MCB Interviews Luke Sullivant
"Most of the time as a studio guitarist, it's about trying to improve on a proven sound," says Nashville based guitarist Luke Sullivant. "I'm a sponge when it comes to listening...I have a mental catalog of guitar tones by the decade."
Growing up in the Kansas City music scene prepared Sullivant for a diverse world of studio work. Learning from legendary jazz musicians is an advantage when reading charts, creating tasteful solos and finding those perfect chord voicings.
Working with engineers like Russ Long, Ben Fowler, and Bryan Lenox has taught Sullivant the best signal chains for the desired effect. In the A-list studio world, a good guitar tone is the tone that fits. "I'm always thinking about how a certain guitar tone or mic placement sits in the mix of the track," Sullivant explains. "I take great care to develop the appropriate sound for each song. I feel very privileged to do this for a living."
Many of the tracks Sullivant receives contain a basic scratch vocal with a single instrument. "Once I import the track, I make sure everything is locked up to the click, and away I go. If there is no drums on the mix I may run a drum loop to give myself more of a 'feel' to record to."
Clear arrangements and musical references help to execute a quick turn-around for the client. "Half of the work I get needs 2 guitar tracks, and half will need 8 or 9 layered guitars parts," says Sullivant. "It's like I am the producer for the guitar tracks. I use my experience to help the producer look good."
Recording Setup:
"I carved out about 1000 sq.ft. in my basement where I have a control room and tracking room (amp closets etc...) I use a custom built pc, Cubase 5 and RME converters. When tracking true stereo, I'll either mic two cabs, or run one cab through a pre, then through my stereo effects and into the DAW. On acoustics I use the Studio Projects C1 quite a bit. I find that it has great high frequency response without any harshness. I like to use 57s on acoustic too for real dry, woody tones. I usually add a little EQ or compression using my UAD card plugins, or the Waves API plugins."
Guitar tones on file:
John Mayer, Keith Urban, Jerry McPherson, Tom Bukovac, Dan Huff, Tim Pierce, Pete Townsend, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Page, Van Morrison, Mike Landau, Wes Montgomery, Dean Parks, Sting/Police (Dominic Miller), Coldplay, U2, Radiohead, Korn, Paul Jackson Jr., Motown (Funk Bros.), James Brown, Lyle Workman, Prince, Chet Atkins, Steve Lukather, Jack White, Van Halen, Buddy Miller, The Strokes, No Doubt, The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Marley, Black Eyed Peas, The Roots, Sara Bareilles, James Taylor, Jack Johnson, My Chemical Romance, Seabear, Phoenix, Sondre Lerche, Kings of Leon, Madeline Peyroux, Norah Jones, Corrine Bailey Ray, Raphael Saddiq
Artists Luke has worked with:
Michael W. Smith, Sara Groves, Matt Wertz, Mandisa, Nicole C. Mullen, Kirk Whalum, Stars Go Dim, Kendall Payne, Tommy Sims, B.Reith
What's Next:
"In 2010-11 I've been teaming up with Daniel Kinner and Lester Estelle (drums), Jacob Lowery (bass), and Ronald Rawls (keys) as a production team here in Nashville. Sonically, this is the best sounding stuff I've ever been apart of. We recently wrapped up a project for indie-artist Bryan Pound, and I think it sounds fabulous."