Producers and other musical things...

You all know that I'm in the midst of making my own album. What some of you don't know is how this all came to be and who I'm working with. Well, here's your chance to see a little of what I do. I work for a company called LA Production Studio. The owner is a fellow Winnipeger called Brad Lang. Brad is an awesome producer. He's been in the business almost as long as I've been alive and it shows.

Brad and I started working together because of a song that I was recording for my Aunt, Stacey. He heard me play piano and asked if I would start doing some studio work for some other artists that were recording with him. I said yes. While I was helping with these artists, the topic of doing my own album came up. Again I said yes.

Let me stop at this point and say that this was the most frightening thing I had ever agreed to do. I am such a perfectionist and I constantly worry that my songs won't be good enough, that people won't like what they hear, etc. Well, this week I started to panic. I was doubting everything I was doing and I didn't know how to articulate my insecurities to Brad. So I chickened out and emailed him. True to his professional form, Brad called me the minute he had read the email and proceeded to talk with me for a good hour. We talked about the mechanics of song writing...what makes a great song...his feelings about the project...my feelings about the project, etc. It was a great conversation. I felt totally energized afterward and ready to start writing again. This is what producers do, people. They are your protector from people who are out to exploit you, they are your encouragement when you're doubting yourself, they push you to do bigger and better things, they don't let you slack off. That's all on top of actually producing the music that you write! He spends a lot of time caring for his artists and I for one appreciate the effort he puts into each and every one of our projects. Now I know why the producers are usually in the top 5 people thanked at award shows. They deserve it!

The other people who deserve huge thanks when making an album is family. My husband, John is a huge support to me and is always around to stay with the kids while I'm off recording for hours on end. He has banished himself upstairs many nights so that I have the downstairs free from distractions to write after the kids go to bed. He cheers me on, listens to my ranting when I'm frustrated, and, from what I hear, he brags to anyone who will listen! My kids have put up with me rushing away for recording and missing bath times and bed time stories. When they hear one of my songs they yell to all their friends, "That's my MOM!!". It makes me proud. My parents and my sister listen to all my songs before they're ever recorded and endure hours of listening to me talk about my experiences. They give great feedback and have lots of ideas to make things better. I couldn't do without their input, even though I know it's a little bias!

So many people are helping me make this dream a reality...and really, it's only just beginning! We have just layed the scratch track (1st edition) of my first song. We are going to send it off to a bass player, lead guitar and drummer to add their talents to it. I have one more song ready to go but I'm not going to record anymore until I have 4 or more songs ready. That way we can send a bunch to the other musicians and really start working on some of this stuff.

So that's where I'm at. Here are some pics of the studio that I work in...just in case you wanted to see where all the magic happens!



Above is the music room. This is where all the instruments are kept and where all instrumental recording happens. Usually I end up singing in this room as well. This room has changed a little. In the picture, the guitars are where the piano now sits. The drums are digital now which is great for late night sessions and the guitars are now on the opposite wall with a bunch of pedals and stuff that makes no sense to me because I don't play guitar! Usually it's a lot darker in there with candles lit. It makes for a very relaxing work environment.




This is the room where we listen to the things we have recorded. The person taking the picture is sitting on the couch where I typically sit and listen to my scratch tracks and talk about upcoming projects. The little window that you see is a sound booth where vocals can be recorded. It's the size of a very small closet. Not good for a clausterphobic like me which is why I usually sit in the instrument room. There's a lot more equipment in this room that was cut off in the picture.



This is another picture of the instrument room. Where you see a keyboard on the top right is where the bass player now goes. Again there are a bunch of pedals and things they can plug into that make no sense to me. The monitor that you see on the left helps me see Brad while I'm recording. He has cameras in every room so that we can see each other while we play. The window with the blue light in the top left is another sound booth for vocal work.

So that's where I work, people! Hope you liked the tour! If you need a commercial done for something or you're thinking of recording some music, visit Brad's site which is highlighted in the first paragraph of this mamoth post.