Tag Archive for: Woody Guthrie

Derivatives Mona Lisa Selfie

I get about 3-8 emails every week where people send me music and ask for advice.  These artists come from many different genres.  I’m generalizing to be sure when I say they mostly suffer from the same issue, they’re derivative.

They’re mostly derivative, right?

Don’t be derivative.

Look, don’t get me wrong, if a derivative artist has a budget we’ll record them, that’s just business.

I’m talking about real art here, though.

I’m talking about future icons.

I’m talking about a way to break through the noise on the market RADAR screen.

Strictly on a business level, if you don’t have a MAJOR financial backer who can capitalize on a market trend, what exactly are you exploiting?

What’s the point?

Sometimes I wonder if it’s laziness.  I wonder that because I certainly suffered through my share of lethargy in my artist years if I’m being honest. Initially my main goal was to be on MTV.  Once I got access to our producer’s “other band”, The Allman Brothers, I realized it didn’t have anything to do with MTV.  I was being lazy.  I needed to dig deeper.  We all have to go through that door at some point.

But I digress.

Derivative anti cliche imageI hear male country artists singing “Bro-Country” about tailgates, tan legs, barbed wire fences and beers in the console.

I hear female country artists singing hostile ex-girlfriend lyrics trying to outdo Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert.

I hear endless rap artists who cannot seem to avoid the most obvious lyrical clichés like “bitches”, “ho’s”, and “n****s”, etc.

In the 80’s we all had long hair, ear rings, and leather pants.  In 2014 every hipster has a close cropped haircut and beard the size of Texas with 60’s styled horn rimmed glasses.  (Will that hairdo be remembered as some sort of 2010 version of the 80’s/90’s mullet?)

Every genre has it, man.

Every generation has it.

Every Iconic Artist found themselves at some point

I’m simplifying once again by this statement, but every iconic artist found themselves at some point.  They found their own unique take on a derivative tangent.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWait, huh?

C’mon you mean you really can’t tell how badly Petty wants to be Dylan?

Dylan wants to be Woody Guthrie.

Clapton wants to be Muddy Waters, etc.

Realistically the only way to avoid being derivative is to be yourself.  The most interesting artists are telling their own story.

Being Derivative is a timeless artistic problem

Being derivative is a timeless artistic problem deeply rooted in every artist’s beginnings and nurtured by label suits afraid to take a chance in artist careers for fear of a poor quarterly report.  (Don’t hate them, that’s just business.  If you’re smart enough to play the game professionally, you get that.)

Think about it, we all begin as artists imitating our heroes; this is necessary.  It’s the first inspiration. We artists connect strongly with the superstars whose message and image speaks to us.  We relate to them and pay homage, right?

So where then does the imitation stop and the originality begin?

The “me-too” acts with talent, money, savvy, gumption, and connections will probably get their 15 minutes of fame but they will be forgotten.

It’s the originals that we rememberDerivative 100 percent ORIGINAL stamp

It’s the originals that we aspire to be

It’s the originals that become icons

So what is the road map to true artistic innovation?

Work.

Work is the one thing most people aren’t willing to do that much of in any industry, unfortunately.

Artists especially avoid this act because unlike a regular job where you are compensated regularly for your effort, the artist must continue to invest time, money, and their spirit into a massively delayed settlement arrangement.

justiceDelayed financial, spiritual, and social reimbursement means you pay it all up front for a chance at evening the scales later on…usually much later on.

So naturally, most artists seek the path of least resistance and fall into an uninspired creative rut; this is human nature.

If you don’t want to spend too much time writing (working), you copy what you hear.

Instant gratification.

We covet what we see every day.

The original artists are constantly creating, always working.  The work provides the necessary steps to uncover the real artist deep down inside.

Every song is a stepping stone towards something greater.

The roots come up to meet the inspirational artistic input and they weave a new, unique fabric.

The work IS the compensation.  It has to be. If an artists doesn’t feel like that then the business model is doomed to fail.

This is who will create real impact.

That’s terrifying to an artist.  It requires removing your mask and being truly exposed.  Most artists who claim to be vulnerable really aren’t; at least they choose not to be in their art.

When you’re not vulnerable in your art, you’re derivative.

 

If you like this post, please SHARE it and/or LEAVE A COMMENT thank you!

[ois skin=”Bottom Post”]

 

Artist Ghandi Quote Feature Image

By Johnny Dwinell

Every day I think that if Daredevil Production, LLC is going to make a dent in the Universe with new music we need more true artists.  Thank God the new music industry is all about true artists!

 

A true artist cares about the work

A true artist is interested in and incessantly pursues the truth in their art; no head-tripping allowed.Artist Can you handle the truth2

A true artist is fascinated with the process and not the outcome.  For instance, Billy Joel was quoted as saying something like “I look at my songs like my children. Some of them grow up to be doctors and lawyers, some of them grow up to be delinquents, but I love them all equally and unconditionally.”

The outcome continually improves when a true artist is focused on and fascinated with the process.

 

Artist Billy JoelA true artist has no concern about failing because the work is an end by itself.  For instance, the first record is stepping stone to record two; a snapshot in time of exactly where the artist was on the journey and so on.

 

The task & labor of creation is the satisfaction; it’s even exhilarating to a true artist.

A true artist proves through work that they are worthy and gains confidence in their art.Artist Confidence Thermometer

A true artist gets lost in the cause & forgets all the distractions.

A true artist understands that art can be very objective to the world.

So quality counts.

A true artist doesn’t use the notion that “art is subjective” as an excuse to ignore constructive criticism. For instance, constructive criticism, despite the imminent sting that’s involved, can help define strengths and weaknesses.  Thus, providing a road map on how exactly to work smarter to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.  This is called development and refinement.

Artist art is subjective and objectivve

A true artist doesn’t use the notion that “art is subjective” as an excuse to get by with half-assed work.

A true artist doesn’t use the notion that “art is subjective” as an excuse to be lazy or cheap with their process.

A true artist is driven to continually improve their songwriting, their playing, recording skills, their understanding about the process of making records, their live show, their vocal skills, and their presentation to the world.  They’ll make a living by accident if the energy is right and they’re not self-sabotaging.

A true artist learns through the process of work to ignore the inner censor and entertain all ideas swimming around in their heads.  Write them all down now.  Refine later.

 

A true artist always honors the muse.  When she shows up, drop everything and write it down because you won’t remember.

 

A true artist understands perception is reality.

 

Therefore a true artist doesn’t share their art with the consumer world until its finished and done well; they know they will be judged.brokenCD2A true artists understands that any demos, work tapes, and rough tracks are only interesting and “colorful” to the consumer after they fall in love with the finished track.  Before that it’s just a crappy demo; so they don’t display anything on the world’s refrigerators like Soundcloud, Spotify, etc., until it’s finished.

A true artist knows the difference between a well written song and a song that isn’t ready yet.

A true artist knows the difference in the sonic quality of their music as compared to their idols.

 

A true artist knows it’s less expensive to hire a professional than to hire an amateur.Artist if you think it's expensive to hire a professional wait till you hire an amateur

 

A true artist knows that while well done art is subjective to taste, poorly executed art is objective and crappy.  There’s a difference between a good song and great song, right?  So then is there a difference between a good song and a crappy song.

 

A true artist knows that their mother, best friend, and significant other are the only people who care about their potential.  The rest of the world can only be interested in and react to what you have accomplished.  Getting heartbroken or spiritually injured over anything less is foolish and naïve.

 

A true artist knows that “magic” doesn’t happen out of the heavenly skies until they have their 10,000 hours.  For instance, we see magic happen every day in our studio because we work with professionals who have their 10,000 hours and then some.  There will be no magic with amateurs who can’t play well…that “magic” happens in post-production afterward.

Artist it's all about the magic

 

If you like this post, please SHARE it and/or LEAVE A COMMENT thank you!

[ois skin=”Bottom Post”]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Johnny Dwinell

 

prag·ma·tism

[prag-muh-tiz-uhm]  Show IPA

noun

character or conduct that emphasizes practicality.

a philosophical movement or system having various forms, but generally stressing practical consequences as constituting the essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value.

 

Pragmatic Pragmatic MLK image

 

Utilitarian

 

Sober

 

Realistic

 

LogicalPragmatic Bono Quote image

 

Practical

 

Efficient

 

Down-to-Earth

 

Pragmatic To Do Image

Businesslike

 

I am wondering, how do you run your career?

 

I am wondering, how do you approach your art, your talent?

 

Many of you are suffering artistically and stagnate in your careers because you are trying to be something you’re not.  Some of you are pushing for things you think you need to do and ignoring the lanes that options that will bring actual momentum to your career.

In short, many of you are creating your own obstacles unnecessarily.

Yes, it is much easier and quicker to start a fire with a blow torch or flame thrower, but if _MG_2855you don’t have these things, then the more pragmatic approach is to set up smaller kindling wood stuffed with newspaper. The paper burns immediately catching fire to the kindling which catches fire to the big logs in your fireplace; then just keep stoking.

 

You can choose to lament the fact that you don’t have a flame thrower/blow torch which results in no fire, OR you can work with something more practical, something you do have, and the end result is a nice fire.

 

 

 

EVERY ARTIST has their strengths and weaknesses.

 

Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.

An artist really is not going to gain serious momentum until they can objectively sit down and pragmatically determine where the strengths and weaknesses are in their live show, recordings, images, lyrics, melodies, market approach, business plan; their art essentially Pragmatic Madonna Album Cover image

Madonna is an Icon.  She isn’t a good singer.  She’s a good dancer, a great business person, and a great entertainer.  Her live shows do not focus on her singing do they?

She focuses on her strengths.

Ray LaMontagne has a voice that is like butter.  He is an AMAZING singer/songwriter.  Listen to his tracks.  They are decidedly arranged with space.  Space that allows that voice and those lyrics to easily shine through and change your life; that’s how he touches you.

 

He is accentuating the positives.

Pragmatic Ray LaMontagne Image 2

Ray is not trying to blow you away with vocal acrobatics.  That is not his lane and he knows it.  His lane is in the tone and the story, like Stevie Nicks or Rod Stewart.  These kinds of voices just need to sing good songs and the tone feathers out in your chest like a really good scotch.

 

If you listen to pop music with a pragmatic ear you will notice that many of the artists can’t sing.  Consequently the musical arrangements around their voices are akin to a sonic circus.  By design, they don’t really want you to focus on the voice all that much.  It’s more about the hooks and the feel.  Pop music has always been lyrically “light” so much that the words don’t even have to make sense, they just has to sing well; remember Phil Collin’s “Sussudio”?Pragmatic Phil Collins Sussudio image

Two different approaches.

Each approach is appropriate to the artist and genre, yes?

Are you pragmatic with your songwriting?  Do the songs you write fit your vocal range and style?

Are you pragmatic with your live show?  Does your show accentuate your positives and eliminate the negative?

Are you truly a captivating act?

Are you pragmatic with your sonic production and arrangements in the studio?

Pragmatic Tony Robbins Resourcefulness image

 

Are you overplaying?

Are you over-singing?

Are you over producing a great voice?

How about your marketing approach?

Pragmatic is about focusing on what you do have instead of what you don’t.

Be pragmatic.  Get momentum.

 

If you like this post, please SHARE it and/or LEAVE A COMMENT thank you!

[ois skin=”Bottom Post”]

 

By Johnny Dwinell

Don’t sing your song demo dummy!

If you do, especially if you’re a novice at creating song demos (not necessarily singing), you will inevitably limit your opportunities to file000819242154sell the song; you will end up casting a “smaller net” regardless of your vocal ability.   All too often, I see aspiring songwriters who haven’t really gotten the performing/recording artist bug out of their system spend good money and confuse the intent of a song demo with that of an artist track.  They want to sing, I suppose, to scratch their respective artist “itch” and I TOTALLY get that!  Just make sure you are clear on what you need.  One can’t expect a minivan, which is super effective for hauling groceries and kids, to perform like a Ferrari and take corners at 90 mph.  Conversely, one cannot be upset that a Ferrari will not hold 4 kids and all the groceries.

Huh?

Listen; whenever you spend money, especially when there is little money to spend (which requires you to make decisions), you need to ensure you are spending wisely.  So the first thing you need to ask yourself is what is the intent of the recording?  What function is the recording supposed to serve?

Let’s break them both down.

 

Artist Tracks

The intent of an artist track is to sell the track and the artist.

A producer’s job is to put the artist in the best possible light sonically & artistically and blow people away so that they will spend money purchasing the product (aka the CD); this is selling the artist.  This takes more time and certainly expertise in the studio.  More time and expertise in the studio cost more money.

As an artist, you intend to sell the track.  Higher union rates will apply if the intent of the recording is to generate revenue; again, more money.

If your band will actually be doing the recording then you will need a combo platter of multiple takes during tracking session to get the recording tight and probably some editing on the back end to help, depending_DSC6357 on the musicianship of the players.  Either of these two actions requires time and expertise in the studio which requires more money.

You want people to say “Wow!  Who the hell is that singing?”  This means your producer better be crafting a KILLER vocal track, man; make no mistake this is an art form.  This art form requires time & expertise and that costs money.

You want people to say, “That unexpected band break is freaking COOL MAN!”  This means your producer is allowing the band the time they need to craft something unique and special.  You guessed it, that extra time costs more money.

20131129_140442As the artist you make choices with regards to arrangement, song structure, song choice, production, genre, key, vibe, etc. that are consonant to you artistically and refined to your lane; which is more subjective than objective by definition.  Ultimately the intent of the recording is to move people with your unique artistic stamp.  If you are a professional artist the track must generate revenue by definition. This activity will hopefully generate additional returns through sales of subsequent merchandise, concert tickets, sponsorships, endorsements, etc.

The juice should be worth the squeeze financially, but you get the picture, right?  An artist track is all about YOU.

 

Song Demos

The intent of a song demo is to sell the song, specifically the lyric, melody, and vibe of the song to a major label producer, a major label A&R exec, a publishing company, or a major label artist.  A song demo is not supposed to Song Demo Melodyspotlight YOU in any way as an artist as they fully intend to re-cut the song with their band and their artist on the mic.  It is naïve to hope that an amazing vocal performance would possibly get a producer interested in working with you (as an artist) seeing as they are focused on finding songs for the project currently at hand. Statistically, this is just a distraction from your mission, which is the song pitch.  Remember, in the new music market the responsibility for artist development falls on the artist there is very little ROI for producers and labels to develop acts anymore as the business model has simply changed; they just aren’t equipped to do it.  So a tactic like this is a high percentage shot, like a full court basketball shot that’s nothing-but-net; possible but highly unlikely.  A better tactic would be to make the most effective song demo you could and increase your chances to get the cut!  That will garner more attention from more people who could help your career than betting the farm on a limited set of ears that you are engaging with because they are focused on entirely different projects.  Simply put, getting a cut gets your talent far more exposure than crossing your fingers that the few people who hear the demo will defocus from their current job to explore a relationship with you as an artist.  Make sense?

 

If you are a GREAT singer

You will have a unique stylistic approach to your song.  Yes the vocal track will be amazing but what if your style doesn’t resonate with the major label artist you are pitching it to?  What if the producer recognizes that phrasing the vocal in a different manner could make the song become viable for multiple genres or lanes within a certain genre; thus creating more opportunities for the song to get cut?  Could you effortlessly change your phrasing?  You want a cut, right?

 

If you are an AVERAGE singer

(Like me) you will have a unique stylistic approach to your song.  You will end up spending more money on the demo on multiple vocal takes during the session and in post production (vocal tuning) time to make it less sucky.  This will needlessly increase the cost of your demo. file0001596147731A song demo shouldn’t result in some epic production with the track because that’s too subjective for the intent.

What if the artist you are pitching too doesn’t like your taste in production, will that color their decision to cut your song?

What if the artist you are pitching too loves your taste in production but their project is going a different way, will that affect their ability to “hear” themselves singing your song for this particular project?

Will the production you create “date” the track making the demo recording less durable over time?

If you have artist tracks that you wish to use a song pitches, you might consider spending a few extra bucks to get a pro singer to cut the vocal and a new mix solely for the song demo.

The song demo is all about the SONG; keep it there.

If you like this post, please SHARE it and/or LEAVE A COMMENT thank you!

[ois skin=”Bottom Post”]

 

produce yourself Producer Wanted image

By Johnny Dwinell

Ok, ready for the answer??

YOU DON’T.

At least most of you don’t and shouldn’t.

Why would you produce yourself?

Money?file000819242154

Huh?

I mean would you home school yourself for college to save money and claim you’re an economics major? Then go forth unto the economics world with a “home spun” degree and try to impress people and try to get a job with it?

No?

Does that sound preposterous?

Why, EXACTLY, does that sound preposterous?

Are you afraid a professional might see you for what you really are…A home schooled novice with a lot of heart? But they see a novice nonetheless.

Why is everyone so misguided in thinking that they can produce themselves musically?

I think of the lines from John Mayer’s “No Such Thing”

Produce Yourself John Mayer image“So the good boys and girls take the so called right track
Faded white hats
Grabbing credits
Maybe transfers
They read all the books but they can’t find the answers”

This is so important because the answers aren’t in a ProTools book or at a recording school, or at your best friend’s home studio.

The answers are in the doing – the experience. The answers are in the journey. The answers are in 10,000 hours of experience to be exact (reference Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Outliers”).

Would you trust your brain surgery to someone whose third cousin’s dog-walker has a best friend who knows a guy who owns some surgical equipment? (Insert clip of Jeff Spicoli HERE. “Relax, my old man is a television repair man. He has this ultimate set of tools!! I CAN FIX IT!”)

It still baffles me how so many artists and writers I speak to every week behave like total SERIOUS artists with regard to the care and sensitivity they put into their creative process only to trust their future career to some local hack button-monkey with a crappy home studio to render the project in the form of a final mix. Yes, that hack may be you if you have the home studio. THEN, inevitably, they take the substandard recordings and put them up for all to see in the world while they suffer (like every artist does when it’s time to reveal their art) because they are always concerned about what the world will think. All of us artists suffer during the reveal stage. Personally, I always took comfort in knowing I worked with some stellar cats so if someone didn’t like the music it was a taste thing, it wasn’t because they were turned off by the inadequate recording.

I know some of you are very green and simply can’t hear the subtle differences between a great track and a crappy track. That’s my point! Making records is not taught at engineering school. That knowledge comes in only one form: on the job training. You HAVE to be able to hear the difference, man. You HAVE to be able to hear if the bass player is playing behind the kick drum. You HAVE to be able to hear if the drummer is keeping a pocket of some kind. You have to understand SPACE. You have to HEAR these things first before you even start making decisions on the arrangements.

“You’re playing exactly 15 milliseconds behind the kick drum”

This reminds me of a hilarious and famous industry story of an intern engineer working at a world class recording studio here in Nashville. This engineer went to school for ProTools and still hadn’t mastered the art of LISTENING (or keeping his mouth shut for that matter) which is what you had to do with analog tape before we had ProTools. This engineer makes a comment to one of the most famous and well-respected bass players in the business. The engineer says, “Hey man, I’m looking closely at your bass track here (referring to the ProTools clipboard) and I noticed that you are actually playing exactly 15 milliseconds behind the kick drum hit. I’ll be happy to ‘clean’ that up for you, dude.” Everyone in the session gasps; there is a huge awkward silence.

The bass player responds, “Hey, MAN, it took me my whole f**king life to learn how to play EXACTLY 15 milliseconds behind the kick drum, but if you feel you need to ‘clean it up’ and scoot that track forward, be my guest!” and he walked out. Of course, the session broke out in laughter and the engineer felt like a moron, mostly because he was.

Do you see the dichotomy here? How can you possibly be so sensitive towards what the world thinks about the final rendering of your project when you know you TOTALLY cut corners on the production just to save money? You treated your musical project budget like a third-world surgery effectively getting a surgical procedure in a back alley at midnight in the ghetto because it saved you money.

Now you don’t know. You don’t know if they didn’t like the music because of the amateur recording or because they didn’t like the music. YIKES! At least with a pro recording you can eliminate some things for people to turn their nose up at!

Here’s some TRUTH to ponder on.

Engineering is an ART FORM in and of itself.Produce Yourself Artform image

Producing is an ART FORM in and of itself.

Mixing is an ART FORM in and of itself.

Mastering is an ART FORM in and of itself.

Quite often a professional project will have separate people responsible for each of these art forms because it is rare to have someone who effectively and professionally handles two or more; there are many people who make good livings just performing one of these tasks. Think about that for a second.

A good engineer does not guarantee a good producer or mixer.

A good producer does not guarantee a good engineer or mixer.

A good mix engineer does not guarantee a good producer or tracking engineer.

All these professional recording engineers, producers, and mix engineers were MENTORED at some point. They learned from constantly being around other people who did it for a living and then applied their own unique spirit, creativity, and work ethic to that knowledge to become who they are today

Why wouldn’t you wanna learn? Why wouldn’t you be excited to get around some professionals just for the education of it all? Why don’t you wanna know just as bad as you wanna make it? Even if that education means you can afford two songs instead of ten. Thinking like this will only improve your art, ya know? Watch how many people take you more seriously with a KILLER product.

Look, maybe it’s just me, but I remember getting my first shot at becoming a professional musician with the opportunity to sign with a HUGE regional booking agency that would put my band on tour. The FIRST question I asked was, “Who’s your best band?” I HAD to know what the competition looked like! Who we gotta beat, man? I just wouldn’t ever settle when it came to my music; I wanted it to be GREAT!

Always shoot for the stars!! If you miss them you’ll hit the moon!

The other part of the brilliance of this approach is connections. Every single industry in the world is built on connections. Your current occupation is built on connections. Hell, half of y’all reading this probably got your current job through a friend or family member; think about that. People get ahead because of who they know. Life is not fair in ANY industry so why pretend it is here in the music industry? The money you spend on a pro producer is going to pay off ten-fold. You will develop friendships, connections, information resources, mentorships, and you’ll get a KILLER sounding product with which to go forth as a sheep amongst the wolves.

You’ve got to LIVE, LIVE, LIVE! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!

Produce Yourself Auntie Mame image

If you like this post please SHARE it and/or LEAVE A COMMENT thank you!

[ois skin=”Bottom Post”]

 

 

Studio Shopping List Feature image

By Johnny Dwinell

Studio Shopping

Every singer/songwriter/artist comes to a point where it’s time to record your songs and you are relegated with the task of finding the right place to record or “studio shopping”.  This can be very daunting, especially if you have little or no experience at it.

What should you be shopping for?

What Studio is a good studio?

Do they have the necessary gear?

Will they work within my budget?

Should I go online studio shopping or should I use a tangible “brick and mortar” studio?

How can I get the best recording for the cheapest price?

Should I be overdubbing track-by-track or should I record a live band?

The short answer to all these is that there is no right or wrong answer per se; it depends on what you are recording and whether or not you have a band or need a band, etc.  Although, if you are engaging a studio in the possibility of spending money with them, they will make an argument that will focus on the advantages of the type of recording THEY can deliver…which makes sense, they want your business.

I thought maybe we could address some of these questions with regards to a full band or a track by track approach, and the type of recording you are trying to get.

So let’s dig in.

STUDIO SHOPPING:  ONLINE DEMOS

Studio Shopping http image

Some of you may or may not be aware that there are “Online Studios” that offer virtual recording services for Studio Shopping studio pros imagesongwriters and artists.  Some of the bigger players are Studiopros.com, onlinerecordingmasters.com, supremetracks.com, and I am sure there are many more.  Pricing for these online studios typically ranges from about $1,000-$2400 per song depending on the site, how many musicians are required, and any ala carte services like producing, mastering,  and consulting, etc.

PROS:

  1. You Can Choose The Musicians – This is cool as you can actually shop for the players you are looking for.  This is particularly beneficial when it comes to matching singers and their styles to a particular song you have written.
  2. Convenient to Use – You can access these sites from anywhere in the world.
  3. Service – Typically all these sites offer quick turnaround times
  4. Talent – All the musician and engineering talent will be stellar on these sites.  Again, You know exactly what you are getting.
  5. Interactive Experiences – some of these studios offer live video interactivity so you can watch your song come to life (with a live band) from anywhere in the world.  This allows you to feel present and still avoid the costly trip to another city where the studio location is, like Nashville.
  6. Live Band Online Recording – There are some services that offer live band sessions where all the players are in the same studio at the same time.  Many of these companies offer real time interactive access allowing the writer to participate in the session without actually being in the studio.

CONS:

  1. No Live Tracks – Typically (almost always) these online studios will have great players track your songs, but they are not in the same room at the same time.  Some online companies boast “live tracks” that utilizes some pretty incredible technology (that amazingly avoids mission critical latency issues during the recording process) which allows musicians to cut a track simultaneously from remote locations.  Personally, I feel the musicians all have to be in the room for the “magic” to happen.  The remote thing I find fascinating and creepy at the same time.
  2. No Studio “Magic” – this is virtually impossible for an online studio to create.  There are countless times where, as a producer, I have a very specific arrangement and vibe in mind for a song before we record it.  Then, while the musicians are “messing around” with the arrangements (as they always do before a take) they stumble on some other vibe, beat, feel, or arrangement that is just undeniable; everyone’s face lights up…you know the look….it’s like “WOW, THAT WAS COOL”.  When this happens, it’s always amazing.
  3. Disconnect – there often is a certain disconnect that occurs with regards to the energy of the track.  It sounds more sterile, more contrived for some reason.
  4. Elevator Music – I often hear writers complain that the tracks have low energy and sound like  elevator music to them.  To a degree, this is somewhat predictable if you take the time to logically dissect the process.  Typically drums will get tracked first, then bass.  The pro drummer and bass player will almost HAVE TO deliver somewhat sterile/bland arrangements to ensure they are not “stepping on” any guitar arrangements or any color instruments that will be tracked after their respective takes.  Essentially, without everyone in the room together, you definitely are opting for more sterile arrangements,  vibe, and energy on the track.  Keep in mind this may not be an issue if you are just recording the song for posterity.
  5. Communication Log Jams – Most of these companies (understandably) prefer to keep the musicians, engineers and producers away from the clients, so there is only 1 contact for you to use.  Typically this contact is called a “producer” but they are an office person at the company.  They then are telling the producer and/or musicians what you want so the proverbial “telephone game” can ensue; thus, diluting the message and lines of communication.  Quite simply, it can sometimes be a drag telling someone to tell someone to tell someone what you want or what you are “hearing”
  6. Not as much fun – What’s more exciting than hanging in a studio with the players and watching it all go down LIVE, man???
  7. Pricing – I think there are better prices out there for someone who is willing to shop.
  8. Band Recording – How exactly does this work if you want your band on the tracks?  It doesn’t.

SUMMARY

I think the online recording studios can be pretty effective with regards to song demos that a writer plans to pitch or songs a writer wants recorded for posterity or vanity reasons.  I don’t think they are very effective for an artist trying to cut a custom record or artist track.  Artist tracks in today’s music market need to be AMAZING.  Amazing really requires a producer and in my opinion, a real relationship between the producer and the artist; this really fosters the necessary creativity from both that is required to elevate the track to a competitive and iconic level.  Since music has become essentially free, it is disposable; therefore, the song and track have to kick mortal ass to garner any attention.  Period.

 

STUDIO SHOPPING:  LIVE DEMOS

Studio Shopping Live Band image

Let’s break down the pros and cons of finding a studio that cuts tracks with live musicians in the same room.

PROS:

  1. No Elevator Music – The tracks will naturally have more energy in them as the band is all performing and communicating together at the same time…there is a certain magic that happens here as musicians get instant inspiration from what the other musicians are playing and feeling; they “vibe” off of one another.
  2. FUN!!! – There is just no replacing the amazing experience (which still gets me to this day) of watching and hearing a full band transform a song from a work tape reference to an amazing live track right before your eyes.  It’s truly an indescribable experience.
  3. Optimal Communication – the writer has direct access to musicians and producer.  Since you or your producer (or both) are in the room with all the musicians, communication is instantaneous.  The writer can insure that he/she is getting exactly what they want; make changes on the fly so-to-speak.
  4. Clever Arrangements – It is much easier to facilitate more clever music arrangements when the whole band is tracking at the same time.  Happy accidents can happen and you are there to say, “I LOVE THAT”.  When you over dub every single track (like the online studios do) the professional musicians will HAVE TO deliver somewhat bland arrangements as they can’t hear what each other is doing (especially the first tracks i.e. drums and bass) to ensure they do not “step” on any other parts that haven’t been recorded yet.
  5. Band Punching – This is great for a last minute arrangement change.  Simply punch the whole band as a unit.  Impossible to do with an overdub type recording model; it would require a major edit…i.e. major surgery.  Think about it, if you had a 16 bar musical break or solo on the work tape and at the last minute decided to cut that to 8 bars, this is easy with a “band punch”.  If you are in an overdubbing situation, you can do the surgery but the context and flow of the solo will often suffer, making the surgery sound obvious.
  6. Pricing – Depending on your negotiating skills and your contact list, there is definitely ways to get your songs cut in the most inexpensive fashion this way.  NOTE:  the pricing will be better in areas where there is a bigger market for these kinds of sessions (like Nashville), thus, more competition.  In smaller towns or areas where there isn’t much competition for full band live demos, it actually may end up being more expensive.
  7. Service – Live demos definitely facilitate quick turnaround times; the band cuts the tracks all together.
  8. Band Recording – If you have your own band, this is the only way to really get it done.

CONS:

  1. Speed – Things tend to go fast in this environment.  A writer or the producer needs to be on their A-game to ensure you are getting the vibe that you want.  Pre-production is really important here.  Especially if you are attempting an “inexpensive” artist track as opposed to a song demo.  NOTE:  This isn’t really an issue when you are in “good hands” with a capable producer, but writers who find themselves at the helm with little experience tend to get swallowed up in the chaos.
  2. Producer is Necessary – 5 or 6 musicians at the same time is a lot of “traffic” to direct.  Someone has to be at the helm.  Also, when you have 5 studio musicians, this will be a tight team so an outside personality offering instructions or direction can often be a challenge; especially if that outside person is less experienced, that band will smell that like a dog smells fear!  This challenge ensues because these musicians will undoubtedly have communication “scars” that come from the many “newbies” or “rookie” writers and artists who don’t know what they want and don’t have experience to articulate their desires.  This communication barrier is often difficult to overcome for a writer or artist with no relationship to the band; thus, a producer or engineer that has a working rapport with the band will champion any ideas the writer or artist has ensuring the message is getting received by the players.
  3. Proper Recording Studio – This is a necessity.  Some studios simply don’t have the bandwidth (computing power, I/O infrastructure, or cue system) to handle all those tracks at 1 time in a live session.  Additionally, some studios don’t have the space or enough isolation rooms to facilitate such a session.
  4. Access To Talent – Clearly you need access to a huge talent pool to assure that a complete and capable band can be put together.  Let’s face it, most people do not have access to the kind of talent that is readily available here in Nashville.
  5. Non Studio Musicians – Live recording in a studio with a full band of studio musicians is quick and quite awesome to see.  However, if you are a self contained band, this can become costly as everyone in the band needs to play their respective parts perfectly to make this work.  If your band doesn’t have a ton of studio experience, then this could become problematic.

SUMMARY

The live band recording is much more advantageous to any singer/songwriter/artist that is looking to cut artist tracks.  This is just the best way to record any music that requires players of some sort.  Trying to “cut your album” with an online studio can be a bit sterile.  However, if you are recording POP music, certain kinds of R&B, or Rap music, these genres typically involve programming and a band is simply not necessary; aside from the occasional overdub of a color instrument of some sort.  Additionally, for songwriters, there are places where you can get GREAT deals on song demos with a live band.

Please SHARE this blog if you like it!

[ois skin=”Bottom Post”]