Alright so here’s the situation. You’ve really been into this
particular band lately and every chance you get you put it on. For
whatever reason, you instantly liked what was coming out of the
headphones. If someone asked you what you liked about it what would you
say? You don’t know? Just sounds good? The words mean something
meaningful? The guitars sound sick? What are you really listening to?
I’m
sure I’m not the only one to notice this but doesn’t mean I’m not
curious. There is a bit of a divide among music listeners. There are
the ones that latch on to what’s being said, and the ones that are
hooked by the instruments and their respected riffage. Each side seems
to miss things in the mix. I don’t mean to say people are literally not
hearing something in mix. What I mean is some just don’t place too
much importance on certain aspect so it gets skipped over because
something else catches more of your attention.
Everything was
recorded and kept for a reason ladies and gentlemen and there are
important elements in the mix that might just be a little hidden.
I’ve
ALWAYS listened to the instruments. A lot of the time I don’t even
know parts of the song simply because it’s not what gets me. Even my
favorite songs I’ve heard more times to count I’ll only know what the
words sound like, not what they actually are. I always thought
that’s how it was for everyone and I questioned why the songs would be
published if there are parts that people can’t understand. That can’t
always be prevented though and I get that so didn't really think much of it.
I started noticing friends
would always be so on top of the lyrics though and know every word.
They didn’t have to look up the words they just knew what they were. At
first I thought my hearing was already going to hell and I didn’t doubt
it so just thought, “oh well it was bound to happen anyway lets be
real.”
Sometimes, however, there would be conversations about the way the song sounds
and a particular melody line that sounds good. Now the lyrical people
get to feel like they’re missing something. Most didn’t even notice or
hear what we were talking about, nor understand it. Sort of like how I
don’t understand how certain phrases of words sound so good and others
mediocre wordplay.
Ok so you like this but miss out on this. The
words can’t stand on their own and the music can’t stand on it’s own.
The answer is obvious.
It’s the combination of the words and the music that makes it good of course!
Big original revelation right?
Well hold on.
If
some people miss out on the full impact of the words or music, how is
that magical song marriage ever complete? How do you ever enjoy it to
its fullest potential?
Actively listen to every part of the song.
Absorb everything and you’ll find those hidden gems in the mix that you
were always meant to enjoy. Whether that’s a higher vocal harmony that
gives it a certain kind of class, or a sneaky bass line that drives the
whole section. Readers and your average music Joes tend to like words
while musicians tend to listen for instruments. Of course there are
exceptions to this but without getting overly analytical, it tells me
there's something else that makes you more attentive to certain parts.
Whats the real influence for the mix in your head? Think about it.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
A Free Recording Studio? By Converse? Yes Please!
Wow. I was looking around at a few companies I might want to intern
for and Converse was the first one I looked into. I knew they started a
new music branch to their company but I didn't know exactly what it
was. Here's what I found out.
Converse opened Rubber Tracks studio in July of 2011. The studio is in Williamsburg which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The outside of the studio is all sorts of tagged up (graffiti) by local street artists Shepard Fairey and Mr. Ewokone. It's a professional recording studio staffed with engineers and producers to help the artist get the music out of their heads and into the headphones for everyone else.
Now here's where my mind blew up. IT'S A FREE STUDIO! In Brooklyn! Bands apply to record there and are chosen to come kick it and make some music Rubber Tracks style. The way of thinking here is to eliminate the main road block in getting studio time, that whole pay them money for time bit. Of course the studio can't accommodate everyone that's why the studio picks who gets to record from a whole stack of applicants. They chose bands in a 2 month window and have a 12 recording cycles a year. Applicants aren't necessarily chosen based on talent but more for how much they can bring to the table.
What I mean by that is exactly how much stuff they can fit on a standard 6' table and whoever can cram on the most gets to record. I know I shouldn't need to say that's not really how it works but for transitions sake, it was a joke. They are looking for how much presence you have on your social media platforms, the drive to compete, the willingness to be different, more or less that "spark" that makes you special and will make the music that's recorded special.
After applying you will be contacted, if chosen, within 30 days and the recording date would be about 2 months after the application is submitted. The band will get 1 to 2 days of recording and will retain all rights to the music created. However, the smart thing to do is to give Converse limited rights so they can publish it on their sites and help you promote it. I didn't just make that up, Converse actually explains they will do that on the Rubber Tracks site. Who wouldn't want Converses help in promoting anyway?
Aside from all this they have gear reviews from the artist's perspective and from the staffs perspective. I actually learned a few things from some of the videos talking about mixing and microphone techniques if you only have 2 mics. Being a broke musician this is pretty relevant. When I say broke I mean low on cash and literally a lot of the gear my buddies and I own is broke.
Converse did it right. Create a space for musicians to be musicians and they will come. From the companies stand point its smart because artists of all shapes and planets are anxious to create their music and Converse gets that content to turn around and promote their company. They also had the presence of mind to say, "Hey! Let's have videos on gear, the artists that have been here, and tips and tricks in the studio as well." They only thing I would say is to make Rubber Tracks website more of a BAM here's Rubber Tracks kind of feel. It sort of came off as being a little side project by being just a tab from the main website. Make a whole new website completely separate from the main Converse website. They have the right idea so far, as far as making it easy and simple to navigate, but with a little more flare to it, it'll really make the studio "speak".
From the artists stand point, IT'S A FREE RECORDING SESSION! That's all that needs to be said to the artist. The application process is nothing and they encourage you to keep applying if not chosen. As an artist you know your going to have to bang on that door until someone finally gets up to see who's making all the noise. I've had to borderline harass venues for shows and sponsors for money, it's just the nature of the business.
What I'm trying to explain is, Converse is looking for how much drive you have to succeed and at the same time telling you to keep applying if you really want to get there. If that's not a clue that reapplying is crucial for the opportunity to record at Rubber Tracks, I don't know what is. It really shows how close the company tries to stay to the consumer and how far they are willing to go to make the recording process easier and more enjoyable. In the long run, the atmosphere always comes through in the recording and I think Converse did a hell of a job here. I'd love to intern at Converse and you better believe if I have the option to apply I will be showing them this post. Because I can. The bands even get free Chuck Taylor's! How cool is that? Can you even imagine the kind of opportunities that can be made from having studios like this all over? Think about it.
Here's this weeks track of the week by Recess called "No Games"
P.S. these photos ARE NOT MINE. No need for a copyright battle or nothing please and thanks.
Converse opened Rubber Tracks studio in July of 2011. The studio is in Williamsburg which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The outside of the studio is all sorts of tagged up (graffiti) by local street artists Shepard Fairey and Mr. Ewokone. It's a professional recording studio staffed with engineers and producers to help the artist get the music out of their heads and into the headphones for everyone else.
Now here's where my mind blew up. IT'S A FREE STUDIO! In Brooklyn! Bands apply to record there and are chosen to come kick it and make some music Rubber Tracks style. The way of thinking here is to eliminate the main road block in getting studio time, that whole pay them money for time bit. Of course the studio can't accommodate everyone that's why the studio picks who gets to record from a whole stack of applicants. They chose bands in a 2 month window and have a 12 recording cycles a year. Applicants aren't necessarily chosen based on talent but more for how much they can bring to the table.
What I mean by that is exactly how much stuff they can fit on a standard 6' table and whoever can cram on the most gets to record. I know I shouldn't need to say that's not really how it works but for transitions sake, it was a joke. They are looking for how much presence you have on your social media platforms, the drive to compete, the willingness to be different, more or less that "spark" that makes you special and will make the music that's recorded special.
After applying you will be contacted, if chosen, within 30 days and the recording date would be about 2 months after the application is submitted. The band will get 1 to 2 days of recording and will retain all rights to the music created. However, the smart thing to do is to give Converse limited rights so they can publish it on their sites and help you promote it. I didn't just make that up, Converse actually explains they will do that on the Rubber Tracks site. Who wouldn't want Converses help in promoting anyway?
Aside from all this they have gear reviews from the artist's perspective and from the staffs perspective. I actually learned a few things from some of the videos talking about mixing and microphone techniques if you only have 2 mics. Being a broke musician this is pretty relevant. When I say broke I mean low on cash and literally a lot of the gear my buddies and I own is broke.
Converse did it right. Create a space for musicians to be musicians and they will come. From the companies stand point its smart because artists of all shapes and planets are anxious to create their music and Converse gets that content to turn around and promote their company. They also had the presence of mind to say, "Hey! Let's have videos on gear, the artists that have been here, and tips and tricks in the studio as well." They only thing I would say is to make Rubber Tracks website more of a BAM here's Rubber Tracks kind of feel. It sort of came off as being a little side project by being just a tab from the main website. Make a whole new website completely separate from the main Converse website. They have the right idea so far, as far as making it easy and simple to navigate, but with a little more flare to it, it'll really make the studio "speak".
From the artists stand point, IT'S A FREE RECORDING SESSION! That's all that needs to be said to the artist. The application process is nothing and they encourage you to keep applying if not chosen. As an artist you know your going to have to bang on that door until someone finally gets up to see who's making all the noise. I've had to borderline harass venues for shows and sponsors for money, it's just the nature of the business.
What I'm trying to explain is, Converse is looking for how much drive you have to succeed and at the same time telling you to keep applying if you really want to get there. If that's not a clue that reapplying is crucial for the opportunity to record at Rubber Tracks, I don't know what is. It really shows how close the company tries to stay to the consumer and how far they are willing to go to make the recording process easier and more enjoyable. In the long run, the atmosphere always comes through in the recording and I think Converse did a hell of a job here. I'd love to intern at Converse and you better believe if I have the option to apply I will be showing them this post. Because I can. The bands even get free Chuck Taylor's! How cool is that? Can you even imagine the kind of opportunities that can be made from having studios like this all over? Think about it.
Here's this weeks track of the week by Recess called "No Games"
P.S. these photos ARE NOT MINE. No need for a copyright battle or nothing please and thanks.
Monday, September 17, 2012
The One Way Ticket to Selling Out Comes From Apple?
Here's the situation, a sponsor approaches an artist to provide
entertainment for an event. Does this seem out of the ordinary? If the
artist decides to provide the entertainment does it make them a
sellout? Sounds to me like every other event artists play. They were
approached with an offer because someone thought their music would best
suit the night. I don't see any real argument to say this artist is a
sellout yet. Alright here's a little more information.
The event is a new product launch from Apple. Apple's release event for the iPhone 5 was on September 15th in San Fransisco and decided to make an event out of it complete with musical guests. Ok, now there are some more variables like who's the artist, do they fit the product, do they fit the audience, etc. On face level I still don't see the argument for selling out. The artist didn't have to change their image and music to accommodate the client rather they were chosen BECAUSE of their music and image.
The artist is the Foo Fighters, a rock band with some serious underground punk roots from back in the day. Naturally seeing them in front of a big Apple logo upset some of the fans. A lot of people had something to say about them apparently selling out because of this. Fans even went so far as to say they no longer like them simply because of this. Alright I can see where that uneasiness comes from. This is the Foo Fighters we're talking about. This band has been through the dirt and grime of the industry and were bred in a time of taking it to the man in the suit. They don't do corporate events.
Remember the saying, that was then this is now? Rings true here. The music business was so much different a decade ago. Come to think about it, the business isn't the same as it was a week ago. A sellout to some people simply means making money from a different revenue stream other than out of a strictly artistic nature. Associating an artist to a brand or to sell a product was forbidden unless they want to suffer the wraith of the music scene.
Times have changed. In order to keep up these days, the artist NEEDS to tap into other revenue streams WHILE maintaining a consistent image. What if Apple held this event at The Forum in California (A venue the Foo Fighters have played before) instead of Apple headquarters? Apple is just the sponsor supplying a venue for the artist to expose their music. In this case, it's an intimate setting so the Foo Fighters played an unplugged set. ITS NOT SELLING OUT IT'S APPROPRIATE.
You can probably guess I'm a Foo Fighters fan. Matter of fact they are a major influence of mine. Knowing the band like I do it does not seem out of ordinary for them to play this gig. They are an incredibly versatile band and have proven time and time again where their passion comes from and have always been true to the music and image they represent. Regardless of the artist or sponsor, if the music and image isn't put in question just to make a buck, it's not selling out it's just smart placement then. Who gets paid for what shouldn't be the focus. Realistically, Apple has done so much for the music industry and for so many artists that any artist should be honored to play that gig. It'd be different if they helped launch a new test drug that makes your hair gold. It's for a device you listen to music on and for a company that is heavily invested into making music an interactive experience for the customer. I'm as much of a skeptic as anyone about big corporations and I don't feed on what's dished out without thinking about it a little deeper. After thinking about this situation it makes me wonder why the "selling out" mindset stayed so ancient in a world desperate for the next big thing. Think about it.
Ultimate Guitar Article
The event is a new product launch from Apple. Apple's release event for the iPhone 5 was on September 15th in San Fransisco and decided to make an event out of it complete with musical guests. Ok, now there are some more variables like who's the artist, do they fit the product, do they fit the audience, etc. On face level I still don't see the argument for selling out. The artist didn't have to change their image and music to accommodate the client rather they were chosen BECAUSE of their music and image.
The artist is the Foo Fighters, a rock band with some serious underground punk roots from back in the day. Naturally seeing them in front of a big Apple logo upset some of the fans. A lot of people had something to say about them apparently selling out because of this. Fans even went so far as to say they no longer like them simply because of this. Alright I can see where that uneasiness comes from. This is the Foo Fighters we're talking about. This band has been through the dirt and grime of the industry and were bred in a time of taking it to the man in the suit. They don't do corporate events.
Remember the saying, that was then this is now? Rings true here. The music business was so much different a decade ago. Come to think about it, the business isn't the same as it was a week ago. A sellout to some people simply means making money from a different revenue stream other than out of a strictly artistic nature. Associating an artist to a brand or to sell a product was forbidden unless they want to suffer the wraith of the music scene.
Times have changed. In order to keep up these days, the artist NEEDS to tap into other revenue streams WHILE maintaining a consistent image. What if Apple held this event at The Forum in California (A venue the Foo Fighters have played before) instead of Apple headquarters? Apple is just the sponsor supplying a venue for the artist to expose their music. In this case, it's an intimate setting so the Foo Fighters played an unplugged set. ITS NOT SELLING OUT IT'S APPROPRIATE.
You can probably guess I'm a Foo Fighters fan. Matter of fact they are a major influence of mine. Knowing the band like I do it does not seem out of ordinary for them to play this gig. They are an incredibly versatile band and have proven time and time again where their passion comes from and have always been true to the music and image they represent. Regardless of the artist or sponsor, if the music and image isn't put in question just to make a buck, it's not selling out it's just smart placement then. Who gets paid for what shouldn't be the focus. Realistically, Apple has done so much for the music industry and for so many artists that any artist should be honored to play that gig. It'd be different if they helped launch a new test drug that makes your hair gold. It's for a device you listen to music on and for a company that is heavily invested into making music an interactive experience for the customer. I'm as much of a skeptic as anyone about big corporations and I don't feed on what's dished out without thinking about it a little deeper. After thinking about this situation it makes me wonder why the "selling out" mindset stayed so ancient in a world desperate for the next big thing. Think about it.
Ultimate Guitar Article
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