Artist Profile: Murray Daigle

Canadian SONAR user Murray Daigle is an emerging star of modern rock production, who is poised to take on the world. Murray recently produced and engineered Cauterize's debut album, So Far From Real!. The first single from that album, "Something Beautiful", is at #62 on the U.S. Rock chart. Recorded and mixed almost exclusively in SONAR 2.2 XL, the band and Murray have earned critical acclaim and lots of airplay. Currently, Murray is working on two other projects for Wind-up and EMI. We sat down with Murray, and asked this rising producer and engineer his thoughts on plug-ins, studio equipment, music philosophy and the always important "advice to other SONAR users." Read our interview below, and be on the lookout for more exciting projects from Murray Daigle.

Cakewalk: How long have you been using Cakewalk products?

Murray Daigle: Since ProAudio 8. I have been with Cakewalk for awhile. Along the way I have tried every major platform, but once I started using SONAR I was pretty much hooked.

CW: What are your favorite things about working with SONAR?

MD: The best thing I can say about it is that it just works—install it and go. Unfortunately, that can't be said for very many computer products at all—audio related or otherwise. The user interface is the best in the business—no other company even gets close to how clean the SONAR interface looks, and how easy it is to use. The audio file management is killer too. And depending on the project, I still use the "Let Cakewalk Manage My Audio" settings. And WDM is the best thing that ever happened to PCs for audio.

CW: Can you tell me about your background?

MD: I came from a musical family, and began playing at a very young. I don't remember ever not playing guitar or singing. I always knew I wanted to work in music, it was my life's goal. I played in lots of bands, and my dad always had a hobby studio in the house which was pretty cool for doing' demos with my garage bands as a teenager. When I was 21, I signed a deal in Japan with a progressive-metal band. That's when I really knew I had a career going, and not just a pipe dream any more. After two records with that band, I decided that producing/engineering was the path that I really wanted to follow so I started working with every band I could find. I began collecting gear and built up a pretty serious little studio that ended up with a great local reputation—there was one year that I did demos for over 50 bands. In the past two years, I haven't produced one demo that didn't get a record company callback, even on "mail-in" submissions by totally unknowns.

MD: About four years ago I produced a record for a band called Very Jive. I really liked the band and basically did the whole thing (nearly 3 months) for $4,000 Canadian, and a piece of the back-end. I was broke but I loved the music and just figured the world owed these guys a shot. The band and I started shopping it around to labels, publishers and managers, and surprisingly we attracted a lot of interest. One of the people that contacted me was the head of Creative at Warner/Chappell Canada, John Robertson. He and his good friend, Norm Sharpe [manager of Cauterize (Wind-Up), Jordan Cook (Epic) ,Wide Mouth Mason (Warner)] took great interest in both the band, and myself as a producer, and started helping me get established. From there the contacts and work just started rolling in.

CW: Who are your creative influences and what are you listening to lately?

MD: From a production standpoint, I really like Don Gilmour (he mixed two tracks on the Cauterize record), Jay Baumgardner, Johnny K and that whole school of guys. They just make great rock records with lots of impact. Earlier on in my career, I listened to a lot of Mutt Lange, Bob Rock, and that kind of thing. Lately, I have been listening to Boy Sets Fire, and I also like the current Seether CD a lot. But mostly I'm just checking out the radio, seeing what's new. I really like the new Three Days Grace (produced by Gavin Brown, another good Toronto boy) and Queens Of The Stone Age. In fact I am a big Dave Grohl fan—his records Rawk!

CW: What plug-ins are you favoring these days?

MD: AutoTune 3.0 is essential. I just starting using Cyclone recently for drum replacement and I am digging that a lot. I also just bought a UAD-1, and its unbelievable how much it sounds like the real deal kits it emulates. Kick drums will never be the same now that I have unleashed the power of the Pultec. I am plotting to take over the world by blowing up stereos everywhere with this thing. Of course, the Waves stuff is pretty much standard with everyone now.


CW: How about outboard gear (compressors, mics, etc)?

MD: I use a lot of real standard mics. The Shure 57's and the AKG C414 is a real go-to guy for me. I will use a Neumann TLM193 for just about anything, but I don't use anything real crazy or esoteric. I just bought the True Systems True8 mic pre's and they rock! I couldn't live with my LA2A or drawmer comps. Does anyone other than Lexicon even make reverbs? I mean good ones anyway. I also recently discovered a box by SPL called the Transient Designer, now that's a cool piece of gear.

CW: Do you have any tips for other SONAR users, either on using the program or on breaking into the music industry?

MD: Make good music! Every time I have ever taken a job for the wrong reasons (i.e. solely the money) it has come back to bite me. Work on music you love with people you like, and don't be afraid to say no if you don't believe in a project— even if someone is waving money in your face. In the last three years, my career has really started to fly for me, and I credit it all to a conscious choice I made to only work on music I liked and thought I could add something to.

CW: What are your thoughts about the role of technology in modern music making?

MD: It's a very powerful tool, but people have to stop being too fascinated with technology and the future. Remember, there was a time when that song Axel F (Beverly Hills Cop Theme) sounded very futuristic. Personality, warmth and songwriting I feel are the most important elements of music, and will never go away.

CW: Do you have a personal philosophy about music?

MD: Always listen and keep an open mind! At the end of the day, all that matters is that your work sounds good—musically first and sonically second. Learn to forget everything you know for a second when you make decisions— just listen and make it sound good. I have seen way to many promising projects die due to overthinking.

Purchase So Far From Real!

Visit http://www.mdsrecording.com/md.html for more information on Murray Daigle.

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