Vance Powell’s new Start To Finish Series in which he records Sweet Beast’s Illiterate Light features several original techniques, one is Vance’s “Sprinkle To Taste” mic technique in which he uses a Radial EXTC 500 which makes it easy to incorporate unbalanced, instrument-level guitar effects pedals with balanced line-level signals from a console.

Using this as an insert with his SSL console Vance sends microphone signals out to a vertically mounted pedal board which, amongst others features a custom “Beard Verb”… This hands on, low-fi approach offers quick experimentation and tactile control. Find out more about the processing Vance used at the pureMix blog.

Start to Finish: Vance Powell

In this Start To Finish series featuring world-renowned producer and engineer, Vance Powell, and the high energy rock duo, Illiterate Light, head into the amazing Sputnik Sound in Nashville, Tennessee to record the song "Sweet Beast".

Starting with the raw demo recorded by the band, Vance and vocalist/guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer/back-up vocalist Jake Cochran dissect the song to create a powerful arrangement full of twists and turns to that set the stage for a wild ride.

Once the song is record ready, Vance gets the band set up with his unique set of tools that create the high energy sound he has become known for. You'll see the raw tracking process, overdubs, mixing, and finally, travel across town with Vance to Infrasonic Mastering to put the final touch on the track with mastering engineer, Pete Lyman.

This is your chance to head into the studio and watch as Vance Powell works with an artist all the way from the song's structure, to the final master.

How Do I Watch Start To Finish: Vance Powell

This video tutorial is available to Pro PureMix members and can be accessed by signing up to a PureMix subscription for as little as $25 a month.

Sign up to get advanced audio tutorials where Grammy-winning engineers teach you mixing concepts by showing you their techniques and tricks while mixing song by Pharrell, Imagine Dragons, Ziggy Marley and more. 

If you would like to watch more free tutorials you can sign up for free at pureMix or browse the entire pureMix tutorial video library and choose the individual videos that appeal to you.