Everything ends up on the MiniDisc. In addition, he is recording a new album for the Elks Skiffle Group, to be released on his own label, Happybeat Records. That's why the old stuff blows me away. They had to know at the outset how everything was going to sit in the final mix. That requires not only skill, but also real musicality and clear thinking.
Vocals come next, then the whole product goes to stereo mix.
The musical nonconformist believes that computer-based mixing lacks the magic and spontaneity of vintage recordings. Although it's handy for detailed cueing, I like to mix manually to liven things up and keep the energy. After an extensive audition process, Ashcroft decided on the Yamaha MD4 to function as the heart of his studio. If I were using a system where you can't move more than one knob or fader at a time, four albums would take me forever. Plus, in order to store that amount of material, it would require a lot of memory.