London Requiem

Day 13, the long long long flight home. In fact, I am somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean right now with my laptop. Did I mention Virgin Airlines really kicks ass? They really take good care of you. So, all in all, I would say my London trip has been a resounding success. I flew out to mix a record that only had two songs ready to mix (I didn’t know that when I got on the plane), and left the project 13 days later as the executive producer, with a very happy artist, a very happy label, and a very much back on track album. Its interesting being the executive producer of a hip hop album, because you have so many things to organize. First you’ve got to find and/or create all the tracks for the artist to write to. That means a half dozen producers to liaison with. I’m also responsible for basically making sure every note performed by anyone on the album is label release quality. In addition, I’m of course mixing the whole album and doing a lot of the recording. I’ve got to say it’s a true challenge, but then I’ve never shied away from a challenge in my life, this one is no different. Plus I perpetually have so many irons in so many different fires anyway, you could call me the multi task king. Cute huh? Ok, maybe that was a bit of a bad joke. Uh oh. They just called over the loudspeaker again to put away all electronic devices. Perish the thought of this blog bringing down a jetliner, so i'll pack it up for now.

I'm back, bet you thought that was quick. Well, not quite. The day after. 10am East coast time. I think i slept 12 hours almost straight. About an hour after getting home, with burning red eyes, the reality set into my brain that i could actually rest for a bit and my body took over from there. I "took a nap" before going out to dinner. long story short, i woke up after my twelve hour nap monday morning. Of course in typical Ken Lewis fashion, I'm right here back to work. I'm got some great stuff to work on that I've come home to. Its gonna be a great week for me. I hope for you too.
- Ken

Pure Uncut China White

Day 12. Yep, skipped a few days there, for good reason, or maybe for bad reasons. Lets back up and recap.

Day 9. Lots of record company meetings. All good stuff. Looks like some definite work coming out of it. Always a good thing. Wednesday night we worked up a new beat which Edro wrote to the next day. He also wrote that night to a track that I produced. 6:15am we left the studio.

Day 10. Thursday. Awake at 9am, less than 3 hours of sleep. more like 1 and some rest. back to old habits. Anyway, I had a great meeting at 11:30am, it lasted over 2 hours and was very productive. Established some very mutually benefitial arrangements. it went well. After my meeting, I took a taxi down to see Parliment, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey Cathedral. Westminster might be the biggest cathedral i've ever seen, and I've seen some monsters. Its really beautiful. The movie the Sixth Sense comes to mind though..... "I see dead people, their everywhere". The Abbey is kinda like one big tomb, with important people buried under the floors you walk on and in crypts you walk past. Pretty cool walking among kings and queens though, even if their dead. After a bit of sightseeing, i went shopping dropped an obnoxious amount on a nice shirt. The exchange rate is a killer. $1.80 = 1 Pound. You dont wanna know how much my shirt was, I'm trying to forget, but it is nice.

Raw, Uncut China White
Theres a club in London called China White. Apparently the elite all party there, TV and movie stars, and footballers, etc... We all went Thursday night. No poppin Crystal. We switched it up to Dom Perignon. Poor us :-) I really love the club, its got a great vibe to it, the DJ's were spinning great stuff and the more drinks we knocked back the more fun everything got, well, what i remember of it anyway. I don't drink often and i was happy to stick to champagne, but everyone i was with kept handing me shots. Ugh. kiss of death. I dont remember leaving the club, or the rest of the night, but until then i was really having a great time. So i guess Day 10 ended there for me memory wise, however, apparently we all went back to the studio so the label owner could get some incriminating photographic evidence of my drunken state. That bastard. So the next day i stole his memory stick with the pictures on it (he hadnt yet made a copy), and destroyed it. too bad. He tackled me trying to find the memory stick and chased me down the street when i stole his camera, and i pulled a hamstring. i'm not as young as i used to be. Not since DMX assaulted me (i didnt get hurt when DMX did, he just ripped my shirt half off looking for a wire, no joke) have i been assualted by someone in the industry, though this time, unlike the DMX incident, it was all (kind of) in good fun. That memory stick is gone gone gone as is my memory of the end of that night.

Day 11
Hangover day. didnt much feeling like moving. Got a late start on the day but it was made up for at the studio. We did a new beat that is really sounding hot hot hot. Edro cut a bunch of vocals and the project is really taking shape nicely. No alcohol today. Now, honestly, i rarely drink, and my ears are worthless when i do so i never have so much as a beer on the job unless the night is over, and on Day 11, it was water and soda's. All things considered, Day 11 was really productive for as bad as i was hurting. Brent was pretty much a disaster too. Not as bad as I was, but bad nonetheless. We were troopers though.

Day 12. TODAY. right now. Its been a pretty fun day. The only sight seeing time i've taken was on Thursday for a couple hours. I was planning to go to Paris on Friday, but found the train fares to be OUTRAGEOUS, apparently you have to book way in advance to get the fares that any normal person can afford. I would have paid it if i were going for a week, but for a day, it was too much. So we decided to enjoy London instead. Brent and i went to all the places i went Thursday, but this time i was smart enough to bring my camera. I got some great pics of Big Ben, the Thames, Parliment, etc..... We also went to the Salvador Dali museum here. Now it didnt hold a candle to the Philadelphia exhibit i saw recently, but it was better than the Paris Dali Museum. Dali was so prolific and so talented at so many different forms of art. Sculpture, sketching, watercolors, oil on canvas, super fine detail, broad strokes, surrealism, complete realism, metal work, moving images, you name it, he did it to the utmost. Cool museum, I recommend it. Anyway, Brent was with me. He's never seen a real Cathedral (he's never been outside the states). Westminster Abbey was a great one to start with. It was just as good for me the second time seeing it. Its spectacular. We got some food afterwards and went to the studio. We're here now grinding it out. Working on several different tracks today, and we're also backing the weeks work up to take home to america with us. I'll be mixing alot of this album back at my own studio, and we might do some more recording there as well. In fact they pretty much want me to come back ASAP and for as long as possible. We'll see when that will be. So tonight is shaping up to be another party night, two parties going on right now. We're still at the studio missing them. This album isnt going to finish itself. We might also go clubbing late late tonight. Lets hope i keep it together :-) no shots tonight, just champagne. Alright, back to work. Edro's album is coming along really well.
- Ken

Fk the PO-lees

Let me back up to Monday, as tonight is now Tuesday night.
Monday, Day 7 in London town. Sarah arrived in the afternoon to sing on Edro's album. That girl has a voice like a fallen angel. There is a yearning passion in her voice and when you hear it, you'll know you've just heard something incredibly special and rare. She sang on 2 of Edro's songs, and i think we have two more songs in the running for singles. It only dawned on me today that, Edro is American, coming out on a British hip hop label, in the UK. Having a girl with a distinct british accent singing on his songs is probably a very good thing, coupling that with the fact that she might very well have the most distinct and mezmerizing new voice in the last several years, and i think we have a winning combination.

Anyway, long story short, Sarah sang on two songs, they are amazing. OK, so we all left the studio (me, Edro, Sarah, and Brent) at 3am. Edro drove. We were trying to get Sarah back to her hotel room, and nobody really knew where it was, though we had a general idea. So, we get incorrect directions from an old man in another car that makes us turn the other direction. So after a half mile we realize nope, this isnt right, we were going the right way before. UTURN. then out of nowhere, 2 cop cars and a full on police van run up on us. 6 cops box us in and pull us over. Edro (the only black person in the car) is driving, and of course they ask him to get out. I'm just sitting there waiting for the night sticks to come out (british police dont carry guns). Fortunately Edro made it out unscathed, but i swear the police kept us there for over an hour. We were driving a car owner by the owner of the record label, and apparently somebody had gotten a speeding ticket in that car in early august, (none of us), so they decided to pull us over and harrass us for it. Now, all things considered, it was a fairly unevetful stop, other than the fact that they had Edro out of the car forever, questioning him, then me. Then they followed us back to where we are staying, and two of the POlees took Sarah back to her hotel room, but another 2 followed us back to the homestead and we had to wake up the owner of the car for more harrassment. You know, times like that make you wonder why on earth the police done have anything better to do than harrass normal people, but then there we were. You know, I've been in similar situations many times, and I'd just like to say that if the police ever wonder why people hate them its because they stereotypically have a very bad habit of treating common, normal, law obiding citizens like common criminals. And then of course theres the time my SUV got stolen and you'd have thought when they caught the guy that i was the criminal and not him. No joke, it was surreal. So, its not like the public in general hate police, without them we'd really be screwed, but i think its fair to say that while they often have a very difficult job that i'd never personally want to do, I think police in general have a hard time treating the normal traffic stops any differently than if they are pulling over a notorious drug dealer, thereby making the common man feel like we're being treated like hardened criminals, thereby writing blogs with the title "Fk the PO-lees". Just making an observation.

Anyway, I digress. Today, day 8. a very good day. Couldnt sleep after 5-0 ran up on us, so i think maybe i got 2 hours of sleep, and another 2 hours just laying there going "god why cant i sleep". So i got to bed at 4:30am,l and was back in the studio at 9:15am. ugh. and its now 2:15am and i'm packing it in. holy crap. Had a great lunch today followed by a great session. Edro spit some straight fire on the microphone tonight, and my boy Swell laced us with a super hot track. check out Swell's "other" profession at www.BeatTalk.com

So, i also decided to have a bottel of wine tonight,m yes the whole damn bottle, of a 2001 Cabernet. I am absolutely determined to sleep tonight, regardless of how much i need to drink to guarantee that. You know, when you've slept less than 2 hours a day for several days in a row, desparation measures are in order. Red wine, though i love it, makes me very tired. Time to pack it in. I'm not driving, and i really hope the police leave us alone tonight. Losing over an hour of sleep for that nonsense last night really hurt.
- Ken

4 Hours

Well, I left the studio at 6:15am, and returned to the studio at 10am. Running on about 3 hours of rest. No sleep, i couldn't fall asleep, which is why i decided to come back to work. Another week of sleeplessness? i hope not. I'm currently running on the thought that its just the anticipation of a great day, Sarah coming to do vocals, lots of stuff going on back at my studio in New York, lots of stuff going on here.

There's this amazing little grocery store here called "M&S". This place has the best food, all prepared by the store itself. On the way in to the studio, i stopped to get some brunch. Started off with some sort of Chicken and pasta with tomato and basil, a fresh fruit platter, and a duck wrap sandwich. Super good stuff. We'll probably grill out for dinner, but this will be my morning and afternoon food from here on out. OK, my batteries are all recharged, and i'm ready to start my new day.
- Ken

Does this make me a Baller or a Shot Caller?

Day 6,
Well now, Saturday night (day 5), the owner of the label here took us out for a big night on the town. I had no idea what was in store for me.

We get to the club, and bypass the line at the velvet rope, with a bunch of people on the line trying to figure out why the hell we all just got in. Once inside we were escorted straight to our table at VIP where the waitresses brought everyone fine cigars (not me, i dont smoke), and started popping bottles of Crystal. Next the food started arriving, strawberries and chocolate, and coconut shrimp prawns. The sound system was pumping. UK music is very cool, the club played a good mix of dancable hip hop, and more euro sounding stuff that i loved. really cool to hear music from other places. So, anyway, the club closed down at 3am, but we were escorted back to super VIP in the back of the club. Red velvet couches and beds, drapes, the works, and plenty more crystal. We partied there until 6am, then strolled out drunk and spent, and hopped in our cars to go home. I was in the owners rediculously fast Porche 911 turbo S which felt like a rocket ship taking off. We made it back in record time and i collapsed in my room and didnt move for about 12 hours. UI wasn't very hung over, justa dull headache sometimes when i'd think. but i've been working so hard lately, my body just needed the rest.
So, it was to the studio at 8pm and i'm still here at 6am. But its been a really creative night tonight. bout time to wrap it up though. We have a brilliant singer named Sarah (from a Welsh band named Halflight) coming Monday to do vocals on one of Edro's songs. Sarah has this hauntingly captivating voice, wait til you hear it.
-Ken

Exhausted

Day 4. I'm exhausted. Not because i'm working too much. We're working hard, and working alot of hours, but my body just refuses to allow me to fall asleep here. Its terrible. I think i'm just about to the point of total exhaustion though and i think i'll drop like a rock tonight. i'll need to. We're calling it an "early" night, i hope to jet out of the studio round maybe 12:30 or 1am. Course i left the studio at 4:30am last night and was back at 9:15am this morning. no, thats not a typo. Couldnt sleep, so i figured i'd come back and work.

Anyway, the sessions are going well. We got a new subwoofer today. its a mackie 15 inch sub and its a monster. we basically had to turn it nearly all the way down. This studio is close to several other structures and the nearby tenants were complaining about the earthquake like vibrations coming from the studio. This subwoofer is loud. not necessarily a great sub, not bad, i really havent formed an opinion yet other than "it shakes the earth".

So, i'm finding it difficult to be my normal witty, jovial, happy go lucky self. To quote a famous singer "its not easy being green - Kermit". So, i'm gonna cut this short tonight, and write better things tomorrow. Actually we're working probably only a half day tomorrow and hitting London town tomorrow night. should be loads of fun and a nice respite from the work. Hope your all doing well. Maybe i'll hit a pub for a beer before i sleep. Social time will do me good.
- Ken

Day 3

Another day in London quickly coming to a close. Still no subwoofer. We replaced the Logic board but that apparently wasnt the only problem. I guess they are delivering a new subwoofer tomorrow, which for me actually worked out just fine, as i got to do some additional production on one of the tracks, because its awfully hard to mix hip hop if you dont have a sub. Especially 808 driven hip hip, which this stuff is. So, instead we spent alot of today listening to producers beats and picking the hottest stuff.

I reconnected tonight with an awesome producer i havent talked to in a while. I was listening to some of my mixes from other projects to aclimate myself to these speakers, and i was playing the mix i did of "Ten Minutes" by Joe Budden. Now, if you only see Joe Budden as the guy who did "Pump, pump pump it up!!!", then you really owe it to yourself to go listen to Ten Minutes. Its the storytelling introspective side of Joe Budden, and its really good. Anyway, a guy named Lofey produced the track for Joe and I mixed it. Its one of my favorite mixes that I've done ever. Lofey killed the production on it. As soon as i started pushing up the faders, i knew i was about to mix something special. Anyway, I was listening to the mix yesterday, the artist here, Edro, heard the song and was like "who's that???" then he was like "who produced that song! I need to reach out to him". So i called Lofey today. Craziest thing ever happened. Now i havent talked to Lofey in maybe close to 2 years. wow, its been a long time. He picked up the phone and i said hello, and he said "i was just talking about you and playing Ten Minutes for someone YESTERDAY". Personally i think that the energy waves from me playing it floated across the pond and he picked them up and played the song himself, or maybe vice versa. Karma, I believe.

Anyway, We grabbed beat #2 from a production company called "Beat Team". hot hot hot to death (do people still say that? i never did but hey, its my blog and if i wanna quote out of date, corny slang, then dammit thats what i'm gonna do), anyway, they make blazin tracks. A couple producers i approached to send tracks havent sent anything, even though i know they have em in spades. Now, dumb question, but these guys arent even put on yet and i'm trying to help hook them up, albeit on an indie label project, but its a CREDIT and it will be in the marketplace internationally. OK, advise time. If your out there and nobody has given you a shot, and your grinding it out every day, and somebody like me calls and says "Hey, i need some beats for this project" and you dont get them to me, please dont blame anyone but yourself for your lack of career. I should be getting beats immediately after making that call. whatever, it doesnt affect my career. Oh and by the way, i dont need beats. please dont ask.

Anyway, i digress. Night winding to a close. Another good creative day has come and gone. tomorrow should be another rewarding day. Saturday is supposed to be a night off on the town out in London. I cant wait. Still hoping to jet over to Paris for a day next week, maybe see the Palace at Versailles. Its supposed to be beyond description, and i'm sure pictures dont begin to do it justice. 3 trips to Paris and I've never seen it, maybe 4 will be the charm. I'm also debating a return trip to MonteMart (spelling?) or maybe the Musee Dorsey. Or the Catacombs, oh my god the coolest and most chilling place on earth, or under earth actually. Anyway, i hope to see a bit of London while i'm here too. Anyone have any "must see" suggestions for while i'm here? OK, we just called a taxi, it'll be here soon. time to shut down and call it a night.
- Ken

Blow this Shhhhh Up

Hey there,
Day 2, crankin away. Very productive and diverse day, until......... I blew an ADAM subwoofer. OK, so ya'll know i love my Event Speakers. Well, it just wasnt feasible to get them over to London to mix, and this studio has ADAM nearfileds with a sub, which are SUPPOSED TO BE some pretty amazing speakers. Now, i like em alot, gotta say, but i still think i like my system (which cost me about one quarter the amount of these speakers) better. AND, i have pounded my subwoofer for 3 years now and it never flinches, this one blew on day 2!!! Maybe I'll contact event tomorrow morning and see if they can get me some loaners over here.

Anyway, I've been playing dozens of Beats for Edro (the artist) yesterday and today, from several different producers including myself. He's chosen 2 of mine, and 3 others. Playing him more beats tomorrow. Gotta make the hottest record we can possibly make. I've already mixed 2 songs that were recorded before i got here, both came out red hot. So, we are actually a little bit outside of London, in the suburbs. things close here at 11pm. That sucks. I'm not used to that at all. We had a great dinner tonight, the exec producer cooked up some slammin chicken and veggies on the grill, mmmmmmmmm...... but man, i just wanna walk to the corner store and browse. habit i guess. In New York City you can get a gormet French meal at 4am if you want it, AND they'll deliver it. Hell, you can get a candy bar delivered to the studio at 2am in new york if you want, but you'd better tip them well!! i do. Delivery people love me, and for good reason, i used to be one of them. When i was younger i had all sorts of interesting jobs, pizza delivery guy (literally almost died my first night on the job), fast food (arby's), i worked at a big wave pool in food service, worked at a convenient store, did every kind of odd job you can think of. I held 3 jobs when i was 17 years old. forshadowing?

Probably the most important job i ever had was working for Allied Van Lines. They are a moving company and for 2 summers during college break. I worked 12 hours my first day in blistering heat, came home and collapsed, slept for 12 hours, woke up and did it again, and again, 5 to 6 days a week, all summer for 2 summers, moving people into and out of their homes. It was GRUELING work, for little pay. And it taught me one extremely valuable lesson....... I had better become the best god damn mix engineer, producer, musician, etc.... that i can possibly be, because i do NOT want to do that for the rest of my life. I am very glad i learned that lesson young and learned it well. That job is honestly the most important one i've ever had, i would not be here today had i not gone thru it.

Anyway, back to the job at hand, gotta get going and wrap it up for the night. Brent just handed me a Vodka and Cranberry juice (its all we have) to wind down, sleeping has been very difficult so far with the time change. hopefully this will help knock me out so i'm fresh tomorrow. so theres my drinking excuse :-) sessions over, time to enjoy myself. good night, see you tomorrow
-Ken

Across the Pond

So my flight got in at 9am London time and after clearing customs it was straight to the studio to work. Closed my eyes for a couple hours on the plane but no sleep. We flew Virgin Atlantic, great airline, food was really good (honest), service was great, seats were a bit cramped, but not terrible. I started reading Dan Brown's "Deception Point" on the plane. Dan Brown is such an amazing author. he grabs you in the first page and doesnt let you go for a moment, so far its a great read. Angels and Demon's is another captivating book by him (and of course the Da Vinci Code). Part of the Da Vinci Code happens in London, so if i'm really bored one afternoon here i might go check out some of the spots from the book.

Anyway, the ipod was cranking on the plane as well. I listened to "Our Lady Peace", "Breaking Benjamin", "Chevelle", and an awesome album from "Regina Spektor". She is so talented its rediculous, i encourage anyone to check her out www.reginaspektor.com.

I arrived at the studio around 10:30am local time and got straight to work. Set the studio up the way i like it and started catching the vibe of the project. I already mixed the first single and video back in New york, and have worked with these guys for many years. a Great crew of people top to bottom. Passed out around 5pm and woke up at 11pm, shook off the sleep and right back to the studio. I'm sitting here now, 4:50am local time, while Brent does some software configuring, and digital editing, oh, he just told me we're good to go. guess i should get back to work.

Day 1, very productive for a "first day" of a big project, I think this record is gonna come together really well. I'm excited.
- Ken

London Calling

So I’m on the plane, waiting to depart from the gateway on my way to London for two weeks of mixing, producing, performing, basically whatever needs to be done to make a great record. That’s the job description for the next two weeks. Wait a second, that’s the job description about every day, oh well, I guess the only thing changing is the scenery. I gotta say, it’ll be nice to get out of America for a bit. Now, I love my country, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t love the current government, and it would be nice to go anywhere else for a moment, even the current hotspot for exploding trains and busses. In case your wondering, I’m sure I’ll be taking the subway around regularly. I actually like riding subways, they don’t bother me a bit, cheap fast transportation. I’m no diva when it comes to getting where I need to go. I’m also just quite happy to be working in a different studio for a bit. I love working in my studio but a change of scenery will do me good, even if I’m going to work, and probably wont get any vacation time while I’m there. I hope to, but I’ve seen this movie before. It usually ends with my client going “we need you just a few more days” and then I cancel my fun plans and stay to work. I guess its good to be needed.

So, if I do get any fun time while I’m in London, I’m hoping to have a night out with all my UK clients. Maybe hit a pub one night and everybody gets to meet everybody, have a few beers, swap stories, put faces to names, and have a nice relaxing night. Beer. I’d love to have a few English beers at a pub, though I hope they aren’t warm. Warm beer doesn’t do it for me. I just had a beer in the airport terminal, and some nachos. It was the first beer I’ve had in, well, maybe 2 months. I was overdue. I work too much, and even one beer affects my ears. So, anyway, if you are a UK client of mine, and there are many, you’ll probably be getting a call or email soon with an invite. Feel free to send me a pre-emptive email reminding me to invite you, I’m not sure I have everyone’s contact info.

I plan to do regular blog updates “from London” during my trip, maybe even 2 a day sometimes. I might make it like a daily diary of the project, or just a way to divert my attention to other things at the end of a night. We’ll see how it goes, I guess you’ll just have to tune in and find out. So, I haven’t posted in the last few days because I’ve been trying like crazy to get all of my mixes done and tie up all loose ends before I go. I came close to finishing what I needed to. I left a couple clients hanging a bit, which I deplore doing, but the airline said they wouldn’t hold the flight til I was done with my mixes. They said something about not wanting to inconvenience 300 other travelers. Whatever. Anyway, cheerio mate. They are announcing that “discontinue use of all electronic devices before takeoff” stuff. God forbid the use of my laptop should bring down the plane. “see” you across the pond. Wish me safe travels.
-Ken

FEAR

Anymore, its very rare that i actually listen to music purely for enjoyment. If i'm not mixing, or producing, or creating music, I'm critiquing something for someone, or listening to something work related. And quite often, when i do have time to myself, honestly, the last thing in the world i wanna do is listen to more music. Its kind of depressing because my deep love of music is what has drawn me into the music industry since i was 8 years old. I've always known i had a very passionate love for listening to and creating music.

Tonight though, I decided i actually needed to remind myself for a while why i love what i do, so i picked up the ipod and pushed the headphones way into my ears, closed my eyes and began to remember again. Music beautiful music. quiet music, loud driving music, beats, lyrics, guitars, sad, storytelling music. God i love music.

So, the first song blaring thru my headphones was Sarah McLachlan's beautiful and haunting song "FEAR", hence the title of the post. She has one of the most unique and angelic voices i have ever heard. I'd do anything to work with her. Fear. Yup, i fear that some day i'll stop loving music. No chance of that happening any time soon. What do you fear?

So, I thought i'd have some personal fun and post some lyrics from songs that, no matter how many times i hear the same lines, it always gives me a certain feeling, maybe sadness, longing, happiness, hope, fear, adrenaline, the emotions run the gamut. Some songs stop me dead in my tracks every single time. See if you know some of these.......

"i wish i was a nomad, an indian or a saint. Give me walking shoes, feathered arms, and a key to heavens gate"

"what have i become? my sweetest friend. everyone i know goes away in the end"

The entire Kanye West rhyme from the Diamonds remix. That shit about Sierra Leone. He never stops proving why he's on a different level than everybody else.

"I kept everything inside and even though i tried, it all fell apart, what it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when i tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, It doesnt even matter"

(this is the only song that has ever made me homesick)
"We spotted the Ocean at the head of the trail, Where are we going, so far away, And somebody told me that this is the place, Where everything's better, everything's safe"

(same artist)
"I feel my body weakened by the years, as people turn to Gods of cruel design, Is it that they fear the pain of death, Or could it be they fear the joy of life?"

"i need you to remember one thing, I came i saw i conquered, from record sales, to sold out concerts, so if you want this encore i need to hear you scream, til your lungs get sore"

"The Mississippi's mighty, but it starts in Minnesota at a place that you could walk across with five steps down, and i guess thats how you started, like a pin prick to my heart, but at this point you rush right thru me and i start to drown"

"I'd brace for the impact if i were you........ (Its a long way) Is there anything (For an answer) Worth looking for (Is there any news) Worth loving for (Is there any word) Worth lieing for (Is there Trauma) Is there anything (or a struggle) Worth waiting for (Am i missing) Worth Living for? (Was the body found) Worth dieing for?"

I was going to quote one of my favorite songs of all time ever, but instead i'll tell you about it. I promise you, if you listen to this song it will change your life. However, you must devote all of your attention to it, get in a mood, and just listen. The group is the Counting Crows. They put out a live album called "Live Across a Wire", its a 2 CD set, and 1 of the CD's is an MTV Live at the Ten Spot performance that has the song "Round Here". I was actually at that show, which i thought at the time was just luck, but i have grown to believe that forces greater than i made sure i went to that show. I had no intention of going, i didnt even really like the Counting Crows that much at the time. Hell, i didnt even know they were playing that night. I went into the city to meet my good friend Mike, who was in from out of town. His hotel was around the corner from the concert venue, and while i was walking toward his hotel a couple scalpers approched me and asked for face value on the tickets. Mike and i didnt have any other plans, so we decided to go. It changed my life.

I liked the album version of "Round Here", but the Live at the Ten Spot version will honestly change your life. Every time i listen to it, it changes mine a little bit, sometimes alot. Please go listen, you will so not regret it. And now i must sleep. BIG day of mixing and producing tomorrow. I cant wait, i'm excited already.
- Ken

Mixing Vs Mastering - Now hear this

I CONSTANTLY get asked if i will mix AND master a project for a prospective client. I felt an educational blog post was very much in order. First, the obvious. Let me back up and start with a simple question........ Would you ask a policeman to put out a fire? Nope, firemen do that. Would you ask an architect to build your house? No, he would design it, somebody else would build it. So why would you ask a mix engineer to master your record? I'm probably gonna catch alot of hell for this post, but people really need to know, so i'm gonna tell you.

Except for a very few incredibly gifted people, (Jay Newland being one of them), mix engineers are NOT mastering engineers, and vice versa. I must qualify that by pointing out a few facts. Pick your ten favorite albums, and research all of the people who mixed those albums. Now go to ALLMUSIC.COM and look at their credits. How many of those mix engineers ever mastered an album you've heard? Now do the same for mastering engineers. How many of those Mastering engineers ever mixed an album you've ever heard? I'm not saying that a mastering engineer cant crank out a decent mix, and if pressed to do so, i probably wouldnt do a half bad job at mastering, but umm...... if you havent yet noticed about me..... "not half bad a job" is not exactly where i personally set the bar. Stick me in an A level mastering studio and give me some time, and I'll probably do a good job of mastering a record. Then let a real mastering engineer like my favorite, Emily Lazar (www.TheLodge.com) or Ted Jensen or Bob Ludwig walk in that same room with that same music and that same gear, and my job of mastering is going to probably sound pretty mediocre in comparison.

This leads nicely to my next point.... Mastering requires a totally different set of tools. The real top mastering engineers have a whole lot of gear that you'll never see in a mixing studio. (if your mastering mainly with plugins, thats not really mastering) Top mastering engineers have the ability to affect the sides of a mix differently than the middle of a mix. thats right, those lunatics can brighten up the sides of a mix and not the midle, and compress the middle of a mix completely independently of the sides. I cant do that, i don't have the right TOOLS. Let alone the right ears. Plus mastering engineers usually (not always) have the craziest looking, most expensive speakers you've ever seen. Mastering rooms are tuned differently than mixing rooms. And then there's experience. These guys work on optimizing a stereo mix. they do it probably 50 to 75 times a week. Thats experience that a mix engineer just cant fuck with. I mix on average 5 to 8 songs a week. Thats experience that a mastering engineer just cant fuck with. they usually deal with 2 tracks, i usually deal with a boatload of tracks. I blend and balance, they optimize. i do surgery, they handle broad strokes. i dont mean to make mastering sound easy. its not. neither is mixing.

The importance of having a great mix. Look, the best mastering engineer in the world cant save a bad mix. They can certainly make it sound better, but bad will never be amazing. You need to start with a great mix (actually start with solid production and performance!!!!!). So if your sitting in your home studio saying to yourself "well, i wanna compete with the majors, and i'm gonna mix my record myself and just hire a top mastering engineer", guess what, your not going to compete with your mixes. I'll give you an analogy. I'm a good golfer (not true i'm a terrible golfer, but lets pretend), I can get out on the greens and play a really solid round of golf. I think i'm good. But wait, is that Tiger Woods golfing after me????!!!!! Holy crap, a real pro is on the greens now. So i shot a 15 over par, Tiger shot a 9 under par. I guess he's the real pro. Why is he so much better at Golf than i am? Because he plays golf every day, for many hours a day, and competes at the very top levels. I just play for fun. I might spent 10 days a year on the greens, Tiger spends 10 of every 11 days on the greens. How can i compete with that? And yet, i hear this all the time "I'm a pretty good mixer, but i just cant get it to sound like the majors", Well, i spend over 300 days a year in the studio, every year, mostly mixing. I know how to do things with audio that most of you dont even know is possible. trust me on this one. But mastering engineers do stuff with audio that not even i know how to do. Straight voodoo.

So, i'm about to offend some people. Sorry in advance. If someone presents themselves as both a mixing AND a mastering engineer, I'd make an educated guess that they are not very good at either. First thing i always do when i see somebody like this is go to ALLMUSIC.COM and look at their credits. ALLMUSIC is a great bullshit detector. its an independent website that lists album credits. I dont know how they do it, there are albums listed on there that i worked on that i had even forgotten about. Almost all of my credits are posted on ALLMUSIC, i say "almost" all, because occasionally labels leave credits off of records, this happens far too often and it sucks. secondly, sometimes if you work on a remix, or a radio mix or a non album version of something, the credit doesnt make it to ALLMUSIC, However, if you have ANY credits on nationally released albums, major or indie, they should show up on ALLMUSIC.COM. In alot of mid level markets, studios will do offer both mixing and mastering services, out of necessity of survival, and because the majority of clients cant afford a top mixer or a top mastering engineer. But the majority of the time, those albums will sound like "local" releases. You probably understand the difference. They might sound good, or even really good, but you know there's just something about them that doesnt quite sound like most of the records in your collection (this isnt all the engineers fault by any stretch of the imagination. unsigned artists typically try to record and mix an entire album in less time than i take to record and mix one song that i produce.)

There's a website called KingsOfAR.com (kings of A&R) they always list these up and coming buzz bands, and they always list the people behind the projects. You'll see something like Band XYZ was produced by Mr ABC (credits inlcude U2, Linkin Park, and Audio Slave) so you naturally go "WOW, who's THAT guy!!!! Then you go to ALLMUSIC and he's either not even listed, OR, none of the mentioned credits are listed, OR, my favorite, he was the assistant on those projects. I was on the phone one night with a prospective client from Reno who told me they've had the guy who used to work with Dr Dre mixing their album. So i said "who is it" they told me, i went to allmusic, looked him up. Turns out he was the assistant on a Dr Dre album. So i told my prospective clients "Did you know he only assisted on those records? which means he probably plugged stuff in, got coffee, took notes, etc..." They were a bit shocked to hear that. Now i'm not slamming assistants, i was one too. but if your the type of assistant who tells people that your assisting credits are engineering credits, your going to have a short career. But i digress.

Go to my credits page now, go ahead, I'll wait for you to come back....... ....... ....... OK. Hopefully you noticed there are no mastering credits listed. As i said, i'm not a half bad mastering engineer, but i have too much respect for the mastering engineers on my level to refer to myself as a mastering engineer. And i dont like doing a hack job for any client big or small. So i stick to mixing. I am very good at that.

Anyway, man i'm long winded tonight. Look, choose anyone you work with carefully. if someone says "i worked on XYZ" go to ALLMUSIC.COM and check them out. did they really? Know the difference between a mix engineer and a mastering engineer. 2 different professions. and if your an artist, or producer, or??? Don;t feel like you need to wear all the hats. So many people wannabe the artist, producer, recording engineer, mixer, and mastering engineer. what you'll end up being is in your basement forever wondering why people arent responding to your music. If your an artist, be the best artist you can be. If your a producer, produce something every day. If your a mixer, mix every day. Remember even the top producers hire people to mix their records. why? because everybody has their spedcialties. Sometime people have multiple specialties, but most people are rarely great at more than one.
- Ken

Analog VS Digital - The Great Debate

Figured i'd write some studio nerd stuff tonight. The great debate between "which is better" analog or digital is still alive and well. Let me throw in my two cents, but first let me preface this by saying that I've recorded and mixed hundreds of songs completely in the analog domain, 24 Track 2 inch tape with a big SSL or Neve board. half inch analog mixdown tape. I've used damn near every type of console ever built, both analog and digital (SSL E/E/J/K/AWS, Old Neve, New Neve, API, Focusrite, Oxford, Capricorn, Axiom, Harrison, MCI, Sony, Trident, Amek, you name it, i've used it). And i've recorded with every recording format in the known universe both analog and digital, both tape and hard disk. I have a pretty good knowledge base from which to speak on this subject. Here are my opinions.

IF every 2 inch analog tape machine ended up at the bottom of the ocean, i wouldnt even notice. More and more, as digital improves, I'm feeling that way more and more about big consoles too, though its always a rush to mix on a 15 foot long console. I love doing it, its not necessary. First lets address analog tape.

ANALOG TAPE PROS: creative sonic use of "Tape Saturation" if your into that sorta thing, Tape definitely has a "sound", and its cool. I still think mixing down to half inch analog stereo (on a great machine) sounds AMAZING. Tape is very durable to a point, and its a tangible medium, you can touch the stuff. There's a beautiful simplicity in working with tape. It forces you to make decisions before you mix. You cant get too crazy out of hand with the number of tracks you use, unless you have alot of time and a BIG budget. 24 track machines are super cheap nowadays, but the tape isnt. Countless amazing sounding records have been made with the stuff. I'm all outta pro's

ALALOG TAPE CONS: for better or worse, what you put in is not exactly what comes out. Analog tape changes the sound, and it changes it more over time. it adds tape hiss, it adds "crosstalk" (when one track bleeds slightly into the track next to it so even when your snare track is muted, you can still hear that snare faintly on the adjacent track. Then there's "Print Thru" which are ghost echos before and after a loud sound from when the tape sits wrapped. 1 Reel of 2 inch tape costs more than a 200 gig hard drive, and will only hold 16 minutes of 24 tracks, AND its bulky as hell and hard to transport. If you want more than 24 tracks you have to lock 2 machines together, which takes between 3 and ten seconds to lock every time you rewind or fast forward (big vibe killer). Oh yeah, you have to rewind and fast forward to the stuff. Its difficult and time consuming to edit tape, even half inch tape. The dynamic range is limited. If your music has soft and loud sections, you'll get alot of tape hiss. Analog tape machines are HUGE and heavy and noisy. You have to keep a tape machine aligned (pain in the ass) and you must clean the heads regularly. and maintenance is a limited to skilled techs. If you fuck up a punch on analog tape you've just erased something forever. Fortunately i was always amazing at punching, and very cool under big pressure. I've seen engineers turn into silly putty when they need to do tight punches.

DIGITAL PROS: (Most of this is assuming the highest quality systems, like an HD rig with a great clock and alot of horsepower). What you put in (nowadays) is exactly what comes back out, now and ten years from now. EDITING IS RETARDEDLY POWERFUL IN DIGITAL as compared to analog. ZERO attack time compression (the Distressor analog compressor is about the fastest smoothest analog compressor for attack times and versatility). COST. Nowadays, under a dollar per gig of storage space. a typical full session will take up between 1 and 4 gig of hard drive space per song. Portability - I regularly get songs to mix uploaded directly to my FTP from around the world with practically no wait time. Even Fed Ex is becoming a dinosaur. I send clients finished mixes to listen to for comments or approval, anywhere in the world, in a matter of minutes, which makes revisions a breeze. Then i can upload the finished 24 bit mixes for the mastering house as well, this is becoming the norm, not the exception, and I've been doing it for years. Portability 2, i can carry several entire albums worth of material in my hand, along with all my notes, sounds, samples, plugins, software, etc... the best plugins nowadays are so freakin powerful. If i can imagine a sound in my head, i have a plugin that will dial it in. NO REWIND TIME. I can work on a 16 bar chorus for an hour straight if i want with no rewind time. this has cut mixing time in half for me, AND, i vibe much better because i can just zone out to what i'm listening to without the tape machine stopping every 20 seconds to rewind.

MORE DIGITAL PROS: Instant mix recall. What used to take 2 to 5 hours on a big analog board, recalling all the settings of a final mix, now takes a few seconds. and analog recalls rarely come back perfect. (not that any of my mixes ever had to be recalled :-) yes they did. If you wanna try a bunch of ideas without losing your surrent mix, you just save a new version and try whatever you want. You can always go back to an older version quickly and easily. for analog lovers, the analog simulation plugins are FINALLY convincing my ear. So many choices. i can use whatever type of EQ i want on whatever track i want, or reverb or delay or flanger or ????? you name it. And its fast. no patchbay. used to take a few minutes to patch an outboard EQ, then you only had maybe 5 or ten real high quality outboard EQ's even in the good mix rooms (there are exceptions). Huge dynamic range with no tape noise (in fact i regularly add real tape hiss to my mixes, swear to god. it gives character sometimes). The new virtual synths and samplers are a dream come true and it doesnt take 20 minutes to hook one up, and no ground hum loops!!!! OK, you get the idea. OH YEAH, one last thing. i actually like the way digital sounds. I have no problem with it whatsoever, if i have good convertors, etc... And consumer digital is cheap nowadays and you can do good qwuality recordings at home now.

DIGITAL CONS: People use 100 tracks just because they can. Music has gotten so cluttered lately. there is a pervasive attitude of "Let the mixer sort it out". which often makes my life hell. It makes singers lazy. Autotune makes singers not care anymore that they are in tune. Honestly. it sucks. In the analog days, we worked very hard to get great performances that were also in tune. it was alot of hard work, but i think vocal performances as a whole used to be better. Now they are just more in tune. Having said that, i dont know how many times i've gotten tracks in to mix that the tracking engineer must have been asleep when he committed autotune to a vocal. I constantly hear artifacts that make me cringe. horrible stuff. In the right hands though, powerful tools no doubt. More digital cons. Media management. You have to be so careful nowadays to make sure what drive your recording on, where all of your audio is, make sure its labeled well, etc... i have gotten SO MANY sessions to mix that were missing audio due to carelessness of audio file management. often parts or songs are lost forever. Then there are hard drive crashes. I've had a couple. they just want to make you cry. you must have a good backup strategy which takes time, money, diligence, and forthought. More digital cons: the advent of pro tools and digital audio has decimated the large studio industry. labels use to have no choice but to record in a big studio, now labels often insist the producers record in their own studios, which has brought the overall quality of the material recorded down. It has forced the closer of innumerable major studios and will continue to do so. It has put engineers out of work, and worst of all, its given far too many peoplke the notion that they actually know how to record things (and dont get me started on mixing). if i had a nickel for every time a phone conversation started with "i'm a pretty good mixer, but i just cant get it to sound like the stuff i hear on the radio............ news flash........ that means your NOT a pretty good mixer, and you dont hold a candle to what i can do. I mix 7 days a week over 300 days a year, come on, its like taking a knife to a gun fight. If your a producer, produce, if your an artist, be an artist. Digital has made everyone think they can and should wear every hat, which again has brought down the overall quality of recordings and mixes. New engineers have fewer chances to assist for, and hence learn from, REAL talented engineers. Your sittin in your home studio thinking your going to be able to get where i am if you keep workin at it. I have bad news for you. Its never going to happen. The path i took to get where i am, the knowledge i gained along the way, the experience i've gotten, that path only still exists for a chosen few (my assistants being two of the few). And if your grinding it out in your home studio thinking some day your gonna be a big mixer, I've got bad news for you. Until all the big mixers (i'm at the bottom of that list somewhere) die out, its not gonna happen. Sorry it got cynical there for a moment, but i'm always one to speak the very blunt straight forward truth. Alot of people dont like me for it. I dont care. That doesnt make it any less truthful if you dont like what i have to say.


ANYWAY..... i digress. in closing. I'm a digital fan forever, or for the forseeable future. Having said that, nothing will replace my super amazing analog gear that i use on the way into digital. I've got plenty of tube gear and class A analog gear here, and i use it on the way into digital, and during a mix of i need that certain analog something. Oh and i have a real EMT 140 Plate reverb that i LOVE. thats REALLY analog. and 8 feet long. But analog tape. Yeah, i dont miss it.
-Ken

No i cant get you a record deal

Well, actually, hopefully there is one band out there who i've been developing a very long time who i am very confident I can land a deal for. Everybody else, the answer is NO. :-) However, i can mix the hell out of your songs so when you play them for labels they go "wow it sounds like its already a signed artist on the radio". If you dont see the value in that service, hang it up now.

This is going to be a cynical post, but if you look past tonights cynicism, there's actually some really great advice within. I'm actually having a great day today, i dont mean to sound jaded tonight, but this was a big topic of discussion round here today, so i thought i'd write about it.

So, my good friend and Universal recording artist Cuban Link (Album drops August 16) was at the studio today as we were putting the finishing touches on a new reggaeton track. superhot. Anyway. I asked Cuban Link "How many times a day do people ask you if you can either give them a record deal or get them a record deal?". He said "At least ten times a day, every day". And, though he is signed, and incredibly talented, he's not even a big artist yet (yet!). OK, first off, how could Cuban Link give you a record deal? He's an artist, not a label. Second, can you imagine how tired industry people get being constantly hounded by people who don't have their shit together "Can you get me a deal". Listen, if it was that easy to get a deal there would be 100,000 signed artists. I've given alot of this advice before, I'll do it again. Its important. If you do these things, it will at least elevate your chances of becoming a signed artist. Here we go.

1) Spend some serious time developing yourself as an artist before you start approaching industry people. If your on your way up, and you know you've got a ways to go before your REALLY record label material. Keep developing yourself and your talent and hit the labels when you really have your shit together. First impressions are everything.

2) If your a hip hop artist or producer, and you are not trying with every ounce of your strength to get yourself out on the decent mix tapes, just hang it up now. You dont understand the basic principles of BUILDING a career. I tell hip hop producers this all the time when they say "i dont want people to steal my hottest beats and if i put em on a mix tape they will". LOOK..... if you dont have the confidence to know that you can wake up tomorrow and do another hot beat, then please quit now. to quote Kanye "Lock himself in a room doing 5 beats a day for 3 summers..." Do you think he got where he is from hanging on to a couple hot beats? And you rappers. If your not on the mix tapes, who's hearing you? Thats your promotional vehicle, use it.

3) before you approach an industry person, have a great song to play them. Not a good song. a great song. Have it recorded and mixed well. performed well, presented well. (side note: usually the first few songs you write and record are NOT your best, sometimes they are, but see rule #1). I dont know how many people ask me if i can help them and they cant even send me ANYTHING they've done to listen to. No i cant help you. If you cant help yourself first, why should i do all the work for you? Of course the flip side of that are the crackheads who say "I've got a hit but i wont send it to you to listen to because you might steal it, but really, I'm great. Please help me" Honest to God this happens. Look, copyright your stuff, but seriously, if you dont have anything that represents you artistically, dont ask someone for help. Thats rediculous.

4) Build a following. Create a buzz. Promote yourself any way you can. perform live. write. record. If you can't get people interested in your music on your own, why do you think a record company should? I'm not saying you have to develop a fan base of 50,000 people, but come on, get some fans, get some press, create a buzz.

5) PAY ATTENTION...... if you think you can get a record deal by sending out a simple email, with nothing to back it up, (like a website with your music, bio, photos, etc) if you honestly think all its going to take is sending out an email saying "hey, me and my group wanna get signed can you help us". Answer your own question. Its not easy to get a deal. its gonna take more than a little work on your part. Put in the work, put in the time. it takes more than a ramdon email to land a record contract.

6) My personal favorite..... if i had a nickel for every time i heard an artist say "I have major label interest" i swear i'd be rich. Look, major label interest isnt "Bob from Atlantic Records thinks we're great". Major label interest inst "a scout from TVT records came to our show." Yes, your show and about 300 others this year. Major label interest isnt even (necessarily) a meeting with a bigwig at a big label. Thats a whole lot better than the above, but these guys have 3 to 5 meetings a day, 5 days a week, 30 to 50 weeks a year, and A&R people only sign one or two artists a year. Actually, i take that back. A&R people dont typically sign artists, they bring the artist they love to the President and say "can we sign this artist because XYZ", and the president says yes or no. Usually after they've seen the artist perform live and loved the show, heard the artists hit single and loved the song, etc...
I dont know how many times an artist has told me "we have major label interest" and i say "really? who at what label". If your answer is "i dont know the persons name", you do not yet have major label interest. "If your answer is "The VP/President/Director of A&R, etc... at Such and Such label", Congratulations, you have major label interest. However, keep in mind, major label interest is only that...."interest", until you get that offer its only interest.

I could go on for about ten more paragraphs on this subject, but look. you get the idea. This is one of the toughest fields in the world to succeed in. If you want to play the game at the top levels, you need to act like it. Build a buzz, elevate your artistry. Find your place in the marketplace and exploit it. Yes the marketplace, record deals are about selling records. Get your best songs recorded well, and mixed well. That is your resume, your calling card. Your music represents you louder than any words you could ever say. If a label doesnt hear it in the music, honestly, nothing you ever say to them will convince them to sign you. Send them a hit song and they'll be calling you. Good luck, its a jungle out there, and i truly wish you all luck. I just want to see you all elevate yourselves to the highest level you can get to. Now i must go mix CeCe Winans, this is a fun project!
-Ken

Monday Monday

Yep, Monday Monday. 2 Mondays because i basically did 2 full days worth of work today. a VERY productive and rewarding day. I finished the last of 4 mixes for a great young female pop artist from Cincinnati named Shay Bishop. You don't know her yet. . . . . yet. I have a feeling you will. Superhereo producer "MultiMan" did a stellar job on production. I worked on a total of 5 different songs today. Holy Cow. I only completed 2 mixes (a full day by itself!!!), some of today was production, some mixing, some prep work. Alot happened. Tomorrow is shaping up to be just as busy, and the rest of the week will follow suit. I have some unbelievable number of mixes on my plate right now, but i'm chipping away at them every day i finish another mix or two.

I'm knee deep in the CeCe Winans live mixes now. A very fun project to be a part of. Cuban Link swings by the studio tomorrow to do a couple little touch ups on a mix. His album drops on M.O.B./Universal on August 26th. I'm a couple experiemental revisions away from finishing the Jeannie Ortega project for Hollywood records (7 songs), my 2 Nick Lachey mixes are completed and sound amazing. Wow, his record is going to be so good! Trust me. when i heard the songs, i was really floored. What else have a finished lately? I did a mix for O.A.R. over the weekend. Killer song if your a fan, you'll definitely dig this song. I dont know if my mix will make the album, but i think it came out great, i'll let the politics take over from here. Small Town Sleeper is always in the blend somewhere. Some very exciting things are happening with that project. Can't wait to tell ya. now's not the time. Lots of great stuff coming up here as well.

Looks like i might be traveling to London soon to do some work. It'll be fun to do a "Live from London" blog for a couple weeks. If i go, I'm hoping to invite all my UK clients out to a pub one evening so i can meet everyone i havent met yet face to face. I have alot of clients from the UK. Of course the exchange rate is so rediculous, its like I'm giving mixes away with the exchange rate between dollars and pounds, but hey, i can't complain. And no, I'm not woried about bombs going off while I'm there. I am in New York City all the time, I had a session in town on 9/11 (it was cancelled), I am definitely not going to let terrorists dictate my life and my actions. If they happen to blow me up, well, I hope i've left a small mark on this industry for you all to remember me. Something tells me I'll be just fine for a long time to come. OK, i'm done printing passes on this current mix, time to get back to work.
- Ken