Why Andrew Scheps Doesn't Use Sonarworks

I had another GAS with Andrew Scheps, one of the most respected and well-reputed mix engineers in the music industry

Andrew has worked with a number of incredibly successful artists on chart-topping albums such as By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers, 21 by Adele and Beyoncé by Beyoncé.

These days Andrew resides in the UK, where he enjoys a peaceful life in the English countryside.

Having a GAS™ is the podcast that talks to the great and the good of the creative industries, and in particular finds out what makes great music for film, for TV, for advertising; for dancing to, for cooking to, f*cking to, and more...

GAS™ Music is a music production agency in Manchester, UK. We compose and produce original music, create awe inspiring sound design and have a fully integrated audio post-production studio. We also have a great record collection, and welcome any additions, recommendations or criticisms.

© GAS™ Music 2022

According to Wikipedia...

Andrew Scheps is an American mix engineer, recording engineer, record producer, and record label owner, based in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom. He received Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album for his work on Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, Album of the Year for Adele's 21, and Best Reggae Album for Ziggy Marley's Fly Rasta.

A Long Island native who got his start playing jazz trumpet, Andrew Scheps has mixed records for artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Metallica, Jay-Z and many others. After graduating from the Recording Engineering Program at the University of Miami, he spent some time working for New England Digital as a field service technician for the Synclavier, one of the first digital synthesizers / samplers / workstations, then on the road with Stevie Wonder (as a keyboard tech) and Michael Jackson (mixing live sound), before settling in LA.

Having got into mixing a few years before the analog-to-digital revolution, Andrew worked with a collection of vintage gear at his Punkerpad West studio in Van Nuys, California, including a Neve Electronics BCM-10 with ten 1073s that were used for reference during the Waves Audio Scheps 73 plugin modeling process.

Scheps is known for his balanced, modern sounding and often loud mixes. In July 2015, while being interviewed on Pensado's Place, he declared to work completely "ITB" (in the box), which stands for working completely inside a computer, without the use of external gear. His 100% transition to ITB mixing occurred halfway through mixing the Hozier record in the summer of 2014. "Going back into the box wasn't a sonic decision, but I actually rediscovered that I really like it. It's great to be able to work on three or four songs at the same time. I have not gone back to working on the desk since then. While I miss some of the visceral hands-on aspects of the console, there is a lot of creative freedom working this way. It might seem like a drastic change, but it is only the tools that have changed: remarkably my philosophy and sound have stayed the same".

He is also the owner and president of Tonequake Records and Punkerpad UK (formerly Punker Pad West).

Grammy Awards:
Ziggy Marley – Fly Rasta (Best Reggae Album)
Adele – 21 (Album of the Year)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium (Best Rock Album)

#AndrewScheps #MusicProduction #Podcast

[HavingaGAS]

I had another GAS with Andrew Scheps, one of the most respected and well-reputed mix engineers in the music industry

[zachary]

I’ve always appreciated Andrew’s down to earth attitude about all this stuff. “I just make it sound good” is basically his whole attitude.

[katrinaallikas]

What really matters is - does your mixes translate well. And there are many ways how you can achieve that. As Andrew Scheps noted, for many people Sonarworks products make a huge difference and that's what's important - find what works for you and make great music that sounds good on any device and makes the emotional impact to the end listener. At the end of the day that's what's important to any creator

[johngibbons]

It's REALLY essential where you place the cat tree

[t.farris]

Great advice! Learning your speakers and your room is probably the best thing for you.

[JoshRolffsjr]

One thing i've always known is that music is so intuitive. That's something that I really feel with this guy

[godofspacetime]

I’ve gotten two videos today from two different producers/engineers about how being familiar with your speakers/listening environment is the most important thing. It’s really validating because 1) I’ve believed this for a long time, and 2) I mix on a pair of $10 headphones and in my car. The record I made in GarageBand on my phone has gotten me lots of compliments and also lots of work from people who want their records to sound like mine. So it’s not crazy, you really can get a good sound from cheap equipment and untreated rooms, you just gotta know what is _should_ sound like.

[miketkong]

I started monitoring mixes and mixing using my phone speakers a few months ago. That’s been trip. I resisted for years, but considering that’s how people are going to listen to my music, I had to give in and I’m glad I did. :)

[jfilbert]

I mixed on PMCs (in a very small room) and frankly, Sonarworks really helped, but the software was always a huge P.I.T.A, plus the added phase issues, etc. Now I work on M&Ks and they sound perfect without the correction. Took about 1 day to get used to the difference, then off to the races. Before all of that, my NS10S always translated perfectly, also w no correction. Just my little anecdote.

[migueljohnson]

I have been producing since the mid 80s now and Andrew just nailed it LOOOL I treat my rooms the same way as he does... it works perfect. In fact some of the albums I mixed for some of the bands I had on my label were mixed in my attic with no professional treatment at all and we got some cool reviews for that record. Know your monitor systems, know your rooms. For me it has been more than sufficient. Thanks much for this cool video.

[kehvmusic]

Sonar works for me so far, I treated my room speakers sound good, but must say sonar gave me that last tightening. Mixes translates good

[ronfrancois]

Loved arm gesticulation for.. " Moving quickly.." 😂

[PatrickStefan]

Perspective: Andrew never mixes in a tiny box room on headphones so take this with a pinch of salt. Sonarworks is great for low budget rooms and cheap headphones

[dougaltolan]

It sounds very digital and flattened...
Yeah, I thought that was the point, flattening, that is.

[Drfresh]

When ever I listen to Andrew I realize I’m doing the right thing. His message is know what you have. People hear my mixes and think they were done in professional studios. Little do they know. I mix on Harmon Kardon Soundsticks in an untreated room.

[MistyMusicStudio]

You know, I have always had this opinion and just kept it to myself cause I didn't think it would be well received. But NOW I can say "You gonna call Andrew Scheps a bad engineer?" No one will question it now hahaha

[planetclay]

god bless this man. when i first heard of Andrew Schepp's and the vibe surrounding him years ago i figured he was the gnome of all rules, conventions, practices, do's and don'ts yet it turns out that nearly the opposite is true. such a pleasure to listen to....

[cinorikese]

I am 1 year into mixing now, I can tell by now that speakers/headphones, the DAW and the USB interface are the most important things. Most DAWs have all the basic plugins, maybe you won't get the best bass drum sound, the best reverb, the best whatsoever with those plugins, so either you spend more money for that or you try to recreate them in the DAW with its basic plugiins.

[gadget]

I started work age sixteen in an industrial environment so noisy that I couldn't understand a single word said to me. Within a week my brain had tuned out the noise and I could understand everyone as normal. I left after a year but went back in to say hello a year after that and once again I couldn't understand a thing said to me. It is very easy after that experience to understand by how much my hearing is capable of retuning a listening environment. The greatest recording ever made, done at vast expense will only ever be heard the way it was intended in the recording studio it was recorded in, someone else with a million quid spent on hifi gear is guaranteed to be listening to something else.

[andrefokkema]

This is exactly what I was told more than 20 years ago. And I started to work accordingly. Nothing fancy in my studio. Ha, I’ve even used Behringer headphones for a long time. All that matters is what Andrew says: just get to know how your room sounds, how your monitors sound and how your headphones sound. Best way to do that is to listen to some of your favourite music.
Once you’re done mixing your stuff, take the result into your car, to your living room, listen to the mixes through earphones plugged into your phone and judge what you’ve done. Take a frequent rest. Leave them for a couple of days and then listen again. For me this works… and I am so pleased to hear a pro doing it likewise. So thank you for this!