EP206 | Dave Otero & Archspire’s Dean Lamb

Dave Otero and Archspire guitarist Dean Lamb discuss the production of the band’s album Relentless Mutation.

We also talk pre-production, the importance of work scheduling, and the state of technicality in modern heavy music.

“I use my experience from every project I work on, but I look at it through the lens of the project I’m working on at that time, and what they want, and what their fans want, and what’s best going to represent them.” – Dave Otero

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

6:00 How Archspire and Dave Otero connected, musicianship as more than just a gimmick
15:00 Archspire’s extensive pre-production, and actively working on other aspects of the record during downtime
18:00 Having working hours so that the recording schedule is predictable and as stress-free as possible while working under time constraints
26:00 “Music prison” – cabin fever in the studio and how bands deal with it
35:00 Writing together in a room as a technical death metal band and having real respect for other band members’ opinions, how writing in Guitar Pro can negatively affect songs
54:00 The evolution of technicality in guitar playing, other instruments
1:09:00 How far to go when suggesting ideas as a producer, potentially pushing bands out of their comfort zone
1:15:00 Managing artist preferences against what a producer knows will work
1:20:00 Tracking guitars with a low-gain Podfarm tone in preparation for reamps
1:34:00 Dean on the process of playing fast and recognizing that you likely use completely different muscle groups when you play a riff at different speeds
1:50:00 Orchestral influences and neo-classical metal versus a more authentic orchestral compositional style
2:00:00 Recording real gunshots for Archspire – ‘Calamus Will Animate Our Souls’, approaching drum edits for technical metal

Links:

Dave Otero shows how he adds a literal shotgun blast to the intro of “Calamus Will Animate” by Archspire to add over the top drama.

Download the raw Archspire Multi-Tracks and an 8 hour mixing class with Dave Otero!

Eyal Levi takes you on a guided tour of the raw multi-tracks for “Remote Tumor Seeker” by Archspire.

Listen to Dave Otero’s previous URM Podcast appearance

Watch “Dean Attempts to Learn” on Dean’s YouTube channel

Get a 15% off having your songs mastered by Fascination Street Recording Studios! Use discount code “URM18”

Thanks for listening!
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Albums By Archspire

– All Shall Align (2011)
– The Lucid Collective (2014)
– Relentless Mutation (2017)

Dave Otero’s Discography

– 2018 Conqueror’s Oath – Visigoth – Mastering
– 2018 Primitive Man/Unearthly Trance – Primitive Man / Unearthly Trance – Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
– 2018 Savagery- Skinless – Vocal Engineer
– 2018 The Collapse – Vimana – Producer
– 2017 Old Scars, New Wounds – Act of Defiance – Producer
– 2017 Red – Scour – Mixing, Mastering
– 2017 Relentless Mutation – Archspire – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2017 Thronosis – Excommunion- Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2016 Hunted – Khemmis – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2016 Proponent for Sentience – Allegaeon – Engineer, Mastering
– 2016 Scour – Scour – Mixing, Mastering
– 2016 Slow Forever – Cobalt – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2015 Only the Ruthless Remain – Skinless – Engineer
– 2015 The Anthropocene Extinction – Cattle Decapitation – Producer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2014 Elements of the Infinite – Allegaeon – Engineer, Mastering
– 2013 Ontogenesis – Arcanium – Producer, Mixing, Mastering, Vocal Engineer
– 2013 Virgin Sails – Satan’s Host – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2012 Monolith of Inhumanity – Cattle Decapitation – Producer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2011 The Prodigal Empire Vale of Pnath Producer, Engineer, Mixing
– 2010 Apocalypse Sun Nightbringer – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2010 Demonstrous – De’Monica – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2010 Fragments of Form and Function – Allegaeon – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
– 2010 Misled by Certainty – Cephalic Carnage – Producer, Guest Artist, Vocals
– 2010 Odyssey: (Un)dead – Breathing Process – Producer, Engineer, Director, Vocals
– 2010 Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire Engineer, Mixing
– 2009 Gin Cobalt Engineer
– 2009 Power, Purity, Perfection – Satan’s Host – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2009 Power, Purity, Perfection …999 – Satan’s Host Engineer, Mixing
– 2009 Vale of Pnath – Vale of Pnath – Producer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2008 Arcanium [EP] – Arcanium – Producer, Mastering
– 2008 Landfill Breastmilk Beast – Cobalt – Engineer
– 2008 Sleazy Rider – Give ‘Er Hell – Mastering
– 2008 The Unsettling Dark – Martriden – Producer, Engineer, Mastering
– 2007 Blood Reigns Over a Pathetic World – Apathy Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2007 Equal Opportunity Destroyer – Conspiracy Assassins – Mixing, Mastering
– 2007 Martriden Martriden – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2007 Promise Waste and Rot – Exesion – Mixing, Mastering
– 2007 Self Enemy – Sanguine Addiction – Producer, Engineer
– 2007 The Reckoning of Man – Iconocaust – Engineer, Mixing
– 2007 Xenosapien – Cephalic Carnage – Engineer, Mixing, Vocals, Mastering
– 2005 Anomalies – Cephalic Carnage – Guest Artist, Engineer, Mixing, Vocals, Mastering
– 2005 Awakening: The Revelation – Immortal Dominion – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2005 Burning the Born Again (A New Philosophy) – Satan’s Host – Engineer, Audio Engineer
– 2005 Dimension 303 – Catheter – Producer, Engineer
– 2005 Screaming into Silence – Broken Image – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2005 Unbound Deadless – Mastering
– 2005 World Suicide – Kill Syndicate – Engineer
– 2004 Burning Horizon at the End of Dawn – Mandrake – Producer
– 2004 Stormbringer: Conjuration of the Nighthorde – Throcult – Producer, Engineer
– 2004 The Truest Form of Flattery – Switchpin – Producer
– 2003 Midwest Meltdown – Black Market Fetus – Mixing
– 2003 Soldiers of a Blackend War – Throcult – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– 2002 Halls of Amenti – Cephalic Carnage – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
– 2002 Lucid Interval – Cephalic Carnage – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering, Featured Artist
– 1998 Conforming to Abnormality – Cephalic Carnage – Remastering

Undated

– Absolution – Khemmis – Producer
– By the Hands of the Devil – Satan’s Host – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Cataclysmic Desolation – Face of Oblivion- Mixing, Mastering
– Celebration for the Love of Satan: 25th Anniversary Album- Satan’s Host- Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Children Of The Iron Age – Wayfarer- Mixing, Mastering
– Complete Grindworks 2012- berrant- Bass Engineer, Drums, Engineer, Group Member, Mastering, Mixing, Vocal Engineer
– Dead River- 19 A.D.D. – Pre-Mastering
– Decline – Vermin Womb – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Dynasteia Klub – Pavillon Rouge – Mastering
– Hierophany of the Open Grave – Nightbringer – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Old Souls – Wayfarer – Mixing, Mastering
– Pre-Dating God, Vol. 1 – Satan’s Host – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Pre-Dating God, Vol. 2 – Satan’s Host – Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Scorn – Primitive Man – Engineer
– Shadow Syndicate – Skinned – Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
– Terra Damnata – Nightbringer – Mixing, Mastering
– The Ruins of Edom – Acherontas / Nightbringer – Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
– The Sound of Burning Bridges – No Fair Fights – Producer, Mastering, Mixing
– To Anabainon ek tes Abyssu – Bestia Arcana – Mixing, Mastering