Luis Resto

The main man for Hip Hop

 

Luis Resto started his career as a keyboardist, but soon became one of the most successful Hip Hop producers in the biz. Among his credits are Eminem (he won the Oscar for co-writing Lose Yourself), The Game, 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur.

 

Which records are among your credits and how have they been recorded?

50 Cent's The Massacre, D-12 song for Adam Sandler's remake of The Longest Yard, Bizarre's solo project (he's a member of D-12), Eminem's Encore, Tupac Shakur's Loyal to the Game. All have been recorded on Pro Tools at 54-Sound in Michigan for the most part.

 

Did you use Melodyne on these projects? In which songs, in which particular moment?

Yes. On 50 Cent's Gatman and Robin there were quite a few doubles on both Marshall's and 50's verses that we tweaked to have them blend better. Bizarre's solo project had some hooks we needed to define a bit melodically.

On the Tupac Shakur song Don't You Trust Me featuring Dido we melodically re-formed his sung line "...don't know if I can trust you" to answer Dido.

 

How did Melodyne change the way you work with audio files?

I don't give a second thought as to whether a given line can be properly tuned without a hint of vocal or instrumental character alteration. More importantly than "correct" tuning however is the mindset that anything is possible with a given melodic line or a hint of a line. I am able to take any idea that the artist has and manipulate audio to reflect that. It is fantastic.

 

How is your workflow with Melodyne?

The latest version is especially impressive. I believe the new pitch detection algorithms and pitch deviation tools are better and allow even more leeway in tolerance of the input signal.

With MelodyneBridge implemented inside Pro Tools it is very smooth and intuitive to go between the two programs (Pro Tools and Melodyne) working and comparing the tweaks inside the session without having to import/export the files.

 

What do you like especially about Melodyne?

I especially like that Melodyne is virtually transparent in its usage. I don't really use it for perfection, I use it for ideas. It's ability to straddle absolute perfection if you want that and leave human imperfection to whatever degree you deem appropriate per song is what has bowled me over. I can manipulate a vocal passage into completely different melodic templates while leaving the person's character exactly as the original.

 

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Luis Resto

 

If a gentleman is known by the company he keeps, Academy Award-winning songwriter Luis Resto must be one incredible fellow. From Aretha to Eminem, Patti Smith to Tom Jones, Paul Simon to Iggy Pop, the pioneering keyboardist, arranger and extraordinary creative force has lent his talents to some of the world's most celebrated recording superstars. In 2003, Resto’s legacy of musical brilliance was rewarded with his first Oscar for Best Song.

 

A founding member of the outrageous 80’s funk/fusion band Was (Not Was) (Walk the Dinosaur), Luis won the Academy’s praise for Lose Yourself, which he co-authored and arranged with hip-hop emperor Eminem for the film 8 Mile. A phenomenal hit, Lose Yourself spent 12 weeks at #1 on the pop music charts; in all, Resto earned co-writing credits on eight songs from the 8 Mile movie soundtrack and additional production credits on three cuts. “I think he’s a total genius,” marvels multiple Grammy Award-winning mega-producer Don Was. “Luis is the first person I met who made the synthesizer his primary instrument. It made him a radical, one of the founding fathers of a whole genre of music, creating impressionistic atmospheres. And he can play any instrument. He’s really, really deep.”

 

Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., as the youngest son of Puerto Rican parents, Resto was influenced by the diverse musical tastes of his three older brothers especially Mario, whose talent on guitar inspired Luis to take up piano at the age of 9 in order to accompany him. The two later played together in various incarnations of high school bands and, after Luis further refined his talent at the famed Interlochen Center for the Arts, a former piano teacher introduced him to the ringleaders of Was (Not Was) while he was still in his teens.

 

Since the group disbanded in 1993, Resto has joined Don Was for studio work with Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, Herbie Hancock, the Highwaymen, Iggy Pop, even Bert Parks (for The Freshman soundtrack)! He has recorded sessions with such Detroit legends as George Clinton, Anita Baker, Earl Klugh and Gladys Knight; worked as rehearsal vocalist for Paul Simon; composed modern dance pieces with New York choreographer Susan Marshall; performed on the Brian Wilson documentary I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, directed by Was; guided remixes for the Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna, and recorded with the Patti Smith Group, co-writing the song My Madrigal.

 

Luis’ current collaboration with Eminem has propelled his unique creative gifts to the forefront. As writer and co-producer with Eminem for such breakthrough urban artists as 50 Cent, Jay Z, Nas and Obie Trice, Luis Resto is solidifying his status in the next chapter of Detroit’s storied musical history.

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