Choosing A Demo Studio..Your Thoughts?

[admin]

Good question mojo, I guess it's when you like the final product? I know Chits and Cam use Jimi's studio, and like the end result,
though I'm not sure they've gotten forwards with them.
Steve

Not sure the studio one chooses has as much influence on a forward as the song itself. Although the singer USED by the studio can have some influence if they knock it out of the park. In my experience, it's song first, convincing vocal performance second, and all the rest doesn't matter nearly as much as long as it's above a certain professional standard.

I've also been in studios that sucked, with instruments that sounded like crap, but great players and a great song still made it all sound amazing.

I once did four songs in a living room with TONS of glass, hardwood floors, brick walls, a hard wood ceiling, VERY limited mics (almost all 57s), a Mackie 8 bus, 3 ADATs, 2 DBX compressors, a spring reverb, no other outboard, and NO isolation. If I played it for you, you wouldn't be able to tell if I recorded it in that living room, the Power Station or Criteria. The band was locked, the songs were great, and the engineer wasn't too bad

It's the song and the players.

Michael

[bassman]

I have to say this matches my experience too. I do a fair amount of production and demo recordings for artists, some of whom are at the beginning of their artistic journey and the thing that always screws things up is an 11 bar verse, a 5 bar bridge and a 7 bar chorus + a heavily autotuned lead vocal. Compare that with a more experienced artist who keep their song structure simple and who has that "something special" in their vocal delivery and tone. Using a Neumann over a 57 makes a difference but to be honest, in my experience, it's not as much as you may think. Great singers seem to sound great whatever you put them through. Funnily enough, before autotune people used to say to me "I think there's something wrong with your mic buddy".
Of course experience as an engineer counts too and I think an Adat is still a pretty good recording medium and you can't beat a couple of DBX 160x compressors.
Remember reading a great interview with the guy who recorded Alanis Morissettes breakthrough album which they did on Adats and he mentioned how he felt he wasn't happy with the drum sound and how he wanted to improve it on the next album. The next album did indeed have a fantastic drum sound but I don't remember it selling that many copies.

[mazz]

It's the song and the players.

Michael

amen!

[bassman]

Everyone has different reasons for creating and different levels of experience.
What makes me exited about recording is: help people to be the best they can be with what they have.

[jdstamper]

I've used several studios, and mostly had very good luck with them. It's been a few years but I look forward to working with the studios again in the future. I pretty much know after the first couple conversations with the producer, I can tell I have "good mojo" with them or not (sorry for the pun). I've used DBW too, they are very good ... one of my songs is still on their website in the "before and after" section. Another song with them is on my Taxi site called "Love To The Rescue" (probably my first songs targeting the film / tv market). I'd probably go to a Nashville studio to get the Nashville sound, plus it's close enough to drive there for the sessions, which I've done and it's a blast.

Jim

[ottlukk]

I think I recall one Taxi critique where I got a compliment on using a pro singer -- and the singer got a 7 or 8! My conclusion is that if the song's not a 9 or 10, the singer won't be rated any higher. But I agree with Michael -- it's the song . . .
Also pleasantly surprised to see DBW mentioned again, on a positive note. It's like having my good taste in demo firms reaffirmed.
Ott

[bassman]

Just a few thoughts which probably won't do my business any good.

Sometimes it's not just a case of finding a pro singer, it's often a case of finding the right match for a song.
A lot of demo studios use "session singer" ie. backing vocalists with trained voices. As skilled as they may be, tracks can
end up sounding closer in style to a Coca Cola advert than something with real emotion (I am not hinting that your song is without emotion btw, I am just trying to contribute something)
There's a big difference between a backing vocalist and a lead vocalist. I know quite a few backing vocalists who are simply incredible and who will nail 5 part harmonies in the blink of an eye. But their lead vocals often sound bland and uninteresting.

Let me be clear: it's difficult having clear perspective on our own work but if I had to give anyone advice (which may be unwanted) I would say:
Make finding the right singer absolutely number 1 priority. It may mean asking around locally which would also give an opportunity to work with them prior to recording or it may mean listening to singers on myspace or consult a producer, whatever it is, the lead singer is the thing (apart from the song itself) that will make or break a song.
If we look at some of the great voices of this world: Bryan Ferry, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Bowie etc, if you take their voice away there's very little left.
My personal preference has always been character over technical ability which can be difficult to find but when I've found them it's been absolutely worth the wait.

I am very passionate about vocals and I hope it shines thought.

[mojobone]

A rather excellent point, that. There is a big difference between a great singer and a great voice. Examples? Howlin' Wolf, Mick Jagger and John Hiatt (and I could list several dozen more) weren't given a lot to work with, in terms of range and timbre, but have managed to craft utterly unique sounds and styles-very few vocalists have both, and most of them only need one name. Cher, Aretha, Pavarotti, Caruso, Rod Stewart, Josh Groban, Freddie Mercury...

[2lane]

Good question mojo, I guess it's when you like the final product? I know Chits and Cam use Jimi's studio, and like the end result,
though I'm not sure they've gotten forwards with them.
Steve

Not sure the studio one chooses has as much influence on a forward as the song itself. Although the singer USED by the studio can have some influence if they knock it out of the park. In my experience, it's song first, convincing vocal performance second, and all the rest doesn't matter nearly as much as long as it's above a certain professional standard.

I've also been in studios that sucked, with instruments that sounded like crap, but great players and a great song still made it all sound amazing.

I once did four songs in a living room with TONS of glass, hardwood floors, brick walls, a hard wood ceiling, VERY limited mics (almost all 57s), a Mackie 8 bus, 3 ADATs, 2 DBX compressors, a spring reverb, no other outboard, and NO isolation. If I played it for you, you wouldn't be able to tell if I recorded it in that living room, the Power Station or Criteria. The band was locked, the songs were great, and the engineer wasn't too bad

It's the song and the players.

Michael

Uh Oh, I've been singled out!
Forgive me Michael, but I don't see where my post is way off from your views? Isn't that kinda what I
was getting at? That the quality of the demo is NOT the determining factor, though not as defined and
detailed as you did.
Jimi and Larry Beaird both use top notch players, so, no bearing there...I'm I correct?
I know I might have raised my hand, but I didn't know the assignment was for whipping boy....CRACK!

[ottlukk]

On both Larry Beaird's site & DBW, you can listen to samples of their session singers. I, for one picked the one whose voice resonated for me. The impasse you come to here is the fact that what you think is a hot voice, or a sensuous voice, will not necessarily be a voice that appeals to someone else. Yeah, there are singers who could (to repeat a cliche') sound great singing a telephone book. And sometimes, when I hear their lyrics, I think that the telephone book might work better.
There are a ton of talented singers out there. I think what turns a "session" singer into a star is the right song at the right time, in the right place.
The singers who have done my songs are incredibly talented professionals. Skipping the quality (or lack thereof) of my songs, their voices get 7 or 8's on my submissions. Sometimes I wish a screener would say, "Your song is not to my taste, but at least you picked a fantastic singer, and I'll give her a 10". Hasn't ever happened.
Ott