A great mix is like eating rich vanilla ice cream added to a warm triple fudge brownie. It’s the perfect combination of elements and textures, almost everybody loves it and it delivers incredible taste. A great mix can turn a great vocal performance into a “star vocal performance” and pull you right as you listen into a song with impact and emotion. What it can’t do is save a bad song or bad performance.

Most people won’t know why but a powerful mix will bring a recording alive. It’s where the real “magic” takes place. Good mixing requires carving off a little fat here, adding some flavor there, maybe some salt or pepper, similar to the way a master chef takes the ingredients on the table and whips up a masterpiece. Put simply, good mixing is all about making your song work and turning your “static” tracks into a vision.

But it’s not a science although there are methods to the madness. Throughout my career I have identified six common mistakes that an inexperienced artist or producer can make when setting out to mix their work.

1. THEY LOSE THE “BIG PICTURE”

Sure it’s fun to play with the latest plug-in and now that many mixes happen from one’s laptop, time in the saddle and cost are no longer a factor. But great mixing is more than tweaking compressors, equalizers, effects, and hosts of other plug-ins to make cool sounds. It takes vision. It’s like setting a stage. You have to have the props, the lighting, and the sound, which you need to combine in an optimal manner at just the right moment, in order for the performances of the actors on the stage to come to life. Stay focused on the end run…the “big picture”. Don’t get lost in the process.

2. THEY WORK BACKWARDS FROM THE BOTTOM UP

One of the bug hurdles facing the inexperienced mixer is to understand exactly how to balance the track around the vocal and how to get it working optimally with the rest of the instruments. I am continually surprised by the fact that the vocal is the most important element of a record, yet many times it’s last thing added to the mix, making it have the feel of a “late guest” who arrives at the end of the night after the party’s just about over. This to me is working backwards. Rather than addressing the vocal at the end of the mix process, I think you should start with it. By building your mix from the vocal down instead of from the bottom up you will be shaping your production around your most important asset and at the end of the day, isn’t it what you’re selling…the artist?

3. THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND BALANCE – Although mixing seems quite easy, it’s not. It takes years to accomplish and music never reach the lofty heights of sonic. Nirvana. But remember, just like getting proper sounds is more than playing with plug-ins, mixing is also a lot more than merely pushing up faders.

Once you have the vocal right (eq and effects), the next step is to add in your basic track (drums, bass, guitar and or keys). At this point, the track and the vocal must work together in unity before anything else is added. In fact, if your basic track and vocal aren’t working together now, I don’t think anything else you can add can ever change the fact that your foundation is weak and could collapse at any moment. Fashioned correctly, you create what I refer to as a “shell” which becomes fixed within itself. Remember, your record may not have all of its final colors at this point, but it should play out by hearing only the vocal and basic track with nothing else needed to get your point across. Then and only then it becomes possible to drop and place your other instruments and vocals into that shell and know what their proper balance, EQ, stereo positioning, and optimal front wall to back wall effects should be. Hint: If you get a strong shell that moves properly within itself, the rest of the instrument placement and balance is like painting by numbers. It has to work within the confines of your shell or it’s out of the mix.

4. THEY DON’T HAVE A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF EQ AND HOW IT CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE ELEMENTS OF THE MIX.

As well as balance and positioning, EQ is another important element which is many times is misunderstood and not fully maximized. Certain instruments by nature have similar problem frequencies that can compound quickly, tearing away at the clarity of your mix. Case in point could be an overly boomy bass and guitar track that build up similar frequencies in the low to mid bottom range and virtually “cover up“ many of other elements of the track. The temptation here is to merely turn up the volume on the tracks that are being compromised but that’s not the answer. Learning how to carve out the problem frequencies will allow everything to have it’s perfect place in the picture and will add greatly to the clarity of your mix, allowing for more detail and transparency. Remember, elements that are to bright can be annoying and hard to get to blend together and those that are to dull are hard to hear and feel in relation to other elements in the track.

5. THEY TEND TO “OVERUSE” COMPRESSION

Without question a great compressor is a wonderful tool but used incorrectly in the recording of a track or more importantly on a stereo mix buss can create massive destruction, which is virtually impossible to correct later. Here is where plug-ins do come in very handy. The fact is that as you continue to add instruments and vocals to your production, the demand for and kind of compression needed will change as add each element. So…always try and leave your options open. You should only monitor your compression and try and never commit to it until you have to. (the same is true with EQ). No doubt, using a compressor on your 2-track buss can add detail, transparency and dynamic excitement. But, if your lucky enough to have your record professionally mastered, resist the temptation of premastering yourself in the mix stage and leave it to the mastering engineer who will have much better and more sophisticated equipment to get the job done as well as a fresh perspective on how to use it. If you can swing the costs – let the “masters” do the “mastering”. It’s worth it.

6. THEY DON’T LISTEN ON ACCURATE MONITORING SYSTEMS

Many times, they depend on monitors that are not reflective of what the true sound is that is being captured. Even worse are “hyped” speakers, which can be really fun to listen to. Everyday as you listen on them they make your work sound brilliant but they can literally ruin your mix if you don’t take precautions. It’s critical that you are reproducing what you’re actually hearing in your stereo mix. Speakers don’t have to cost an arm and leg to be adequate. I’ve heard really expensive speakers sound horrible. Expensive or not, they all have their own idiosyncrasies anyway. The trick here is to know your monitors well and know what a good balanced mix should sound like on them. If your listening environment has a lot of reflection or bass buildup, you could be compounding your problem. In this case you would do well to purchase some simple room acoustic treatment which is readily available online and in stores. They come with simple instructions and a little goes a long way. It is extremely important to continually compare and “A” “B” your work to other great sounding records in your room and on your speakers. Be careful though, it’s easy to get fooled by level differences so make certain that you are comparing tracks at a similar level. Besides today most people will listen to your records on inexpensive iPod headphones or car stereos. Be sure that you check your work on those systems in order to see if it still stands up. One of the best ways to do this is to take two hit tracks that are similar in approach and style to yours and put them in an iTunes folder along with your mix. Then make a playlist that has your mix positioned in between those two songs. If it holds its own your good to go, if it falls on its face go back to the mixing board.

You’re ready to make a record. You got the songs, the lyrics, and the arrangements. It’s time to get started, so what should you be considering… how, when and where you are going to record your songs?

First, no matter how basic it may seem, you need to ask yourself the following questions before making that decision. Think of it as a checklist.

(1) What is your purpose for making your recording? – Write down your reasons for doing the recording and how you expect to use it. There are many different reasons for recording your songs, all of which demand different levels of final quality, equipment, and real estate. For example, if you plan make “master quality” demos to show your songs to record companies, TV & Film producers, or other professional media companies, then the quality of your recordings must be the highest you can afford. If on the other hand, your music will merely be used for your own demo purposes, then the considerations of “how, when and where” will be much less demanding. Know where you are going and it will be a whole lot easier trying to get there!

(2) What will you be recording? – My suggestion is to sit down and map out in detail, the tracking, overdubs and vocals you plan to capture in your sessions. Some of this may seem obvious but before you start your project you must first decide what you are going to record, then you can figure out how and where to do it. For instance, if you need to record live drums at the same time as acoustic piano then your project studio most likely will not have the isolation areas nor the mikes, pre-amps and inputs necessary to pull it off. If, on the other hand, you are using primarily midi instruments and direct recording then it doesn’t really matter.

(3) What is your level of expertise and your learning curve to accomplish it? – Let’s suppose that you have a real opportunity and you don’t want to blow it. On top of it, there is a time limit and then that window will close. Be honest… are you experienced enough to make it happen by yourself? Have you mastered your equipment, or are your still learning your software? Do you think you can keep your objectivity or do you need a producer or engineer’s fresh ears and prospective when things get tough? Answer these questions and you will gain a better understanding of what you need to do to get the job done. Remember, you only have one chance to make a “first impression”. Make it count.

(4) What are your budgetary considerations? - Ah, the age-old limitation…money. Here is where you are going to have to be creative. Before you begin writing checks and booking studio time, after you have mapped out the stages of your production, assign costs to each of them. Be realistic, if you have a shoestring budget, unless you have “pictures” on the studio manager, it’s probably not going to happen at a commercial facility. But remember, there are times when business is slow, the studio is wide open or the graveyard shift can be had during odd hours. These are cash deals waiting to happen. It’s ok to shop around and negotiate. You’ll be surprised what you get.

(5) What equipment will you need to make it happen? – Again, make a list. Be practical from both a monetary and technical standpoint. Are you going to be ok with a hard-disk system, a couple of inexpensive mikes, a closet to do your vocals and some trial plug-in or do you need something more exotic? Don’t be fooled though, big studios with large equipment lockers don’t always add up to the most incredible sounds. Remember that just because a studio is a “commercial” one doesn’t mean that it is good. There are many types of recording studios with quality ranging from “demo” to “medium” to “off the charts”. In your planning you should keep in mind that the most expensive studio isn’t always the best. At the end of the day, a great engineer can make a mediocre studio sound amazing but unfortunately the opposite is not true.

(6) How important is a live room with great acoustics to your recordings? In past incarnations of recording, the only choice for musicians was to play together in a live room when laying down their basic tracks. There were no samples, no digital plug-in and the only way to get ambiance was to record the room right along with the sound from the instrument. Today, samples of room acoustics can be used to create a “synthesized” approximation of the real thing. Again, this may be academic if you are recording midi tracks without a lot of live performances. Choose your “where” accordingly based on your needs and your budget. I’ve used both successfully but to my taste, there’s nothing like the sound of a “classic” drum kit being played in a well-designed room.

(7) If you give it a go by yourself can you retain your level of objectivity? - It’s tough enough for professional producers to evaluate, make decisions and remain in an objective state of mind when they hear the music over and over again so many times. But I believe it is much harder for you as an artist to do so if you are evaluating yourself. It’s like looking in the mirror and attempting to see yourself as others see you. So, if you can afford to obtain the services of a professional producer or engineer at a commercial studio whose taste you trust, you will be far ahead of the game. How you go about choosing them is a different discussing.

In summary, your recording plan is like a roadmap. You wouldn’t think of trying to drive to Paris from Rome without a detailed map. So why would you leave the recording of your music to chance. The worst mistake you can make is running out of money (yours or an investor’s) before you hit the finish line or missing your deadline because you don’t have the experience level to do it yourself. Obviously money is a factor as it will always be but if you are creative, you can find your way around the problem and end up with what you need, when you need it. Always think you can do it and never say no. A positive attitude can work wonders in making it happen.

Today, Can You Be A Recording Artist After 30?

One of the most difficult things I had to do as an A&R executive pass on a great artist that I knew could be huge just because they were past the age of 30. It was heartbreaking for them and for me yet I was keenly aware that the system was totally geared to fulfill the youth market, it was a visual MTV age and if you didn’t fit in…you didn’t get in. Thankfully, today that is no longer the case. The majors pipeline has shrunken down to an unrecognizable size…for the most part they are not developing or breaking many new artists and radio is no longer the medium of choice to do so. What this means is that the “age factor” has been tossed out the window and along with it, breaking an artist on MTV and radio has become redundant. You see, now for the first time in decades…IT’S NOT ABOUT AGE ANYMORE, IT’S ABOUT CONNECTING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE.

Why Has The Business Changed?

The introduction of “1’s” and “0’s” forever changed the way we consume our music. The process was slow, but with the advent of digital reproduction, broadband becoming affordable by the masses as well as music becoming a mobile commodity, fans who had an insatiable appetite for discovering new music and re-connecting with old favorites, no longer had to wait for their “hit” station to play it. They weren’t forced to buy an album that mostly contained only the one great song which gave way to the option of streaming their music, downloading and yes…stealing it. This ushered in the “e-music” age and along with it, made it possible for fans to just enjoy music regardless of age.

What Are The Opportunities Today If You Are Over 30?

What would you like to say, sing about, write about or create? It’s all there for you today. The walls and barriers have crashed down like the Berlin Wall. The gate keepers lost the keys to the castle and it’s anyone’s game today. The internet’s connection with people worldwide has given birth to virtually any style of music and we are witnessing a pyridine shift from the major’s mass marketing of a few artists that we are told “to like”, to a massive array of “niche” music and style that today we “decide” to like. What this means is that for the first time in decades, the world is your stage and you have been set free to create anything your mind can imagine.

What Kind Of Advice Would You Give Someone Who Wanted To Jump In After 30?

The same advice I would give anyone desiring to become a commercial artist. The way music is and will be discovered and distributed will constantly change with technology but great music is and always will be about a great song and a great performance. So today, whether you 20, 50 or 100 it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that you learn the fundamentals of songwriting and recording and take the necessary steps to (1) Indentify your audience (2) Refine your songs and define your style to reach that audience (3) Make the best recordings you can make (4) Develop a fan base even if it you do it one fan at a time. (5) Make sure you can play your music live, people will expect to hear the same quality live that you present to them in your recordings. (5) Use the net as your stepping off point and spread the word in as many places and sites as your fingers can take you to. Then… have a blast.

Summary

As it has been said, music is the soundtrack of our lives. It’s never going away. If you are serious about becoming an artist after the age of 30 today…there are no “barriers” or “rights of entry”. You can create anything you can imagine and if it’s good, it will find an audience. Remember this…the largest segment of today’s population are “baby boomers”. That’s important for you to consider. They will still buy music if it is presented to them. Case in point was the success of adult artist Josh Groban who had one of last year’s biggest albums. Finally…IT’S NOT ABOUT AGE…IT’S ABOUT CONNECTION. Go for it, there has never been a time like this to make it happen.

You can actually smell the fear permeating the hallowed halls and boardrooms of the major record companies today. Their once formidable generals seem confused and without direction. Put simply, they are frozen, stuck if you may, forced to sail a large sinking ship in a much smaller pond. They will never recover.

Unconcerned, the labels welcomed the arrival of the new digital music economy by choosing to ignore it, doing “business as usual”. When they finally did embrace it, it was too late-that train had already left the station.

In their golden days, the major labels were the only game in town. Artist development was expensive, eliminating all but the richly endowed. To play on this playground you had to have big money behind you, and the majors had it. They were the bank.

We were force-fed our music. Collectively, the majors controlled the small pipeline of releases. It is hard today to comprehend that their power was such that unless you were “with” them in some manner, you got four walled and forced out of the game.

Enter the Web and high-speed connections for the masses, and these once invincible giants (Sony, Universal, Warner, BMG, EMI) found themselves wounded and fraught, a mere shadow of what they once were.

In their golden days, the music giants developed and marketed long term “blockbuster artists” selling enormous numbers of full CD’s. Heady sales reports of 25 million units here and 30 million units there were not uncommon. Sadly, in contrast, today the big sellers top out at 3-5 million units and this level of return makes it extremely difficult to “keep the lights on.”

Back then, the major music labels released music that was completely “bundled” and, like it or not, if you wanted to own it, you couldn’t download or stream only the tracks you liked; you were forced to buy it all. The CD’s were expensive, and if you did love a song and you bought the album, more often than not, the track you liked was the only decent song in the set. So young fans felt “ripped off” by the establishment. Technology became their friend, and they chose another path to obtain their music- they stole it.

The artists haven’t fared much better. Their contracts were more like slavery. In fact, they were so onerous that a label could hit one out of ten successes, and that one would pay for the other nine mistakes and return a handsome profit to the label.

Finding the hits really wasn’t that brilliant or scientific. There was so much potential profit that each month the labels would release large clusters of records, throw all of them against the wall, spending as little as possible on each one, and then quickly determine which ones stuck. They would then cut bait and drop all the others and put full resources into breaking the lucky artists that made the cut. Many dreams were shattered.

Great music doesn’t always capture the listener quickly. Many wonderful and talented artists bit the dust in the process during those days, spending years writing their songs and months making their recordings, only to be cast aside after a few weeks of release. This “shotgun” approach doesn’t work for the labels anymore. And with the label’s resources drying up, each release becomes precious and has to be much more viable and relevant.

In a futile attempt to stop the bleeding and stay afloat, labels resorted to the now infamous “360 deal” to augment their failing revenue streams. This imposed shift in procedure brought along with it even more monetary tribulations for the artist.

The artist has only four main revenue streams; record royalties, music publishing, touring and merchandising. Under the new “360” contract scheme, in order to be signed, the artist is forced to forego large percentages of all four to the label.

To add insult to injury, the skeleton staffs of those labels, already cut back to bare bones, have trouble just breaking records much less really performing any kind of service and earning their cut in the other three areas of revenue. In short, the artist is asked to pay for the label’s unfortunate circumstances, getting nothing back in return.

Information on the web is vast and spreads at lightning speed. Artists are no longer isolated. They can read the truth about other’s tribulations. They have become educated and realize that the majors have become weak as they take a lot and offer very little.

It used to be the ultimate aspiration to be signed by a major. But today, that desirability has diminished to the point that the bright “stars in the artist’s eyes” have all but faded.

The web is offering many alternative DIY opportunities to artists. Rather than get “ripped off” even further, many of them now no longer consider majors to be the “path of choice” to achieve their dreams.

The “great wall” is crumbling with the Internet. The Web has no gatekeepers and the playing field has been leveled. Technology, computer recording and MIDI performance has brought along with it the ability to record good sounding music in a closet for a fraction of the cost the labels spend to make a record in a commercial studio. The good news is that now, virtually anyone could upload their musical creations in a matter of minutes. This is also the bad news.

With thousands of tracks, the web has become overrun with music, most of it unfocused and undeveloped. This has created a new problem for the Artist, and in fact, for the industry. After an artist gets their music uploaded, how do they get people to discover it and ever find it?

Ok, so you got a deal. You got a budget. Sure it’s not the budget of yesteryear but it’s enough to make a record. Now you have a decision to make…how and where are you going to record your record? Friends in other bands say that you can get a small Pro Tools M-Box or Logic setup and do virtually everything yourself. The cost that you’d pay out to a commercial studio will easily pay for the new system, a new computer and tons of new plug-ins. So, no brainer right? Well, not so fast. There are some important factors that you should consider before laying down the plastic at your local music store.

1. THE ROOM - Does your recording project require a live room where your players can spread out and have good isolation between the instruments to avoid unwanted leakage? Contrary to what you may think, the differences of the acoustics of a professionally designed room vs. those of recording in your living room, rehearsal space, bedroom or garage are massive. Unless you hit the lottery, there is little chance that without spending vast sums of money on design, treatments etc, you can ever achieve the same quality of sound in your own environment. In addition, recording the natural room sound along with the direct source adds life and personality to drums, guitars, etc.

2. THE BOARD – There is no plug in or summing box in the world that can replace the sound of a full blown analog console. Sure you may not be able to afford recording your whole project on it, but getting “That sound” your basic tracks, vocals or better yet, on your mixes will give your recordings that big punchy sound that cannot be replicated any other way.

3. OUTBOARD EQUIPMENT – The analog boxes that line the outboard racks in the commercial control room also have their own sound. Although plug-ins have come a long way since their inception, there is still no substitute for the real thing. Most commercial studios offer a range of outboard gear that is available to enhance your sound design. Also, many have analog tape machines. I have found that using the tape machine as a huge effects box, i.e. recording through it (even reusing the same tape for budgetary reasons) and then bouncing back to digital retains much of that “analog” warmth and depth and produces a sound that is impossible to achieve through digital only gear.

4. MICROPHONES – Because of cost restrictions and availability most project studios only have access to a limited number of mikes. On the other hand, a well-equipped commercial studio will have a variety of condenser, dynamic even vintage mikes that are available for many of your audio requirements. Drums, guitars, pianos and vocals have different requirements. Having a selection of mikes to A-B in the recording process is invaluable, especially for vocals not to mention the fact that it isn’t desirable to have the same mike coloration on every track.

5. CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS AND MONITORS – Actually getting what you hear in the studio in your recordings is paramount. Face it, unless you are extremely lucky, your monitors and control room acoustics will not compare to the accuracy and response of a professionally designed control room. It’s a daunting job, even for the pros to balance out the right hi’s, mids and lo’s on a recording The selection of monitors both near field and full in wall studio will provide you with a much better chance of capturing the sound you are going for. Also, the way you hear the monitor mix is crucial to how you sing, play and perform. Many pro studios have sophisticated personal mixing stations where each player or singer can alter their mix to their own taste and preference.

6. PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND TECH SUPPORT – Most commercial studios provide at least a second engineer and many a first included in your booking rate. These individuals know their rooms, the best place for drums, vocals, etc. They can help you keep the recording process organized by keeping accurate notes, freeing you to get on with the making of your record. Tech support is an unspeakable blessing when you are hitting your stride or using an expensive musician and there is a tech failure. Also, just having someone to lend a hand in hooking everything up with access to the proper cables and connectors is a major plus.

7. EQUIPMENT – Many pro studios offer instruments as a part of your rate. Almost all have a grand piano, maybe a B3 Hammond, guitar and bass amps, even various guitars and basses. This gives you a lot of flexibility. As an example, if your record centers around an acoustic piano, it will be very difficult to reproduce the sound of an expensive Steinway with a plug-in. It can be done but there is no substitute for the real thing.

8. CONTACTS – Your studio staff sees the bests and the worst players etc. come through their facilities on a daily basis. A lesser consideration but none the less important is the fact that between the studio staff and engineers, you may gain access to “other” musicians, singers, etc. that are beyond the scope of your contacts. It’s a great help when you need a special guitar part and you can turn to a staff member who has a just the right suggestion of the guy who “killed” the same kind of part a few weeks before.

These are a few of the benefits you may derive from utilizing a commercial facility vs. only a project studio. Of course, every project is different, has different budgetary requirements and successful completion calls for different things. For example, if the bulk of your recording is in the MIDI realm, then a room may not be as important at the offset but there is still much to be sonically gained even in this situation by dumping your tracks to analog and then back to digital. Vocals and acoustic instruments always require a room and some form of separation. Mixing “in the box” is cost effective. Having only a mouse control is limiting, especially if you need to ride faders simultaneously. Having an external control surface is better but again, there is no way to beat the sound and flexibility of running your tracks separately through a pro and maybe vintage console, even if to just record stems and take them back to your project studio for completion.

There are reports that we are headed for another great depression, and like children staring through the window, watching for a parent to come home so that they can feel safe again, we wait for the changing of the guard…for a new President and a new administration to step in, wave a magic wand and save us.

So what does all this mean if you are a “struggling” musician today, in spite of everything hoping to realize your dream? Is the prospect of success out the window for you now? To the contrary, things actually aren’t that bad for you!

In times like these, we as a people come together, we unite in common cause, bonding together almost by instinct, like wild animals threatened in the forest. We are all going through something together. This brings with it a wealth of song topics that you can write about, rich in content and even more important - lifting the spirits of others who are bound like chains in today’s seemly hopeless situation.
Now is the time, “your time ”, to write songs of hope, to share your fears and even to create a fantasy world for people to escape to and forget about their daily problems if only for three or four minutes.  You can be part of creating that place.

History tells us that during times like the “Great Depression” of the 1920’s and 30’s people did just that…they turned to entertainment for a diversion…in fact, entertainment was one of the only industries that was insolated from the disintegration of other industries, it actually prospered!

Why? Because music is a perfect fit for these kinds of times. It’s great entertainment, some say it’s “the soundtrack of our lives”, and by any other year’s standards, it’s very inexpensive for people to enjoy.
In contrast, to the old system where if you wanted to own original music, you were forced to lay down $17 for a CD, only to find it was otherwise filled with junk. Today you can hear samples of a track before you buy it and then pick and choose one for virtually any mood for the modest price of $.99, an amount that is not going to make a difference in anyone’s tight budget.

And just like the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain came crashing down, the “gatekeepers” have “left the building”, and the recording and distribution of music has become anyone’s game via the Net.
So run with it…let your ideas flow without the restriction of “big brother” – the label, who chokes your creative flow, constantly telling you what you can and can’t do. Your have a fresh white canvas and you can paint it anyway you like.

Just remember though, like any other time, successful music has to be great so don’t skip over the fundamentals of learning how to make great records. It’s time… it’s “your time”! This is a unique period that happens maybe only once in a century, many only realize it after it’s over. Those who were able to see it and are prepared will be the ones who will prosper.

I do not wish to use my site as an election campaign supporter but as I watched Ted Kennedy at the DNC last night it took me back to a different time. A time when under the leadership of Ted’s brother John F. Kennedy there was hope for our country and anything seemed possible to achieve, and most importantly there was unity. I couldn’t help fighting back a tear as I thought about the impeding fate of Teddy and realizing that he was our last connection to that era and when he’s gone…it will be no more.

I was equally moved by Michelle Obama’s speech to the convention. She showed such heart and compassion and reaffirmed for me my feelings and intuitions about Barack.  In a time when thousands of our friends and children are dying in a war where we were deceived about it’s necessity, in a time when the average American does need to feel taken care of with the promise a real heath care program and the promise of a world class education, and a time when our government wants to censor the last true channel of information on the net.   Yes.. as our world becomes more and more economically and politically demanding, we need a leader that can re-unite us again, make us feel safe, and return our country to it’s original luster. We NEED change!

I also had the pleasure of having breakfast with Joe Biden a few years ago. I was equally impressed in the same way as Barack but for different reasons.  Biden undoubtedly fills the gap that Barack needed filling and they make a powerful team.

Finally, the idea of a potential 8 more years of Bush politics with McCain is a scary, scary thought. I can not believe anyone would truly desire that.

As I sit here today, I am convinced that our hope lies in the Obama/ Biden ticket and I lend them my full support. That same choice is yours and I encourage you to really think about where each of the two platforms are coming from and vote that choice in November. It’s Time For A Change!!

Today, there are no boundaries. A new artist has a blank canvas. The internet made that possible. It occurred to me that because of this record, young artists may be motivated to take more chances…be themselves, in fact I really think this may be “the” record of the summer and if so, it just may be the enouragement for new music to come. Go ahead, dig deep…dare to be different, dare to be unique, dare to FEEL again. Music is all about feeling. My sincere congrats go out to Duffy, her label and her producers for a killer track.

David Kershenbaum

www.musicproshollywood.com

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Now playing: Duffy - Mercy
via FoxyTunes

All young talent needs focusing and directing and unfortunately that function used to be provided by the majors. Sadly with layoffs and cutbacks at the big four music groups, the “artist development” function was the first thing go and today it is all but a dim memory.

But that was how Hollywood built stars, stars that endured from decade to decade. I have spent my life developing and launching new careers with new artists from Janet Jackson, Byran Adams to Joe Jackson and have been fortunate to work with some of the worlds greatest talent from Duran,Duran, to Cat Stevens to Tori Amos. Although styles of music change, the “method” and approach to developing a new artist has not and today I adhere to the same methods that I used successfully at A&M Records as Vice-President/A&R.

But the process of developing great talent required experimentation and shifting of variables to get the formula correct. Labels might have had to invest in two to three albums before they got it right but today they can’t afford to do it that way any longer.

Today’s new artists do have the option of developing themselves without a label and by slowly building a foundation of fans and friends on the web, they can take more time and trials to figure out their own blueprint for success.

But beware…there are 10 common mistakes I have seen new artists make over and over again. If you’re trying to make it today in music either on your own or with an eye on the majors, you should try and avoid these common errors at all costs. Hopefully this will save you a lot of time and heartache, greatly increase your chances and set you on a powerful path to success.

THE TEN MOST COMMON MISTAKES A NEW ARTIST MAKES

1) THEY DON’T KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND WHO THE AUDIENCE IS THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO REACH. If you don’t know who you are, nobody else will. Don’t make the mistake of being all over the board with your direction, style and songs. If you do, you will only confuse people. Do you know who your target audience is? Do you know their age group? Are they primarily male or female? What artists do they listen to and support? What image should you project to reach this audience both visually and sonically?

2) THEY MISS THEIR “ONLY” CHANCE TO MAKE A GREAT “FIRST IMPRESSION”. Like it or not you only get one chance to make a first impression so the one you do make has got it make it count! Don’t be impulsive of releasing you’re recording, sending it in for evaluation or posting it on the social sites before it is ready. Remember, if it doesn’t accomplish what you hoped for, you might blow the opportunity to get a second listen or even consideration the next time. Now this doesn’t mean that you procrastinate and never commit to make a decision and move forward. But it does mean try out your songs and direction in a small way before you go “live” to the world.

3) THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO “PULL IT OFF” LIVE. You need to play out live as much as possible – but only when you are truly ready to do so. I can’t stress enough that with the advent of digital “bedroom” recording, it’s possible to create tracks with a quality that can take you months to re-create live. If you are a band make sure you are rehearsed, that have you image down pat, and that you achieve as much control over your live sound as is possible. If you are a singer-songwriter you must be able to pull it off live with just you and your instrument. The chances of hiring sidemen and taking them on the road in the beginning are slim and very expensive. Nothing will hurt you more than to create excitement in your recordings and then fall on your face in front of expectant fans. You must realize that in this electronic age, news spreads like wildfire and you may fool your fans in the short run, but eventually, the chat rooms will either be filled with your praises or will be up in arms trashing you. Once you are satisfied that you are getting the point across, building a credible fan base, and have positive unbiased feedback as to what songs are becoming the most popular, then and only then are you ready to record them.

4) THEY BELIEVE THEIR OWN PRESS. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been in preproduction with a band or artist who was trying to make a case for a totally unacceptable song to be included on a CD because their aunt, uncle or next door neighbor thought it was a hit. I know it sounds like a contradiction but after you begin receiving feedback and start to recognize a pattern in what’s working and what isn’t, be especially careful not to make critical decisions based only on comments from adoring friends and family. Undoubtedly they are biased and will have a vested stake in your success. They usually will not make the best sounding board for your considerations.

5) THEY TRY TO LAUNCH WITH TOO MANY SONGS. You should never give away too much of your material at one time. In the beginning, you will be doing extremely well if you perfect three or four songs. Always lead with your best material but make sure that your direction is cohesive. That is to say don’t mix a country song with a dance track. Also you should balance the dynamics –maybe an “up” cut, “mid cut”, “ballad” or “unplugged” track to show the artistic ability of your singer(s). Remember, never pick songs on the basis that your guitar player loves his solo or the drummer can’t believe his cool fill before the 2nd chorus. Keep in mind that each time you play your set in front of an audience your songs will always evolve so give them plenty of time to “ripen” before you record them.

6) THEY TRY TO BE COOL AND WRITE OBSCURE LYRICS OR WANDER TOO FAR AWAY FROM ACCEPTED SONG STRUCTURE. It used to be very hip to write lyrics that people had to try and figure out by debating them amongst each other but unless you are a “druggie” band or writer re-incarnated from the 70’s, it is much better to write you songs in the first person and try as much as possible to pack them with emotion and experiences others have felt and can relate to as well. Again, don’t think it’s cool to wait forever to get to the chorus or try a one-minute intro or guitar solo. Study pop structure and learn it first before you break the rules. You’ll be a better writer and your songs will have much stronger dynamics. I address this issue in detail in my series “The Anatomy Of A Production”/www.musicproshollywood.com

7) THEY JUMP IN TO SELF-RECORDING THEIR MUSIC WITHOUT ANY RECORDING EXPERIENCE. Obviously, the best option if you can afford it is to use a professional or at least an experienced recording engineer to record and mix your music. This may not be possible and today it is so tempting to make tracks on computers and bang them into a sequencer or hard drive system, put on a vocal, do a quick mix and call it a master. Although technology has come a long way to make this achievable, in order for your recordings to be competitive against the big artists that do have the great sounding tracks, you must learn the art of audio presentation. Even if you are a garage band, you need to sound competitive to the most successful ones. The best way to accomplish this is to attend classes but if this is logistically or financially impossible, then at least listen to some of the recordings of groups or artists that are finding success with the audience you are trying to reach. Get to know your speakers by listening to these records on them more than a few times and then after you’ve finished your mixes and mastered them, try to match the levels and play them against those records for comparison.

THEY RELEASE VIDEOS OF THEMSELVES BEFORE THEY ARE READY. Again, because the net offers such easy and quick access to social sites such as Revver, Myspace, Youtube etc., you may be tempted to start posting videos of rehearsals and performances before they are ready to be seen. Although it is very important to have your stream of content appear on the web, you must make certain that what you are putting up is doing you justice. You may be too familiar with your music therefore not so critical of the sound. You will know the musical parts but if others can’t hear them in the mix or your vocal can’t be understood then you’ve wasted an opportunity. Remember, every time you post something or send it to someone you are inviting yourself to be judged.

9) THEY ARE TOO ANXIOUS TO SIGN “ANY” CONTRACT. It is almost 100% guaranteed that if you sign an agreement too early with a local manager, agent or your bass player’s father, you will pay dearly for it later when you need to get out of it in order to sign with real professionals who have the experience, contacts and leverage to make it happen for you. This is not to say that someone with little experience cannot work hard and get you to the top, but to make it as a world-class artist, it will happen faster with a professional team behind you.

10) THEY ARE IN A HURRY TO SIGN WITH A MAJOR. The decision to submit your material to a major is a tempting one and the tendency of many artists is to care more about chasing and getting the “deal” than the financial ramifications of what the deal means in the future after they’ve signed it. You must consult with an expert, preferably an experienced music attorney in order to really understand the financial aspects of the agreement you are signing. Most artists don’t realize the facts until too late, after their first royalty statement. The longer you wait the more leverage you may have when you do talk to a label. It’s all about reducing risk for the executives who sign you. They have very little margin for error so if you can provide evidence that you have a large number of fans in your fan base, and maybe even purchased downloads, the better bargaining power you will have. The truth is today, however, that the majors are losing ground every week and as a result, they have also been forced to cut staff in critical areas of promotion, publicity and marketing. Further, in order to make ends meet, they have been put in a position to need to offer 360 deals which really means that in order to generate greater revenue streams, they are seeking to share in the earnings your music publishing, merchandising, and touring AS WELL as your record earnings. The financial discussion about what the impact of this to you really means is far too much to tackle here but my point is that it very well may be more profitable for you to do it yourself, keep all of your rights, sell less units but make a far greater profit. True they may dangle a carrot in front of you and offer a generous advance but remember, today the money is really in live performance. So my advice is to be careful not to sign away those rights to soon. You are committing to the label at their option for up to seven future albums not to mention that you may have spent a few years building your library of songs which if they don’t bring them home, could be subject to “re-recording” restrictions and you lose the right to record them again for many years in the future. You always have the option to sell yourself later. Be smart and polish your “diamond” first, it might be priceless!

Before you can set out to record or produce a “hit” you need to understand what a “hit record” is. I have discovered 7 key characteristics that make up a hit record…today or 20 years ago.

(1) Is your song memorable? Is there some element of it that hits someone deep in their soul.. a lyric, a phrase, a concept, something that they can relate to in their own lives and they share with you something you have felt yourself at some time or another.

(2) A hit is usually structured so that turning points and dynamics ebb and flow i.e. a verse or pre-chorus exploding and releasing into a chorus. This creates excitement and differentiates the sections.

(3) Musically there are “hooks” which can be catchy phrases, melodic rhythm lines, etc. which stick in your head and you find yourself singing.

(4) Does it create an emotion or mood? Does it affect people in any way…make the dance, cry, think etc.

(5) When you listen to it between two other records does it sparkle or pale compared to whats in front of it or after it? Is it special?

(6) Does it make your hair on your arm stand on end when you hear it the first time or little flutters in your stomach?

(7) Would you bet your lives savings on it becoming a hit and will to risk them?

At the end of the day…a hit record takes on a life of it’s own. It transcends style or genre. It is timeless and will be as significant today as next year or in 10 years.