Key to Keys: Manny Marroquin, Mixer

Manny Marroquin came out from sunny Cali to mix Alicia Keys’ new record in-house at The Oven. This was his second such Long Island residency, having mixed Keys’ As I Am in similar fashion in the summer of ’07.

Manny Marroquin at the SSL Duality upstairs at the Oven.

Just in the last year and change, Marroquin’s mixed Kanye West’s 808’s and Heartbreaks, Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of Day, John Mayer’s Continuum and Battle Studies, plus songs for Chris Brown, Alexandra Burke, and Cobra Starship among others. Meet Manny, and you instantly absorb that dedication, drive, and artistic/ technical expertise that inspires confidence in his clients.

Marroquin, who was assisted on the sessions by Erik Madrid, took a break from mixing The Element of Freedom at The Oven to let us in on what it’s like to mix with your client, producers, recording and mastering engineers all on-hand just steps away, every step of the way.

Why do you enjoy the process here at The Oven?

I love working here, because personally it takes me out of my comfort zone. I’ve had a place at Larrabee Studios in L.A. for ten years. I’ve been involved with Alicia since her first album (Songs in A Minor). She’s my girl. She said she was building a studio, and I said, “If you need me, I’m there.”

How is the mix situation different here at The Oven that at Larrabee?

I have an SSL K, so going from that to this, the SSL Duality, you have to adjust. I’m mixing in the studio upstairs. Alicia will be down here tracking with Ann. So it’s a good vibe, with us all here under one roof. Dave [Kutch] will play me the master of what I just mixed. We’ll make tweaks on that master, and on the tracking and the mixing as well. Or we’ll go next door to Pie Studios (where Tony Maserati is mixing) and mix there. It’s really unique. I’ve never done this before.

Twenty songs total have to be mixed?

Alicia’s one of those artists that likes to cut a bunch of songs. At the end of the day, they’ll listen to everything that’s been mixed, pick 12, and use some others for bonuses and such. Last time around, we knew the 12 that would be on the main album, but this time we have more. We brought Tony around to help on some of the songs, because we had to be done with the album by — I believe it was — today!

Sonically, what are the directives that you’re given?

On this album, I feel like I’m using more reverbs and delays. It may be a sign of the times, perhaps. There are a lot more ‘80’s-inspired synths, which seems like what’s going on more in pop music nowadays. But, Alicia’s such a special artist. From her first album, she never followed a trend. Alicia does her own thing, and doesn’t sound like she’s following. She makes it her own.

She’s one of those artists that can transcend. She’s been relevant for the last nine years. In music history, if you follow those artists (that have endured), that’s what they all have in common: They don’t follow trends, they just embrace it and make it their own. She’s just such a special artist.

Can you explain a little more about how reverb and delay are a sign of the times?

For example, I think that 808s & Heartbreak was probably one of the most important albums that Kanye West has released. He went left when everyone was expecting him to go right. There were tracks there with so much more space — the approach was space, dynamics, depth, width, and I think that’s inspired a lot of artists. You have to get creative with space. When I mixed the first song (“Say You Will”), to be honest, I thought it was really out there (laughs). It took me a couple of songs to say, “I get it. I hear it.”

That’s the best feeling in the world when you actually “get” a project. The first couple of songs you’re trying to get an identity for the album. There’s push and pull that dictates where all the rest of the instruments are going to go. EQ, space, weight. For that, it’s important to get a vision for it. It doesn’t have to be your vision, it’s the artist’s vision. You’re trying to achieve that, and hopefully add a little Tobasco (laughs). That’s your job.

An album like 808s inspired a “less-is-more” approach. So, why more reverbs and delays? It’s a combination of where music is now, inspired by 808s, which therefore makes me want to be more lush in my approach on reverb and delays.

I have more room to with on The Element of Freedom, which is great. On some songs you’re adding some cool reverbs, some delays — when you listen, you can close your eyes and you’re in the room with her. Pop music doesn’t usually do that.

So do you feel 808s inspired a new genre, or a new sound within hip-hop?

It all starts with the artist, because he or she determines what kinds of instrumental parts they’re going to use. A track on 808s may only use one or two 80s synth sounds, but they’re constant sounds that can fill up the whole spectrum. So, there’s no need to add to that. That’s what 808s has brought to the table — it’s inspired artists to not over-produce, but instead go for more of a feeling. That album does have a feel. Whether you like it or not, it does put you in a zone.

We couldn’t help but notice an LP cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band displayed in your mix suite.

That’s the Holy Grail, isn’t it? I always think Sgt. Peppers and Thriller are the two records I’m always chasing. You’ve got to set the bar high, and it doesn’t get any higher than those records from a mixer/producer’s view.

I’ve got to have a little of that spark on every project, or else it becomes just another project. It wouldn’t be cool for my clients to treat it as just another project, whether it’s Alicia, John Mayer, or Kanye. I have to give it that little piece of me. I think all of us are very passionate people. We have to be passionate about the work, or else the guy that’s more passionate is going to put more into it, and then people will like that better.

Does Alicia give input on the mixing process?

She does, but she let’s you do your thing, which is wonderful. She’s not micro-managing it, and the reason why her and I get along so well, and we’ve done so many records together, is that I just get her. I feel her sound. It comes across. When she comes in she says, “That’s the way I envisioned it.”

She’ll take notes, some are arrangement notes, or “Tweak this. Tweak that. Fly this over here. Bring this up or down.” But she lets you do your own thing. It’s all about that trust. We have that mutual respect.

How do you experience the workflow Alicia and Ann have set up here?

At Larrabee, for example, I’ll get the files, mix the songs, and ship to anyone who needs to approve it, or they’ll come by. Here it’s the same, but if I have any questions, I’ll walk downstairs, and the horse’s mouth will say, “I was going for a less-is-more approach.” There’s a difference between me calling her and seeing her physical reaction. If I see her listening to a mix, I know if she’s loving it or not. That’s priceless.

Also, I’m really particular about how my mixes sound after being mastered. Having the mastering engineer here, he knows what I like. He masters it, brings it upstairs, and we compare it. Then I bring it down and say, “Let’s try this or that.” I don’t’ have that luxury at Larrabee.

Do you feel like this process brings out everybody’s best work?

Absolutely, I never liked the idea of, “He’s done with it. Now it’s his turn.” That assembly-line production. If I could do every record like this, if everybody could, the sonics overall would be so much better.

How do you feel all this extra effort connects with the fans?

The fans, I think, may not know the difference, but I hope that there’s an emotion that they can sense without knowing what it is. This may get me in trouble, but I always feel like I’m mixing, in a way, for my peers, more than for the fans. Because, at the end of the day, if Clive Davis likes my mix, he’s going to hire me to do more, which means I’m going to get more gigs. So I’m trying to impress Clive Davis. I’m not trying to impress a 12-year-old girl who’s going to go buy this record.

Mixers seem to have very clear ideas about the kind of a mix that Clive Davis will approve. What’s your take on what gets past him?

Overall, it’s about the song. It doesn’t matter for him if it’s right or wrong technically, it’s all about the song. At the end of the day, what matters most is the foundation of the song.

What’s your philosophy on the great responsibility of mixing Alicia Keys’ vocals and piano?

I’ve always said that the song dictates your mix; the song almost mixes itself. If you’ve got a ballad, you try not to crush it. If it’s a piano/vocal driven song, you want as much space as possible, with depth and height on those two elements. How you get that is from using lush reverbs, knowing how to EQ her vocal with her piano.

I think, “If I were in the room with her, am I going to put this cathedral hall on her piano? Am I going to make it completely dry?” Probably not. I’m going to make an interpretation of how it’s going to sound in the room with me. It’s weight. I don’t want the piano to be bigger, I don’t want the vocal to be bigger. If those are the two things that carry the sound, I’ll have the weight equal. Or I might not have the piano or vocal bigger, because I want room for other things.

What are the specific tools you use to shape the sound of those two instruments?

There’s no secret. It’s how you use your compression, and EQ’ing the reverb to the source of the vocal. There are really no rules. I always say you’re as good as your recording, too. If it was recorded in the bathroom with a handheld mic, you’ll have different challenges.

If it was a really beautiful vocal, and you feel that performance, you may not have to do anything. Often it’s what you don’t do to the sound. A lot of us, we get happy messing around with stuff, and we mess it up. A lot of times it’s what we don’t do. Sometimes I’ll bring the fader up, and I’m done.

Knowing the difference is the hardest part. How do you know when it’s done? How do you know when you have the Alicia Keys vocal sound for that song? When it feels right. — SonicScoop

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