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01 min
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15 min
Career journey, songwriting, studio roles, artist relationships, production aesthetics, overall workflow
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16 min
Mixing overview, analog gear, plugin selection, gain staging
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14 min
Mix bus, kick, snare drum
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17 min
Cymbal selection, hi-hats, tom toms, overheads, room mics, kit blend
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18 min
Sample replacement, transitions, creating contrast, quantization, bass guitar
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21 min
Rhythm guitars, lead guitar, pedals, keyboards, creative processing
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20 min
Recording vocals, home recording, vocal doubling, ad-libs
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21 min
Backing vocals, wolf recordings, vocal blend, mix bus recap, mastering
Howler
SATE
(21 min / 2h27)Hill Kourkoutis
- Production
An accomplished musician, producer and engineer, Hill Kourkoutis wears many hats in the studio. To kick off her debut series, the Canadian polymath takes us inside the production and mixing of the JUNO award-winning song ‘Howler’ by SATE.
Hill begins by exploring the inspiration and songwriting process behind the track. She then defines the album’s sonic palette; discussing the specific tones, effects and production techniques they used to create a unified sound. These limitations enabled the team to form a distinct aesthetic for the album and helped generate creative momentum in the early stages.
Once the production aesthetics have been established, Hill dives more deeply into the recording process. She shares her approach to capturing warm vintage-inspired tones using modern gear and techniques. She also delves into her experience recording artists remotely and discusses her methods to ensure that no compromises are made during the home recording process.
With the song’s production firmly in place, Hill moves on to the final mixing process. She demonstrates the techniques she uses to tie disparate elements together, particularly when they have been recorded across many different environments and time periods. Finally, she shares valuable tips on how to maintain perspective when mixing your own productions — a challenging but rewarding process for those brave enough to do so.
Subtitles in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian
About Hill Kourkoutis
Hill Kourkoutis is a JUNO Award-winning producer, songwriter, composer, mixer, recording engineer, multi-instrumentalist, artist and director. Spanning her career, Hill has produced, mixed and/or written albums and/or singles for Aysanabee ("Nomads" #1 CBC Radio, #1 Alternative Rock Radio, Top 30 Canada Modern Rock Airplay, JUNO award-nominated album ‘Watin’), Leela Gilday (JUNO and CFMA award-winning album ‘North Star Calling’), Digging Roots (“SKODEN” Top 30 Alternative Radio, JUNO award-winning...