During the past several years I've had the good fortune of learning recording directly from producer/engineer Oz Fritz through phone conversations, assisting him on recording sessions and many, many emails. The main thing I've learned is that Oz's working techniques (and favorite recording equipment) are far less important than his way of being.
When you meet Oz he's kind, intense and always paying attention. He's also really funny, which I didn't expect. When you're with him he's fully present and awake. If you've never been near someone like this it can be unsettling. He does not pass time idly, doesn't chitchat and doesn't get bored. He smiles a lot, tells bad/good jokes, drinks tea nearly constantly and always has a book open in front of him.
Repeatedly, Oz encouraged me to be present and work in service of the music. He taught me that when mixing I should be aware that I'm creating one sound wave. He sees a mix not as a number of instruments playing simultaneously, but as one force working together. Oz also sees music as a sacred entity, and when working with it the speakers should be viewed as portals to another dimension, not just paper moving in boxes. You're communicating directly with music as a living being. It bothers Oz when the artist approves a mix, goes home and then the next day wants to change it. "The mix didn't change, they did!" He's present and knows the mix is correct in the moment. Most people are not so constantly aware, and so their perceptions change.
