Episode 5 - The Failure Tapes

[@junglemast3r]

GOATED for not hiding all of this extremely valuable production knowledge behind a paywall

[@nachshonrorick]

If you told 20 year old me - 20+ years later you will be watching a video of solo’d and mixed in real time multitracks from the Fantastic Planet sessions with the engineer/composer himself, I’d be speechless 😶 Thanks - that was, pardon me, FANTASTIC!!!

[@daniellaurent11]

I'm so glad Ken and Greg got back in touch with each other. This is the one reunion I REALLY wanted to happen! I was the only Failure fan in my town, I thought maybe I just liked a shi**y band and didn't know it...years later did I realize that everybody else just had crap taste in music!

[@cedricsamir3032]

I know it is kind of randomly asking but do anyone know of a good site to stream newly released tv shows online?

[@ezekielseth8398]

@Cedric Samir try flixzone. Just search on google for it =)

[@gannongraysen9749]

@Ezekiel Seth yup, I have been using FlixZone for since march myself =)

[@cedricsamir3032]

@Ezekiel Seth Thanks, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D I appreciate it !!

[@nicolas.grisanti]

The bass tone in Heliotropic is amazing!! Fantastic Planet is a masterpiece.

[@billyhughes9776]

Fantastic Planet is one of my favorite records of all time -- and every time I listen to it I listen to it straight through. Outside of the amazing production the songs and the song order are just stellar. A happy place for me -- thanks for doing this Ken. Heliotropic just sounds huge.

[@asmokingumbrella]

Ken, thanks for being so generous with your knowledge. This episode is an absolute treat. It's like watching a magician peeling back the curtain to his tricks.

[@dnaglitchgaming6565]

Ken Andrews and Trent Reznor are my favorite musicians for a reason. They are literally geniuses on every aspect and know their craft intimately.

[@KenAndrewsMusic]

Trent's a big fav of mine so this is really nice to hear. Thank you.

[@dnaglitchgaming6565]

Ken Andrews They way you both touch peoples lives and emotions through not just the lyrics but also the unique sounds like encapsulate them is remarkable. Much like Fantastic Planet held songs that invoked feelings without words and at times I felt myself adding my own lyrics. You steal my feelings and show me I am not alone and that this is how you feel about them because they are yours as well. Your not just some cocky vocalist but in love with music in itself. Your highly intelligent and extremely creative with the selfless ability to share your love which puts you right there next to Trent Reznor. Your accolades are quite similar to Trent in a lot of ways and I hope to see you join the prestige known as “The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.” I am honored that you took the time to read my initial message and I just want to say thank you for being part of the soundtrack to my life. Gratefully listening since 1994. Peace Ken!

[@RaveEpic]

Ken, man, I can't believe this video exists. Small Crimes and Heliotropic are my top two songs from you guys and that massive bass is only one track. Really eye opening stuff with the layers that I hope to use on my projects. Thank you so much for the vids.

[@jmiddlefinger]

Small Crimes never gets the love it deserves!

[@RaveEpic]

@@jmiddlefinger I was going to tell you that Small Crimes is one of the best songs they've made and I realized I'm the comment above you. SMH. I'm always coming back to Ken videos, I guess.

[@jmiddlefinger]

@@RaveEpic Lol!!! It’s Ken Commentception!

[@LeonTodd]

It's so wonderful that you're doing these Ken. Thank you.

[@KenAndrewsMusic]

Big fan of your channel Leon. Thanks for the shout out!

[@LeonTodd]

@@KenAndrewsMusic too kind mate! Looking forward to seeing and hearing what you put out next.

[@Vrekaro]

Made my week! thank you so much Ken! greetings from Chile! Edit: DAMN, this one was amazing, I swore that the bowed bass intro was some kind of voice sample/radio transmission all this years, and wow, blew my mind, can't thank you enough for this long video!

[@ToneSherpa]

that's exactly what I thought. I figured it was something from some movie or something.

[@_AleMartin]

Bueeeena, un fan chileno de Failure

[@estebancandiaburgos]

wena somos 3!! alguno planea verlos este año en eeuu?

[@camilovergaraeissmann9136]

Somos 4! Aún espero que algún día vengan a Chile. Aguante Failure !

[@Vrekaro]

Buena cabros, tuve la suerte de verlos el año pasado en Los Ángeles, son mi banda favorita así que me pegué el pique solo a verlos a ellos hahahah, el mejor show que he visto, estos gallos están a otro nivel técnicamente hablando, así que el sonido era espectacular, ojalá algún día los traiga algún festival, ya que pa venir solos es super complicado el tema del presupuesto (hablé con ellos en meet & greet también afortunadamente)

[@themarauder3404]

One of my favorite songs ever! Can't get tired of it and been listening to it since 2010, a decade now...

[@ragingdwarf]

The Marauder - Man. I feel REALLY old now. I've been rocking this album since '96. Awesome to hear how constant their music has been and how many fans they've been able to pick up and maintain as time passes.

[@dallask.5932]

You and Colin Richardson are the two dudes who inspired me to start mixing. Thank you for all that you do brother.

[@thechrisricci]

This is spectacular. I've been studying mixing for a while, but to see a song I really dig deconstructed by the person who recorded and mixed it is hugely informative. BTW, I was a depressed college student when Fantastic Planet came out and I just remember that whenever the video for 'Stuck On You' would play on MTV it gave me goosebumps and put a smile on my face, so, Thanks!

[@JonMichaelDeShazer]

Ken, I have sung your praises as a musician and producer ever since I got my hands on my own copy of Fantastic Planet in 1996, including several of my producer friends. To me it's one of the greatest rock albums ever produced and was so different from what was becoming a very derivative rock music scene in the mid-late 1990s. I just discovered your channel yesterday and I have watched every single video. Thank you for taking time from your busy life and schedule to indulge nerdy middle-aged fans like myself with this channel.

[@adamcontreras9710]

Incredible just incredible. I lived in the country side of San Antonio about 4 years ago. Bought this CD after a review on a magazine talking about the bass tone of this album. I built effect pedals and worked on guitars. I was working as a dialysis nurse, waking up early, listening to this album at 3am in the way to work. Greatest time of my life. All of a sudden, I was deceived, hit dark times, moved back in with my parents, and then I got to really really understand the record. The lyrics, the setting, the claustrophobic feel yet optimistic outlook. It really helped. Now I’m a registered nurse, more free time and a little more $$$, I’ve finally invested in myself and bought an Apollo and constantly buying plugins and anything new that people are going crazy over in music. Thanks for your work and the fact your still giving everyone the tools for making their musical dreams come true.

[@captianobvious9234]

Failure is one of the few bands that actually take me to a different headspace when I listen to them. So cool to see all this as a recording musician.

[@Mrmre]

awesome, really hear CAVEIn. Failure was a huge inspiration for them. awesome video

[@ericpaulson]

I know nothing about mixing except what I've learned here, and will likely never mix audio in my life, but I am addicted to these videos. Thanks Ken, these are really great!

[@jaroslawleskiewicz9128]

Best New Year's gift so far. That song is a masterpiece. I was wondering about the bass tone for decades.

[@Infrared72]

I really enjoyed this mix walk through - the track Heliotropic was my introduction to Failure many years ago. Killer song and that dirty 5 string bass absolutely slays on this track!

[@KenAndrewsMusic]

No 5 string Basses in Failure! I think the chord is what throws people off. It makes it appear as if there is an extra octave below, when there is not.

[@mbrivera83]

Love all of these, but this is easily my favorite episode so far. The first 5:30 run through of 90's studio equipment, analog-to-digital transfer, was utterly fascinating. Don't think i ever considered Heliotropic would include cello and police sirens - truly amazed by the magic of the studio.

[@Morosityband]

This is really inspiring. I feel like taking more chances when it comes to fx and layering. Thanks Ken.

[@hectorsantander4756]

Just imagine if the stems got released for everyone to mix and learn..... That would be a dream!

[@rockboy360]

One of my all time favorite album mixes!

[@tattoopractice]

i'm so late to the party but everything good i listen to absolutely pulls influence from Failure, and rightfully so, brilliant 💙i'm obsessed w another space song 🔥

[@juanticimo]

Thank you so much for sharing the details on Bass sound for Heliotropic!! You are the best Ken!

[@garrettlemieux4620]

Ken, theres nothing I can say that anyone else hasnt already.... Thank You

[@disinfor]

I asked for a bass sound run down and I got one. Today is a great day.

[@hedonisticmisanthrope]

ASTONISHED at the simplicity of this mix. Makes me feel great about the way I flow in the working and mixing process. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing look into the mixing. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to know what the fuck was going on in the back ground. This is insanely ahead of its time.

[@theniteowl7007]

thank you so much for staying relevant and keeping Failure going into 2020. The chemistry between you and Greg is so astounding and your unique sounds make tears well up in my eyes. long time Failure fan here, since 94.

[@GillBoldberg]

My Dad has been a studio engineer for over 40 years and still uses the Mackie 32x8 to this day. Awesome video!

[@JobyP]

Best bass tone... ever... Thanks For Sharing Ken!

[@GFreeze11720]

Wow that’s amazing to hear those tracks in iso. Maybe another space song in the future ? along with heliotropic it’s my all time favorite guitar tones/effects. Thank you for doing this ken!

[@TheGonzeaux]

Oh and that trick of adding a panned track delayed by a few milliseconds... Absolutely brilliant!

[@crestiferj2689]

this is absolutely mind blowing. thanks for doing these, ken. fantastic planet has long been one of my favorite albums and i've always marveled at the production. i love seeing how simple and yet incredibly huge sounding your basic tracks are.

[@rukahope]

We love you Ken.. bring Failure to Europe pleaseeeee!

[@christopherrobertson2840]

This is the fucking coolest thing ever.

[@JosePerez-jl9bu]

Yo Ken, seriously thank you for doing these videos. When me and all my musician nerd friends got ahold of Fantastic Planet back in the 90's, it blew all our minds and we immediately sat down and learned the whole record. Been a massive fan of your work since, and I'm happy af that Failure is active again. You guys are my absolute favorite! Anyway, I used to spend hours wading through gearslutz back in the early 2000's in the hopes of any inkling of how you went about a mix, to little avail. Learned a few things there, but would've killed for these vids! Thanks again and keep em coming!

[@catharsisecho]

Ken, you are a gentleman and a scholar. I can't wait to see you guys in Chicago!

[@TrueFallacy]

Dude, I remember hearing this song little less than 20 years ago, early 2000s, and I remember thinking FUCK, this is so GOOD. Perfect blend of dirty and pretty, and I remember wishing I could sit with you and learn the production of this song. This video is literally a dream coming tru for me. Such a legend, thanks Ken.

[@Wearehighlow]

Those Room mics sound incredible! Also, what a bass fuzz!!

[@drack1997]

This is awesome, I cant wait to hear remixed the old stuff remixed. I would like to see a video on HOW you guys get your bass/guitar sounds... or a working with DISTORTION video, cause recording and mixing heavy distortion always seems more difficult to me.

[@ozzfan458]

I second this

[@boglot]

Yes. Ken is an absolute monster when it comes to distorted tones with the perfect blend of bass guitar. When the guitar comes in on the Stuck on You intro it sounds massive even on my freakin iPhone speakers.

[@projectnero]

@@ozzfan458 I third this!

[@billyjackoff]

This is an absolute joy. I can't wait to hear the new remixes of Comfort and Magnified. I'd love to hear the multitracks of those albums as well.

[@TheRobOhShow]

I sure love these vids, Ken. As a novice noisemaker who hasn’t made anything substantive in a long time just watching you tweak the virtual knobs gets me inspired to fire up the gear and start writing again. Art inspires art! Thank you so much for sharing this look into your process and world.

[@FrazierGregory]

Just thanks, man. When I met you at the Double Door on the "Never Say Never" tour, I intended to ask you specifically about the vocal mic on FP, because they sounded so close mic'd to my ears - it made for a very intimate sound - and it had been a source of debate and consternation with some of my pro audio peers - instead, I became a complete goon, which you were absolutely lovely about. Cheers, Ken. Keep 'em coming.

[@markgoetz]

So, so awesome & generous. 20ms. Thanks Ken!

[@HooliganClassRapidOffenseUnit]

BEST EPISODE YET!!!! I'm sure this was a bucket list episode for a lot of us; certainly was for me! Thanks heaps for diving deep into one of my favourite songs of all time. Can't wait for the next episode!!!

[@ryanfinnie2461]

Love it! This channel is a gold mine. My favorite producer/engineer showing me through the session of a song from my favorite album. Thank you Ken!! PS: So cool to see that bowed bass, had never noticed it in the mix before, but it definitely adds character

[@Charlyfromthenuclearcity]

I already likeed this guy A LOT. But this is just a dream come true !

[@brandonhighfillproductions]

Thank you! So refreshing to see a KZbin production video with music I actually love.

[@nongrataaz]

Damn humbling. Can't ever get ciose to anything like this.

[@bentaylor8589]

Not only did I recently begin my own audio engineering journey, but I recently discovered Failure as well so this is super cool! :D

[@catloverextreme]

Thanks for doing these videos. I've watched thousands over the years and yours are possibly the best I've seen.

[@steveshields1975]

Thanks so much for choosing Heliotropic to analyze, the bass is especially huge on this track, and I was quite surprised to find out it was only a single track. Looking forward to the box set, and catching live shows any chance I can.

[@burywite]

The greatest teacher, failure is.

[@ZachWish]

Sooooo killer. Thanks Ken!

[@AlexKFong]

Amazing! "Fantastic Planet" was a huge record for me, and I love it to this day. Really thrilled at getting a chance to peek into the multitracks from one of the songs off the album.

[@pmamusicproducer]

Wow! I totally love the vibe and sound of all tracks in your mix here! As a producer and mixer I definitely need to put lots of more effort into experimenting with sound. Great session, thanks Ken!

[@macattacka2862]

Ken, you're a real magician. This off the cuff 'police siren' Helio mix sounds so HEAVY, even on my cheap 20 watt near field studio monitors I have cranked up! Thank you for sharing your 20ms delay trick, it adds so much depth instantly. Can't wait to hear the first 2 albums brought back to life with full on digital treatment, especially the song 'Screen Guy' (funny working title btw, lol) Sucess!

[@arjunapartha]

Yes!

[@bradleycordaro]

Ken, thanks so much for sharing this. Fantastic Planet is one of my favorite sounding records of all time. I do FOH and use "Heliotropic" often to tune PA's because of the lovely low end and overall growl of the track. I cant believe you used that few mics on the drums! thanks again

[@BroDocTrev]

The deepest respect for you, your craft and the fact that you're on here sharing your insight. You're one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to musical engineering and I thank you for the mark you've left in the industry.

[@capitalize7775]

San Antonio would love to see you! Amazing band. Saw you guys in reno for the first time in 2014 when you opened up for TOOL. Fell in love with failure ever since!

[@aneisaspencer9205]

Thanks Ken love these videos and all your music and Greg is a machine he can play any instrument you throw at him

[@richdome220]

Pissed I just found your channel here in mid-January. Better late than never. Subscribed immediately!! Huge fan of all of your work, especially YOTR and of course Failure. I have seen Failure the last 2 times you played Lincoln, NE. Phenomenal!! This channel is phenomenal!! All of episodes have been fantastic!! Pun very intended. Can't wait for future stuff. Immensely entertaining, informative and inspiring!! Thank you for all you do.

[@elzippo488]

Outstanding! Thanks for the tips on the SSL settings.

[@FromNowhereMusic]

Ken - Thank you so much for taking the time to give us some insight into your mix philosophy. I've long been infatuated witht he sound of Fantastic Planet, as well as the most recent Failure albums, so being able to get a glimpse into the ideas behind it is incredibly invaluable and inspiring.

[@FireMoon42]

Blimey, this takes me back . I finished my first full album in 95 on a Mackie with 4-5 pieces of outboard kit maximum. I'm really enjoying your videos as they are away from the norm on many of these channels ( not that I don't enjoy them as well), great to find a fresh approach to the subject.

[@ChiacchieriARTStrong]

Absolutely love Distorted Fields. It was so cool to watch you guys play it in Denver back in June. Thank you

[@IanHolwood]

I’m looking forward to seeing you mix and show other techniques. Great channel so far!

[@MrMatamatic]

I had a smile from the beginning to end of this vid ! I cannot believe this is happening ! Thankyou Ken !!!!!!

[@denverrandy7143]

Freaking AWESOME!!!saw them back in 2016 when they did fantastic planet all the way through here in Denver. Still my favorite band never get old. True Talent virtuosos

[@nolanneal]

Thank you for making these videos! I was wondering what that killer music in the intro of your vids was! Checking out the Failure records today! Don’t know how I missed them! Again, dude... thank you so much! My in the box vs analog console anxiety is FINALLY gone! These videos are like music production therapy ;)

[@gatherstudio5219]

One of your videos came up In my feed and i must say am very glad it did really really great music so much like the way i liket to write . Looking forward to digging into your channel

[@BrettTalleyMusic]

Incredible.

[@TouringBassist]

Mind blowing this exists. Thank you for doing this, it's amazing.

[@richarddiaz1241]

The song Headstand off the new joint has burrowed into my consciousness like a summer tick. Brav fucking O!

[@uselessfuse]

thank you for making these videos! it's so amazing to see how other people approach mixing. there just isn't a lot of quality content about mixing for rock music.

[@fuzzyhi5621]

Your definitely my Saturday savior During these pandemics While I’m watching these great videos!🎸🪕🔋

[@KenAndrewsMusic]

Rock on!

[@joemc83]

I’ve ALWAYS wanted to hear the multi tracks from this record! Thank you for this! Btw, my profile pic is your guitar after your show at Mercy Lounge in Nashville 2007. Fun times that was!

[@ToneSherpa]

I would love to get my hands on those and do some mixes for fun.

[@moonbeen101]

Incredible video about one of my favorite songs. Y'all really knocked it out the park making a completely unique sounding piece.

[@JonJourdan]

Loving the content Ken! Looking forward to more!

[@mrhobs]

This is amazing and endlessly fascinating. Never thought I would get a chance to hear Ken talk about the old recordings in such detail and provide an in-depth demonstration of the tracks on a great FP song. I would love to hear even more. I have to wonder if the band has worked out some kind of deal with Warner Bros. to own the original recordings, now that they've done a modern digitization of them... One more thing, SUPER EXCITED for "Failure 1992-1996!" I admit that at first I thought it was live recordings, so this blew me away now that I know it will be the remastered albums. (Love live music, but... I prefer going to Failure shows for that. :P Come back to Lincoln, NE sometime!) P.S. Solaris 2014!!! YESS!!!!

[@projectnero]

Thank you for doing this! I've been following you guys for quite some time now. Absolutely love Fantastic Planet! Bought your Golden CD after watching the documentary on KZbin. I gotta say I teared up a bit when I saw you working on a cassette multi-track...that's what I started with back in the day. Years ago I did some research on records made with a Mackie 8 bus and read interviews about your experience with it on Fantastic Planet. I still hold that up as an excellent example what can be accomplished with relatively cheap equipment. You guys really knocked it out of the park on that one. This video popped up on my KZbin feed and subscribed instantly. Going to watch the rest of your videos. I'd love to see you do a mix with the masters video or any tutorials like that. Keep up the good work brother!

[@craig7050]

WOW!!! This is amazing stuff!

[@Eggbertman2001]

once again our minds are blown away thank you for taking us to your world of mixing

[@mjmartinez7167]

Christmas came twice for me!! I’ve always wanted to know the magic to this jam!! Thank you Ken so very fkn cool of you to do this!! Amazing episode!!!

[@TheGonzeaux]

Oh, man, another great one! I really can’t overstate how excited I am to hear the remixes of Comfort and Magnified. I first heard y’all at the State Palace Theater in New Orleans when you were touring with Tool. I’ve loved Magnified since then. As great as that album sounds, I’m super interested in hearing how you’d improve it with modern engineering techniques. And I bet remixing Comfort must be an interesting project!

[@lkb3rd]

Really enjoyed this Ken!

[@defshrimp]

Amazing. Thank you.

[@tink06tinker]

This is just mindblowing!

[@OldChurchRecording]

Great memories - thanks Kendrews

[@michaelparisi6758]

Thanks Ken, it's super rad you are doing this.

[@skyrocketdaydream]

This video was super informative. Definitely learned some cool things from this vid! Thanks for sharing!

[@tripplanier3207]

This is so good. Keep 'em coming, Ken.

[@ptbempire]

Love your music man literally one of my favorite bands right now I discovered you guys by a wrong search for The Nurse Who Loved Me. I was searching for APC stuff and you guys just popped up! Then I heard Sergeant Politeness and instantly fell in love

[@PrawdaTV]

Best episode yet, very informative. I wouldn't mind breaking down like that more Failure songs

[@Karmandarm]

This is amazing

[@healyed]

This was super cool and inspiring to watch. Thanks for sharing Ken.

[@ruffnek]

Ken, love this content! my band has hard drives full of unfinished work from the early 2000's and now we're all a few states apart. The idea is to use KZbin to document the process of bringing the mix to life. Thanks for the inspiration and knowledge

[@thesean3194]

This is awesome Ken thanks.