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10 questions with Jason Nevins
The multi-platinum selling US producer spills his production secrets in the Sounds/To/Sample hotseat
Here's the deal: each fortnight we email a producer whose work we love and get them to tell us their production secrets. This fortnight it's Jason Nevins.
Not only is the multi-platinum selling Nevins one of the crowned kings of the remix and production game, he is also one of the early pioneers of the DanceRock sound - take a listen to his mixes of Duran Duran, Rob Thomas, Kelly Clarkson, Amber, N.E.R.D. or Anastacia. If you listen to almost any kind of dance or pop music then it's pretty certain you've heard Jason's productions - his most famous on the now classic Jason Nevins vs. RUN-DMC 'It's Like That'.
Who's currently rocking your world as a producer and why?
I don’t have any real favorites at the moment because so many people are doing the same thing. It's not the classic days of dance where you had someone like Todd Terry with a sound all his own, or David Morales or Masters at Work. Those guys created niches for themselves by having an individual sound that was instantly recognisable. Many producers today are doing great work, but there's no real individuality. There are a few exceptions; for example, commercially, the Freemasons do consistently great work and have a sound that not many people are doing.
When building a track how do you normally work? Do you start with the beat and build your way up from that?
It always starts with the drums; I need to get some kind of groove going before addin more elements. Sometimes I'll throw a loop into the mix to get things started and build on that. Next I usually move on to the bass or guitars and then layer from there. One thing I don’t do that a lot of producers people do is to use the same drum sounds every time. I think it's something that I probably should do but I get sick of hearing the same thing every time.
Do you use mainly analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue really makes a difference?
These days I only use soft synths and plug-ins. I was an analogue-only man for years and only made the switch to 100 per cent plug-ins when I moved from Cubase to Logic.
Any arrangement secrets you want to share?
I never do the same thing twice. Some elements might end up in a lot of my productions - making my trademark sound - but I don’t use the same drum kits or sounds. That would be boring for me and I really do what I do because I like it. I'm not always thinking what everyone else will like; I do what I like and hope that others get it too.
What's your opinion on processing the mix buss? Leave it clean or drive it to the extreme?
A bit of both. I like to add a finaliser/compressor to the mix buss, but I won't push it all the way. Since I do mainly radio/commercial mixes my music usually has a bit more going on than the average underground club record, which often get pushed fairly hard on the mix buss. I don’t rely solely on synths either; I've been making guitar-led productions for nearly a decade and that makes a difference to the kind of mix techniques you use.
How important do you think it is to have your music mastered commercially? Can you do it yourself as effectively and what tools would you recommend?
I never attempt to master my stuff because I know mastering engineers with a greater understanding of the process than me. I always use some kind of Waves or Logic finalising plug-in on the master buss, but when it comes to proper mastering I leave it to the pros.
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
I use Yamaha NS-10Ms (which you can't get anymore) and Mackie HR824s, and I'd like a third set. I used to use Alesis Monitor Twos back in the day, which I might return to service one day. It’s important to switch between the bigger, bassier speakers and the smaller ones as your ears get tired listening to just one set and music sounds different on different speakers in different situations. It's equally important to have your room properly treated to avoid improper reflections. Bass traps, carpet and padding are all important. When I'm mixing, I regularly change my monitoring volume from low to crankin’ so I don't lose the feel of what I'm trying to achieve.
What sounds do you find are the hardest to create from scratch?
I don’t really create too many sounds from scratch. Im not a big ‘tweaker’; instead I like to get great sounds out of the box and work with what I’ve got in front of me. I get bored sitting around layering eight kicks to get one sound or playing with 200 parameters on a synth to make it sound they way I want. I get much more into creating an overall song/project than messing with every sound.
How do you see the dance music industry developing over the next two or three years?
I don’t know, but right now the dance industry is in a great way. Listen to any big pop record that comes out - they're all dance tunes. Not dance in the form of 'bangin club records', but they are all up-tempo danceable pop records. I hope the trend continues.
Any advice for aspiring producers out there?
Today's technology means people can put anything they want onto the internet. That’s the best way to get things out. Then you need to create a buzz. The only way to get labels interested in your work is to have some kind of buzz around you. It’s sad but it's true - record labels don’t have the vision or money they used to - so for a label to take an interest in you you'll need to go out and create this buzz yourself. If you make a name for yourself, they rest will hopefully follow.
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More from Jason at: www.jasonnevins.com
(c) 2008 Sounds/To/Sample