Music Production - Brendan O'Brien Music Production Techniques Explained

In this episode we will explore the sounds and techniques of Brendan O'Brien's music production and mixing. Detailed analysis of his recording and mixing techniques as well as drum miking tips. I have included many audio examples to demonstrate thesis techniques. If you want an expanded video and Pro Tools session, check out my Patreon page for details.
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[@robinmiller7958]

When you hear the isolated tracks you really understand how great the playing of all the instruments is.

[@diegodz7510]

King's X ... WHAT A BAND ! support from Italy 🇮🇹

[@exortor]

For me one of his best works is Mastodon's Crack The Skye , the mixing and production is unreal its ear candy so many layers perfectly balanced.

[@metalplaylist]

Dogman, absolutly a masterpiece of the 90's, still on my top 5 all time best records, Blood sugar is too, Superunknown too.. Well, Brendan worked on all of these...:)

[@mattswift8383]

His work with MASTODON...wowsers. Magic.

[@bernieburnalot]

Rick! Please keep up these “Producer Mixing Techniques”. I am gobbling them up like CANDY. Fucking INSANE: I have so many things I will try, simply because you mentioned them. You are providing a HUGE service to serious people abroad. Once again, Holy Fuck, and Thank You.

[@mineheadX1]

that King's X album really caught my ear, must check that out, excellent lecture Rick...I love your Studio Techniques series...more, more, more !

[@manifestgtr]

my favorite brendan track has to be big empty by the stone temple pilots...killer range of drum sounds...big and open during the verses, tight and huge for the chorus, ambient for the break...that song is a masterclass in 90's songwriting and production

[@bigkickleo]

manifestgtr Eric Kretz spoke about how they actually recorded 2 different kits for that track as well! Crusty vintage Ludwig for the intimate verses and his GMS maples for the rockin' choruses! 🤘

[@skylarcarlson7745]

I love how you show how compressed some of these tracks are. I'm always afraid of over compressing due to the advice of so many people online. I understand that dynamics are important but it seems despite a lot of the advice a lot of the pros are really heavy on compressing. Guess there is a fine line between over compression and just right.

[@RockmannMusic]

Just don't listen to anyone on gearslutz. 90% amateurs who are only acting experienced

[@mvwoon]

Tape gives natural compression and these were all recorded to tape, then interfaced. You gotta remember the old guys (Bruce Swedien) who said "compression is for kids" were recording to tape and playing back from tape.

[@joint2joint2k]

King's X - Dogman is an INCREDIBLE sounding record.

[@marksander7788]

Thank you so much, Rick. I love his work with Matthew Sweet and Michael Penn in particular. Thank you also for mentioning Nick DiDia. Stunning sound from a stunning recording team!

[@JohnRegansReviewsTutorialsMore]

It's amazing to see the continuity of these engineer's sounds in the side by side comparisons. Great vids.

[@JensLarsen]

Very insightful! Explaining a lot of the sound of some of the albums I have listened to all my life. Thank you very much!

[@mrnelsonius5631]

I saw Brendan O’Brien and knew I’d be listening to some immaculately produced roomy drum sounds. Just such an amazing balance of ambience and punch/definition. He had broad stylistic chops for the genre too. Listen to STP’s “Purple” (really slick, wide, sounds expensive) and then listen to “Tiny Music” (low-fi, vintage, boxy sounds and roomy sounds). They are so different and both amazing sounding records. His production was the sound of my youth. Most of my favorite teenage records (the first CD I bought) were his records. Amazing musicians too, just a special time

[@vinnyjamea96]

Kings X the best recording.. So tight. A album I never get tired of hearing He really knows what sounds belongs to each band.. Amazing

[@manolowalnierez]

Dogman is such a Killer Album!!

[@ravenlongman4846]

Thats so amazing! You actually opened original sessions of RHCP that sick. Thanks for sharing Rick!

[@joshuajordan8574]

Love Dogman. King's X is one of the best bands of the last 35 years. I'm glad they did a record with Brenden O'Brien to get this sound once. I wish you would feature King's X in a video(s). They have done some unique things and have a unique sound. Always love all of your videos.

[@raidovski]

Mr. Beato - this was again a brilliant dissection of the the work of this giant. Brendan is one of my personal favorite top producers and audio engineers - several years ago "Black The Sky" from "Dogman" was my "go to" referent track for rock productions ...and the whole album...drums, bass, guitars...vocals - everything there is killing me every time. The idea with the Y cable for the toms was a killer one - I will definitely try to find information how to make myself several of these and use them on my next production...Regards!

[@RickBeato]

Thanks Konstantin!

[@frozencons]

It's really good to hear King's X getting some love. Great video!

[@im215exempt]

At 16:40 you concisely explain why O'Brien is the best producer of the past 20+years. I love breaking down his songs and learning from him. "Murderer of Blue Skies" is THE textbook on how to build a song with a simple acoustic guitar and carefully build and layer until it rocks like mad. Great channel.

[@AntonyStrus]

Rick, you remain one of the very best for informing upcoming producers on how things work! I always learn so much from you!

[@Def2beats]

So I used this in my recent drum mic up, and I got the best snare sound I have ever achieved. Brilliant this. Thanks Rick Beato.

[@kevinmorris7722]

This video is insightful to the parts of production no one realises but we all feel. It's allowed us to see the magic of you who work behind the scenes but are actually more of the sound that most understand. Also, this is you doing what you preach, giving back the knowledge you've learned for us to take and make our own. Love it.

[@filip2949]

Producion techniques and habits of Nigel Godrich!

[@adamantiumgonzalez8389]

would be awesome

[@ohwhen7775]

Honestly don't even think I noticed the organ part in the Give it Away track all these years, really fascinating what you can discover in these videos, thanks again.

[@RickBeato]

I know it's really hidden in there but very effective. Thanks Owen!

[@aaronmangoff6714]

Rick these videos are great, helps me as a musician understand how my engineer approaches the recording process and gives me the chance to consider this while writing for the studio. Thanks so much for the geek sessions!

[@thegailen]

Thanks so much for all the videos you've put together. You've helped me improve as an audio engineer tremendously! Please don't ever stop making these!

[@bassplayinben]

What I notice in all his mixes is the guitars are thin and kind of off to the side, which makes you focus more on the bass and drums. This emphasizes the rhythm and avoids the guitar dominating the other instruments

[@nicolas.grisanti]

Brendan could be my favorite producer, STP, Soundgarden, Incubus, etc, the organic and punchy sound in every record he is in, i love it!

[@GoToEleven11]

There’s a making of bssm documentary on KZbin and you can see 421:s on toms so the all 57’s is obviously just a story. Thanks for all the great videos Mr. Beato!!

[@TheStudioDrummer]

Great video! I recorded with a band project (as drummer) at Southern Tracks with Brendan's setup in the 90's and your walk through brings back some great memories. Don't even get me started on how brilliant Kings X was! (everyone go listen to "Dogman" and the previous 3 records right now!:^) Thank you for putting this together.

[@utubehound69]

Who were you playing with?

[@TheStudioDrummer]

Hi Watchaman4u -Lunafish.

[@utubehound69]

Jonathan Cazenave Seems like I've heard that name have you played Athens or Metro Atl?

[@TheFulllengthmirror]

Love love how he pauses during Kings X!

[@royjg83]

Cool video! I remember being very young and noticing Brendan’s name on SO many of the albums I bought. Also Wallace and Date.

[@tomwalker9730]

Love that you included She's On Fire 🙌 One of my favourite Train songs from that era, always thought Brendan's production and mix sounded incredible!

[@davidoglesby6771]

Hi Rickcan you do a mixing technique vid on Joe Barresi?he's mixed some pretty cool bands in modern rock.Tool, Queens Of The Stone Age, Melvins, Soundgarden, Rancid, Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Bad Religion, Hole, and many more!such a great sound for modern rock!

[@chrisgreen3100]

hi rick -that y-splitter on the toms. i was a live sound engineer in the late '70's in australia and we used that very technique. i got the idea from an old school audio technician who originated from the very early days of live sound reinforcement @ late 1960's.

[@dpinskey]

If I remember correctly, STP’s Vaseline was recorded with the drums setup outside in a field to get an extremely dry live track. So wondering if the reverb/room sounds were added later during mixing with a reverb chamber or with the use of a plate.

[@TheLaird406]

I think that may have been the Tiny Music album.

[@aavila1206]

Incubus is my favorite band and they're very underrated, especially their rhythm section in their first albums

[@howtodocertainthings8452]

Aavila120 seriously you’re favourite band?! Wow, okay.

[@ChrisTrabantProject]

First time hearing of Kings x. Wow it’s good

[@dawnlysinger7106]

U r so right about Brendan talent. His plays every instrument by ear and he has so mucjh talent. Most talented producer of our age.

[@adammartin7007]

Dean DeLeo of STP claimed that O'Brien really produced Blood Sugar. Rubin doesn't really produce, he just shows up once a week to offer his thoughts on the recordings and then help himself to the credit.

[@alexcaminiti6426]

If you listen to Funky Monks, you can hear Brendan producing at various points. They definitely co-produced Blood Sugar. Production means different things and I've always thought it is lame that Rick took full credit for production and half of the mixing credit. Brendan clearly mixed it.

[@jeanlejeune2288]

The peppers should have stuck with Brendan behind the board. That was their best sounding record IMO.

[@AirGuitar]

@@jeanlejeune2288 agreed

[@juanvaldez5422]

@@Fonkemman yup

[@honved1]

@@jeanlejeune2288 Uplift mofo party plan was their best sounding album.

[@stephensolis6824]

Rick, could you do one of these videos explaining the differences Brendan used on No Code/Yield compared to Backspacer/Lightening Bolt? No Code and Yield have such an amazing, timeless sound while the two latest are crisp and clear, but don't have the same atmosphere. What was done differently? Thanks!

[@robertledet]

yield is one of my favorites!! Great album, my favorite from them.

[@shinomorello]

I’m still waiting this reply for so long, No Code is my favorite album mixed by Brendan O’Brien

[@AnalogMonoxide]

Know these are old now, but I'm almost entirely self taught when it comes to production, so love this stuff. Thanks.

[@Wayne_Robinson]

Wow, it's been over 3 years since I first watched this? It was still informative in new ways this time (especially the variation in kick drum sounds and the wonderful absence of drum samples) and I'd upvote again if it was possible.

[@madmuso5]

Really enjoyed that Rick. There's another great example of Brendon's snare magic on pearl jams " not for you ". The snare sounds great from the very beginning but when the vocals kick in it's like he ups the room mic or increases the verb and it just gets huge!

[@spartan876]

Your KZbin channel is indispensable, thank you!

[@justinjoy3321]

Awesome video about King Midas Need part 2 please!

[@jayjay1drum1skate]

Man, when that Phat Chad Smith groove started. It was so good I actually just sat here laughing.

[@monoforone]

Love your videos Rick- thank you for posting these and putting in all the time and effort.

[@sonnybrasco9735]

I like how you break music philosophies and sound down. Great stuff.

[@blackfeather7686]

Fantastic video, really enjoyed this. Thanks Rick for putting these together. Learning so much from this channel.

[@preciseaudioblog]

This video is gold! Thank you! Brendan is my favorite producer. Cheers!

[@KennethBrownComics]

I would love to see one of these on Ross Robinson... Just found your channel and it's amazing definitely a wealth of information thank you for sharing.

[@mattmarkus4868]

Eric Kretz is underrated.

[@silkywellman315]

Truth

[@stonetemplepilots3130]

Matt Markus yeah mannnn 100%

[@christophermeggison2986]

Ghost notes are a lost art. He's the king of them

[@dawnlysinger7106]

Most talented man in music. He can play any instrument by ear. I don’t think people know this about brendan. My cousin is very talented. He deserves more credit than he gets. Awesome and sooooo talented.

[@liquidbraino]

King's X!!!!! Hell yeah! Brendan O'Brien produced "Dogman" (one of my favorite albums). I still prefer their earlier stuff though because their earlier albums had these huge epic masterpieces of rock like "Pleiades", "Out of the Silent Planet", "In the New Age" & "Faith Hope Love". I'd love to see you do a King's X video even though they're not one of the most well known rock bands, I feel they're very underrated and I'm still confused about why they're not bigger than Metallica. According to Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam - King's X invented grunge. I'm not even sure what he meant by that because I've never seen them as a grunge band. Love all your videos man! I'm learning SO MUCH!

[@ryrodrums6727]

Kings X is one of the most underrated bands of all time.

[@angelvox1603]

Thanks Rick for sharing your talent, skill, and knowledge. Really enjoyed this awesome presentation.

[@varunZinger]

He's the engineer on My Private Nation by Train , mad mad production sonics and writing and arrangement on it !!!!!! This art of record making is lost , havent heard an album like that ever since !

[@dawnlysinger7106]

Most talented man in music I have ever met. He is for real.

[@matteosuardi8454]

one of the best videos i've ever seen! rick you're the man!

[@marcus_fns]

The snare of Bredan is awesome. The 57's blows my mind.

[@raymondspagnuolo8222]

Hello Rick! A pleasure to watch.

[@mesarecto6903]

Good work man. Very insightful and educational.

[@mike8610]

His latest interview and then going back to this is interesting and confirms this analysis. Brendan paid homage to Zeppelin and his favorites in his production and mixes. He found things that worked, that were proven and didn't seem to overthink things. Some of the best records of the 90s and since.

[@WillBrahm]

Rick this is so so enlightening. Thank you!

[@MichaelAmbrosiWOO]

I really appreciate you so much for these videos Rick. Keep rocking

[@26stereo]

great stuff rick! Brendan is my favorite producer and i periodically come back to check out your analysis! and let's not forget another awesome record he mixed, aerosmith's get a grip, monster sounds!

[@rollomaughfling380]

Always admired Brendan's guitar production, Rick. Very '90s, yes, but THE signature guitar sound of the '90s.

[@jaredjamesimages]

Love his work so much.. man that peppers sound! one of my favorite overall rock sounds

[@jjcrews5667]

Awesome analysis! Big O'Brien fan. Southern Tracks as well. You are nailing this stuff! Kudos!

[@jeanlejeune2288]

Great video Rick, thanks for your insights! I always loved the sound of BSSM, its nice to hear someone break it down. Keep up the great work!

[@JeromeDayUniverse]

Brendan recently produced the new Prophets of Rage album as well. The production of that is also stellar!

[@johnnystengermusic9778]

Hey Rick, just subscribed. I've been watching you a while now but didn't realize I wasn't subscribed. Thanks for everything you do. Love the way you break things down. I have learned a lot from you!! Thank you again!!

[@thepeachprince]

made a phase inverted y cable today, stuck a sm57 and md409 in front of my ampeg, into a neve 1073, 1176, api 550a. wow. if you guys want to build your own, just remember to switch pin 2 and 3 on the female side of the xlrs. great result and economical.

[@grantmoretti]

I only recently came across your channel and I've been pouring through SO many of your videos, they are immensely helpful and informative. I'm not sure if you take requests related to these types of videos, but if you were to do a video with production tips like this for either Butch Vig or Nigel Godrich it'd make my year! Regardless, thanks so much for these videos, I'm loving them!

[@frankmarsh1159]

When I was in high school I had a fake ID so I could go see Brendan play guitar in his band "Pranks" in Underground Atlanta. Everybody thought Brendan would eventually become a big rock star one day. Many years later I found out that Brendan was actually a year younger than I was so I guess that means he had a fake ID too ! - Oh and the drinking age was only 18 back then.

[@apanapandottir205]

I love piccolo snares too. Alot. More than most things in life.

[@chrisdover8507]

Apan Apandottír do u know exactly what snare Brendan uses?

[@SteveStockmalMusic]

Hi Rick, Love everything you do, you’re an amazing walking Encyclopedia of everything musical and beyond! Hey, just one production thought for you (and I don’t notice it so much on this video but on others I do) ... when you play musical examples can they go direct (instead of catching it through the camera mic)? For balance between your voice and the examples, and also just general quality so we can really hear what you’re trying to teach us. Thank you, Steve

[@conorgilles81]

I saw a special on MTV way back in the day about the making of STP's Tiny Music... and they were recording the drums outside on the lawn. I don't know if it was just for the cameras, but there goes the "room" factor.

[@marshalmagooo3899]

LEGIT

[@KilaKrumpira]

one snare sound to rule them all :)

[@FunkyBass]

You should do an episode on Teo Macero! These are fascinating. Thankyou for making such high quality informative videos!

[@joshua.snyder]

Brendan's work with Stone Temple Pilots is a masterpiece!

[@meanstreak-1017]

I like the work from Brendan O Brien what he did with AC/DC.

[@Tony78432]

I thought you might've mentioned Mastodon in the beginning of the video. They recently got together again with Brendan for the newest album set for a 2017 Spring release.

[@utubehound69]

They are from Atlanta as well right?

[@JohnsDough1918]

As much as I love Matt Bayles' work with them, Brendan brought a very nice change of pace with Crack the Skye that fit really well with the material on the album. They went from a tight, almost claustrophobic production to an expansiveness that I always associated with Brendan.

[@coreyclark6505]

Brenden’s ear is amazing... it’s funny, the first thing that I noticed was the snare. For years I’ve thought the snare on Blood Sugar Sex Magic was the best I’ve heard, but I never realized the pitch was the same as Dogman which is another favorite album of mine...

[@xkid9258]

Can you do a production style of Jerry Finn. The mans a legend and wo hi old love to see what you would do with his work! Love the content!

[@richprincipe749]

This is gold!! More of these plz!!

[@createlovehappy]

Again. Wish you were my teacher when I was in production school.

[@TiagoFrancomusic]

Amazing! Thank you, Rick!

[@MrSunnyday4u]

Great video analysis of a great producer and mix engineer.

[@PrimalNote]

I'm enjoying the fact that you've got a G5 still running in the background there. Mine's still going strong as well.

[@anymonkeymusic4286]

Those drum sounds really have that old school Smack comp verb plugin from pro tools. It had that type of "grit" sound.

[@nandoblondemobydick5438]

the first i noticed was the guitars either he use different FX,x combinations still maintain a style to me and are perfect they just sound great, about drums very interesting as well frustating cause it is not for everyone, great job thanks

[@guitarsword1]

Incredible recording lesson Rick . Thanku

[@Nephilim-81]

I was really surprised that 'The Temple of the Dog' 25th ann reissue wasn't done better by O'brien and billy bowers. It is completely crushed and the vocals really suffer. It is a hard listen. Pretty compressed. :(

[@topa1798]

thank you sir for the super detail explaination.the best ever.

[@splashesin8]

I don't know how this one slipped by me. I think I did hear it maybe, but obviously something must've happened at the end where I couldn't comment at the time. Glad it popped up again! 😀

[@Unglued812]

This is very interesting and helpful! Thanks Rick.