Chris Sorem
I went to collage for a couple years studying engineering, while also building my first studio in my grandmas back yard, where I would record local bands and make my own music. Im mostly self taught, I learned bits and pieces working with other engineers but really experience is the best way to learn.
Today we have Chris Sorem before us. We want everyone who reads us to learn more about his work and something about his life. Thank you for giving us his time. You are a mixer of music, specifically of sounds. Tell us a little more about your work. Why did you decide to be a sound engineer? What were your beginnings? Have you studied engineering at any school or are you self- taught?
Thank you Ion. Im just a big fan of music. Music was always an essential part of my life. I played in bands as a kid and always gravitated more toward the creative side of music rather than playing shows. When I finished high school I knew I wanted to emerge myself in the art of making records. I went to collage for a couple years studying engineering, while also building my first studio in my grandmas back yard, where I would record local bands and make my own music. Im mostly self taught, I learned bits and pieces working with other engineers but really experience is the best way to learn.
What do you find the most difficult every time you work on a music project. Understand the music or understand the artist?
I think its an equal challenge thats interleaved. Every piece of music is different. Every arrangement and tempo presents different roads that you can follow. Its a bit like those choose your own adventure books. Every artist or band is different and its my job to figure out where I’m needed. What gaps can I fill and be supportive of the artist and their work. Im lucky that most the artist I work with are not difficult personalities and we enjoy working together.
What do you like the most about your job and what is the most unpleasant ?
I like collaboration the most. I love when someone has an idea and when you have the right people in the room together magical things can unfold and you can feel it and see the excitement in the room. The worst part of the job would be dealing with the getting paid and discussing rates. Its essential but its the part that feels most uncomfortable for me.
What is most difficult for you when it comes to cleaning up the sound for a mix? Is there any instrument that is more complicated for you, or all the same?
What is the musical style that you like to work the most? I ask this because sometimes it happens that some engineers personally like one style to listen to, and yet they like to work on another style.
Im not sure their is a difficult instrument per say, but there are difficult scenarios that are more like physics problems. Example recording drums, piano and up right bass playing in the same room. It’s ideal for communication eye contact and general vibe for musicians but can it be very difficult to capture due to the fact the drums are louder than up right bass and piano and at times it can be a challenge to get the instruments to speak the way you would like.
I simply like to work on good music, fortunately I work in many genres so that keeps things interesting and fresh, but I would like to mix more hip hop. I think hip hop is in an interesting place at the moment for pushing sonic boundaries and that excites me.
Where can the people contact you who want you to mix his record?
I can be reached at chrissorem@gmail.com
Now let's move on to technical matters: do you like to work more on an analog system or a digital system? Or the best of both worlds? Do you use reel tape in your recordings? What do you usually use to record?
What are your favorite microphones to pick up the voice? Do you choose them according to the room where you record or according to the type of voice of the singer, or the source of the sound?
What are your favorite machines? Do you have a particular favorite that you always use, "rain or shine"?
Tell us some of the names of artists you have worked with lately and what it has felt like to work with them.
I like to work hybrid. I use as much analog gear as possible, but with the digital workflow. Meaning I love the sound of analog but want the consistency and speed of digital. I want to be able to do anything we think of and be able to accomplish it as fast as possible. I use tape when mixing mostly, Im not interested in recording to tape so much but I like the way certain things respond to tape and also like abusing tape for effect.
There are many great microphones for vocals but my two favorites would be my U47 and Sony c37a. Those work on almost everyone I’ve recorded. On occasion I like to use an AEA44 for big ribbon vocals. I like using guitar pedals or tape echos when recording to add sonic interest and surprises. I like when things have odd character or some strange glitch that computers do do well.
Recently I’ve just finished and few albums with Rufus Wainwright, Los Lobos, Sam Wilkes and of course Crane Like The Bird, and they are al so incredibly talented and couldn’t be more different. Rufus doesn’t say much to me in terms of vision, he has it in his head and he walks in the studio sits down and plays. And you better be ready to go, there is no time for “getting sounds”. Lobos tends to show up and create in the studio, they are all very intuitive people and the best work is usually the first take or two, so I make sure I’m ready form the get go.
Sam is a very detailed person that has a great respect for the recording process but understands how to let spontaneity unravel. Kyle is one of the most interesting people I’ve worked with, because he’s approaching the construction of the record in a very pieced together way and it yields foe interesting results. We also worked on his material of over a long span of time, so I would forget where we left off on some things and I would hear this new idea he had and the arrangement would start coming together.
Let's talk about final mixing: do you like to mix with monitors near, far, in mono, in stereo? With headphones? Any one machine in particular that you love?
I do 95% of my mixing on speakers (PMC two two 6’s) I have a mono aura tone that I check some things on and a shitty pair of Bose computer speakers that I check on. Then I listen in my car. I very rarely listen on headphones because I don’t listen to music on headphones ever. I feel most connected to my studio and car its where I listen too music for fun and for work. Every speaker sounds different, so in my opinion its best to get intimate with a pair of speakers and really get two know them. My room is calibrated for translation, so when I do something, I do with purpose and know it will translate the way Intended.
Do you have a new project in mind or a wish to do in the near future?
I tend to only be focused on what I’m working on at the moment, but Id love to work with Beach House if we are dreaming.
Do you have a ritual that you carry out at work?
The only ritual I have is to show up and do my best in every session, and to try and have fun when working. I try to keep things flowing. Its easy to get lost in the weeds with creative work and in my experience, spending too much time on a single idea can sometimes ruin the creative momentum.
It is said that behind a great man there is always a great woman. I believe that behind a great artist is a great sound engineer. Tell me one or a few that you have liked throughout his work and one that has served as inspiration and teaching.
Very true, I think we are a product of all our experiences and influences. The music we grew up listening to and the people we admire all mesh to make a unique version. Most of the people I admire are very creative people and see things from a different lens and their work feels that way and I relate more to that environment.
You have your own recording studio. What can you tell us about it? Tell me about the benefits it has, so that a new musician or band who doesn't know you yet takes into account being able to contact you and record a great work with you. You have an Echo Chamber and I think clients can send their tracks through a 41 foot echo chamber for lush reverbs. Is that so? Tell us a bit about this.
I do have my own studio, in fact I’ve always had my own place to work so I set up the gear the way I like to work. Im trying to shape the sound of record from the start. So, If something needs distortion, or echo chamber, delay. I will record them to make it sound as close to a finished record as possible. Its the best way to see what’s working or not and I will let the musicians hear these things in their headphones and I find you get a better vibe that way.
I went to collage for a couple years studying engineering, while also building my first studio in my grandmas back yard, where I would record local bands and make my own music. Im mostly self taught, I learned bits and pieces working with other engineers but really experience is the best way to learn.
Im just a big fan of music. Music was always an essential part of my life. I played in bands as a kid and always gravitated more toward the creative side of music rather than playing shows. When I finished high school I knew I wanted to emerge myself in the art of making records.
Recently I’ve just finished and few albums with Rufus Wainwright, Los Lobos, Sam Wilkes and of course Crane Like The Bird, and they are al so incredibly talented and couldn’t be more different.
There are many great microphones for vocals but my two favorites would be my U47 and Sony c37a. Those work on almost everyone I’ve recorded. On occasion I like to use an AEA44 for big ribbon vocals.
I like using guitar pedals or tape echos when recording to add sonic interest and surprises. I like when things have odd character or some strange glitch that computers do do well.
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