OIART INTERVIEWS MIKE SHEPHERD,
OIART Grad 1998, Head Engineer, Lakewind Sound Studios,
Cape Breton NS, Canada

As head engineer at Lakewind Sound Studios, Michael Shepherd is one of the busiest audio engineers on the East Coast. Mike has been nominated in engineer/technician categories and has won ECMA Studio of the Year awards for Lakewind Sound in the last five years, as well as winning three MIANS Awards for Studio of the Year. Mike has recently worked with artists Damhnait Doyle, MIR, and Nick Van Eede (Cutting Crew frontman). Legendary producer Peter Asher and producer/designer/industry icon George Massenburg have also flown to Cape Breton to work with Mike.

Bob Breen: Congratulations on all your success in recording, Mike, and the new bundle of joy that recently arrived at home. What’s been the most exciting thing to happen so far since you graduated from OIART?

Mike Shepherd: The best thing, and continues to be the most exciting thing is being able to work with 2 great guys for the last 6 years (Fred Lavery and Gordie Sampson who co-own the studio) and at the same time, be so close to my home and my family. (Sappy but true!)

Did you get hired at Lakewind right out of school?
Yeah I did...I did assistant work and demos there at first and hired on shortly after that.

Was the job hunt frustrating for you at all? How long did it take?
I didn’t let it bother me...I knew I would have to be assisting, fetching coffee and working other jobs until I moved to a full time position as an engineer. It was the dealing with having no money that was frustrating. So...I ended up taking catalogue orders for Sears until then...”Could I interest you in a Sears Credit Card?” But fortunately it wasn’t long after that...about 3 months later I received a call from Fred and Gordie asking if I was interested in a job.

How did you ascend to the position of Head Engineer at Lakewind?
It was about 6 months after graduating and doing a bit of work at Lakewind...I came back to assist in ADR for the CBC television series “Pit Pony”. Shortly after that I moved into a position doing all of the ADR recording and some album projects. By spring 1999, I was kind of settled in to the position...extremely lucky I think!

Were there hard times at first for you, personally?
For sure...I was just getting out of school hoping for something positive, maybe get a job somewhere in the field but ended up working part-time at a gas station, had been in 2 car accidents and had absolutely no money left.

What are the hours like for you there?
They can get crazy at times because I’m usually the only one working. It used to be 16 hours a day...TV work for 8 hours and music sessions at night. These days, for sanity reasons, I try to keep the days to 10 hrs.

Do you have an assistant?
Not really...we (Gordie, Fred, and I) kind of assist each other. Haha.

Seems to me that plenty of us out here in Ontario don’t expect Nova Scotia to have a world class studio scene, but obviously we’re wrong. What are some of the advantages of working out there for you?
Well personally for me...it’s atmosphere. It’s really a great place to help the creative process. Its small compared to a place like Nashville...there isn’t a recording facility every couple blocks and it seems almost unusual to some that it exists here. And although we can provide the similar technology as those places...the scenery is quite different. I’m a minute away from the edge of the island and the next thing you see is miles of Atlantic Ocean...people find inspiration in these surroundings.

What do you think makes your facility different and therefore more successful I suppose?
I’m not sure...I think it might be how relaxed it is...and how we can relate to the musicians on a personal level rather than treating clients as just a number. I don’t think that is much different than some other facilities but people find that quite comforting when they make a record here. On the technical side...we have a beautiful Yamaha C7 that people love to use and a brand new recording space designed by Pilchner Schoustal. Those are a few things you may not find anywhere else on the east coast.

We have plenty of students and graduates who come from out East. Do you have any advice for the ones who want to return there to do this sort of work?
My only advice, from experience, is be able to be versatile. In places like this these days you need to be the engineer, the editor, the midi guy, the webmaster and the coffee maker.

What was your role in the sessions with Peter Asher and George Massenburg?
I was assistant engineer and latte slave.

I know of Peter Asher as being a singer in the duo Peter and Gordon, and the first A&R guy at the Beatles’ Apple Records. He discovered and signed James Taylor, then went on to produce Linda Ronstadt and a host of others. Now he’s a successful producer agent at Sanctuary Management in Los Angeles. How’d you like working with him?
It was great...you need a giant note pad to take notes on guys like this, that have so much history and success, because they have so much knowledge oozing from them. I got to hear a lot about that history when we were out of the studio as well, which I was really interested in. I also got to work with him on a television show related to the same project and which was also a great experience.

George Massenburg, again a brief biography for those readers who don’t know the name… his company GML (George Massenburg Labs) has produced gear that can be found in most top studios worldwide. He’s credited with perfecting if not inventing the parametric equalizer (available today as the GML 8200), among numerous other innovations. He’s also a Grammy winning engineer and producer; AES keynote speaker, and an instructor in McGill University’s top notch technical engineering program. I also hear he’s very tough.
Well I broke the ice very soon with George by breaking the cd drive in his brand new TiBook. So after that...things could only get better I thought... and they did. We got along great and he showed me a couple of his favorite mic techniques and tricks that I’m forever grateful for.

What did you learn working with these people with so much experience and expertise?
Focus. You need to be focused on the project that you are working on and execute it with precision to the best of your ability.

Since they were at Lakewind, your home turf, your experience and knowledge of the room and gear would be useful to a visiting producer and engineer. What did you contribute to the process?
We have some GML pieces here so there wasn’t much for me to contribute to their operation but I offered my experience with micing our C7 acoustic piano and some knowledge that I had in digital performer. I think I might have even shown George a thing or two in Pro Tools. Haha.

How did your education at OIART serve you once you got working on top notch sessions like this one?
It readied me because of the course depth and helped me to get working at this level. I felt extremely prepared for any questions or situations that approached me...even in the presence of “The Masters”. It has definitely stuck with me and sometimes I still have dreams of giant signal flow charts.

What is the most important thing for someone at OIART to focus on if they want to be successful when they graduate?
Be open to a variety of genres and avenues in the field. When you are starting out you’re not going to enjoy every project you work on. You’ll find your place somewhere in there and your success will grow.

As an Engineer yourself, what has been your most gratifying accomplishment?
My first nomination for the East Coast Music Awards. It was great feeling to know that I was being recognized for my achievements at a time when I thought I might be spinning my wheels.

What are your favourite tools? What gear can’t you live without these days?
The GML pres and the Fred Cameron Labs modified u87...and Pro Tools of course.

Everyone talks about the state of the music industry these days, how it’s in flux and how traditional models of production and distribution are changing. Is any of this affecting you?
In the regional sense...no. The “bread and butter” of our market is the traditional Celtic music. They continue to do things without the aid of record and distribution companies and will for a very long time which benefit us. In the global picture...yes...because we still want to attract more high profile clients from other parts of the world and they are the ones who are being directly affected.

Where do you think our industry is headed?
Tough question. It’s scary to think where it is headed when you hear some recordings giants asking... "Why should we make records anymore?" There is more money in clothing and merchandise related to the artist. We have to accept that technology will constantly change the music business from now on and adapt to those changes. I know that’s easier said than done. I have a positive outlook on things and I know that from my little seat down here as long as we make music, someone has to record it... I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking but I hope we keep reaching people who listen to music because of how it sounds and how it makes them feel more than hype that surrounds it or how it’s marketed.

Do you have any advice for current OIART students or someone thinking about taking a recording engineering course?
Do your homework and ask lots of questions. Whether you are starting out by sweeping the floor or getting coffee...or you are on top with the pros... have fun doing it!

Thanks Mike! Continued Success!