Bitone: Remote Recording in Uganda

BY GRANT BUHR

Bob Heil : Behind The Gear with Heil Sound

BY LARRY CRANE

When the name Heil started popping up around recording studios in conjunction with an interesting take on large diaphragm dynamic microphones a few years back, it was not a new name to those with a sense of history. As the proponent of the Heil Talk Box (remember Frampton Comes Alive?), many guitarists should already have known Bob Heil's name. His vision of putting together some of the first seriously designed and properly powered large PA systems in the early '70s for bands like The Who and The Grateful Dead made a huge impact of the rock touring world. But Bob's interest in transducers, his long-time friendship with fellow HAM-operator Joe Walsh and a desire to always do something new have once again brought him to the attention of the live and recording end of the music world.

Kevin Killen

BY ALLEN FARMELO

Kevin Killen has helped create what many consider some of the most important records of our time. Peter Gabriel's So and U2's The Unforgettable Fire crown an impressive discography that includes Tori Amos, Elvis Costello, Prince, Laurie Anderson, Stevie Nicks, Brian Ferry and Patti Smith. Always forward thinking, Kevin is a founding member of an online record- making community called eSessions (see issue #62, Gina Fant-Saez), has fully embraced mixing in the box (without an analog 2-bus chain) and continues to evolve his record-making approach as economies, technology and culture rapidly change. Given his track record it's difficult to grasp him telling me that he still wakes up some days and wonders if he's still got a career. Yet this remark is a good example of how Kevin's warm and humble personality shines through the glitter of a hit-studded discography to open up a candid conversation about making records as well as his career. We got together at Mavericks Studio in NYC and talked about everything from Ireland's early punk scene, to the technical perils of making So, to Kevin's first leap into producing and Kevin's proclivity for mixing in the box.

Reamping Drums

BY JOHN NOLL

T Bone Burnett : Plant, Krauss and Recording Love

BY LARRY CRANE

I was told this interview would never happen. Apparently T Bone is a busy man, producing records, overseeing film soundtracks, recording solo albums and touring the world. Burnett has been involved with music for over 40 years, and producing records seems to be something he naturally gravitated towards. Artists like Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, Gillian Welch, Sam Phillips, Counting Crows, Bruce Cockburn, the Wallflowers, Marshall Crenshaw, Cassandra Wilson, Ralph Stanley, Roy Orbison, Tony Bennett, k.d. lang and even Spinal Tap have created some of their best work under his guidance. Movies like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Walk the Line have benefited from his music choices and production. As if this isn't enough, he's determined to make the record business an artist-friendly one with the creation of XOE, pronounced "code", a music delivery service that releases albums as 24/96 k files on DVD with several other playback formats included. T Bone's new solo album, Tooth of Crime, was recently released and makes for an intense listen. Yes, a busy man. Luckily this interview did happen when I caught T Bone in New York City. He was kind enough to take time out from playing guitar and directing the band on the Raising Sand tour — the stellar album he produced for Alison Krauss and Robert Plant in 2007. This is one of my most favorite interviews I've been involved in, and I'm happy to share it with everyone.