Butch Vig and Billy Bush: Achieving Studio Nirvana
Butch Vig and Billy Bush: Achieving Studio Nirvana
Vig and Bush discuss how M-Audio technology is changing the way they work
Vig and Bush discuss how M-Audio technology is changing the way they work
Butch Vig has played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of modern rock music. With production credits that include groundbreaking artists such as Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins to current modern rock darlings AFI, Vig has mastered the process of creating timeless sounding albums. And with his group Garbage, Vig and engineer Billy Bush have created an entirely fresh sound that has spawned countless imitators. But regardless of what project they’re working on, Vig and Bush make use of M-Audio technology at every step of the creative process.
What pieces of M-Audio gear have you been getting mileage out of lately?
Bush: The Trigger Finger is awesome. We’ve used MPCs for years, and the whole process of getting the sounds into the MPC, programming it and flying the stuff back into Pro Tools, was sort of a needless exercise, in my opinion. And it always drove me nuts. It’s great to finally have something that plays like an MPC but gives you access to your entire sample library, at any time. It’s totally been a lifesaver to be able to throw up something like FXpansion BFD and play it like you were playing an MPC.
Vig: I’ve been looking for years for a really good-sounding small digital recorder, mostly just to record ideas. And the MicroTrack 24/96 is great, I can pull it out and sing or record anything into it really quickly, with no fuss. I am astounded by how great it sounds. When I first got it, I just started walking around the house recording various sounds. We have a little swing for my baby girl, and it makes this weird back-and-forth sucking noise that sounds kind of like “whacko whacko whacko.” So I recorded it and loaded it into a new remix of “Bad Boyfriend” that we’re working on for the Garbage best-of compilation. It became the main percussion loop for the track, working its way into the main groove at the start of the song. It sounds really cool. Now I take the MicroTrack with me wherever I go!
To read the full interview, please download the Summer 2006 M-Audio Product Guide or pick one up at your local M-Audio dealer.
What pieces of M-Audio gear have you been getting mileage out of lately?
Bush: The Trigger Finger is awesome. We’ve used MPCs for years, and the whole process of getting the sounds into the MPC, programming it and flying the stuff back into Pro Tools, was sort of a needless exercise, in my opinion. And it always drove me nuts. It’s great to finally have something that plays like an MPC but gives you access to your entire sample library, at any time. It’s totally been a lifesaver to be able to throw up something like FXpansion BFD and play it like you were playing an MPC.
Vig: I’ve been looking for years for a really good-sounding small digital recorder, mostly just to record ideas. And the MicroTrack 24/96 is great, I can pull it out and sing or record anything into it really quickly, with no fuss. I am astounded by how great it sounds. When I first got it, I just started walking around the house recording various sounds. We have a little swing for my baby girl, and it makes this weird back-and-forth sucking noise that sounds kind of like “whacko whacko whacko.” So I recorded it and loaded it into a new remix of “Bad Boyfriend” that we’re working on for the Garbage best-of compilation. It became the main percussion loop for the track, working its way into the main groove at the start of the song. It sounds really cool. Now I take the MicroTrack with me wherever I go!
To read the full interview, please download the Summer 2006 M-Audio Product Guide or pick one up at your local M-Audio dealer.
