Your Private Home Studio - Why Do-It-Yourself?

We live in a realm of audio, don't we? Part of that audio is voice, other part is music and much of it is just....noise, right? But regardless of what kind of sound it is, recording and editing it so that it fill a certain purpose is a big enterprise called.......professional recording.

Traditionally recording was finished in commercial recording studios. At the beginning of the 'business' area of recording, there was fundamental expertise and expensive gear involved so logically doing it in one's home (AKA: DIY home recording) wasn't widespread at all. Nonetheless that's transformed.

Currently the tools associated with recording music, voice (and noise) has gotten more compact, more sophisticated and (thankfully) cheaper. Basically home recording turn out to be automatically within reach of ordinary people with average funds.

Note: Sure...there's always 'high-end', 'cutting edge' home recording technology available to choose from, though that's not the thrust of the article. So let's first realize that it's not complicated to buy the home recording equipment anymore. Not only is current gear so much more obtainable but, frankly, there's lots of excellent quality used recording equipment available on the market too.

Hence, that being the case, why would you want to create a home recording studio? Or put another way...why would you choose to go to all that hassle of gathering the cash, taking a bit of time to construct a home recording studio, learning how to do the parts of process that you have no idea how to do?

There are certainly a lot of good reasons to build a recording studio yourself but we're going to mention 8 of them in this article. And keep in mind that these factors, or advantages, relate to you equally whether you are an instrumentalist, a singer, or a voice-over actor.
Having the ability to schedule your home recording studio time with your personal bio-rhythms quite often entails your performing better....creating a better finished creation. You in most cases can't do that when you're at the mercy of a hired recording studio.
If you decide to cancel a formerly planned recording studio session, you don't lose any cash. Consider this...if you and your crew rented a little recording studio time and all of sudden one of the members has to back out....you probably just have to 'eat' that unused studio time, don't you? If it's your studio....you would not.
You are not shelling out money to practice. You can perform (or have fun) as much as you wish in your personal home recording studio without paying rent. It's a flat investment anyhow, right? If you're a band, renting a commercial recording studio to practice, you solely get paid when you ultimately write a certain amount of final tracks that get sold someway. It's a long process that costs you every single step of the way and only pays off if you make it to the end.
A lot of music and sound designers have tools they like better over other tools. You never know what you'll find in a rented studio. With your own home recording studio you acquire what you need (because you get what you desire).
You arrange your use of the studio for the times you desire to work. It's not the same as #1 earlier for that refers to the most effective time to play your best. This advantage applies to practicality of utilizing the home recording studio on one occasion vs. another. If you got an additional occupation you could be going up against with others for studio rental 'after hours'. If you own your own private studio it's no hassle. In addition, even if you don't have a 'day gig', it's always pleasant to have the ability to arrange your producing sessions according to your available time.
In a sense, it amortizes itself....i.e. Every time you put it to use, you're preserving cash you'd have used up in hiring related facilities. It's an excellent feeling to 'spend just as much time as you want' and not concern yourself with the expense.
You do not need to drag all of heavy equipment all over just to go to a practice session. This advice only relates to bands obviously, but still...it's a biggie.
If you ever become a home recording studio owner, you can turn around and make revenue off it yourself just like some of those studio rental guys used to make off of you. Fair's fair, right?

Creating a good, home recording studio isn't quite hard and it should be the goal of just about every musical performer. You can find additional suggestions around to help you get it done too. If you have been thinking about it.....get going!

Discover all about setting up you own home recording project studio. Learn the secrets of commercial recording studios and design some sounds.

View the original article here

What Makes a Good Studio Recording Engineer?

I feel it important to want to keep always learning - to have a passion for the mad science that is sound. Recording and mixing sound is a science and an art. So we need to take the time to grasp the science - perhaps more specifically physics in this case. And have the humility to respect the complexity of the science. Frequencies work in weird and wonderful ways and I don't think we really understand what is going on all the time. Once the tools on offer have been mastered you can then enjoy the art of sound recording and mixing music. Many top engineers and producers have a style and perhaps sound that is their own.

Really as a studio producer I describe myself as a midwife. My job really entails channeling someone else's voice and vision. This involves listening, finding out and respecting where they are at and where they are wanting to head with their music. So this is also empathy. They might not be making the creative music I make or like to listen to. Non-judgment is part of the role of enabling the artist or band to do what they want to. It's about the challenge of making the capturing the best sound and sculpting the best mix appropriate for each person/band/situation. This may involve encouraging the artist(s), helping them to get and stay relaxed. Using positive helpful language, such as how about trying this/that? As opposed to don't do this or that. Diplomacy is sometimes the key to keeping a band together for a more cohesive performance and more pleasant working day for all.

I think it does help to listen to and respect lots of different styles of music and musical instruments. The variety of timbre, recording and mixing techniques involved in genres from classical recordings to dubstep, from Indian classical music to the 1960's Motown sound. They tend to be all treated differently, each genre may even have a characteristic sound as well as musical formulas and instrumentation. For example electronic music tends to employ more heavy compression and clinical EQ while a classical symphonic orchestra will be largely left untreated as reverberation from the recording space - and therefore mic placement - is the magic that can bring it together and alive. I've heard and read many famous music producers mentioning this as an integral part of their development making for an interesting and successful career.

Through interviews in magazines such as Sound on Sound and Tape Op magazines, we can learn a lot from more famous music producers. I liked reading what Thom Russo had to say in an interview with website Music Coaching dot com. He talks of the importance of being patient. It may take that guitarist 10 (or more) takes to be happy with his performance and get all the nuances right. Or that vocalist may be super talented but still plagued with self-doubt. He also warns against taking decisions or opportunities too personally. He wisely says, "The most important thing you have to realize is that it's not about you - it's about the music."

Ultimately I think good recording engineers are engineers who care. They take pride in what they do but remember the magic is in the music, the science (acoustics and psycho-acoustics) and the machines (such as microphones & recording equipment). We just have to learn how to use it to its optimum application. And this can be 50% technical skills and 50% personal/communication skills. Our aim is to make music that decisively expresses its need and intention and resonates with the listener as the artist(s) hoped and intended.

Caro Churchill is a freelance recording engineer and studio producer. She is also a solo female artist composing and performing her own unique style of creative music.

View the original article here

Are You Building a Recording Studio For Fun Or Profit?

There's two main reasons why someone would want to start their own recording studio. To have their own personal space, maybe even in their own home to record their music on their own time or to have a recording studio they could rent out to other bands, musicians and songwriters who are in need of a good facility to record their music and so run the studio as a business.

Of course, one could set up such a studio and do both of these things with it. Personally I use my home studio exclusively for personal use but do have several musician friends who started this sway and have decided to make it a full-time money making business.

If your desire is to start a recording studio for business reasons then great, but you have to have the right business model to make it a success. The good news is this isn't very complicated and anyone who has the desire and proper business model and plan can make it work.

There's kids with tons of technical and recording know how putting together home studio's all over the place but that doesn't mean they can make a living with it if they don't understand the business side. Meanwhile, someone with half the recording talent can turn the same studio into a real full time business career by taking the time to learn the proper business plan.

Competition?

Some people are of the mindset that a lot of competition can kill you. Many successful people will say that no competition will kill you. This means that for any business to thrive there has to be plenty of people who are buying the product or service the business is selling.

In the world of music: bands, songwriters, singers, musicians there is always a never ending supply of potential customers for a good recording studio. It's true that many are now making their own home studio but most of these setups are not and never will be a professional quality studio, meaning they will still be taking their home productions to be finished at a better studio than the one they have at home.

Cost?

The reason many amateur and pro musicians are building their own home studios is because the digital recording equipment that's available today is simply quite amazing in both what it can do and the price. Years ago you couldn't even think about setting up a professional quality recording studio for under a few hundred thousand dollars but because of digital technology advancements in the recording world this just isn't even close anymore.

While a decent home studio can be set up from a few hundred to a few thousand bucks, your better pro quality studio would need to be much better than that but still inexpensive enough that would make it possible for anyone with the right attitude would be able to get it done.

Johnny Ferreira is a professional musician and editor of YourHomeRecordingStudio.com featuring this special report on how to Start a Recording Studio.

View the original article here

Dr Luke, The Music Studio Producer

Dr. Luke is an acclaimed music studio producer of our generation. The talented musician and producer has worked with some of the biggest names in the pop world, on top of having performed with international artists and been a part of the Saturday Night Live house band for years. His input in the music industry is undeniable and his impact on pop albums and recordings can be heard on the radio all around the world. Dr. Luke has been nominated for Grammys and is recognized to be the producer of the decade so far.

Native from Rhode Island, Lukasz Goldwatt, was born in September 1973 in a jewish Polish-American family. Luke have always wanted to play the drums but finally decided to practice on his sister's guitar after his parents denied the permission of having drums in the house. He would practice for hours and hours. He tried to recreate every interesting guitar lick he would hear on the radio and on his favourite albums in order to perfect his craft. He then moved on to attend the Manhattan School of Music, a renowned institute in New York City.

After studying at the School of Music for two years, Dr. Luke participated in an audition held by Saturday Night Live in order to find a lead guitarist for their house band. Out of 80 applicants, Dr. Luke scored the position and went on to play for SNL for 10 seasons, which the contract ended in 2007. During that time, Dr. Luke had also become acquainted with the underground hip-hop scene of the Big Apple. He has also appeared as a DJ at various events. He also met up with Max Martin, a producer, who proved to play an important role in Luke's successful career.

It was with producer Max Martin that Dr. Luke co-wrote and co-produce one of Kelly Clarkson's biggest pop hits, Since U Been Gone, which was released in December 2004. The song topped the charts and Dr. Luke switched his focus to production: he has then been producing tracks and albums for Britney Spears, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Sugababes, Kelly Clarkson, the Backstreet Boys, Vanessa Hudgens, Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Ke$ha, Flo Rida and many other pop fixtures of the 2000's. As a music studio producer, Dr. Luke has been nominated at the Grammy Awards twice and was named Number One Producer of the Year by Billboard in 2010.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Kara DioGuardi, The Music Studio Producer

While Kara DioGuardi has been having a very successful songwriter and music studio producer career for many years, it wasn't until she appeared as a judge on American Idol that her name exploded in the industry. Her ability to craft and produce award winning songs one after the other for many different artists has made DioGuardi one of the most sought-after pop songwriter and producer of the 2000's. Her collaborations have included no other than pop royalty Kylie Minogue and Christina Aguilera, as well as Meat Loaf, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Theory of a Deadman and many others.

Born on December 9th 1970 from a Albanian and Italian descent, Kara DioGuardi was used to being in the public eye from a very young age: her father is no other than former Republican Congressman Joseph J. DioGuardi and she happens to be a distant cousin of TV sensation Regis Philbin. Her initial career path did not lead on to believe she would end up in the music industry: DioGuardi is a political science graduate from Duke University. It was only after earning her degree that she landed a job at Billboard Magazine as an assistant and then advertising sales representative.

From then Kara DioGuardi certainly took a liking to the music industry and decided to invest her time wisely in the industry by becoming a professional songwriter. Her unique abilities certainly made her one of the prolific and successful writers of the industry in the last decade. Her catalogue, which counts many hundreds of songs, also includes 279 songs released on major record labels, 169 songs on multi-platinum albums and 50 international chart toppers. Her songs have not only been featured on incredible popular albums of our generation but also in motion pictures, television shows, radio spots and international commercial campaigns.

After her brief stint on two seasons of American Idol, DioGuardi returned to songwriting and production with an even more active interest. Some of her biggest achievements include songs by Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Meat Loaf, Theory of a Deadman, Kylie Minogue, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff and many other international acts of the decade. Her input in the pop culture of the last 15 years is undeniable and she has been recognized many times for her achievements. As a songwriter and music studio producer, Kara DioGuardi certainly established herself as being a force to be reckoned in an industry mostly dominated by men.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

George Martin The Music Studio Producer

Sir George Henry Martin has certainly established himself as a music studio producer. One of the most respected and well-known producers of all-time, Martin is the name that brought to our ears the sweet sounds of the Beatles, with the exception of one single album. After more than 60 years in the music industry, George Martin is still active up to this day as chairman of the Associated Independent Recording Studios' board. His work is impressive and his career is of the most interesting progression of events.

It all started when Martin was 8 years old and his family made the welcomed acquisition of a piano. Young George then developed an interest - he took a few lessons and then proceeded to keep teaching himself the art of playing the piano. While his musical interest was quickly developing, Martin didn't consider making it an actual career before finally enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama right after his service in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. His studies in both piano and oboe gave him essential knowledge and developed his ears in a unique way, allowing him to become the successful producer he is now known as.

George Martin first worked for the BBC Classical music department and ultimately became the head of EMI's subsidiary Parlophone Records. His position allowed him to record anything he wanted; he started with Baroque and Classical music, included original cast recordings of famous plays and even comedy records. His career was already flourishing healthily when he was approached by then Beatles manager Brian Epstein. From here, the rest is history. Martin went on to produce and record an impressive amount of records with the legendary band and was often the brain behind some of the most risque creative decisions of The Beatles' career.

While his work with The Beatles is definitely notable and certainly an integral part of what makes George Martin one of the most respected figures in the music industry, Martin has also collaborated with many other successful artists as a producer. Credits include work with Elton John, Celine Dion, Paul McCartney solo, Gerry & the Pacemakers, America and many more. George Martin is a recognized name within the world music industry. As a music studio producer, George Martin stands behind 23 #1 singles and 19 #1 albums in North America alone, as well as 30 #1 singles and 16 #1 albums in the United Kingdom.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Dr Dre - The Music Studio Producer

Far from being only a solo artist, Dr. Dre is also a highly recognized music studio producer. His successful career has given him the knowledge needed to produce and consult many budding artists and discover raw talent where it's at. From the small streets of Southern California to being a respected producer and rapper, Dr. Dre certainly shows us that his skills are to be noticed and that his career is still well on its way. After being a star member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru and collaborating with N.W.A as well as releasing his own solo material, he is now focusing on production and providing valuable advice to many international artists in the hip-hop and r&b genre.

Dr. Dre was born Andre Romelle Young in February 1965. His interest in music didn't start to show until years into high school, when he first started to show up at the Eve's After Dark Nightclub to observe DJs and rappers performing. He had his first try at being a dj, until the pseudonym Dr. J; he then quickly switched to Dr. Dre. It was not long after that he joined the ranks of the World Class Wreckin' Cru, a very popular rap group of the time on the West Coast scene.

From his days in the World Class Wreckin' Cru Dr. Dre moved on quickly to collaborate with N.W.A., a pioneer group of the 'gangsta rap' genre, along with Ice-T. It is after leaving N.W.A to release his own solo effort and founding his very own record label Aftermath Entertainment that he really decided to focus on production as opposed to be a performer himself. His first successful production credits include no other than 3 tracks on Eminem's highly successful Slim Shady LP. From then it was very clear that Dre's knack for production was slowly unveiling itself and needed to be nourished by further opportunities.

Excluding many collaborations with Eminem, signed to Aftermath, he has also produced tracks for Mary J. Blige, Eve and Gwen Stefani, 50 Cent, Snoop Dog, Jay-Z and more. To this date, Dr. Dre is still producing highly successful singles and albums amongst the hip-hop and r&b community and remains a pioneer figure in the industry. Many modern artists such as Kanye have quoted Dr. Dre's sound as being inspirational and influential; Dre is now considered to be an acclaimed artist and quality music studio producer.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Basic Home Recording Studio - Simple Setup for the Musician on a Budget

As a musician, chances are at some point you've wondered about the possibility of recording your music whether it be for a demo, to share with friends, or simply for the thrill of hearing yourself perform. The problem is that it's an intimidating hobby to get started in. Between the heavy doses of impressive sounding jargon and the interaction of all the many different components, it's easy to be discouraged. I'll explain the basics of each step and together we'll create a home recording setup that's right for you and your budget.

Choose a Location

The location is so important because this will be your sanctuary, your place to relax and get away from the chaos of your everyday life. This should be a place where you can be reasonably isolated. I recommend using a spare bedroom or office as a dedicated space, rather than double booking a current room (such as your bedroom or living room). This way you can focus on your music free from distractions. A basement area would be ideal since you will be able to eliminate some of the ambient noises of the neighborhood around you.

The Digital Audio Workstation

It's time to put that computer of yours to good use! The term "Digital Audio Workstation" or "DAW" sounds impressive, but it simply refers to your home computer coupled with digital recording software and an Audio Interface (more on that later). DAW recording software allows you to manage the different audio and digital signals received by your computer. It can either be purchased by itself or bundled with an Audio Interface. Often this included bundled software is more than sufficient to get your feet wet and help you decide if this is something that you'd want to make a more significant investment in.

DAW Hardware
As is the case with any software application, having only the minimum operating requirements will make you want to set your machine on fire and toss it into oncoming traffic. Avoid this feeling (and criminal charges) by upgrading your current machine or going for a newer model. My advice is to get the fastest computer you can reasonably afford. Why? Because you'll be using it to apply digital FX and other signal processing to your music and the extra horsepower will be a life saver. Using your DAW in this way can simplify your setup by using digital processing and FX, rather than hardware based FX which use up space, money, and most of your remaining patience.

Another thing to keep in mind is the scarcity of USB / FireWire inputs... there never seems to be enough, right?!? Nowadays everything from keyboards and mice, to printers, iPods, and thumb drives take up another precious input. For this reason I'd recommend a USB/FireWire hub that takes 1 input and fans it out to multiple inputs. This is one small thing that can really brighten your day, by allowing you to use all your devices instead of having to pick and choose.

DAW Software
This is the part that really puts the Digital Audio into the Workstation... after all you've had a computer forever, but only now will you be able to record with it. More than any other single part of your home studio setup, this is the one piece that will require the most study, the most commitment, and will cause the most tears. It's just the way it is. You'll need to spend a lot of time getting to know the ins & outs of whatever software you choose. The good news is that once you have crossed over to the other side, you will have many tools available to help you create your music.

There are many brands to choose from but you don't need a deluxe version of DAW software to get recording. Many brands offer "lite" versions that cost 60%-70% less and have everything you need. Those expensive DAW software packages (in the $500-$700 range) are so pricey because they include virtual instrument libraries and plug-in applications. These are nice to have if you decide to spend more money down the road but definitely not required for a beginner.

Microphones

The importance of the microphone in the home studio can't be understated. Depending on what you're trying to record, there are a couple different microphone options. A high-end model will collect every nuance of your angelic voice and give wonderful sound quality. Sounds pretty good doesn't it?? Not so fast, Sweetheart! Without the proper acoustically treated space, equally high-end microphone preamps, cables, and other components you won't hear what the fancy mic can really do... so the investment is in vain. For around $100 bucks you can get a quality studio mic, and they fall into 2 main categories: Dynamic and Condenser.

Dynamic mics are good for miking guitar amps or loud, powerful vocals. Condensers are more sensitive and therefore are better for miking acoustic guitars or subtle, expressive vocals. If you only have enough money for 1 mic, then I'd recommend a condenser over a dynamic mic, but both would be useful in your home recording studio setup. A condenser mic will give you the flexibility to do vocals and instrument recording... just make sure you have Phantom Power. Phantom power is what makes a condenser mic operate, and it can be found on any Audio Interface.

A quick word on USB mics: Even though USB Microphones are alluring because of their lower price, I would avoid them at all costs. They are not necessarily easier to setup and can be fools gold to a blossoming home recording artist. Go with a conventional studio microphone and you will not regret it.

The Audio Interface

The Audio Interface is what bridges the gap between your music and the digital recording world in your home recording studio. But what specifically is it that an Audio Interface provides...

1. A/D Converters take the analog electrical input signal from your mic or instrument and convert it into a digital form that the computer can understand.

2. Microphone Preamps take the relatively weak mic input signal and boost it to a usable level.

3. Phantom Power provides Condenser microphones with the power supply they require to operate.

As mentioned earlier, all three of these essentials are integrated in a single Audio Interface unit. Because they connect to your computer via popular interfaces such as FireWire or USB 2.0, you can easily add them to your current computer setup. Each AI will come with some kind of software that interfaces with the hardware of your computer (which is different from the DAW recording software mentioned earlier. This software simply defines the parameters of the Audio Interface itself.)

The decision of which AI you choose will largely come down to the number of unique tracks you'll want to record at the same time. Are you gonna be a solo act with one vocal mic and one mic for your acoustic guitar? - that's 2 right away. If your lead guitar guy comes over to jam he'll want to plug in his electric axe to lay down some filthy epic riffs - that's another one... 3 total. He may even want to mic his background vocals as well - that's 1 more.... up to 4 now. So to record each of these to its own track on your computer you'll need an Audio Interface with 4 mic preamp inputs. Keep in mind that it's also common to record an instrument using a few different methods at once, such as recording guitar directly via the pickups and also via a microphone setup by the sound hole. This gives you the flexibility to combine the strengths of each recording method when you're mixing later on, but at the cost of using 2 mic preamps for 1 instrument. You can begin to see that these add up in a hurry so try to have some foresight for expansion down the road. Having a few extra inputs can help you avoid the headache of owning a piece of gear that can't do what you want. You know that saying "Less is More"?? Well in this case "More is More" and "Not Enough" will feel like "None".

Studio Cables

Now that the difficult decisions have been made, it's time to hook everything together so that the precious audio data can be delivered right where it needs to be. Since we are not trying to buy gear for life "on the road" we can actually save money on cables. You'll need a lot of these (plus spares) so they could potentially eat up a lot of the budget. Many affordable cables have a lifetime warranty, which is good peace of mind if one does fail on you. You will need at least 2 different types of cables: 1/4" instrument cables for your instruments, and XLR cables for your microphones.

Headphones

This is a slam dunk for your home recording studio setup. Here's what I know for sure. You will definitely use these, and you will definitely use these a lot. You may have heard of studio monitors but I don't recommend those to beginners because they bring the acoustics of the room into the equation. You can add these later if you wish but all you need to start is a quality pair of headphones. You don't need to spend an arm and a leg for these either as you can get an excellent pair for ~$100. Also make sure it comes with a 1/8" -> 1/4" adapter. All the headphone input jacks on Audio Interfaces use this larger connector size. This is easy because anything in that price range will sound and work beautifully, as well as have the necessary 1/4" adapters. The next criteria is a bit trickier to get right - Comfort. Since you'll be wearing these for long periods of time, comfort needs to be an essential part of your search. Make sure to try a few pairs on and make sure they don't pinch your head or literally rub you the wrong way.

That's all there is to it. Even though your specific home recording studio setup will be unique based on the decisions you've made throughout this walk-through, your studio will probably fall into a few popular categories.

Check out the site below for links to detailed diagrams and instructions on these common setups.

David Lopushansky is a former lion tamer and current home recording studio enthusiast. Want to learn more about everything you need to get started recording today? Get simple explanations and step-by-step instructions on how to setup your basic home recording studio right now at http://www.basic-home-recording-studio.com/

View the original article here

Brian Eno The Music Studio Producer

Straight out of the prolific music world of the United Kingdom, Brian Eno is a successful musician, composer and music studio producer still active up to this day. His career includes an impressive amount of credits related to some of the most successful albums of the last 2 or 3 decades. His involvement in electronics and technology in music has somewhat changed many musician's approach to composing and his often minimalistic and ambient solo efforts have defined a genre of their own. Eno is also highly involved in politics and have been since the beginning of his career.

This producer was born Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno on May 15th 1948. Born in Suffolk, Eno was educated at St. Joseph's College, where he met Tom Phillips, a teacher that would encourage his musical interest. After working with Phillips on what was called 'Piano Tennis', Eno began an involvement with Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra. From this collaboration emerged Eno's first released recording, featuring his voice. In the early 1970's, Brian Eno became a part of Roxy Music, a glam/art rock band from London; Eno was playing synthesizers, working sounds with a tape recorder and was even found singing background vocals.

Roxy Music became a successful British act but divergence of opinions between Eno and lead singer Bryan Ferry forced Eno to seek a solo career and leave the band. His solo career is still going strong up to this day; Eno is considered to be a pioneer in the ambient music genre and has released a string of albums highly acclaimed in the precise style he specialized in. His knowledge of sound and sound processing had him produce albums all throughout his career; Eno has worked in collaboration with Genesis and David Bowie before producing many of U2's successful albums through the years.

While Eno's production credits are rather selective, they nonetheless include no other than U2's Joshua Tree, The Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby and All That You Can Leave Behind. Brian Eno was also approached by Microsoft in the 1990's to come up with a 3 and a half seconds 'song' to use as their start-up sound; The Microsoft Sound, the well-recognized sound from Microsoft 1995 was composed and produced by no other than Eno. While Eno may not be known as a high-profile music studio producer, he is nonetheless an important part of the music industry and has been an inspiration and influence for many other acclaimed producers.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Andy Johns, The Music Studio Producer

While Andy Johns is known as much for his engineering credits than his music studio producer mentions, his career certainly is one of the most stellar 'sound' career of all times. His list of credits includes some of the most impressive names in rock & roll history; Led Zeppelin, the Stones, Van Halen and Joe Satriani, to only name a few. The younger brother of Glyn Johns, Andy quickly established himself in the business and learned production from observing the greatest of them all as we he was working as a sound engineer or revolutionary albums at the young age of 19.

Andy Johns was born on January 1st 1952; at this moment he was already predestined for greatness. His interest in music and his lucky situation, with older brother Glyn to show him the ropes, allowed young Andy to become highly successful at an astonishing young age. Armed with his good ears and dedication to music, Johns entered the music business in the shadow of his older brother to work on a few albums by the Clouds and Blind Faith. It was only a matter of little time before Johns landed the dream gig of many engineers in this world: Led Zeppelin.

Johns has worked with Zeppelin from the start. His name can be read in every CD booklet from Led Zeppelin I up until Coda. The 6 astonishing albums by the British rock legends have been completely engineered by Johns as he was still a teenager. In 1971, Johns landed another dream gig: the Rolling Stones. While working with the Stones proved to be difficult at first, Johns had the chance to engineer some of the most legendary albums from the group, including Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main St. This experience proved beneficial for Johns as he got the chance to not only witness rock & roll history but also to engineer an album under producer Jimmy Miller, a legend in himself.

After engineering some of the most successful albums of all times, Andy Johns decided to focus on production: the 1980's have been particularly kind of Johns. His name can be seen in the credits for Cinderella's Night Songs and Long Cold Winter, Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Joe Satriani's The Extremist and Time Machine as well as albums by L.A. Guns, Chickenfoot and the Steve Miller Band. Still working hard as a music studio producer, Andy Johns has already made his mark in the industry and is still working with music legends up to this day.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

How Important Is the Pre-Amp in the Recording Studio?

This is an article that is intended to help out musicians, solo artists and bands save time and money whenever they step into the recording studio. It is part of a series. The topic of this article is similar to a previous article in this series on Recording Studios and Mastering Studios. The previous article was about the importance of microphone selection. Another important part of the recording process is the selection of the microphone pre-amplifier. First we should talk about what a microphone pre-amp is. A mic pre-amp is a device that boosts the signal from a microphone because the original signal is too far to low to record and get enough volume out of.

Typically noways there are pre-amplifiers in most audio interfaces or sound cards used to input audio into digital audio workstations. Historically they were included in large studio recording consoles. Nowadays there are also stand-alone mic pre-amps that are usually between $500-$1000 that can be purchased. Now why would you want to spend so much money on a single microphone pre-amplifier? This is because these types of pre-amps are "character pre-amps." These colour and add character to the sound being recorded in a way that is very pleasing to the ear.

While theses can be important to the recording process, the reality is that the quality of the pre-amplifiers included on most audio interfaces or soundcards are very high and can sound great. These interfaces are fairly inexpensive and still give you a professional sound quality. This is all a product of the last 10 years and a relatively new phenomenon. So in a nutshell the microphone pre-amp selection is very important. Also, the combination used between the microphone and the pre-amp is important and can effect the final recording.

One question that you may be asking is, by using a pre-amp that comes bundled with an audio interface (not a "character pre-amp") do you lose some of the quality and colour in your recording? From the source, yes you are. But since you are likely making a digital recording you can use a number of digital plugins that emulate high-level character pre-amplifiers after the recording has already been completed. These plugins are also often times much less expensive than the hardware versions used during the recording process. So yes it is an important part of the music making process but there is some room for flexibility.

Andrew Yankiwski is a professional audio engineer and owner of Precursor Productions, One of Canada's Premiere Online Mixing and Mastering Studios.

Sign up for the Mastering Studio website email list and get 20 FREE VIDEOS to help you save money in the studio. PLUS instantly get 10% OFF all recording, mixing and mastering services.

View the original article here

Jimmy Miller, The Music Studio Producer

Unfortunately not from this world anymore, Jimmy Miller rose to fame as a music studio producer in the late 1960's after producing a string of albums propelling the Rolling Stones to a whole new level. His insight as a musician and his ability to create a unique sound for every project he has ever worked on made Jimmy Miller a uniquely qualified producer with a highly successful career. He is still deeply mourned in the musical community many years after his death and his input in music history has forever changed the sound of rock & roll.

Born in the legendary Brooklyn, in New York City, on March 23rd 1942, Jimmy Miller became acquainted with music very quickly. Coming from an artistic family, with his father being an entertainment director, Miller took it upon himself to learn the drums and various percussion instruments. He soon became a skilled musician, which would later serve him rather well as a producer. One of the things that did made Miller a sought-after producer was his ability to play exactly the sound he wanted on the drums instead of simply talking and explaining his way through it like many other music producers of the time.

Before rising to fame with his long-time association with rock legends the Rolling Stones, Miller experienced great success after producing a few tracks for the Spencer Davis Group. Spencer Davis Group was a well-known 60's British band famous for 'Gimme Some Lovin'. It was after this production that Miller became involved with the Rolling Stones and later produced 5 of the most acclaimed albums of the group: Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St. and Goats Head Soup. While the Stones were already a sensation over the world before the release of these albums, those 5 specific Miller-produced records propelled them to an entire other level of fame.

Jimmy Miller unfortunately died on October 22nd 1994 from liver failure. He was then at the age of 52 years old. His short life however, was filled with success. He had produced some of the greatest albums in rock & roll history and had worked with legendary acts over the years. Other credits of Miller include Motorhead, Blind Faith, Traffic, Johnny Thunders and many others. As a one of a kind music studio producer, Jimmy Miller will always be remembered dearly amongst the musical community. He has certainly made his humble mark in musical history.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Quincy Jones - The Music Studio Producer

Born in the soulful streets of Chicago, Illinois, Quincy Jones has climbed up the ladder of the music industry as a musician, composer, arranger and music studio producer. His work is acclaimed by music lovers of many generations and his talent has created musical brilliance in many varied styles and genres. From his work with Celine Dion, Sinatra, Michael Jackson and many important jazz figures, Jones has established himself as being a true pioneer in the music industry and an influential figure in jazz and pop music for generations to come.

Quincy Jones was born Quincy Delightt Jones Jr in early March 1933 on the southside of Chicago. His family moved to Seattle when Quincy was only 10. At school, the young Quincy developed a musical interest early on, trying out many different instruments in the school band. He then settled to trumpet; learning how to play and practicing for hours, he then met a pianist named Ray Charles and started a duo with him. The two talented young musicians quickly landed a series of gigs in the city's small clubs, at weddings and other events. Quincy Jones then left Seattle to live in Boston and attend the Berklee College of Music.

Once in Boston, Jones dropped out of Berklee to tour under Lionel Hampton's baton. After this tour, Jones directed himself to New York City, where he became a highly sought-after arranger; jazz royalties Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Sarah Vaughan and Ray Charles all hired Jones for his arranging services. In the 1950's, Jones was hired as trumpeter and musical director of the Dizzy Gillespie Band and returned from the tour to record his very own material with ABC - Paramount Records. It was in 1957 that Quincy Jones studied composition with no other than Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen; he also had the opportunity to perform at the Paris Olympia and was named music director of Barclay Disques, a distributor for Mercury Records.

It was after all of these successful ventures that Quincy Jones moved on to the world of production. His credits in production started with Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad albums. Jones is also credited as producer for Celine Dion, Anita Hall and many other recognized names of the business. An established music studio producer, Jones has been active since the 1950's and still continues to make his mark in the music industry to this day.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Timbaland - The Music Studio Producer

Born and raised in Virgina Beach, music studio producer sensation Timbaland represents the hip-hop and r&b scene of the 1990's and the beginning of the century. His collaborations with the biggest international artists of our time and his ability to work through different genres and go to extremes have made him one of the most successful music producers of the time; his credits include work with Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, Bjork, Chris Cornell, Jay-Z, Nelly Furtado, Madonna and so much more. Timbaland is known for his unique sound and for the success he brings to every track he produces.

Native from Virginia, Timbaland was born in March 1971 as Timothy Zakar Mosley. His musical interest first emerged as he started playing around with his casio keyboard as Dj Tim, or Dj Tiny Tim. Timbaland knew talent right from the start even at such a young and inexperienced age; he started collaborating with a friend, Magoo, with whom he has released several albums before his successful career exploded in the late 90's and early 2000's. It was also during this early period that Timbaland started being associated with rapper Missy Elliott - an association that would bring a higher demand for Timbaland's producing services.

Soon enough, Timbaland's career literally exploded; he produced tracks for Aaliyah, Jay-Z and Ludacris in the late 1990's and obtained success with all his efforts with these artists. In the early 2000's, Timbaland collaborated with Justin Timberlake for his second album and was even featured on a few tracks off of the album. The success behind Timberlake's second solo effort was imminent and projected Timbaland on the map as being the most capable producer of the time. Soon, artists from different genres such as Bjork, Chris Cornell and Duran Duran were requesting Timbaland as a producer and his ability to turn every track into gold served these artists just as well as all other hip-hop contributions with Timbaland's name in the credits.

Timbaland can play guitar, bass, mandolin, keyboards, vocoder, drums; he can also sing and rap and even beatbox. The extent of his talent is unprecedented and his ear for talent and quality sounds is astonishing. His collaborations with the biggest names in the industry, including Madonna, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Chris Cornell, Beck, Jay-Z and more has long established Timbaland as a legend of its own and his career as a music studio producer is still going strong up to this day.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Nigel Godrich, The Music Studio Producer

Only a few selected producers can claim having their entire career built on a single act: Nigel Godrich, on the other hand, became the renowned music studio producer he is now known to be due mostly to his long-time association with British phenomenon Radiohead. Considered by many fans to be the 'sixth member' of the group, Godrich has helped the band defined their unique sound and has brought a breath of fresh air on the international music scene by using dense layers of sounds to create unique recordings. Along with other acclaimed records he has produced, his work with Radiohead has put him on the map as one of our generation's most in-demand producer.

Born in England on February 28th 1971, Nigel Godrich followed the path taken by many producers before him. He got into music when he was quite young and unconsciously developed his ears and ideas by listening to some of the most influential records of history. He attended the School of Audio Engineering and has worked in a few studios before getting hired as the house engineer at Rak. It is while working at Rak that Godrich met up with renowned producer John Leckie, who would later on introduce him to Radiohead.

Godrich's first gig with radiohead was to engineer their early album known as The Bends. This album is said to have been particularly difficult for the band to work on and, despite the difficulties faced by the band, the group loved working with Godrich and subsequently invited him to co-produce a few tracks before deciding to hire him as their producer for the award-winning OK Computer. After the massive success engendered by OK Computer in 1997, Godrich was officially Radiohead's producer for good; he has produced every single release made by the band since then.

While Nigel Godrich's career mainly stands on his international acclaim as being the producer who defined the Radiohead sound, he has also gained much recognition by working with other famous artists. One of his most famous collaboration resulted in Paul McCartney's 2005 release Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. This unique album won international acclaim and allowed Sir McCartney to resuscitate a solo career that had not been going as strong as it used to. As a music studio producer, Nigel Godrich is as excellent and as unique as they come and certainly still have a long and prosperous career ahead of him.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

Robert Lang, The Music Studio Producer

Robert 'Mutt' Lang is considered a successful music studio producer of the 1980's and 1990's. His ability to craft highly successful albums and his long-time association with sensation rock band Def Leppard has propelled Lang's career to producer superstardom rather quickly back in the 1970's. While Lang has been in the media most recently following his extra-marital affairs while married with Canadian pop-country artist Shania Twain, his career as a producer is certainly an extraordinary achievement in itself and has made him a highly respected figure in the industry.

Born from a German mother and South African father in November 1948, Robert Lang spent his childhood years in Zambia, attending Belfast High School. Early enough he picked up rhythm guitar and entertained his background vocals abilities in a band formed during his high school years. His musical interest developed quickly and after his wedding to Stevie Vann, Lang moved to England to form the band Hocus, featuring both him and Stevie. It was only after the marriage derailed and the band parted ways that Robert Lang dove into production and became a sensation in the industry.

Production success came rather quickly at the beginning of Lang's budding producer career; after working with the Boomtown Rats on their single Rat Trap in 1978, Lang moved on to work with AC/DC. AC/DC and Robert Lang gave birth to Highway to Hell (1979) and Back in Black (1980), both of which were acclaimed rock & roll albums at the time. His input into the 1980's followed this path, with Lang working extensively with Def Leppard; the albums High n Dry, Hysteria, Pyromania and Adrenalize were all produced by Robert Lang and all achieved worldwide success on the charts. It was also during that time that Lang was hired to produce Foreigner's 4, one of the band's acclaimed albums.

From the late 1970's up to now, Robert Lang has managed to produce or write songs for some of the most recognized artists in the world. He is credited as producer on Bryan Adams' Waking up the Neighbours and 18 'til I die, Michael Bolton's The One Thing, almost all of Shania Twain's discography, Nickelback's Dark Horse and others, without forgetting the albums with Def Leppard and AC/DC. Hi songwriting credits can be heard on materials from the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Bonnie Tyler, Starship, Heart, the Jonas Brothers, Loverboy, The Cors and more. His career as a music studio producer spans more than 3 decades and is still active now.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here

What's The Best Way To Record Your Album In The Recording Studio?

Playing a live show is an amazing feeling. The energy, the hype, the rush - it's all exhilarating. Everyone is vibing off of each other and the mood and feeling can be perfect. But playing in the studio to make a professional recording is very different. Many bands and musicians go into the studio with certain misconceptions. It's important that you know what to expect when you step foot into a recording studio so you can save yourself time and money. The topic of this article is whether your band should to play live off the floor when recording in a studio or record each instrument separately. This is an area where there is a lot of mythology and a lot of misconceptions.

First of all, for live performances it is extremely importantly for players to have line-of-sight and be vibing off of each other. No one disputes that is an important part of live music at a live show. And, indeed, there are some situations where it's necessary to replicate that in the studio. For example when recording orchestras or jazz ensembles it is very important. But for other styles of music (rock, pop, etc.) it is less important. Even though when creating or writing music together as a band it is a similar sort of vibe, and even historically musicians played live off the floor during the "golden-era" of recording, it is done less so nowadays. The majority of recordings in recent history have not been recorded live off the floor.

An important question to ask is "Is the recording process in the studio similar to jamming or playing a live show?" And the answer is no, in most cases, it is not. Yes you do want a good vibe between musicians and it is a producers job to help replicate that in the studio. Normally, certain instruments will be tracked and recorded separately from each others. For example one day may be drums and the next may be guitars and then finally vocals, layering them on top of each other. You have to be able to trust in your producer to recreate a vibe in the final recording that is similar to a live performance while at the same time using modern recording methods. You may end up being surprised that a number of different recordings when layered and produced professional have an amazing vibe to them and lock together in a certain groove. But for modern recording you need to adapt your playing to a studio environment and develop those techniques to give yourself the best possible final product.

Andrew Yankiwski is a professional audio engineer and owner of Precursor Productions, a Winnipeg Recording Studio.

Sign up for the Mastering Studio website email list and get 10% off all recording, mixing and mastering services. PLUS: Get 20 free videos that will help you save time and money in the recording studio!

View the original article here

The Importance Of Microphone Selection In The Recording Studio

This article is part of a series that aims to help independent musicians make the most of their time in the recording studio. Whenever you're in the studio it's important to be prepared so you can get the best product, while saving time and money. The topic of this article is Microphone Selection. How important is the type of microphone you select to the final recording? This is a very good question and an area which causes a lot of confusion for many. People who have been in the studio a number of times have probably noticed the fact that there are numerous microphones used to record different voices and instruments.

For any kind of live music recording, the microphone will play a huge part in the recording process. In the old days a few large studios would spend a huge amount of money on microphones and they would use them for a very long time. The reality is, that in the last 10 to 20 years we have seen a huge interest in manufacturers who are making microphones for the home and project studio market that are relatively inexpensive (under $1000) that make fantastic recordings.

The main point to take away from this is not the dollar amount spent on a microphone but how well suited that microphone is to the voice or instrument being recorded. Understanding that comes from recording a lot of music and seeing how those recordings bear out in the mixing and mastering process. Ideally you want to have access to a small variety of microphones to be able to test what works best for every separate situation. You may also want to use multi-microphone recording where you use more than one microphone to record an instrument.

Your producer or engineer's understanding of what type of microphone is being used where it is positioned and how it reacts to the sound being recorded is very important. There is an art and science to microphone use in the recording studio. Although much can be done in the mixing and mastering stages of the music production work flow, these pre-production aspects matter a great deal. It is important to not forget the importance of all the different stages as they all play a role in the final product. Microphone selection and use is one such stage. In essence, microphone selection is very important but not necessarily for the reasons you may first think.

Andrew Yankiwski is a professional audio engineer and owner of Precursor Productions, an Online Mastering Studios.

Sign up for the Mastering Studio website email list and get 20 FREE VIDEOS to help you save money in the studio. PLUS instantly get 10% OFF all recording, mixing and mastering services.

View the original article here

Phil Spector, The Music Studio Producer

Innovative, unique and distinct are all adjectives that could describe Phil Spector as a music studio producer. His ability to create hits and produce some of the most recognized music of the 1960's has assured him a healthy career as a producer; Spector his known to have worked with the biggest names of the industry and is also known to have created unique production techniques revolutionizing the way many albums were recorded back in the day. Considered to be a pioneer in the industry and a respected figure all around, despite his legal troubles in the 2000's, Spector is perhaps one of the best producers in history.

Born in the Bronx in December 1940, Harvey Philip Spector came from a Russian immigrant family. While Spector was only 9 years old, his father committed suicide, prompting his mother to relocate the family in California. In sunny Los Angeles, Phil Spector became acquainted with music, learning the guitar and performing in his school's talent show. With three high school friends, he then formed a band called The Teddy Bears. The Teddy Bears became somehow successful, selling over a million copies of their first single 'To Know Him is to Love Him', which hit #1 on the billboard charts.

After many other singles by The Teddy Bears failed to make it into the Hot 100 of the billboard, the group parted ways. Spector started to focus on songwriting and production at this moment. He co-wrote many hits of the era, including 'Spanish Harlem' by Ben E. King and improvised himself studio musician for some sessions, including a recording of 'On Broadway' by the Drifters. The word spread around rather quickly and Phil Spector was now collaborating with a range of artists, including Connie Francis and the Ronettes. During that specific period, in the early 1960's, Phil Spector also developed a revolutionary producing technique called the Wall of Sound.

The Wall of Sound would soon change the way many records were recorded and produced; instead of using small groups of musicians to record a song, Spector would have many musicians playing in unison, doubling and tripling certain lines. The resulting effect would be a dense, layered sound of which jukeboxes and AM stations were very fond of. Spector defined this technique as being a 'Wagnerian' approach to the art of recording, creating what he would refer to as 'little symphonies'.

From the mid-sixties on, Phil Spector became the producer in the United States; artists such as Tina Turner, John Lennon, The Beatles, Cher, Leonard Cohen, The Ramones and many more have requested Spector to produce some of their work. While Spector is a respected figure of the music industry, his life also had its share of controversy which oftens put his musical career in the shadow; Paul McCartney had openly criticized Spector for his work on the Let It Be album, while more recently he had been convicted with the murder of Lana Clarkson. Nonetheless, Phil Spector is and will always be a brilliant American music studio producer.

For more music studio producers and their music, try popular karaoke songs, and recapture the essence of their songs today.

View the original article here