When did you start recording? I know you were in the D.C. punk band Freak Baby.
Yeah. I started that when I was 15 — back in the early- '80s. The goofy little footnote in history is that my first band and Dave Grohl's first band were the same, but a couple of weeks apart. I quit to start a new group and took the guitar player with me. Dave was the replacement guitar player. It was an amazing time. Minor Threat played the local high school prom! You'd go to shows and see Bad Brains, Void, and Faith — some of the best hardcore. Then I moved to Richmond, Virginia in about 1985 and got involved in another amazing music scene.
I started touring a bit then. My bands were never super-famous, but we got to play with groups like the Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr., All, Henry Rollins, Beefeater, Iron Cross and other really cool groups. Towards the end of the eighties, the band I was in wasn't doing much. I got into recording, producing and arranging, and I never really looked back. I dove headlong into it. I taught myself and read every book ever written about recording. I was learning and doing stuff with a [Tascam] Portastudio. Then I moved to Boston for a couple of years.
Did you work at any studios there?
Honestly, the main studio I worked for there was so awful that I don't want to give them any credibility. They ran the whole business based on this certain religion they were into, and I would not fully participate. I think that eventually got me fired!
I've never heard of anything like that!
Yeah, it was an interesting situation! I had an opportunity to be an assistant at a studio that did a lot of dance stuff. I was the only one who knew how to record drums and I was the only guy who enjoyed working with the hip-hop clients. I went from being an assistant to being a first engineer in a few weeks. I've never looked back. It's a mixed blessing. There were still things I was learning ten years after the start of my career. It might have been better to assist longer, but I eventually got it figured out!
I think it happens that way for a lot of people in our field.
Yeah, probably now more than ever. But, at that same time, I was at Berklee [College of Music] for a couple of years in the synthesis department, which actually turned out to be kind of hip. Back then digital audio was this weird thing that the synthesis people did — the recording people weren't touching it at all. I used Pro Tools the day it came out. Because of getting early access to that technology, it opened a lot of doors. After I was in Boston for three years I got invited to be a producer in residence at the Banff Centre in Canada. It was awesome, and it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I would wake up, go snowboarding for a few hours, take a shower, go to the studio, go dancing afterwards with my friends and repeat it all the next day. I was working with Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Robin Eubanks and all these chamber and jazz musicians. I worked with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas — one of the premiere rumba groups from Cuba, along with Chucho Valdés y Grupo Irakere. Banff really was a dream come true. It's such a beautiful place, and the work just came to me. There were other people lining the sessions up. Some of the times I didn't even realize what I was working on. Someone would say, "Hey, we have this guy from Finland coming to record. You're in charge." I'd hang out and get to know the music and then realize, "Hey, that's Anssi Karttunen." Just these monster players! I also got to do work composing music for some dance companies and Native American dance concerts — I love doing that stuff. But my real gig is recording.
What was the process of getting involved with Banff?
Well, I had to apply. I had to submit letters of recommendation, my body of work and so on. I was already involved with emerging technologies, so that helped. That weird hybrid in my life has informed who I am. I'm a musician because of Neil Young, but my first group was a punk band. My biggest credits are prog-rock groups, but I love chamber music too. It kind of rounds me out.
How long was the Banff experience?
I was up there for two years. I didn't know where I was going after that, but a friend of mine was leaving for Argentina and said I could have his apartment for free. So next thing you know, I'm moving to Seattle! [laughter]
Where did you work in Seattle?
I worked the most at Paradise Sound in the Cascade Mountains, outside of Seattle. I've worked in a lot of amazing studios all around the world, but Paradise Sound is my absolute favorite. It's got a giant live room, G-Series SSL 4000, Pro Tools HD, [iZ Technology] RADAR, a closet full of Neumann mics and so on. The rates are nice and low, the people that run it are wonderful, and when you sit out back on the deck it's like looking at a postcard.
It sounds like a "labor of love" kind of place.
I think they've made some smart decisions about how they put it together. There was a time when I was their main client; it was my home base when I was in Seattle. When they did upgrades they would upgrade with things I would like. That was great! If I could choose only one studio, that's where I'd make records the rest of my life.
There are accommodations out there?
Yep. A small three-bedroom house down the mountain. At one point I almost ditched having my own studio and considered just working out of there. But I couldn't do some of the smaller budget jobs that I can take on by having my own place. I could probably choose not to have my own place and make the same amount of money at the end of the year; but I couldn't wake up and make records everyday. Hundreds of records into this, I still get giddy to record. It thrills me! The emotionally fulfilling jobs aren't always the biggest ones, but it's always worth it. I love having my own room with gear I like a lot. I can take good care of people's music. It's worth it, and I can still make car payments!
Even when you're freelancing, you're still accumulating equipment.
Yeah. I started my own set up in Seattle with just ADATs and a little Mackie mixer for overdubbing. All of a sudden I've got a console in the room and I'm making records! In England, I was living in the cottages on Robert Fripp's estate when I was doing so much work with King Crimson. My home and my studio were in the cottages. I later had a smaller space in L.A. too, near Venice Beach. Now I have a place with a big analog console and gear racks taller than I am. Moving is a lot tougher than it used to be!
John: Do you have a business partner?
Yeah. My partner is Liz Redwing — my partner for all things in life. She's been in the music business longer than I have. She handles everything business about the studio. She does all my scheduling, the billing and the publishing. She's a godsend! It's so tough to hang out and have a money conversation with an artist in a creative pursuit. So she takes care of that.
When did your Recording Boot Camp classes start?
I've been doing them for about nine years. It's been better than I expected. It's a lot of fun for me, and people seem to get a lot out of it.
What do you teach? What level are the students usually at?
