We at Audio-Technica are happy to have had such a long association and friendship with engineer and producer Dave Reitzas. A multi-Grammy Award winner, Reitzas has worked with a wide array of artists since getting his start in the late 1980s, including Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Luis Miguel, The Weeknd, Guns N' Roses, and many more. Reitzas was kind enough to sit down with us recently to talk about Audio-Technica on the occasion of our 60th anniversary, share insights into using his favorite A-T mics, and discuss the recording process.
To start, can you talk about any recent projects you’ve worked on?
One of the projects that I’m very excited about is with a singer from Laredo, Texas, Miguel Lugo Mireles. This is the 6th album we’ve worked on together, but the first I produced for him. On his earlier records he had always used musicians from Mexico to play on his records, but this time he wanted me to choose my favorite Los Angeles session players. We recorded at EastWest Studio Two with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Nathan East on bass, Paul Jackson Jr. and Michael Landau on electric guitars, Ramón Stagnarro on acoustic guitar, and Luis Conti on percussion. The album was arranged by Nando Hernandez, who also played all piano and keys.
After basic tracks were recorded, we went to Sony Studios in Mexico City to record live horns, strings, and background vocals. This album contains 12 songs of the most memorable hits from some of the greatest Mexican artists/songwriters. What I love most about this project is how enthusiastic Miguel was in wanting to make a timeless collection of music. Besides being a fantastic singer, Miguel is also a gearhead. He has his own studio in Laredo with a vast amount of mics and recording gear. When I go to Laredo to work with him, it’s seamless because we own a lot of the same equipment. A-T mics can be heard throughout this record, but at the top of the pyramid, I used one of my favorite mics for Miguel’s vocal, the AT4060 tube mic.
From left to right: Nando Hernandez, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Reitzas, Miguel Lugo Mireles, and Nathan East
at EastWest Studio Two
What A-T mics do you have in your arsenal, and which are your go-to models for recording particular parts of a music track?
It’s a pretty big arsenal, so I’ll try to remember off the top of my mind. I pretty much have almost all of the 40 Series and Artist Elite mics, but here are a few favorites.
A pair of AT4060s. These are my go-to mics for drum overheads. When not used for drums, I’ll have them set up in a room as a stereo pair to help capture the ambience for whatever instrument I’m recording. Also, it’s a great vocal mic and perfect for any instrument that needs a full-bodied, rich sound.
AT4060a Cardioid Condenser Tube Microphone
A pair of AT4050s and a AT4050ST. I love these mics for that classic A-T sound: lots of presence and a full frequency range. I can pretty much use these mics on anything and everything. Whether it’s close or distant miking, I trust these mics to give me a natural sound representation of whatever I’m recording.
AT4050 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone
AT4050ST Stereo Condenser Microphone
AT4080 and AT4081. These are my favorite ribbon mics. I often use these for guitar amps or horns. Great for loud instruments.
AT4080 and AT4081 Phantom-powered Bidirectional Ribbon Microphones
AT4041. Love this mic for capturing the brightness and crispness of sounds. Great for wind instruments, light snare drums, percussion, and stringed instruments.
AT4041 Cardioid Condenser Microphone
BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone
BP4025. When I record live concerts, these mics have been great for capturing the audience. The last Streisand concert I recorded used six of these stereo mics spread around the venue to capture the intimate conversations with the audience members that Barbra is known to have.
BP4027. This is a stereo shotgun mic that has all of the features you’d expect for a live event, though I often experiment using this mic in the studio as an extra room mic, especially for drums.
BP4027 Stereo Shotgun Microphone
BP4027 Stereo Shotgun Microphone In Use At Streisand Live
BP4027 Stereo Shotgun Microphone
Some of my other favorite A-T mics … I have a few different handheld vocal mics that are wired, including several from the Artist Elite series. But my favorite handheld to use for a live vocalist is the AE5400. I use the wireless ATW-C5400 capsule version of this. This is such a great mic for getting clarity from a vocalist, and the polar pattern rejection is great, especially when the stage volume is very loud.
What is your history with A-T products? Do you have any impressions from decades ago?
The very first mics I owned from A-T were a pair of AT4050s that I’ve had since 1994. I used these mics on everything, and still do! This was the beginning of my long and strong relationship with Audio-Technica and the first of now dozens of A-T mics that I own and use. I remember a quote that I gave in 2019 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 4050 mics – “You name it, these mics hold up!”
What comes to mind when you think Audio-Technica?
Family is the word that comes to mind when I think of Audio-Technica. The founder of A-T was Hideo Matsushita and the company is now headed by his son Kazuo Matsushita. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Audio-Technica. I was fortunate to visit the A-T factory in Japan 20 years ago to meet Hideo and to also celebrate the 40th anniversary with the Japanese team. The one thing that is very prevalent in Audio-Technica’s core from my point of view is how well they have reached out to the recording community for our ideas and feedback They are very interested in what helps us to create. They also give back to the community in so many ways. Whenever there is an audio event, you can always count on A-T to be a sponsor of some kind. And I especially love it when they have their own events and bring our community of engineers closer together. I am proud to call the people of Audio-Technica my friends.
What does A-T offer you that other brands’ mics do not?
Using A-T mics in the studio is like having a great toolbox in the garage, or well-crafted knives in the kitchen. Sometimes the mics you choose are because you know that they will capture the beauty and essence of the instrument in its space. And other times you may need a mic to be more discerning on a sound and reject the reflections of a room that is not flattering, Because A-T has such a variety of different microphones, there are always ways to be creative in any situation and to discover new ways of capturing sound.
Can you talk about your overall approach to engineering and production?
I began engineering when I moved to Los Angeles in 1985. In the past 37 years I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of some amazing projects with incredible people.
Here’s how I would sum up my approach: Try to incorporate every bit of knowledge and experience I’ve learned on how to produce, engineer, and mix music, and take that information along with me to every new project I’m in. With that knowledge and experience, I want to prepare myself as much as possible to be able to help the artists I work with to realize their dreams and goals in the music they are making. I set high standards for myself to always be ready for anything that could happen. How to keep great sessions in a great vibe, or how to prevent, or turn around sessions that don’t get off to a good start. This takes an attitude of using whatever tools I have available in the amount of time I’m given to deliver the absolute best work I’m capable of doing. I love it when I push myself further than I thought I could go. I like being the first one in the room and the last one to leave at the end of the day. I’m constantly thinking, “how can I do this better” or “how can I use my talents to help the artist feel like they have given the performance of their life.”
When I’m working by myself, I have a vision in my mind of the way I want things to sound and then I try everything I know to help me get closer to making that sound transform from my mind to the speakers. Always learning something new with each situation and adding that to my arsenal of ideas that I take to the next session. It’s a constant search to find ways to fix the things that are bothering me, and to also recognize when I need to leave a sound alone. Choosing and placing microphones is a fun part of this craft and it’s an opportunity to expand creativity. When I hear the sound coming out of the speakers that matches or exceeds how I envisioned it would sound, it’s the most satisfying feeling. I love what I do and I believe it’s my destiny to make music that makes me and the people that listen feel an emotional connection to life.
Can you think of any fun anecdotes or stories of using A-T in the studio?
One of the coolest memories was when I was recording Madonna for Evita at Whitfield Street Studios in London. We were working on a piece called “Eva’s Lament.” This is the final deathbed scene for her character Eva Perón. She was trying so hard to get the right emotion for this song as she stood in front of the mic in the recording room, but an honest and believable performance just wasn’t happening. So we called it a night.
The next morning I came in early and totally reconfigured the recording room to look like a hospital room for a patient on their deathbed. I pulled in two couches from the lounge, covered them with a sheet, and arranged them together to resemble a hospital bed. We added some audio test gear that looks like it could have been used for displaying vital signs, and added a makeshift morphine drip by the side of the bed. I placed the microphone so that she could lie down on this deathbed and deliver her lines. She was blown away with the work that I put in to set the mood. We turned the lights down, she lay down on the bed, and I rolled tape. As soon as she was ready she started singing her lines. Goose bumps exploded on my body because I knew this idea was working. She gave such an emotional performance and the director Alan Parker loved this. A perfect example of adapting the situation and arranging it in a way that allowed her to feel comfortable in delivering these very emotional lines.
Miguel Lugo Mireles and Dave Reitzas
Can you offer any general advice to young engineers just starting out?
Listen, adjust, memorize … listen, adjust, memorize. Repeat this process and build up that library in the mind of how mics sound in different settings so that it can help you to make better decisions each time. No doubt that there will be ways of working that will become your own tried-and-true methods. But don’t ever stop experimenting. When you’re choosing mics for a recording session, why not add a few extra mics that aren’t your first choice? Record those mics to extra tracks, even if you don’t listen to them during the session. Then, after the intensity of the session has passed, go back and listen to those mics that weren’t your first choice and see if they give you any kind of unexpected inspiration. Most of the time you probably won’t be too impressed. But every once in a while that magical sound comes along that you never imagined and then you’ll have something new to try as your first choice on the next session. Enjoy the process of making records!
Dave at Westlake Studio
Follow Dave Reitzas
Website davereitzas.com
Instagram davereitzas