Episode 298

Sonny DiPerri: Why the Best Engineers Get Out of the Way

As a producer, engineer, and mixer, Sonny DiPerri has worked alongside artists such as Nothing, She’s Green, Julie, Narrowhead, Wisp, DIIV, Animal Collective, Late Night Drive Home, These New Puritans, Deradoorian, Protomartyr, Emma Ruth Rundle, Portugal. The Man, Lord Huron, The Drums, Dirty Projectors, and many more.

A third-generation drummer, DiPerri started playing in bands and studying music at an early age. He quickly discovered he was fascinated by the studio, leaving band life behind and pursuing a career as an engineer. He moved from Boston to LA, quickly landing an apprenticeship for legendary British record producer Flood, working with 30 Seconds to Mars. Excited by the experience and atmosphere of the studio, he took Flood up on the offer of an assistant position, moving to London, where he assisted both Flood and Alan Moulder.

Upon his return to Los Angeles, Sonny worked as an engineer for Trent Reznor, My Bloody Valentine, M83, Dave Sardy, and David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors, among others. Sonny now splits his time between producing and mixing.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

How Sonny went from zero studio experience to apprenticing under Flood on a 30 Seconds to Mars record as his first ever credit.
The session prep approach he's used for nearly two decades
Why he never dials in a sound in solo
Why he spends more time in pre-production than he does actually making the album — and how that makes tracking faster and more focused
What the "inversions" process with Animal Collective actually looked like in practice
How he handled working alongside Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Alessandro Cortini — running a room with multiple synchronized computers
The "overnight mix" technique
Why he thinks every engineer should make at least one record under serious limitations — and what that teaches you about commitment
Why you should always "mix like you're already getting fired"

To learn more about Sonny Diperri, visit: https://www.sonnyrecordsthings.com/

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