￥We’re thrilled to release our first ever series with producer and engineer Kieron Menzies! This four-part instalment explores the creative process behind Lana Del Rey’s 2015 single ‘High by the Beach’. Kieron recounts the journey of writing, producing, and mixing the record, which entailed collaboration with Lana, songwriter Rick Nowels, and other musicians. He explains how he took the artist’s vision into account and aimed to sonically translate it through a hazy, lo-fi aesthetic that fuses hip-hop and psychedelic traits. You’ll learn how he programmed beats and bass lines, tracked vocals, arranged parts, and used a variety of creative mixing techniques to craft the distinctive sound of ‘Honeymoon’, the album. Aside from focussing on this project, Menzies covers his hybrid setup, compares analog and digital summing, and shares his philosophy on being innovative while staying loyal to a concept.

 

PART 1
Vocal tracking, effects, reverse, pitch-shift, EQ, dynamics, throws, doubles, tone
progression

 

PART 2
Lo-fi aesthetic, saturation, compression, bit-crushing, delay, filtering, organ, flute, dulcitone

 

PART 3
Vocal tracking, effects, reverse, pitch-shift, EQ, dynamics, throws, doubles, tone
progression

 

PART 4
Project stages, analog vs. digital summing, mix compression, album concept, artist mindset