The Sound of Success

The first time Pete Novak ’94 stepped into a recording studio, his eyes lit up. With its buttons, knobs, sliders, and lights, it felt as if he’d entered a spaceship. “I just wanted to touch everything,” he says. He had taken a semester off from college and was visiting his cousin, who taught a computer music class at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. When he returned to school, he changed his major to music technology. 

Pete graduated in 1997 and sent his resume to every studio in the country. A few weeks later, he got a call from Larrabee Studios in Los Angeles. They flew him out for an interview and hired him on the spot. Pretty soon, he was mixing tracks for major recording artists. 

He had just wrapped up Dr. Dre’s 2001 album when André 3000 from Outkast came into the studio. They worked together on a few songs for Stankonia, including “B.O.B.– Bombs Over Baghdad.” About a year later, André returned to L.A. to finish his next album, and he wanted to work with Pete. 

“Honestly, during the process, I didn’t think anyone was going to get it,” he says. “Songs like ‘Hey Ya!’ and ‘Prototype’—I thought they were kind of weird. Then one day André called and asked me to meet him outside the studio. We went back to his apartment, and he showed me the ‘Hey Ya!’ music video. And I thought, ‘I get it now.’” 

The hip-hop duo’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below went on to win Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004. “That was pretty unreal,” Pete says. Soon after that, André called and asked if Pete was interested in working with Gwen Stefani. The result? Another Album of the Year nomination for Love. Angel. Music. Baby. 

But the awards and acclaim would never have been possible if it weren’t for a candid conversation early in his career with none other than the Reigning Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll. 

His first year as an assistant engineer, 1997-98, R&B was dominating the music industry, and vocal layering was all the rage. “You’d have choruses that had 50 tracks of vocals—harmonies and harmonies,” Pete explains. “After a year, I thought, ‘This is the music industry? This is boring.’” 

His studio manager noticed his discontent and asked him, “Are you staying in town for Christmas? I have a session that would be really good for you.” So, he stuck around the studio that December, and Stevie Nicks came in to record her album. One evening, out of the blue, Stevie pulled Pete aside and asked how he’s been enjoying his job. 

“It was like a Divine Intervention,” he says. “I told her my story and she said, ‘Over the next few weeks some of the most amazing musicians in the world are going to be coming in here. If you still feel the same way after that, move on and try something different.’ And she was right. I was completely re-energized and rejuvenated.” 

Pete went on to work with artists like U2, Snoop Dogg, and Will Smith, earning credits most industry professionals could only dream of.