Re-Inventing
The Music Biz
ON RECORD:
Paul Camarata, Sharon Corbitt-House &
Tino Passante
Discuss The Music & Recording Biz
Profile: Paul Camarata/President-Owner, Sunset
Sound Recorders & Sound Factory, Hollywood
Founded in 1958, Sunset Sound Recorders is arguably the oldest,
independently-owned facility in the world, offering three large studios
plus a ProTools Suite at its main Sunset Boulevard location, plus two
additional studios and a tracking room at the nearby Sound Factory,
which was purchased in 1982. The multi-room complex has hosted a
wide cross section of contemporary artists, including such luminaries
as
K. D. Lang, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morrissette, Beck, The Wallflowers,
Los Lobos, Tom Waits, Crowded House,
Bonnie Raitt, Counting Crows
and many, many others.
Contact: 323.469-1186 | paul@sunsetsound.com
Profile: Sharon Corbitt-House/Studio Manager, Sound Kitchen,
Nashville
Described as the largest recording facility in the Southeast, Sound
Kitchen offers six studios within its 19,000 square foot complex. The
Big Boy Studio offers over 3,000 square feet of tracking space. Brooks
and Dunn recorded two Platinum albums at Sound Kitchen: Steers and
Stripes and Red Dirt Road. Montgomery Gentry’s Something To Be
Proud Of, which spent two weeks atop the Billboard chart, was tracked
and mixed in The Big Boy; Keith Urban’s Better Life was tracked in
Studio A. The facility is currently nominated for a 2007 TEC in the
category of Outstanding Creative Achievement, Record
Production/Single or Track (Mixing Facility) for Rascal Flatts single,
"What Hurts the Most.”
Contact: 615.370-5773| sharon@soundkitchen.com
Profile: Tino Passante/Studio Manager, Avatar Studios, New
York City
Founded in 1996 within the former Power Station on 53rd Street
between 9th and 10th Avenues, Avatar Studios comprises a 33,000
square foot facility with four main studios plus a Pro Tools pre-
production and Penthouse mix suite. The studio won three TEC Awards
during the last five years in the category of Record Production/Album -
for Diana Krall’s The Look of Love (2002), Sheryl Crow’s C’mon C’mon
(2003), and Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat (2006). The facility has
played host to luminaries such as Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, The
Rolling Stones, Barbara Streisand and Mariah Carey, in addition to Eric
Clapton, Norah Jones, John Mayer,
Elvis Costello, and The Mars Volta.
Contact: 212.765-7500| tino@avatarstudios.net
AP: What defines the "New Music Industry”?
“The long-form album format is fading,” Paul Camarata considers,
“with listeners preferring singles. 45s have returned, albeit in digital
form! iTunes is the 21st Century digital jukebox. Other definitions:
iPods, YouTube and American Idol. Let the listener choose the next big
thing; demand pull instead of demand push. The traditional labels are
losing control of their own industry. The buyer is dictating the terms
more now than ever; all the professional gatekeepers of musical tastes
are being pushed aside.”
”I don’t think you can say any one thing defines the new music
industry today,” Sharon Corbitt-House counters. “It is in a continual
state of change and evolution. I compare it to the Wild West where
anything goes. There have always been systems and structures for
people on the service side of the industry, like ourselves, to be able to
survive, make a living and provide the best service. I see advertising
agencies doing deals with artists and, for a part ownership, paying the
studio and production bills. Artists are getting clever at finding ways to
fund their next projects. It’s definitely more of a partnership with the
artists now.”
“With CD sales down and alternative means of distribution still in their
infancy,” says Tino Passante, “the New Music Industry is adapting to a
new model of making and dispersing content. Not every record will
have a $300k budget; some may only have $80k! We have to find
creative ways to do more with less money and keep the quality at a
high standard!”
AP: What has impacted your business the most during the past
five years?
“The transition from analog to digital," Camarata offers, “and from
tape to hard-disk formats. Also, the downsizing and consolidation of
the major record labels and their artist rosters, and the rise of the ‘All-
In’ budgets. Self-financing of albums by the artists is becoming quite
popular. Although there is less business to go around for everyone, we
still stay extremely busy. “
“ProTools and The Internet, hands down,” Corbitt-House offers.
“Shrinking label budgets have forced producers to make records at
home, or in sub-par recording spaces, or a combination of the two,”
says Passante. “Those that have noticed the drop-off in quality always
return to a proper studio, even if for a fraction of the time as before.”
AP: How has digital media affected the process of recording a
session? What has your facility done to adapt?
“We have acquired ProTools systems,” Camarata recalls, “and added
FireWire drives to our media stock. The recording process takes longer
with ProTools because of the infinite flexibility in audio manipulation;
there are no limits to ‘razor-blading’ a track or song. We still do 50:50
analog versus digital.”
“It used to be that a project was recorded, overdubbed and
mixed at a major facility,” Corbitt-House offers. “Now, a lot of
projects are tracked with me, overdubbed at a home studio and
then they come back to mix. I have adapted by being a little
more available to my clients’ projects, serving on some levels
as a production coordinator. If I can help them find ways to
save money on the project, that leaves more money for the ac-
tual recording, overdubbing and mixing process. I know a lot of
people will say that it’s self serving for me not to want clients
to work in home studios, but I can honestly say that I think
just being in a supported environment where people actually
care about your artistic vision and interpretation is a plus.”
“These days the recording is at the mercy of a $100 hard drive,”
Passante says, “whereas in the past you may have been using a robust
tape recorder of $50k-$250k! We have practices in place to insure
against data loss. We have a backup policy in place, and we have
detailed labeling practices to prevent ‘lost’ files. We do preventative
maintenance on our recording systems to ensure rock-steady session
performance.”
AP: Which genres of music are the most challenging to record?
“Live, large-format bands,” Camarata offers, “since they are resource-
and personnel-intensive.”
“From a cost perspective,” Corbitt-House considers, “string dates are
the most challenging, but that’s not genre specific. I might have 60
string players on a session for which I need to provide beverages and
snacks and charge the same amount as I would a client coming in to
track with four to seven players in the same room. But I love the fact
that we have this large room and are in a town that can still provide a
large orchestra for a recording session.”
“That probably has to be large orchestral film scores,” Passante
agrees. “Aside from having as many as 40 musicians in the session,
there's also the director, composer, conductor, music supervisor,
music editor, music producer and engineer all with specific needs that
need to be accommodated. From a technical standpoint, these types of
sessions are very demanding and time is of the utmost essence. There
cannot be a minute of downtime. These types of sessions cannot be
pulled off in anything less than a world class, impeccably staffed
facility.”
AP: How have the roles of producers and engineers changed?
“Due to reduced budgets, some are now one and the same,” Camarata
considers. “The second point is that the artists themselves very often
determine the choice of studio based on ambience instead of technical
issues. Producers and engineers give them options, but the artist often
has the final say.”
“They haven’t changed creatively,” Corbitt-House says, “The only
difference is that, since there are smaller budgets for production
coordinators, more of the budgeting falls on the shoulders of the
producer. To me that’s got to be hard - it’s a left brain versus right
brain deal. These days a good producer definitely has to work through
a lot before he walks through my doors. I see a lot of engineers going
above and beyond what they use to have to do.
Because there are more home studios and overdubbing done there, an
engineer has to piece all it together and make it work. It’s a lot of
pressure and a lot of file management.” Corbitt-House offers a recent
example of moving beyond conventional client services. “I had an
artist who recorded with me a few months ago - a really talented guy
with an amazing producer that has worked with me for several years.
He really wanted to work on his songwriting more and to become more
connected with the Nashville writing community. I made three phone
calls and set him up with three different publishers in town to co-write
with their writers. I believe in him and I wanted to help him.”
“The role of the producer has evolved as technology has
evolved,” Passante agrees. “A producer today is not only pro-
ducing the session, but also keenly involved in the technology -
often times bringing their own setups into the studio. They
have a pretty intimate knowledge of workstations, software,
plug-ins, etc. Aside from being audio recording experts, engi-
neers are expected to know all of the workstation tools a pro-
ducer (and sometimes the artist) might want to use. Today's
engineer is a hybrid audio recordist/computer tech.”
AP: How have artist and label expectations changed over the
past five years?
“The labels want more for fewer dollars from the artists and vendors,”
states Camarata.
“Used to be that an A&R guy would sign someone because they
believed in the artists and the artist’s vision,” Corbitt-House recalls.
“Now they also have to be creative and support the artist’s vision on a
smaller budget. And no one really knows what is going to work -
Radio? Digital? Street Team/Online Marketing? There are more
variables at play. We have got to slow down, look each other in the
eye and listen!”
“With label staff shrinking, they now pass on tasks to the producer and
studios,” says Tino Passante. “We manage their artists' time in the
studio and we look after their budgets! Rarely does the label come to
the studio to check on things.
AP: What wastes the most time during a recording session?
“Deciding what restaurant their next meal is coming from,” says
Camarata, with a wince. “Otherwise, most sessions are operating at
maximum efficiency due to time and money constraints.”
“An engineer trying to figure out what the hell is on a hard drive that
came from somewhere, unmarked and with no documentation,”
Corbitt-House reflects with a knowing look in her eye. “Un-rehearsed
bands,” says Passante.
AP: Do records today rely more on technology than musicality?
“Digital technology can manipulate the deficiencies of the artists,”
Camarata offers, “if you know what I mean? Technology can be a
great equalizer - no pun intended!”
“Recently, an engineer noticed more and more singers mimicking Auto
Tune, the tonal quality,” Corbitt-House recalls. “That scares the hell
out of me! You would never hear Willie Nelson, for example, sounding
like anyone else other than Willie Nelson. I am seeing more artists
wanting to get back to things not being quite as perfect. I had an artist
who was so proud of the fact that there was no Auto Tune used on his
vocals - and it sounded amazing. I have always used this motto: ‘It’s
the imperfections that make it perfect.’ Music should rub up against
you like silk or sandpaper, either way you feel it.”
“Most engineers today are looking at the screen during a recording,
rather than listening in the sweet spot,” says Passante. “What does
that tell you?”
AP: Should producers receive royalties?
“They do!” Camarata states. “It’s called ‘Points’.”
“Yes,” Corbitt-House agrees. “When you figure up all the time that is
spent in pre-production, actual studio time, comping, overdubbing,
mixing and mastering a record, and then figure up how much a
producer is paid on the front end of that project, you realize that they
make a lot less than they should. It is a lot of hard work.”
“Of course,” Passante concludes. “They make it all happen.”
We also asked our trio to take the Atlas Plugged Poll and rate, on a
scale from 1-5 (1 being the most important; 5 being the least
important) how the following aspects impact the success of a record
release:
Mel Lambert has been intimately involved with music production
industries on both sides of the Atlantic for more years than he cares to
remember. Now principal of Media&Marketing, a Los Angeles-based
consulting service for the professional audio industry, he can be
reached at mel.lambert@MEDIAandMARKETING.com; +1/818.753-
9510.
