
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)
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