Thug Life – Thug Life: Volume 1

In a series of Gearslutz forum replies, engineer Paul Arnold details how he used an SSL-E preamp for the recording of "Outlaw" and some tracks recorded at Soundcastle, adding that he later used an SSL-G preamp for other tracks on Me Against the World and Thug Life, Volume I. An October 26, 2017 All Microphone article also offers "For the majority of his recordings for Death Row Records Tupac would use a vintage Neumann U87. This would be fed into a Neve or SSL 4k preamp and a Studer® A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder."

Gearslutz, paultools, April 10, 2009

I recorded Pac with a U-87 through a SSL-E preamp and compressor at Quad Studios in NYC for the song "Outlaw" from MATW.

Later, I recorded him using an AKG 414 through an SSL-G preamp and either the onboard compressor or a dbx 160 for other songs from MATW and Thug Life at the Enterprise.

Also used a 414 through an SSL-E at Soundcastle.

I wound up mixing some other stuff that was cut using a U47 through what I suspect was an LA 2.

Gearslutz, paultools, April 14, 2009

I remember my first time recording him.

I had worked for a time with a brilliant producer, Moe Z MD. we were working on an album for another Interscope artist, and Tom Whalley heard some of Moe's tracks and liked them. This led to an opportunity to do a remix of the Thug Life song "From the Cradle to the Grave". We did the remix at Soundcastle in LA and by the end of the week, Moe and I were in NYC with Pac. The remix replaced the version that was to go on the album. I like them both.

Moe and I arrived at Quad Studios in the mid-afternoon, and soon, the room was filled with energy as Pac arrived with his nephews/cousins in tow. Upon meeting him, Pac would make you feel like you'd been friends forever! We wasted little time, as Pac had identified a beat from A DAT that he wanted to make a song from.

We tracked the beat from Moe's Roland W-30 and Emu SP-1200 as Pac rehearsed the parts with his family. I set up a U-87 and patched it into the SSL preamp, added a touch of the onboard compressor, and bussed it out to multiple channels of the Studer multitrack. Pac hit the booth and cut 3 quick passes for his vocals and some adlibs... about 15-20 minutes total. He could jump into character in an instant, and was very expressive as he performed his verses. His energy was contagious.

One by one, he brought the other rappers into the booth and coached them through their parts. This group was originally to be called the Young Thugs and then Dramacydal, but later changed their name to the Outlawz. We spent a few minutes recording the kid's voice in the intro, and then the Jamaican parts for the chorus and the end which was later edited off.

A food run was made, and soon everyone crashed except for Moe and me, as we spent much time and effort bouncing quarters off the floor and sampling them for the simulated shells hitting the street throughout the song. I spent a few hours putting a mix together, printed it to DAT and 1/2 " and we called it a day.

The resulting song is the last one on MATW, "Outlaw". I did a quick recall of the mix at the Enterprise in order to shorten he song and to make a few tweaks. I regret not raising Pac's whispered vocal parts just a little, especially on the end breakdown. His "narrative" at the end of the song is totally off the top and one take... the kind of stuff that demonstrated his brilliance.

Gearslutz, paultools, April 15, 2009

I loved the way he did his stacks, cause he gave each one something different... a little different expression or emotional twist. Every pass was a performance, not just another take.

I panned them slightly to the left and right and put them just underneath the main level-wise, but also did automation rides to catch certain parts, and might mult them off for a certain EQ or effect on certain words or phrases (like on "may God forgive me I was HIGH..." in Outlaw).

I also used a modified preset on the Eventide H3000 harmonizer called "Magic Air" as the primary effect on his voice for "space" in lieu of reverb, although certain mixes had plenty of reverb on his voice as well ("Only Fear of Death").