Trevor Horn - The Art of Record Production

[@garyo4057]

What an interesting guy, he is not boastful of his accomplishments and gives credit to everyone who helped him on his journey.

[@SteveClarkeSongs]

You can tell he's a bass player. His tracks groove

[@kehindea]

2 Tribes bassline is a masterpiece

[@baward]

Trevor and Jill gave me my first studio job as tea boy at Sarm West in 1983.

[@skyko]

I'll bet you have some stories! : )

[@skyko]

@ᚱᛰႮᛠᕮᚱ ᚦAᕮᛖᛰᚤ Tea boy is an opening position at a recording studio. Making tea is but a small part of responsibilities. I began as a "runner" and we did various things for clients like running to the store, aligning tape machines, preparing coffee etc. But as we moved up in rank we also got to sit in on sessions and 2nd engineer. Pretty cool memories/stories of those days!

[@LtdBoomer]

I would never leave a tea boy and coffee maker to my tape machines.

[@SixSenseRecords]

@ᚱᛰႮᛠᕮᚱ ᚦAᕮᛖᛰᚤ Ha, you got it! I was once refreshing the studio (Cherokee Studios Hollywood, CA Circa 1987) during a Bernard Edward's session (Bassist/Producer of Chic/Power Station amongst others). Everyone but myself went outside to catch some air while I took tapes to the vault, refreshed coffee, cleaned up. I decided to pinch a Marlboro "cigarette" from Bernards stash and before I knew what happened, I had passed completely out on the floor! Luckily one of my co-workers came in, found me and revived me with some cool water. WTF had I just smoked?!? Upon further inspection, the cigs were all hard & crusty apparently "dipped" in what I imagine was PCP or some other controlled substance my body was NOT used to... : ) Good times, great memories - those were the days / stories I was alluding to. 😉

[@baward]

You would have done if it was 1983 and you were paying the teaboy only UKP2 an hour! :-)

[@joebobhenrybob2000]

I wish there was another 100 or so hours of Horn discussing technical stuff out there or a biography specifically for musicians/producers/engineers to read

[@jackTHEEtab]

@ᚱᛰUᛠӖᚱ ᚦᗩӖϻᛰᚤ LMFAO...yep, that sounds about right.

[@myoung8951]

Checkout "Good Vibrations: History of Record Production " by Mark Cunningham amzn.to/31XaHc3

[@atomictraveller]

join masons, sleep in coffin, fuck goat, secrets yours hail our in sect overlords and free west papua mmkay (pull you finger out, sixty years, you listen records)

[@Valelacerte]

Tell me about it. Trevor Horn is such a tasteful producer. His choice of sounds, arrangement, processing, EQ and mixing, not to mention songwriting, are always beautifully balanced. I love everything he's produced.

[@dmues5s]

Your wish will come true in October. His autobiography will be released.

[@kickbiker7920]

Trevor comes across as very gracious and gives credit to people who he employed where credit is due. Comes across as very assured but modest & on the face of it devoid of ego considering his ongoing evolving place in music history. The man is an icon.

[@finleyoakley4382]

Instablaster...

[@stevefields187]

when you are in the room with great artist its real ease to pretend you're great too

[@prodigalretrod]

@@stevefields187 But generally you only get in the room with the great artist if you're great too. Talent attracts talent.

[@grimlyfiendish5579]

He didn't mention BRUCE WOOLLEY the guy that wrote the bulk of Video Killed the Radio Star. He usually leaves Bruce out of the conversation when that song is mentioned 👎

[@starwarsunfiltered7848]

@@grimlyfiendish5579 As far as I was aware, it was a fairly equal three-way co-write between Bruce, Trevor, and Geoff.

[@TheTuubster]

Horn opened my eyes to the fact that my taste does not go along interprets or bands, but producers/composers. Pretty much all of his tracks from the 80's are my favorites, while I often not care much about the other tracks from the artists (like Grace Jones, ABC, Art Of Noise). The tracks he produced had the most polished, timeless sound. "Slave To The Rhythm" is a masterpiece in music producing, a track that is of the 80's but transcendences the time and still sounds fresh today.

[@ericgelders]

Really agree with this - the sound Horn and his engineers created is brilliant IMHO. I have a similar thing with Quincy Jones, just bc of the sound and compositions he created.

[@peterbondy]

Back in those days I followed producers as well as bands. It was a very fun way of discovering new music too. And producers/engineers actually brought their sound to a band’s project. It was a very creative synergy and a lot of great music was created by that combination of artist and producer/engineer working together with that art as their focus.

[@jmack8767]

Yeah totally. He was the creator of all those beautiful soundscapes we love, I'm with you. I become something of a Trevor horn completist. He had a natural artistry about hw he did it, despite it all being so tightly controlled, I think his ideas were all oddly instinctive... They were all so sensual sounding, his works.

[@Valelacerte]

14:15 Some really wise words from Trevor Horn about songwriting and recording. If you start with a pattern, say a drum or synth sequence, then you usually end up writing a backing track in 4 and 8 bar patterns, which can be very boring and uninspired. However, if you begin with a lyric, then you are more likely to take the music in more unusual and innovative directions to accommodate the lyric. This is not the _only_ way to write good songs, but the advent of sequencers and drum loops _did_ promote a lazy copy/paste approach to songwriting. It also eradicated all the natural dynamics and inspired improvisations that occur when one plays the whole song from start to finish; one has to fabricate the excitement of a live performance.

[@alfredjwa7118]

this guy Is Living Legend.

[@Pacalo]

Trevor is the MOST IMPORTANT living person in 80's music. As a complete Pet Shop Boys fan, and just as I admire his records more than anything, I admit that this man had a more deep impact on the musical world of sounds of the 80's than any particular artist for me. Not just the sound, also the concept of what a 12" mix was..and ZTT was unique and magnificent at this subject. I had the IMMENSE honor to meet Trevor briefly few years ago (at the exit of the "Luna Park" stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the end of the "Dire Straits Legacy" concert where Trevor played the bass.).just to get a few signatures and a raw pic with him. I have many artists autographs and pictures with...but this was my TOP moment about that. a COMPLETE HONOR. No other persons were waiting for him there, only me...amazingly, the other people waiting there were only interested on the Dire Straits members, ignoring that the most significant person there was this gentle man with round glasses.

[@djinnmagik2003]

Thank you for sharing your story 😁

[@jacey714]

So much respect to this man~ A true pioneer!

[@BullfrogFM]

As a producer, Trevor Horn was a master craftsman

[@alexlohrentz6762]

you are not a producer.

[@sK3LeTvM1]

Lot's of TH productions still stand today as if they were made yesterday...for more than 35 years he's my favorite producer.

[@lovebirdsmusic]

after watching countless of these videos over the years, i have to say he is the most sympathic, humble and natural characters i´ve ever seen. i could watch and listen for hours ...

[@CentaurusRelax314]

Easily my favorite producer, even if only for Frankie, Art of Noise, Seal, and ABC. Nice video. Hope there are more in the series.

[@AgustinDavidF]

He has been one of the most interesting musician and producer of all times for me

[@updown5238]

Agreed!

[@Md2802]

That anecdote at the end about a producer being no fun when working a computer is an important point I haven't seen raised before. When you have to give an artist divided attention, it comes across like you're not in the moment with them - and the vibe suffers. Having a dedicated person in the room who does all the technical mumbo-jumbo makes a huge difference - be that an engineer, Pro Tools op, or even an assistant.

[@mikesuniverse1789]

I even think the blaring blue light does something dulling to the person at the computer. also the subconscious effect of knowingly/unknowingly restricting your hand and eye movement to a 12 x 12 space. before I got a computer my eyes and hands would go from one end of a keyboard to the other and to different equipment like a 4 track, a compressor or reverb processor etc.... now its all within a 13 inch screen and keypad. It has an effect I think.

[@gaz2276]

@@mikesuniverse1789 Yes, I imagine you could be right.

[@mikesuniverse1789]

@ᚱᛰႮᛠᕮᚱ ᚦAᕮᛖᛰᚤ is this comment on the right video?

[@mikesuniverse1789]

@ᚱᛰႮᛠᕮᚱ ᚦAᕮᛖᛰᚤ ohh. i wouldnt disagree.

[@MyXxx77]

So right! Dealing with the technical (often) crap can really suck the air out of the room and a producer really should be in the same creative head space as the artist as much as they can be.

[@shoominati23]

This video has made me excited about producing again!

[@Lofyne]

Big thanks to SOS for posting this. I had no idea what a producer was when I was 12 or 13, but without knowing it, as I never read the credits, I was actually listening to a lot of Trevor’s work back then. ABC, Yes’ Owner of a lonely heart was a favourite, Art of Noise, Malcolm Mclaren, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Grace Jones Slave to the Rhythm etc. I remember buying the Welcome To The Pleasure Dome 12” and being amazed at how long it ran for.

[@xxxxxxxtra]

Are you me? ;-) It was absolutely the same story for me.

[@Lofyne]

xxxxxxxtra Haha, good to hear!

[@theinterruptor]

No big surprise.. Absolutely everybody our age was listening to those tunes at that time! :-)

[@TryptychUK]

You missed the best, Propaganda.

[@amulpatel]

Love ZTT!!! Trevor Horn is the very embodiment of the 80s. Please more content about the 80s production

[@derekdauchan2741]

A truly creative and innovative mind. From Yes to Seal, Grace Jones and beyond, his productions still sound just as satisfying and relevant as they did when first heard. There's so much to learn from them from a songwriting, performing , recording/ mixing /engineering standpoint.

[@krisscanlon4051]

Oh yeah Slave to the Rhythm he really experimented on that one it was his landscape

[@christiangillmann9466]

I adore the work of Trevor Horn. Thanks for that interview!

[@lil-link]

"Is 'this' the final mix?"... Love that.

[@chrischoir3594]

Trevor is a great singer and has his own kind of soul

[@Fateofmusicstudio]

it all came down to “owner of a lonely heart” even today its an amazing piece and jumps out of the speakers

[@Grock66]

Joe Kirby great album ,

[@mysongs6745]

Trevor, I've always wanted to tell you what a big fan of yours I am and have been for a long time. I love your work with the Buggles and Yes. Drama is one of my favorite albums and Video Killed the Radio Star in my opinion is one of the most clever, catchy songs I've ever heard. It's nice to speak with you.

[@BeauStephenson]

I'm just sitting here actually droooooling over that Wunderbar behind him. That is my dream console.

[@MyXxx77]

This man gets it!!!!!!!!! He understands (and never forgot) producing and recording from a a songwriter's perspective. It sounds like he tries to keep the costs down so that new artists can afford to record as well. He also wrote and performed one of the most underrated musical gems of the last 50 years.

[@noi5emaker]

90125 is still one of my favourite albums. I wore that tape out in the 80's!

[@ajs41]

Leave It is an amazing track.

[@chargymusic]

I’m honored to be here thanks 🙏

[@christianbeaumont5318]

Absolutely loved the tracks he produced back in the 80's, and all across such different styles. I still occasionally listen to ZTT Sampler IQ 6 to this day with its rare cuts. Very nice interview.

[@luckyllou7325]

'83 I was 16/17 and we listened to punk and I wanted to hate his stuff but I couldn't. Instead, my entire understanding of music changed. A real legend and innovator.

[@45rpm.]

I didn't realise I had been a Trevor Horn fan all this time!

[@JamesStoddah]

What a lovely interview and a lovely man too, forever gracious.

[@Ctouch09]

Top Notch Material! Another Sound On Sound Classic.

[@christophermatthias3327]

Trevor's work with Simple Minds the Street Fighting years is a masterpiece also his works with Seal Art Of Noise and having the amazing Anne Dudley as a part of the team her input too produces just brilliant works

[@michaelsteven1090]

I am a huge Trevor Horn fan..All those mentioned records are amazing, yea, Street Fighting Years, a masterpiece..I worked as a recording engineer in NYC back in those days and would use Trevor's records to check my mixes for balance..

[@keyman6689]

He gave Seal such an awesome sound in his early years!

[@NeuronalAxon]

Anne Dudley is a musical genius.

[@muzikman2008]

Clever Trevor has always been my inspiration when it comes to sound and music production, a very humble man. Great interview!

[@kickbiker7920]

More content like this please. So relevant. Love it!

[@Lynnie_14]

I remember everyone at our Blue Light Discos, pinching their nostrils together to start singing THAT epic song. Still a fave of mine 🇦🇺😆❤

[@Matthew-ez4ze]

This really is a wonderful documentary. Trevor's body of work is amazing.

[@thomasmatthews5732]

I love this dude in the aspect of one musician/producer to another. His concepts and ideas are on the same thought process as mine. Recording flat signal and adding E.Q. Effects and dynamics after the fact is the ultimate. Giving unknowns some studio time and a lane into the industry is boss.

[@norepetitivebeats]

Absolutely fascinating interview. I love hearing the history from Trevor.

[@Btvstudio]

Wow! I never knew about Trevor Horn, this guy is not only like “us” but he’s the pioneer of digital audio. It looks like he still gets down with modern music. I wish I could meet him.

[@aguy827]

It's great, he was so ahead of his time that he still belongs in this era today

[@alphabeets]

This guy is a goddamn genius.

[@backspin6698]

Yes, he IS the 80's sound. My dream producer, together with Jeff Lynne.

[@oholm09]

im an musician i can created 80s sounds for my productions

[@jamescarter3196]

His sound is an important component of the '80s sound and some of his techniques became standard, but Giorgio Moroder and Chic had as much to do with 'the sound of the '80s' as any other producer or team, and there are others we're not thinking of right now as well.

[@StoryeTime]

Same here! Horn and Lynne!!

[@timothybrannigan]

Thank you for posting this great video. I thought I knew a little bit about Trevor Horn and I admired a lot of his work. I learned so much more from this video, his story, his experience and most importantly, his philosophy and perspective on the process of creating art. Some real wisdom there. Thanks again. - Tim

[@scotthandler3314]

90125 is still one of my all time favorite albums to this day. What a great sound and reinvention for Yes with Trevor Rabin.

[@marcelrodeka]

His amazing musical ideas and concepts along with his incredible ear for sounds and effects leaves the rest behind . A total craftsman

[@jamescarter3196]

"When designing a studio for modern times" we see a '73 Wurlitzer electric piano and a Steinway grand (maybe the nicest-looking Steinway I've ever seen). I'm with him on that; I don't have space for the real things, but I got a Kurzweil specifically for its excellent piano sounds, electric and acoustic.

[@voiceofreason4u147]

COULD LISTEN TO HIM FOR HOURS ON END

[@paulhunter3843]

What a fantastic insight into a brilliant producer!!

[@markuselipka]

`welcome to the pleasuredome` and especially `slave to the rhythm` are still monuments of producing.

[@MoniqueOrtiz]

I love this guy. I'd say at least 60% of the music that shaped me as a bassist and composer are projects Trevor Horn had a hand in.

[@Paulo2011noRio]

Trevor Horn forever a Genius, big influence on my own music and anyone who was a kid musician in the 80´s. Thank you Master!

[@KeithMohr]

love when creativity and technology innovate new and exciting possibilities!

[@goodgold2118]

Keith Mohr hello

[@LiquidAudio]

Absolute gold, great interview with a legend.

[@aimeemacdn]

I enjoy listening to the layers of the music. Bass first, then the percussion.

[@delskioffskinov]

i have enjoyed this man's productions since i was a kid in 1983! i was absolutely astounded by his baseline in f.g.t.h. two tribes and relax and loads of other music that came from Z.T.T. studios! trevor thank you for the music and the producing you have done it'd entertained me for 30 years I think your the greatest producer to come from england in my lifetime!

[@oiart]

Very informative and inspiring! Thank you Sound on Sound Magazine for sharing!

[@erichfischer8064]

I would love to sit down and chat with this guy, the knowledge he gives without being precocious or smug, so modest, The things you could learn, and his insights would be priceless. A true legend

[@classicalbanksy4908]

I love watching these videos of real masters of their craft talking candidly about their careers. Trevor wrote and/or produced the sound-track to my youth. The 80s was a very special time for music.One night, I was listening to “Two Tribes - the 1st orchestral 12”” - in stereo, because I lived on Anglesey and we could pick up RTE radio Dublin, which broadcast in stereo, when BBC Radio 1 was still broadcast in mw mono!! The track blew me away! I had no idea how this music was made, or how to get involved, but at that moment, I wanted to be part of it! But other influences, twists and turns came along, and I ended up not going to uni but to music college, The Royal Academy of Music. After which I moved to Europe and enjoyed a successful career, ending up being managed by Pavarotti, and living in Bologna. Then, in 2003, a diagnosis out of the blue with HIV turned everything upside down. The Italians were ‘less than compassionate’ and didn’t pay enough attention to the inappropriate meds I was given, resulting in me staggering back to the UK in 2005 with effectively full-blown AIDS. With Trevor maybe at the back of my mind, I suppose, I began (in hospital) remixing tracks. One of the first, Madonna’s “Ray of Light” took me 6 months! I had an Italian laptop, and crack copies of Cool Edit Pro, and Fruity Loops 7!

[@classicalbanksy4908]

Just dug it out, actually! Here it is, my remix of Madonna's "Ray of Light" done on a laptop! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKTMnoenqdahmMU Since then, the idea of "going back" and seeing what I might have been like as a producer/composer has been growing steadily - as my health has improved - towards a new start, a new career! And I was incredibly lucky and grateful to have met Trevor twice over the last couple of years: at the after-party of Hans Zimmer's concert in London, and last year at the launch of his album 'reimagining the 80s." I've got 4 singles out, and an album "Transgenre"(Gedditt - I'm Bringing the Art of Opera to the Art of Pop!" due out later this year, and this track, "GO BORIS, GO!" - which I like to think is very Trevor Horn-inspired - came out yesterday! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmKUf3qenLBsncU Thanks to Trevor, and especially his PA Suzanne xxx

[@woodshed_moments]

Trevor Horn is one of my favorite producers of all time…

[@gaoeykreg]

The stories Trevor could tell you if you sat and had a drink with him! Such a nice guy with limitless talent and creativity.

[@kennethvalbjoern]

Great seeing Frankie in the studio with Trevor and Relax running in the background. Legend!

[@darkskinwhite]

I like his computer background "is 'this' the final mix?" lol

[@ShamanFourHawks]

Me too. Great idea... May do something similar. There never is a final mix that is just right, because every system plays it differently, and every day your brain processes things differently. So the trick is to get it to where you can listen over a few days or a week and still say, "that's enough." And then, after all that, you will hear something and go, "Oh, I wish I had noticed that..." LOL

[@darkskinwhite]

@@ShamanFourHawks Yeah Idk if ill have something I dont wanna go back and touch up but I do think there is a final mix. Once it sounds great and is balanced to play on any system. The Chronic 2001 is the gold standard for me (as far as Hiphop goes at least)

[@darkskinwhite]

@@ShamanFourHawks yeah your brain will hear it differently, mostly after you already released it hahahah

[@Only1Science]

This was a treat! Thanks!

[@cameronlasswell537]

Adventures In Modern Recording! Brilliant!

[@seagreentangerine2065]

I l💕VE Trevor Horn's exceptional talent. He's right, you had to figure everything out, you had to do a lot of ground work on your own, you need drive and passion, this is why Horn produced so much good stuff, he clearly is obsessed, driven by passion and vision and lives, dreams and creates naturally, like breathing. I could listen to his Fairlight chat for months - that he flung it to someone else to figure it out, that's brilliant!!! 😂. Thomas Dolby was obsessed with it too, he locked himself away with it!

[@tracyyy99]

Could listen to this guy for hours.

[@HumbleTrader001]

He has such a deep speaking voice for someone that used to sing lead vocals for Yes.

[@papankunci]

there are times i miss the old school recording... the time when its not all about DAW and Plugins, Editing or Programming.. the time when we are more focus with music, sounds and art themself..

[@leepshin]

If I ever get the chance to have an album produced in the next 5 years, I want either Trevor or Alan Parsons to produce it. Both are my heroes and I'm "still" finding stuff done by Trevor to this day.

[@dr.brianjudedelimaphd743]

The keyboardists on " Buffalo Gals" and Frankie Goes to Hollywood were members from "The Art of Noise" not just Trevor Horn

[@patton303]

I’m here because I was looking for a reason why my Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 isn’t syncing to my computer and got distracted. Thanks.

[@spazkong]

Brilliant documentary. I didn't know Trevor Horn was in Yes until watching this. Fantastic music history lesson :)

[@annarellapino5961]

For my taste he is THE BEST!!!

[@dannyrampling]

Trevor Horn the producers producer the best of the best. Inspirational interview.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Great that horn gives credit to others 👍

[@CodiganKelly1983]

Love his work with Seal, Grace Jones, Yes and Tina Turner.

[@officialmikepush]

I can see this over and over again #legend

[@LearnerChess]

This is absolutely fascinating! I learned quite a bit listening to Mr. Horn.

[@retrosound72]

musical hero. thank you for the music

[@TruthSurge]

that song.... vid killed the radio star is one of the best bass sounds ever. man.... That thing is up there with Chris Squier and Geddy Lee.

[@chuckgoodwin87]

@ronnie doorzon Two Tribes has one of the best drum, perc. bass and vocal harmony in music.

[@dandascenzomastering6689]

Love the "Is This the Final Mix " Screen Saver :D

[@kehindea]

This is important for those that always want to go back to the 70s instead of moving forward. Go and do your analogue summing, emulate old consoles all you like or move forward with the times. We need more producers like Trevor Horn today.

[@babbygremlin]

more producers to do what exactly? There's not much more innovating that can be done now.

[@gbaren]

Absolutely Brilliant !! Thank You.

[@marcusgonzalez5134]

That's where you got me..You were trying to make Electronic records that sounded like the mainstream. Same journey, I started on, smiling.

[@jillkltr]

The Rod Stewart story - priceless!

[@aimeemacdn]

HI Trevor. My Dad was a bass player. John Macdonald, long gone now.

[@autofashi0n]

Incredible stuff, thank you Trevor Horn for all you give us!

[@eranddroory9987]

Great Vid.. Trevor is an ICON!!

[@DonHalli]

Seems like a very genuine bloke!

[@keveszatmari9831]

4:25 on the screen: is "this" the final mix?

[@johnukjay]

A true Legend Speaks

[@brucemckay6615]

Fascinating.... always like a Trevor Horn track...

[@Simonewhitesim-1music]

Trevor is still great!

[@TimShoebridge]

Brilliant!!!

[@RobertNaik]

Brilliant interview and a amazing man.. also still so relevant today. Keep digital flat going in. Writing from a lyrics rather ten a sample.

[@shadowmixx]

Great video. Trevor Horn is THE MAN.

[@artprojectsnz]

Brilliant..and love his new book. JPMusic

[@donniecatalano]

I am so glad I got into music when I did, in a time when if you wanted to do things you had to put sweat and tears into it. Not like now, when anyone can get everything right now at their fingertips. And creativity dropped completely.

[@aguy827]

Well that's bullshit. The technology has raised the bar. Yes, it makes the older way of making records much easier but it has raised the bar even more.

[@donniecatalano]

@@aguy827 nah