Name: David Baron
Nationality: American
Occupation: Producer, songwriter, composer, arranger
Recent release: David Baron 's The ARP 2500 LP is out November 17th 2023 via Here & Now.
Recommendations: The film Ashes and Snow by Gregory Colbert. I am working with him now on the follow up. He explores the relationship between animals and humans in a very poetic way.
I love books, both non-fiction and fiction. I loved The Order of Time. It got me thinking differently about the nature of time. I explore that on my Arp 2500 record.

[Read our David Baron interview about the Arp 2500]

If you enjoyed this David Baron interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Facebook.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in not just becoming a songwriter and instrumentalist, but a producer as well?

Production is about overview. It draws everything together. It took me a long time to become a decent producer.

I produced music all my career, but became better at making decisions efficiently. My taste evolved as well. I also became more open minded. Less judgmental. More willing to follow the muse.

Your biography states, “the marriage between classical music and technology became the groundwork” for your work. In which way?

I studied classical music and it gave me a foundation for thinking. Technology gave us the means to extend our notions of form / content / musicianship further.

I imagine AI will help or maybe take over! I hope not.

In 2000, you partnered up with Lenny Kravitz and Henry Hirsch for Edison Studios. What were some of the motivations for the hybrid nature of that studio and what do you love about a vintage sound? What do you still remember about that time and the studio?

I love vintage recording and instruments. Henry was the engineering side of Lenny’s world - Lenny obviously the music side -  it was a good fit.

I remember Lenny teaching me a lot about letting go of notions of perfection. Feel is so important. Henry taught me a lot about how to get sounds.

I remember laughing a lot with them. Lenny is one of the most fun people to make music with. He is still a great friend.

I was always under the impression that for Lenny, the vintage sound went hand in hand with a specific historic era and approach to songwriting and production. What is that like for you?

Lenny really wanted to capture the magic of records and artists he loved. I was more intrigued by using bits and pieces of colors in compositions.

I was less “pop” oriented in those days. I am definitely more pop music these days. I like hit records and want to make them.

You've described a magical studio session with Lenny Kravitz where you “nailed“ the song “Here to Love“ on a first take. Do you think there is something to the tension of the all-analog studio situation? How important is the performance and the moment of the song in the studio still in an age where so much can be done in post?

I believe fully in performance. I think the endless editing and monkeying around can make wonderful records - but it’s not what I want to do.



My production philosophy is to create a situation where the performance is so powerful that you leave the realness.

I like the imperfections and creaks and cracks of instruments. I like using imperfect instruments.

Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I work a lot in the art world. I have been working on a long term audiovisual project with the artist Gregory Colbert. Image / art / philosophy all inspire me.

I am also frequently inspired by things I hear or see. It can be a film or a song. Anything can inspire if you are open.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I keep notebooks of ideas. I make very basic audio recordings on my iPhone for later reference.

I do not do demos. Once I am in recording mode - I’m recording for real.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Coffee for sure. A lot of it is also social for me. I need to spend time with the people I create with.

When you're working with artists over a longer period of time, as you've done for the Lumineers, for example, is it a good thing or a danger of no longer being a true outsider? What are the benefits or downsides of blurred borders in the artist-producer relationship?

I think it only gets better with time. George Martin’s best work with the Beatles came after both the band and producer grew together. I think it’s how to create the best work.

Look at Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. The Wiz was just the start. They had to know each other to create the legendary stuff.



[Read our Lumineers interview]

What does a producer add to the creative process would you say? How much should they add?

I am more of an arranger/producer so I think I contribute a lot of music to the records I work on. I am less of a Rick Rubin guru type, which I believe is more philosophy than music - but that is certainly valid too. I think a producer should add exactly what’s needed for the specific artist. That will change in every situation.

I also like to marry the audio design to the arrangement. I like doing as much of the process as I can. Tracking drums through a cheap dynamic mic and old 1962 compressor is going to feel a certain way.

Every decision affects every other. It is all interconnected.

Many artists have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I do not keep strict control at all. I want it to be a process of discovery. It makes it very exciting. You never quite know.

I have heard that every idea takes approximately seven minutes to explore. So, why not try things out? Get inspired.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you and the artists you're working with, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I love this. I think the studio is a remarkable place for artistic growth. If you have the right team, anything can happen! You can find the magic.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?  

Everything is important. The song is probably the most important. Next is the vocal. The intent and the sound of the vocal is probably the single largest decider of what can really work. You have to nail that.

And engineering, mix arrangement are all places where taste is super important. I dislike generic engineering. I don’t believe there is one ‘right way’ to do anything. Try stuff. Be experimental. If it sounds good: it is good.

About Meghan Trainor's “All About That Bass,“ you wrote: “My close friend and frequent collaborator, Kevin Kadish, sent me the basics of ‘All About That Bass’ one morning. He said “play anything you hear” and I added some upright piano, saxophones, and organ.” What is interesting to me in your account is the trust of another producer to ask you for your personal input, whatever it might be - without any directions. Tell me about the importance of trust, personal relationships and freedom – rather than gear, technique or “chops” - for a great song.

I know Kevin like a brother. I speak to him multiple times every day. We like a lot of the same music. He is more pop than I am. But that’s good.

I learn from him and I think he learns from me. Our musical lock comes from friendship.



Your work includes a wide range of music related work, some functional others extremely personal, some in support of others, some as expressions of your own creativity. After so many years of experience, would you say each of them is a unique and separate thing – or does everything ultimately flow from the same source?

Everything comes from the same source. I love it all. I need to do it all.

I want to make as much music as I can. I want to leave the world a better place.