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Carl Nappa has been on the engineering scene for close to 15 years, recording all genres in all kinds of different scenarios -- from recording an 80-piece orchestra to recording vocal overdubs with 80 people in the control room. One of Carl’s most recent projects, Nelly’s double album “SweatSuit,” went straight to Number One. We asked Carl to give us a little insight into some of his studio tendencies, and how the recording process for R&B and hip-hop projects differs from other projects…or how it does not.
Carl Nappa: No. Recording rap, hip-hop, rock, etc. is all the same to me. It's just recording vocals. The only difference is usually you don't get a proper mic check. You have to be ready to not only record, but to record keeper vocals from the minute you start.
Carl: Yes! Why not? If you get a great vocal sound -- or any sound for that matter -- why not EQ and compress? Problems occur when the engineer doesn't understand compression and over-EQs something to death…or just doesn't pay attention when tracking.
Carl: My vocal chain always starts with the singer. A great voice can make
average equipment sound great, and great equipment can make an average voice
sound good. Also, just pay attention. I have never been on a session where the singer didn't come in to the control room to at least say hi. When he or she does, listen to their voice. Is there a lot of bottom, or lack of it in their speaking voice? Is the voice overly sibilant? Just listen, and if you know your microphones you will be in the ballpark from the start.
Carl: When choosing a mic, especially on a singer, I am looking for the vocal to jump right out of the speakers. When you get the combination right you will hear it right away. To me there is no difference between what I would use for a hip-hop session as opposed to a pop session. You have to remember, the vocal is going to be the focal point so treat it like it is the most important thing.
Carl: I was doing drum loops with a producer named Anthony J Resta. We set up his kit with the regular assortment of mics, and at the last minute I put up an old Muzak announcer’s mic -- maybe a Turner 251? I found it at an NYC street fair. I put it on a stool facing the hi-hat about three feet away. Its compressor had the most inappropriate settings that I could dial up. It was also in a gate that was being keyed off the kick, which was also set up so that it chattered as it was closing. All this being said, that one mic created the most over-the-top, aggressive, distorted drum sound ever! One mic plus a lot of bad engineering equals cool sounds.
Carl: Drum sounds from the announcer’s mic story cut up and put in a sampler for other songs.
Carl: All of them! I love what I do. From the my first day walking into Courtlan Recording at 19 years old to recording Nelly's "SweatSuit" in a mansion in LA. Every day has been fun. Sure there were some clients who I would have liked to walk out on, but [in that instance] you just smile and do your job. My "college" education was at The Hit Factory in the form of trial by fire. I worked there as a staff assistant, and then as a staff engineer for about four years. To me that was like being in the trenches of the recording world. Every session was high-profile and high-pressure. You only received credit about 30 percent of the time, but it wasn't only about the credit. It was about making records -- all kinds of records, and with all kinds of equipment. I remember at one time having to "really" know how to use every major console and automation inside and out, because they had them all. Some memorable experiences: Walking into a live room to move a mic with an orchestra of 80 musicians, and getting goose bumps from being enveloped by music. Having a singer who was an icon tell me that I didn't have to move the mic, and watching him sing crammed in the corner of the studio. One take unbelievably performed while jammed in a corner. Having a multi-platinum artist sing from a walk-in closet, because that was where we set up the vocal booth in our makeshift studio. Editing 2-inch tape for the first time. I had seen it done hundreds of times before, but it’s a little different when it's you cutting it in front of a roomful of people saying, "Have you done this before?" I answered “Of course” as we listened to the edited tape play back perfectly. Mixing a song with a producer in Boston from 11am to 6am the next morning, then driving to NYC for an 11am mix with a different producer (who I didn't want to know that I had been up all night so he wouldn't second-guess the mix) that lasted until 2am the next morning. Drug free, too. The first mix made the album, and the second was in a major motion picture and on its soundtrack. Getting a huge drum sound for a huge artist, only for him to walk in and say he didn't want a typical drum sound and that he’d be back in five minutes to hear what I came up with! When he came back, he liked what he heard. That was both the longest and fastest five minutes of my life. Setting up a makeshift studio in an office building to record a record, and then having the staff of said office building walk in and out of the control room to check in on our progress. And all of these sessions were fun -- if not why do them?
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