Hanan Rubinstein is an in-demand sound engineer, producer, vocal coach and a true multi-instrumentalist. Hanan, together with his business partner, songwriter and producer Ben Hyman, own Daxxit Music, a multifaceted music production company, and Daxxit Sound Studios.
From stage to studio, Hanan is renown for his work with Alicia Keys, Adam Blackstone/BBE, Jeff Richmond and J.Cole. His other credits include a bevy of industry leading artists such as Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, Sara Bareilles, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Ellie Goulding, Lenny Kravitz, Nick Jonas, Pharrell Williams and many others.
How long have you been in music production?
HR: I started recording demos for all the neighborhood bands in my parents’ basement when I was in high school in the late 90’s. They were shitty, but I worked really hard at doing the best job I could… it counts, right?
What drove or inspired you into the world of music production?
HR: In my first few, very early “real” recording sessions, I discovered that I had a difficult time communicating what I wanted to hear. I had no idea how to describe or achieve the sounds I wanted to come out of the speakers. In pursuit of learning how to better articulate my wishes to the sound engineer, I accidentally fell in love with the process of recording and mixing and eventually became the sound engineer.
Where did you first learn about or experience Chandler Limited gear?
HR: Chung King Studios in New York. They had a TG1 and someone told me to try it on the drum room mics. It was game over after that.
What Chandler Limited gear do you own?
HR: We have a pair of the Redd.47 Mic Amplifiers and a pair of the TG2 Pre Amp/DIs; I wish I had 8 more of each. I also have a TG1 Limiter and a Curve Bender EQ. Even though I own a Fairchild, I still fantasize about the RS660 and think I should have a pair, am I right?
What is it that you like about Chandler Limited gear?
HR: Chandler has managed to hit the perfect spot on the vintage vs modern spectrum. It’s never too much of either. No matter what I’m working on, chandler gear always brings something delicious. My only problem with the chandler stuff is that I don’t have enough of it!
What, where and why...
Let’s get to the gear, tell us what Chandler gear you’re using, which sources and more importantly, the reasons for your sonic choices.
REDD.47 Mic Amplifier, x Two
Where: Listen to “The Medium Time” By Sara Bareilles, from “Girls5Eva”. The piano is basically 2 Gefell CMV563’s into the Redd mic pres. Not Much else. …we also used the REDD.47s on this track for Kick and Snare close mics; again, without much else.
Why: I wanted the piano to feel older but also high fidelity at the same time. I also wanted punch and some aggression without losing its lush feel; the Redd.47 is PERFECTION for this task. I always love the interplay between the gain and the output level on these preamps because they allow me to color things the way I imagine them. Some board EQ and light compression and that’s the piano sound basically; the REDDs do the heavy lifting.
Where: The best vocal mic pre ever, guitars too; I can’t go wrong with this one for anything TBH. Every vocal on the new Mean Girls movie was recorded with the TG2 mic pre. Listen to Reneé Rapp sing “Someone gets hurt.”
Why: This mic pre (TG2 Pre-Amp/DI) manages to make everything sound bigger and bolder. I decided to record all the vocals for this movie with our U87, because I knew I could find one anywhere in case we needed to do ADR in other studios— which we did. The U87 is great for certain singers, but I find it sometimes unpleasant when pushed hard. That wasn’t an issue with it going through the TG2. It was the perfect companion, as it somehow rounded off all the usual midrange harshness I associate with pushing an 87 too hard.
Where: Listen to “Kerosene” by Sean McVerry; I love this song. The entire mix is going through the Curve Bender EQ. Listen to how beautifully it compliments the shifts between the different sections. The thundering low end on the big sections felt incomplete until I patched in the Curve Bender, suddenly, it sounded “like a record.”
Why: The Curve Bender might as well get soldered to my mix bus, it always ends up back there; there’s truly nothing like it. Even when I dig heavily into it, like I did in this song, it manages to sound natural…I don’t know how you did that. But you only realize the greatness of this unit once you bypass it and immediately hate the song you’re working on.
Where: “Crooked Smile” by J.Cole Feat TLC, the piano is recorded through the TG1.
Why: We had a very beautiful, but not too forward sounding Steinway B. I needed the piano to punch really hard through the mix, without making it feel small. Somehow it was getting lost behind the programming, so I patched in the TG1 in limit mode and on first position and gently kissed the meters…Game over. We had a piano that was proud and centered. This unit is great for so many other tasks beyond smashing room mics in the best way possible.
To learn more about Hanan Rubinstein, Daxxit Sound Studios, Daxxit Music and his Chandler Limited gear visit— https://daxxitmusic.com/ or follow @hananmusic or @daxxitmusic on Instagram.
