Award-Winning Mixer, Producer & Songwriter Jay Reynolds (The Lumineers, Dua Lipa, Ella Eyre)

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Jay started his career working at Townhouse Studios in London where he learned his craft from some of the biggest names in the industry. During his time there, he progressed from being an assistant in the tape shop to assistant engineer, which offered him the chance to assist Spike Stent and U2 on the Mission Impossible theme. Since those early days, Jay went on to work with some of the UK's biggest pop acts, producing and mixing many consecutive chart-topping tracks. He now resides in the leafy grounds of West London in the historic Ealing Studios where most of his work takes place. 

Can you tell us how you first started engineering music?

I wrote to all the big studios in the summer holidays after GCSE's and landed a job at The Townhouse Studios in the tape store. My job was to log in and out the van full of 2" tapes, DATs and cassettes that followed the album projects from studio to studio. They often went missing so you had to prove who you sent things to, otherwise they'd try and blame the studio for losing tapes.  Gradually, you'd get to assist the assistants who had started breaking into engineering roles or you sit in on sessions with engineers who were self-sufficient and just needed tea. Then, when you kind of knew what things were, you might do mix recalls or help set up the orchestral sessions. Early on I helped Spike Stent record the 32-piece string session on the Mission Impossible theme for Larry and Adam of U2. When there's that many people and that level of pressure, the studio is really buzzing! 

Engineering is such a different kettle fish now compared to how it used to be back then, mainly due to the invention of the undo button. You could really get it wrong back then if you didn't know what you were doing. Syncing two 2" tape machines together, master and slave reels, line ups, track sheets... if you didn't write it on the track sheet, it would probably get erased. You couldn't see the audio on the tape, all you had was a counter or time code. 

Let's talk influencers. Can you talk to us about an album that inspired you?

Radiohead, The Bends. Great album. Every song is a winner - every song!!! Just has brilliant guitar arrangements and the best guitar drop sound into a final chorus ever. My Iron Lung, Street Spirit, Sulk, Fake Plastic.... All of them! I remember the first time I listened to the album: I was working with Pulp on This is Hardcore at The Townhouse studio. The block of sessions was over for a month or so, the band had gone and I was left with tidying up Studio 1 which was FULL (and I mean full!) of their equipment. Moogs, synths, guitars, drums, pedals, microphones, cables, stands, [which] all needed to be "recalled" (notes taken of mic placement, mic lines into patch bay and physical position in the studio) then packed away ready for collection before the next session at 10am the next morning. It was about 2am already. The engineer stuck The Bends on over the studio playback speakers in the studio area and it sounded amazing! We had a few beers on hand to help. 

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After Townhouse Studios, you went on to do even bigger things. At which point in your career did you decide to open up your own facility?

I independently engineered for Hugh Padgam for about 7 years. We set up a small studio at the bottom of The Townhouse called The Front Room. When we outgrew it, Hugh bought Stanley House and I set up Long Island Studios to concentrate on working on my own productions. 

Speaking of productions, what's your favorite stage in the music production process these days?

I enjoy the additional production stage. The track already has an identity, but I look at every element making sure things sit well within the arrangement. It could be that the song just needs tidying up, or that it might need a complete overhaul by re-recording live drums, adding programming or real strings for example. It's this process where I form the final mix using the content rather than just a bit of compression or EQ. 

Can you share with us what?you're working on at the moment?

Lately I've been working on some productions for The Lumineers, Dua Lipa and Crystal Fighters.

And now a few short-burst questions:

Name your bucket-list piece of recording equipment

Hugh had a rack of 10 Neve 1081s which sounded awesome on anything. I second that! 

What's your favourite technique you use in the studio?

Running things through my SSL desk and back into Protools. The EQs really have something better about them compared to digital models. I can push the same frequency the same amount on a plugin, but it doesn't sound as good. 

What's a favorite piece of gear you’ve used recently?

I love my SSL for its mix buss, it just does something that makes the mix sound polished. I couldn't live without is monitoring section either.

Can you talk to us about an interesting project you've worked on?

Shack albums were always interesting. Carnage always ensued. There were always gigs to go to, people hanging out at the pub after the studio, listening to music. They had a buzz to them, everyone was involved. Hugo and Youth produced one that I assisted/engineered on and I produced and engineered the next at Bryn Derwen in Wales. 

Lastly, can you finish this sentence: if I wasn’t engineering music, I'd be...

Back in education because I'm really not qualified to do anything else.