The man behind the music

Durango’s soundman, Scott “Scooter” Smith, makes music come alive

by Stephen Sellers

For this week’s Between the Beats, I sat down with the legend behind the soundboard at events like the Pagosa Folk Fest, the Fort Lewis Community Concert Hall and the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. Scott “Scooter” Smith has been doing live sound and making records in every genre imaginable for the better part of 30 years. If you’ve got what it takes, Scooter’s Place and the man behind the brand is an indispensable resource for you or your band to make a world-class recording a mere hop, skip and a jump from Rotary Park. Some of Durango’s best concerts and most exceptional albums wouldn’t sound nearly as remarkable without his ears and fingers on the board.

Do you have formal training in music?

I studied music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The thing about Berklee is, you have to sing or play something. I had to take proficiencies in production and engineering, but I also had to go through four levels of proficiencies on my instrument, the trombone. And then, you have to do all of the core classes of music theory, history, and modern and traditional harmony.

You finished Berklee in 1989. How did you come to be in Durango?

I moved to Durango after graduation to be with my future wife, who was attending Fort Lewis.

Did you ever consider being a touring musician after school?

I knew I was never going to be a professional musician, per se, because I didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to practice for hours on end. I love music. All styles. And, I knew the only way I could participate in music, in all styles, is to do what I do now. My true loves growing up were albums. I always wondered, “Who were the people that helped me listen to this music?”

What is it exactly that you do in your studio?

My job is to capture a performance as it was done and get it into a medium that can be enjoyed on the other end by someone else. So, if I’m recording a tuba band or I’m recording Metallica – I’m going to approach those both a certain way. Some techniques might be similar, but they will be approached differently because the end result … is different. I help artists fulfill their vision of what their artwork will sound like.

What exactly does a producer do?

A producer is like a director in film –someone who goes, “OK, we have a sad song. So, we need you to play sad. This is sad, because someone just stepped on your foot. This is sad, because your mom just died.” That’s the producer. “You’re not playing sad enough.” The musician or the actor should be able to go, “Oh, OK. I need to play these notes, I need to play this way to make those kinds of sad sounds.” If they don’t know what to do, then as a producer I say, “Go home and practice until you can play sad.”

What does it take to “make it” in music?

Success is relative. I would say that if you want to be a musician, you need to work at only being a musician. For most of the people who live here, music is a hobby or a second thing. It’s not what they actually do. They may be really good, but there’s something else. If you want to “make it” as a musician, you can’t always be in Durango. You can’t get enough gigs here to support yourself, really. You’re going to have to leave, most likely. That’s why people who want to work in music gravitate toward those hubs.

What are the ingredients for making a great album?

Just get good at what you do. I can’t come in and only know two chords on guitar and expect my album to sound great. They’re just pictures in time, so you can only make a record that’s as good as you really are. Practice.

What’s a common misconception about what it takes to make a great album?

People think they’re ready. I get it! I was there! Think about it like this. I’m gonna get a hamburger when I go to McDonald’s, and I’m gonna get a hamburger when I go to El Moro. I probably have a good conception of what a McDonald’s burger is vs. the El Moro hamburger. A lot of people don’t have this understanding when they walk into a studio. If you come in and you’re only a McDonald’s hamburger, that’s what’s going to come out. I can’t make you an El Moro burger with special sauce and a nice fluffy bun made that day if you’re coming in as a McDonald’s burger.

What are your thoughts on AI in the music industry?

Here’s the thing for me. People make music together. That’s us being creative. I don’t do MIDI, I do microphones. That’s just me. That’s the beauty of it. You’re doing it. I’ve autotuned, I can edit to make things better; we do have tools.

But, just think, as a person, how good you’d feel if you played it. That’s where I come from. So, you can AI all you want, but you better bring your own intelligence. In terms of art and music, yeah I like calculators, there are things that make our life easier, and I work with technology all the time, but I want my technology to be dependent on me, not on itself. ■