Production Advice

Daniel Lanois has always been one of my favourite producers, but I’ve not been so sure about Neil Young. His latest album, ‘Le Noise’, has changed all that, though.

I love it, for so many reasons, some of which are explained in this video, where Lanois talks us through the production process.

For me, this is an album where the producer’s role is utterly crucial. It speaks for itself – but here are a few of my favourite points:

• Recorded fast and live
• All in Lanois’ home, not a “proper” studio
• Unswerving focus on great songs, with a real message and emotional connection
• Voice and guitar only, but crucially Lanois heavily processed and manipulated the raw sound to create a shifting, often unpredictable sonic backdrop – what he calls “black dubs”
• Using the house’s built-in organ pipe-work as a “PA” system with the amps in the basement, to give Neil an “on-stage” feel and unique sound. Talk about using real space in your mix…

If you enjoy this, there’s even more information in this video on YouTube where Lanois talks through the production process track by track.

I would just have loved to have heard what this sounded like from next door when they were recording

Related posts:

1. David Vorhaus and The White Noise – Electronic music pioneers
2. Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies – the Ultimate Music Production Tool