Production Aesthetics 01: Miguel - Waves (Tame Impala Remix)

Hey hey! There's been a bit of a break on the blogs, but I'm back!

Today I'm going to attempt to step into the mind of one of Australia's most forward thinking and sought-after producers, Kevin Parker.

The aesthetic choices which culminates his distinctive sound are super interesting; and his creative philosophies is something I believe I could harness in my future productions. I'm also going to be talking about how his aesthetic techniques impacts the intended audience. Plus Parker is also an Ableton user!

What do I want to get out of this?

I want to force myself to think more outside-the-box, utilising live/organic elements with my electronic techniques and a focus on using effects in a more aesthetically minded sense could push myself out of my comfort zone, creating the potential to produce something completely different.

--

So the specific track I've chosen to look at is not an original but a remix of Miguel's 'Waves'. I first heard this when it played on my Discovery Weekly playlist on Spotify. I was walking down the street and the opening harmonies infused with flanger, and that sensational opening drum-roll immediately drew me in. My initial reaction was that it made me want to dance, almost straight away feeling that groove (it was also a Friday so the vibes were flowing); and in that achieves one of Parker's main objectives: 'to make people move.'

Technical Processes

Drums

A big focus in regards to the technical processes is on the drums and effects, these two play a very big role in crafting Parker's aesthetic. Firstly with drums, and specifically the recording setup. There is a lot of different claims made by people on the internet who know or have played with Parker, however in interviews and in the Innerspeaker Documentary, he has stated that he only uses 3 microphones. A Rode K2 Ribbon mic as a mono overhead and an SM57 on the kick and snare (although hasn't revealed the positioning on the snare). The snare mic is then heavily compressed through a Shure SE3, saturated through a Shure Level-Loc and then finally blended with the overhead mic. However, in an in-depth article by Bantamu, found that a musician on Reddit who has worked with him in various side-projects claimed that an AKG D190 was also placed "perpendicularly to the side of the snare about 10 cm away."

Along with the snare compression, I looked into the SE3 which also acts as a gate. This could have also been used for that purpose in order to prevent overtones and shape that tight, short-decay hit. There's also the possibility that some kind of fabric or foam was placed on the snare to achieve that flatter sound as demonstrated in this clip below:

As for the kick and how this sound is captured with the SM57 (which isn't specifically for kick drum miking), Parker states that with the 57 placed on the hole it gives the kick a nice shape and definition to the low-end with less on the attack, which is the initial sound he is after. The drums are then bussed and compressed using a Dbx 165 "with a slow attack and fast release, to create the so-called 'pumping effect' typical of hip hop beats but with less cymbal splashes." Parker stated in an interview with AudioTechnology that: “Compressors are what make awesome drum sounds. So I have a couple of vintage compressors. One of them is a dbx 165 that’s pretty much responsible for making the drums sound like John Bonham."

Parker's mix engineer Dave Fridmann also stated via Bantamu that he "precisely used the 165a and its internal peak limiter to give a nice crunchy sound to the kit."

In the Waves Remix, you can really hear these processes shine through. There is definitely that overall crunch to the kit. The kick is very much in front of the mix, driving that groove; but also has that compressed yet defined thump. Giving this emphasis to the drums allows Parker to achieve his intentions of making audiences dance, and also highlights his aesthetic innovations of combining that modern punch with "70's" crunch.

Effects

Probably my favourite element of this remix is that transposed tom roll that you first hear at 0:24. The use of doubling and panning/imaging gives it that width and presence, accompanied with some bright reverb to apply some depth and to compliment the compression stated above; in order to essentially make it sound huge. It also very much sounds like each hit is also layered with a hi-hat or shaker which are slightly delayed behind the toms by 5-10 ms, masking the tom transients slightly yet creating a really smooth character.

This is where the focus on the creative & musical use of effects comes into play. Parker has stated the significance of effects in his productions in the interview with AudioTechnology, "For example, about halfway through Mind Mischief, a giant sweeping flanger falls over the whole mix, it’s at this moment that the chords change and it gets really emotional for me. That flanger coming in is just as important to the overall feeling of the song as a new lead melody or any other instrument part coming in.”

Throughout the Tame Impala project, you seem to get a sense that there is always a lot going on; it's this wall of colourful sound, yet Parker articulates this with purpose and makes it so it's still listenable. In the Waves Remix you can hear the love for effects and its use in creating a cosmic, washed-out atmosphere from the outright; the opening harmonies decay and bleed out into this flanger infused reverb tail - instantly demonstrating his distinctive aesthetic.

Throughout the hook, Parker layers Miguel's topline with midrange filtered one-liners (sounding like a voice coming from a radio or phone) creating a 'call & response' with "ride that wave" and "all night" out of the original lyrics. You can then hear these vocal cuts decay with a ping-pong delay, accompanied with the use of stereo imaging or haas doubling in order to give them presence and sit them wide and in front of the mix.

With this creative yet effective use of repetition, Parker effectively an infinitely more catchier hook than that of the original; and doing a lot of justice to Miguel's vocal performance.

The flanger effect plays a large role within a lot of elements in this track at different times, overall providing that psych, hazy aesthetic and also creating a lot of life in the mix with the constant movement and sense of flow. It's most noticeable at builds up to the chorus such as 2:38 where the tail of the vocal topline decays with the flange where you then hear a short white noise build up with the same effect, leading into the tom roll which was first introduced in the intro. When the first beat of the chorus hits, you can hear the flange surging through the crash as well. The mix goes insane at 3:38 where Parker most likely puts the flanger through a mix bus and the ping-pong delayed vocal layers become even more evident. It rounds out the track with a poignant climax where all of the elements culminate to form the overall character of the song.

I think it's fair to say that Parker is a big believer in making the mix an instrument of its own, and harnesses that philosophy to create a truly living and breathing mix that dynamically flows throughout; and thats why his work is so exciting and engaging to listen to. It's also a great skill that impacts audiences in a way that they can really feel the groove and vision he was intending to create.

References

Cosores, P. (2017). Tame Impala: Imposter Complex. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 8 June 2017, from https://consequenceofsound.net/2015/07/tame-impala-imposter-complex/

LONERISM, TAME IMPALA IN THE STUDIO | AudioTechnology Magazine. (2017). Audiotechnology.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2017, from http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/wp/index.php/lonerism-tame-impala-in-the-studio/

"Over" Compressed/Smashed Drums Discussion (a la Fridmann, Flaming Lips, Tame Impala) • r/audioengineering. (2017). reddit. Retrieved 8 June 2017, from https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/comments/2zwpp0/over_compressedsmashed_drums_discussion_a_la/

The secrets behind Tame Impala's distinctive sound | Bantamu. (2017). Bantamu.com. Retrieved 8 June 2017, from https://bantamu.com/tips-and-interviews/19-the-secrets-behind-tame-impala-s-distinctive-sound