Tracks like Eli "Paperboy" Reeds "Anytime You Want Me" and "That's Love" demand a great horn section. Luckily, Memphis is home to legendary horn players Kirk Smothers, Mark Franklin, and Art Edmaiston.
This is a world-class trio who has played on countless records and toured the world with artists like Melissa Etheridge, Gregg Allman, Justin Timberlake, and so many more.
In this puremix.net exclusive, they are adding their Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, and Tenor Saxophone blend to Eli's tracks through a single RCA 77-DX.
In this episode, you'll watch as Matt, Eli, and the horn players:
Position a single RCA 77-DX to perfectly capture the horns
Explain why Matt loves an Ampex 351 tube modules on horns
Create horn parts for "Anytime You Want Me" and "That's Love" live on camera after hearing the songs for the first time.
Join Matt Ross-Spang, Eli "Paperboy" Reed, The Hodges Brothers, Ken Coomer, and The Masqueraders inside the legendary Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, TN for an incredible recording event, from Start To Finish.
00:00:23 I always make sure to get
the best players around that I can
because they make me look better.
00:00:28 That's these fellers right here.
00:00:29 Kirk Smothers, Mark Franklin,
and Art Edmaiston.
00:00:32 And we've done a heck
of a lot together,
they're go-to horn players in town.
00:00:36 They traveled all over with Soul legends
and Gregg Allman and all kinds of folks.
00:00:41 And
I've cut horns in a lot of places
and if you're gonna cut horns
Memphis is the place to do it.
00:00:49 The reason is, we'll hear today,
with these guys
I can pull one mic up and all the
sound that comes from them is huge.
00:00:54 They play just enough out of tune,
that's a compliment,
that it sounds massive,
if you play too in tune
it just sounds...
Horns have a lot of harmonic content
so it can be kind of phasey sounding,
you can hear all these weird
kind of FX on them if they're
perfectly in tune.
00:01:10 These guys are just
the right bit of slop
that it sounds awesome.
00:01:15 It sounds just like all the records
we grew up and love.
00:01:18 So, these guys are so good,
they balance themselves,
we can usually get away with one mic.
00:01:22 And sometimes we'll
add a mic on the baritone
if he's doing a pick-up note
and we need to get a little bit
more of that action.
00:01:27 So I'll probably start
with something like this.
00:01:30 And then we'll go in
there and hear the song
and...
00:01:34 I think the most incredible thing about
Memphis and
studios at Muscle Shoals, Nashville,
a lot of studios in here,
but it's really a Memphis thing,
it's head arrangements.
00:01:44 These guys haven't heard any of the songs,
just like the session players.
00:01:48 And it's pretty awesome that way,
to not come with any
pre-conceived notions,
to just come and play with your feel.
00:01:55 We can always adjust,
we can always change it
but these guys always
kind of start on the right foot.
00:02:00 So it's cool for them
to come and just hear it
and then 20 minutes
later we have a track
which is always
pretty awesome.
It's what they did back in the day
on all the classic records.
00:02:08 So let's see what we do this time.
00:02:12 No pressure boys.
00:02:13 Yeah, how about that?
This is a solo part.
00:04:10 'Soul finger'.
00:04:17 That's kind of the whole thing.
00:04:19 I'm really curious, if we have
like this shorter line,
On that's love, if we have like
a damn tugboat.
00:04:30 So that's all short, like...
00:04:35 Something.
00:04:38 And then this deep...
00:04:48 Some big notes there.
00:05:00 That would be cool.
00:05:04 It's a C.
00:05:08 I think we could have a rhythm
just on 'that's love',
like a big horn punch in the face.
00:05:16 It's a real serious copper guitar tone,
that I got going on.
I'm happy about that.
00:05:24 He played ungrounded too, I think.
00:05:27 - What?
- He played ungrounded.
00:05:29 - It was a Fender Harvard.
- Yeah, a Fender Harvard.
00:05:34 You all know what to do.
00:05:36 So we just play those...
00:05:38 hits.
00:05:41 Basically.
00:05:43 Do you think the 'baahn',
should we like swell up to the next...
00:05:52 I think that it would be cool
to come in like,
on the accent.
00:06:03 A swell up or something like.
00:06:05 What if we like didn't
necessarily play the one.
00:06:07 Yeah.
00:06:08 Like, play the
seventh or something.
00:06:14 - That would be great!
- That's awesome.
00:06:17 I like that idea.
00:06:18 I think we've gotta just come up
with something for the solo thing.
00:06:21 But I'm sure there will be...
00:06:22 Yeah, we'll get there.
00:06:23 Yeah, get real Bar Kays on that part.
00:06:26 Yeah, exactly.
00:06:29 Let's have it figured out.
00:06:30 Well, it ain't going to do it self.
00:06:31 Are you gonna do any pick-up thingy?
Oh, these guys are so good.
00:07:18 It hurts my loins.
00:07:21 Somehow it's already in Pro Tools.
00:07:23 Somehow it's done.
00:07:25 Wu-Tang's already sampled it.
00:07:30 My favorite part,
producer's chair.
00:07:44 I think the longer I engineer
the more microphones I take away.
00:07:48 But...
00:07:49 But these guys are
so good, like I said,
one microphone is amazing.
00:07:54 The air blends them,
just like The Masqueraders,
the air blends them better
then I ever could, so,
I'm putting one 77,
77s are great horn microphones.
00:08:03 All the classic
producers/engineers used them,
a lot of them would
favor this as their mic of choice.
00:08:08 I'm putting it about 4 feet back,
it gets the air,
enough air in there,
I'll move the mic depending on
where I want them to sit in the mix.
00:08:15 It's not so much where
the fader is,
it's how much air between the
horns and the mic.
00:08:18 I used to always use a Spectra Sonics
for the pre for the horns
but lately I have
these two Ampex 351-2 modules.
00:08:27 All my favorite Al Green records
by Willie Mitchell,
he would track through
a 1 inch 8-track Ampex, they're tubed
and they have a sound,
it's kind of a time-machine,
it can be good or bad.
For the horns,
it's a ribbon mic, it's a tube pre,
it's a great combination
and it gets a little bit of saturation
if I overload it a little bit,
it puts a hair on the horns
which for like a solo
or something...
00:08:51 the overblown sound, a little like,
there's energy to it,
you can just kind of sizzle the Ampex.
00:08:57 And I like to hide the horn
pretty by hand, a lot,
so I get the swells and
the build-ups that I want.
00:09:02 I have it down there
so I can just lean over
and ride the part as we go
which is what we're gonna do, I believe.
00:09:08 So let's see what happens.
00:09:10 Can I hear you guys all
together, for a second?
Smothers, can you move
just to the right, a hair?
Thank you.
00:09:44 - You mean, my left, your right?
- Yeah, my right.
00:09:49 Towards the mic.
00:09:52 Everybody together again.
00:10:05 Yeah.
00:10:07 What are we gonna
do right on top?
Right on top it's the same thing.
00:10:12 There's no like Intro,
it just kind of comes in.
00:10:15 Yeah.
00:10:16 We're gonna listen to it though.
00:12:07 It's pretty much the idea,
up until that point.
00:12:11 You wanna like, go back to the top and...
00:12:13 Yeah, yeah.
00:12:15 Maybe we figure this part...
00:12:19 I'm not hearing any room for
"Daddy-Os" in that...
00:12:23 Yeah, I don't know if it
needs the Daddy-Os there.
00:12:26 Can we get some more
of us in the cans?
- You need more horns?
- Yeah, thanks.
00:12:32 Is the overall volume cool?
Yeah, we just need more of us.
00:12:36 Do you wanna hear that
'Four' section right there?
Why don't we cut up to that point?
From the top we go friends.
00:12:44 - Ready?
- Yeah.
00:12:47 When we get to the four
what are we gonna do there?
- We'll cross everything.
- OK, I got you.
00:12:52 We get two whole times
till we get to that.
00:14:25 Let's get the turnaround of the first verse
and the turnaround of the second verse.
00:14:29 I think everything else is kind of...
00:14:30 Yeah, and keep us in for maybe
one bar after the turnaround.
00:14:35 Alright.
00:14:36 I think you went low
where you're supposed to go up,
up to this start note...
00:14:41 Are you talking about the long note?
Before the long note.
00:14:44 Yeah, so like,
the two bars before the long note I guess,
the 'baa, baa'...
00:14:51 Both times?
- Before you go to the five?
- Both times Mark?
- Yes.
- Cool.
00:15:21 - We need that too?
- I'll get you right back.
00:15:40 So the same spot on the next verse.
00:16:05 I'm good.
00:16:07 All good till that point?
Yeah.
00:16:10 Alright, so...
00:16:12 I feel like it might be cool in the bridge
we come up with a little bit of a line.
00:16:19 Yeah, I think what you
were singing was like...
00:16:24 Something like that.
00:16:26 So it gets a little
bit more rhythmic.
00:16:27 Then just wallop tones.
00:16:29 You wanna to kind of go in-between
your vocal parts?
Yeah, listen down to it
and see what you think.
00:16:40 Is that kind of what you're singing?
Do you wanna hear it?
Up and down.
00:17:19 Actually, this is a one spot I maybe
could put a "daddy-o" going into the 'Four'.
00:17:25 You're right, you can go 'barup'
and we go 'pah pah pah'.
00:17:29 Let's try that.
00:17:36 Do you think so?
Let's hear.
00:17:38 Oh, that's right, because that's where
there's the stop time thing there.
00:17:49 Just play the 'barups'.
00:18:00 Does it go back to the one note?
Two four.
00:18:03 Two times on the 'Four'. Right.
00:18:05 Yeah, exactly, two times on the 'Four'.
00:18:20 Let's hear.
00:18:48 That's it, you just hit those 'fives'.
00:18:53 Every time on the stops?
That's it.
00:18:58 I'm just curious, if you do the
descending line
instead of three notes,
two notes there.
00:19:05 Can we see what that does?
- Right, let's do it.
- That line was cooler.
00:19:34 Sorry.
00:19:35 Yeah, that's it, definitely.
00:19:36 - Let's do it one more time.
- Do you like it?
Alright, can I make one...
00:20:07 I'm sorry,
I'm thinking about something here.
00:20:10 There's one, I think it's
the second descending line.
00:20:21 can we accent the 'Can't say no'?
You think so?
Just try it,
if it's too much it's too much.
00:20:26 That might be too much but we'll see.
00:20:45 Why don't we do just the sax?
Let me skirt.
00:20:49 Yeah, try to skirt on that one.
00:20:51 Which part?
You're just doing the "Can't say no".
00:20:57 Put a little swag...
00:21:01 Slur a little.
00:21:04 Alright, everybody.
00:21:13 One more time.
00:21:31 I kind of like the
way it was before.
00:21:33 Eli likes the way before,
let's go back to how it originally was.
00:21:36 - Take that out?
- Yeah, just do the...
00:21:37 'pah pah' every time.
00:21:39 Here we go.
00:21:59 Hey, Art, on the two,
can you play that up an octave?
One more time.
00:22:33 Better.
00:22:34 That was killer.
00:22:35 So now, solo section.
00:22:39 So, it goes...
00:22:42 B flat,
B flat, F, C
and then E flat, F, G.
00:22:47 The chords for the solo thing.
00:22:50 Let's just listen to it
and see what you think.
00:23:15 You wanna us to swell on
that hole or something?
That would be cool.
00:23:20 Yeah, tag till that chorus swell.
00:23:35 I like that.
00:23:38 And then play the same harmony.
00:23:40 The first time you all can
go back to that flat 7 hold.
00:23:47 Whatever that...
00:23:50 I can't sing falsetto right now,
for whatever reason.
00:23:52 Try that and see what happens.
00:23:59 Alright so, the B flat and then E, F?
Is that what you say?
Yeah, B flat to F, right?
B-flat to F?
E flat to F is the first one
and the second one is E flat
to F and then it gets on the G.
00:24:18 Yeah, I like that, let's try.
00:24:42 I think that's the idea.
00:24:44 I think the first first I would...
00:24:47 leave a space between
the line and when you hold
on the flat 7.
00:24:52 So don't wait on beat 2.
00:24:54 Just be a little bit more legato
on the whole thing, actually.
00:24:58 OK.
00:25:05 Wanna give it the word?
Shit!
That's gotta stay.
00:25:30 That's in the track now just so you know.
00:25:33 I didn't get the stinger.
00:25:34 Do you wanna hold on the five chord?
- Yeah.
- Through the drum fill?
See if that works?
So, unison on the hit and then chord?
All unison.
00:25:44 Hey, the first three...
00:25:48 The first three notes
you're doing on that solo,
There's more than three, I can't count,
they sound a little timid
can you come a little stronger on those?
Here we go friends, same section.
00:26:24 That was hip!
Second half, I just need the second half.
00:26:26 Starting on that E flat chord.
00:26:28 That's fine.
00:26:29 Here we go partners.
00:26:46 OK.
00:26:47 Back to that.
00:26:48 Do you wanna punch-in?
One more time.
00:27:01 I'm still gonna slip 'Shit'
back in there.
00:27:02 I like it, I like it.
00:27:04 Yeah...
00:27:07 It's like a "All last night"
Shit!
The last hit, I think I need to clean up.
00:27:57 OK.
00:28:30 Alright.
How you wanna stack it?
Hey, we roll that maybe too much.
00:28:35 Just keep rocking the...
00:28:36 Just keep rocking the thing.
00:28:39 Because it's still just kind of,
chugging along you know?
Maybe I'll play up and octave...
00:28:46 Yeah, it's a little bit of an 'Outro'
so if you wanna go up that would be hip.
00:28:50 I'll do that.
00:28:52 And you guys just stay where you're at.
00:28:53 So we're still gonna do the
whole notes 7 coming on beat 2
The first one, yeah.
00:28:59 Here we go.
00:29:50 Oh, we're gonna leave
that in there too.
00:29:52 I think that's it.
I think you're done with that one.
00:29:54 Yeah, come on in, let's hear.
00:29:56 Check it out friends.
00:32:04 It's so good.
00:32:58 That's my favorite part of the song.
00:33:12 Is that a cowbell?
It's a weird...
00:33:14 he's got this metal
thing that's wild.
00:33:16 It sounds like one of those...
00:33:18 You ever see those agogo,
like 2 bells.
00:33:19 It might be agogo bells.
00:33:21 Do you wanna hear
this next one real quick?
You wanna listen?
We got it brother.
Don't you worry.
00:34:54 Yeah, that's great.
00:35:03 I think this is all real soft too, like...
00:35:06 pretty...
00:35:08 a little reverb on it, like...
00:35:11 - Like a...
- A little more texture.
00:35:14 Like a Fame demo.
00:35:23 It's so cool to have the Hi Rhythm
and The Masqueraders together.
00:35:40 I don't know if that works.
00:35:46 This one's so good right here.
00:35:57 Do you want to do the second
verse, or no?
- They're gonna be singing.
- Yeah.
00:36:17 That's beautiful.
00:36:18 - Like, maybe do what the bass is doing?
- Yeah, exactly.
00:36:40 So, the first time it comes in,
is the first pre-chorus.
00:36:59 - Maybe at the top, too?
- Yeah.
00:37:04 Here's the 'Bridge'.
00:37:15 Something like that...
00:37:31 Here's the 'Intro'.
00:37:34 You got it, brother.
00:37:54 Let's cut this.
00:38:02 The second chord in the 'Chorus'
is a half-diminished chord.
00:38:08 It's an A half-diminished.
00:38:28 So play G...
00:38:29 Can I hear the chords
there on more time?
The beginning.
00:38:35 B flat to A half-diminished.
00:38:51 I'll play a D,
D, C concert, D, C...
00:38:57 Is that last chord a...
00:39:00 C minor.
00:39:01 C minor?
Is there a way for those descending lines
for you to go lower so it's not so high?
So it sits under the background vocals.
00:39:09 Yeah, I could do that.
00:39:10 Let's try that.
00:39:11 What about on the hits...
00:39:13 Just on the descending.
00:39:16 You stay where you're at,
I think.
00:39:17 OK, so wait.
00:39:19 You know, we're up in unison
on the hits,
and you want to break up the...
00:39:24 Yeah, maybe.
00:39:26 Maybe play...
00:39:30 Oh, you guys are on
unison on the hits?
No, no, on the very end.
00:39:37 Oh, right.
00:39:39 And then I play...
00:39:42 And then you play...
00:39:53 Together, three...
00:40:04 I like that,
a little tight harmony.
00:40:07 Maybe...
00:40:14 I'll play the third.
00:40:16 OK.
00:40:25 OK, let's try that.
00:40:27 Alright.
00:40:28 I think it goes one to four,
right on top,
the first change.
00:40:31 It's one to...
A half-diminished.
00:41:02 What do you think about the chord,
are you all cool with that?
- The last one?
- Yeah, it's beautiful.
00:41:06 I like the tighter harmony.
00:41:08 Are you on seconds there?
- No, thirds.
- Oh, was it thirds?
Can you all do the last
like...
00:41:23 Yeah, we can.
00:41:42 Beautiful.
00:41:43 I wanna try one thing,
going from the last
chord that you're playing
into
a D7 chord
till we transition into
the beginning of the verse,
I just wanna try it.
00:41:56 OK.
00:41:57 - You know what I'm saying.
- Sing it to me.
00:41:59 So, you guys are
playing the same thing.
00:42:09 Like, you just to do a little
passing chord.
00:42:12 From...
00:42:14 Falling into a D7 chord
from the last chord,
the C minor chord that you're playing.
00:42:18 I don't know how you do it.
00:42:21 I can move a half-step down
at the end to meet the 5 of the D.
00:42:24 You can do that.
00:42:25 Or for that melody you
could move to the third.
00:42:41 - Yeah.
- That's cool.
00:42:43 I like it.
00:42:44 Pre-Chorus.
00:42:50 I think maybe go into the section too,
going into the the Pre-Chorus.
00:43:04 It's three...
00:43:07 and then... alternate.
00:43:09 You know what I'm saying.
00:43:11 Say that again.
00:43:19 I didn't have the talkback,
I was just singing
the horn parts to myself.
00:43:30 I also go
OK.
00:43:38 So, one, two...
00:43:41 So, you play the pick-up
into the 'Pre-Chorus',
which will be the...
00:43:46 and this one will the additional.
00:43:50 Alright.
00:43:50 Oh, I see what you're saying.
00:44:25 Yeah, that goes up diatonically
and there's the two hits on the 5 chord.
00:44:31 Alright.
00:44:36 Should I play up here
or down?
I like it down actually,
it's kind of mellow.
00:44:41 It let's the BGVs stay on top.
00:44:45 And The Masqueraders are up high,
which is nice...
00:44:50 Go on Eli.
00:44:52 Go ahead Eli.
00:44:55 I love Harold so much.
00:44:56 Literally...
00:44:57 It's the nicest man I've ever met.
00:45:01 Shall we give it a word?
Yeah.
00:45:03 - Maybe do on the last one.
- Yeah, on the five chord.
00:45:42 That's it.
00:45:43 Maybe play those 'bah baps'.
00:45:45 The last two hits.
00:45:47 Yeah the last two hits.
00:45:48 Yeah, I think we can nail
those a little bit tighter.
00:45:50 I'm gonna 'Daddy-o' over there two.
00:45:51 Could you harmonize the holds?
Because it's a C minor chord.
00:45:57 Some kind of harmony.
00:45:59 On the last one?
Yeah just on the holds.
00:46:03 OK, yeah, just play the same
notes you play on the Intro.
00:46:06 On the Holds...cool.
00:46:08 What if they did that
on the second half?
You know what I'm saying?
Like the first two.
00:46:13 Can we leave the first
one like you were doing?
Building into that harmony
so it kind of grows through the Pre-Chorus.
00:46:22 Thank you friends, here we go.
00:46:53 - I split off.
- That's OK.
00:46:55 He said 'build it'.
00:46:57 - Yeah, so it works?
- Yeah.
00:46:58 That was nice.
00:46:59 So now what about the walk-up?
The walk-up felt good.
00:47:03 I wonder if your high trumpet
is a little too much on the...
00:47:06 Yeah, I don't think it needs to be
quite so aggressive.
00:47:09 OK.
00:47:10 Lower.
00:47:12 - Do you want me to move up?
- No.
00:47:14 Alright, let's do it again.
00:47:16 You want the whole thing again?
- Beautiness!
- Chorus.
00:47:51 So this is more of...
00:47:54 - The same as 'Intro'
- Got it.
00:49:12 You wanna see that 5 chord?
No five chord there.
Charles plays the pick-up.
00:49:17 Alright, let's punch that.
00:49:18 Yeah, otherwise it's good.
00:49:20 Do you want us to get out
before Charles moves?
- Yeah.
- OK.
00:50:16 The 'Bridge' is the same
as the 'Pre-Chorus'
except it's lyrically different.
00:50:20 I think I might just have you all
come in on the walk-up.
00:50:22 Right. Because there's so many backgrounds
over that rhythm, I don't wanna...
00:50:25 Yeah, exactly.
00:50:26 - I don't wanna...
- Clog it up.
00:50:29 Yeah.
00:50:30 Here we go friends.
00:52:05 Can we get those last three hits.
00:52:07 You want it all a little longer?
Beautiness.
00:52:26 I think that walk-up
out of the 'Bridge' into the Chorus
could be stronger.
00:52:33 Here's from the second and then the three,
the same punch-in I played from before.
00:52:49 Come on in and hear
yourselves friends.
00:52:52 Let's hear it back, I think we got it.
00:55:04 Eli will do a whisper track.
00:55:08 - You're gonna do a whisper track?
- He's got to.
00:55:10 We'll get Tyrone Davis.
00:55:36 Come back home Eli!
- It sounds good!
- Yeah man.
00:55:57 There is something about our three
horns together.
00:56:00 It makes a fatter sound.
00:56:02 That's what I was telling you.
00:56:03 We got in there
and I was like, it sounds like
more than three horns.
00:56:08 It's because he double tracked everything,
What's that?
Because he double tracked everything.
00:56:16 That's true.
00:56:19 I forgot about that.
00:56:21 It's huge.
00:56:24 It's the BTM sound.
00:56:26 Bigger than...
00:56:30 I like BTM better.
00:56:32 Back to Memphis Horns.
00:56:36 Best
I like it.
00:58:10 It sounds great.
00:58:11 Awesome.
00:58:13 Quick work.
00:58:14 As always.
00:58:15 You make it easy baby.
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Matt Ross-Spang is a Multi award-winning engineer, mixer, and producer. His first brush with greatness began at only 14 years old when he received 2 hours of studio time at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN, for his birthday.
He went on to intern at Sun Studios when he was 16 and learned what it meant to bring recording back to its roots. Matt now operates out of the newly renovated Studio B at Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, TN, which he now calls “Southern Groove.”
Among the many incredible entries in his discography, Ross-Spang was hired in 2016 by Sony Records to mix 18 previously unreleased songs by Elvis Presley from his historic 1976 sessions from the Jungle Room at Graceland.
Known for his unique taste and ability to preserve old school recording techniques and bring them into today’s music, Matt Ross-Spang has worked with some of the world’s most cherished artists from the most legendary studios in recording history.
