Recording Sons of Soul

the trinidadian suburb of maraval, caribbean sound basin located

jaded lifestyles in california , various people frequenting studios, group moved sessions caribbean sound basin in maraval, suburb of port of spain, trinidad. studio complex 1 of trinidad s few high-end recording locations , founded in 1990 trinidadian businessman robert amar, wanted attract both local , international recording artists state-of-the-art facility , area s culture. group intended use studio polish previous sessions output, ended writing , recording became of album 2 months. d wayne wiggins said of move in interview musician, record company wanted put had out, ourselves didn t feel album done.

caribbean sound basin housed 3 separate studios , several amenities, including swimming pool, gym, sauna, photographic studio, , bedroom suites. in contrast recording studios, interior spacious , exposed natural light. @ studio complex, raphael, d wayne, , riley recorded extensively night , went out enjoy nightlife, before returning studio. dimmed lights, burned incense, , drank wine set mood when recording, d wayne explained in musician, try make real calm , mellow. cause want able re singing. immersed in local dancehall scene , attended late-night block parties lasted until dawn. d wayne later recalled nightlife experiences group in maravel: d heard dancehall, didn t know before going there. go these block parties , hear them mile away. d park on street , walk party along 4 or 5 thousand other people, partying these giant speakers on place. , happened every weekend.

their subsequent recording album influenced experiences in trinidad , caribbean musical styles, including rhythms , festive atmosphere of local music scene. enlisted trinidadian dancehall artist general grant, regular @ caribbean sound basin, perform ragga rap on goes around comes around , dance hall , songs developed in trinidad. raphael wiggins recalled in interview toronto star: [grant] hanging around studio. asked him come freestyle on [ goes around comes around ]. after that, kept hanging around. had song dance hall playing 1 night , started again, turned on mic. ex-girlfriend recorded there. according d wayne, recorded tonyies! in wrong key in studio @ 3 a.m., , raphael quite snookered on alcoholic beverage when delivering vocals. collectively, group had written , recorded approximately 40 songs @ end of sessions. in interview billboard, d wayne wiggins said focused on love songs when having decide songs make album.

production

dj ali shaheed muhammad (photographed in 2008) assisted in album s production.

unlike previous albums, group produced sons of soul entirely themselves. utilized both vintage , contemporary recording gear in album s production, including hammond b-3, clavinet, arp string ensemble, , korg , roland synthesizers. riley viewed hearing music played older instruments affected songwriting. vocals, raphael recorded neumann u 87 , akg c12a condensor microphones, vintage rca type 77-dx microphone. used custom five-string bass guitar , bass repair shop in san francisco, minimoog analog synthesizer other bass lines on album. d wayne used microtech gefell um70 lead vocals , akg 414 background vocals. played vintage gibson l6-s , fender coronado guitar, modified gibson burst bucker pickups. aside drumming, riley played both wurlitzer , fender rhodes electric pianos.

caribbean sound basin s main studio had both analog , digital equipment, 60 ft x 70 ft x 18 ft live room, , 3 isolation booths, vocals, piano, , drums. group recorded original tracks using studer 24- , 48-track recorders , transferred them sony digital recorder. songs, midi keyboards played live sequencer , left unquantized, while vintage keyboards recorded analog tape. riley said of process in interview keyboard magazine, though used sequencer stuff, d still cut song live start finish. see, last record done synclavier. time, tried keep live , raw.

record producer , dj ali shaheed muhammad, credited programming on album, assisted in production. cited group s fusion of hip hop production , live instrumentation sons of soul inspiration subsequent work member of tribe called quest , ummah. muhammad discussed experience recording sons of soul in 1998 interview, saying d hooked beat up, , [the group] picked instruments , started playing. raphael singing, , touched bass, blew me away. raphael wiggins explained how valued instrumentation when recording album, saying want have relate to; drummer live drums , on.

tony! toni! toné! tracked final mixes of songs @ caribbean sound basin. main studio used 64-channel ssl 4064 g mixing console, secondary studio used 48-track neve console flying faders, , third studio used amek bc2 console. group used older neve console. in tracking songs, started drum machine groove basic track , recorded it. parts recorded live instrumentation added mix. live drums , horn sections included attain sound of performing live. sons of soul subsequently mastered engineer herb powers @ new york city studio p.m. entertainment.