THE DIY Notebook: Tips and Articles for Our Musician Friends

8.12.2010 A Blog About the Guitar Pick??

Okay... I can't believe I'm actually blogging about guitar picks, but here goes.  What is it about that oft forgotten little piece of 10 cent plastic that would prompt me to do it?  Well for starters, it can be an important part of the equation in the overall tone of the instrument.  Also, it can have an impact on the overall groove of the part you're playing.  "Really" you say?  It's just a pick after all!  I keep an assortment of all sorts of picks and plectrums in my studio.  Ones made of plastic, nylon, metal, rubber, felt ... I've even used cardboard at times.  A lot of times instead of reaching for the EQ, I'll just grab a different pick that might emphasize more of what I want.  Obviously metal, and harder plastic picks tend to be brighter.  Nylon, felt  and rubber tend to mute those glassier frequencies, and also serve to soften the attack of the notes.  Almost like an auto-compressor pick of sorts.  "Okay" you say, "I'll buy the tone thing, but a pick that affects the overall groove of a song?"  Yes I say... it can be done.  Let's say you've got someone laying down an acoustic rhythm track and it's just not quite pocketed the way it should be.  The player is a little nervous, and playing on top a bit.  One quick fix is to let them track, and when they're not looking do a quick time shift edit and force the track into place.  Nah... why do that when you can just hand them a thinner pick?  The thinner pick will have more lag time, take longer to recover to its position, and in practice will slow the playing down a bit.  It's a great way to help get that 'behind-the-beat' laziness so many strive for.  Also, the thickness of the pick will affect tone as well.  Thinner picks tend to de-emphasize the bottom end of a guitar while thicker ones will get you more thud.  So get started on your pick collection now.  It will become an important part of your studio arsenal, and may just save the day one day. SCOTT SMITH

8.11.2010 Get Your Best Live Vocal Sound

I've had the great honor of recording many amazing vocalists over the years.  We'll spend time in the studio finding the perfect mic to fit their voice, and am often surprised at what captures each voice best.  For example, a Neumann is generally a great mic, but it might not be the greatest mic for every vocalist.  So before I just grab what worked for the last singer, I'll try to spend some time experimenting.  The reason I bring all of this up is that I'll often ask the singer what they use for a 'live' mic and nine out of ten times they'll say "a 58" (Shure SM58).  Also, 9 out of 10 times when I walk onto a stage that's set up there are 58's in all of the vocal spots.  Now, I'm not knocking SM58's by any stretch... I like 'em.  I personally own a few.  But I'm always surprised that many vocalists have never experimented outside of the '58' box for their live microphone choice.  It's been a standard for so long that most don't even think to try something else.  I always recommend that singers go to the store, line up 10 different mic choices (dynamic and condensers), sing through all of them and find the one that captures your unique voice best.  If you are singing, your voice is the most important instrument you have, and what you use to amplify it can make a big difference.  I know as a guitar player I've spent countless hours plugging my guitar into different amps; loving some and hating others.  Your mic choice is no different.  Some will be brighter, some darker, some more sensitive, etc.  Find the one that brings out the strongest qualities of your naturally occurring voice, and emphasizes the subtleties that other mics don't.  At the end of the day you may find out you're a "58" kinda guy or girl and that's okay too, but now you can walk onto stage knowing that the audience is hearing what you feel to be the best representation of your voice. Scott Smith

7.15.2010 The Value, the Why's and the How's of Pre-Production

Pre-production is an often overlooked vital step in the recording process that can save hours of time, heartache, and hair pulling  for all involved.  So how do we get good pre-production?  The first step is to get the producer and artist in a dialog about the material that is to be recorded.  At this point you want to decide which material is going to be used if there is an over abundance.  The songs chosen should be ones that hopefully everyone is excited to work on.  This is the time to cull out the weak ones from the herd... separate the chaff from the wheat if you will.  If you're going for a cohesive album from top to bottom, now is the time to find which songs fit together best.  Stylistically you may feel that the bluegrass tune doesn't really play nice with the death metal dirge that follows it.  Then again, that may be what you're going for.  Now is the time to pick your best and strongest material. A good producer can lend an objective ear to this process.

Next up is keys and tempos.  Let's face it... if you're recording vocal music, the vocal is the most important part of the song.  Sure, you've got an awesome rhythm section, and the guitar solo is to die for, but at the end of the day the average listener is keying in on the singer.  So what I'm getting at here is that if the guitarist wrote a great tune in 'E', but the singer gives their best performance in 'F#', it's probably best to transpose (hey, that's what they make capos for).  So now that we've got the singer happy, let's find our groove.  Tempos are key to finding that perfect groove for a tune.  Oftentimes we write a song on the couch with no metronome, just playing where it feels good.  That's the perfect place to start for a tempo, but sometimes two to four beats per minute one way or the other can really solidify the inherent pulse of a song.  Sometimes a radical move (10 -15 bpm) can take the tune to a whole new place that works better than the original.  The producer may be 'hearing' a move like that and suggest it at this point.  This is the time to experiment and find those perfect tempos that the songs settle into.

Other choices may be made in preproduction that include instrumentation, arrangements, recording techniques, etc... or you may find yourself leaving some of that stuff up to spontaneity once you get in the studio.  Being well prepared has its advantages, but amazing things happen in the creative world that just can't be scripted.  You should go in with firm idea of what's going to happen, but an open mind of what could happen.  When those surprises take place, don't feel like you're getting off track if greatness is manifesting itself.  One of the producer's jobs is to help discern between what's a worthwhile idea and what's not.

5.27.2010 How Do I Make More Money Gigging?

The Million Dollar Question, right? If you want to be playing original music full time, it's a question that really needs answering. The short answer: find new fans, keep them and believe in the value of what you do.

1. Fans. If you're performing original music you are going to be counting on fans to support you; whether by ticket sales or music & merch sales. So, and this sounds pretty obvious, we want to spend some time & effort finding and keeping new fans.

Your mailing list is crucial to keeping in touch with your fans. Always have a sign up sheet available at shows and make sure your listeners know it's there. You can even put sign up slips on the venue tables and offer a free CD raffle to the folks that sign up. Post a sign up form on your website. Maintain the list and respect your fans privacy when they do sign up.

2. Festivals. My favorite way to find new fans is by playing festivals & outdoor concert series. Just about very state, city & county government has something going on. Commercial Town Centers have become a popular place for live concert series as well. These presenters are generally a pleasure to work with because, unlike clubs & venues, they are more concerned with you and your performance than they are with how many fans you will bring. Most have a decent budget as well. Placement of your mailing list and merch table are really important at these events. Alot of people will want your music, but may not want to approach the stage. Have the table in a high traffic and easy to access area and bring someone with you to work the table. Visit the table when you're not playing so you get to meet and chat with folks & sign CDs.

3. Booking Strategy. If you book a festival in a new town, book a follow up show for a month later at a nearby venue. Bring flyers for the venue show to the festival and promote the hell out of it while you're there in town. Do an open mic in town the night of the festival to promote your next show even more. Having the festival date booked will also help you when you're trying to get the venue to lock in a date for you.

4. Confidence in Negotiating. This can be a tough one for some of us. We love to play and it can be difficult to put a price on something we enjoy so much, in and of itself. The bottom line is that you need to make a living. Forget what Nancy Pelosi said about leaving work and focusing on talent (isn't this work?). A while back, I went through a year of serious gigging burnout. When we we would get calls for gigs, I basically doubled our price because I didn't really feel like playing. I picked a number that would make it worthwhile. 80% of those presenters accepted my price without flinching. That was a MAJOR lesson for me. - JEN SMITH

5.11.2010 Getting the Most From Your Vocal Performance in the Studio

As a vocalist, do you find yourself having 'good' days and 'bad' days? Have you filled your toolbox with special tricks like eating potato chips, bringing along your lucky grasshopper charm, whisky & cigarettes? I have my own funky tool box and have found that anything seems to work sometimes. In this blog, I'd like to share with you those few things that I've found that always work for me.

1. Stay Hydrated with Five to Eight 8oz glasses of water a day. If you're not properly hydrated your vocal chords can't vibrate efficiently. You'll loose your fabulous tone and your pitch control. Flying (in airplanes), coffee, alcohol & smoking will make you dry out faster so make sure you compensate.

2. Warm up. Really. Give yourself a half hour to gently run through your exercises and work on any tough transitional spots in your range. This is huge and becomes more important as you get older and your vocal cord tissue isn't as supple and elastic as it used to be.

3. Prepare. Tape yourself singing the song at home or at a live show before you come to the studio. Listen back critically and ask yourself, your producer, bandmates or someone you trust to be straight with you (not your mother - she thinks you sound great ALL the time) if your vocal performance is amazing or could use some improvement. Work through any parts you don't love. Consider hiring a vocal coach if you're having trouble. Live with the song for a while. Sometimes it takes 10 gigs before I settle into a really nice groove with a new song. I've often listened back to a CD performace and wished I'd waited for the song to grow a little before I tracked the vocal.

4. Have No Fear. You probably wouldn't be on your way to the studio if you didn't have some skills & talent, right?. Imagine the fantastic job you're going to do. Love the sound of your voice and love the song you're singing. Love the feeling of singing. If you are hydrated, warmed up and have your song prepared, then there really isn't anything standing in the way of your best performance except your fear. Let it go! - JEN SMITH

There's always some great tips & reading here at CDBaby.com's DIY column.