TALK ABOUT POP MUSIC
May 1, 2003 12:00 PM
Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got: J.Lo has had plenty of help in becoming a pop hit machine. The production team behind J.Lo's “Jenny From the Block (Next Level Remix),” GW-1, has also remixed Justin Timberlake and Celine Dion. And although remixes of sugary pop songs may not be everyone's thing, these guys certainly know a thing or two about producing and engineering:
Music Producer Gerry Williams (GW-1): “When remixing a song, it's important to be open-minded and creative. Make the track your own as if you never heard the original. I wanted the [J.Lo] remix to sound bigger, with a Latin dance feel. To get that sound, I used a Korg Triton and Trinity; an Akai MPC2000; Roland XV-5080; E-mu Proteus 2000; and timbales, djembe and congas. I also sampled J.Lo's vocals into the MPC to create different rhythm patterns and sounds.”
Audio Engineer Jeff Villanueva: “The key to a great-sounding remix is the correct panning between the sounds and instruments. Panning played a major role in J.Lo's remix. For example, I mixed the timbales about 45 degrees to the right, and as the track builds, the timbales begin to pan from left to right, allowing the sound to bounce around in the mix. I also used Serato Pitch 'n Time to speed up the vocals without changing pitch or making the track sound too digital. I also added compression, soft reverb, filter sweep and level adjustments.”
Check out GW-1's recording studio at www.gw-1nextlevelstudios.moonfruit.com.
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