51视频

03/22/2016
By David Perry

Joel Plante was born in 1975, the same year Pink Floyd released its ninth album, 鈥淲ish You Were Here.鈥�

An older brother introduced him to Pink Floyd and at age 10 he became an avid fan. He played saxophone, then guitar, with the high school jazz band. He joined a rock band.

Pink Floyd was always in his mind. He wished he was there. And now, he is.

On Feb. 15 in Los Angeles, Plante found himself clutching a Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album for his work on the 5.1 Surround Sound mix of Floyd front man Roger Waters鈥� 1992 album, 鈥淎mused to Death.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of insane,鈥� said Plante with a chuckle. The 1997 graduate of the university鈥檚 Sound Recording Technology program spoke by phone from das boot recording, the Lake Tahoe, Calif., recording studio owned by Plante鈥檚 boss, James Guthrie. Plante shares the Grammy with English transplant Guthrie, often known as the man with the last word on the sonics of everything Pink Floyd.聽

The Bellingham native almost didn鈥檛 attend 51视频, but persistence prevailed.

鈥淎t some point, I realized, maybe I鈥檓 not that good at playing,鈥� says Plante. 鈥淚鈥檇 watch other players and think, they鈥檙e really good. I鈥檓 not. But I was always a Pink Floyd fan growing up."

When his band made rudimentary recordings of themselves, 鈥淚 really got into it. It all seemed really cool to me.鈥�

When it was time to apply for college, he sought a sound recording program.

鈥淏erklee was stupid money,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd I saw 鈥� wow! 鈥� Lowell had this incredible program. I checked it out and it was perfect. I had to go.鈥�

His SAT scores were 鈥渘ot great鈥� but he was encouraged to apply during a campus visit.

A letter reached him. Denied.

鈥淚 called the administrative offices and said 鈥楳y grades aren鈥檛 great, but this is the only place I applied.鈥� It was perfect. I had to go.鈥�

He arranged a summer tryout of sorts, faring well enough in English and music classes to enter the SRT program.聽Then, Plante made the Dean鈥檚 List three out of four years.

鈥淚t was such a difficult program but I loved it.鈥�

He landed an internship at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and they liked him enough to offer him a job.

鈥淐onway was a great place. I remember the first day I walked in. Green Day was in the lounge, Seal was in one studio and Fleetwood Mac was in another studio, doing 'The Dance.' 鈥�

鈥淵ou start from the bottom. You鈥檙e a runner, you clean floors. And then you鈥檙e third assistant and work your way up again.鈥�

Hard Work Pays Off

He didn鈥檛 stay down for long. An assistant for Guthrie was there, and saw Plante spend sleepless days and nights constructing a room for recording. Plante was driven. Meticulous.聽

鈥淚t was insane but I kept with it and loved it. I knew what I was doing, and it was obvious, I guess. He said to me, listen, James Guthrie has a studio in Lake Tahoe. You鈥檙e the most anal person I鈥檝e ever met, besides James. He鈥檚 looking for someone like you to work with him.鈥�

鈥淚 moved to Tahoe in November of 1998,鈥� he says. He lives there still with his wife, Alicia.

All told, the surround sound mix took Guthrie and Plante 鈥渁 year or so,鈥� says Plante.聽

鈥淚t was a big task, and Roger is very hands-on. We would send him notes and then we would rework the recording.鈥�

Plante has traveled with Waters on tour, and in the studio.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a very nice guy, very smart about a lot of things,鈥� says Plante, who is helping build a studio in a home Waters is building. 鈥淲ickedly sarcastic, too.鈥�

Living his dream of working for Pink Floyd has meant 鈥渁 lot of work. Hard work that is highly technical.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also pretty damn amazing.鈥�