Limelight on Nicolò ‘Nick’ Foglia, engineer and producer based in Torino, Italy.

Humble genius of the sound engineering, great music connoisseur, producer, artist and melomaniac.
Among his works, a praise goes to the mixing of the record “Babe Please Set Your Alarm” (2018) and Growlin’ Love & Pain “Terry” (2018).

Interview by Marco Cinelli

Given Name:
Nicolò Onofrio Aurelio Foglia, but I am Nick for everyone except my parents.


Birthplace:
Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy.


What did you think about the sound of the recording of BPSYA before you started mixing?
The recording was engineered by Simon Trought from Soup Studio, London, back in 2016.

The tracks you've sent sounded very good! I just loaded them on my sessions and, as I usually do when I start a new mix, I pressed ‘play’ to have a general idea of the song, faders completely up. It was great to hear that all the character was already in the takes, including that nice natural ambience, not very common for small rooms or low-ceiling recording spaces, that added a nice depth. It's more fun when something like this happens because I can start adding to the sound and thinking about the final result from the beginning without having to do corrective equalization or gating or any other corrective processing that can sometimes take a long time.

Mixing starts at the recording stage and then, if a producer or a band sends me tracks that give me a good perspective of what they want to achieve tonally, I can enter their point of view in a more effective way and continue on that line.


Has the mixing of BPSYA mostly been done with digital devices or analog hardware?

It has been a combination of the two worlds. Individual tracks were processed in Pro Tools and then routed to the inputs of a Chandler analog mixer which sum went into a Smart Research C1 VCA stereo compressor, then recorded back into Pro Tools. That´s still the way I do most of my mixing but I’m using different analog gear now.


What plug-in did you use the most for that record?

I didn't use too many plugins but for sure the Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack plugin was on the majority of the tracks.


What’s your favourite plug-in that you are using nowadays and how do you use it?

My go-to combination on single tracks when I'm mixing is the FabFilter Pro-Q 3. I use it for cutting unwanted buildups in certain frequency bands, hi-passing and narrowing or widening stereo tracks since you can process individually mid and side when using it in stereo, followed by the aforementioned Slate Mix Rack for EQ boost and for the many different types of compression that plugin provides. I also make extensive use of the preamp emulations in it. They are great for fattening sounds that are too thin or have problems sitting into busy mixes.

When mastering I use again the Pro-Q 3 in its linear phase or natural phase mode because of its mid-side capabilities and as a dynamic eq (which is basically a compressor that acts on specific frequency bands) obviously together with many other digital tools and some Acustica Audio Analog Emulations depending on which kind of music i'm working on.

You have only mixed once the Cinelli Brothers. If you were to engineer them in a recording studio, what studio would you choose? (Mind a reasonable budget solution - around 500€ a day)

Man, it'd be so much fun to record another album together! I think a good studio for you guys could be Vox-Ton in Berlin (where we already worked together for some of your solo music) because of the big live room and the choice of vintage microphones and gear they have over there. Another great choice would be Toe Rag Studios in London. Bottom line,
I would want a studio with a good sounding room to capture you guys playing live and a good sounding console going straight to a multitrack tape machine.

You have recorded and engineered Alessandro plenty of times. What microphone have you been you using to record the drum kit and what’s your ideal setting for him? What microphones would you use if not already used?

Alessandro's drumming is a lot about feel. He works together the many pieces of a drumkit to create a driving groove so it would make sense to use just a few mics and treat the drums as a single instrument. Ideally for a Cinelli Brothers recording I would use 2 Neumann U47 or U67 as stereo overheads placing them above him, a bit away from the cymbals but in phase with the snare drum (I would still want the snare drum in a central position with the resulting stereo track) and an RCA 44-bx ribbon mic in front of the bass drum (not too close!).
Last time I recorded him, it was a different setting a more typical drum recording. If I remember correctly, we had an EV RE-20 inside the kick drum and an RFT CM7151 with an M7 capsule on the outside, Unidyne 545 on the snare top and probably a 414 on the bottom; MD 421 on toms, Neumann U67's as stereo overheads, an RCA77-D as mono overhead and a vintage AKG 451 on hi-hat.

Do you travel abroad to work? Or do you prefer to invite bands to Torino?

I don't travel much. I have my studio here and I do a lot of remote sessions. I like working abroad but during these times it isn't easy moving around because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I can’t wait to be able to work outside of Italy again, once all of this is over...

What’s your favourite brand for a mixing console, or at least what you have been using the most?

Ideally Neve for Recording, SSL for mixing.

Except for Nick Foglia, you don’t have other Nick names…?

Not that I know but I have been credited by mistake with many variations of my first and second name.

Remember that In Spain the name Foglia, when pronounced with a Spaniard accent, means something very different from the Italian ‘Leaf’. This thing made me laugh a lot. Do you have another nickname just for Spain?

Only that one... Nick FOLLA. Thank You Tòfol Martinez for that.

We have attended the same music school back in the days, in Rome, the Saint Louis College Of Music. That’s where we met and became friends. You graduated as a bass player and you also worked as such at the very beginning. I believe you have always enjoyed music from a broader prospective, from the “above”, like me, hence the choice to become an engineer/producer. Am I right?

I think so. SLMC is an awesome institution in Italy and provides its students with great tutoring in music. Once you learn how to play your instrument you start seeing that there is so much going around it, such as a thriving live scene with good musicians in different musical contexts and studio sessions of all kinds. I started producing and engineering bands I played in and it just felt natural doing so (even though I had little to no knowledge at that time). That way I had a chance to live music more transversally. I also have a chance now to work with much better musicians than I was.

I have noticed that throughout the years you have changed your look a lot, thing that I appreciate because I think it’s another point in common with me. You shifted from a sexy stud look, to prisoner of war, passing through the nerdy era, the Californian tourist, the Hollywood actor, the fit Nick, and more 'round’ phases. So you are definitely more like Prince and less like Angus Young. Does your style of mixing also follow big currents like that?

Thanks for putting me on the Prince side of that comparison. I didn't remember half of those looks but thanks for reminding me. You have great visual memory.

About changing my mixing technique, I like to experiment a lot, and nowadays it’s so easy to have access to information about mixing methods of the best engineers in the industry and the big ones from the past that it would be a mistake not trying to explore their route and make some of their process yours. From time to time, change just adds up tools in your arsenal and makes you more versatile but I think it's paramount to work on your own method and develop a process where you can achieve a good mix in a timely manner.

Can you list all the works you have done together with the brothers Cinelli?

Of course, other than BPSYA we were together in Vox-Ton studio in Berlin for the recording on some of the tracks of your solo project. You also did an impromptu Iggy Pop Cover that was recorded live on that occasion.

Moreover, we were in my studio in Berlin to mix Tòfol Martinez' La Verdad y la Belleza and again in Rome for the recording of Terry by Growlin’ Love & Pain together with our friends Giuseppe D’Ortona, who is also one of the owners of that nice studio, and Daniele Labbate. Also master guitarist Lello Panico stopped by to lay down a scorching hot guitar solo, remember that?

I do.
Among all the works you have done, if I asked you to mention just one that you are the most proud of, or something that represents you the most - something that has got a link for people to go listen to - what would that be?

Baby Please Set Your Alarm, obviously! Other than that I don't know, i try to do my best every time so it's hard to pick a favourite.

Click HERE to discover more abut ‘Babe Please Set Your Alarm’ - The Cinelli Brothers

I don’t know if you know it, but I have learned a lot from you by watching you mixing my works. You sort of opened the gates for me to become an engineer myself, and a better producer. I owe you a lot, if you allow me saying that. Then I took my own path and developed my style. Can you hear though in my mixes a hint of your techniques?

I'm glad about that, it makes me happy. I noticed giant steps in your audio skills during the last years and your production right now is very high-quality.

Thanks Nick. I am just a guitar player…:)
I hate to mix guitars, maybe because guitar is my main instrument. Instead I love mixing drums. Do you hate mixing the bass guitar (lol)? What’s your favourite instrument to mix or engineer?

Really, You hate mixing guitars? it doesn't show in your productions though, they sound just right.

No, there is nothing I hate to mix. Each element has its own space and role inside a track. Maybe I put particular attention to vocals, just because the lyrics tell a story and you have to emphasize that with creating different ambiences and effects throughout the song, and they generally need more volume automation than other instruments. I love recording drums and piano, just because i love the sound of it.

Sponsored: What do you think about the Blues Backing tracks for musicians released by the Cinelli Brothers?

I think it's a great product, very useful. I sometimes use backing tracks to practice bass and I played on one of yours a few days ago just to try some new pickups that I installed on one of my old bass guitars. I love the way you can exclude single instruments just by muting right or left channel. And they sound awesome, good job on that!

I’m pleased to hear that, thank you.
Tell me one thing, what’s wrong with the modern sound (kidding)?

Nothing particularly wrong, times change and so does sound, accordingly. Only thing I wish for, is a bit more attention to detail, dynamics and depth in favour of sheer volume.

Now you ask me a question, blanc page.

You and your brother are an example of commitment to chasing a dream, and you seem to be succeeding at it. It's not easy, especially in Europe, to make a living making and playing a music that cannot be defined mainstream. How much someone wanting to pursue a similar career has to sacrifice of his personal life (meaning family time, love life, living away from home, the uncertainty of an income)? What's your biggest piece of advice for this someone based on your trials and errors of the past?

Also, do you consider playing Blues music a conservation effort or can it be a modern and living musical reality?

Wow, I’m regretting that I let you ask now…
I see people around my brother and I that always encourage our devotion by praising the persistence we have. I love that encouragement, don’t get me wrong. I have never thought much about the commitments and the sacrifices, because for me it has been very natural, spontaneous. I cannot see a reality different than the one I live in. I live for the music, day and night. I don’t even think about it anymore. I wake up, make music, go to bed. The rest it’s just details for my spare time.
The Blues is the best miracle in music. Nothing thrills me like the Blues. I love the Blues and the Blues hates me, like it outta be. I think if you play it right, people of all ages will appreciate it. You are never out of contest with the Blues.

Now, back to the interview. In the production process, better to leave a mistake, a false note, a buzzing background or to clean everything if the client didn’t specify?

In my opinion everything that builds a track has to have a meaning, otherwise I tend to take it out. By this I mean that if a mistake or a background noise makes me connect emotionally with the song and the people that are playing it, I leave it in. I recently recorded a piano music album in which I intentionally left in all the mechanical noise of the moving piano parts and since if was quite softly played you could hear steps on the floor and the artist breathing and that created a very intimate setting for the listener. It shortened the gap from product to experience. Anything that is just ugly and distracting, I will correct it or take it out.

Please, name one colleague in Italy or abroad that you would recommend to a client in case you are too busy to accept a work.

I am never too busy to work!

Please, give a tip to young engineers that are starting their career.

I don't think I am wise or expert enough to give advices but I can say something about how I keep my learning process going...
I think being obsessed by music of every genre is the secret ingredient, this means that every working day turns into a day doing the thing you like. I remember the great producer Dave Cobb, which I had the pleasure to assist during the recording of an album, saying the it doesn't ever have to feel like work and I think that really is the biggest secret to it.

Also, be curious about gear, try to get an assisting job in a real recording studio if you can and learn how gear responds to real life recording situations, not only audio gear but instruments, amplifiers, effects; this will give you a blueprint of what you are gonna replicate in the digital realm of your DAW, learn where tone lies and you can recall when you need it.

Also be careful of Youtube tutorials. If you want to follow tutorials you have great tools at your disposal, websites like Puremix., mixing with the masters and many others where for a small price you can follow step by step top level engineers going through entire mixing and recording sessions.

Please give a tip to the Cinelli Brothers.

I don't know Marco, it seems you guys are doing all the right steps, my only tip is keep going as you are doing and stay strong during this difficult period worldwide. We need more records from you!

…and I hope to make them with you. Most inspiring engineer ever?

Bill Putnam, just because he is the father of the modern sound studio, which then translated into the softwares we use everyday on our computers.

Bill was a genius enlightened music producer which career started in the early 1940's and he brought us tools that shaped music like The mixing desk itself, reverberation, many different compressors that still get used and replicated by manufacturers today and other important stuff.

He is an example of dedication and an inspiration to push the boundaries of your working environment. Just because it's a highly technical work, doesn't mean that creativity can come as helping hand.

Most inspiring artist ever? In music or art in general.

I'll name 2 of them: Les Paul and Brian Eno.

Better to have a ’59 Les Paul or a dinner in a starred restaurant in good company?

Obviously a dinner with you at Osteria Francescana in Modena then we can talk about how cool a '59 LP sounds.

Deal, it’s on you!
Thank you for your time, and good luck with everything.

It has been a pleasure answering your questions.

To discover more about Nick Foglia, please visit: nickfoglia.com