Thanks to BantaMu for the interview! | Defy Recordings

Thanks to BantaMu for the interview!

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Thanks to BantaMu for the interview!

12 November 2014, By DEEPRED, 0 Comments

http://bantamu.com/interviews/10-the-amazing-career-of-a-new-york-audio-engineer-meet-robert-l-smith

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I made an album, as an artist. In 1998. I had the

I made an album, as an artist. In 1998. I had the time, no money and an Akai sampler. It was an experience being on the 'other side of the glass' for once, but in hindsight it was an important step in where I am today. The album was never released, despite completed artwork, mastering, the whole deal. But that's not the point here. The more important lesson is that of time and how you use it. I was a competitive cyclist at the time, so I would train every day and stay up all night learning how this sampler worked (For those that don't know, samplers are the tool that allowed you to take bits of existing recordings and use them as a new instrument, which is the basis of hip hop, etc). I realized only a few years ago that this time, that of being broke (single, no tv, internet), with endless free time, made me use the time in the most positive way one could. My body was in the shape of its life, and my mind was being challenged in ways it hadn't before. So in hindsight, it was a miraculous time. The only thing I knew then was that life at that point was what it was then, and would never be repeated. And that was the only thing I was right about. But, using the time the way I did set me up and prepared me for many different paths that allowed me to expand my career and vision in so many ways that simply would not have happened, and if I did not have that 'expansion' I most likely would have moved on to something else for survival purposes, and my soul would be nowhere near what it is now. So what I'm saying to you is use the time you have right now. Don't wait. Learn. Build something. Create. There is no right time. It sure worked for me. #mindset #create #build #progress

Why so serious? Another session, another set of ex

Why so serious? Another session, another set of expectations, right? When the major labels abandoned Artist Development years ago, it came down to us, those that make the records, to pick up the slack and help artists find a sound they could grow into and have a career. And with all of that, the Expectations. Those external (and sometimes internal) pressures that one can obsess over. As I like to say, "Everyone's definition of Success is valid." Wherever you want to be with your music, if you are doing it the way you want, that can be defined as Success. It's never been about the money or fame, it's about doing what you need to do for your Soul, or at least that's what it should be about. It really is a privilege to help artists find their way, and it's a facet of all this I don't take lightly. Though, to be fair, you do have to be realistic about those dreaded expectations. I joke often that my job title has grown into "Manager of Expectations". Tell me what you have to work with, where you want to end up, and I will tell you what to expect. It's that simple. All this said, keep in mind that no successful artist does it alone, and every "overnight sensation" is/was years in the making. Do your best work, strive to be better and good things will come your way. Carry on. #music #artist #producer #engineer #career

Limits. Limitations. A good or bad thing? In my st

Limits. Limitations. A good or bad thing? In my studio one of my favorite tools is a Limiter. All it does is prevent your level (volume) from getting too loud. A simple task, yet used in the right way it can give you brilliant results. I've always worked against limitations, but I've found, if you pay attention, you can mold those limitations into something great. Case in point. As I grew up in recording studios in New York, I always had the best gear and the best talent to work with. I was definitely spoiled in that regard. Fast forward to a time when an old friend wanted to do a record. He couldn't afford to go to my studio, so we did it on a Tascam Portastudio, which is a 4 track cassette recorder. This was miles below the quality I was used to, that of Neve consoles and Studer tape machines. So we had his Tascam, I had one microphone, and my old stereo speakers. When we wanted a distorted guitar sound, I ran a signal out of the Tascam to my VCR. Placing that on pause/record, I then mic'ed up the tv speaker. There's your distortion. No effects unit, so I turned the hallway leading to the bathroom into an echo chamber. We made a whole record this way. And he got a three album record deal from our work. The label released the album as-is, with hiss and all. An amazing lesson that has never left me. Since then I've embraced limits. Don't give me options, give me Magic. The brilliance of your work should never be limited by your tools. Carry on #limits #progress #artist #music

You would think that after doing something for so

You would think that after doing something for so long you've truly seen it all, right? I recently had a mix job come in. I did my usual thing, of trying to make it sound as great as I could. And...they did not like it. After a few conversations, it became clear that they didn't 'really' need me to mix the song, they merely wanted to know if what they had was okay. In my younger days, this would have wrecked me. I would have taken it personally. A hard lesson back then was to take the emotion out of moments like this. Doing so, you get the gift of clarity, and sanity, and just carry on. We provide a service, and yet the customer is not always right. In this case they are. They know what they want and it is my job to help them feel right about their decisions. That's this particular job. The words pride and ego have tripped me up more times than I can count, and the trick is not to end up in a cage match with them at the end of the day.

As I always say, "A mix is an opinion". #music #artist #pride #ego

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