Wizard of Oz | Bryan-Michael Cox
Nov 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Ken Micallef
QUIETLY MAKING HIP-HOP HITS BEHIND THE CURTAIN, BRYAN-MICHAEL COX HAS HELPED MARIAH CAREY, MARY J. BLIGE, USHER, RIHANNA AND MONICA STAY ON TOP
KEEPING IT CLEAN
Maybe it's his gospel roots, his instrumental chops, or perhaps it's just part of his personality, but Cox's best tracks are usually his most simple productions. Toni Braxton's “Just Be a Man About It,” Usher's “U Got It Bad” and Monica's “U Should've Known Better” and “Still Standing” are composed of the barest elements, well-balanced and tastefully effected. It almost sounds like anyone could do it, but Cox claims his productions are purpose-made for the vocalists who love his tracks.
“That is because I am singer by nature,” he explains. “I wouldn't want to sing against a whole lot of craziness. How often have you heard a song that you really liked that had only had a few elements? Or how many times have you heard a track that you couldn't really get into because it was too overpowering? It's harder to make a simple production because as a musician you want to throw everything and the kitchen sink in there. But people have to be able to digest and feel your music.”
Even with his approach confidently locked down, Cox deals with production writing blocks like anyone else. Working in his The Black Room studio where he has written many hits, his methods are probably similar to yours.
“Some days I play with synths for 10 hours and nothing comes of it. Other days I make three tracks in a day. I will do three or four ideas, break them down, do my little drops and breaks and bridges until I develop a song. Then I will embellish more once the song is on there. I may add some depth that makes it heavier without complicating it. Just different sounds to make it thicker.”
HIP-HOP HIGH
Cox began as an engineer, working in Atlanta with Noontime productions and the artist Jagged Edge, who introduced him to Jermaine Dupri, with whom he scored his initial hits. From his earliest days attending the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston (where he befriended a young Beyoncé Knowles), Cox has been a self-described “gear fanatic.”
“I have all kinds of shit in my studio,” he says with a laugh. “It's ridiculous. I have four MPCs, all tricked out. I began on Performer and a Mac back in '96. That was my first time understanding samples and hard drives and waveforms. I eventually went with Logic because I have always been intrigued by programming. When I moved to Atlanta in '97, no one was using Digital Performer; they all used MPC. Once I got hip to the MPC, I was so on it I knew it like the back of my hand. I got into Logic because Teddy Riley told me about it in 2000. I thought it would complicate my production. I was scared of it. Then I got into computers. A rep from Logic and my engineer really got me into the Logic game. I used Pro Tools and Reason, but once I got into Logic, it pulled me in.”
But when it comes to making beats, Cox alternates between working with Logic and with his arsenal of MPCs. “I flip-flop,” he says. “Some days I will be in the box and program it all in Logic. Other days I will be back on my MPC4000 and use Logic more as a module so I can use all my soft synths and sequence it in my 4000. I did Mary J Blige's “Stay Down” and “If You Love Me?” all in Logic. Sometimes when you are in the box but you come from that old school, you might creatively hit a wall. You might want to grab the turntable and plug it into the MPC and do it, DJ Premier-style. That can help your creativity. Granted, Logic sounds better, it's cleaner — there is no outboard buzz. But it is really about what makes me more creative. Some days I am all about Logic, my juices are flowing. And I use the Apogee Rosetta 800 for my interface, which is great. The Apogee gives me enough grit and strength; it makes the sounds out of my laptop sound ridiculous. In my studio in Atlanta, I run Logic on my iMac, and I travel with my laptop and the Apogee Duet.”
HOW TO MAKE A HIT
At the end of the day, Cox's Grammys look good on the mantel, but they don't guarantee further success. Only his talent and mad working skills can do that. But Cox has a few tips for those times when talent and skill aren't matched by good manners.
“Stay humble,” he warns. “Don't tell me you're the bomb and then you don't even have a record out. Come to me with some humble shit, and I might think we have some potential to work together. You've got to be humble. I have been in this business for 10 years, I have hit records and Grammys, and I am still humble and have a lot to learn. I am urgently trying to understand the full meaning of how to make a hit record. Other than that, you have to understand your competition and at least match it. Then you can outdo it.”
The Black Room Studio
Computers, DAW/recording software and hardware
Apple iMac, Logic Pro 8, MacBook Pro
Apogee Duet interface, Rosetta 200 A/D converter
Instruments
Fender Rhodes Suitcase
Ibanez electric guitar
Takamine acoustic guitar
Mic, mic preamp
Chandler Limited Germanium preamp
Neumann U 87 mic
Synths
Korg Radias, Triton
Moog Little Phatty, Voyager
Roland Fantom-XR, V-Synth
Studio Electronics SE-1X
Yamaha Motif ES
Plug-ins
Image Line FL Studio Slayer
GForce Minimonsta: Melohman
IK Multimedia Philharmonic Miroslav
ReFX Vanguard
Spectrasonics Trilogy
Software
Native Instruments Komplete 5, Kore 2
Samplers, drum machines, turntables, DJ mixer
Akai MPC3000, MPC4000
(2) Technics SL-1200MK2 turntables,
SH-MZ1200 4-channel DJ mixer
Monitors, headphones
KV2 Audio EX12 Extreme Resolution Active Speaker System
Sony MDR-7506 headphones
Yamaha NS10 monitors
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