By Will Duke, on February 16th, 2010 ( 10 ) Loading ...
HOW I TOTALLY FAILED…(AND THE SYSTEM THAT WAS MISSING):
I remember what it was like to be a struggling musician. In fact, I remember the day I quit.
I never tell this story because I help run a studio business, and it’s bad for business to tell people how you failed in music. But for the sake of the few that may be able to identify with this scenario, I want to tell you what happened when I gave up being a musician. This is how it went down…
It was about 10 years ago; we were on tour (sort of), and we didn’t really have the money to make it home. Our parents and friends had given us the money to get out as far as we did with our gas guzzling conversion van and our tiny U-Haul trailer.
There were six of us; we didn’t know what we were doing, and we didn’t agree on how we were doing it. We didn’t know what was most important, but we had all tried to do our part to hit the invisible target week after week after week for so long, we didn’t even remember how we started.
The bassist was driving the van. Looking back now, that was probably more dangerous that what happened next…
Our lead singer and the drummer were brothers, and they got into an argument in the front. I chimed in with something like “oh yeah?! Then, I’m out!” just in time to see my life flash before my eyes as Steve (the singer…who outweighed me by at least 150 pounds) grabbed me by the throat and threatened to “slay” me!
We were all a little stressed to say the least, but we gathered our composure long enough to “break up” before anyone got hurt.
I officially quit first, then one by one, they all did too. Everything we had worked for (for years) was gone in a few minutes.
As we crossed the state line, the ride home was quiet. We had let each other down, and everyone else who sacrificed for us to try to “make it” out there. It was sad.
Quitting is lame, even when it’s the right thing to do.
So, like I was saying, I know what it’s like to be a struggling musician. And I know what it’s like to give up. It’s a tough game to play, and almost all the cards are stacked against you. Almost all of them…
Since the day I quit, I have spent a lot of time trying to help other artists and bands do a better job than we did. Obviously, a lot of that has been done from inside the mastering studio @ SoundOps. But audio mastering isn’t the only thing an indie artist needs to be successful. We’d be lying if we said it is.
In fact, from time to time, I see something outside the studio that is so important, I’d recommend it over my own company’s service…
This is one of those things.
If you’re in a band, and you are low on cash - so low, that it’s either guitar strings, or gas, or mastering, you need to check out this link before you spend a single penny on any of that stuff.
The first thing you’ll see is a video. It’s about a special marketing system by Greg Rollett from Gen-Y Rockstars (5 videos and 4 workbooks) that if you just follow along, will change everything you and your band are doing on a daily basis, and show you exactly how to focus your efforts on what matters - getting fans (in a way that will pay your bills)!
This is not a sneak attack sales pitch - I’ll go ahead and tell you, what he’s offering costs $47, and if I was a broke musician again, I’d spend my last dime on it. I would do it for myself if not for my band.
I’m not usually this serious, but failure for anyone is serious. And if I had to choose between food and making an investment like this in my music…
knowing what I know now…
I’d starve to make it happen. I am convinced it would have made the difference for me.
- Will
PS: We don’t work for Greg, and he doesn’t work for us. I recommend his stuff because it works.
PPS: Don’t worry, I’m a pretty happy dude these days :) Things turned out OK.. but they would have been cooler if we had made it to the big time.
By The MASTERING Team, on December 15th, 2009 ( 8 ) Loading ...
We get questions from young artists and producers who are trying to prepare their mixes for mastering. Sometimes, they want to know what they can do to emulate the effects of high quality mastering without actually having to spend the money. Either way, we like to take time out and help, because we remember what it was like on the other side of the studio.
Recently, a fellow YouTuber sent us a track he’d been working on and asked for some feedback. His primary concern was the guitar sound. He wanted to know what we would do if we were in his shoes and wanted a bigger sound - a more metal sound - out of the guitar. In his case our advice could seem counter-intuitive, but there’s something even more important than the actual processing techniques we use in post-production…
Of all the responses, our head engineer (John) probably had the most beneficial perspective for our guitarist-friend. In fact, we decided to post it here without any editing for several reasons. The first is that the need he was addressing is pretty common with musicians and engineers alike even for other genres - getting a more pronounced sound out of a particular instrument. The second is, it seemed like a good way to give an example and point out to our clients and readers that we are available to help even when we aren’t mastering their recordings.
If you have a new studio project that needs a little more work before mastering can begin, feel free to hit us up any time. When we aren’t mastering audio, we’re usually returning emails, and answering the phones.
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First of all, the sound is pretty good at first listen. The main
thing is that the sound of your guitar be correctly accompanied in the
mix. The context is everything.
Second of all, it sounds like you’re playing through a Pod, Pod Pro,
or similar device that digitally emulates a guitar distortion grain.
That is fine, and it makes sense on a budget, and it is the easiest
and fastest way to achieve a moderate sound. I did the same for many
years.
Debatably, the head/cab combo that you buy to give you your ultimate
sound will be at least a couple thousand dollars. So when you have
that kind of cash lying around (not many of us do), I recommend…
going to gigs searching for your guitar sound. Pay particular
attention to the guitar gear when you go to shows. Listen for the
sound you like when you’re in the audience; that’s your target. Once
you find a sound you’re fairly sure is “your” sound, take a risk and
buy the gear. But let me get back to my first point, since I
specialize in recording and mixing and mastering, not live gigs.
The context (mix) is everything. You need the drums to have the right
compression/limiting so that they barely peak over your guitar sound.
The vocals have to sit right to create the right soundscape. All
reverbs need to make sense and fit the soundscape. There need to be
no rhythm mistakes.
These things may not seem like they affect the GE (general effect) of
your guitar sound, but they do. When different musical elements are
working well together, the listener’s ears are subconsciously relaxed.
The listener is free to pay attention to whatever he/she wants
(hopefully your guitar, right?). Presentation is huge. Present your
guitar sound.
John Taylor
SoundOps
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Got recording or mixing questions? Curious about our exclusive multiMASTERING service? Use the comment section below…
By The MASTERING Team, on December 1st, 2009 ( 5 ) Loading ...
Hey guys and girls! Some of you who follow us on social sites know we’ve been on a merch kick recently. Of course, as mastering studio engineers, we don’t claim to be experts in apparel, but, we do know a few people who are
And, because your merchandise has the potential to make you the most money as an artist, we think it is the most important thing to address apart from the actual creation, capture, and release of your music. So, to stay with our theme, we wanted to share something special with you.
Keep in mind, it has almost nothing to do with our work in the SoundOps mastering studio, so we aren’t trying to sell anything here. We are posting this for your benefit, if not for your education. With that being said, the following is part of a super-secret interview with one of our favorite dudes from Storenvy.com, Steve Taylor. However, before you skip ahead, we need to give you some background first, and “set the stage” …
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First of all, this was no ordinary interview; it was raining outside… {pause for effect}, it was dark. But, inside a small room with an old dingy thin window, it was even darker. There was a stale tension hiding in the air, and no one noticed the last song had finished playing. An old fashioned clock kept time while the his and pop from a muffled speaker was all that was left of a tune, as a tired turntable spun a lonely syncopated rhythm around on the dusty smooth center of a B side. The door was locked. The ceiling felt close, and a solid wooden table stood very still. It was there, beside the cold brick of a long-emptied fireplace, the two men sat across from each other. They were whispering…
Will: Pssst - hey, Steve; what the hell is this? I thought we were gonna be doing an interview.
Steve: Shhhhh - we have to make sure everyone is paying attention first.
Will: Ok.
Steve: …
Will: Hey, Steve; are we BOTH wearing glow-in-the-dark pajamas?
Steve: …
THE OBVIOUS QUESTION
Will: Let’s cut to the chase - everybody is trying to sell to musicians. I’m not sure why; I never had any money as a guitarist. Anyway, I see ads all the time about merchandising, and I know artists are all thinking the same thing…”a t-shirt is a t-shirt, right?” Let’s face it Steve; there are at least a hundred other companies they could buy their shirts from… really, no BS - what do you think bands should know about you guys? What makes Storenvy better?
Steve: Thanks for the question, Will - I’ll start off by agreeing with you and saying that from my many years of experience being in and managing touring bands, it is true that we rarely have much money. This is all the more reason to use what little we have to make more. This is best done by buying merchandise with our names on it and then offering that to fans or supporters (who want something with our name on it) and charging them more for it than we bought it for.
Will: Indeed. Business at it’s best.
DOLLARS AND (COMMON) SENSE
Steve: If you buy shirts for 5 dollars each and sell them for 10 you have just doubled your money; right? On a small scale, this might just mean that the band can now afford to eat at Taco Bell instead of the dollar menu at McDonalds.
But, on a much bigger scale - the single avenue through which most larger bands and artists make the most money is the sale of their merchandise.
Will: Let’s say a band knows that’s the goal already - what’s the next part for them? I mean, having the merch for sale is one thing, but getting people to actually buy it is another. If I’m not famous yet, why else would someone pay too much for a shirt with my band’s name on it?
QUALITY MATTERS
Steve: Right - well, that’s where Storenvy comes in. You always want to make sure that you are having your merch produced through a company that is not just “the cheapest around” but much more importantly can give you an amazing quality product to sell. Seriously, saving 50 cents on a t-shirt doesn’t do you any good if it ends up not selling because it’s poor quality. Especially, when you could have spent that extra 50 cents and sold 10 of them by now.
It helps to find a company with great prices of course, but try not to let that be the deciding factor. With that said, and to answer your first question, Will -
Storenvy does have some of the better pricing in the industry, and has the best quality that I’ve ever seen.
And, that is coming from my 15 years of experience both on the band side where I tried company after company, and also from working with different companies on the production side as well. Storenvy is by far the best when it comes to customer service as well. You want to make sure you’re working with a group of people that is going to stand behind their work and make sure that if they tell you that they’re going to do something - they do it. This is all true of Storenvy.
Will: That’s the kind of stuff I like to hear - especially from people in an organization who aren’t at the top.
STORE FRONTS WITH WAREHOUSES ATTACHED
Steve: And, we do something that I sure wish someone did back when I was in a band - they offer 100% FREE online stores that look amazing and are completely customizable and operate very smoothly.
Will: I’ve heard about that - the DIY stores; right?
Steve: Yes sir - the DIY stores are free, and we also offer what we call PRO stores where we handle absolutely everything for you from the warehousing of your product to the fulfillment and shipping out of your orders to even the customer service to your buyers. The cost for this is 15% of every order.
Will: I’ve always liked that concept, and the indie artist market seems to appreciate the hands-off approach as well.
Steve: I usually see smaller bands start out with a DIY store and as they grow they eventually switch to a PRO store. But either way you decide to go, it’s an absolute necessity for every serious band.
SOCIAL SHOPPING BONUS
Also, it doesn’t hurt that when you open a store with Storenvy, you are exposed to an entire social shopping marketplace full of potential buyers and traffic to your store - it’s like opening up a new shop inside of a mall.
Anyway, sorry for the long answers. But, I hope that your friends who play music, their band mates, and anyone else they know needing apparel will get in touch with me soon. I get excited, because I want them all to learn more about how the production specialists who have been doing this for nearly 20 years here at Storenvy can help them.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
We want our customers to have apparel and merch that looks and feels so good that everyone wants to buy it - even if they’re not a fan of that band.
Will: That’s a really good point - encouraging actually, to consider that this stuff can actually sell itself. You know, I think the fact that you have been in and managed bands gives you an edge. Before we change the channel, is there something interesting you can tell us about a particular product we probably wouldn’t know.
Steve: My history in the music industry does give me an edge. But, more importantly, it gives my customers an edge. Because, I have been in their shoes and made a lot of their mistakes before. So now, I can help them not make the mistakes I made when running merch for my bands. And I can point them in a direction to sell more, and be more profitable.
HOODIES, ANYONE?
Steve: As for some advice on a particular product, with the winter season in mind, I would have to suggest zip up hoodies or even pull over fleece right now to all of my customers. People are on the lookout for awesome looking warm clothes right now, and even though a hoodie or fleece of some sort may cost a bit more to produce, you can sell them for quite a bit more (which means you’re making a lot more profit per unit than you would on a t-shirt).
Here at Storenvy, over-the-zipper prints are our specialty. It makes a massive difference when a company really knows how to do prints that go “over the zipper” and still lookreally good.
BONUS FEATURES
Thank you Will for the questions. I look forward to continuing to help out musicians and bands in this industry as I see SoundOps doing the same! And to reward all of you who are reading or listening to us, and for making it this far - you can use the promo code: ST25OFF when you contact me, and I’ll give you 25 cents off per shirt!
CONTACT STEVE
You can contact me now at Steve@Storenvy.com or (404) 402 7001 or SteveTaylorAAM on AIM.
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Thanks for stopping by. Next time, we’ll actually talk about audio mastering (we’ve been working on some more videos too), but it’s good to have a change of pace every now and then :) Take care, and good luck with your music!
By The MASTERING Team, on November 20th, 2009 Loading ...
The following studio story comes from our friend, Scott Haskin. We worked together for the first time this year, and have thoroughly enjoyed his music and his attitude.
-The Studio Team
My experience with SoundOps was amazing! I was impressed with the professionalism, the quick turn around time and the quality of the mastering of my music. This is definitely a company I would suggest to every composer that I know… and I DO!
As I am predominately a film composer, the majority of my time is spent in the studio. Setting music to the emotion and timing of scenes in a film while keeping themes throughout the project is quite different from song writing, which I have also done. My process starts with viewing the film in a spotting session with the director and discussing the music the film needs and where it is to be placed. From there, I take the list and return to my studio, where I view the film several more times to develop themes and get a feeling for how I want to attack the score and then I begin composing.
The process is guided more by the way I choose to compose the score than when I am song writing. In addition to the basic music, I often have to cover sounds for key visual moments and background to create mood. To accomplish this, I use only the highest quality sounds and spend a great deal of time mixing and adding effects to add depth to the sound. Mastering, of course, is the whipped cream on the sundae of the music!
During the process, there may be pieces of music that need director approval (typically main themes and key scenes) and when the score is completed, I will sit with the director for a second session, this time with the music in the film.
After all is said and done, the biggest payoff is to attend a premier and see the film on the big screen and hear the score in the theatre. I am sure I will always remember each and every time I will do that for the rest of my life.
My book, Becoming An Indie Film Composer, is now available on Amazon.com as well as my website at scotthaskin.com in both hard copy and PDF. The audiobook rights have been secured by Audible and will be available through them as well as iTunes in late December/early January. I am very excited about that!
For more information and to see what I am currently working on, please visit my website.
I’m very impressed with Scott and his career. He would have made a great door-to-door salesman! His work both in film and in print are an example of what is possible when you stay focused every day, and keep the big picture in view. Great job, man - and thanks for the kind words about SoundOps :) Let us know when you’re ready to master your next film score!
By The MASTERING Team, on November 17th, 2009 ( 5 ) Loading ...
Hey guys! It’s been a little while since our last post, but we’ve got something new and exciting to tell you about…
Our newsletter subscribers (you know who you are) received a special invitation this month to an exclusive campaign we’re calling Promote My Music. Here’s the scoop - our readers will be sending in their studio stories to SoundOps, and over the holidays we’ll be posting them here on the blog. There are no rules an no fine print, so there’s no telling what you’ll see between now and 2010.
For you artists who are up to speed on SEO and online marketing, you’ll understand right away the benefits of backlinks from an authoritative site; for everyone else, the gist of it is that we are not only promoting these musicians with things you can see by posting their recording/mixing autobiographies and shout-outs. There’s also secret ninja-web-marketing voodoo that will happen behind the scenes too. We had to learn all this junk (and hire special gnomes for the stuff that can’t be learned by humans) to get the word out about our mastering studio in the beginning…so, we thought we’d share the love
The reason why we wanted to run a promotion like this is because we realize that for most indie artists, marketing is the most important thing aside from making albums and t-shirts. It’s not just “the next step” after audio mastering.
Speaking of t-shirts, we have something special planned for December for those of you who receive The MASTERING Newsletter. Here’s a hint, there’s gonna be some free stuff for anyone who’s band has an extra t-shirt to send to SoundOps…
So we’re helping spread the word for our friends and their bands. Stay tuned for advice, tips, drama, and other coolness related to recording, mixing, and of course mastering.
Until next time, take care, and keep making music!
-The Studio Team
PS: If you aren’t currently getting the newsletter we send out every month, you should subscribe today. With each one, we do something different to say thanks to the guys and girls who follow along. This month, we also offered them a major discount on any order (regardless of size) placed at SoundOps.com before December’s email update. That’s the biggest deal on our mastering service we’ve handed out yet, and it’s only for subscribers.
PPS: The gnomes here @ the studio said, “hey.”
PPPS: Here’s a link to the newsletter that went out on November 11th, for those who didn’t get it… cheers!
Hey guys; Will Duke here again. I should be working, but I have a quick news flash about the great ReverbNation we all know and love. In the last several years, we’ve seen ReverbNation raise the bar for online musician services. They continue to offer more relevant tools and better leverage to today’s young artists - over 400,000 of them! There’s only one problem…
with the growing number of features available inside ReverbNation.com, there is also a growing number of bands out there who don’t know how to make the most of it all. They only scratch the surface of what it could actually do for them.
The question isn’t, “are you using the various features?” -but, are you using them effectively? And, that’s where Label 2.0 comes in…
If you’ve ever had a recording mastered @ SoundOps, you already know I’m also a big fan of Label 2.0. I think Greg and Eric, the two dudes that put it together, are genius. They are both great teachers, and have a reputation of helping musicians be more “indie” and more successful too. So, when I heard about their recent project going on inside the ReverbNation Control Room, I was excited. And when I found out it was FREE, I almost copied and pasted the entire press release over to the blog, but this video hits the highlights. Check it out.
If you’re already a ReverbNation user, I highly recommend looking into this new module. Because - let’s face it - you can have the right tools. But if you don’t know how to use them, you don’t really have the right tools.
Until next time -
Will
PS: Since I wrote this, Label 2.0 has opened all their training programs to the public, so if you haven’t already, go check out what’s new for Label 2.0 members…
By Will Duke, on October 19th, 2009 ( 18 ) Loading ...
At SoundOps, we are always looking for stuff that will help our clients make the most of their music. If you’re serious about your career as an artist, you’ve probably noticed, you actually spend more time marketing your band than you do writing, recording, and playing…
For us, running a mastering studio is very similar. We spend a ton of time marketing our services, because if we didn’t, our engineers would all be twiddling their thumbs.
We recently discovered MailChimp, a great company based here in Atlanta. They offer the email services we all need for less than the other guys. In fact, for most artists starting out, it’s FREE! You don’t pay unless your email list is pretty big. And on top of that, their website is so smart, you don’t even need to know what the heck you’re doing
If you are having a hard time keeping up with your mailing list, and maintaining a regular newsletter, MailChimp is the ticket. It won’t just make your life easier, it will actually add hours to your day. Which means you can chase your dream as an indie musician and still sleep in!
The best kind of laziness is the kind that makes you more successful - I think that’s a quote…
If your band has tried services like aweber, this will be a breath of fresh air, and not just because it’s cheaper. Trust me - check it out, and sign up for free! That’s a special link, so you’ll also get 30 bucks and a cool bonus too if you ever upgrade your account
Good luck, and happy emailing!
- Will
PS: One more thing - while we’re on the topic of being lazy… MailChimp.com is full of tutorial videos, so you don’t even need to read the instructions. That’s been my favorite part so far.
By The MASTERING Team, on October 17th, 2009 ( 5 ) Loading ...
Something you may notice when looking for a mastering studio online, is that some studios will boast a very quick turn-around time. That’s great, right? …not exactly.
Prompt service is important, but in most cases, the assurance of a quickly completed project is not actually an added value. When it comes to audio mastering, rushing the process is a bad idea. For example, let’s say the average mixdown takes 5-10 hours to master properly, and you have 10 songs. Do you really want your mastering engineer to work like hell to get your music back to you in 24 or even 48 hours?
Keep in mind, the mastering stage is the last chance for you to notice and fix mistakes in your recording that may have been missed during mixing. Also, remember, the whole point of hiring a third party to master your audio is to have at least one more fresh set of ears involved.
It is generally accepted for mixing and mastering engineers as “best practice” to take a break between sessions, so the hours it takes to master one song, for example, are not all spent consecutively. There really isn’t a way to avoid the fact - an engineer’s ears get tired, and the ultimate goal for someone mastering your music shouldn’t be to just make it sound better, but make it sound it’s absolute best.
“It’s like going to a restaurant - or any other service business that also delivers a product in the end - most of us want to get noticed and helped right away. That’s good quality service. But after that, we’re willing to wait for a better quality product.
…the only thing fantastic about drive-thru, is the time it saves - how efficient it is. And when we talk about studios and mastering audio, efficiency is important for the transfer of files, the artist experience, and the general administration involved with that - especially online. But we all want the real technical work to be done right - to be perfect. That’s how it should be, and bands shouldn’t have to pay more to get it.”
- Will Duke, Co-Founder of SoundOps.com
At SoundOps Mastering, we don’t claim to have the fastest turn-around time, but we guarantee the best value. With SoundOps.com, our clients get a team of people who will care about their audio, and even more importantly, care about their music. If you send your hard-earned recording to us, we promise, your tracks will receive the most attention from the most engineers for your money - every time. For us, no mastering project is too small to be handled the right way. And no album is big enough to merit cutting corners.
You know your songs are too important to rush through any part of recording or post-production. Take your time looking for a mastering studio, and make sure they’ll take their time too.
By The MASTERING Team, on August 28th, 2009 ( 5 ) Loading ...
Will was on a conference call with Greg Rollett the other day talking to Label 2.0 members about maintaining audio quality throughout the recording process, and the importance of mastering for independent artists.
We almost didn’t share this for two reasons…
The first is that the sound quality from recorded phone calls is notoriously bad (and this one is no exception). The second is that the people this call was intended for are all paying members ofLabel 2.0. But Greg gave us the go-ahead, and so here’s a slightly shorter version of the conversation.
This is good information, and not just on audio mastering. Those of you who do your own recording should pay special attention, because your music has a serious advantage (and a unique disadvantage) when it comes to distribution.
Check it out, and listen for your opportunities to make your recordings better…
It’s a whole new world for the DIY musician, and it is definitely possible to make a living in the music industry without a label! If you have questions about the stuff Will is talking about here, feel free to contact the SoundOps studio.
We don’t just care about getting paid for mastering your CD - we really do want to help you get your music out there the right way, so as an independent artist you have the best chance to be successful!
By The MASTERING Team, on August 18th, 2009 ( 16 ) Loading ...
Will Duke talks about a basic but super-important concept to remember when doing your own recording and mixing using Mac or PC software. Audio mastering will perform miracles on your recordings, but there’s one thing in particular it cannot do…
Whether you use Pro Tools, Audition, or Garage Band, this is a critical thing to remember….
This video was shot on an iPhone, and no birds were harmed; though, we considered it afterward
To talk to one of us about your mixes before sending them in for mastering, contact the studio, and if you’d like to talk to Will directly, or if you’re outside the US, look him up on Skype:
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