth in fun fun ok, and the seagull-like cries in thunder whales picnic. that interface was drawn from the vibra 9000. it should please the people who like computers (laughs).

That's awesome I didn't know he mixed that. Thanks terra!

awsome

but geez........how long does it take you to do all of that? That'd take me like......months

i wish my nihongo skills were as good as yours terra. i struggle through songs...you blast away interviews.

T_T

awesome.

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Thank you, Terra- you don't know how long I've been craving these translations!

[img]http://www.listen-up.org/kitty/beads/tea/lipton.jpg[/img]

^Avatar 4 u

thats brisk baby. *rolls eyes*

Hey, cool. Thanks, Terra.

Thanks again for your hard work, Terra. You're a godsend for those of us with little to no knowledge of Japanese, and I'm sure it helps the fanbase grow