About Reid Shippen


That's your bio?
i strongly dislike bios, they always seem simultaneously insincere and too damn serious... insinserious?

Where are you from?
i grew up in new jersey, just south of new york city.  yes, that explains several things about me.

How did you get your start in music?
i went to the only school i could afford, barely graduated, then ran the intern-assistant-engineer-mixer gamut.  my mom has my diplomas somewhere.  i've never needed them.

Are you a musician?
can i play instruments?  yes.  do i admit to it?  no.  especially in this town.

Why should I get you to mix my record?
well, i'm really good at it.  other people generally seem to agree.  it will be quick, fun, mostly painless, and you will love the results.

How do you know I'll love it?
because that's my job, and we'll work until it's done.

What kind of music are you the best at?
you tell me.  i like to jump around.  working on eclectic projects is great fun.  i've mixed award-winning records in multiple genres- pop, rock, ccm, r&b, gospel, country, soul, metal, classical, film scores...  i'm still waiting for klezmer.  bring it on.

What kind of music are you worst at?
ask whoever fired me last.

You get fired from projects?
everyone gets fired.  if someone tells you they've never been fired from a record, they're either lying or not trying hard enough to make it great.

What's the secret to great mixes?
a great song.  a passion for music.  espresso. 

Seriously.
what?  i like to drink coffee while i make music.  a great song is a great song, but emotion is the key to a great mix.  if something sounds technically correct, but it's boring, who cares?  if it sounds decent but it kicks your ass... win. 

Who do you look up to?
my kids, jesus, miles davis, christopher walken, paul and c.s. lewis.

Paul the Apostle or Paul McCartney?
yes.  and stevie wonder.

No, jackass.  What engineers do you look up to?
loads of them.  lord-alges.  brauer.  stent.  wallace.  dowd.  trombino.  dodd.  walla.  meek.  king.  ghenea.  clearmountain.  emerick.  powell.  valentine.  shipley.  paczosa.  fridmann.  katis.  massenburg.  murphy.  maserati.  schmidt.  pensado.  wells.  cherney.  endert.  wisch.  goodmanson.  o'brien. chiccarelli.  hogarth.  power.  excellence is the hallmark- the list is long, and i'm sure i'm missing a ton of guys.  sorry.

Have you ever competed against any of these guys?  And won?
yes.  and yes. 

Have you worked with famous artists/producers/etc.?
yup.  dig thru the disco.

Do you travel to do mixes?
rarely.  i don't mind it, although it's nerve-wracking to roll up into a room you've never heard before, without any gear, and hope to guess your way into great work.  but travel is fun.  especially australia.  and anywhere mutt lange wants me to go.

Do you track?
not often, but not because i don't like it.  i've just been busy mixing.  i'd love to come record with you, it'll be fun times.

Do you produce?
yes, and develop artists in my spare time, which hasn't been much lately but there's several things in the works that i'm amped about.  watch this space.

Have you really won Grammys?
thankfully, i have.  to date I've mixed 6 Grammy-winning projects.  grammys are heavier than they look.  mine live in my studio bathroom.

Who's been your favorite artist/producer/songwriter/mastering engineer/a&r guy?
please.  can't answer that... (um, ok, steve lillywhite was pretty rad.)

I see a lot of Christian music on your credits.  What's up with that?
god likes me?  honestly, i live in nashville, tn, which is ground zero for contemporary christian music.  it's an industry segment in which i happened to do well.  i get to do a wide range of music anyway, plus there's a lot of good people doing ccm, and i like working with good people.  some folks like to dog the Jesus Music but c'mon, really?  have you heard the amount of crap on myspace??

I've heard you change stuff when you mix, like a producer would.  What gives you the right to do that?
the constitution.  i don't do it purposefully- i  find a vision for the tune that moves me and i go for it.  if someone doesn't like something, we hit "undo."  a lot of the time, though, we discover new things that make the track better.

I want to work with you, but i can't afford you.
completely untrue.  music first, money later.  call me and we'll figure it out.

Do you do indie records?
all the time.

Do you mix in the box?
what does that mean, really?  i mix around the box. 

What do you mean, "around the box?"
it means i have a modded SSL 4000E, several tons of vintage and not-so-vintage outboard gear, one of the world's largest pro-tools systems with a lot of plugins, and a lavazza espresso machine.  it's wired together.  it works great.  i have all the advantages of instant recall with the tone and impact of analog that computers can't match.  no, i'm not going to tell you how i do that.

What's your favorite piece(s) of gear?
most of it's modified to make it sound the way i like.  i love my SSL, 1176 blue stripes, RETRO limiters & eq, Dangerous gear, old Pultecs, Neve limiters, Lavry & Euphonix converters and my MoTone.

What's a MoTone?
wouldn't you like to know.  actually, it's coming out soon.  you'll like it.  a lot.  look in the links section.

Do you have a million-dollar studio?
pretty much.  i haven't added it up recently- math scares me.  i've been building up to it for over 10 years, so it's pretty nice.  come see it!

I can mix on a laptop in my bedroom.
yes, you can.  so can i.  however, i choose not to.   i believe in using the best available tools for the job.  those tools are old, expensive, occasionally inconvenient and mostly glorious.

What's a Robot Lemon?
i like robots, they make things.  i like lemons, they make vodka taste better.  if i had a remote-controlled free-floating robot shaped like a lemon, i would be pretty stoked.  that, plus a jetpack, would rule.  plus, it's hard to forget and easy to spell.

Do you master your own mixes?
no.  because that's a terrible horrible no-good very bad idea, especially while jensen, calbi, athens, ludwig, mcnair, mendlesson, shike, demain and others are alive and kicking.

I've got more questions.  Where can I get answers?
check out the blog, hit my email, call my phone, friend me on facebook.  let's make music.