Chuck Ainlay
Chuck Ainlay is Nashville royalty. He’s one of the most respected producer/engineers in modern recording—4 Grammys, 10 ACM Awards, 2 CMA Awards, 2 TEC Awards, 3,500+ credits, with work spanning George Strait, Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits, Miranda Lambert, Peter Frampton, Vince Gill, and so many more. He also pioneered surround/immersive mixing and helped author many of the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers standards.
You’ve worked on some of the most sonically beautiful records ever made. When you hear a song for the first time, what tells you it has the potential to be truly special?
If it takes me on a journey or causes my imagination to stir I know it’s something that people can relate to. Of course it also has to a good fit for the artist I’m searching songs for.
Your work always feels incredibly detailed, yet effortless to listen to. What separates a technically great recording from one that emotionally moves people?
What I strive for is to move people emotionally but I also consider record making an art. That sometimes means getting things right technically but not always. To me the small details count towards creating the emotion, not that every listener will notice. I love records that make me want to hear them over and over again. So much music today is instant gratification but I find those records wear quickly.
You’ve helped define the sound of Nashville while also working far beyond country music what makes great records universal, no matter the genre?
When I moved to Nashville I wasn’t really a Country music fan. I just loved music and making records in the studio, no matter what the genre. Oddly, a record I did that was meant to be a pop record caught the attention of MCA records president and producer Jimmy Bowen, who at the time had about 70% of the Country music charts. He was updating the Nashville recording scene and was looking for a new sound for Country music. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Oddly it was my Country records that got me doing more mainstream artists. I have just been so fortunate to get to work with so many truly gifted artists.
From stereo to surround to immersive audio, you’ve been at the forefront of major shifts in how we experience music. What excites you most about where sound is headed next?
I love the immersive listening experience. It’s just the way we listen naturally, sound coming from all around us. Done right it is just so compelling. Unfortunately we have a way to go before the consumer hears it the way I do when I’m mixing in my 9.1.6 Atmos mix room but there are technologies I’ve heard that can bring that same experience of listening with a limited number of speakers. Also we are seeing more car makers offering a true discrete playback. The binaural technology for headphones keeps improving too.
You’ve worked with legendary artists like George Strait and Peter Frampton to name a few, what have the greatest artists taught you about making timeless music?
I think Mark Knopfler influenced me the most in that respect. He would say that he never sets out to make a hit record. It’s about being true to the song and if the timing happens to be right you may have that moment where you capture the hearts and minds of the public. He’s done it more than most.
After thousands of records, what still inspires you when you walk into a studio or open a new mix session?
I still just love making records whether it’s tracking with a group of musicians or trying to get a great vocal performance as an overdub or mixing all the tracks until I get chill bumps. I have never thought of it as work so maybe that’s why it never gets old to me.
When your career is viewed in full, what do you hope your legacy in music will be—not just in records, but in how you helped shape the craft itself?
Oh I can’t imagine I’ll be thought of at all after I finally call it quits. I just hope that I helped a few artists have a career with the music we made together.
Is there a record you’ve worked on where, even now, you still listen back and think, “we really captured something magical”?
That’s a hard one because as soon as I mention one I’m going to piss off those that I didn’t mention. A friend and I were just reminiscing about a Mac McAnally album Live and Learn but then maybe the Strength in Numbers album or Mark Knopfler’s Sailing to Philadelphia album, Lee Ann Womack’s The Way I’m Living. Or what about George Strait’s Troubadour album or Miranda Lambert’s Platinum but I’m also really proud of the new Peter Frampton album, Carry The Light or a new artist I’m working with Colton Dawson’s first album, about to be released on Warner Bros. I’m really just so lucky to have been a part of these and so many others.