19/01/2014

Interview with David Perreau, Jarre’s sound engineer (17 January 2014)


- First of all we would to know more about mastering. Related to JEAN MICHEL JARRE, what is exactly your work?

Well, my work is to optimise the sound sedign of the sound mix that did JMJ, to optimise the loudness witch is an very important key, and to increase and optime warmless, deepness on the sound.

- How did you meet JARRE?


I met him just after the mix he did for Geometry of love. After the mix he did, he tried 2 different mastering studios, and he was not happy with the result. Joachim Garraud witch was working with Jean Michel and me told to Jean Michel to call me to do a try:)

- Your collaboration with JEAN MICHEL JARRE began in 20043 with “Geometry of Love”, and a year later in “AERO” with a great mastering of “the first album recorded note by note in 5.1”: “AERO”. Tell us more about this special mastering.

Aero was a big challenge, because JM mixed everything in 5.1, so the challende was to adapt he porcessor we were using for stéreo to 5.1! The processor we were using had an algorythm dedicad for the Jean Michel! I was working with the US Omnia audio company for many years, and we decided to adpat 3 porcessors to mastered 5.1!One year working on that before the validation!

- “Aero” comes in two different sound formats, 2.0 stereo and Dolby 5.1. Did you have to make two different masterings?

Yes the 2.0 was realized with the original Processor with its dedicated algorithm, and the 5.1 with the custum processor that we realized during one year! A new algorithm had been developped too, because loudness and perception in 5.1 for listeners is very different that Stéréo.

- You also made the remastering of the tracks included in “Rarities” compilation. We know this was a hard work, because you used the old original tapes. I mean those tapes were the original masters or the separate tracks of each song?

Separate track, we did a dedicated mastering for each track!

- Some of them are 40 years old. In what conditions were those tapes?

Tapes conditions were good, but because you need to increase a lot of loundness, and because yo want to create someting more “warm” and because the processor chain had a lot of power, denoïsing had been a lot of work:)

- Did you mastered more tracks out of “Rarities” final tracklist?
I don’t remember.

- Which was the most difficult challenge to overcome with the remastering of “Rarities”?

Denoïsing, because it is a big compromise between cancelling hiss, and creating bad artifacts. After this point OK, you can start work be our dedicated and custum processor:)

- Are you mastering the works for Jarre in his Bougival studio? What gear have JMJ for this comminment?

Yes for 5.1 and 2.0, it had been always realized in Bougival. We always work with Jean Michel with the direct multi track output instead of bounce mix. With that we can move some level on some tracks to improve and optimise better the final mastering!

- Did JARRE mentioned any intentions of remastering “Deserted Palace” complete album?

Not yet.


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