1. Are you
an engineer or producer or what?
2. Why
should I record my music with you?
3. I
know a guy who will record for free. Why would I pay you to record me?
4.
How much will it cost to record?
5. I
was looking at your equipment list, and I noticed that you don?t have a
[insert type of equipment here]. I really like how [equipment name]
sounds, and I wish you had one.
6.
Do I need to rent a studio, or can I record in your personal studio?
7.
Do I have to come to where you are to record music?
8. I
need to hire musicians to play on my record. Do you know any?
9. How
long will it take to mix my music?
10.
Can I be there / do I have to be there when you mix my music?
11.
Can I watch you mix so I can learn how to do it?
12.
What if I don't like the way you make my music sound? Are you going to
add a bunch of stupid [reverb / echo / synthesizer]?
13. Will you master my music?
14. Will you do a remix of one of my songs?
15.
Do you record your own music? / What instruments do you play?
16.
Can you teach me how to make records?
17. Can I be your intern?
18. Can you help me get a (record deal / manager /
booking agent / radio play / on SNL)?
19. Can you tell me how you made this record / song
/ sound?
20.
You didn’t answer my question.
1. Are you an
engineer or producer or what?
Some of both, exclusively neither, with other things added in for good
measure. Allow me to explain:
I help people make music, and I try to avoid getting caught up in
semantics. Some of the things I do are traditional
“engineer” duties: setting up microphones, fiddling with
equipment, operating a patchbay, pressing RECORD. Other things are
probably more ʻproducer'-like: working on song structure, arrangements,
and helping to guide the recording process as a creative endeavor. I'm
completely comfortable doing either, depending on the demands of the
project.
I’ve also done a lot of other audio-related things (recording
instructor, light tech work, studio consultation / design /
maintenance, non-musician, music for films), so limiting it to simply
‘engineer’ or ‘producer’ doesn’t quite
explain it properly. [rewind]
2. Why should I record
my music with you?
Okay, so there are a million and half people that want to make your
record. Why me?
Because I work hard, I'm patient, and I'll listen. I try to pay
attention to what will serve and present the music best. I strive to be
creative with the recordings I make, but I understand that my job is to
facilitate your project and your creativity – not mine.
Because
I understand the recording process. I've been lucky
enough to work on a wide range of projects in a number of different
places (both in recording studios and out of), and I bring those
experiences with me to every project I work on. I'm comfortable and
familiar with a range of equipment, consoles, tape machines and DAW's,
and I've found my way through a number of tricky recording situations.
Because I am a professional. I’ve
spent my entire adult life working in music and working on records. I
don’t have other obligations or distractions, and I commit myself
completely to whatever project I am working on. Along with that, being
professional means I won’t lose your project, it’ll get
done on time (and within budget), and I will not rest until you are
happy. Recording and producing music is my craft, and I am dedicated to
it.
Because I am not that annoying
recording guy you know. I don't claim to have perfect pitch
or incredibly accurate hearing. I don't have an uncle in the business
or a trust fund to exhaust. I don't have magical hit-making powers. I
don't run a questionable record label that I want you to sign with. I
won't tell you that you need a bass player if your band doesn't have a
bass player. I won't act weird and creepy around you if you happen to
be female. I don't wear loud Hawaiian shirts, I don't order too
much sushi and then not pay for it, and I won't secretly overdub my
backing vocals on your song after you go home.
I do listen to Steely Dan sometimes, but I will turn it off if you ask
me to. [rewind]
3. I know this guy
that has a studio, and he said he'll record me for free. Why would I
pay you to record my music?
It's always hard to argue against free, and there is
a chance you'd be better off working with that guy-for-free who you
know – it really depends on your goals and the scope of your
project. However, projects done for free often take much longer, are
less focused, less motivated, and carry little (if any) guarantee of
quality or happiness. [rewind]
4. How much will it
cost to record my (song / EP / album / double-album / boxed set)?
This is always the hardest question to answer, because of the many
variables involved: How many songs
are there? How complicated are they? How competent is the band? Where
are we recording them?
I've worked on projects of all size and scope - some take hours, some
take months. If you're interested in working together, the best thing
to do is contact me with details about your project and its specific
needs. I can usually put a prospective budget together fairly quickly. [rewind]
5. I was looking at
your equipment list, and I noticed that you don't have a [insert type
of equipment here]. I really like how [equipment name] sounds, and I
wish you had one.
While I love recording equipment, I try not to get too attached to
certain devices as “must-have” objects. I'm a big believer
in the idea that the music is made in the room by the person playing
the instrument - not the preamp or recording device that I'm fiddling
with. I try to collect equipment that is reliable and versatile, and
when something I don't have is deemed absolutely necessary, I've bought
or borrowed one. [rewind]
6. Do I need to rent a
studio, or can I record my record in your personal studio?
My studio is very small (a single room for mixing - hence the word
“personal”), and isn't suitable for doing a lot of tracking
beyond basic overdubs and electronic music. Besides, working in a
studio is a lot of fun!
There are a handful of studios that I love
working at, and I'm always happy to explore new ones. I've also
enjoyed recording remotely in unique locales: a 150-year old town hall
in Ohio, a practice space in Milwaukee, the woods outside of Chicago.
Once again, it depends on the demands of the project. [rewind]
7. Do I have to come
to where you are to record music, or can you come to where I live?
Either one is fine. I love traveling (especially for work), but this
usually comes with the added expense of
transportation, shipping some equipment, and lodging. However,
I’m pretty flexible about these sort of things, and usually find
some way to make arrangements that are suitable for everyone. [rewind]
8. I need to hire
musicians to play on my record. Do you know any good ones?
It depends on the instrument (and where the recording is to take
place), but I've usually been able to find someone (or someone who
knows someone) to play a specific part. For example: if you need a
hurdy-gurdy man or bass sitar player in Madison, Wisconsin, I've got
you covered. [rewind]
9. How long will it
take to mix my music?
This is the second most difficult question to answer. Again, it depends
on the amount of music, the nature of the material, the desired
outcome, and the budget for the project. A good place to start is
around a song (perhaps two) per day, though some take longer (and
some are pushed faster). [rewind]
10. Can I be there / do
I have to be there when you mix my music?
Either way is fine, though it isn't a terribly interesting process.
Working remotely (via email / FTP) is fine, too, and is sometimes
faster than having someone in the room with me (less conversation).
Many of my projects prefer to work remotely for most of the mixing, but
finalize mixes in person (as small details are easy to take care of
like this). [rewind]
11. Can I watch you
mix so I can learn how?
Having taught audio engineering for a spell, I can say from experience
that this makes mixing take a very, very, very long time. There
isn’t anything magical or secret about mixing: it (like most
things) is the culmination of lots of practice, experience, and
mistakes. If we’re working on a project together, I have no
problem explaining what I’m doing, but expecting to learn how to
mix over the course of a single project is somewhat unrealistic. [rewind]
12. What if I don't
like the way you make my music sound? Are you going to add a bunch of
stupid [reverb / echo / synthesizer] to my songs?
One way of knowing whether I'd be right for your project is to do a
test (or 'spec') mix. I'm happy to mix a song at no charge as a
demonstration of both the work I do and what the experience of working
with me is like.
I will communicate with you as much as possible before, during, and
after we work together to ensure things turn out as desired. In the
rare case that something still isn't right, I've gone back and
revisited mixes when needed. [rewind]
13. Will you master
my music?
I prefer to send the records I work on to an experienced mastering
engineer, instead of mastering them myself. There are several I'd be
happy to recommend (and probably many
more who would also do a great job). Recently, I've started to do some
mastering work for projects that cannot afford a traditional mastering
engineer, or need something more than mastering (but less than mixing).
If any of this sounds like your project, please send me a note. [rewind]
14. Will you do a
remix of one of my songs?
Yes – providing I'm not currently occupied with a project. I love
working on remixes whenever I have the opportunity to do so.
Multitracks or stems in WAV format are preferred, but not absolutely
necessary. [rewind]
15. Do you record
your own music? / What instruments do you play?
I do, primarily for my own enjoyment and education. I play piano and
guitar, along with a plethora of electronics. Some sounds I've
made: beaunoise.bandcamp.com
[rewind]
16. Can you teach me
how to make records?
Yes and no, but probably not. To be honest, it would probably take a
very long time. Learning how to record is a long process, one that I
feel is a life-long pursuit. I've enjoyed teaching in the past (in a
class / lab setting), and I'll gladly offer any advice I can and any
questions I can, but I haven't found a good way to teach people about
it outside of a traditional college course structure. [rewind]
17. Can I be your
intern?
I'm afraid it wouldn't be very rewarding. You probably wouldn't learn
very much about making records. You would learn a lot about making
coffee, tuning synthesizers, and staying up much too late. [rewind]
18. Can you help me
get a (record deal / manager / booking agent / radio play / spot on
SNL)?
Probably not. I’m always happy to recommend like-minded people to
each other, and on occasion I've been able to connect the dots between
projects (for touring together, finding new band members, etc). [rewind]
19. Can you tell me
all about how you made this record / song / weird bug noise?
Possibly. If I can remember, I'm completely willing to try to explain.
As you may have gathered, I'm not a big believer in secret tricks and
magic boxes and things like that: I think the “secret” to
making records is hard work and lots of objective listening. And
coffee. [rewind]
20. You didn’t
answer my question.
Ask away:
{beaubruit(at)gmail.com}