INTERVIEW W/ JOEY SANTIAGO
This month I had the pleasure of interviewing composer and guitarist Joey Santiago. For those of you who don't know, Joey is the guitarist for the Pixies , the Martinis, and has composed the score for Showtime's "Weeds", Fox's "Undeclared", the theme to the Cartoon Network's "Sunday Pants" as well as various films such as "Radiant City." Joey is currently a composer for one of the biggest post production company's in the world... Elias Arts. Read more here
RECENT CLIENTS
- Quentin Elias
- Lassic
- Randy Niles
- Raspberry Cocaine
- Skyhill
- Minstrel Flux
- Marzipan Dreamboat
- Curtis Spence
- Johnnie Burton
- Kendrick
RECENT PLAYLIST
- Beck "The Information"
- Mission of Burma "The Obliterati"
- Built To Spill "You in Reverse"
- Da Shiek "Urban Renaissance"
- Bill Withers "Live at Carnegie Hall"
- Los Lobos "The Town And The City"
- R.L. Burnside "Too Bad Jim"
- Gogol Bordello "Gypsy Punks"
- Dischord Records Remasters
- Public Enemy "Revolverlution"
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Greetings!
Ah December. Where does the time go? We had our busiest month yet and yes, I skipped last month's newsletter to bring you an even bigger and better one. It won't happen again (the skipping part anyway).
Right off the bat I would like thank Elia Rodia in Italy for kindly asking to repost my blog-article on mastering/mixing tips. Proof positive that the internet has made the world that much smaller...
Our official .com site is up. Hoorray! Studio and bio pictures are still pending but swing by and check it out. Designer Andrew Enoch did an excellent job...
We have recently upgraded our mastering chain to include a Apogee Rosetta 800/192 khz and the legendary Manley Variable Mu (Mastering Version). All I can say is the sound of a hi-quality A/D D/A converter coupled with a hand-made tube compressor (4 tubes a side) is still unrivaled by any cheap analog OR digital substitutes. Gear isn't everything but it certainly helps...
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| SOUND BITES |
It's no news to anybody that over the last few years commercial recording studios have been closing in droves and yet every where I look there's a new recording-arts school popping up. Most of these schools offer various "degrees" in recording, music biz, and software certification and encourage potential students to pursue their "dream job working in the exciting music industry." I had a couple of thoughts on the subject that I wanted to share...
1. Getting a degree from one of these schools does not guarantee you a job in the field... especially when there's more graduates than there are places to work.
2. These schools aren't cheap. Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $15-$30 g's. You can get some great recording gear for that price...
3. Assuming, with a stroke of luck, you land a "dream job" at a commercial studio... prepare to work 50-70 hour weeks, at $8-10 bucks an hour, cleaning bathrooms, making coffee, getting lunch, and ensuring that Mr. or Mrs. rock star only have green M&M's in the studio lounge... meaning, you will not be in the studio assisting the engineer and getting much needed "hands-on" experience with your trade. Maybe, after a year or two, you can slip into the studio during off hours (read: graveyard shift) and start making some noise.
4. Software certification. Now, I advertise that I'm Pro-Tools certified and I've had plenty of engineering buddies scoff at these credentials.. mainly because it has absolutely nothing to do with good engineering... and I agree. Most of these schools charge an arm and a leg for you to be able to say you're "certified"... All I can say is my editing skills are lightning fast, I never get bogged down in software hitches, and I don't mind fielding Pro-Tools questions all day long from my counterparts. No pretense.
Just remember there's a lot of ways to get to the same place and experience is key. I cut my teeth as an artist on a 4-track cassette recorder in the late 80's, recorded and produced my first album for Sony/Work Group in 1996 using an early Pro Tools TDM rig, started professionally engineering and mastering for-hire in 2001 and never looked back. I know plenty of talented, working engineers who never attended a trade school but definitely know their trade. Something to think about...
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| QUESTION OF THE MONTH |
"I am confused about the difference between file compression (ie MP3s) and audio compression (as in compressing the bass track)... please enlighten me."
Audio DATA compression (found in various proprietary formats such as .WMA, .MP3, .M4A, etc) is an algorithm used to reduce the original sound data (usually 16 bit, 44.1 khz Orange Book CD audio) by roughly a factor of 12 while preserving sound quality (with varying degrees of success). It's sole purpose is to efficiently store and transfer audio files and has absolutely nothing to do with your listening pleasure (although it can negatively affect it).
Audio level compression is the reduction of dynamic range in exchange for greater perceived volume. It accomplishes this by reducing peaks that exceed a user-defined threshold and increasing valleys. In other words, making loud parts softer and quieter parts louder. The amount of gain reduction is determined by a ratio. For example: a ratio of 4:1 means an increase of 4db will be needed to increase the output signal level by 1 db over the threshold. "Limiting" is compression with a higher ratio and generally a faster attack time.
Have a good holiday! Thanks for reading and we'll see you in January...
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