Andraé Crouch: The Digital Gospel
When it comes to recording live riffs and licks, Crouch and Wittau use Logic Pro with ProTools HD hardware. “You can go in and record right away,” says Wittau. “We just plug into the HD unit and route that through Logic and we can record.” Wittau often uses built-in compressors or effects to augment the recorded tracks. “I really like the compressors, the relays and the stereo delays,” she says. “And there is so much more you can do with filters — you don’t have to buy any plug-ins because there are so many in Logic.”
Sonorous vocals are critical for Crouch and Wittau’s music. Both vocalists love clean, natural tracks. When they record with Logic Pro, they’re sure to get them. “I found that I can use the built-in reverbs and delays to great effect,” says Wittau. “Many other programs and even outboard gear can change the voice too much. The effects in Logic are very clean and they don’t change the voice or make it sound electronic at all.”
Electric Sermon
Crouch is a preacher, and preachers love to teach. In the section of the church that he transformed into a studio/theater, Crouch plans to teach kids about music making and recording. And when they’ve learned enough, they’ll get to perform and record in the space. “Most of these kids have never been to a professional studio,” says Crouch. “We’re going to teach these kids to run Logic and all this gear. They’re going to record their own tracks and learn how the pros work. It’s going to be great because we have some brilliant kids who already know computers like the backs of their hands and they want to make music, but they haven’t put the two together.”
The preacher will ask recording engineers and production specialists to teach the classes. “It’s a new day and we’re going to give our kids a real opportunity to learn and compete with the best,” says Crouch. “We want them to learn Logic to do that.” Having the skills to lay down a track can get your foot in the door, but promotion can make or break a career. Crouch also plans to teach his students how to plug their work, from sketching flyers and brochures to creating cover artwork. “We’ll teach them how to do all that on the Mac,” he says. “It’ll be easy for them to learn and they’ll really be able to get their music out there.”
Even if his students don’t decide to pursue careers in the music industry, their skills will still be appreciated. Music, after all, is key to teaching the gospel at Crouch’s church. “We want to make good music and sing it and play it for the world,” he says. “We don’t want anything but excellence and we’ll get it with Apple and Logic Pro.”
Mighty Future
Last year Crouch released the album “Mighty Wind,” a 40th anniversary LP that featured Marvin Winans, Crystal Lewis, Karen Clark Sheard, Lauren Evans and more. It was a huge album and pushed the maestro’s total LP count past 30. But Crouch isn’t even close to retirement. He’s currently working on a new project with singer Tata Vega. The release promises to be eclectic. “I just record a whole lot of stuff and choose what is unique,” he says. “I couldn’t tell you what the overall style is going to be like.”
Andraé Crouch.
Crouch does plan to take a more intimate approach to the new album. “I love the intimacy of Paul Simon, bringing the lead vocal really close,” he says. “I’ll do some songs with an acoustic guitar player and a bass, that’s all.” Other tracks will be a mixture of live instruments and sequenced Logic Pro instruments. “Three-quarters of it will be done with live instrumentation, but the rest will be coming right out of Logic,” he says.
All the myriad methods and tools will ultimately be used to make the kind of music Crouch is known for. “I want to make music that beats to the rhythm of your heart,” he says. “Music that sounds sweet like the wind blowing in the evening, that feels as close as a mother’s heartbeat. That’s the kind of music I’m going to make.”
