Music Engineering: Chris Rakestraw on Creativity and Collaboration
“Just read the room, and don't go too far in a direction, just because you think it's supposed to be that "nice".
Photo: James LoMenzo
I’d not be experimenting with my own music without him. Chris Rakestraw, who’s worked with names like Danzig, Megadeth and Deftones, once took time out of an eternally busy schedule to teach me how to become independent in my own musical journey by learning to produce my own work.
His open mind exceeds what most would claim free-thinking, and he’s always been incredibly approachable. No wonder some of the best artists in the business like working with him. I’m humbled to get his perspective on the art of engineering today.
In a creative sense, do you find yourself offering your ideas when working on someone’s music, or do you try to only work within the boundaries of their ideas? I guess what I’m really asking is, have you ever tried to push for an idea you had and gotten a negative response?
Traditionally, your role on a record dictates whether or not you offer your opinion. When I was growing up, that was more of a rule than a suggestion. If you were an assistant engineer, you never said anything, if you were the engineer, you only commented about sonics, and directed the client to the producer. If you were the producer, you were being paid for your opinion, so you gave it. This kind of brings up a bigger point, which is that, if you have good opinions, they are valuable, and can help make or break a record, or not even just a record, really anything in life. As for my experience, I've had every kind of response to my suggestions, and guess what—it doesn't fucking matter how I feel about my ideas getting accepted or declined. It's not my record, it's the artists' records, and they are the ones that need to feel ownership when all is said and done. You can't fake the funk if you don't like an idea. I can't do that, and I can't expect an artist to do that.
What did it feel like the first time you found yourself working in the studio with big names (like Megadeth and Danzig)? How do you like being on the road with Megadeth?
Ya know, Glenn Danzig is really the guy who gave me my first proper engineering gig. That was the first job where I transitioned from house engineer at a studio to independent engineer. I'm sure that when I got that job, I felt some sort of accomplishment, like, "Ok, I'm here, I've made it.", but honestly, looking back, that's kind of a childish thing to think. To be honest, considering any accomplishment a destination seems childish at this point. What I know now, that is more important, is what I think I was trying to do naturally when I was younger, which is just work in the moment. How good can I do whatever job I'm working on right now? How can I service the client sitting in front of me at this moment? I think that's far more important than hitting landmark accomplishments.
How long were you engineering and mixing music before you began to find the quality you were looking for?
Ha! Never. I don't think anyone ever sits back and goes, "Yep, it's official, I'm the shit!". In fact, I challenge my own protocols and recording standards all the time. I don't challenge them all at once, but each project, I work on new stuff, whether it's gear, technique, speed of work, etc.. One thing that maybe relates to the question, is the development of my ears, which is probably overlooked in recording magazines, because you can't sell a subscription or find it on sale on black friday. But as I've progressed over the years, I'd say the ability to really listen with confidence and clarity about what's coming out of the speakers is the most important thing that allows me to gauge quality over the years.
Has your connection to music changed since you’ve made it your job?
I think I'm fortunate that I can still listen to whatever and ignore poor fundamentals or bad music, etc. I'm not one of those guys who clowns some band for bad mixes, etc... ‘cause who cares? Not every record needs to be some dumb reference record that nerds use to tune their Hi-Fi system. I think it's more important to not care about that shit even more these days when everyone has access to the same tools (plugins etc). Back in the 90's when I was growing up, bands ran the gamut of quality of tones. I recognize this even more looking back with everything I know now, so I enjoy all the aesthetics; good and bad.
As a music engineer, there’s a certain balance you have to maintain; if it’s over-perfected, it sounds sterile—there’s a certain degree of naivety you want the music to have to sound natural. Do you ever find it hard to maintain that middle ground?
Yeah, I know what you mean, but a lot of that is a sliding scale that relates to genre. Some people might want an actual answer about that, but the truth is, it's a big gray area, and you only have so much control. Again, this relates to being in the moment of the project you're on. It's pretty obvious usually to know where to go with this. Just read the room, and don't go too far in a direction, just because you think it's supposed to be that "Nice".
Are you working on any personal projects on the side?
No, not any music projects so to speak. I'm usually spending time between records mixing songs for clients off of SoundBetter.com, running my tree company in Nashville, or touring as the Monitor Engineer/Music Director for Megadeth. I also enjoy helping my friends and peers get out of debt and increasing our financial iq as independent contractors in the music industry. In fact, that's probably the most important thing to learn as a music industry professional, which recording schools seem to ignore. No one is selling "Tax advantaged savings" on Sweetwater if you know what I mean..
Soundbetter:
https://soundbetter.com/profiles/431614-chris-rakestraw
AllMusic:
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-rakestraw-mn0000773886
