Day 18 - The Runners & Danity Kane and the 212 Tracks!

Day 18 - Daddy's House Studios in NYC, mixing today for Danity Kane. a song called "Ecstasy" produced by super producers "The Runners" and wow, they really live up to their reputations. The song and production are HOT. I've spent two full days mixing the song and just doing the final tweeks on it now before i print it. The Runners signed off on the mix earlier with big smiles on their faces. Very nice guys and super talented.

So, the mix has 212 tracks! Thats not an area code, thats 100 tracks, plus a hundred more tracks, plus 12 more tracks. Over 180 of those tracks were vocals. I'm not kidding. There were so many tracks that my mix computer would not play them all back, so, i had to split the session up into 2 different sessions, then i spent 9 hours blending and combining background vocals and harmony vocals into stereo pairs of tracks that i could then bring into my main mix session. When i was done blending all the vocals, my mix session went from a bloated 212 tracks to a paltry 110 tracks. It felt like a vacation mixing only 100 tracks :-)

Anyway, the mix came out GREAT! Everybody loved it, i love it, the song is great, the vocal production is superb (Mary Brown vocal produced the song as well as wrote the lyric and melody, she's incredible). I'll be back tomorrow for Day 19 in a row. Back to my mix for now.

-Ken Lewis

Day 15

Fifteenth Day straight at Daddy's House Studios in NYC. Still mixing on the Danity Kane and Making the Band 4 guys albums. Everything is coming along really well. Not sure how many more days they'll keep me here before i get a day off, but then, even that wont really be a day off as my indie work has been piling up and i really need to get to it. So, no days off for the forseeable future. fortunately, i am used to it. I'm pulling 100+ hour weeks back to back with these projects and will probably make that three weeks in a row this week. Not much else to tell. Hope your doing well. I am.

-Ken Lewis

Danity Kane Single! "DAMAGED"

Listen to the new Danity Kane single i mixed titled "Damaged"

This song is a pop juggernaut.

-Ken Lewis

"Got Me Goin" single release

Listen to the new single from the Making The Band Season 4 guys here....   

Got Me Goin'

I mixed it.  It went to radio this week.  Keep your ears open and request it!

enjoy

-Ken Lewis

Day 12 - Is Anybody Listening?

Has anyone heard the new Danity Kane single "Damaged" on the radio yet?   If so,  let me know.  It was serviced to radio yesterday,  but sometimes these things take a bit of time to ramp up,  and well,  since i'm stuck in the studio 14+ hours a day,  i don't really hear the radio much!

Also,  keep a listen out for the new Making the Band group,  "826 Boys",  their new single, also serviced yesterday is called "Got Me Goin".  They are 5 male R&B singers who can flat out sing their $%^* off!      I mixed both singles

Tonight i'm putting the finishing touches on another Danity Kane mix.  super duper hot!   These girls have an amazing album in the works.    Well,  Its Day 12 in a row for me mixing at Daddy's House Studios in NYC.  I'll be back for lucky day 13 tomorrow.  Send me good vibes.

-Ken Lewis

Danity Kane & "Day 26" Radio Singles

Wow,  what a day!!!!   I just got word this evening that Bad Boy Records serviced the new Danity Kane single "Damaged" to radio tonight.  i Mixed it!  Keep your ears open for it,  it is a pop juggernaut.

As if that wasn't good enough news,  Bad Boy ALSO serviced the first single from the new Season 4 Making the Band artists "Day 26" to radio today as well!   Holy cow!   Their single is called "Got Me Goin" and it is super hot as well (and i mixed it).   

I don't think in my entire career i've mixed two singles that were serviced to radio on the same day,  or even the same week.   This is a day i will remember for a very very long time.   But what i'm really looking forward to it watching these singles climb the charts,  followed by these albums climbing the charts.   Danity Kane's album drops March 18th,  I'm not sure when the "Day 26" album drops.  Better believe i'll be blogging about it. 

Tonight I'm still mixing this Danity Kane song i started yesterday.  More music was added to it today.  It originally started with 144 tracks,  and now has 172 tracks!  a new record!  i'd better get back to it.   Its a beautiful song.

-Ken Lewis

Stevie Brock signs to Mosely Music Group (Timbaland)

Most of you have no idea (yet) who Stevie Brock is.  I've known him since he was 14 years old,  i think he's 18 now.   This young man is incredibly talented.   For lack of a clearer description,  think of a young Justin Timberlake,   he's got a great voice,  can dance amazingly well,  and is a genuinely great person.  Very nice, down to Earth,  and well deserving of such a great opportunity.   Oh yeah,  and he's an Ohio boy,  which is tops in my book!

Stevie Brock just signed a deal with Mosely Music Group  (A.K.A. Timbaland's record company).   Timbaland will be producing his entire album.  I cant think of a better opportunity for a young artist as well as a great opportunity for Timbaland to develop yet another budding star.  So,  you dont know him now,  But Stevie Brock will probably be a household name in a year or so,  keep your ears open.   Big congrats to you Stevie!   Make the most of it!

-Ken Lewis

Day 10

Tenth day in a row mixing here at Daddy's House.  Today is another Danity Kane mix. 144 tracks!!!     really beautiful song,   well,  it will be if i can mix it correctly,  so by this time tomorrow,  it will be a really beautiful sounding song,  one way or another.   Not much else to tell.   I finished a mix yesterday for the guys group  (Making the Band Season 4 guys).   My Brainworx BX Digital plugins came thru with flying colors.   I love that EQ,  nothing else is like it.

The song i'm mixing tonight has the most out of control sibilance on the vocals that i've heard in a long time,  its REALLY difficult to get the voices sounding smooth and present without the "esses" ripping your head off,  but i'm managing.  Back to work!

-Ken Lewis

Mario Winans and The Wall of Sound

So,  I'm working alot with Mario Winans this past week.  I've worked with him many times before,  and actually 2 of my Grammy Awards are from a song he co-produced by CeCe Winans titled "Pray" that i mixed.      Mario has his own MIDI and production room here at Daddy's House and i stepped in there the other night.  it is UNBELIEVABLE.   I was gonna do a list of everything he has in there,  but it would be much easier and much shorter to do a list of the things he doesnt have.    He has so many keyboards, both analog and digital,  mini keyboards and sound banks,  rack mount modules,  MPC's,  you name it,  literally,  he has it.   There were 10 full keyboards up and plugged in,  with many more in the vocal booth that can easily be swapped out and hooked up.   Modules and everything else strewn all over the place.   And i was talking to his engineer who basically said  "the scarey thing is he really uses all of them".  I'm jealous.

And did i mention that Mario is cranking out some of the sickest beats and songs I've ever heard?  I've worked with alot of the top top top beatmaking producers,  Just Blaze, Kanye, Neptunes, Trackmasters,  etc...  Mario is every bit as good as any of these incredibly talented names.  And of course,  similar to Kanye West,  he is also a platinum artist in his own right.  His new album is slated for June.  i HOPE i get to mix some of it.  Just wanted to share.   

I'm mixing a song for the R&B guys from Making The Band Season 4 tonight.  So far the mix is going well.  i wanted to drop in a blog while they are installing some rental gear and software for me.

-Ken Lewis

Holy Audio Tracks Bat Man!

OK,  so i'm still at Daddy's House, Day 8,  finishing up mix 3.   Why does it take 8 days to mix 3 songs you ask?   Well,  first go read my other posts from Daddy's House for some deeper perspective on that question,  but the other,  short, laymans,  simple,  easy answer is...

I didnt count the total number of tracks on the first song i mixed but it was probably the highest track count session of the three mixes.

The second song i mixed  (Danity Kane's first single) had 165 tracks used in the mix.  thats 165,  with a hundred,  then a sixty five.

The song i'm just completing right now,  that i've been mixing for a solid 2 days,  has 159 tracks,  thats a hund....  never mind.  

Do you have any idea how long it takes to sort, blend, EQ, compress, effect, arrange, etc... 165 tracks!   I think your getting the picture.

Having said all that,  IMHO,  this mix is coming out sounding AMAZING.  Definite hit single.  The new Danity Kane album is going to be big big big!

-Ken Lewis

Man On Earth Features

Awesome indie rock band "Man On Earth" from New York City,  is a band i've been producing for a while now.  They were featured this week on the main page of  PureVolume.com  (they just got bumped from the main page tonight,  of course right when i blog about it.

Anyway,  the direct link to their Pure Volume page is  HERE

They've had over 11,000 spins in the last 7 days!  How's that for exposure?

They were also recently featured on A&R buzz website  Kings of A&R    Scroll down a bit and you can find them.  Everything is buzzing right now and we are really close to finishing two new great songs.

ROCK

-Ken Lewis

1st Mix Prologue

So, i forgot to fire off a blog when i finished the first single for the new Making the Band boys.  IT literally went straight to mastering  (actually as i type this,  the Danity Kane single i just finished is ALREADY at mastering!!!).   Anyway,  everybody around here really LOVES the mix,  which of course made me feel really super great as i worked so hard on it.  The Danity Kane girls were all smiles ear to ear listening to the final mix of their song today.  It must be a great feeling as an artist KNOWING you just completed a smash that will certainly continue a career which is already off to a strong start!   Good luck to both "Bands",  they are truly a bunch of talented folks who really earned their way into their positions.  If there's one thing i can definitely attest to,  Puffy knows how to pick talent,  and he requires everyone work very hard to earn their keep.  I dont mind at all.

-Ken

Danity Kane Smash Hit

Its 4:34pm, Friday afternoon. I've been at Daddy's House Studios in NYC (P Ditty's studio) since 3pm Thursday afternoon, working straight thru, with no sleep, no naps, and only a single 20 minute jaunt outside for some fresh air, but i feel absolutely exhilarated right now. You ask WHY? Well, i'll tell you why.

About 5 minutes ago, i printed the final pass on what, mark my words, will be a smash hit. You will hear this song on the radio. alot. so much so maybe that you get tired of hearing this song on the radio. I assure you i will never tire of hearing it. This song is a SMASH. I'm not sure if i'm allowed to tell the title, so i'll err on the side of caution and just tell you the single is  tentatively slated for release on January 29th.

The artist is Danity Kane, remember them, 5 young ladies from Making The Band Season 3? They also had a platinum album, and this is the first single from their upcoming sophomore album which, again, mark my words, will be a smash. There are so many good songs on this record. I am so happy to be a part of it. What a tremendous week. It started with mixing the first single for the as yet un-named male R&B group comprised of the Making the Band Season 4, and i imagine that single will be dropping when they pick a name. get on with it already guys!!!! I've got radio to listen to, MTV to watch!

Tomorrow i'm coming back to mix another Danity Kane song, or maybe another song from the male R&B group. This is pretty typical, me not knowing who i'm going to mix until about an hour AFTER i show up to the session. For instance, a few years back i got a call from Just Blaze asking me to fly to LA early the next morning to mix a song for Mariah Carey. At noon LA time i walked in to the studio, started pulling up the faders then recognized a very familiar voice. Jay-Z was also featured on the song. Who knew? Not me until about an hour into the mix. Stuff like that is not uncommon. Its also not uncommon not to even know who i'm mixing at all. Very often producers hire me to mix. they usually tell me where and when, but often not who. Surprises are fun. I can't wait to see who i'm mixing tomorrow. both of these albums are chock full of great songs. The Runners produced a song for the male group that Mary Brown wrote the lyric to and the song is incredible, though i'd expect no less from those two. The best thing about working on these albums is that all five artists in both groups (5 boys, 5 girls) can really really sing! Thats kinda rare too, though you wouldnt think, but it is.

Anyway, I am really rambling, still high on adrenaline. I hope you are having a great day too! 
-Ken Lewis

PS.  wow,  i just went thru and proof read my spelling (i think i fixed everything),  but its funny,  i can really tell my brain is not totally here.  funny what things you type when you've been awake for well over 24 hours straight.

Your Not gonna Believe This....but....

I'm still mixing this single for the "Making The Band" guys (they havent decided on a name yet). Its day 3, i have spent a total (so far) of 42 hours at the studio over the last 3 days, plus another 4+ hours of drive time. Its 3:26am and we just got back another round of changes from Puffy. Its all very little things, and its tedious, but i dont mind. Hit records dont come around every day, so if it takes 3 days to make this one, a year from now i wont care how long i spent in the studio, I'll remember all the times i heard it on the radio and watched it on MTV.

So, what the hell took so long to mix you ask? Well, for the record, i'm not that slow of a mixer, actually i';d consider myself pretty fast. But, when i started mixingthe song, the bridge was apparently a re-write which Puffy hadn't heard yet. When he heard it, it wasn't cutting it for a single, so he gathered up his incredibly talented camp of writers, and everyone started cranking out new Bridge re-writes. This song has had 7 different bridges that i have heard myself, and i think there were more before the first one i heard. So, all of this re-writing and re-recording was happening while i was supposed to be mixing, which kind of grinds things to a halt a little bit. Finally last night (Monday night) around Midnight, Puffy approved a bridge, and then the tracking engineer spent another 4 hours tracking vocals (again, not cause he's slow, because there were THAT MANY Vocal tracks on the bridge to sing, perform, and polish). Finally by 4:30am we had a finished bridge. I left at 6am Tuesday morning, came back at 1pm, and we've been tweeking, printing a mix, having it messengered to Puffy, or waiting for Puffy to come to the studio to hear it and work on the changes, and finally at 3:30am we are either EXTREMELY Close to a final version, or in fact done. But we wont know until tomorrow when we hear from Puffy. Oh yeah, we also recorded Puffy's ad libs today, and re recorded a couple lines that one of the singer had to perform better, all during the "Mix" session. So, hopefully tomorrow around noon (which will be day 4) we can print this mix and start another song mix.

So, this may all seem incredibly crazy to you. and on one level it certainly is. I certainly don't like waiting around while new bridges get written and recorded, However, i'll say a few things. Puffy (much like other producers i admire such as Kanye and Just Blaze) is very good at raising the bar, finding the little things that by themselves mean nothing really, but taken as a sum of all changes really make a difference, or making the really big changes, like listening to bridge re-writes until he's got the one that inspires him. This also should be a wake up call to any young producer or young artist as to how steep the competition is. How high the bar really is when your trying to produce a hit record. It is very very high. And maybe this explains how Puffy and Bad Boy have been making hit records for over 15 years consistently.

Now stay tuned, looks like i'll be here all week, maybe next, so i'll keep blogging if anyone is paying attention.

-Ken Lewis

Hello From Daddy's House

For clarity, "Daddy's House" is Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Ditty, Ditty's recording studio in Midtown Manhattan. I call him Puffy or Puff because i've been working with him on and off since 1993 and thats how i've always known him. Its now Monday evening at 10:30pm. I got here Sunday at 6pm, left at 3:30am, and got back here at 11am this morning. I'm currently mixing the first single for the new "Making The Band" album. Cant tell you the title but you'll hear it on the radio soon enough. Mario Winans is producing the song, Brian Cox wrote the lyrics and melody, and Ditty is overseeing it all personally. So we have a star studded team surrounding some truly amazing singers. And me :-)

Anyway, now for some boring tech stuff. I'm mixing in the Neve VR60 room here. On the vocals I'm using various combinations of GML and Neumann EQ's as well as Distressors and Summit compressors, with some 902 De-essers, and of course, lots of in the box plugins helping shape things as well. I have 4 sets of monitors. The main's are very very loud Augsbergers, then we have Tannoy DMT 12 System II's, then my Event SP8's, and my boom box.

Funny i just installed an SSL in my own studio, and here i sit in another room mixing away. I love going around and working in other rooms though, and i've probably worked in over 100 major studios in my career, and a hundred more small studios. Have ears - will travel. Though my own studio is hands down my favorite.

Anyway, as i predicted, I am roaring out of the gate in 2008. This year belongs to ME. gotta go, Puffy just walked in, time to get back to work. This session belongs to HIM.

-Ken Lewis

John Legend Music Video - "Another Again"

Look what i just found! I didnt even know they did a video for this song! Anyway, enjoy the video, i produced this song with John Legend. Its his 4th single off the current album and charted #6 on Billboard Adult R&B Airplay, as well as #30 on Billboard Hot 100 R&B singles.

ANOTHER AGAIN - VIDEO

Enjoy.
-Ken Lewis

Featured Producer on PMP worldwide dot com

I have a production partner named Brent Kolatalo. Together we call ourselves "The Skywalkers" (and yes the force is strong with us :-)

Anyway, there is a very well respected Urban Producer Website here PMPWorldwide.com and today The Skywalkers were the #1 Featured Producers on the entire site. Check out the left side of the home page under "Featured Producers" and look for The Skywalkers.

Of exceptional note, many of the producers on this site, as well as most of the other featured producers are very well known and all platinum status. I am a Platinum, #1 Producer as well, with a hit single under my belt, so i'm not doing so badly myself, but still, its so nice to be recognized on such a high profile site. Also of note, the people who run the site have sole control over who is featured (meaning i had no influence, they heard our productions and decided to feature us). I'm done patting myself on the back. its 5am, and I've had a very long day/night of work. The new SSL Console sounds AMAZING!

-Ken Lewis

MAJOR STUDIO ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!

I just bought an SSL Mixing Console! It has arrived and we installed it on Saturday. I've been putting it thru its paces ever since. I bought an SSL AWS 900+. What a beautiful console and an absolutely perfect fit for my mixing philosophy and approach. My entire 15 year professional career, i have been practically born and raised on SSL consoles. From tracking to mixing, from the old E Series consoles up thru the 9000J and 9000K consoles, I have done hundreds if not 1,000 sessions on SSL's. Looks like i'll be doing 1,000 more in the next 3 or 4 years :-)

I've also worked on just about every other type of console ever made (literally), but for mixing, my favorite has always been SSL, so now my studio has a new crown jewel. AND the best part, i'm not even raising my rates!

-Ken Lewis

Year End / New Year

2007 was not my favorite year. Alot of my family members faced very serious health problems and i had open heart surgery 6 months ago. I'd like 2008 to be a very healthy year for everyone i know. So far so good for me. I feel great and feel like i'm in great health. I plan to never be on the operating table again. Having said that, i must admit it gives me a measure of clarity that I never possessed before, as well as a much deeper appreciation for life and how quickly it can all change. All of you, take care of your health now so its not a problem down the road. And for God's sake, if you are having a lingering pain for a month in your left arm and chest, GO TO THE DOCTOR! It saved my life. And try not to wait a month :-)

2007 was a slower year for label stuff, with a very bright shining highlight. I am now a platinum producer (John Legend's album "Once Again") and i also produced a hit single from that album, a song titled "Another Again" which charted #6 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay Chart, and #30 on the Billboard Top 100 R&B Singles chart. In 2007, i also produced songs featuring an absolute Who's Who of Jamaican artists, including Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Sizzla, KK Alese, Delly Ranx, RGX and a few more. I'll be doing more of that this year.

I had several near misses this year that really broke my heart. Kanye West once again called on me to recreate a bunch of samples for his Graduation album. I recreated the Michael Jackson sample for "Good Life", I recreated the sample for "Everything I Am", and a couple other songs. In the end, he ended up clearing the samples and not using the recreations. F'ing heartbreaking, but not unexpected. Kanye wants what Kanye wants and i can hardly blame him. I was also called upon to recreate samples for Common's album for the song's "Southside" and "The People". both samples eventually got cleared. Still heartbreaking as both songs and the album are up for several Grammy nominations. And finally Just Blaze called upon me to recreate the sample for Saigon's song "Come On Baby", to which he was amazed when i sent him back the recreation, but again, the song got cleared. I have come to realize that one of the main reasons labels and producers hire me nowadays to do sample recreations is to give them negotiating leverage in clearing the sample. In other words, if the parties being difficult about clearing the sample know that Ken Lewis is recreating it, they very often have a change of heart. I guess thats life, but it cost me about ten Grammy nominations. UGH. Kanye also called me to collaborate on a movie soundtrack this past year. Basically co-producing with him. As of right now the project is on hold, and I dont know if it will kick start back up. 2007 was definitely a year of frustrations. 2008 will be a year of breakouts.

Rock production saw the completion of the Small Town Sleeper album for Upper 11 Records in March, and their subsequent touring with Chris Daughtry this past summer. The album still isnt on shelves but will be soon, and is currently available on itunes. I also produced Houston hard rockers "Glass Intrepid" who are being courted by labels right now as well as playing dozens of shows with major artists. I also produced 2 international hits for Icelandic pop rock artist "BMV". The latest single charted well in 9 countries and Top Ten in a few countries. We are finishing up his newest single now, expect more hits from BMV in 2008!

I have mixed for clients all over the globe this year including America, Canada, Iceland, Australia, United Kingdom, Cayman Islands, Faroe Islands, Japan, Germany, Russia, United Arab Emirates, India, Norway, Italy, and I'm sure i'm missing somebody. Of course with the way the US dollar has nose dived against foreign currencies, I'm practically giving away my services in a few countries, but for the most part, money still kind of spends the same here, so its all relative. Thank you to all of my awesome clients who i truly enjoy working with and working for. Keep making great music!

2008 Resolutions. I'm kind of big on setting big goals and then finding a way to make them happen. I've got several big goals for 2008 that i wont elaborate on, suffice it to say I plan on you all hearing my name alot.

I have a very big announcement coming for myself and the studio in a week or so, suffice it to say, I am not playing around in 2008. I'm coming out with all guns blazin.

I wish you all a very healthy, happy and successful 2008!

Sincerely,

-Ken Lewis