An Interview With Dave Darlington
In a career spanning over thirty years, GRAMMY award winner Dave Darlington can proudly attest to being a master of many varied musical styles. With over 1000 album credits to his name, Dave Darlington’s work has touched many lives and garnered much deserved praise in the process. His experience ranges from composing and producing the soundtrack to all six seasons of the groundbreaking HBO series, OZ; to being on the Sonic the Hedgehog production team; contributing to the Free Willy soundtrack; various J-Pop and rock albums; and, of course, jazz, with multiple awards to show for his incredible work and talents.
Now, after mixing & mastering Night is Alive’s newest album, It Takes 3, we were fortunate to be able to sit down with Dave and ask about his illustrious career…
Night is Alive: How did your childhood contribute to the music that you mix today?
Dave Darlington: I was 12 years old when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. Like every adult American male, I instantly fell in love. When I went to college, I discovered my passion for jazz music. However, I was a bass player, which was a different world than the music I fell in love with. I knew the symphonic orchestra was not the place for me. My love of jazz music guided the next steps of my musical endeavors, which led to what I do today as a mixer.
NiA: So you switched from a focus in symphonic orchestra to mixing and producing. What exactly contributed to that change?
DD: I got a little recording device and played around with it. I continued to improve with the equipment, so much so that I began working as a part-time programmer for some smaller recording companies. Then I met Jerry Ragavoy, who said he needed an in-house engineer at his recording studio. He took notice of my skills and offered me a job as a house engineer. I took the job from Jerry and began working at his studio. Jerry said that because of the time commitment, I had chosen between playing the bass or engineering. The choice was easy, given that I had contributed to various successful projects from the mixing side.
NiA: What is the difference between the producing side of records and the playing side?
DD: When you’re mixing, you must worry about balancing the elements of the whole song. You must make sure that each instrument is balanced with the other to make it a pleasant listening experience. Balancing all the elements of the piece out is the central part of my job as a mixer, as opposed to someone who is playing.
NiA: What was your favorite part about working on It Takes 3?
DD: Well, I love Harry Allen; he is one of the cats. It’s first-tier when you work with an artist of his caliber. I had never worked with Rossano before, but I had heard about his stunning reputation. That combination turned out to be really musical. My favorite part was just listening to the music come together by two remarkable, talented individuals. And Bryan [Carter] is a gem! He is the consummate pro and always asks my opinion before making adjustments. Musically, he is world-class.
NiA: What should listeners expect to hear from It Takes 3?
DD: There is a warm envelopment of sound, and Harry tells the story of the song. There are fireworks moments where you see how good these musicians are. However, the most crucial aspect for listeners is not necessarily how good the musicians are. The most critical element is having a beautiful melody. You want something that listeners want to listen to more of. To accomplish this, you need to have a melody that the listener can get lost in.
That is where my job as a mixer is important because I need to balance all the elements to create this melody. I think we did a good job on the ‘It Takes 3’ trio of balancing those elements to create a melody that leaves the listener wanting more.
It Takes 3 is available now! Be sure to order your copy today.
