SOUND ON SOUND
Paul Tingen has been a contributor to Sound On Sound since 1990. In addition to his regular artist and producer interviews, he began writing the Inside Track: Secrets of the Mix Engineers series in January 2008.
He is also the author of a book, Miles Beyond: the Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991 (Billboard Books), a producer, and a guitarist with one album to his name.
Paul maintains two web sites: www.tingen.org and www.miles-beyond.com, and an Instagram page: @paultingenmusic
Over the last decade, Mouse On Mars have become one of the leading names in European electronic music. Their experimental approach brings together analogue and digital, lo-fi and hi-fi, real instruments and samples to create an organic-sounding whole.
When Jimmy Page decided to mine a massive archive of decaying Led Zeppelin live footage for a DVD and double CD, the epic task of restoring, editing and mixing the audio went to rock specialist Kevin Shirley — who has gone on to help veteran metallers Iron Maiden return to the upper reaches of the charts.
When Steely Dan ended a 20-year hiatus with 2000's Two Against Nature, they took full advantage of today's digital recording tools. For their new album Everything Must Go, however, they've returned to analogue tape and live band recording. Paul Tingen reports...
Joe Zawinul is perhaps the best-known and most influential keyboardist in jazz. He pioneered the use of electric keyboards and synths with Weather Report, and at 70 he's still at the peak of his powers.
Engineer Richard Chappell has been at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios for over 15 years — and he's spent seven of them working on Gabriel's latest solo album.
Well-known jazz musician John Scofield has spent the last five years updating his sound with the help of modern technology and new collaborators - including innovative guitarist Avi Bortnick.
Mali Music is one of the most ambitious collaborations yet between European and African musicians. The brainchild of Blur frontman Damon Albarn, it also represented the first big break for producer Simon Burwell.
One of the most influential jazz keyboardists ever, Herbie Hancock is renowned for his innovative use of electronics and new production techniques.
For his latest solo project, innovative DJ and producer Howie B set himself a difficult challenge: to create live, improvisational dance music with a minimal setup.
How can an electronic band produce exciting, spontaneous, unpredictable and visually engaging perfomances? And if they do, is it really possible to capture the experience of being there in a recording? Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of Underworld believe they have the answers, as Paul Tingen discovered.