Inside The Recording Sessions of ‘Spinal Tap II,’ Part 2

15/10/2025 2

Vanston: We recorded everything to analog, but I wanted it to have a modern sound, so once we were done recording, we transferred everything to Pro Tools.

Genewick: From that point on we were 100% in the box—96k, 32-bit. There were a few moments where we had to go back and recut a vocal because it wasn’t David enough or didn’t sound like Derek sounds. It wasn’t that it was a bad vocal; we just needed more of the accent. The playing sometimes, too; we all know Nigel solos are loud and obnoxious and crazy, and if it wasn’t that, it wasn’t a Nigel solo and had to be redone.

Vanston: I think we spent a week with Nigel and his pedals. He’s crazy about his pedals. By the way, Rolling Stone had an article on the greatest guitar players of all time. Number 100: Nigel Tufnel.

The speaker cab, in an iso booth, was miked with a Royer Labs R-121 and a Shure SM57. Photo: KarmanV.

Genewick: I had two mics on the guitars: a Royer ribbon and a 57. We had every intention of changing amps every song, and we ended up not doing that because the amps we had—the little Marshalls and the Spinal Tap version that goes to 11—sounded amazing.

The Marshall amp that goes to 11 was in heavy rotation during tracking. Photo: KarmanV.

KamranV: Russ Kunkel used Didi’s kit, and they didn’t have to change drums or anything.

Genewick: It was for “Flower People.” He brought his sticks, adjusted the stool and we cut the track in one or two passes. Russell played on the original, and that’s a song the guys have played a million times.

An AKG 414 on the floor tom. Photo: KarmanV.

Vanston: We moved up to Studio F, which has an Avid S6, to mix. I don’t know how guys mix on an analog console; I have to have total recall on everything I touch when we mix.

Besides producing, Vanston also handled arrangements, played keyboards and served as musical director on the project. Here, his keyboard/ production setup in the Village Studio D. Photo: KarmanV. — CJ Vanston on the set in New Orleans for the Elton John performance of “Stonehenge.” Photo: KarmanV.

Genewick: We mixed on the S6—that way, I could keep working if I had to, because I could just bring it back to my place. I would say mixing probably took three or four weeks, but over the course of six weeks. In the mixing process, sometimes something might need to be over the top, like the weird guitar chord that comes out of left field because it’s supporting this odd lyric—it’s got to be really loud. It’s like making a cartoon.

Vanston: I can’t say enough good things about Steve. I had Steve prep everything—take the leakage off the toms; fix this or that up—then I would show up and say, “Give me the lead guitar, give me the lead vocal.” He’d put it on a fader, and I’d ride that. I would do all the fine-tuning of the mixes.

Genewick: It was the two of us at the console. CJ’s very hands-on as a producer because he’s also a very good mixer.

A week or two before we were scheduled to start tracking the album, we were asked to mix the live music for the film. There are also some scenes in a rehearsal room, and the last part of the film is a medley of concert footage. All that had to be mixed in 5.1. I started it at my place; I have a full Atmos room. We sent our stems to the dubbing stage, and CJ and I went to the dub to make sure that it all went in fine, which it did. As we were recording, I had Atmos in the back of my mind, especially when we got to the keyboard overdubs. I finished the album’s Atmos mixes a month ago.