Paul Mahern is a bit of a legend to us "Hoosiers" in this business. He has steadily been turning out very well produced, great sounding albums from right here in the heartland for close to twenty years. Paul started with Indie-Rock bands like Antenna and The Blake Babies. He worked his way up to bands like the Judybats, The Mysteries Of Life, and the solo releases from Lisa Germano (best known as John Mellencamp's fiddle player). Just last year Paul achieved Indiana nirvana by working on John Mellencamp's most critically acclaimed album in years (his self-titled release and his first for Sony). I caught up with Paul while he was mixing a project on which I had done some playing, arranging and producing. We were in Culver, Indiana at the Storyk Designed Galt Studios taking a break sitting out by the nearby lake. That's when I started the tape rolling. So, how did you get started in this business? When I was in high school I was in a band called The Zero Boys and we went to record a little EP in 1979... Read More »

There is a great movie from the late 1970s called "One Trick Pony." It stars Paul Simon as a folk singer/songwriter (a real acting stretch for Mr. Simon) trying to get back onto the charts. It follows his trials and tribulations, and we suffer along with him, as the producers and record labels turn his wonderful little song into a disco nightmare. There is a terrific final scene where a roll of 2-inch tape is being unwound down the streets of Manhattan. This movie should be required viewing for all of us who ever sit in the producer's chair. It shows that the best thing you can do for a client is work with them, not against them. I suppose this could be a pretty gutsy article, after all, I may have to fess up to mistakes of my past. I freely admit to making a few, only because I have learned from them. Thus, I feel I may be able to share the knowledge of my mistakes in the hopes that those up-and-coming producers out there will not be doomed to repeating them. Pre-Production There is no substitute for... Read More »

Despite my glowing, youthful appearance, I harbor an ever increasing affinity for what can only be deemed, "old-school ways." You see, because of the way I tend to work on projects (lay down click tracks and sequences in one place, do tracking at one place, overdubs at a few more places, mix elsewhere), I'm still one of those holdouts with some ADATs and that ancient beast, a mixing console. Yes, while many of my comrades are marching into battle armed with "SCSIs, plug-ins, HUIs, GUIs and LOUIEs," I still love my buttons and knobs and the familiar whir of the tape transport. So, when the age of the affordable digital console dawned, I was excited. I mean, I may be old school, but I certainly realize the benefits of a good digital console. The problem is, in these early digital boards, the word "good" just wasn't easily included in the description. These early desks were, shall we say, "engineering driven." Some guys in lab coats in the back rooms of Big Audio Conglomerate, Inc. realized they could put... Read More »