Producer Jacquire King uses a Dangerous Music 2-Bus analog summing amp and Monitor ST controller to mix the latest album from Kings of Leon. He finds that mixing through these devices provides a more emotionally and technically satisfying experience compared to mixing completely in the digital realm. The 2-Bus and Monitor ST allow him to incorporate analog outboard gear into his mixing process while maintaining a repeatable and portable setup. He is able to listen to his mixes through his final output chain, giving him confidence in the results.

1. Producer/Engineer Jacquire King Gets Dangerous on New 'Kings of Leon' Release<br />Jacquire King uses Dangerous Music 2-Bus to mix follow-up to the band's 2009 quot;
Record of the Yearquot;
Grammy <br />Edmeston, NY - October 20, 2010 - One of the most prestigious of the Grammy Awards is 'Record of the Year' and in 2009 it was awarded to the Followill family of rockers Kings of Leon for quot;
Use Somebodyquot;
- co-produced, engineered and mixed by Jacquire King. Jacquire also shared the producing credit for the Grammy with Angelo Petraglia. It wasn't Jacquire's first foray into producing and mixing A-list artists though, having worked with Norah Jones, Modest Mouse and Tom Waits to name only a select few. These records along with many others in the past 10 years are where Jacquire formed a deep knowledge of and unique techniques in the use of both digital and analog recording gear. Jaquire now swears by his Dangerous Music 2-Bus analog summing amp and Dangerous Monitor ST monitor controller, both of which he used to mix the latest Kings of Leon album quot;
Come Around Sundown,quot;
released in October 2010. quot;
With the advent of the Dangerous 2-Bus,quot;
Jacquire says, quot;
being able to bypass the summing in the computer, plus the option of creating a hybrid setup where I can use a lot of the really fine analog outboard pieces that I have, I find that it's absolutely comparable to mixing on a great analog console. In the past I've had to mix things completely in the box, and it's kind of a losing battle. You can get to where you need to be I guess, but it's not as emotionally or technically satisfying. I have done quite a lot of mixing on large format consoles, that's how I learned, and up until recently that's how I had mixed the stuff that I considered to be my better-sounding work.quot;
quot;
Now I use the Dangerous 2-Bus for mixing,quot;
he adds, quot;
and I use the Dangerous Monitor ST as well. I listen through them during the whole production process whenever it's possible, from tracking to overdubs and then through mixing so I'm always listening to what my final stereo outcome is going to sound like.quot;
Detailing some of his reasons for using the 2-Bus summing amp, he says, quot;
The recall is much better because of the way it is designed as a dedicated back-end to a DAW system. There are fewer variables in the signal path to get in the way. The amount of analog gear that I can insert is perfect. It is the sonic equivalent of a large format analog console. It's something that you can take with you. I can have the same sonic setup and footprint in a few racks that can be moved around to wherever I'm working - it's repeatable and convenient to use.quot;
Describing his use of the Dangerous Monitor ST controller, Jacquire says, quot;
I have used an outboard volume control for more than 10 years, even when I was working on consoles, because I've always been a believer in that you should try to listen through as much of your final signal chain as possible. It's a concept I've been using for a long time. The things I like about using the Dangerous Monitor ST are that the remote is very convenient, it has a lot of features, and it has a very transparent and true sound. I don't feel tricked when I suddenly hear something played back on a different system, like I haven't heard it that way before. The music all fits together the same way.quot;
Further explaining his listening concepts, Jacquire states, quot;
When I mix I use a lot of analog processing, inserts, buss compression and EQ. As the recording process goes along I can start to have the gain structure set up, with everything stemmed out, so I can be creating the final gain structure along the away, and not simply leaving it to be redone at mix. This way rough mixes are being run through the Dangerous 2-Bus and so I am understanding what I am hearing. It'll put me closer to the finished work.quot;
quot;
Working in front of a computer screen, having the ST remote control with the knob right there, it quickly becomes comfortable and familiar,quot;
adds Jacquire. quot;
Listening through something that's transparent and audiophile quality gives you confidence because you end up not thinking about the gear, so you are thinking about music and the stuff you should be worried about! That the ST remote control is on shielded CAT-5 cable is brilliant, you can use a really long cable. I know that I can always have the ST remote right there where I am working - either on a console or at a computer - it's great. The ST has plenty of auxiliary features - it's a well thought out device. I use the Mono button quite a lot, since listening in mono is a really good indicator of the quality of your 'balances' in a stereo field.quot;
<br />Expanding on how the new Kings of Leon album was produced, Jacquire says, “Once everything was recorded into the computer at 96k, I then transferred it — all tracks separate as they were recorded— to analog reel-to-reel tape and then brought it back from the playback head to the computer so I could precisely control the benefit of the tape sound. As soon as I started that process, what I am now calling my ‘pre-mixing process’ — where all the edits are cleaned up, any final bit of ‘comping’ and any sort of arranging is done, and getting the tracks absolutely ready to mix - and also involving this tape bounce — that's when I started using the Monitor ST and the 2-Bus for the Kings of Leon project.”<br />Setting up the outputs from Pro Tools, Jaquire uses 16 channels of stems to go to the 16 inputs on the Dangerous 2-Bus, and although the 2-Bus inputs can be set to mono — often used for centered bass, kick or snare — he prefers to keep them all on stereo, quot;
I always say: I like to record in mono and mix in stereo. A lead vocal you're always going to put it in the middle, but there are the occasions when I have a double vocal that I want to use really strong in the presentation of a song, I want to pan them left and right a little bit. I have found that not committing myself to a mono stem is just a better overall template so that I always have the opportunity to do something creative that maybe I don't typically do,quot;
explains Jaquire.<br />He reveals more about his mixes and hardware setup, quot;
I also often like to put a very short stereo delay on my bass instrument. So that's not going to work for a mono stem. I want to have the opportunity to create a very panoramic mix. Stereo is two-dimensional really, and the trick in mixing is to try to present it in a way that it feels 3-D. So I want to have a template where I'm working with as much possibility as I can.quot;
<br />Divulging some details about his Pro Tools setup, he says, “The way that my Pro Tools rig is set up is 16 IO main inputs and outputs with up to16 inserts available. I use Apogee converters mostly.” Jacquire adds that sometimes he has the output of a Pro Tools hardware channel going to a piece of analog outboard gear then into the 2-Bus directly as well. A lot of the inserts are used for compressors, and some EQ too, on a typical insert for the lead vocal is a Neve EQ feeding a ‘blue stripe’ UREI 1176 compressor, into a DBX 902 de-esser. He also uses some plug-ins along with that chain.<br />“On the guitar stem there is a pair of Quad-8 EQs, which are very similar to API EQs and they are doing some high-frequency boosting,” Jacquire points out. “A lot of the outboard gear in between the output of the computer and the inputs of the 2-Bus would be EQ because I find that analog EQ is superior to digital EQs especially in high frequency shaping. I try to typically use digital EQs just to do some shaping of mid-range.”<br />“That’s the general template for the way that I work,” he says. “There is some analog outboard gear that is strapped across the outputs of the computer before the 2-Bus and there are things on the stereo 2-Bus output as well before it goes to another computer to print. It’s used in the same way that you would use the routing of a console. A console’s functionality is different than the 2-Bus but you can adapt and basically get the same type of working environment and end result.”<br />Returning to his ideas and uses of the Monitor ST Jacquire says, “I also use the ST to make sure that things that are panned hard left and right and are very ‘effected’ as you’re creating that 3-D image, that it’s actually going to come through if it gets collapsed to mono. I do have a sub-woofer, I very rarely use it, but when I do, I am able to use it because of the ST. I have a sub-woofer because sometimes it’s appropriate that other people need to hear one because that’s what they are used to. Having the ST has allowed me to have the sub-woofer set up and easily accessible, even though I personally don’t use it a lot.”<br />“I don’t own the surround module for the ST,” he adds, “but I mixed some Kings of Leon with Vance Powell and we used the Monitor ST with the SR surround expander. It was very convenient, I was familiar with it and I liked the way you’re able to mute and solo and mono everything — even in a surround mix.”<br />The new Kings of Leon album was recorded by Jacquire at New York's Avatar Studio, then he moved onto the mixing process utilizing the Dangerous 2-Bus. He always tries to listen through his Dangerous 2-Bus - and other key equipment - he did this to a large extent on the Kings of Leon record, as well as on a recent record for the Cold War Kids. Summing up his experience with Dangerous equipment he says, quot;
I can hear things very accurately with the Dangerous Music gear, it's not a colored, tricky sound, it's transparent and true. And as I can use it during any stage of the process - obviously it's critical in mixing - but as I can get the gear involved in any part of the process, it gives me a better listen to what's going on, and understanding how I need to shape, correct or enhance something along the way to get the final mix to be in the best possible place. A place that feels good, sounds good, and is rewarding for everyone.quot;
Find out more about Producer and Engineer Jacquire King at his website: http://www.jacquireking.com/<br />