From pop icons to pristine sound - with Michel Gallone

Michel Gallone is a producer and engineer whose storied career has taken him from his early days as a student in Florida, to the professional studios of London, Paris and Montreux - most notably as a longtime collaborator with legendary producer, Mutt Lange. With credits on major projects for artists including Shania Twain and Céline Dion, his work spans the worlds of pop, classical, and also film.

Gallone recently spoke with Headliner about the lessons he learned under Mutt’s meticulous eye, how vibe and emotion are key to his workflow, and why he still reaches for Merging Technologies when transparency is everything…

Can you tell us about your early life and how you found yourself in the music industry?

I have always been into music and music production since a very young age. After graduating from Full Sail University in Florida, I worked in France and the UK as a recording and mixing engineer in recording studios and post-production facilities, including Nomis Studios in London and Teletota in Paris. I then moved back to Switzerland (Montreux) and I started working for multi-platinum music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange on projects with international artists like Shania Twain, Céline Dion, Bryan Adams and Britney Spears.

What was that experience like, and do you have a favourite studio memory from those sessions?

Working with Mutt Lange was extremely interesting and very formative. Mutt is extremely precise in his approach to music production - meticulous in a way that I had never experienced at that point. Also, technologically, Mutt always demanded the best and the latest in technical equipment. Working with him challenged me every day and made me learn more than ever in technology and music production.

I have a few great memories. I was impressed by the speed at which Britney Spears learned a song, music and lyrics. Mutt sang a song to her once, and she learned it instantly just by listening. She wasn't even 18 at the time. Andrea Corr of The Corrs had one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. I was in awe. And, Bryan Adams was not only an extremely talented songwriter and singer, but also such a funny and positive guy.

You’ve worked in major studios around the world - what makes you reach for Merging Technologies’ products specifically, and in what kind of situations?

When working with Mutt Lange around 2001, we tested Merging Pyramix with my colleagues Kevin Churko and Richard Meyer. We - and Mutt himself - were extremely impressed by the audio quality of the converters, which were surpassing all other equipment. At that time, we were so used to Pro Tools that a switch to Pyramix was difficult to imagine, especially as the converters weren’t available independently from the software yet.

I’ve been using Merging converters since 2012 to record classical music albums for pianists Elizabeth Sombart and Philippe Entremont, and I’m consistently impressed by the audio transparency. I’ve also worked as a producer and coordinator on many recordings at Abbey Road Studios and other venues with Elizabeth Sombart and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with recordings captured by Arne Aksleberg using Merging converters and software exclusively. The sound quality is incredible.

What does your typical studio setup look like these days? Have those preferences evolved much over your career?

My DAW is mostly Pro Tools and Logic Audio for music composition. It’s been that way for over 25 years. I keep up to date with what’s new, but I haven’t seen a reason to change my workflow. I’ve been using Merging Horus, DAD and Prism Sound interfaces lately. They all have slightly different audio characters, but they’re very high quality. For monitoring, I use Neumann KH 420s - they’re impressive in terms of musicality and usability for all kinds of music. And lately, I’ve been exploring Audio over IP (AoIP). I’m cautious about how it affects sonic purity, but I enjoy experimenting.

There’s always a debate between character vs. clarity when it comes to gear. Where do you fall on that spectrum?

Some people enjoy equipment with strong analog emulation. Personally, I use external summing (Dangerous Music 2BUS+), and sometimes insert analog outboard. But when it comes to sound interfaces, I prefer high fidelity and transparency, and Merging’s Horus converters are at the top of the league in my experience. I believe that vibe and emotion are extremely important. In pop music, mid-range equipment is often enough; musical direction is the most important asset. But combining that with high-end gear can really make a difference in the final result.

How do you balance technology with creative intuition when you're working on a project?

I always think about what I, and the people I work with, want to achieve in the final product. Once a record is out, it’s there to stay. We don’t want to have regrets about what we could have done better. So I take everything into account: musical direction, making the artist comfortable, and using the available technology to get the best result possible.

AI makes me both cautious and excited. We don’t yet know how much it will take over. Even in the worst-case scenario where AI replaces our knowledge and jobs, I still believe there will always be a place for authentic human creation, because people will get tired of AI being everywhere. I hope I’m right.