20 Questions With Sylvia Massy

Some producers are known for imparting their signature sound on every project like a sonic fingerprint. Others prefer a hands-off approach, letting the artist’s identity shine through and gently guiding them toward the best version of their music. And then, there’s Sylvia Massy.

Drawn toward the adventurous and unconventional but never losing sight of creative goals, Massy embraces every opportunity to try something new—as long as it serves the music. She’s just as likely to set up a drum kit under a nuclear cooling tower as she is to record vocals through an amp in the control room with the monitors blasting.

She’s a published author, an accomplished illustrator and painter, curator of a vintage mic museum, and much, much more. Keeping us guessing is what Sylvia Massy does best, but these 20 questions offer a peek inside one of the most creative minds in the studio.

1. How did you first become interested in music and sound?

I was very lucky; I grew up in a household with an opera singer mother and a father who liked to build electronic gadgets. He built our stereo and a tape recorder; and when I was two years old, he handed me a microphone and put it on sound-on-sound so it would echo. That absolutely changed my life.

2. When did you start becoming fascinated by audio engineering and production?

It was junior high, I guess. I was a big fan of dirty, kind of creepy rock that was very theatrical and otherworldly, like Alice Cooper and Yes. It was then that I started listening and understanding the process of recording without actually knowing it. I was listening to a track on Fragile that had Jon Anderson doing multiple layers. He's singing with himself, and I realized, “That's all the same voice. How's he doing that?” And then I put it together: there's some kind of magic happening there.

3. What is your production philosophy, if you had to sum it up in a sentence or two?

I think the best way to be a producer is to be a fan. Be a fan of the music, know what you like, know what's good, and research it.

4. When starting a new project, do you spend a lot of time in pre-production or just jump right in and start trying ideas out?

Both techniques work great. Sometimes I'll have to bounce between a completely mapped-out project and one that we’re just winging from day one. For instance, just a couple months ago, we did a project here in my studio in Oregon by a band called Daisy Chain from Chicago. I did start with pre-production pretty early in that I asked them late last year to write a hundred songs. This is what Rick Rubin would do: he would say, “I want to pick the best 25 songs out of 300 songs.” And that's how he wins with those records. I think Blood Sugar Sex Magik was all handpicked songs from about 300.

So they wrote a hundred songs, and I was able to say, “Okay, let's narrow it down. Let's finish these 16. Give me a bridge on this one. Give me an intro on this one. Do this and work on this and this.” They did that in Chicago and then they came out here, and we only had about three weeks, but we were able to do the whole project right on time. We had everything set up when they came in so they could just put on headphones and begin. I had a big progress chart with all the things we were going to overdub, and we started checking them off. We landed the plane perfectly on that one. On the last day, we were finishing the last track, and the band was in their van and back on tour.

But for the project I'm doing this week, I wish that I could have started with songs that were more together.  It’s a song that was played by Bill Medley in the 1980s, so I had to take the demo and put it into Fader so I could pull the keyboard track off and have the drummer play to it. Then, I had a keyboard player come in yesterday and play his Crumar piano, and now it's completely different than where I expected it to go. We put sax on it last night and it's unbelievable. So, both ways can work. I think the unplanned way will give you more surprises and magic moments.

5. How do you break the ice in your first session with a new artist?

I curse. A lot.

6. What's your favorite part of the creative process?

Getting it done, honestly. The finished mix. Everyone's happy.

7. If you had to choose between a completely analog or completely in-the-box workflow, which would you choose and why? 

All analog, just because it has that extra bit of goodness that digital just won't give you. It's not as easy to work on as digital, but I love it.

8. What made you choose the Rupert Neve Design 5088 console in your current studio?

I used to have a vintage Neve with the 1073 EQs, and it was a magic console. Everything you put through it sounded great. It was from 1974, so it had some issues like all the old ones do, but I loved it and had it for about 25 years. It was time to sell it and move into a smaller space, so I went with what I think is absolutely the closest thing to the original, and it was built by the original guy. I mean, Rupert Neve helped put this thing together. The EQs have a little bit extra beyond the 1073, but I can still get that great sound.

9. What's one piece of gear you can’t live without?

Oh man, you’re asking me this question? Hang on, I know: SM57.

10. What is the least expensive piece of gear you've used on a record?

A pickle.

11. What do you do in your free time when you're not making records?

I hang out with my dog, Pickles, and I teach her tricks.

12. What's your ideal vacation?

Staying home. I've been everywhere in the world. Honestly, I love it at home.

13. Have you read any good books lately?

This one right here. Here's a great book. [Holds up a copy of The Painter’s Handbook by Mark David Gottsegen].

14. What's one of your favorite albums of all time?

The Beatles - Revolver.

15. What new music have you been listening to lately?

You know, I love Dua Lipa. Love Dua Lipa. I think that's my favorite right now. 

16. Name a current artist you'd like to work with someday. And what would you do differently than their previous records?

Dua Lipa would be good. It's the songwriting and the character in her voice; I love it. 

17. Name an artist from at least 30 years ago that you wish you could have worked with.

XTC.

18. Who do you look to for inspiration?

There are several people in the industry that I really look up to. I'm a member of a group called the METalliance with George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner, Jimmy Douglass, Niko Bolas, Chuck Ainlay, and Frank Filipetti, and I respect all those guys so much. I'd say Elliot Scheiner is a big inspiration to me. He taught me how to plow through obstacles.

19. What advice do you have for aspiring engineers and producers?

Get started early, stick with it, and don't give up. It'll take some time, but get your clientele together and you'll make some great music and make a living. 

20. Are there any new projects you're working on or that have recently come that you are excited about and you want to talk about?

Two things I'm really excited about are that Jason Isbell Atmos release of Southeastern that we mixed, and then this upcoming Daisy Chain record, which is a gas. It's a super good indie band.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the gear mentioned in this blog, contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.