Posted by DJ Copperhead on September 1, 2008 under New Music Mix Podcast | 
This episode features hot new songs from a variety of independent artists, such as Donna Lewis, Adam Delisi, Stolen Cars, Natalie Walker, Uh Huh Her, Vic Kingsley, Tori Lewis, Mutlu, The Stone Coyotes, The Crash Moderns, Jay Anderson, Raine Maida, Bill Purdy, Jimmy Lloyd, John Fkiaras and Lin McEwan. It also features an interview and in-studio performance of the Brooklyn rock quartet, Running Still. Read more of this article »
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Rating: 7.2/10 (5 votes cast)
Tags: Adam Delisi, Bill Purdy, Donna Lewis, Jay Anderson, Jimmy Lloyd, John Fkiaras, Lin McEwan, Mutlu, Natalie Walker, Raine Maida, Stolen Cars, The Crash Moderns, The Stone Coyotes, Tori Lewis, Uh Huh Her, Vic Kingsley
Posted by Michael on June 26, 2009 under Articles |
How did I overlook “Thriller” and “Bad” in my list of Top 10 Pop Albums of All Time? Those two are definitely in there, and “Dangerous” is damn close.
I guess like so many others, I fell victim to the media’s picture of him over the past 12 years… and starting to forget the amazing, consummate artist and songwriter he was.
“Thriller” hit the public zeitgeist just as I was starting to develop my own musical tastes and identity, and it must be hard fro anyone under the age of 28 or so to truly comprehend the impact he had on my entire generation. I never considered myself a big fan. I had all his tapes/CDs, etc… of course, and I enjoyed his albums and hits. But I think he was SOOOO massive, that I felt he didn’t need MY undying fanship, so I poured it on other artists.
The news yesterday of his death rewrote my history in one evening. His music has always been in my life, and like family, perhaps I took it for granted. But a man with talent like his should never be taken for granted. As I read all the tributes, I’m also struck with an emerging theme: While the man was amazingly talented, he also WORKED hard to hone his craft, to the detriment of every other aspect of his personal life. He didn’t take his talent for granted, why did I?
The stories remind me of why I got hooked into creating music. I liked it because there was no such thing a a “perfect score” or 100%. Academic classes were too easy for me, and it was all to easy for me to slack while I got my straight “A”s. But I knew I would NEVER be able to slack in music. There would ALWAYS be room to get better. I was right, I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and I’m still finding ways every day to improve.
I was puzzled why Michael Jackson’s death hit me so hard. (It didn’t really kick in until I finished a session with a client.) Looking at it, I think it was because I knew Michael Jackson was after the elusive “perfect score.” Even after Thriller, he thought he could “Beat It” and worked himself harder than anyone else could to achieve the impossible.
Now, forever out of reach.
Posted by Michael on June 18, 2009 under Articles |
Bob Baker’s “Buzz Factor” always has good advice for the musician looking for promotional ideas, for instance, check out this article…
Bob Baker’s Indie Music Promotion Blog: The Future of Digital Music for Indie Artists.
Posted by Michael on June 11, 2009 under Articles |
As a music producer, part of my job is to stay up on what’s current. I love popular music, so this isn’t really a chore. But I have to say that “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas leaves me completely puzzled by it’s success.
Quite frankly it reminds me of my fraternity days. A bunch of people with no musical talent in a room getting high… rapping crappy nonsense, looping a cheap drum machine and holding a single key down on the keyboard… occasionally doing a random, pointless and non-musical noodling synth solo… toking up and going “that is soooo cool man!”
Then shipping that off to a brilliant mixing engineer who makes the nonsense incredibly polished. An incredibly polished turd. Except this turd has become the group’s biggest hit so far, and it has even become their first airplay #1 hit… I haven’t been this confused as to why a song is popular since “Crank That” by Soulja Boy. If ANYONE knows why this song is so popular, please comment and let me know.
So I wasn’t going to get this album, but when Amazon put it up for $5 I said “What the heck?” (Further proof of my article, “Can We Have the $5 CD?”). Thankfully, the CD is better than I thought it would be. (I liked their last one). However, they still seems to need some editing guidance that their A&R isn’t providing. Songs that would be great, fantastic breezy pop at 3 to 3:30 minutes start to get tired, monotonous and grating at 4:30 to 5:00.
I don’t think I’ll be listening to this CD as a whole much, but there are a few songs I will enjoy popping up on random, namely “Meet Me Halfway”, “I Gotta Feeling” and “Missing You.”
Posted by Michael on June 9, 2009 under Articles |
Here’s a great article about what the mix really does for your song and why you should really budget for it. Of course, when you work with me you get a package price and no surprises!
Give the engineer some « Loren Weisman’s Blog.
Posted by Michael on May 27, 2009 under Articles |
It is natural for everyone, especially artistic people to go through highs and lows. The trick is to learn to deal with it. I’ve found many coping mechanisms to help me get through my emotional low points. I’m not in any way a psychologist, but perhaps if you find yourself down in the dumps or depressed, some of these techniques might help you as well.
1. Every Artist Gets This Way.
When I find myself getting down, inevitably these next questions pop into my head with greater frequency: Why am I doing this? Do I really suck? Is it worth it? Am I making a fool of myself? Etc…
Guess what? Every artist goes through this, whether they are a “big success” or not. At least for me, it helps to remember this. Then it also helps to find another artist that I can emotionally unload onto… because they pretty much always breathe a sigh of relief and say “Dude, I thought it was just me!”
2. Embrace it
Lets face it, art doesn’t just come from the happy place. I try to take where I’m at and use it as a starting point for my creative endeavors. Even if I don’t feel I can “create” at that moment, I try to analyze it, catalog it, and put the feelings into a “folder” so I can get at them when my music needs that emotion.
3. Find Your Inspiration
I used to be very “lazy” when I got down or depressed. Then I would get down on myself for that. It was a defeating cycle. Now I find ways to be “productively lazy”… i.e. I find inspiration. I listen to a lot of CDs, watch TV shows, read books, look at art… whatever. The truth is, sometimes I just need to recharge my batteries. I’ve found there is no better way to accomplish this than to appreciate the other art that is being put out, and rediscovering the reasons I am doing what I do.
4. Force Yourself to Work
Attempt to work through it. Sometimes I find that after a few hours of forcing myself to work on a project, I find myself getting sucked in and enjoying it. Not always, and I don’t push it after an hour or two. And sometimes the “cure” is just for the moment as I’m creating. But sometimes, it will snap me completely out of it.
5. Find a ritual that works for you
This next one might just be me, but I’ll bet you have your equivalent. If my down mood hangs on a bit too long, I clean. I’ll clean and organize my apartment and do the same for my studio. Afterward, I often feel like my mood has been cleansed as well. Also lately I’ve taken up cooking. Now I’m not a great chef or anything, but I’ve found just chopping vegetables, coming up with a recipe (Oh, yea… I don’t use recipes, I just try and think what might go well together) stirring things, etc… helps put my mind in a different place. Maybe you’re not a cook or a neat freak (I’m hardly a neat freak… just cleaning up at times is great!) but maybe you can find a couple out-of-the-box solutions that help.
6. Be Prepared
So I was a Boy Scout (if only for a year!) and their motto is great, even here. If you are like me, you know the “triggers” that tend to send you into a funk. I know I’m going to get down when work is slow, at the end of a big project, somewhere in the middle of a project where I stepped outside of my comfort zone, when I’m working on a project I don’t particularly enjoy, etc… For me the key is just being aware of these, and being at the ready to start implementing #1-5 above so I don’t let myself fall too deep!
I think it all boils down to accepting and forgetting your mood and depression. The worst cycle in the world comes when you get upset or depressed over the fact that you are depressed! So everything I do falls into the accept and distract category.
So what are your methods of coping when you get blue? Comment below. I’d love to hear them and I’m sure other readers would as well!
So have fun and enjoy your next down cycle!
Posted by Michael on May 25, 2009 under Articles |
I was shocked and surprised to discover that a Green Day album had clawed its way into my top ten albums. That Album was American Idiot. So in one sense I had high hopes for their new CD, but in another way, I really didn’t expect something to live up.
My shock… I like the ne album, 21st Century Breakdown, even better than their last one. The first 6 songs are decent, but not stellar and maybe feel like the group is “trying a bit too hard”… but once you get past that, the next ten songs are “all killer, no filler”. They are trying different things on this album. Most noticeably they have discovered piano in a big way, and use it effectively… “Peacemaker” with its mid-eastern musical influences is a big standout, and “21 Guns” deserves to be the “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” of this record. (Though I suspect American Radio will stay away from it’s political content.)
In fact, while I think almost song for song this album is better, it isn’t as chock-full of obvious radio hits, again, pretty much because Billy doesn’t hold back on the political content. Despite their upcoming challenges with radio (maybe because of it) They have delivered a mature and thoughtful album that still shows the boys can rock. Production and engineering on this is also amazing, BTW…
Now I have the scary proposition of having to admit that Green Day might be one of my favorite BANDS! I guess I should start checking out some of their catalogue.
Posted by Michael on April 20, 2009 under Articles |
I’ve been on the hunt for some great albums that I have missed, as I am on a big ALBUM kick with my new Bose headphones…
Someone recommended Terence Trent D’Arby’s 3rd album, “Symphony or Damn”, and I actually remember it, a good friend of mine was a fan of his, and I thought, “Why didn’t I ever get this?”
So I ordered it from Half.com, and put it into my ipod up getting it. Then, track after track, I am wowed by the sound quality, hooks, songwriting and creativity… I’m thinking, “Wow, this could be one of my favorite CD’s EVER… and I missed it!”… even though I knew I had heard it before from my friend.
This went on for the first 7 songs…. then… THUD… track after track of mediocre filler. 15 songs total on the album. The last song is pretty good, but I think I would have been numbed to realizing it if I hadn’t ALREADY known that was a good one…
Despite the fact that I can (and will) trim this down in my iPod to an excellent 10 or 11 song album, my enthusiasm for the CD has dimmed greatly from all the unnecessary filler. I could have dealt with (any) one or two of the okay songs, but stretching it to 15 songs was truly unnecessary.
In fact, I don’t know if I’m the only one, but to me an album feels complete with 9-12 songs, and 40-50 minutes total. Any more than that, and it starts feeling a bit long to me… even it if is all really good.
When CDs came around, every musician felt like they had to “fill it up!’… Get out of that mindset. With digital distribution, keep a great, tight CD! If you have a bunch of other songs, sell them on iTunes as an additional “single” or create an EP of B-Sides. Your uber-fans will appreciate this, and STILL think you put together a great KILLER album! Becasue you want them spreading the word that your CD is FANTASTIC!
NOT… “there’s some great songs on there if you’re willing to listen to all of it!”
I know the reason why I didn’t buy his CD back then… I remembered my full impression after hearing the whole CD… and it was … eh? So What?
Posted by Michael on April 14, 2009 under Articles |
I don’t normally do reviews, but I saw the Off-Broadway incarnation of Rock of Ages, and tonight saw it on Broadway, and these are my thoughts on the changes.
The Good Changes:
- Script seems paced tighter.
- James Carpinello is a great choice for Stacey Jaxx.
- The sound is better and LOUDER
- The move means Constantine Maroulis can get a Tony nomination.
- The show still kicks ass.
The Bad Changes:
- Amy Spanger as Sherrie: I saw an UNDERSTUDY Off-Broadway who was much better… Is Amy that much of a draw to screw over the other people who have been with the show? She was off-key about half the time tonight. (And about 10-20 years too old for the role despite generous application of makeup.)
- Is Mitchell Jarvis’ character (narrator) more flamboyantly gay than I remember Off-Broadway?
- They need to find a way to loosen up a stiffer crowd. Maybe it was because I was surrounded by a lot of press tonight, but it seemed like it wasn’t the right crowd and it took them until 2nd act to really get into the show and start singing along and waving their lighters. Hopefully this happens quicker when the room isn’t filled with stuffy press.
Despite my nitpicks for and against, if you’re a fan of 80s rock and power ballads, there really isn’t a more fun evening to be found.
Posted by Michael on April 13, 2009 under Articles |
I know that everyone works in a slightly different manner. So for those of you new to the recording process, or for those of you who want an idea of how I work, I thought I would walk through the whole process, step-by-step, of recording a song.
I wrote an article on recording pop/R&B songs… i.e. songs with predominantly programmed material. However, there are many of you who like to use predominantly live musicians, of course. And, of course, I can accommodate you as well! This article is geared toward artists who like to use a lot of live musicians, but aren’t recording as a band. i.e. most of the musicians will probably be coming in seperately, and probably haven’t been rehearsing the song with you a whole lot, if ever. I will do another walk through for rehearsed bands, as that process is a little bit different.
I also work quickly. Depending on the Client and musician availability, I can usually move through all the steps to completion in 10 days or less. Things move even faster (per song) when working on more than one as I can work in parallel on the songs, and the musicians can lay down on more than one song a session. (This is a whole lot more cost-effective!)
1. Scratch the Song
I listen to the client sing “or play” the song… Then I find the tempo, put in a temporary, unchanging drum beat, and start figuring out the song. We will lay a temporary piano or guitar line that is meant for just figuring out the chord structure of the song. Once this is laid down, the client will lay down a “scratch” vocal for me to use as reference. I don’t spend much time at all on the scratch vocal. (The only people who will ever hear it are myself and the client!) The scratch vocal serves three purposes… Hearing it over and over I can get to know the song better. I will get to know the singers idiosyncrasies and get some ideas of how to coach out an amazing vocal performance later. Most importantly, I can see how the voice fits in the track so I can choose instrumentation that will sound good with and support the most important element of the song. Then I am ready to move on.
2. Starting the arrangements, Drums and Bass
With most songs I like to start from the “foundation”. I usually start with getting the drum/percussion/bass groove going first. I can play/program very realistic Electric Bass/Drum sounds if needed, but if you want a live drummer and bassist, we can easily record them together to get the groove right. Note: It is usually very cost inefficient to record live drums for just one song! There is quite a bit of time in set-up alone, and the drummer can’t just haul his drums on the subway! To get the best value with live drums, I suggest a session where the drummer can lay tracks for 3-4 songs in one day. If the client is a rehearsed band, I will usually lay down electric guitars live as well with the drums and bass.
3. Lay Down Other Live Musician(s)
This is the point where I like to lay down any other live musicians we want to use… Guitars, Sax, etc… I do want the client at these sessions. I work with some very talented musicians who are familiar with a lot of styles, and I tend to prefer collaborating with them to come up with the arrangement for their part of the song, but of course, this could also be worked out ahead of time if needed.
4. Finish Arrangement/Editing
Again, I prefer to work alone here. I will do any editing needed from the live musician setting, and start fleshing out the rest of the instruments and arrangements. I tend to “over-arrange” a bit at this point, because I know I can always take stuff out (mute parts) in the mixing stage. I would rather have everything I might possibly want already in place. I am NOT mixing at this stage. I try to balance the parts so they sound decent, but I am not going for a polished mix yet. When I am finished with the arrangement, the client can pick up the track (or I can email them an mp3). If there is anything they don’t like at this point I can get rid of it, or work on adding something the client wants that isn’t in there yet. Then they can practice singing a little bit before the…
5. Vocal Session
If there are going to be thick Backing Vocals as in many Pop/R&B Songs, I prefer to start with laying down the Chorus Backing Vocals. Depending on the style of the song, this can be relatively quick, or a painstaking process of quadrupling every single harmony line. I like to do this first, because the presence of background vocals, like the rest of the arrangement, can really give the singer more confidence and energy to nail their lead vocal. I can usually do ALL vocals, lead & background, in one session, but depending on complexity and stamina of the singer, this could get broken up into two sessions.
If there are lead vocals only (No background vocals) this session actually moves very quickly. If the singer is up for it, I prefer to do 6-7 full takes straight through the song. I’ll give my comments and suggestions between each take. If there are any sections that we didn’t feel were nailed at this point, we can punch in those parts. However, if it makes the singer more comfortable to do it section by section, I can easily accommodate that.
At this point we work on Background vocals for the verses and bridge if necessary. This doesn’t always mean “harmony”. A light whispered line below the lead vocal can add some great intimacy, for example.
6. Vocal Editing
I pretty much insist that the client not be present when I do this for several reasons. The client could be uber-picky and slow this process to a crawl. (I can ALWAYS go back to the other takes if a client wants to hear another line after I’ve finished editing.) Or the client could get self conscious hearing takes where they went off, etc… and a singer’s confidence is of utmost importance. I go through the takes line by line looking for which take has the best delivery, and then bring them all together into one amazing take. At this point I tune the vocal when necessary. (In Pop/R&B/Dance this means pretty much always, but even in other genres, listeners are getting accustomed to hearing an electronically, perfectly tuned voice.) Don’t worry, I’m great with this, and can make the process very transparent. You won’t *sound* like you’ve been tuned. (Unless we’re going for a vocal effect… Akon, T-Pain, Lady Gaga anyone?)
7. Mixing
I usually prefer to do this process alone, but I have no problem with a client attending a mix session. However, this needs to be worked out before we start, as I will charge a bit more in the package price for a sit-in session on mixing. I tend to mix in two steps.
The STATIC MIX
The static mix is where I get everything sounding as good as possible WITHOUT doing and “fader moves” or automation, special efx, etc… I get the EQs and compression settings right, find the right delays and reverbs to give the right sense of space, etc… Here I will also do my “subtractive arranging”. I’ll decide where to bring parts in and out if I haven’t already done so before. This step can really make the arrangement! I usually prefer to wait a day before moving on to the next step to clear my ears and perspective for a moment. If I have any questions as to what direction the client wants to go at this point, I will send them the static mix for feedback. But usually I know when we are both after and can proceed without feedback.
The AUTOMATED MIX
This is where I do all the detail work. Adjusting the volume levels of the vocals and instruments from section to section (or line to line if needed). Adding some special effects where appropriate or desired. Automating panning (a sound moving from left to right) where called for, etc… Once I am done with this I am ready to call in the client for:
MIX APPROVAL
Just because I prefer to work alone, doesn’t mean the client doesn’t get what they want! At this point if there is anything the client wants changed, we can work it all out until the client is thrilled. Then we can:
8. Mastering
I am not a mastering engineer. However, I have heard many mastering engineers whose work is worse than mine. In any case, and good mixer will always recommend the client use another mastering house for fresh ears to bring out the best… That said, I understand some clients won’t always have the budget to go to a mastering house. Because of this, I include a complementary basic mastering job. The main purpose for this is to make sure the volume of the mix competes with other released stuff in your genre.
9. Complementary Touch-Up
Many clients never need to use this, but I always offer a complementary tough-up session later if something pops up in the mix that we just didn’t notice beforehand. It’s amazing what your ears can get accustomed to going over the song over and over sometimes. This is another reason I prefer the client not be at the mixing session… When they come in to approve/tweak the mix, they will have fresh ears for the job… In any case, I do requre a wait of 2 weeks for the touch up session to make sure that the client has caught everything they want to tweak.
I Hope This Helped!
I hope this article helped those of you new to the process of recording understand everything that goes in to it, and for those of you who are studio veterans, I hope this helps you understand my process.
I always offer a free, no-obligation consultation for potential clients to discuss your project and work out a budget based on your needs. Please feel free to call me at 646-345-3433 or email me at mgilboe@copperheadproduction.com
Posted by Michael on under Articles |
I published this a while ago, but just figured out how to share… No particular theme, just a bunch of unrelated songs that flow quite well for a great mix! Note; Fist song, “Waiting for Her” by a-Ha was not in the iTunes Store… grab it if you can!
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