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mix engineer Neal Pogue mixes Outkast, Hey Ya!Acclaimed mix engineer Neal Pogue has been working with the Grammy Award-Winning duo Outkast for 10 years, and has relied upon Solid State Logic consoles all along the way. Pogue most recently mixed seven tracks on Andre 3000’s “The Love Below” (one-half of Outkast’s latest release) including the smash hit of 2003/2004 “Hey Ya!” The recent Grammy Award-winner mixed six of Andre’s creations at Larrabee North Studios in Universal City, CA on an SSL SL 9000 J Series SuperAnalogue console, while he traveled to New York’s Hit Factory to use an SSL XL 9000 K Series SuperAnalogue console for “Hey Ya!”Given Andre’s diverse songwriting abilities and penchant for melding live instruments with synthesized sounds, Pogue was challenged to blend numerous sonic elements while maintaining the overall fresh quality of the music. With Pogue and Andre both being perfectionists, the only way to truly bring the latter’s vision to fruition would be to mix the songs on SSL SuperAnalogue Series consoles. Pogue, who has worked with many other artists including TLC (“Waterfalls”), Beyonce & Bilal (“Everything I Do” from the Fighting Temptations Soundtrack), Res (“Ice King”) and En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go (Love)”), explains his reasoning for choosing SSL, “I love the SSL EQ’s, which are perfect for making synths edgy. Also, I am a compression fiend when it comes to my kick and snare drums, and I will only use the SSL compression for those as well. Those two aspects combined with the filters on each channel make the SSL perfect for me. I’ve been a fan of this company’s consoles since the ‘E’ series and SSL has continued to advance its console technology and ergonomics for improved sonic quality and user friendliness.” Pogue was also pleased with the increased speed and maneuverability of the XL 9000 K Series SuperAnalogue computer, which responds faster to commands than the J. Pogue explains, “SSL created a new panning system in the ‘K’ called Ulti-Pan, which can be automated and it is superb. I have a blast using the SSL pen to create my ideas.” On “Hey Ya!,” Outkast’s Grammy Award-winning debut single off of the double-disc, Pogue needed to make Andre’s acoustic guitar shine on top of the mix in order to polish the bouncy, energetic song. While many engineers tend to add elements to achieve a desired effect on a given track, Pogue takes a different approach. “I am a huge fan of cutting frequencies,” Pogue explains. “And EQ’ing Andre’s acoustic was a tedious process. I used the EQ’s on the console to take the bass out of his guitar, because he had a really big-body type of guitar, so I had to trim the frequency a lot at 300Hz by about –2dB. The SSL EQ’s sound better than any outboard EQ I’ve ever heard, and are great for getting everything to sit nicely in the mix. That’s the secret, not to add anything, because usually when you do that, you are just adding brittleness.” In addition to the EQ needs on Andre’s guitar, Pogue was also faced with making the two programmed drum tracks on “Hey Ya!” sound as if they were recorded live. While he humbly credits much of the end result to Andre’s diligent programming work, he also gives a nod to SSL’s built-in compression on the XL 9000 K Series console. “I love the punch that SSL’s compression adds to my kick drums,” continues Pogue. “For my drums, I will only use SSL’s compression, and over the years I’ve heard many different compressors. Between Andre’s scientific drum programming and SSL’s punchy compression, most people think that the drums on ‘Hey Ya!’ are performed by a live drummer.” From the rich, falsetto chorus to the call-and-response ranting (a la Jimi Hendrix) at the end of the song, getting the myriad vocals to fit melodiously within “Hey Ya!” presented another hurdle. Pogue estimates approximately 8-10 tracks of backing vocals on the hook, two tracks for the verse and numerous others for the breakdown and outro. “For the background vocals, I had them boosted at 8k by about 2dB, and I spent a while with the console getting that perfect sound. Once again, I cut the low end at 300Hz by -2dB and probably brought up 8k-10k at 2dB. Many people come to me because of my ability to meticulously blend vocals, and SSL EQ’s help me do that very well.” In addition to “Hey Ya!,” Pogue also mixed “She Lives in My Lap,” “She’s Alive,” “Prototype,” “Take Off Your Cool” (featuring Grammy Award-winner Norah Jones), “Spread” and “Vibrate.” Just like “Hey Ya!,” these tracks are quite “fresh and clean” as well, with SSL again providing the clarity and precision. “The filters on the SSL consoles are wonderful as well,” states Pogue. “I get a lot of recorded tracks that sound really muddy. So, it’s great to use the low-pass filter and make it sound cleaner. I am a self-proclaimed nitpicker when it comes to mixing, and SSL consoles help me create the mixes I envision in my mind.” With more than 46 installations worldwide, the SSL XL 9000 K Series SuperAnalogue console has been the console of choice for world-renowned engineers everywhere. The console was designed from the ground up to offer the ultimate analogue recording and mixing experience, meeting the demands of high-definition, surround-sound digital production for DVD-A and SACD product distribution. Based on the HS Control Processor in SSL’s successful digital consoles, the K Series Automation Computer provides high-speed control of all automated functions. Its predecessor, the SL 9000 J Series SuperAnalogue console, is installed in more than 200 facilities across the globe. For engineers, producers and musicians who desire the unique EQ’s, compression and mic pre’s of SSL’s consoles, SSL now offers the XLogic Series of outboard gear. Developed from SSL’s renowned XL 9000 K Series console, each XLogic unit features the company’s world-class SuperAnalogue audio quality. The products can be used with a wide variety of applications, such as high-resolution digital recording for the latest DAW systems and compression for DVD mastering. Solid State Logic is the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles for broadcast, post, music and film facilities. SSL’s product range includes the C100 new-generation Digital Broadcast and C200 Digital Production Consoles, the Avant Plus Digital Console for Film and Post, the XL 9000 K Series SuperAnalogue Consoles and the SL 4000 G+ Analogue Console.
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