Category Archives: Producers

Terra

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I am happy to report that we have begun work on a new album, Terra. Initially, we felt rather ambitious to try to release something within two years after releasing Winter. The Winter project was much larger than we planned and consumed more time than we imagined. However, it is difficult to keep creativity at bay and when you have a story to share, you do your best to share it.

I do not want to reveal much about Terra, but we are hoping to share a fantastic story with all of you. The music and lyrics are complete and the arrangements have been created. Now each member of the band gets to add their parts and the overall sound and delivery of the story.

We began recording drums and bass in April and May. I had an unrealistic plan of holding four recording sessions and tracking three songs each session. Surprisingly, Mikey and Joel rose to the occasion and completed their work in that timeline. I even finished editing and mixing the drums and bass for the songs as well.

As I planned for the recording sessions, I realized when creating an album, each instrumentalist has an opportunity to impart their own emotions and vision into the song. I do not tell them what I want, nor do I provide any guidance. This allows them flexibility and creativity when creating their parts. I find that it brings out the best in their performances and that we end up with something that is unexpected, surprising, and wonderful.

However, for Mars, our backup vocalist, this is not necessarily the case. For Winter, all the backup tracks were already written by me. We were on a tight timeline, and I wanted to provide her with enough guidance so that we could finish the recordings quickly. Aside from her own interpretation and performance of the material, Mars did not have as much creative input as the others.

For Terra, Mars has two solos and one duet with me. I decided that Mars should lead the production and recording sessions for the three songs. I gave her the freedom to add her own perspective and guide Mikey and Joel. The process was strained at first, but as she grew comfortable with her role, the results were exciting for all of us. She was able to share her vision for the three songs, which was to create a different sound space and texture than my songs. This was an opportunity for Mars to add her own personality and her own creative input to the material.

We now begin recording Sergio on guitar and Nadia on keyboards. I left more space in the arrangements so that Sergio and Nadia could have more freedom when creating their parts. I will also give control to Mars when it comes time to track her songs.

As we move forward with the production of this album, I hope to be better at posting updates and sharing insights with you. I have grown more comfortable releasing control of the process and letting others share their ideas. This has opened new sounds and emotions that I did not expect.

Sharing creativity with others is worth the risk.

Producers

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The word “producer” gets used a lot in conversation and I often wonder if the person using the word to describe themselves understands the weight of the word.

In the most basic definition, if you create any art on any level, then you are a producer. This means if you write a song, you could call yourself a producer. If you created a beat for a song, you could also call yourself a producer. But for me, there is much more work required before you can call yourself a producer.

In the late 80s through the mid 90s I worked with a good friend, David Ozab on a number of albums. We were recording to analog systems in school studios. This meant that studio time was precious, and we had to work fast to complete a song. Within a four-to-six-hour time block, we would finish an entire song. I would arrive with an idea and we started sequencing immediately. Often, we would track the main keyboard part, then add parts with each pass. Sometimes I would ask David to add a guitar part and he would create one as we were recording. It was fun and rushed but at the end of the block, I had a song written, recorded, and mixed. I would go home with a cassette copy of the song and say, “look what I recorded and mixed.”

I never used the label “producer” because the process was not thought out and planned. I relied on spontaneity and the rush of inspiration to create the song. Nothing was ever though out or planned. Yes, I had ideas and sounds that I wanted to get across, but I never took the time to really question every note, word, and inflection. I just needed to get the song done.

Production is a process that requires time and effort. Production is looking at each word in the lyric, each note in the melody and progression, and even the form of the song. Production is examining every element of the song and refining them until the song achieves its full potential. Production is assembling the best songs into an album and ordering them in a way that takes the listener on a journey. Production is taking the idea of a song and turning it into a complete work that best represents the artist’s intent and vision.

I could go on and on about this, but I will stop for now. But I will leave you with one thought to contemplate…

If you continuously ask yourself and others “how do I know if the song is done,” then you really have not produced a song yet.

A producer knows when a song is done.