The Importance of Flexibility in Production

Just running a thing through a thing gives you something you don't expect in you to do it slightly wrong or you can't get it quite how you want it with a laptop. I've got a lot of respect for people who can make a brilliant record on on a laptop unable to because I definitely can't, he says. "I just get bored or just feel like it sounds generic really quickly to me there's something about this stuff"

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In this episode, John ventures over to Clapton to join James Ellis Ford and talk about how he wrote, recorded, and produced the album ‘The Hum’.

His debut solo release after almost two decades working with some of the world's biggest artists, James looks back on how his approach to music has changed over the course of the album, reflecting on the different mindsets and decisions that come with producing his own work compared to that of others.

As well as a deep dive into his vast studio setup and hybrid system of new and old creative techniques, we’re treated to thoughts on the fine line of ironing out the humanness of mistakes, and how more often than not, pieces of gear can give you back ideas that you’d never have expected.

Listen to find out which undiscovered mics are used across almost all of the records he works on, how to implement a Frippertronics-style tape setup, and what you can create when you push a bass clarinet to its limits.

Tracks discussed: I Never Wanted Anything, Squeaky Wheel, The Yips

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Listen to ‘The Hum’ here.