Andrew Scheps has an incredible career of achievements, which incorporates a credit list featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Michael Jackson, Robbie Robertson, Justin Timberlake, Iggy Pop, U2, Jay-Z, and many more, as well as several Grammy Awards.
Scheps’ work on the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s album Stadium Arcadium in 2005 was a turning point for his approach to engineering. He found the band’s decision to record and mix entirely in analogue so refreshing that he fitted his Punkerpad West studio with two Neve 8068 desks to go with his wall of analogue outboard. Scheps continued to work like this until the fall of 2013, when he was offered a different kind of project to mix. A choice faced him: either pass on the work and continue with his methods where he was in France at the time, or accept the mission and take a more in the box approach to his work. He opted for the latter, and found what he initially regarded as a one-off was much more attractive than anticipated. “Going back into the box wasn’t a sonic decision, but I actually re-discovered 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.”
The Smashing Pumpkins
That Which Animates The Spirit
2h43
