Mixing
Combine engineer Manny Marroquin: “I keep in mind bringing the faders up on Umbrella and considering ‘This is without doubt one of the finest issues I’ve ever heard’”
Meet the person behind the board on numerous hit mixes for the world’s greatest artists (Whitney Houston, Bruno Mars, Paramore, Pusha T, Rihanna and extra). From hip-hop to rock, Manny Marroquin’s abilities are world-renowned, and he’s carved a status as THE go-to professional when the celebrities demand combine perfection.
Already in 2022 he’s combined the Grammy-winning album of the 12 months (Jon Batiste’s We Are) and the not too long ago dropped smash, Mr Morale & The Huge Steppers for Kendrick Lamar.
And now, working alongside top-spec headphone model Audeze, he’s bringing his golden ears to bear on his personal line of signature headphones, along with his newly launched Audeze MM-500.
Just a few weeks in the past, We acquired the within observe on how the person behind a thousand hits works his magic and the way you are able to do likewise.
You’re heading off to the NAMM present. Are you out there for any new gear proper now?
“Actually, proper now I’m not. I’m so busy for the time being. It’s robust for me to seek out the time to go there not to mention take a day to go searching. Nevertheless it’s intense. It’s lots of people and I are likely to shrink back from that. I believe I’m going to go in, introduce the headphone and go.”
How did you get along with Audeze?
“Audeze got here to me about 5 years in the past. A pal of mine launched me to Mark Coen and he got here to the studio with the LCD-X. He introduced an amp and he stated ‘you’ve acquired to hear to those’. So that you’ve acquired your Sonys, y’know? Each studio has them they usually’re all the time so vivid. I’ve by no means considered headphones as ‘high quality’; for me they’re all the time a ‘necessity’ – you’ve acquired to put on headphones once you observe. I’d by no means considered headphones as a device, creatively.
“So I listened and I assumed ‘Wow, these are actually good’. So I needed to attempt them with what I used to be engaged on. I patched them into the console… And it was precisely like what I used to be listening to in my room.
“Simply to present you somewhat historical past, I personal Larrabee Studios. It’s been round for 50 years. Carole King’s husband owned it initially and about 14 years in the past I ended up shopping for the place. My room particularly was Georgio Moroder’s authentic room again within the ’80s. It’s acquired nice historical past.
“So I do know the room very well. So once I put these headphones on and I hear what I’m listening to out within the room, I’m like ‘Mark, these are the very best headphones I’ve ever heard’. So Mark left the headphones and I ended up mixing the album I used to be engaged on on them. If you happen to had instructed me previous to that that I might combine on headphones, I might have stated that you simply had been loopy.
“I stated to them, ‘should you ever wish to go at this from a professional audio house – ‘cos they’re an audiophile firm – then let me know ‘cos I’d love to assist’. It’s actually taken 5 years to get thus far. This primary one – the MM-500 – actually is a device for each studio.
“These days you could have your necessities. So clearly you could have your DAW. The second factor is you’ve acquired to have the ability to hearken to it so you have to have some sort of monitoring system. To me, that’s your studio. That’s all you want.
“So what in case you have the [Yamaha] NS10s? Or what in case you have Genelecs or KRKs or no matter mannequin you could have? You could possibly get a few of the info however it’s not going to be like going as much as Augspurgers or massive Tannoys and even Barefoot or no matter mid to massive displays. And perhaps you are in your residence otherwise you’re in your Mother’s basement and picture that it’s two within the morning and also you’ve acquired to complete this challenge. You’ve acquired to sacrifice high quality…
“For me these headphones substitute that. I can put my headphones on with quite a lot of confidence and end a track. Or I can end a beat. I can play the bass. I can observe on these headphones. They’re open again so you may’t observe vocals, however for every thing else…”
You actually combine on headphones?
“Even I’m amazed that I am saying that! I combined a complete album. And from that time on I’ve used them. And now that I’ve acquired my very own, with the sound and all of the little intricacies I need, each track I work on goes by means of the headphone. That’s a part of my system now. Once I go wherever on the earth I’ve a conveyable studio. To me that’s so worthwhile. Even in my automotive, I can go to a unique home, I can go on trip and be assured that no matter I hearken to I’m making the proper resolution and the proper decisions.
“I instructed Sankar [Thiagasamudram], the proprietor of Audeze, that I’m doing this for egocentric causes. I don’t care if it sells, but when I can have a pair – somewhat studio in a bag that I can belief – then it’s price it.”
We love We Are, the Jon Batiste album that’s simply received the Grammy. It’s such a easy, clear sound. How would you describe it?
“It’s so humorous as a result of I keep in mind Jon and I discussing the sound. I hope this is sensible – cos he’s such an incredible participant, he’s a genius – however the apparent factor to do would have been to make it sound refined… grownup… skilled. However we had been like ‘fuck it’. Let’s attempt to fuck it up! Make it sound prefer it’s tape and oversaturated and distorted.
“We made a bunch of tapes and completely different distortion packing containers, simply to make it sound prefer it’s ‘not skilled’. This album acquired File of the Yr! I’ve been on that poll 22 instances and I’ve labored on some fairly superb data over time. However I’ve not received. So the ironic factor is that the album that we attempt to fuck up, wins album of the 12 months.
Jon Batiste’s We Are comes out of nowhere and beats all of the darlings like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Girl Gaga and wins the Grammy. That was a superb second.
“Oh yeah, every thing is on function. Jon needed to maintain going. I known as my supervisor and stated ‘That is superb, it may actually do some issues’. And he was like ‘Actually?’. And it comes out of nowhere and beats all of the darlings like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Girl Gaga and wins the Grammy. That was a superb second.”
We needed to ask you about Good Woman Gone Dangerous for Rihanna. Whenever you had been engaged on that, did that really feel particular, too?
“You realize what, to be actually sincere, it’s Rihanna so I knew it was going to be massive. I’ve been a giant fan since day one. I don’t suppose there’s something like her proper now. It’s certainly one of my favorite albums of all time. That to me is sort of a piece of artwork.”
Within the UK Umbrella was big. We had been having the worst summer season we’d had in years and it was on the radio on a regular basis…
“Y’know, Umbrella was produced by Difficult Stewart. I acquired the track and Difficult got here as much as me and stated ‘Hey man, that is going to alter your life’. I used to be like ‘Yeah, yeah, no matter’. He stated ‘No, no, please. You’ve acquired to present this one your all.
“So I began engaged on it and right away I acquired this sense. Perhaps I’ve had it a dozen instances. However I keep in mind bringing the faders up and considering ‘Oh, shit. This is without doubt one of the finest issues I’ve ever heard.’ So I’m engaged on it and Difficult comes again later that evening. He was very, very targeted on this track. So Difficult has a drink, and it turns into an extended evening, and he begins making all these modifications to my combine. However I’m like, OK, nicely it’s his track… I’m right here to assist.”
“So we acquired performed at three or 4 within the morning and we despatched it to LA Reid who at the moment was the pinnacle of Def Jam data. And LA Reid calls proper again and he says ‘What the hell? This doesn’t sound like a success’. Now, I didn’t wish to throw Difficult underneath the bus, however LA Reid says ‘You gotta repair it’. So I stated ‘Gimme two hours’, and he’s like ‘Please. I’m ready’.
“So I am going again to the studio and I actually undid every thing that we did. I went proper again to the pre-save on the pre-client combine. I went proper again and I took it from there. I ran with LA Reid’s feedback after which I despatched him the combination. Two hours later he was like ‘That is it! What did you do?’ I stated ‘It doesn’t matter,’ however that’s the ultimate combine that went out. I don’t suppose I’ve ever instructed Difficult that.”
Mixing the brand new Kendrick Lamar album? He was there the entire time.
Do producers and artists all the time become involved within the combine? Do they all the time need the vocal louder?
“Typically they’ll be concerned and typically they’re not. Rihanna is an efficient instance. She’s by no means come to a mixture session. It’s all the time been remotely and it’s in all probability finest for her. The brand new Kendrick Lamar album? He was there the entire time. The WHOLE time. However he gave me this freedom to do no matter I need and I respect that a lot. I attempt issues and in the event that they don’t prefer it that’s OK. Not less than we tried it.”
You combined Unorthodox Jukebox for Bruno Mars. And Locked Out Of Heaven. Is Bruno a kind of artists that leaves you to it?
“Y’know, he’s far more hands-on at this time than he was again then. That track was in all probability one of many hardest songs to combine as a result of it’s like three completely different songs – three completely different vibes. How can we make it really feel prefer it’s one? I did combine methods on that track that I’d by no means tried earlier than, and to at the present time I attempt them and it’s kinda modified my combine method. Learn how to mix completely different moods. That track taught me so much.”
That looping siren within the refrain…
“That’s all credit score to Bruno. You realize, Locked Out of Heaven. It’s like The Police… Some rock… And ska. It’s like every thing. Bruno all the time provides one thing. He was like “Deliver it up, carry it up!” To the purpose the place I used to be like ‘Man, that’s actually up…’
“Now I hearken to it and it’s one thing that’s memorable. Kanye would do this on a regular basis. He would carry issues up so annoyingly loud. I keep in mind saying ‘Dude, it’s not gonna work’, then I realised that these are the moments – once you exaggerate one thing – these are the songs that you simply keep in mind. There’s quite a lot of thoughts video games… We’re kinda mind-fucking the listener. There are many completely different methods to do it.”
What’s your routine for a mixture? Are you there for recordings? Or do you are available in chilly?
“Yeah, I are available in fully contemporary. I like mixing. Recording is nice – that’s clearly my background, too – however the artwork of blending… It nonetheless blows my thoughts once I consider what we are able to do. I don’t have time to go to recordings or any of that stuff. I get despatched information and from that time on I’ve a terrific group at Larrabee who set it up for me on the SSL desk and from there I’ll begin working the track.
“They’ll ship me the track earlier than I combine however I don’t wish to hearken to it. I wish to are available in contemporary. The primary time I hear the track is once I push up the faders. That’s the second once I wish to get impressed. Once I push faders my proper mind is engaged as a result of I don’t have any preconceived concepts.”
You don’t even like a tough combine for concepts?
“Tough mixes are nice. However I’ll hearken to their tough combine solely as soon as I’m into the track. It kinda guides me for the panorama that they wish to grasp of their home. Nevertheless it’s me that they arrive to and say ‘Paint it’.
“So I can see an image of this panorama they need and I can say ‘It’s summer season… And it’s 4 o’clock… And it’s a seaside… And it’s Malibu and never the south of France’. It provides me quite a lot of info. Emotional info. And I take their {photograph}. And I paint it.”
They’ll ship me the track earlier than I combine however I don’t wish to hearken to it. I wish to are available in contemporary.
Do they ever provide you with a observe they need you to – whisper it – ‘copy’, or not less than be influenced by?
“Numerous the time they’re simply ‘Do your factor’. They arrive to me and say ‘We acquired it to the 40-yard line, however how can we take it residence?’ That’s when the mixer is available in and says ‘We’re gonna do that, this and that’. They usually take it residence.”
How a lot time do you spend on a mixture?
“Within the good outdated days with tape and all that stuff I might be like ‘On Monday I’m going to combine Alica Keys’ and ‘On Tuesday it’s CeeLo Inexperienced’. I don’t work like that anymore. These days my workflow is that I do know I’ve acquired to do that Charlie Puth track at this time, however I may have began it final evening, or I may end it Monday. I give them a spread of time to ship the combination, moderately than give them a day and that helps me creatively. I don’t wish to be rushed and never capable of carry out. So if I don’t really feel it at this time, I can go on one other combine with one other artist.”
Is there one thing that you simply do on each combine, on each observe?
“I used to play drums once I was a child so I all the time begin with the drums. Each track. Even when there’s no drums, I begin with one thing that’s carrying a groove. I work on pop data and there’s all the time one thing with a low finish. After which I work my approach to vocals and guarantee that the vocals and drums are actually feeling linked. After which I begin filling within the gaps.
“I hearken to their tough combine for some emotion. Does it make me wish to faucet my foot? Does it make me wish to punch the wall? Does it make me wish to cry? What’s the emotion I would like to bear in mind? Perhaps if it’s aggressive then I’ll use aggressive instruments – perhaps an EQ, perhaps it’s a distortion or a limiter to catch transients and assaults. Or it could possibly be the exact opposite with sluggish releases and sluggish assaults, or a really heat and fuzzy sounding vocal. There’s a really particular method for each sort of track.
Whenever you get the combination are results already printed on the observe?
“These days there’s quite a lot of results and I like them separate, so I’ll ask for a dry model and a moist model. For me, results are a part of manufacturing these days. So should you put a delay on a vocal, that’s a part of the manufacturing. I don’t wish to change that, however I can emphasise it if I must, or I can simply depart it alone.”
What results do you lean on for a mixture? What are your favourites proper now?
“Effectively, there’s this collection at Waves known as the Manny Marroquin Signature Sequence… They’re superb! All kidding apart, that’s the finest delay, and I all the time use it as a result of I can add distortion, flanging, doubling, reverb, ping-pong in seconds. I take advantage of that so much, that’s a part of my setup.
“I additionally love the Valhalla reverb, the [Soundtoys] Echoboy. Out of the field I nonetheless love my [Eventide] H3000 Harmonizer, I like my [Lexicon] PCM42, my [TC Electronic] 2290. I nonetheless use the old-fashioned, however these days you’ve acquired nice, nice plugins. I’ve all of them prepared to drag up. There’s my distorted delay… There’s my tight room that I take advantage of as a doubler…”
What displays are you mixing on at Larrabee?
“I’m nonetheless on the [Yamaha] NS-10s. I wish to say 90% of the combination nonetheless goes by means of the NS-10s. My mids are these Neumanns KH420s they usually’re unimaginable and my mains are my Augspurgers. And I’ve my headphones. I all the time combine on these headphones.”
When did you make the change and actually give attention to being a mixture engineer?
“Once I was rising up I all the time needed to be a mixer, and folks didn’t actually know what mixing was, y’know? I began engineering once I was 18. Slicing devices working at completely different studios in LA. After which I began monitoring vocals… Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera… However I knew I all the time needed to combine.
“I used to be working with producers Soulshock & Karlin they usually had been recording Whitney with Religion Evans and Kelly Value, they usually had this track Heartbreak Lodge they usually had been like ‘Hey, you wish to attempt to combine it?’ and I used to be like ‘Hell, yeah!’. I used to be 22. I combined it and it was an enormous success. From that time on I used to be hooked. That put me on the map. Individuals had been ‘You combined that? I like that. Good job’. From there I by no means seemed again.
“Mixing is 50% artistic and 50% technical. So it fulfils quite a lot of wants. I get to be artistic and I get to play with toys!”
How do I get higher at mixing? I practise. I hearken to music. I see why these sounds work.
What’s it that you simply carry to a mixture? Why do folks come to you?
“I believe it’s as a result of I actually do attempt to put emotion into what they offer me. I attempt to make it an emotional sounding document. I need it to be memorable. I need you to speak in regards to the combine for Bruno Mars Locked Out Of Heaven ten years later. I need you to consider Rihanna. Whatever the artist I need you to consider that track and the way it felt once you first heard it. I take note of that.
“I don’t focus as a lot on sonics as I do on emotion. I belief my physique, my intestine. If I faucet my foot in a sure manner, or transfer my shoulders in a sure manner…”
What have you ever acquired arising?
“The Kendrick Lamar album that simply dropped is certainly one of THE traditional, most iconic albums that will likely be talked about ten years from now. I’m actually happy with that album. It’s good, good, good.
“I’m working with Charlie Puth proper now. I’m working with Demi Lovato. I’m ending Phoenix, the band from France. And The 1975, the band from the UK, who I like. We’re ending their album after which I’m beginning Paramore. There’s quite a lot of cool issues occurring.”
What recommendation would you give to somebody who desires a profession like yours?
“Being a music fan helps me tremendously. I can go from Paramore to Christina Aguilera to Kendrick Lamar to Pusha T – Pusha T has in all probability acquired the very best hip-hop album of the 12 months. After which I acquired The 1975 who’re the exact opposite.
“And the way do I get higher at mixing? I practise. I hearken to music. I see why these sounds work. So make a playlist of issues that encourage you, that carry completely different feelings. Put them on a playlist and once you’re pissed off, go to your playlist and simply hearken to these songs. Take heed to the songs that made you wish to make music within the first place.
“You’ve acquired to be a music fanatic to do that. I used to be simply up till two within the morning listening to Georgio Moroder. I realised that I’d by no means listened to him, regardless that I’ve his room. And final evening for some cause I used to be like ‘Let me get into his catalogue deeper’. I used to be nonetheless listening at 2am…”
