Paul McKercher is an Australian record producer, audio engineer, sound mixer and multi-instrumentalist. He has received five ARIA Artisan Awards and has produced over 50 albums. McKercher has worked with Australian artists Josh Pyke, Bertie Blackman, Papa vs Pretty, Sarah Blasko, You Am I, Pete Murray, Motor Ace and Eskimo Joe. An avowed analogue fan, he specialises in the use of tape, although he also uses digital technologies.
Biography
Paul McKercher worked at national youth radio station, Triple J, for three years. In 1991 he and fellow audio engineer John Jacobs created the "JJJ News Theme" as a mix of McKercher's guitar playing, a scratch of N.W.A.'s "Fuck tha Police" and the orchestral ABC News theme, "Majestic Fanfare", with the beat based on Prince's "Gett Off". McKercher followed with seven years at ABC radio. He has also worked as a free-lance record producer, engineer and mixer since 1992. For three weeks in 1993 McKercher recorded indie pop group Falling Joys' third studio album Aerial (August 1993). Using three different eight-track machines, at an isolated house in Kangaroo Valley, he captured the band live-in-the-studio.
In late 1997 Kercher was working at Woodstock Studios, Melbourne on pop rock band the Jaynes' extended play Dogbone (April 1998). He has written articles for Audio Technology Magazine. McKercher's techniques were discussed by Zolton Zavos in May 2000 in part one of "Making Tracks" in Tharunka on his work at Megaphon Studios, Petersham. Note: article includes a photo of the artisan. Zavos acknowledged his "wonderful ear" when he worked as a producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist.
In 2010 he addressed the Face the Music Conference. As from December 2016 he was a teacher at SAE Institute, Sydney delivering classes on "how to produce recordings" as well as continuing as a producer, engineer and mixer.
List of technical works
Year Artist(s) Work Role(s) 1991 Triple J "JJJ News Theme" (with John Jacobs) Mixer, guitar 1992 DAZYchains Daze of Our Lives (EP) Producer Glide Shuffle Off to Buffalo (EP) Producer The Apartments Drift Producer, engineer 1993 Clouds Thunderhead Producer, remastering Various artists In Defence of Animals Engineer Falling Joys Aerial Producer 1994 Various artists Jabberjaw Compilation Engineer 1995 The Apartments A Life Full of Farewells Producer, mixer The Cruel Sea Three Legged Dog Producer, engineer, backing vocals Tumbleweed Galactaphonic Producer, engineer 1996 Magic Dirt Friends in Danger Producer, engineer, mixer Hoodoo Gurus In Blue Cave Engineer Spiderbait Ivy and the Big Apples Producer You Am I Hourly, Daily Engineer, cello Tumbleweed Return to Earth Producer 1997 Pollyanna Hello Halo Producer, mixer Screamfeeder Closing Alaska (EP) Engineer Fini Scad "Furious" Producer McFarlane, 'Fini Scad' entry. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2020. Sidewinder Tangerine Producer 1998 The Cruel Sea Over Easy Producer The Jaynes Dogbone (EP) Producer Primary Vicious Precious (EP) Producer McFarlane, 'Primary' entry. Archived from the original on 9 August 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2020. Hoodoo Gurus Bite the Bullet Engineer The Superjesus Sumo Engineer, mixer Cold Chisel The Last Wave of Summer Engineer 1999 Screamfeeder Kitten Licks Engineer 2000 Testeagles Non Comprehendus Producer McFarlane, 'Testeagles' entry. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2020. Augie March Sunset Studies Producer, mixer, acoustic guitar Midnight Oil The Real Thing Engineer 2001 You Am I Dress Me Slowly Engineer Motor Ace Five Star Laundry Engineer, mixer 2002 Augie March Strange Bird Producer Monique Brumby Signal Hill Producer You Am I Deliverance Producer Knievel The Name Rings a Bell That Drowns out Your Voice Cello Speedstar Bruises You Can Touch Producer 2003 Motor Ace Shoot This Engineer, mixer Pete Murray Feeler Producer The Anyones The Anyones Engineer, mixer 2004 Eskimo Joe A Song Is a City Producer, engineer Butterfly 9 Butterfly 9 Mixer Hoodoo Gurus Mach Schau Engineer Little Birdy BigBigLove Producer, engineer, mixer 2005 Motor Ace Animal Engineer Jimmy Barnes Double Happiness Producer, engineer, mixer Daughterboy Jao Simple Matters Producer, engineer, mixer,effects, piano, Fender Rhodes Gear The Gear (EP) Producer, mixer Paul Greene Reset Producer, engineer 2006 Augie March Moo, You Bloody Choir Producer, engineer, mixer Sarah Blasko What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have Engineer The Cops 80 in the Shade Producer 2007 Something for Kate The Murmur Years Engineer 2008 Josh Pyke Chimney's Afire Producer, engineer, mixer Melanie Horsnell Complicated Sweetheart Producer, mixer, guitar Kara Grainger Grand and Green River Producer, mixer Chasing Bailey Long Story Short Producer, mixer 2009 Jen Cloher & the Endless Sea Hidden Hands Producer 2011 Sierra Fin Cautionary Tale of the Beautiful Blackout Producer, engineer, mixer Papa vs Pretty United in Isolation Producer, engineer Bayonets for Legs The Coloured Air (EP) Mixer 2014 The Vines Wicked Nature Producer, mixer Augie March Havens Dumb Mixer Andy Bull Sea of Approval Engineer, mixer 2015 Art vs. Science Off the Edge of the Earth and Into Forever, Forever Engineer, mixer Sarah Belkner Humans (EP) Vocals producer 2017 The Go Set One Fine Day Engineer
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
! |- | rowspan="2"|1995 ||rowspan="2"| himself || Engineer of the Year || ||rowspan="2"| |- | Producer of the Year || |- | 1996 || You Am I – Hourly, Daily || Engineer of the Year || || |- | rowspan="2"|2001 || rowspan="2"| Augie March – Sunset Studies || Engineer of the Year || ||rowspan="2"| |- | Producer of the Year || |- | rowspan="2"|2003 || rowspan="2"| Pete Murray – Feeler || Engineer of the Year || ||rowspan="2"| Note: User may be required to access archived information by selecting 'The History', then 'By Award', 'Producer of the Year' and 'Option Show Nominations'. |- | Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="3"| 2004 || rowspan=2"|Eskimo Joe – A Song Is a City || Engineer of the Year || ||rowspan="3"| |- | Producer of the Year || |- | Pete Murray – "So Beautiful" || Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="4"| 2005 || rowspan="2"| Little Birdy – BigBigLove || Engineer of the Year || ||rowspan="4"| |- | Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| Eskimo Joe – "Older Than You" || Engineer of the Year || |- | Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| 2006 || rowspan=2"| Augie March – various tracks on Moo, You Bloody Choir || Engineer of the Year || |rowspan="2"| |- | Producer of the Year || |- | 2007 || Sarah Blasko – What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have || Engineer of the Year || || |- | 2014 || Andy Bull – Sea of Approval || Engineer of the Year || || |- | 2022 | Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder | Mix Engineer – Best Mixed Album
Notes
References
External links