Jesse Ray Ernster recounts how he was able to mix Burna Boy’s sixth studio album ‘Twice As Tall’ whilst moving between Airbnbs in LA.
“There was a big difference between the two albums both in workflow and approach,” explained Ernster in an interview with Sound on Sound magazine. Having gained Burna Boy’s trust with his work on ‘African Giant’, he was given access to the unprocessed stems and raw vocal this time around, free to treat them as he saw fit. However, this increased freedom was not the only factor that altered Ernster’s process this time around.
Prevented from traveling by the COVID-19 pandemic and unable to work from his studio due to renovations, Ernster was forced to move between Airbnbs in LA, armed with only a MacBook Pro and some Airpods at his disposal. It was these setbacks that forever changed his workflow.
Utilising the LISTENTO plugin and remote desktop technology, he was able to tap into his studio set-up, sending the mixes to himself and working on them remotely. Even whilst isolating in Lagos, Burna Boy was able to listen in and give real-time feedback from across the globe, without the expense of a costly flight to LA.
“I worked on my 10-year-old MacBook Pro and AirPods, connecting via Remote Desktop to my Mac tower in my studio, using AudioMovers to send the session to myself. I used my phone to load the AudioMovers link to my laptop and AirPods.”
Ernster is no longer bound by geographical location. He and his team continue to use the software in this way to this day, working with established artists such as Doja Cat, Tyga and Kanye West and quickly making his mark in LA.
Check out the full Sound on Sound article for an in-depth breakdown into each aspect of the tracks.
