So maybe some of our tax money is going to some of the right places. The Chicago Cultural Center has some pretty cool stuff going on that everyone should check out and it’s free!!!! Every month they put on “Musicians at Work” Forums called “Dialogues with Chicago’s music community”. Every month, Mondays at 6pm, some of Chicago’s music industry professionals come to discuss and offer advice to musicians and other industry leaders in the music community on a particular theme. Afterwards there is post-forum networking that offers the chance to ask additional questions to the panelists and network with all the other musicians who attend. You never know where you’re going to find that next Mr. or Mrs. Right Musician or musical connection!!! It’s a great place to go listen, learn, and network.

February’s theme was “Producing and Recording Your Music”. This session started off with five panelists, some of Chicago’s finest music professionals, introducing themselves and their role in the music community. Chris Schneider, owner/producer of Pressure Point Recording Studio served as Monday night’s moderator. Other panelists giving their input and opinions were Johnny K., owner/producer/engineer of Groovemaster Recording, Bob Liziz bass player, touring musician of the Brian Wilson Band, Chris Sheppard of Chicago Recording Co, and Timothy Schneider of Metro Mobile Location Recording. The pros went over most of the essential need- to- know- how’s of getting your creations from mind to matter. Topics included were: producers-when you need them, how to budget time and money for recording, how to prepare for the studio, mixing, and last, but not least, mastering.

First question offered up for discussion-“when is it necessary to bring in a producer?” Most agreed that this is really up to the artist. A producer is someone who should share the same musical vision with the artist and be able to take the project somewhere. “If you truly feel the need to get more out of your music-get a producer”, says Johnny K. Chris Schneider chimes in, “Many times new bands will hook up with emerging producers. It’s a great way to get started and hopefully grow together. That’s the way I started.”

Bob Liziz, a veteran to recording offers that, “Typically here in Chicago the engineer becomes co-producer to a project, helping to balance things out. Producers are beneficial when there needs to be an objective perspective if things sort of get caught up and need a little restructuring.”

A good song is a good song. A bad song is just that. Producers don’t work miracles; they simply add a little spice to the table. So in the end it’s all about the mesh of the musical vision, and if the artist feels their material needs a bit more spice.

So what about the $$$$? The need to budget time as well as money.
When it comes to recording at a studio time is money. All agreed that most of the time musicians come into a studio with unrealistic expectations. Suggestions given were to avoid going into a studio with ten songs to record, especially someone new to the scene. Johnny K. suggests, “If you are new to a studio, start with one song. Nobody wants to hear ten songs right off the bat from an unknown. Recording one song will give you a guideline for how long it’s going to take to get what you want and how expensive it’s going to get. It will also tell you whether or not you like the production-like a test run. What you should do is audition a studio. Play matchmaker with the studio/producer/engineer. Listen to what they’ve done. Find something you like that was done with this studio/producer/engineer, and ask how it got done. For example something you might like could have taken one day or a million dollars. You need to know what its going to take to get you where you want to be and for what budget.”

Pick your best song. Chris Shepherd says, “A great recording of one or two songs is enough. I’ve seen labels pick up artists off of one really well recorded song. Pick between one and three of your best songs. It’s your best bet.”

Be well rehearsed and well prepared. Bob-“Make sure musicians are all on the same page. If they are hired guns don’t have them all show up at the same time, hanging around wasting money while the drummer lays down his stuff, and so forth.”

Chris Shepherd- “The best way to go about it is to spend money at a good studio laying down the rhythm track-because that’s important. The overdubs can be done at a less expensive studio. Mix at a great studio as well. Sometimes you can even bargain with better studios on off days. They’d usually rather have some income coming in than none at all.”

Timothy Powell, a veteran of live recordings offers up, “Another way to get a great full length CD done is the art of live recording. If you are well rehearsed and prepared this is a great, less expensive way to get a full length CD done immediately. You may have to go back and fix a few things, but in the long run it’s much less expensive. If an artist or band decides to go this route, it’s a good idea to get three good live recordings to pick and choose from. You can use live versions for a full live CD or compilation CD. A great product too, is if you have a friend with a video camera, and you can make a low budget DVD. Usually, this is all less than what it would cost at a studio and for a great product and useful media tool.”

How to prepare for the studio.
The studio is an expensive rehearsal space. Johnny- “Intonation is essential-make sure your instruments are well intonated. Tuning is time and money lost. Listen to MP3’s before hand, have charts, have extra lyric sheets for the engineer so you don’t waste time punching in. Have the right people for your music, also. Put thought into hiring them. Make sure you’ve done your rehearsal and your research before hand.”

Another piece of great advice from Timothy, “Start your artwork before you record. You have to budget time for this. Most of the time I see projects get delayed-not for recording, but for the artwork. Artwork takes time. Also, be prepared. Pretend you are traveling to a desert island. Bring everything with you and two of it: strings, amps, batteries, and guitars- whatever. Anything that can go wrong- will. I have even seen people forget the original tapes that we’re adding to. Just make sure you have everything, plus more, that you could need.”

If a live recording seems to be the best avenue, make sure to do research on the venue before hand and check out its acoustics. Find out about the power and the splitter. Getting your instruments tuned and the right equipment and instruments are essential. “If your amp buzzes it’s going to be in the mix. Does the venue charge an origination fee? That’s also an important question to ask,” adds Bob.

Fixing the Mix.
Recording in a home studio, then going in to mix at a professional studio is a very popular option these days. Most studios use ProTools. A recommendation in using a home recording studio is to make sure the home studio has good acoustics. Dead space is better, because there is always the ability to add reverb into the mix.

Another good recommendation is to always get a good recording of drums and cymbals. Everyone on the panel recommended spending the money to track the rhythm section at a higher quality studio, because this is the hardest to fix when it comes to the mix.
Also keep up with the red and spike. If something gets too hot and is crackling, there isn’t much that can be done to fix it.

The question was asked-“Should artists be there for the mixing process?” There were many mixed reactions in response to this question. Some say yes some say no, but Chris Schneider comments, “Remember that the engineer and mixer is there to do his job. Let him finish and then give suggestions. A good thing to do is bring in your favorite records and give it as an example of what you want to sound like. Bringing in a reference point is always a good idea.”

Johnny- “Records do have very varying sounds from one to another, bringing in a point of reference definitely always helps. Some records are dark, bright, aggressive, etc. Bring in examples of a sound to replicate.”

Chris Schneider- “Mixing is like a puzzle. Choose a mixer you like and trust them. Sometimes artists get in the way of the process in the moment. If the mixer is thinking about guitars and the artists starts in on the vocals-it makes the process difficult. There are some artists knowledgeable enough to not get in the way. Probably though, the best bet is to let the mixer do what he does and then make a list of any suggestion you may have.”

Johnny,-“If you are going to try to mix it yourself, I mix the low end to get it squared out first. And then I’ll usually solo these together in this progression: Kick with bass guitar, guitar and cymbal, bass and guitar, and then guitar and the vocal.”

Chris Shepherd- “Also, it is a good idea to listen to your stuff through different speakers to tune your ears. Compare the sounds with your favorite records on the same speakers. You’ll end up with a better outcome this way.”

Chris Schneider- “Buy a block rate of studio time, usually 12 hours. Rates have been about the same since the 80’s. Big name studios charge around $150/hr and then you usually get the 12th hour free. Break up enough of that blocked time for mixing. One song in one day is very difficult. Usually you’ll need to take a break after a day of recording and come back later with fresh ears. Otherwise tired ears will start playing tricks, and the end result won’t be quite what was expected. The ears need time to breathe.”

Timothy- “Remember the engineer can be compared to an orchestral conductor. Let him do his thing. It’s an art.”

Mastering.
Save money for mastering. It is crucial to a good recording. Mastering on a low budget is hard. Audition tracks that mastering guys have done, like auditioning a musician. Again, give favorite records as reference. It never hurts.

“You can get 20% more out of a product with good mastering,” says Johnny, “Try to get a test mastering done if possible. I always do.”

Tim- “In the Illinois Entertainer you see a lot of mastering opportunities available but saying that you do it, and having a long history in doing it, are two different things. How long they’ve been doing it is a good measure. Usually I’ll trust the guys who had to cut vinyl-back in the day. Usually that’s a good measure of their skill.”

Johnny- “I did a demo out of my basement with this local band. They actually saved some money for mastering and sent it off to a great mastering place. Maybe a 6 song demo cost them $1500 for the assistant to one of the big shot guys there to master it. That was the best sounding demo I have ever done.”

To sum it up from the pros, in preparing to produce and record your music it’s a good idea to keep these top ten things in mind:

1) Choose your best songs; no more than three for a new project.

2) Have a mental snapshot of your songs. If you want more out of the songs-get a producer.

5) Research Studios/engineers/producers/musicians. Audition them. Listen to sample work and choose what you like for the sound you want.

3) Practice, Practice, Practice. Get it together before hand.

4) Pay attention to what musicians are doing before you get into the studio. Record practice sessions pre-studio. Play it back with everyone to make sure the band is playing as a unit and the parts are the ones intended. After all, the whole is equal to the sum of its parts.

6) Have realistic expectations. Once you find a sound you like, ask how much time was spent and how it was recorded to calculate the budget of time and money.
Ask the question, “What was the process to get this sound?”

7) Start the artwork before recording.

8) Track rhythm at a good studio and save the rest for the cheaper studios.

9) Save studio time for mixing.

10) Save money for mastering. It is essential.

Then next “Musicians at Work” forum will be held on March 13th at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., in the Randolph Street Cafe. The theme will be “Copyright, Intellectual Property, and Legal Issues”.
Also, keep April 3rd penciled in to the calendar for “The Craft of Songwriting”.
All forums are free, Mondays, 6pm-7:30 with post-forum networking.

Sponsors include Columbia College Chicago, the Chicago Federation of Musicians, and the Chicago music commission.

A good source in and around Chicago to find and post for musicians is Craigslist, the Illinois Entertainer, The Chicago Reader, universities, music schools, and of course the good ole fashioned advertisement: word of mouth. Getting out to shows and making connections with other musicians is the ultimate in networking. Also check out www.allmusic.com for information about the industry. It’s a good site to get information on who’s who in the biz.