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\n\tSitting alongside Scheiner in the studio and observing the process, Wilson knew he\u2019d found his calling. \u201cI thought to myself, \u2018This is amazing,’\u201d he says. \u201cI fell in love with the whole notion at that point of immersive spatial audio. I flew home, set myself up, started doing it for my own projects. And within a couple of years, I started to get Grammy nominations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tTo music fans not immersed in the technicalities of music production, there might seem to be little distinction beyond a remaster and a remix. But they\u2019re actually quite different. Remastering started in the Nineties, when record labels attempted to improve the sound of older albums on CD.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s taking the original stereo mix, presumably from an analog tape, and basically just trying to make it sound a bit more impressive,\u201d says Wilson, \u201cmaybe adding a little bit more treble to it, a little more bottom into it, using the best possible analog to digital converters. But essentially it\u2019s the original mix. You\u2019re not changing anything in the sonic signature of the original stereo mix. It might just sound a bit more clear. There might be a bit more bottom end, a bit more air around the instruments if it\u2019s been done well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tA remix is something very different. \u201cThat means going back to the original multi-track tape,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cSo essentially what you have there is each instrument discretely recorded. As the remixer, you are able to isolate everything from the bass drum, to each backing vocal part, to each acoustic guitar part, to each guitar part, to each bass. You\u2019re able to essentially start to rebuild the mix from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThis involves making all sorts of very delicate decisions. \u201cThe advantage there is being able to use a lot of modern tools to deal with things like tape hiss, hum, audio anomalies, and to try to get more clarity around the instruments,\u201d Wilson says. \u201cThe downside of that is that the fans of those albums have been listening to them for sometimes decades. And they will hear at a moment\u2019s notice if something feels slightly off, if the reverb tail is a little bit too short, or you\u2019ve used the wrong take of the backing vocal on the third verse. So this is a very, very delicate tightrope to walk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tAfter all these years, Wilson has become an expert when it comes to walking that tightrope. We spoke with him about eight of his most memorable remixes to learn more about his process.<\/p>\n\n