Focus.
Light-hearted laughter.
Determination.
Professionalism.
Cooperation.
High-fives.
Maybe a cigarette break or two.
These are just a few of the traits and things I witnessed during a recent recording session with 3 Doors Down guitarist/engineer Chet Roberts and his long-time audio engineer colleague and friend, Marshall Bastin.
The mood was not only perfect for the artists recording their song, it would have played anywhere in any business.
It’s the kind of atmosphere I think people dream of having on the job.
“Chet is funny,” says Bastin. “He keeps the spirit very light, and he’s able to make the artist relax. That’s the main thing. You don’t want them to worry about their pitch or their delivery or anything. You just kind of lull them into a very comfortable state and let them deliver it with ease.”
Easy.
That’s how I viewed the ongoing back and forth between Chet and Marshall.
Everyone in the studio clicked.
When you hear the history between the two, it’s easy to understand why.
“One of my first internships was working at a place called Rivergate Studios with Chet Roberts and Chris Henderson,” says Bastin. “That was about 13 or 14 years ago. They kind of took me with all this raw knowledge out of school that I didn’t know what to do with and applied it to making real records very quickly. So, I ended up working with acts like 3 Doors Down and 38 Special in the studio, doing demos and things like that for them, as well as all kinds of other records and projects.”
Bastin’s skill in the studio quickly translated to work on the road.
He says, “After a couple years of that, I got roped into doing live sound and other stuff. So, in tandem with all this recording work, I also do about 100 shows a year running sound on the road.”
Nice gig, right?
So, is Chet the same way in the studio as he is on stage?
Marshall puts it this way:
“Everybody thinks of Chet as the guy with the Mohawk or the guy with the crazy blonde hair, right? The rock star on stage. He’s a fantastic guitar player, of course. But Chet started as an audio engineer. He went to MTSU for audio engineering. He spent the first, I don’t know, like 10 years of his career working as an audio engineer with other producers. It’s really interesting to come into another engineer’s domain and work all of my tendencies and ideas into a flow that marries with his.”
Bastin adds, “I can listen to something and, after knowing Chet for so long, I know what he’s going to say about it. I can guess what his opinion is going to be. So, if he misses something, I can make a note of it and say, ‘Hey, take a listen to that.’ He’s like, ‘You know what, Marshall? You’re right. That’s what I wanted.’ That’s kind of my goal. It’s to help Chet do what he does.”
With 3 Doors Down and 38 Special on his resume, Bastin continues to be in high demand.
He says he is excited to continue collaborating with Chet and some of the rocker’s clients through 4th Door Media & Entertainment, including a band he’s already worked with, HANNAN.
That’s next.
But what I saw a little over a week ago in that Nashville studio was very telling.
I walked in with zero expectations.
I wanted to see how things worked, how artists and engineers collaborate, and what type of atmosphere might greet me.
I should have known better.
When Chet walks into a room, everybody seems to relax.
With Marshall by his side, it’s hard to believe there’s a more natural & talented duo out there doing what they do.
Sounds like good chemistry to me!!