Producing Skinny Puppy - (BREAKDOWN) - baking effects with hiwatt

In today's session, Ken 'hiwatt' Marshall breaks down SP's 'jaHer', and shares why committing effects early, and often, can 'step up' your productions in BIG way!
Please choose 1080p for best audio ;-)

[@EnochLight]

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd have a front-row seat watching hand-crafted production tip videos - FOR FREE - from an industry legend like Ken Marshall, frequently featuring a band that literally molded my childhood appreciation for music back in the mid-80's (Skinny Puppy's "Remission", "Bites", and "Mind: the Perpetual Intercourse" are 3 of my favorite Puppy albums of all time, with "Vivisect 6" and all of the 12" singles from all of those releases coming in a close 4th)!!!! Truly a time to be alive. Thanks for sharing this stuff, Ken - really really cool to see these videos.

[@selectronium]

i completely concur! to share one's knowledge freely nowadays is rare, but we revere the old masters... Socrates, Aristotle, Plato (some of whom wandered without a home to teach)... exactly because of their driving need to dispense their knowledge. i am quite an acolyte of this channel now. ;->

[@hiwattmarshall]

EnochLight, your comment is pure inspiration to share so much more, thank you for that 🙏 Most of what I’m sharing here on the channel, is a combination of ideas and techniques that I’ve learned from my mentors, who were all very gracious to share their expertise and knowledge throughout my career. I feel like I’m just paying it forward, in a time where we sort of lack the traditional studio I had the privilege of ‘growing up’ in! Before the transition to DAW, the studio was basically a university, where the instructors were the likes of Dave Ogilvie, David Leckie, John Fryer, and Matt Wallace!!! I swear, for half of my career, I had NO IDEA just how privileged I was to be assisting some of the most epic producers of my time 😳🤟🏼 I sincerely hope you’re able to apply some of these ideas to your own productions, and even better…to morph them into your very own!!! Btw, even though it was before my time, my favourite SP album is Vivisect 6. Rave was instrumental in why that one stands out to me ❤️ Thanks again Enoch, I hope you have an awesome week! -hw

[@hiwattmarshall]

@@selectronium so awesome to have you sharing on the channel, thank you 🙏 I hope you have an awesome week my friend, stay safe ;-) -hw

[@selectronium]

@@hiwattmarshall i miss sitting in friends' studios in Downtown Studios in Salt Lake City. i learnt SO much about found sounds and such there! btw, you finally described here what i have described to people forever as the signature sound effect of SP which i had called "warped sounds". i have irritated many a roommate trying to get them to hear the layers in the music that turns out to be the effects the musicians used then being effected. i hear it as a helix (double, triple, etc) running through the composition. sweet deal... THANK YOU so much for finally explaining it. may layers be spread throughout industrial music once again for my personal dancing pleasure. lol have lovely day/night!

[@javaally1203]

When I first heard Vivisect vi I was inspired to make similar music and all I needed was a synth to push a button to make industrial music. 32 years later and I still havent found a formula for the right gate/verb for a drum set

[@drewburke6371]

I don't know if any channel gets me as excited about audio engineering as this one does

[@TheAmazingSnarf]

you aren't alone, Drew. this channel gives an ocean of validation and experience each time i visit on Fridays. cheers to you!

[@hiwattmarshall]

Drew, thank you my friend 🙏 As audio engineers, aren’t we gifted, with sort of an ‘infinite’ field to play in?!? To this day, I still get TOTALLY excited about audio, and geeking out on new ideas 😆 I hope you’re able to apply some of these ideas to your own productions Drew, thanks again ;-) Have a great Sunday, and stay safe! -hw

[@hiwattmarshall]

@@TheAmazingSnarf I bet we’d get along brilliantly in the studio!!! The wisdom, and energy you bring to this channel is greatly appreciated my friend ❤️🙏 Have a great week, and please stay safe out there ;-) -hw

[@joelbrandenburg6746]

The world needs a Skinny Puppy tour.

[@adub303]

Most definitely. Hell, I'd settle for a live stream from Kevin's place (or Kevin's)

[@shane864]

It just got their final one and I went to their last show :(

[@adammacd0nald]

Ken has such a fantastic attitude. People must love being around him.

[@nemusys]

Absolutely! As you say, so often fx are a part of the creation process and original jam... glue it in. This also mitigates the decision energy at the end, which can otherwise be overwhelming to the point of insanity in my experience. Thanks a ton!

[@hiwattmarshall]

I love you’re comment, ‘glue it in’ Fenominal! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve failed at going back to try and re-create an effect, where I didn’t originally commit 😳 Painful lessons…I’m all about baking them in 🔥. I wanna hear your next mix Fenominal, thanks for sharing ;-) Have a great week, stay safe! -hw

[@ninjaxhayabusa]

This is some excellent advice. I often catch myself being super overwhelmed by a mix for that very reason of leaving all those decisions open.

[@RockyBergen]

I love hearing about The Process!!

[@JacobSkriver]

This is such a good piece of advice and I know you have touched upon this in past sessions. It has really changed the way I am producing - used to try to build an entire song with all instruments and fx and automation before finally recording it all. Now I am recording smaller bits and pieces with fx baked in and it is a much better process; fast decision, commit and move on. Thanks 🙏

[@hiwattmarshall]

Thank you Jacob, I appreciate you sharing your experience 🙏 Another experience where I’ve learned to develop this approach is using virtual synths! I find MANY times, when I close a ‘midi’ session (totally virtual), and open it a month or two later, it can (and often does) sound different. In some cases, I’ve never been able to recall my original ‘ref mix’ from a virtual session 😳 Strongly encourage baking stuff to audio, in so many cases we can come back and tweak further, but often (in my own experience), we can’t get back! Thanks again for sharing here bud, I appreciate it 🤟🏼 -hw

[@TheAmazingSnarf]

such wonderful validation of coming to a session with strong ideas of baking in effects. in the 90's, the bands i recorded with were told time and time again, in no uncertain terms, that all of our parts would be recorded plain, and that any/all effects would be added later, at the engineer's discretion. this meant that (as an instance) all guitar parts were to be recorded directly, without our favorite distortions, phases, et cetera. plain. a quote i'll always remember is "the studio is no place for experimentation." at that point, playing plain, un-effected instruments would have been *complete* experimentation. we knew what we wanted to do, we knew how to do it, we were well rehearsed, and came in with our own rackmount gear to achieve those sounds, and we were shut down again and again. any recordings we came out with were dull and uninspired, and the engineering staff loved every second of them. we never released *any* of that material. approaching thirty years later, i'll never allow anyone to make decisions like that for me. thank you, Ken. those studios are long gone, and here we are, all this time later. i appreciate you and your ethos more than you'll ever likely know.

[@selectronium]

too much genius has been stifled, or even killed, by the prudes and the pencil pushers. it sucks that they shut you down, too.

[@TheAmazingSnarf]

@@selectronium thank you for the validation. it isn't all a black hole, though- we learned tons ( trust your instincts and do it yourself whenever possible ), and the recordings we made ourselves were far more satisfying anyway! all of that material we weren't happy with in the 'professional' studio, we had in our own vault on 4 and 8 track tape, made to our own specs in our own time =)

[@ehrinah_al-jeordhi]

I'm actually Facebook friends with you. This is very good stuff man! Honestly some of the best I've ever heard.

[@Rhekluse]

I remember hearing ‘The Process’ for the first time and being completely blown away by the production value & the sound design. I’ve never seen anyone show any Skinny Puppy work ‘In The Box’ before so this was a treat for me. Great advice as well. I never commit to anything in my productions right down to the final mix and I believe it is making my life more difficult haha. You have some great energy too, man! Cheers for this! 🤘

[@hiwattmarshall]

Thank you Rhekluse, I appreciate your comments very much 🙏 I definitely encourage you to bake in effects where possible. In many cases, we can always come back and edit, but in my own experience, the more you get in the habit, the less you find yourself ‘going back’, while your production moves forward 😆! Thanks again, please stay safe, and have an awesome week! -hw

[@somethingelsedoesmatter]

This guitar clip always reminded me of the town music in the original Diablo game.

[@shadow13x]

Exactly

[@nsjx]

excellent info Ken. it's so refreshibg to hear this from a top-mixer 🙏👍 btw, a little OT but would love to hear you remix a track i put on tonight after dinner. Civilization by Front Line Assembly 🤘I used to spin that a lot some yrs ago. Thanks again 🌌

[@ClifBratcher]

The infinite options available in this day and age makes avoiding those commitments really easy. I've found I have to actively fight the feeing and just track/bounce what I'm doing as soon as I like the take. It gets easier the more you do it, but there's still an occasional "what if I want to change that".

[@hiwattmarshall]

Clif, you make a great point here my friend…’it gets easier the more you do it’!!! I’ve felt the very same urge to not commit, and leave options open…but I think I’ve been bitten too many times by not baking stuff in 😝 Thanks for sharing, I hope you have an awesome week Clif! 🤟🏼 -hw

[@JairusKhan]

I am constantly blown away by how much I learn watching these videos.

[@dieranged]

Hey KM, just discovered your channel. Thanks for sharing your insights and memories. It's great to see the production process outlined.

[@crawlingmind]

always a pleasure to get your insight, thanks ken!

[@distortomanipulo]

It's so damn good to see someone with experience with industrial engineering, it feels good to hear tricks from someone in the genera. Also it's really cool to learn the history of that guitar, also isn't this the song that got on the top 50 billboards(not a regular accurance for the genera)?

[@zeppelinfan82]

DAN! Great question man. Same thoughts exactly

[@bobby_trauma]

Absolutely in my top 5 favorite youtube channels! So much great info here on music that speaks to my soul by artists I admire the most. Never thought about where that acoustic intro came from on Jaher, and awesome that you get to have so much creative freedom in your final mixes. This is bittersweet and oh so beautiful! Forever Thanks for sharing, Ken!! 🤍

[@linden2k]

Absolutely love this.

[@kevinmacwalters1274]

Jaher is a highlight of that record. Knowing that's you on the guitars makes it just a little bit better.

[@JackPeloquin]

Super Raaaad Ken!!! Thanx for sharing...

[@PandaKattPk]

Awesome video

[@Mr666Flake]

This was great! Thanks Ken!

[@osrstudiossanantonio6386]

great video was impressed by your building new melody with sampled guitar riffs have to try this myself love it.

[@Pete_Logic]

Always so much affirmation within these beautiful lessons. I am really taking away so much from so many of your videos. They are really appreciated. Gratitude my friend!! That guitar sounds like the guitar from Diablo, such a classic sound. I am really digging these breakdowns. Especially on music I’ve loved for so long.. This channel is one of my favourite happy places! Thank you Holy HiWatt! Side note, this video really points out a great lesson to me. Since subscribing to your channel (thank you!) and from following cEvin on Patreon, I’ve had moments where I see both of you in your elements and see that “flavour” you both have that is so unique and different.. but when combined with Ogre, Dwayne, Mark Walk, Saki and your humble brother (among others) it becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. Just wanted to thank you all for making such beautiful music and taking the time to share your creativity with us. Cheers to you

[@TheAmazingSnarf]

it's incredible, isn't it Pete? when likeminded individuals work together to move a project forward... wow!! and i echo the sentiment, that this space is absolutely incredible. i hope someday we're able to form a Discord server in which to exchange ideas, collaborate, and give encouragement. let's make it happen

[@Pete_Logic]

@@TheAmazingSnarf hey there fellow long-time HiWattian! Glad to see you’re still here partaking of the HiWatt lexicon and creating as well. I am always up for a jam!

[@alliep2494]

Your videos are such an inspiration to those who want to learn the process. Thanks again Ken for sharing your knowledge and positive creative energy! Bonus to all of us that you highlight Skinny Puppy :)

[@submetropolis]

huge puppy fan here and you just got a new subscriber

[@matthewjones8510]

Hey!…you’re doing a good job

[@kvltoftdp]

your wealth of knowledge and inspiration is always immensely appreciated. thank you for the great work you continue to bring into this universe.

[@davidtstewart]

You're the man Ken. This channel is so inspirational. Thanks x1m!

[@Robert-nz2qw]

I *knew* that had to come from Diablo! ;)

[@ronneyrendon]

Nice voice man. Really nice voice.

[@inPHluxx]

the delay makes the dissonant parts sound nostalgic

[@rodneyanonymous666]

Very good to know! Many thanks!!!

[@MetalskiMetalski]

Hi Ken, as always much appreciated you taking the time to make this video and sharing your incredible knowledge. I believe the baking in depends on the creative process in this case the remix, as you have opened the session, you could do it just from there :) save as different version and kick off. I come from dub roots and playing with aux, vol, solo mute is a art of it in the mix, you do a take and that's it go downs to 2 tracks and you get it right this one time or not... or you split the fx to separate track and then do final wet dry... everything is matter of purpose and speed of it. Some dub producers who were dedicated to analog mixing desks abandoned them for digital just for convenience and speed of it... brings projects back to its shape where they left it without going through setting up x of pots (eq,aux etc.) I got your point and it is right for purpose of balancing the mix and speed of it, but is just a matter of at what point you are involved and what's bits are really left for you to do. If you have worked on a particular stab to sound exactly the way you wanted then fair enough, but why limit your options if you can be free to make adjustment to the reverb or delay to match your expectations in the mix? I do all by myself from the tracking to mix so maybe that's how I see it. It is different then you do it for someone else somewhere at different time then the mix is produced. I hope I make sense here... Thanks again. Looking forward for more. This is very unique what you are doing.... 1000000 karma points for you!!! ps. edit: all kind of spelling and typos... forgive me my dyslexia...

[@tomroehl5126]

This is a good reminded of how you've talked about how you archive your old DAW rigs so that you can go back and open old projects like this. But how frustrating is it to go back to those old, slow systems? :) On the other hand it's all the more impressive what you were able to do back then with the hardware you had!

[@hiwattmarshall]

Tom, what’s sort of unreal, is how fast the old systems boot up lmao! I swear, that G5 is ready in less than 20 seconds hahaha! 😳 Back in the days we could do custom installs 🤟🏼 Thank you for sharing, I hope you have an awesome week! -hw

[@kilroy914]

Thank you so much!

[@k5ren]

You got the neatest toys Ken! Keep smiling!

[@IntoleranceRecords]

It saves on processor power to bake in effects. I’ve always been pretty much a one man show though.

[@TalesfromtheCradle]

This was very educational, thanks for sharing some of your secrets with us. I'm your newest subscriber! :D I've been a big SP fan for at least a decade and am only 28, good parenting I suppose lol.

[@hiwattmarshall]

Welcome to an awesome community Ryan, thanks so much for sharing 🙏🤟🏼 Me too my friend, HUGE SP fan myself, and I feel privileged to have been a part over the years 😊 Thanks for subscribing, I hope you can apply some of these ideas to your own productions! Have a great weekend, and please stay safe! -hw

[@TalesfromtheCradle]

@@hiwattmarshall Yeah, hardest part has been trying to know what to spend my money on to really kind of get the ball rolling. People will tell you need xyz but then it isn't what you really want. If you have any beginner videos that would be rad!

[@rgrant]

Oh the Cello at 10" is beautiful, never noticed that in the mix before - I can't believe how much is going on in these tracks that I thought I knew backwards. I must admit I don't know how you maintain clarity and focus when working with so many layers and on tracks that take 'months' to do.

[@CMANIS69]

Thanks man, I love you!

[@pursuitofsound3120]

To add to that, one way you can sleep a little easier about committing effects to tape is to create multiple sessions for each song. To keep track of which session is the most current, put version numbers on it like software. So if a song is half completed make it v0.5. This has the added effect of pushing me to finish songs too.

[@hunterdavis3003]

So it seems you still have a bunch of artistic freedom though. So I’m a little confused , who put the delay on the guitar? Was that cevin? Who dropped it a half step? Was that you? Such a great episode, thank you ken! I’m just in awe

[@adub303]

@Hunter Davis Ken put the delay on the guitar (6:36) and also pitched it down (4:43). cEvin provided the cello part with the baked-in delay (10:02) 😉🤘

[@stacybigfoot4801]

When too much FX is barely enough.

[@seantrottier2466]

You mentioned this process previously, but not as in depth. I started doing this more after you brought it up, and it has always resulted in smiles. I don't doubt the producers that you work with are top notch, but for a lot of us, that may not be the case, as it might be the bands/artists baking those effects in themselves, and not necessarily with the surgical precision and refined palette that a dedicated, objective producer might. Though this sometimes leads to happy accidents, sometimes it leads to a lot of work on our end taming reverbs, etc... Has baking in effects like that ever bit you in the ass? If so, how did you deal with it? Sometimes retracking is not always possible. If you had some suggestions for "Stem Surgery" (not necessarily with the intention of "fixing" the stem, but rather to make it shine in perhaps a different way), I would love to hear them. I try to convince myself that "no stem is a lost cause", but I find that sometimes I end up screwing it up more than making it better, and some extra tips for the toolbox would be amazing! Thank you for all that you do. It inspires the rest of us to cast aside our musical inhibitions, and reach just that little bit higher.

[@AsaMorris]

Ken givin off pro-wrestler hype guy vibes. no wonder they call him hi watt