Butch Walker breaks down FOAM at NAAM

[pacejunkie punk]

This is a phenomenal interview and I thought it needed its own thread. Producer, Mixer and Masterer of FOAM break down the single and describe the process also talks quite a bit about how they came to work together and what Billie wanted to achieve.   Starts at 4:09:

 

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

Good to have a dedicated thread. I think we never had such a deep and professional analysis of a GD song, as well as a clear and detailed explanation of the production process of a GD record. This interview is pure gold. 

[Sixtrix]

I'm surprised they used plug-ins for recording the bass, but that's probably something that's done a lot more often these days. It sounds really good though.
Saves a lot of time setting up a real amp and mics, and they make a good point that a plug-in never breaks haha.

Wonderful interview, and a wonderful collaboration between the band and the producer, mixer and mastering.

[jengd]

Interesting listen, in spite of all the nonsense about contracts and trolling, it would seem the band knew what they wanted and this is it.

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

By the way, at 4:19:20 Butch makes a really interesting point  

“Much to the dismay of some of their fans”

 

[jengd]

3 minutes ago, HAPPY ROOTING UNICORN said:

By the way, at 4:19:20 Butch makes a really interesting point  

“Much to the dismay of some of their fans”

 

Yeah, clocked that. Am sure somebody will be watching reactions. Hi Billie Joe 👋

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

Also it’s so cool that guitars, bass and drums from FOAM (the song) are the original tracks from the demo recorded at Otis and sent to Butch. That’s amazing and makes me appreciate the song even more. 

[jengd]

Forgot to say, amazing how quickly the band recorded these, all the mixing etc took longer, @LaughingClock said we could be getting new music quicker then we might expect and it looks like he was largely right but then these processes slowed it all down.  Would have been interesting to hear about them going back into the studio too.

[Beyza]

10 minutes ago, jengd said:

Forgot to say, amazing how quickly the band recorded these, all the mixing etc took longer, @LaughingClock said we could be getting new music quicker then we might expect and it looks like he was largely right but then these processes slowed it all down.  Would have been interesting to hear about them going back into the studio too.

I think he said that he was writing songs for GD around december 2018. So, probably they managed to finish up in less than one year. 

[Jon Benjamin]

44 minutes ago, Sixtrix said:

I'm surprised they used plug-ins for recording the bass, but that's probably something that's done a lot more often these days. It sounds really good though.
Saves a lot of time setting up a real amp and mics, and they make a good point that a plug-in never breaks haha.

Wonderful interview, and a wonderful collaboration between the band and the producer, mixer and mastering.

If that surprises you, you’d be shocked to hear a shit ton of records these days program bass like you would drums. There’s just virtual bass instruments that sit better in a mix than a bass guitar can sometimes and you can’t even tell the difference if done right. 

[Give_Me_Novacaine90]

Can someone summarize what he say, please?

[Jimmy Strummer]

It's interesting to hear how different Butch's raw mix is from the final mix that Tchad Blake and Elin B reportedly did. I'm beginning to think they were the problem and not Butch.

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

7 minutes ago, Jimmy Strummer said:

It's interesting to hear how different Butch's raw mix is from the final mix that Tchad Blake and Elin B reportedly did. I'm beginning to think they were the problem and not Butch.

I see a lot of people looking for someone to blame for something they don’t like in these songs. I think what this interview shows is the amount of collaborative work there has been in this record, but also the centrality of the band in all of these processes and decisions. I think if you don’t like something you can only blame the band. They gave the orders  

[Beyza]

37 minutes ago, HAPPY ROOTING UNICORN said:

By the way, at 4:19:20 Butch makes a really interesting point  

“Much to the dismay of some of their fans”

 

Also he mentioned Tchad Blake said him what a lot of people worry about "Oh, it's not gonna sound like a typical Green Day record."  and that's exactly what Billie wants lol

[Jimmy Strummer]

3 minutes ago, HAPPY ROOTING UNICORN said:

I see a lot of people looking for someone to blame for something they don’t like in these songs. I think what this interview shows is the amount of collaborative work there has been in this record, but also the centrality of the band in all of these processes and decisions. I think if you don’t like something you can only blame the band. They gave the orders  

That's true to an extent, but Tchad could've done a better job at preserving and enhancing what was good about Butch's raw mix instead of really altering everything. A mixer doesn't force their style onto a record, they take what the band and production team have done and elevate it. Tchad didn't do that, as you can tell listening to this raw mix and the final mix side-by-side.

[Beerjeezus]

The album not sounding like a typical Green Day record isn't an issue for me, the awful McClaps are

[jengd]

17 minutes ago, Give_Me_Novacaine90 said:

Can someone summarize what he say, please?

There is a lot of technical stuff which I can’t summarise but Butch said that he and Billie started speaking to each other because he had always wanted to produce for them and now that they have the same manager he arranged it.  Once they started talking they realised how much they liked the same music, Billie said he wanted to do something really different with this album, not sound like GD.  The band recorded the album in about three months and Butch said the demos were amazing. He said GD still really love getting together in a studio and making music together.  Also, he called Billie a musicologist, said he has a huge love and knowledge about quite a few genres. 

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

5 minutes ago, Beerjeezus said:

The album not sounding like a typical Green Day record isn't an issue for me, the awful McClaps are

And that’s 95% Billie, 5% Butch IMHO. 

5 minutes ago, Jimmy Strummer said:

That's true to an extent, but Tchad could've done a better job at preserving and enhancing what was good about Butch's raw mix instead of really altering everything. A mixer doesn't force their style onto a record, they take what the band and production team have done and elevate it. Tchad didn't do that, as you can tell listening to this raw mix and the final mix side-by-side.

I think he did a great job, and he didn’t do whatever he wanted to, everything is filtered and follows the artistic direction of the band. If you prefer the original version out of the recording sessions because it sounds rawer or whatever that’s fine, but comparing them I hear an improved a stronger version not a worse one. If you don’t like some of the artistic elements in in it (clapping or whatever), you have to blame the band. 

[Beyza]

6 minutes ago, HAPPY ROOTING UNICORN said:

I see a lot of people looking for someone to blame for something they don’t like in these songs. I think what this interview shows is the amount of collaborative work there has been in this record, but also the centrality of the band in all of these processes and decisions. I think if you don’t like something you can only blame the band. They gave the orders  

Agree and I think it’s not really likely a producer or mixer will impose their ideas on a musician or band to just make the sound they want. Their job is just working according to the artists’ vision that is offered to them. 

[Beerjeezus]

5 minutes ago, HAPPY ROOTING UNICORN said:

And that’s 95% Billie, 5% Butch IMHO. 

Yeah he shouldn't be allowed near his own music 

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

1 minute ago, Beerjeezus said:

Yeah he shouldn't be allowed near his own music 

What’s all this hate for the clapping in FOAM tho? 😄 In FRA I can understand that, even tho I kinda like them, but in FOAM I think they are really well merged with the rest of the instrumental tracks and I don’t really think they can compromise the song. 

[dannygreen]

14 minutes ago, Jimmy Strummer said:

That's true to an extent, but Tchad could've done a better job at preserving and enhancing what was good about Butch's raw mix instead of really altering everything. A mixer doesn't force their style onto a record, they take what the band and production team have done and elevate it. Tchad didn't do that, as you can tell listening to this raw mix and the final mix side-by-side.

How do you know that he wasn't asked to mix that way? obviously there is his taste but in the interview he said he had to sent a lot of versions of every mix. 

[DookieLukie]

It's good to hear that the band is trying to sound different and record differently. I would imagine doing things the same way for 30 years would get boring. Hearing the effort and intention makes me feel better about this record.

[Beerjeezus]

3 minutes ago, HAPPY ROOTING UNICORN said:

What’s all this hate for the clapping in FOAM tho? 😄 In FRA I can understand that, even tho I kinda like them, but in FOAM I think they are really well merged with the rest of the instrumental tracks and I don’t really think they can compromise the song. 

I didn't mind them in FOAM because they don't stand out as much, but now that I've heard the demo version, I like it better. Not only because the claps are less prominent, but also because it's less muffled 

[Lenny]

54 minutes ago, jengd said:

Forgot to say, amazing how quickly the band recorded these, all the mixing etc took longer, @LaughingClock said we could be getting new music quicker then we might expect 

And that's why I was going off on people trying to say they weren't working hard etc 

GD has a reputation in the industry of being a very productive band in the recording process. Rob Cavallo said Billie Joe did vocals for the songs on Dookie mostly in 1 take. 

If you look at the length of time it took them to finish American Idiot they were working in super speed. They even lost 6 weeks cause of Mike's injury. 

1 minute ago, Beerjeezus said:

I didn't mind them in FOAM because they don't stand out as much, but now that I've heard the demo version, I like it better. Not only because the claps are less prominent, but also because it's less muffled 

what time in the video do they show the demo version?