How Did You Get Started as a Music Producer

Hello Conrad,

My name is Kaylee and I am doing research for my 8th grade school assignment. We where asked what was our career choice and I chose music producer.

I wanted to know how you got started as a music producer and what advice can you give me? I have been taking piano lessons since I was seven and music is just a big part of life.

Thank you for my time,
Kaylee

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Hi Kaylee,

I got started as a music producer by doing a series of telephone on-hold music libraries for GTE and Contel. That was my first “pro” production assignment. This was back in 1989 – MIDI had just been released. The telephone company wanted classical music but didn’t want to pay royalties of MUZAK fees, so I sequenced Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi and Mozart on my computer. At the time there were no midi libraries available like they are today, so it was a little cutting edge for corporate use back then. It started with one full length CD and ended up being a four CD library that was sold by a third company. By the time the project was done I had used all the money from those projects to buy computer gear. Inadvertantly I had started building a recording studio.

For the first CD I just did the programming and a seperate engineer and studio did the mix-downs. By the fourth CD I was doing the mixing and engineering myself.

My advice is to get serious with your piano lessons – study theory and as many styles as you can. If there’s a style of music you don’t like, that just means you need to study it more. Keep your eyes open for the opportunities that are around you. If you don’t see opportunites, then study and practice until you do.

Hope that helps.

Conrad

More Urban Legends

The last few months I’ve received an increase of urban legend emails. The downside is the people sending them to me don’t realize they are urban legends. Usually they are sent from people wishing to do good in the world. Just a note that if an email includes a phrase similiar to “forward this to all of your friends” then it is suspect and should be checked. This particular one I’ve seen before, but it only took four seconds on google to check it’s validity. Google.com – it should be your best friend if it isn’t already.

When I receive an email like this I always remember back to several years ago. A friend sent me an email and said I had to forward it in order to receive a free Disney vacation from Bill Gates or something like that. Of course, the email said the sender had an attorney look at it and “it’s really true”. At the time I emailed my friend to let them know it wasn’t true and they got very mad at me. I think they wrote me back and said something like “Fine. I was trying to be nice. Me and my family will be going to Disneyworld, suit yourself.” Well folks, they never got a free trip to Disneyworld and they still don’t talk to me because of my response. So maybe I should have learned a lesson back then.

What irritates me about this particular email is it’s incorrect quoting of the Koran. It then uses that false quoting of the Koran to insinuate a prophecy for the current conflict between the US and the Middle East. If you want to make these tie-ins, please at least quote scriptures correctly. Please check your sources. It’s easy and it’s free.

Info on the latest one received can be found here:

http://www.all-lies.com/legends/religion/koran.shtml

The link above will give you the background on this….well…… lie.

The email circular starts with a listing of many biblical events which are said to have taken place in Iraq. Then the email continues with the following:

BEGIN EMAIL CIRCULAR

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel , has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq .


And also, This is something to think about: Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages…

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11 ) – For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.

(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?!

I BETTER NOT HEAR OF ANYONE BREAKING THIS ONE OR SEE IT DELETED.

This is a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq . Pass it on to everyone and pray. Something good will happen to you tonight at 11:11 PM. This is not a joke. someone will either call you or will talk to you online and say that they love you. Do not break this chain. Send this to 13 people in the next 15 minutes. Go.

Let Your Life Speak

Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.

– PARKER PALMER, Let Your Life Speak

Questions about Schubert’s Ave Maria for Wedding

This question about the Ave Maria by Franz Schubert is in reference to my previous Ave Maria Lyrics post.

Great post! Just the info I was looking for.

I am getting married in a Catholic ceremony in a few months, and my soon to be wife had the idea of me singing Ave Maria during the ceremony as she presents Mary with flowers. In my searching the intarwebs, I came across someone who posted that Ave Maria is rarely sung by tenors and practically never by baritones.

My questions are:

1. Is this really true?
2. Is it inappropriate for a male to sing Ave Maria due to the original context of the lyrics?
3. If it is, does it even matter these days because it is more widely known in it’s Latin incarnation?
4. Is it ok for me to actually do that? (by “that” I mean do the singing during the ceremony while my wife does her thing with Mary)

Thanks for any help you can throw my way. I’ll be subscribing to your RSS feeds!

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Hi Tony,

Here are answers to your questions. I am Protestant, not Catholic, but I don’t think that should have much bearing on my answers since the piece was originally secular.

1. Is this really true?

Yes. The Ave Maria by Franz Schubert is most commonly sung by a female voice. But there is no reason it cannot be sung by a Baritone or Tenor. Common Baritone key for Ave Maria is A flat major. Most of the great tenors have recorded this piece at one time or another. When performing this piece with the Latin lyric text there is no definition of gender for the performer. Either female and male can sing the Latin text.

2. Is it inappropriate for a male to sing Ave Maria due to the original context of the lyrics?

If you are singing this song in a church setting, you should probably use the Latin lyrics. The Latin lyrics were added later for this purpose.

3. If it is, does it even matter these days because it is more widely known in it’s Latin incarnation?

See answer to #2. The original German lyrics makes it a secular piece, part of a song cycle. The Latin lyrics make it appropriate for use in a church service.

4. Is it ok for me to actually do that? (by “that” I mean do the singing during the ceremony while my wife does her thing with Mary)

Unless there is a Catholic-specific reason not to do this, then yes I would think it to be ok. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like this piece. Although it’s commonly associated as a Catholic piece for obvious reasons, it’s performed just as much in Protestant and non-denominational settings and to my experience always welcomed with open arms.

So my vote, from a Luther-loving Protestant, is to do the piece. What a great thing to share during the wedding!

Cellphone Do Not Call Registry

There is an e-mail being circulated with a phone number to call to register cellphones on the National Do Not Call registry. The email proceeds to say that all cell phone numbers will be made public within a few days, so you need to hurry. That info appears to be bogus.

All phone numbers, land line or cell, can be registered online at www.DoNotCall.gov. It is free. You only have to enter a phone number and an email for authentication. It takes about 30 seconds to complete the entire process. Once registered, your phone number will stay on the “Do Not Call” list for 5 years.

It may take a few months, but once you are on the list those sales calls should disappear to almost nill. In some states you can take a company to court if they telemarket you three times. Automatic judgement in small claims court of $500.

Lyrics – I Release and I Let Go

rickie-bb.jpg Lyrics for I Release and I Let Go as performed by Rickie BB (Rickie Byars – Beckwith) from AGAPE. Visit www.RickieByars.com for more info or to purchase CD’s of her music.

When you see her perform live it is moving beyond words. Several years ago I attended her music workshops at AGAPE. She is on the forefront of incorporating chants for worship in a contemporary setting.

Rickie Byars-Beckwith, a prolific composer, singer, performer, and music director, is widely known as an intuitive channel of healing music. Her songs are a profound experience that open the heart, touch the soul, and lift the spirit.

I RELEASE AND I LET GO – Lyrics

SOLO:
There was a time in my life
I thought I had to do it all myself
And I didn’t know the grace of God was sufficient
And I didn’t know the love of God was at hand

But now I can say
If you are discouraged
Struggling just to make it through another day
You got to let it go, let it all go
And this is what you have to say

CHORUS:
I release and I let go
I let the Spirit run my life
And my heart is open wide
Yes it’s only up to God

No more struggle, no more strife
With my faith I see the light
I am free in the Spirit
Yes it’s only up to God

Audio Compression Settings for Kick Snare and Bass

 *NOTE: The answer to this question is based on ACOUSTIC kick, snare and bass. For compressing digital samples you can hit them as hard as you want. Your ear is the guide.*

Question: What type of compression settings should I use as a starting point on the kicks and the snares and the bass. and are there any other tube pre that are less expensive that can work , I’m on a bit of a buget and I trying to upgrade to an Pro Tools HD rig.

P.S Thanks for your info it nice for you to share this info I like to learn as much as I can.

Answer:

1) Any other tube pre less expensive that can work?

Yes. With DIGITAL preamps the idea is to not colour the sound. Alternately, the usual intention of a TUBE preamp IS to colour the sound with tube warmth. So the answer is any preamp will work that will give you the tube warmth, and it just so happens that the higher end tube preamps tend to do better at this (that’s why they’re more expensive). I prefer the Avalon, but I also have an ART tube pre. The difference is night and day, and you won’t really appreciate the difference until you hear it. My suggestion would be to google reviews to find what’s currently out that is working for audio engineers. I consider MIX magazine an excellent resource. Spending an entire day or two reading reviews on tube preamps would NOT be a waste of time in my opinion. Might be the best time you spend for improving mixes.

1) What are good compression Settings for Kick, Snare and Bass?
First thing is to know in your head what sound your going for. Where you’re going will dictate how you steer the ship. If the kick and bass guitar are meant to work as one whole, then you may want to daisy chain the bass guitar compressor and kick compressor together so they work in tandem. If you want a beefy 40kz 808 bass sound compress it hard and fast to keep it even. If it’s jazz then let the kick breathe a little. IN GENERAL your attack can be between 3 and 14 milliseconds. Release depends on the style, adjust it so there’s no “pumping”. You will destroy a mix more often with too much compression than with not enough. Don’t try to get as much overall volume as the latest major artist release, 99.9% odds if you get it that loud then you’ve crushed any life in the mix. Let Bernie Grundman and Glenn Meadows do that work, they are the masters.

If you have a really good studio bass guitar player, you won’t have to use much compression. But for most bands you’ll have to use stronger compression to “tame” the playing of the bassist. Overall I like the bass guitar working together with the kick drum, so that will dictate my compression settings which vary.

If you’re using ratios more than 6:1 then something else might be a little off. For a jazz kick you might use 12ms attack, 30ms release and 2:1 compression ratio. For a heavy metal kick might be 3ms attack, 12ms release and 4:1 compression ratio.

The biggest single tip I ever got about audio engineering: Know what you want before you reach for a knob.

Hope that helps.

Conrad

Brigadoon Auditions

Brigadoon Auditions 2007
Lyric Light Opera of the Northwest

All roles needed! All lead roles, supporting roles, ensemble members, townspeople, etc.  Please prepare a song and to do some cold reading. A monologue is optional. Please see below for a detailed list of characters.

Auditions for Brigadoon:
Saturday, January 27th
10am – 4pm

Sunday, January 28th
1-5pm

Location:Â Camano Senior and Community Center
606 Arrowhead Rd.
Camano Island, WAÂ 98282
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Wednesday, January 24th
1-3pm

Thursday, January 25th
1-3pm

Friday, February 2nd
5-9pm

Location:Â TPS Office & Studio 4
4th Floor, Seattle Center House
305 Harrison
Seattle, WA 98109

For auditions at TPS (Seattle), please call Brenda at (360) 387-3948,
or email her at Brenda@lyriclightopera.org to schedule an appointment.

Call Backs:

Saturday, February 3rd
10am – 2pm

Location:Â Camano Senior and Community Center
606 Arrowhead Rd.
Camano Island, WAÂ 98282

Rehearsals
Rehearsals begin in April, and are planned on Monday and Thursday evenings. In May, we plan to add a weekend rehearsal every other week.

List of Characters Needed

Andrew MacLaren
Father of Fiona and Jean, a hearty soul. He is a bit pompous and has a loud gruff voice.

Angus MacGuffie
Seller of eggs, milk and cream in MacConnachy Square.

Archie Beaton
A kind looking Scot 40-60 yrs. old, and seller of plaids and wool.

Charlie Dalrymple
A sandy-haired youth in his twenties, he is betrothed to Jean. A Dancer.

Fiona MacLaren
Graceful and altogether lovely, she is about twenty-two. She is bright, has a gentle sense of humor and  is completely frank to the point of being quite often disarming.

Frank
A New York bartender

Harry Beaton
Archie’s son. A young man with a dark personality. Harry is in love with Jean MacLaren.

Jane Ashton
New York, she is in her twenties, chick, very attractive, though maybe a bit severe; engaged to Tommy.

Jean MacLaren
Attractive, shy and diffident, she is about 18. She is betrothed to Charlie Dalrymple. A Dancer.

Jeff Douglas
From New York. In his 20’s-30’s, retiring and good natured with a dry and sarcastic sense of humor.

Kate
A friend of Jean’s.

Sandy Dean
A Scottish child, a seller of Candy.

Meg Brockie
20’s-30’s. An outgoing, bubbly young woman who is very interested in men, and while she is forward with them, she is still basically friendly and honest and loved by the townspeople.

Mr. Lundie
The wise old sage of the village. He is the schoolmaster, and loved and revered by all the townsfolk for his wisdom and insight. He is gentle, deep-thinking, slow moving and thoughtful.

Tommy Albright
A handsome young man from New York, 20-30, engaged to Jane, but attracted to Fiona. He is warm and charming, open, honest and unassuming.

Ensemble
The Brigadoon ensemble consists of a number of named characters with small speaking parts. The music is very fulfilling for the singer, with lots of lush and important musical numbers throughout the show.

Singing High Notes on the E Vowel

If a single vowel is sung over multiple notes it’s usually good technique to keep the vowel sound consistent through the passage. (Unless it’s for intentional effect, aka rock and blues). One of the factors between a mediocre and professional chorus is consistent pronunciation throughout the group.

To sing a closed locked vowel like the “eee” sound, prepare the back of the throat as if singing an “ah”, but keep your lips in the pronunciation of the “ee”. This will allow the voice to open up through the higher register while keeping a consistent vowel sound.

In difficult classical passages for sopranos and tenors it may be necessary to slightly adjust the “ee” to more of an “ah” sound. The deciding factor is to keep the vowel sound as consistant as possible without negatively affecting the vocal tone. Only use as much “ah” as is necessary for good tone.