Mix Analysis of Taylor Swift's Mine

Information from: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb11/articles/it-0211.htm
Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Nathan Chapman & Justin Niebank | Taylor Swift's Speak Now by Paul Tingen
Sound on Sound February 2011

Recording Engineer: Chad Carlson, Justin Niebank, Chuck Ainlay, Steve Marcantonio (from liner notes)
Producer: Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Mixing Engineer: Justin Niebank
Mastering Engineer: Hank Williams
Mixing:

Justin Niebank engineered the drums and mixed the album. The Dangerous 2-Bus was used for analogue summing. Other effects used were an API compressor and Nightpro EQ3D to 1/2" tape. Niebank's mixing philosophy is " to get into the mindset of the people who created it, you have to rewind to their moment of inspiration when they created the song, and see if you bring out the original spirit of their creation. For this reason I love getting a rough mix."

Niebank had originally created a mix with the programmed drums and bass, but Chapman and Swift wanted a more powerful song. They re-recorded the bass and drums, which were mixed first, then the lead vocals. Given the number of backing vocal tracks (31), these were worked in as well. While a vintage sound was one goal, Niebank did not use any outboard gear. He used Waves SSL as a channel strip, UAD plugins, and a number of reverbs, particularly mono reverbs.

Specifically for the drums and bass: Waves SSL E-channel, Smack!, Bomb Factory Fairchild 670. Only mild compression was used on the bass. One submix of drums was used for "crushing" with Smack!, another had the Fairchild 670.

Vocals: Waves Renaissance Vox & De-esser, UAD 1176 and Roland 201, Sound Toys Echo Boy, BF 1176, EQ III Niebank used parallel compression on vocals, with vocals bussed out and compressed and mixed in with the original vocals. Niebank used moderate compression with the Renaissance Vox plug-in, and then more aggressive compression with the UAD 1176 and a third submix with the UAD Roland 201. Typically Niebank adds "analogue-like textures" but since the CLASP system was used during the recording process, he didn't.

Final Mix: Mixed to 2-track analog and a separate digital mix with API 2500 compressor and NTI Nightpro EQ3D with the choice of analog vs. digital left to Hank Williams, the mastering engineer.

Mix Analysis:
Starts with vocal with slight reverb
Toms start in, very gated, :01
2 electric guitar tracks, each panned hard right and left :02
acoustic guitar, rhythm track :02
electric guitar drops out during much of verse from :16 to :33
During chorus, harmony and background vocals, and more electric guitar.
From second verse on, electric guitar doubles as rhythm guitar

Instruments: Electric guitar (2 tracks - panned hard L & R), bass, voice (lead, background, harmony), acoustic guitar, organ/keyboard (not really noticeable until the ending last note)

Recording Analysis of Taylor Swift's Mine

Information from: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb11/articles/it-0211.htm
Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Nathan Chapman & Justin Niebank | Taylor Swift's Speak Now by Paul Tingen
Sound on Sound February 2011

Recording Engineer: Chad Carlson, Justin Niebank, Chuck Ainlay, Steve Marcantonio (from liner notes)
Producer: Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Mixing Engineer: Justin Niebank
Mastering Engineer: Hank Williams
Studio Recorded: Starstruck Studios & Blackbird Studios
Studio Mastered:

A country/pop song that is very commercially produced, with an emphasis on the vocals.
Chapman originally recorded Swift's demos for and first album. On this, her third album, they went back to the same formula, with Swift recording demos with Chapman playing all the instruments, in Chapman's Pain in the Art Studio. Chapman uses a Digi C24 control surface, Focal Solo 6 and Yamaha NS10 monitors, and has his outboard gear wired up and ready to go. He has 3 or 4 microphones set up on stands that he can swing into and out of place when ready.

Lead vocals recorded with Avantone CV12 --> Martech MSS10 mic pre --> Tube-Tech CL1B compressor

Harmony vocals recorded with SM57 --> API & Distressor

Acoustic guitar recorded with Neumann KM54 --> API 512 preamp --> Empirical Labs Distressor

Vocals & guitars --> 24 track tape recorder --> CLASP --> Pro Tools or Logic
Electric guitars - amp or Logic Amp Designer
Bass guitar -- Avalon VT737 DI --> UA 2108 mic pre --> Distressor

After the demo was recorded, Chapman was the arranger to add in a real drums and bass to substitute for the programmed drums and bass. Steve Marcantonio recorded the drums and bass in Blackbird Studios in Nashville.

Recording with equipment that we have: Surprisingly the Avantone CV12, a multi-pattern tube mic, is reasonable at $500. But we don't have the mic, so I would substitute our AKG 214 mic with a tube mic pre. The Neumann KM54 is a tube pencil mic which we also don't have. I would use the Shure SM81 mic with a tube mic pre. We don't have any way to directly reproduce the Distressor or the CLASP, which records to a 24 track tape recorder and then into Pro Tools, and is very cool, but is $10K without even counting the tape machine.

Nathan Chapman has also been a producer for all of Taylor Swift's albums, Producer and Mixer with Jewel, and has won 2 Grammy Awards in 2010 for Country Album of the Year and Album of the Year.

Justin Niebank has mixed Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and has won Grammys for Taylor Swift and Vince Gill.

Instruments: Electric guitar (2 tracks - panned hard L & R), bass, voice (lead, background, harmony), acoustic guitar, organ/keyboard (not really noticeable until the ending last note)

This song, like most pop songs, is extremely produced, and despite some of the more jangly country guitars, really is more pop than country, in my opinion. I am analyzing the song, but it's not truly my cup of tea. Reading about the process made me appreciate the song more, and what went into it.