Enigma Studios recently wrapped up an awesome project with While We Were Lost. The track is called "The Fourth Oracle", and it's absolutely a killer track. Anybody who likes any sort of rock music should definitely hit their pages up and check them out. You can check them out on Reverbnation here:
https://www.reverbnation.com/whilewewerelost
The 319 Festival also happened on the 13th of August. Over 500 people attended to see the best of the best of local artists and musicians. It was a really awesome event, and you should definitely check out the full list of bands that were involved at http://www.319fest.com. (Your very own Enigma Studios was a sponsor!) Huge props to all the volunteers, other sponsors, bands, and artists who made it a reality!
Until next time, keep making music happen!
-Shard
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Some local music do's and don'ts.
I've been floating around the Cedar Rapids music scene for a wonderful two years now, and figured it's high time I provide a list of the things that I wish people had told me when I was first getting started.
THE DO'S:
DO - Answer your phone:
The number one thing you can do as an artist, musician, business person, or anything else in a local scene to shoot yourself in the foot is to not respond to contact. If a venue or promoter wants you to do a show, and you don't read your emails or answer your phone, you just missed an opportunity, and quite possibly damaged a relationship beyond repair in one fell swoop. Make sure you provide adequate contact information, and then make good use of it!
DO - Be visible:
Local scenes are all about networking, and every show or venue you haven't been to is a missed opportunity. Be friendly, introduce yourself, and make some connections! You never know who will bring you your next big show or give you a deal on recording because you were friendly. *hint hint*
DO - Listen!:
In the real world, the situations in which you are in charge are likely going to be few and far between, especially when you're first starting out. If someone asks you to do something you don't agree with, ask questions! It's likely there's a good reason for the request, and it probably benefits you more than you think.
THE DON'TS:
DON'T - Be rude:
This seems like a freebie, but it's amazing how many people have problems with this. We're all in this crazy thing called music together, and if you've got a problem with someone, work it out! Nobody wants people talking trash behind their back, and you're just going to make yourself some nice enemies (and estrange yourself from a portion of what may be an already limited music scene).
DON'T - Be unprofessional:
I debated this one. I was considering putting professionalism in the DO category, but I felt it belonged here. Being unprofessional is absolutely a choice, and it will cause problems for you when you're trying to make a name for yourself. People have a long memory, and they will hold a grudge. Make the effort to present yourself well, follow through on commitments, and people will see you as a professional musician.
DON'T - Do anything halfway:
One thing I hear all the time about local music is the "I don't want to see a local band, they all sound terrible, and I'm not about to pay for something that's bad." This should not be true, but unfortunately, at times it can be. Put in the effort to make a change! Running the vocals through a PA and turning them up isn't "fine", and having a set of 100 covers isn't "good enough". Especially dangerous is the demo CD. If you have to call it a demo CD, it's not prepared for the public to hear. If you build it, they will come, but not if it sucks.
Cheers, and keep making it happen.
-Shard
THE DO'S:
DO - Answer your phone:
The number one thing you can do as an artist, musician, business person, or anything else in a local scene to shoot yourself in the foot is to not respond to contact. If a venue or promoter wants you to do a show, and you don't read your emails or answer your phone, you just missed an opportunity, and quite possibly damaged a relationship beyond repair in one fell swoop. Make sure you provide adequate contact information, and then make good use of it!
DO - Be visible:
Local scenes are all about networking, and every show or venue you haven't been to is a missed opportunity. Be friendly, introduce yourself, and make some connections! You never know who will bring you your next big show or give you a deal on recording because you were friendly. *hint hint*
DO - Listen!:
In the real world, the situations in which you are in charge are likely going to be few and far between, especially when you're first starting out. If someone asks you to do something you don't agree with, ask questions! It's likely there's a good reason for the request, and it probably benefits you more than you think.
THE DON'TS:
DON'T - Be rude:
This seems like a freebie, but it's amazing how many people have problems with this. We're all in this crazy thing called music together, and if you've got a problem with someone, work it out! Nobody wants people talking trash behind their back, and you're just going to make yourself some nice enemies (and estrange yourself from a portion of what may be an already limited music scene).
DON'T - Be unprofessional:
I debated this one. I was considering putting professionalism in the DO category, but I felt it belonged here. Being unprofessional is absolutely a choice, and it will cause problems for you when you're trying to make a name for yourself. People have a long memory, and they will hold a grudge. Make the effort to present yourself well, follow through on commitments, and people will see you as a professional musician.
DON'T - Do anything halfway:
One thing I hear all the time about local music is the "I don't want to see a local band, they all sound terrible, and I'm not about to pay for something that's bad." This should not be true, but unfortunately, at times it can be. Put in the effort to make a change! Running the vocals through a PA and turning them up isn't "fine", and having a set of 100 covers isn't "good enough". Especially dangerous is the demo CD. If you have to call it a demo CD, it's not prepared for the public to hear. If you build it, they will come, but not if it sucks.
Cheers, and keep making it happen.
-Shard
Friday, April 15, 2011
Another Day of Experimenting
I like to toy around with comparisons in the studio when I have spare time (even though I should probably be doing something else), and this one seemed like one I could share with the public. Check it out.
I recorded the same song (A cover of Basket Case by Green Day, I can't play many songs on drums..) twice, once per my standard recording procedures, and once using nothing but two dynamic vocal mics. The results? Judge for yourself.
Standard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E85ZhnaNpO0
Dynamic mics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SxiapKxkSY
Also, while you're deliberating, check out some pictures from the session. Cheers!
-Shard
I recorded the same song (A cover of Basket Case by Green Day, I can't play many songs on drums..) twice, once per my standard recording procedures, and once using nothing but two dynamic vocal mics. The results? Judge for yourself.
Standard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E85ZhnaNpO0
Dynamic mics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SxiapKxkSY
Also, while you're deliberating, check out some pictures from the session. Cheers!
-Shard
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Spring Cleaning in the Studio!
That's right, spring cleaning in the studio! Hoping to start a few new projects pretty soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out some pictures of the squeaky clean studio!
-Shard
-Shard
Monday, March 21, 2011
Battle: Los Angeles
I went to see Battle: Los Angeles the other day with the guys from Piraxis. It was a decent movie, but there was one big glaring technical hole in it that was pretty impossible to ignore.
The plot centers around a retired Marine officer who ends up on one final mission, assisting a young officer and his squad in combat against a group of otherworldly enemies set on taking the water supply of Earth to power their machines. It's a good movie if you like lots of action, a little bit of Marine drama by-play...and roller coasters.
Why roller coasters, you may ask? Well, for some reason they decided that a movie with this much action wouldn't be complete without a wobbly camera. It literally shakes back and forth the entire duration of the movie.
Action scenes, I can understand. It adds to the feel of disorganized panicked action to have the camera seem a little unsteady. But there's a couple scenes, such as the one where the retired Marine confronts a Marine in his squad who questions his motives, where the camera moving was just ridiculous.
Makes you wonder what kind of meeting THAT was, right? "What could we do to really put this movie over the edge? I know, let's set the camera on a carnival mechanical bull!"
But hey, if you like watching Marines blowing up aliens, why not?
-Shard
The plot centers around a retired Marine officer who ends up on one final mission, assisting a young officer and his squad in combat against a group of otherworldly enemies set on taking the water supply of Earth to power their machines. It's a good movie if you like lots of action, a little bit of Marine drama by-play...and roller coasters.
Why roller coasters, you may ask? Well, for some reason they decided that a movie with this much action wouldn't be complete without a wobbly camera. It literally shakes back and forth the entire duration of the movie.
Action scenes, I can understand. It adds to the feel of disorganized panicked action to have the camera seem a little unsteady. But there's a couple scenes, such as the one where the retired Marine confronts a Marine in his squad who questions his motives, where the camera moving was just ridiculous.
Makes you wonder what kind of meeting THAT was, right? "What could we do to really put this movie over the edge? I know, let's set the camera on a carnival mechanical bull!"
But hey, if you like watching Marines blowing up aliens, why not?
-Shard
Saturday, March 5, 2011
How To Get Noticed At Your Shows
The other night Melissa and I were in Iowa City at a show. One of the reasons we went was so that I could check out a few bands I'd been interested in. After speaking with each band, I got to thinking about what bands do correctly to promote themselves, and what things might not be the best plan.
One major thing was how each band approached conversation with me. One approach was pretty clearly more effective than the other. One band approached the conversation from the point of view that they wanted to talk themselves up. Most of the conversation was spent discussing other places they'd played, big touring groups they'd played with, and other stuff like that. That approach may seem effective, but it's really not as effective as you'd might think! The band that really got my attention that night had a simple but effective way of getting my attention.
We discussed the Cedar Rapids scene a little bit, talked about a Facebook local music movement that I recently helped start. (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113351902076194), and then he gave me an extremely unique business card with clear and concise contact information. You can bet that after the show, they were the ones I remembered!
If you're trying to promote yourself at shows, you definitely need to be thinking about stuff like that!
One major thing was how each band approached conversation with me. One approach was pretty clearly more effective than the other. One band approached the conversation from the point of view that they wanted to talk themselves up. Most of the conversation was spent discussing other places they'd played, big touring groups they'd played with, and other stuff like that. That approach may seem effective, but it's really not as effective as you'd might think! The band that really got my attention that night had a simple but effective way of getting my attention.
We discussed the Cedar Rapids scene a little bit, talked about a Facebook local music movement that I recently helped start. (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113351902076194), and then he gave me an extremely unique business card with clear and concise contact information. You can bet that after the show, they were the ones I remembered!
If you're trying to promote yourself at shows, you definitely need to be thinking about stuff like that!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Mixing Process
I created this presentation to demonstrate what goes into a proper mix, and the kind of difference a good mix can make. The track, Into The Ground by Piraxis (http://www.facebook.com/piraxis) went through 8 different mixes before it was finalized. This is a very basic version of the mix history document that I use to keep track of my progress and keep the artist updated. Of course, it's not very detailed ( I can't give everything away! ), but hopefully this will give you an idea of what goes into a good mix.
Thanks to Melissa for setting up the videos!
To watch all 8 mixes progressively in one video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RWgwG6yyKA
START
Mix 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-13Nx9UZRw
Full track import
Rough balance mix, added basic tone-cleaning effects
Mix 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K7_3PITcRs
Began balancing guitar and bass
Began balancing drumkit with itself
Cleaned and added effects to vocal track
Applied subtle auto-tune to lead vocal tracks to clean up pitch
Mix 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S5QSiHnlOo
Brought guitar and bass up to full volume
Finalized lead vocal balance with instruments
Worked on bass drum/mix balance
Cleaned metronome out of start and finish
Mix 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjurdAjKpZY
Fixed balance of bass and guitar
Added a slight delay to lead vocals
Fixed bass drum equalization a bit
Mix 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdxL8e4sw0Q
Raised volume a bit on the snare/tom/cymbal track
Pulled 2nd vocal volume down a bit
Fixed click at the end of bass track
Mix 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IctUUNsZuI
Focused on fixing bass drum tone
Scooped low mids out of bass drum
Boosted highs around 2-4 khz
Mix 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTZqG_5FRR0
Drummer wanted more thud, less boom. Boosted his, dropped a little bass out
Mix 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4P9LYZvc50
Brought mix up to acceptable volume
Pulled 2nd vocal volume down one last time
Cleaned track
Confirmed mix with artist
FINAL
Thanks to Melissa for setting up the videos!
To watch all 8 mixes progressively in one video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RWgwG6yyKA
START
Mix 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-13Nx9UZRw
Full track import
Rough balance mix, added basic tone-cleaning effects
Mix 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K7_3PITcRs
Began balancing guitar and bass
Began balancing drumkit with itself
Cleaned and added effects to vocal track
Applied subtle auto-tune to lead vocal tracks to clean up pitch
Mix 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S5QSiHnlOo
Brought guitar and bass up to full volume
Finalized lead vocal balance with instruments
Worked on bass drum/mix balance
Cleaned metronome out of start and finish
Mix 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjurdAjKpZY
Fixed balance of bass and guitar
Added a slight delay to lead vocals
Fixed bass drum equalization a bit
Mix 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdxL8e4sw0Q
Raised volume a bit on the snare/tom/cymbal track
Pulled 2nd vocal volume down a bit
Fixed click at the end of bass track
Mix 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IctUUNsZuI
Focused on fixing bass drum tone
Scooped low mids out of bass drum
Boosted highs around 2-4 khz
Mix 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTZqG_5FRR0
Drummer wanted more thud, less boom. Boosted his, dropped a little bass out
Mix 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4P9LYZvc50
Brought mix up to acceptable volume
Pulled 2nd vocal volume down one last time
Cleaned track
Confirmed mix with artist
FINAL
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