klickitat band camp

FAQ:

1. How far in advance do we book sessions?

It depends on the engineer. For Shay Scott, about 90 days. For David Friedlander and Jeremy Sherrer, contact them directly and maybe they can get you in on shorter notice.

2. What is a Day Rate?

A rate the books the entire day. Because the studio is located in the Irvington neighborbood, sessions need to end at 11 p.m. But you can start as early as your engineer will agree to.

3. Is all of the equipment available?

Certain equipment is excluded: vintage u47 microphone, '60s Vox AC 10 & AC 30 amps, Echoplex, guitars and basses, and Constantinople Cymbals and Hats. However, this gear may be available for an extra fee. Because the Steinway is on the main floor above the studio, we need a little advance notice of when you'll need to record the piano.

4. Can we tour the studio and meet in shopping/deciding where to record?

Unfortunately, there isn't enough time. This is a boutique studio with truly amazing gear and ridiculous rates, and we are booked consistently. With that said, if it is really important for you to visit first, call and we'll be happy to show you the studio.

5. Where do we get tape or hard drives?

We have new reels of 2-inch RMGI SM900 ($235) and Oxford 911 160 gig hard drives ($135), both available at cost.

6. Where is Klickitat Band Camp?

On Klickitat Street in NE Portland, Oregon in a secret location beneath a big house with barking dogs. Call for more info. (503) 232-1206. Directions are available from your engineer.

7. What else should I know?

Questions about the session, start time, preproduction, etc., will be handled by your engineer

8. Do you have mastering equipment?

Yes. We have a GML 8200 Parametric Mastering EQ, an api 2500 stereo bus compressor, Neve 33609 J/D limiter/compressors, 24 bit/192 DA converters, Peak stereo editing software, and a state-of-the art Pro Tools HD3 accel system.

9. What is the most important thing to know?

This is a neighborhood, so respecting our neighbors is a must. Be as loud as you want in the studio - literally, like a freight train, but please when you are outside: (1) Only park in front or on the side of our house. (2) Be extremely quiet, especially after dark. (3) No loitering and chatting by your cars when you leave, especially after dark - just depart quietly. (4) It's fine to smoke in our driveway, but don't pace up and down the sidewalk on your cel phone. And lastly (5) Bandmates and an occasional friend are welcome, but leave your hoards of friends and entourage at home. If this were a commerically zoned area, this wouldn't be an issue. But the fact is, it's a neighborhood. A single complaint, and your sessions are over. Sorry, but that's how it is.

10. What's the deal with Klickitat Band Camp; why such low prices?
Our goals are to: (1) have a studio with the best new and vintage recording equipment ever manufactured in any decade in the world; (2) at a fraction of what other studios would charge. We want to serve musicians, bands, and songwriters, with no other studio able to touch what we can offer. We want this place to be a fantasyland candy store with ridiculously low rates, and if you know your equipment, you know that it already is.

11. Are you accepting any new freelance house-engineers?

Maybe. Check back in August 2008.

TIPS for Recording:

Here is some advice that may help improve your home recordings and mixes.

1. Monitor in mono. This is listening to what's on tape while you're overdubbing. You can hear poor intonation (pitch problems), conflicting eq or timbre between different tracks, phase problems, and syncopation issues much easier. If it sounds good in mono, it will sound great in stereo.

2. Keep your near field reference monitors (control room speakers) close together. It makes it easier to balance the left and right speakers. If they sound good close together, they'll sound even better spread apart.

3. If something bugs you, fix it. Otherwise, it will continue to bug you.

4. If you let a singer mix your song, in general, your mix will suck. Drummers make great engineers and producers. Give the drummer a shot at mixing.

5. Expensive microphones are overrated. My Audio Technica 4050 sounds really good compared to my Neumann u47. If you don't own a Shure 57, buy one.

6. If you compress or limit a track to tape, generally don't reduce the gain more than 3 to 7 db, and use a light ratio like 4:1. Also, use a moderate attack time. This will prevent you from destroying the dynamics of the music.

7. If you're getting a cool room sound or effect, print it on a separate track and don't wait to try and recreate it during mixing.

8. Good outboard mic preamplifiers are the way to go. If you can, buy a good 2 channel unit, like a Neve 1272 or api. They really make a difference.

9. It's better to not use a compressor or limiter at all than to use a cheap one. But, I like two inexpensive ones, the Alesis 3630, and the Really Nice Compressor. Both are cheap. If you can afford it, get some 1176s or big old tube limiters.

10. Mix quietly, and then monitor with headphones on vewy vewy quiet. See what falls out of the mix, and what's too loud. If you can get it sounding clear and balanced and exciting super quiet, it will sound great loud. After you think you've got it, crank it up and listen for detail in the low end. Ask for different opinions. Check the mix on different stereos, take a break, and make adjustments if you need to.

11. Use tracks sheets and take detailed notes for every signal path - write down settings for all instruments, including mic placement, preamps, eq, and limiters. This avoids headaches if you need to set back up and "punch in" to fix a part after you've torn everything down. It also makes getting levels by yourself later a breeze.

12. Keep a notebook. Buy a cheap three-hole punch and dividers, and maintain your track sheets, level settings, lyrics, and mix notes.

13. Be blatant when you mix. Keep things exciting. If you use an effect, mix it so people actually hear and notice it. People should feel strongly about what they hear. Don't bury things. If someone tracked a cool part, mix it loud. Don't be a wimp by "hiding" too many parts unless the piece calls for subelty. That shows a lack of confidence and musicianship and an inability to orchestrate. Let the drummer or someone who listens to Aerosmith too loud or the guitar player's girlfriend play with the faders, someone who'll actually fight for excitment and clarity. See guideline 4 above.

14. Don't ever strive to record a "demo," even if that's probably what it will be used for. Just do your best and be realistic. Keep working at it until it's good and you like it.

15. Develop good habits, like tuning often, practicing daily, getting a decent amount of sleep, taking walks, being nice to people, drinking tea, keeping a clear head, and staying enthusiastic about your music. Don't get complacent. Work at things every day.

16. Write good songs, and actually have something to say if you can. People like to sing-a-long, and royalty checks are nice, so don't worry about being commercial. If it has a big hook, sing a big hook. If it needs one, write one.

17. Less is more. Develop a good sense for when you should be done. Less, great-sounding tracks are usually better than more. A song conceived of and recorded while inspired is usually better than one that has been over analyzed and scrutinized in detail. Don't try and be perfect, otherwise you'll sound boring.

18. Record as much live as possible. If bleed is a problem, move the instruments closer together, because it's usually the delay that's sounding funky.

19. When recording vocals, keep the first few passes and then stop, pick one, and work on it with the singer. Having too many vocal tracks can become mind boggling on which parts from which takes to keep. I usually stick with three max.

20. Don't be afraid to put consenser room mics in the oddest places you can think of. Reflective surfaces can be your friend.

21. If you're having problems with plosives when singing an S or T or P, wave your hand in front of your mouth when you sing those letters. It softens the plosive and will give the de-esser less work to do when mixing.

22. If you use Pro Tools, use it as a tool. Too many people view it as an opportunity to shift every single beat slightly, or a way to cut and paste different pieces of takes for virtually every phrase of a lead, drum fill, or vocal line, trying to achieve perfection. I stopped using it for about a year because it makes me a better musician to record a good take than to create one through edits.

23. Mixing doesn't have to be complicated. Keep it simple. You don't have to limit and gate every track and compress stereo groups and add a bunch of effects to make it sound great or "rawk." Mixes done in 10 minutes are often better than ones labored over for hours.

24. If you're having trouble with a vocal line and feeding your voice through the headphones, try removing the headphones from one ear only and slip that side behind your ear. Punch in that way, hearing yourself in the room more than in the phones.

25. Click tracks have the annoying ability to bleed into everything. Get a pair of gun muffs from an outdoor store for $15. Try using walkman headphones, and clamp the gun muffs over them. It works. No more bleed. If you can afford it, buy some Isolation headphones for $99.

26. Use a lot of treble when recording and mixing bass tracks. Many bass players hate treble, but in truth, treble adds punch, clarity, and reveals just how musical bass lines can be. I say, the better the bass player, the more treble. I love bass as well, but I want detail as well.

27. If you're sequencing Midi tracks sync'd to tape or Pro Tools, record a stereo submix of the keyboard audio tracks if you can spare the channels. Weeks, months, or years later you'll be really glad you did. By then, maybe you'll have sold certain keyboards, a friend took them home, you may have lost the sequencing file, or forgotten the set up.

28. Try using dynamic or ribbon mics in situations you've been using condensers, like close mics on acoustics, pianos, vocals, or even as drum overheads. I recently used an Electro Voice RE15 six inches from the acoustic hole and was amazed at the acuity and low end. Also, try adding more distance between the mic and source than usual - like a foot from the guitar cabinet instead of right up on the grill cloth.

29. Store reels of tape tail out (fast forward to the end) in their containers in dark closets in your house. This will slow down print through (those ghost tracks that appear before the actual sound) and degradation (tape shedding - after all, tape is really just rust glued to plastic, scientifically speaking!).

30. Reference your mixes to commercial recordings you like. Bass levels can be tricky. What sounds good in the studio bass-wise may blow your subwoofer in the car if too loud, or disappear on your computer speakers if too quiet. Also, don't be afraid to eq in more 3.5k to 6k and brighten up the vocals, and 12k to 15k as well on the overheads and upper end.

31. Always have a glass of water next to you when you're recording vocals. It makes a huge difference. Also, exaggerate your facial expressions and manner in which you articulate. This really comes across in the recording.

32. Try recording background vocals on an old mic in the control room or near where the recorder is set up with everyone joining in, including the engineer. Sure it will be a little noisier than if you holed up in the vocal booth, but it may add just the right vibe.

33. If you have a great mix you spent a couple of hours on, think twice about remixing it if you don't already have dozens of songs mixed as a writer. You're probably better off writing and recording new material than striving for that extra 10 percent perfection and going backwards. If you're a singer, you'll likely try and remix it anyway, because by their very nature, singers make horrible decisions about this. But they're like trains; nothing can stop them.

34. If you know you're going for low fidelity on certain instruments or drum overheads or the overall mix, record it that way, rather than trying to change high fidelity into low fidelity later.

35. If you're dead set on having dry vocals in the mix, try using a small plate or small room reverb. Sometimes this can make vocals even sound drier, but with more stereo imaging and body. Or, add 40-60 milliseconds of predelay to the reverb setting so the reverb doesn't interfere with the initial words.

35. Don't forget about dynamics. Making instruments suddenly quiet or suddenly loud, or fading instruments in and out quickly is exciting and separates the pros from the amateurs. I love sudden fade ins, especially with organs, strings, and electic guitars. If possible, track it that way, rather than waiting later to "automate it" in Pro Tools.

36. Keep an open mind about changing your part once it's recorded. Keyboard players in general have a tendency to overplay. I often erase every part of a Hammond track while listening to it in the mix except those riffs that absolutely pop out and improve the song. This keeps the mix open and exciting.

37. Remember to keep spare 9 volt batteries and extra strings and picks and slides and all of those little things you need in your guitar case. You'll need them when you are least prepared!

38. Pay attention when you're striping tape with a SMPTE time code. And pay attention when your computer is "locked" in sync to the house time code. I can't count the times I've experienced inexplicable stutters and jitters from outer space, requiring me to start the song over - otherwise you'll end up printing things "out of sync" and ruining tracks.

39. If you're working with tape and Pro Tools, always keep a current copy of the tracks in two locations, or better yet, three. I always fly 2" tape sessions to Pro Tools "just in case." I've never had 2" tape "go bad," but I have needed to refer to the digital copy of a track to fix a poor punch, for example.

40. When your record is done, make sure and give the 24 bit masters of the mixes (or 1/2 tape master of the mixes) to the mastering engineer before pressing your CD. The CDs bands leave studios with as audio CDs are not 24-bit masters, they are 16-bit audio tracks. Even worse, I often hear bands use mp3s they've converted to press their record! Eeeek!

41. Pay attention to phasing. If you use more than one mic on an instrument, chances are, one of the mics may be slightly out of phase, which means that the mics can cancel each other out. I hear this all the friggin' time, especially with sessions artists bring over from other studios.

42. Here is a quick way to check phasing. If you have two mics on a guitar cabinet, bring the faders both up on the board in mono (not panned). If, as you bring up the second fader, portions of the sound start to cancel out (get quieter instead of louder), then the mics are completely or partially out of phase.

43. Here is a quick way to fix phase problems. Hit the "reverse phase" switch on one of the mic preamps. Or, angle the microphones 90 degrees to each other and see if that solves the frequency cancellation.

44. Don't always record the same way and expect exceptional results. For example, with all the different bass players I record, I use a multitude of different mics. I usually start by printing mic and direct bass signals separately, if I find a great combination, I'll submix those to a single track. Or, if either the mic or the direct signal is great on its own, I scrap the other and only use one. It just depends on how it sounds in context. Use your ears, make decisions on the spot, and move on.

45. Be careful if someone suggests using Antares auto-tune or Sound Replacer plug-ins in Pro Tools. If you're fixing something, that's one thing. If you're materially changing the sound of your band, that's novel, but a good indication of your talent level.

46. Read your manuals, and don't just throw them in a drawer. Knowledge is power with all those gadgets you've purchased. I'm always taking manuals on trips and learning new things about my outboard gear.

47. Making decisions by soloing tracks is often worthless. Listen and make decisions in context of the mix.

48. If you're working with artists with little talent and big aspirations, remember who you're dealing with and don't get caught up in their daily drama. Remember you are providing a service to make them better than they are, or to simply take a recording snapshot of what they actually sound like, depending on what they want. Never lose sight of that goal.

49. Create a space in your studio for shipping and receiving, or what I call "fix it myself" or "to the shop!" Don't let broken gear pile up. Save your money and methodically fix it. Keep all of your equipment well-maintained.

50. Quickly figure out the caliber of musicians you're dealing with. Do they need a transparent engineer, or something more of a producer? Then find out what they want and be that.

51. Getting good performances out of artists takes skill, patience, and experience, especially getting the best out of singers. As a producer, you must be able to hear +/-1 or 2 cent differences in intonnation and work with the singer to nail it.

52. Helping a singer track a great take also needs to have an element of fun. They need to feel safe in your hands, willing to go all out, over the top, and not afraid of taking risks. It's your job to do whatever is necessary to make them feel comfortable.

53. In general, the less people in the control room while the singer is recording, the better the vocal take. Band members have a tendency to (often rudely) chime in after every vocal take from the couch, offering their opinion about the take - which of course goes directly into the talk back mic - often making the singer extremely self conscience. I have a number of tricks to avoid this, which I can't print!

54. In tracking vocals, your first job is not to let the vocal fall out of the mix, while at the same time avoiding overcompression. If the vocal track is not present - you've failed.

55. For recording vocals, I commonly track a u47 through a Gates Sta Level for minimal compression, and then run the signal through a dbx 160 or 1176 to limit the peaks by 2-3 db, just to keep the track at 0 or +1 on the track VU meter. If you can hear the compression, back off, unless that's what you're going for. With this type of signal path I can literally control a whisper to a scream.

56. Learn from those you record. No one knows everything. I learn something new from those I record every day, sometimes just a little thing to improve efficiency, and sometimes and really cool new idea or process that makes a huge difference.

57. If you're tracking with isolation headphones,feeding a click track into the phones, and the artist is playing a quiet instrument, like an acoustic, make sure and listen to the first take extremely loud in the control room. Make sure the click is not audible, particularly if the instrument decays into silence during portions of the song. If you don't, you may ruin tracks and not discover the click track bleed until mixing.

58. If your guitar or bass has active pickups, regularly change your battery, and have a spare. As the battery wears, your direct signal may have intermittent, unwanted distortion.

59. Recording streams of different bands and artists, you will encounter a lot of strong opinions, know-it-alls, name-droppers, and musicians that passive-aggressively (and often rudely, but unwittingly) tell you what to do - when you know far more than they do about what you are doing and why. Rise above it, do your job, and remember that these opinions and behavior usually have nothing to do with you.

60. If something isn't working with a session player you've hired, don't be afraid to politely call it quits early and start working on plan B. I occasionally do this with vocalists and soloists where the track just isn't working and belaboring over it won't help. Sure, pay them, because you'll hire them in the future for something else, and be diplomatic about it! Just don't waste time.

61. As a producer, I never buy into an artist's need for something to be "justified" in a song. I know from experience what will work if properly orchestrated, arranged, and produced as it is in my head. Art needs no justification - ever. If the artist has an opinion on what they like or don't like, well, that's another issue. If the artist is paying for the recording, then the artist is right, plain and simple, but not on grounds of whether the idea is "justified" by the song.

62. If you put put mics in front of a drummer, don't whine when they get hit, dented, or even decapitated. It's sort of a no brainer. So move them off the heads and come in at an angle.

63. If you want to try an exciting trick while you're recording an extremely long regenerating reverb to tape, have the singer emerge from the vocal booth suddenly as it regenerates and is feeding back slightly. As it regenerates and builds, rip the tape input patch cable from the patch bay - instant silence. Try this at a crucial build in a song. Intense excitement.

64. When recording bass, try using two completely different amplifier settings and splitting the signal. For example, mic a 15" cabinet for the low end, and seperately record a signal with a lot of high end through a guitar amp, like a Marshall plexi, with the volume barely high enough to color the sound. That way, you'll have two unique signals to blend.

65. If your singer is off the VU meter in dynamics, try lowering the limiter/compressor ratio to 2:1 or 1.5:1 and hitting the compressor harder than normal, like shaving off between 6-12 db instead of what I normally reduce, a more conservative 3-7 db at 4:1.

66. Sync and clock are two separate things. Clocking controls the audio wave samples. My Pro Tools rig clocks to itself. A clock is a piece of hardware whose contribution is to mark the passage of time. This is important where you have more than one audio interface (such as two 192 I/Os), they must be configured to lock to the same clock source.

67. A clock is not a timecode. If you run a tape deck slaved via timecode and a sync box to a Pro Tools or other computer system, you will need the tape deck to be in sync with the computer system in order to maintain a continually updated positional reference.

68. Don't be shy about reamping things you've already recorded. I have a PCP distribution box by Little Labs, which I use to run balanced recorded signals out of the tape deck or Pro Tools rig and back into guitar amps or unbalanced stomp boxes. Mic the new sounds, and print them on separate tracks. Use your imagination!

69. Try recording natural reverb wherever you can find it - hallways, bathrooms, bedrooms, large rooms, bouncing off of metal pipes and off the insides of vintage metal lamp shades. Record this with a separate mic to a new track. It might just provide the perfect effect later.

70. If an artist can't quite get the right take, record it three times on different tracks and move on. Figure the part out or compile the tracks into one later. Keep moving forward. Don't let others in the band bog the session down with uncertainty about one part. Punt until later.

71. Aim high. No one wants to listen to average music.

TIPS for Bands and Songwriters:

Here are some issues I see over and over with different bands and musicians and situations that explode.

1. Stay happy. There is nothing worse than working with a miserable person. If you are unhappy, try and do whatever you can to change things. It's important!

2. If someone you're collaborating with is a drain on your energy, rather than someone who inspires you, run.

3. If someone you're working with is lazy, can't seem to make it to rehearsal on time, or is constantly unprepared and doesn't have the raw talent to shine through these traits, end your collaboration.

4. If someone spends more time talking about issues in their life and what they "want" to accomplish, rather than actually spending that time rehearsing, playing, recording, writing, mixing, improving, listening, learning, and being constructive, this person is more than likely a life-long BSer. Keep running. See guideline 2 above.

5. If you find someone who you enjoy singing and harmonizing with, or playing an instrument with, and it makes you smile with all those sympathetic vibrations running through you when you're in tune or feeding off each other unspoken, you've just hit on a touch of magic. Stick around and keeping working with them!

6. If you're in a band, make sure you're being utilized, challenged, inspired, and listened to. If you're being stiffled and controlled in a continually negative way and you're not being paid an astronomical amount to endure this, leave.

7. If you're collaborating, keep your eye on the fact that you may need to write or work on dozens of songs together before you actually start to click in all those unspoken ways. If you think it might work, give each other a lot of leeway in working on these first 20 or so songs. If you have to, record Eensie Weensie Spider or She'll Be Coming Down the Mountain and 18 other tunes you could care less about just to get those 20 songs out of the way so you can actually start working together on more serious stuff. The truth is that usually things blow up permanently during the first or second collaborations because one person either does all the giving and the other person does all the taking, or one person can't seem to get it together in even the most basic ways and views each song as the "pinnacle" of their career.

8. Be a life-long learner. This doesn't mean sitting around listening to music and artists you know you already like. If you don't know your major and minor scales and the most common modes, look them up and learn them. If you don't know how to wire a lamp, buy a $5 book. It's impossible to mix the wires up if it's AC. If you don't know Major and minor chords, how to add a major 2nd, or a 6th, or a 9th, or a dominant seventh or a Major 7th, look it up. Constantly try and improve. You're never too old. I've met 45 year-olds who within two years of piano lessons can play a Beethoven sonata - incredibly well. Get out of bed and work. Then others will want to work and collaborate with you.

9. If you're doing drugs because they make you giggle and "inspire" you to be creative, you're kidding yourself. Go walk a mile and get some air in your brain. That's far more inspiring.

10. Buy an old cassette recorder or dictaphone off Ebay for $12 and keep a tape in it, even if it records all warbly. At the end of the day or when you think you've made headway with a song, record it all the way through, mistakes and all. It's amazing how tempos and feels and words and melodies change after 24 hours.

11. Don't wait for the stars to align to change you're life or habits as a songwriter or musician. Do a little now, and keep doing a little now because there is always a new now. After a while it will add up to a lot.

12. Figure out why you do what you do. If it's to get noticed and mass public approval, you may be in for a life of misery. See guideline 1 above. If it's because you have a passion and drive and just can't help creating because it's in you, then you will likely be happy your whole life if you develop and maintain good habits.

13. If someone you're working with has an idea, honestly try it until it's played or recorded as the idea was intended. Then judge it. This ensures everyone participates.

14. Let everyone in your band sing. If they're not that great, give them a few easy parts. It's way more entertaining than hearing one or two people sing things perfect for 45 minutes.

15. If someone in your band doesn't want to share the spotlight equally with you, like lead vocals or songwriting, and only wants to drive home "their" vision at "their" speed whenever "they're" ready, rather than moving forward jointly and more or less just letting things like the the band's "sound" happen, find someone new to work with that likes your voice and ideas; someone who inspires and encourages you.

16. It's amazing how the harder you work, the more good luck seems to come your way. Conversely, the lazier the person, like one who just can't seem to get out of bed and work consistently each day at something productive, the more bad luck seems to follow. Perhaps a good work ethic just creates more opportunities in the long run.

17. Make To Do lists about your songs and recordings, even if they're only in your head, and set goals for completing the items. There are two types of songwriters, those who finish songs, and those who don't but spend a lot of time thinking about it. I like to figure out who I'm dealing with and avoid perpetual unfinishers. They bottleneck everything you work on. To avoid this, see guideline 10 above.

18. Try writing, recording, and mixing a complete song by playing and singing all of the parts (by yourself, drums and bass and writing lyrics included) in four hours or less with never more than two takes per track, regardless of mistakes. Sure it will end up a bit garage rock, but the vibe and the lessons you'll learn in the process will be invaluable.

19. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Wrong notes are called clams, but wrong notes and raw performances create vibe and excitement. Always record your rehearsal takes, because a measure or two might just be "it."

20. It's okay for people not to like your songs. It's not okay for you to crawl under a rock and quit trying when someone tells you that. Ninety-nine percent of the people that tell you they don't like your songs can't write and record all the tracks like you can, or they live in their head criticizing others and themselves, or both.

21. Ask yourself what's next? Don't be afraid to set goals, set new goals, stick with the band, or quit the band. If you're stting up half the night worrying about the situation you're in, change it. Don't be afraid to strike out on your own or with new musicians. When doors close, others open.

22. Reach out and meet new people. One of my favorite things is to find someone new for a recording, a new voice, instrument, or style of playing. It's amazing how one person's sound can change the whole recording for the better, in ways you never could on your own.

23. Clean up your own back yard before trying to make everybody perfect around you.

24. Remember that in general, other than melody, the most important part of a song is the title; and second, the lyrics that tell a story or send a message that supports that title. It's okay to labor over good lyrics. In the end, you're trying to communicate your art. Take it seriously, or don't take it seriously, but be clear!

25. If someone you're trying to work with doesn't call you back, cut them loose. Regardless of how talented they are, make it a point not to let other people's personal problems bottleneck your art. I've seen this over and over, incredibly talented musicians that just can't seem to get it together. I would rather work with hard working moderate talent than capricious geniuses.

26. Be persistent in reaching your goals, no matter how small or large they are. You've got to push the cart to make it go.

27. If you proclaim that you're going to take over the world with your music revolution, I'd highly recommend you seek counseling and read a lot of books describing the realities of the music industry. Even if you truly do have superstar talent, chances are you'll remain in obscurity. You need to be okay with that and do what you do because you love it, not because you need mass approval. It's okay to shoot for the stars, but remain grounded.

28. Bragging yourself up on the internet or MySpace about how great you are, comparing yourself to proven, well-respected artists, is a pretty good indication that you are not nearly as talented as you claim. Being understated is alluring; boasting evidences lack of self-esteem and is a sure sign of inner conflict, unhappiness, and ultimate failure. Just keep your mouth shut and give it your all. Let the fans, critics, and your PR team build you up. Let your music speak for you.

29. Be responsible and follow through on what you say you're going to do in a timely manner. If not, those in your life will drop you like a hot potato with no explanation.

30. Don't be fooled by management and record contracts. Most record companies do not have anything close to sufficient funds and resources to properly develop artists. Instead, they'll build you up with promises and hype, slam you up against the wall, and only a small percent will stick. Those that do stick will be sold to a major label. Unless you have the attention of the head of that label, a career as a recording and performing artist is highly unlikely over the long term. Approach those in the industry with caution and realism.

31. If you forego an education to pursue "making it" as a recording and performing artist, you'd better educate yourself on exactly what that means and how to get there.

32. If you think your popular music is "new" and "revolutionary," take a bus to the library audio room and spend a few hours listening to modern 20th century composers. For example, Arnold Schoenberg, Sergio Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varese, Elliott Carter, Gyorgy Ligetti, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern. Sure they're dead, but they truly were revolutionary - rewriting the actual language of music as we hear it. If you're simply changing the order of Major and minor chords with a popular melody (as virtually all pop, rock, hip hop, and DJ music does), it's entirely derivative. Don't lie to yourself about how "new" your music is - educate yourself about truly revolutionary writers! It will change you - for the better.

33. Keep an open mind about changing your songs, parts, lyrics, and aspects of your material. In other words, don't get too attached to your ideas. After all, it is just music, and ideas are ideas. Some of the best albums ever produced have been the result of a tsunami of ideas by the band and producer spanning years, completely changing the original foundation for many of the songs.

34. Buy yourself a cheap 4-track cassette recorder and learn how to use it.

35. If you want to sing, start. If you want to learn to play the piano, keep at it, find some inexpensive lessons, and don't stop. Learn how to learn. Find a teacher. And discover how to teach yourself.

36. Getting a recording contract is actually pretty easy if you really want one. Getting a recording contract from a really well-funded record label who will properly develop their artists is more difficult. Making a decent living throughout your adult life fulfilling a recording contract is the most difficult.

37. Develop a good sense of who you are. I recently recorded a singer with an amazing ability to try his hardest, and then accept criticism repeatedly in order to fix lines that were out of tune. At times it was brutal, but he kept his wits and ended up with a great vocal track. Most musicians would have shriveled.

38. Plan, get organized, stick to task, and learn to communicate directly and honestly, or your band is doomed.

39. Don't sit in your room all day smoking cigarettes and getting stoned dreaming about the future. The future is now. No wait, it's now. Oh wait, it's now. Oop. Here it is again.

40. If the leader of your band is not the singer or chief lyricist and lead vocalist, chances are you're in for a rocky ride and ultimate failure. The leader of your band should understand melody, harmony, and composition.

41. Always take the high road. Don't ever screw anyone over, whether strategic or inadvertent. It will, and I mean WILL, come back to haunt you in droves. If you part ways with someone, do it respectfully, not maliciously.

42. Sometimes you have to approach problems preemptively. Don't wait for your hair to fall out. Take control and shave it off yourself.

43. Life happens. Don't spend the rest of your years licking your wounds. Learn, grow, and grow up.

44. If you ask for someone to collaborate and they come up with a section for your song that doesn't sit right with you, be direct and say so. Art needs no justification, so don't sit there for an hour explaining all the ways in which the part isn't right. Perhaps the part would be epic and you just can't imagine the production in your head. Maybe the part just plain sucks. Either way, don't belabor why you don't like it. Instead, focus on coming up with something you do like.

45. Generally, I run across two types of songwriters and composers - those that belabor over what they create and constantly question and second guess their art, and those that simply turn the faucet on and enjoy developing their ideas, not worrying that "it might not turn out right." If you're a type one, be careful not to squelch the creativity of a type two. If you're a type two, know where to draw the line with a type one.

46. Don't interrupt people in your band when they are talking.

47. Be helpful.

48. If you realize you don't like your singer's voice, or you constantly feel like you don't like the parts someone in your band is playing, don't expect these feelings to go away, especially as you play out more and start achieving a bit of success. These issues will become pronounced to the point they drive you nuts. Deal with these issues as early as possible - like finding a new vocalist, starting to sing yourself, or firing your bass player!

49. The music business is all about supply and demand. If you want to make money, you need to create serious demand for your music, whether you do this intentionally or not. You can do this in one of two ways: make great recordings, and/or create a great live following and be able to pack clubs in your surrounding area. Understand this.

50. If you produce a great record and start getting nibbles from record companies, do not wait to put your album out. Get it mastered, pressed, and released on-line, in music stores, and available for purchase at your shows on the merchandise table.

51. If your record is done and a record company is interested in signing you before you have actually released it, you can bet your last dollar that the record company will plead with you not to put the record out. Word of advise: put your record out. If you don't, it may never get out. Record companies are trained to convince you not to put it out so that they have the chance (for years, literally), to sift over your unreleased material and make decisions about what songs will come out on their label - eventually. Don't wait. Take control of your career - put your record out!

52. Work on being polite and direct with people in your band, club owners, managers, and everyone you deal with. It is really hard for some to say what they are thinking, but most people are not mind-readers. Work at this as you grow up, and being direct will pay big dividends as you get older.

53. Don't order people around. Be respectful. "Please" and "thank you" will get you everywhere.

54. Without love you have nothing.

Recording Quotes:

"Well, look what you've done! I will never be the same. Your u47 is the most amazing mic that I personally have ever used! Wow. Stunning."
- Gregg Williams (The Dandy Warhols/Sheryl Crow)

"We can't make it on Saturday. We haven't been able to practice, and our bass player has been grounded."
- Rose City Tramps

"I was trying to make it a little out of tune on purpose."
- Nick Caceres

"That's perfect. . . . Let's remix it."
- Michael Taylor

"Do you want me to be honest, or should I just tell you I like it? I don't want to get into trouble."
- Jenny Harmon-Scott

"What is that sound? Do you actually like that guitar sound? Wow. More power to you."
- Dave Merrick

"You're a lifer. You're going to keep doing this when you're old. A lot of musicians aren't. You can tell."
- Brad Brooks

"Vox amps are the most notoriously unreliable amplifiers ever made."
- Tom Robinson

"There are Neumann microphones, and then there is everything else."
- Tom Robinson

"Always have room to get behind your equipment racks and console."
- Tom Robinson

"Always give yourself headroom."
- Tom Robinson

"Buy a second 2" tape deck. You'll need it for parts."
- Tom Robinson

"Just because everyone can make a CD these days doesn't mean they should."
- Jeff Diagonale

"Keep your overhead mics equal distance from your snare."
- Greg Naylor

"Did I mention that I absolutely *$%@ing hate Pro Tools?"
- Paul Hoaglin

"I love the smell of 3M tape."
- Paul Hoaglin

"You're not going to get that extra 10 percent out of me. It's just not happening."
- Paul Hoaglin

"Don't overcompress. You can always compress more later."
- Paul Hoaglin

"Where do you want my ear to go?"
- Scott Macdonald

"People generally like kick and snare a bit too loud; bump them up and mix it that way."
- Scott Macdonald

"If you want to ruin your record, let your singer mix it."
- Ed Andrews

"Can we get the drums, like you say, closer to zero?"
- Hans Wagner

To live by Quotes:

"Make it huge!"
- Danny Delegato

"We're in band fantasy land."
- Nicholas LoCascio, Brendan Welch

"Figure out what you like, stick with it, and get plenty of it."
- Tom Robinson

"We're having a good day."
- Tom Robinson

"Only fools get drunk."
- Proverbs

"Love your neighbor like you love yourself."
- Jesus

"Always pay your taxes."
- Jim Coleman

"Use what you've got."
- Josh Gibson

Songwriting & Performing Quotes:

"A good composer does not imitate, he steals."
- Igor Stravinsky

"If it doesn't have words, it's not a song."
- Rayna Barroll

"There is no place in this piece for you to stop and complain that the piano isn't responding the way you want it to."
- Stephen de Groote

"Your job is purely physical. You must manipulate the piano using your arms and fingers as levers. If you want a note to be louder, use greater velocity; for quieter notes, play with less velocity."
- Stephen de Groote

"Have you played that for anyone, yet?" "No." "Good, don't."
- George Hopkins

"If you don't want to sell hundreds of thousands of records and take the advice of a producer, you don't need a recording contract. Just make art and record yourself."
- Moses Avalon

"Singers are always most concerned about their pants."
- Davey Vain

Of related interest:

"I used to pull Gates Sta Levels out of the garbage bin after the radio station threw them out."
- Tom Robinson

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