Posted by Michael on March 11, 2009 under Misc | 
What is this website all about?
I’m a music producer, engineer and songwriter with a recording studio in Times Square, the heart of New York City.. My personal and professional life are so blurred, that it seemed to me best to incorporate them into one website.
Here, at different times, I will shed light on the recording and creative process as well as write some personal articles, reviews, etc… The relationship between an artist and their producer is an extremely personal one, so perhaps here you may get to know me a little better and decide if I might be a good match for you as an artist. Read more of this article »
Posted by Michael on June 26, 2009 under Personal |
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 Misc |
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 Reviews |
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!” Read more of this article »
Posted by Michael on June 9, 2009 under Recording Tips |
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!” Read more of this article »
Posted by Michael on May 25, 2009 under Reviews |
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. Read more of this article »
Posted by Michael on April 14, 2009 under Reviews |
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:
Read more of this article »
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. Read more of this article »
Posted by Michael on under Misc |
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!
Tags: Christina Aguilera, iMix, Jason Mraz, Keane, Pink, Prince, Roxette, The Corrs, The Killers, Third Eye Blind, U2
