David Bottrill - Crown Lands ‘White Buffalo’ Track Breakdown

Producer and engineer David Bottrill is legendary for his work with Peter Gabriel, Tool, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins and Staind. In this exclusive feature interview, he takes us through the multitrack of ‘White Buffalo’, the new single by hotly tipped Canadian rock duo Crown Lands, explaining how he and the band created its amazing sound.
More info on Universal Audio: u.audio/sos
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Pre-production And Arrangement
01:37 - What's Important In A Recording Studio?
02:22 - Getting A Big Sound From A Two-Piece Band
04:12 - How To Get A Great Recorded Drum Sound
06:31 - Layering For Bigger Sounds
09:23 - Moog Taurus Bass Pedals With A Mellotron
11:08 - Recording Guitar Effects Pedals Live
12:45 - Vintage Neumann M7 Capsule Microphone
13:53 - Capturing Humanity In A Vocal Recording
15:47 - Vocal Effects, Reverse Reverb And Delays
17:20 - Use Of Editing And Mixing In The Box
20:20 - Crown Lands 'White Buffalo' Full Mix
24:08 - Outro
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[@DavideGuerri]

i had the pleasure to spend a month working with David back in 2016 as his assistant while he was producing a record here in Italy, i learned so much from him

[@billbradleymusic]

Love the hi hat sound. Classic, deep, shiny. Perfect. Also, the reverse reverberation.

[@MKDMusicPrestigeWorldwide]

Came here to learn and by the end of the video was out of breath dancing and singing along. Crown Lands rules! Like how the philosophy is to serve the song and about vibe. Shows in the tunes!

[@greganikin7003]

What a great and down to earth man! So excited about his work! Thank you for introducing to me this engineer!

[@Natemasterflex]

Great walkthrough! 👍

[@msannthrope_2049]

I loved Bottrill's work with Peter Gabriel.

[@rycher2007]

Very informative, great listen. 👍

[@paulEmotionalaudio]

Thanks so much for sharing the process. What are the effects you use on individual instruments and voice?

[@chickenlickin3820]

Sounds like, 'like a wide bungalow' Which in england are one floor buildings mainly for the elderly, don't think you have bungalows in canada/usa.

[@UdiKoomran]

I wish he would elaborate more on how exactly he applies reverse reverb with a push of a button - the only way I know is: Select and duplicate the audio you wish to add reverse echo to. This could be a word or phrase, or even an entire vocal clip if you'd like. ... Next, apply reverb to the reversed audio. ... Finally, reverse the clip one more time. ... Now you can edit and place the clip.

[@billbradleymusic]

Interesting music.

[@nemanjapetrovic6110]

6:05 That is one fine drum sound, pro stuff.

[@monkeyrevolution1964]

White Buffalo is very very RUSH . Honestly I do prefer something more organic analogue tape

[@msannthrope_2049]

It also reminds me of Triumph. 💗

[@craigsanderson4330]

Totally agree, digital is too harsh for this genre (most bands actually).

[@inforobob]

I heard some YES in it.

[@timn5008]

@@craigsanderson4330 Huh? Digital is "too harsh?" You could possibly say that twenty years ago, but not now. C'mon. David Bottrill would be interested to hear that I'm sure.

[@craigsanderson4330]

@@timn5008 Harsh while dull in the top end, and I did say it, allowed an opinion aren't I.

[@brunosamppa]

Nice. So, you craft it all and Ted Jensen butcher all with stupid EQs, Compressors and Limiters. Oh my...

[@Humbucker1103]

Snare drums too loud and I don't care for the sound of it. The songs just average. Vocal comes off too loud also. For me the mix doesn't fit the band. Max Webster blows this away !

[@msannthrope_2049]

What has Max Webster worked on?

[@Humbucker1103]

@@msannthrope_2049 Max Webster is a band from Canada. They had a career in the 70s and 80s.

[@msannthrope_2049]

@@Humbucker1103 Oh ok. I'll have to check them out sometime. I've never heard of that band.

[@louistusz3646]

@@msannthrope_2049 One of my favourite albums is "A Million Vacations" by Max Webster. Give it a listen!