StudioPros

 Are you a songwriter that has been writing for years and have no recordings to show for it?  You are not alone.  We have worked with many artists in the past that are “closet songwriters” looking to get their material out, but unsure of what the next step is.

Bennet Henry is the classic example of a talented songwriter who was keeping his songs to himself.  This Pacific Northwest business man is not a musician by profession, but loves music just as much as any other songwriting enthusiast.  He started out working with the Pros last fall by sending us his traditional country melodies a cappella without any instruments.  He had a slew of old crooner sounding songs he’d written on long plane rides, and compiled from various experiences in his daily life.

Studio Pros’ production manager Kati O’Toole heard promise in his melodies, even though his recordings were very rough and encouraged him to move forward with his music and get some guitar tracks to accompany his vocals.  Our talented guitarist Adam Rodeh took Henry’s melodies and created the backing guitar parts to transform his swooning melodies into full sounding songs. 

 

 Where's Your Alaska- Bennet Henry: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Having fun getting his ideas transformed into songs, Henry ordered layers of guitars for all of his melodies and eventually posted up his own music website where others could hear his work.  Now Henry shares his music with people across the country, not just his wife!  He’s even completed a full production of his song “Where’s Your Alaska” based off of the Jon Krakauer novel ‘Into The Wild’. 

You can be like Bennet and get your songs recorded. Remember, you don’t have to be a professional musician to get professional quality sounds.  At Studio Pros, we can help meet your goal of getting your songs produced.  Did you ever think you could have professional session players from Los Angeles play on your tracks?  Now you can.   No matter where you live, we can help you.

Send us what you’ve got, and we can help you transform your ideas into fully produced songs.  You may be the next closet songwriter brought into the public eye.

Click here to check out Bennet Henry’s site.

Learn More about Studio Pros music production service.

Many songwriters have their own home recording studios and double as the producer, engineer, songwriter, and recording artist.  Most songwriters don’t also fall into the category of “studio drummer”, and that’s where Studio Pros comes in to save the day (or the album you could say). 

 

 Gettin' It Down: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Everyone: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 Don’t waste time struggling to knock out a midi drum track on your song when you can have our studio drummer come help you!  As many of you may have realized, getting drum tracks recorded may be the most difficult step in getting your album finished.

 Aaron Frisbee, a Kentucky based songwriter, fits the above description to a tee.  He was in the process of recording his album “ReDISCOVERY” and found the drums to be the hardest part to master from his pro recording Studio640 in Louisville.  Frisbee’s songs, simple and lyrical with textures that include organic guitars, pianos, strings, anolog synthesizers and layered vocals were screaming for organic live drums to compliment the sound.

“I found the Studio Pros session drummers after working endlessly to try to sequence drums with a “human” feel. I found working with the pros studio drummer was great.  We talked about the style and approach I had in mind for the album. I sent some songs to give him an idea, a vibe (Beck’s Sea Change meets Abbey Road). Many of the drum ideas were original and the recorded sounds were great. It really made it easy to for me to bring them into the final mix.”
 
Aaron found the pros to be very approachable in the collaboration process of his drum recordings, “I would discuss revisions with the drummer and try different versions until we got it right.  I wanted ReDISCOVERY to have a classic analog sound but with modern touches – it just made sense to record live drums on most of the songs.”
 
Once Aaron had a drum track that he approved and downloaded, he had no problem importing the tracks into his Pro Tools set up from his Louisville, Kentucky home recording studio.  “It was easy. In many cases I would continue to arrange the song even after the drums were cut because we were working with a click. I would also choose my favorite fills and move them around in the song. In the case of “Believe”, I reversed some drum parts for cool transition effects.”

“Drum parts are usually really hard for singer songwriters and getting quality performances and well recorded parts can take a tremendous amount of energy if you don’t work with pros. The problem is most people can’t afford to put together a team (drummer, studio and engineer) to get their drum parts. Studio Pros makes it easy and affordable and their live drum parts definitely raise the bar of the production allowing performing producers like me to focus on one or two input recordings like vocals, guitar and keys when finishing the songs.”
 
So follow Aaron Frisbee’s lead and send your album’s tracks on over to the Pros.  We are here to help you finish your album with a professional touch! 

To buy “reDISCOVERY” go to Aaron’s website: http://www.frisbeemusic.com/

Frisbee will be touring this year as well, so check up on tour dates and locations on his site.

Click here to order Studio Pros drum tracks.

The Studio Pros musicians are still shaking the sand out of their flip flops after working on a music production for talented singer/songwriter Sean Murphy.

 

 Dream To Be: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Born in Lanikai, Hawaii and later relocating to Laguna Beach, California, you can hear the sound of the ocean in Murphy’s voice and the influences of his laid back beach lifestyle. Sean got in touch with us at Studio Pros and needed to add a more professional edge to the demo of his latest work of art “Dream To Be”.

First finding out about Studio Pros in a recording magazine, Sean took the plunge and sent out his song to the Pros. The studio musicians layed down the backing tracks to support his Jack Johnson-esque vocals which he recorded at his home studio, “I thought the musicians made very creative yet tasteful choices in keeping with the spirit of the song.”

Collaborating with the Studio Pros production team and studio musicians was Sean’s first try at producing his music online, “I actually was very surprised about how easy this was to do, and how great my music has turned out. It is very efficient in comparison to going to the studio.”

Sean didn’t stop at just letting the studio musicians come in and lay down the instrumental tracks, he also turned to our one and only Racquel Roberts to compliment his laid back melodies with her soothing backing vocals.

Sean is currently working with a New York based record label, and has continued to work with the Studio Pros on more productions. Keep your eye out for Sean in the future, as he has high hopes of hitting the road with his songs and bringing a bit of sunshine to your town.

You can check out more of Sean’s music at: www.myspace.com/seanmurphyguitar

Click here to learn more about Studio Pros music production package.

Matt Ryd, a Chicago based singer-songwriterjust recently finished up a 3 song EP with Studio Pros and took a few minutes to let us know the artist behind the song.

 

 Thought Was Wrong [3:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 All Would Change [3:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out more of Matt’s music at: http://mattryd.com

How did you discover Studio Pros?
I actually saw a small advertisement and was immediately intrigued. I’m a multi-instrumentalist, so I’ve previously recorded all of the different parts on my songs. But I’m also a huge perfectionist, and the “one-man-band” approach led mostly to a lot of stress and unfinished projects that were never deemed “good enough.” The funny thing is that it’s a lot easier for me to be satisfied with recordings of my songs when there are other people playing the backing parts. And the Studio Pros musicians are extremely talented, so I can feel very confident about handing the reins over to them. It’s nice, because it lets me focus on my singing, my guitar part, and especially the overall feel of the song.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was born and raised in the Chicago-land area (first in the suburbs, then finally moved to the city), and I’m really just a midwestern boy at heart – I can’t walk through a door without holding it for someone else, and I’ve got a total Chicago accent. My two favorite things in life are music and books, so it’s only fitting that I’m finishing a degree in English while continuing to write and record music. I absolutely love this city and got a street performer license just for the fun of busking among the amazing architecture.

How long have you been writing songs?
There’s definitely some home videos of me singing made-up songs at the tender young age of “4-ish.” The first song I remember writing happened when I was 9 or 10, and was called “Riding in the Car with the Ryds” — a first-person narration from the point-of-view of two Beanie Babies that my sister had just purchased.

I first started seriously writing songs in high school. At the time, I only played piano, so I wrote a series of pretty sappy and unfortunate piano ballads. Eventually, though, I picked up an acoustic guitar, and that’s been my primary instrument ever since.

What inspires you to write music?
Everything. My life. Other people’s lives. Stories I read. Cheesy reruns of “Gilmore Girls.” Old movies. Just…everything. I write because I can’t not write.

More than anything else, though, other music inspires me to keep creating. I’ll sit and listen to “The Joshua Tree” or “Revolver” or any great album, and as soon as it’s over, I need to pick up a guitar and start playing. Part of it’s competitive: like an “I want to try to make something like that” attitude. But I think that, really, it’s just that listening to music inspires something in all of us – when you hear a song that really touches you, it connects on a deeper level than almost anything else possibly can. And when that happens to me, I want to turn around and put something else out there to do that to others.

Do you perform your music live?
Absolutely! I can be seen all over the Chicago area, playing anywhere from bars to coffee shops to living rooms to street corners. I love all aspects of being a singer/songwriter, but the live performances are what keep me convinced that this is what I was born to do.

Matt’s MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/mattryd

Learn more about Studio Pros music production service.

Gospel music is something that’s been around for ages. Originating in the south, you can step into any southern Baptist church and hear beautiful choirs singing their hearts out on Sunday mornings. But have you ever heard of Jewish Gospel?

Robert Raede, a recent Studio Pros music production service customer came up with the idea of his Jewish gospel group “SoulAviv” after a trip to the south. “My wife and I went to Memphis, TN and visited a gospel church one Sunday. I looked around at all the excitement and intensity the music was generating and thought ‘why not do this for Jewish music?’”

 

 SoulAviv: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 SoulAviv: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This was over a year ago that Raede got the idea for Soul Aviv and they’ve been going strong ever since. Based out of Santa Barbara, CA, Soul Aviv has begun touring around all of southern California synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and festivals ever since their start.

“SoulAviv songs focus on spirituality, celebration, and making the world a better place. When you mix that with soul, gospel and world music grooves you get a high energy show that grabs audiences from the opening note.”

Aside from touring, SoulAviv has just finished a slew of productions with Studio Pros.
“I first came across Studio Pros last summer flipping through recording magazine. I’d just finished writing a song I needed demo’d for another project, and had used the Internet before for hiring studio musicians. When I saw the Studio Pro ad, I gave them a call and liked what I heard and decided to try them for one song. It came out great, and so I did 3 or 4 more. Then when it came time to do the SoulAviv CD, it was natural to use the Studio Pros team for that as well.”

Raede is close to Studio Pros’ Los Angeles recording studio headquarters, but hates the drive to LA and has nothing but good things to say about working with studio musicians online, “The Studio Pros are really good about listening to what I’ve sent on the demo, plus the comments I’ve made and coming up with something that really fits my music. Collaborating with online musicians saves me time, gas money and hotel expenses. We’re very happy with the way the recordings came out, and we’ve already licensed 5 of the songs from the new CD to a Sound Library for possible placement in TV or Film. And the CD isn’t even officially released yet.”

Learn more about Studio Pros music production service.

So he lives all the way in Sweden? No big deal. Studio Pros spoke with our favorite Scandinavian songwriter about getting his song produced online.

 

 Let Me Go: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’m 34 years old with a huge interest for writing music and performing my songs live. I started playing guitar when I was 13 years old and I wrote my first song when I was 23. I play at some local pubs with a friend of mine and sometimes we play with our two acoustic guitars and harmonica at company parties. I live 20 miles from Gothenburg in Sweden and a couple of my songs have been played on the Swedish radio stations here.

What inspired you to write this particular song?

I was playing around with the acoustic guitar and then it just “came to me” as it often does when it comes to write music & lyrics. I have built a small home recording studio where I record my music before I send them out. I’ve been actively involved in music for about five years now as a songwriter. Once I have a good recording of my material I send the songs to different record companies and radio stations.

Do you recommend recording online for other artists? Why?

Absolutely, it’s a great tool to use and it gives you a lot help if you don’t play instruments that well and if you want something really special.  Having the studio musicians come in and take my ideas and form a finished song was unbelievable.   I can say that StudioPros.com helped me in every way with my song and I can’t thank you guys enough for being so professional!

 Learn more about Studio Pros music production service.

Ever feel like your stuff isn’t good enough for other people to hear? Many musicians feel that way, and as a result, their songs just pile up and collect dust.

 

 Halo: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mark Ibberson is a perfect example of someone who decided to push through those feelings of self doubt and uncertainty, and get his songs out there to share with the world by using Studio Pros music production service.

He’s from a small village near Lake Geneva in Switzerland and has been songwriting for ten years now, but it wasn’t until 2003 that he decided to release anything. Songwriting is his passion he says, “I can do it whenever I want: Late in the evening, on the train to work… or in one of those boring meetings!” It’s usually in the most unexpected moment that inspiration hits you and you just have to write!

 Having other artists who inspire you is an important part of the songwriting process. Mark’s brother Paul is one of his main influences, along with Seal, Coldplay, Muse, Tori Amos, AaRON and Radiohead.

In 2003 Mark released his first album entitled “Goodbye Mr A” for which he used an old 300MHz PC and Cubase, 2 keyboards that went straight into an old 8 track, and he laid his vocal tracks over the top. Proving to be less than an ideal setup, Mark decided to try Studio Pros for his next album entitled “Imperfect By Design”, and continued to work with us for his EP “Look At It This Way”, which was released January 2008. Regardless of how you do it, the important thing is just to start the process of preserving your music - record it on a tape-recorder if you have to - send us the tape, and we’ll do the rest!

Mark says of working with StudioPros.com, that “it’s addictive! Online recording at Studio Pros means having a group of exceptional musicians, who each bring their own interpretation to the music. The songs don’t always end up how I had imagined when I wrote them, but that’s the beauty of collaborating with studio musicians: The different interpretations become part of the song. There is so much excitement and pleasure to hearing my songs evolve, and evolve fast!”

His advice to songwriters trying to get their album finished, is “don’t spend too much time on any one song. If it’s a good song, people will like it, even if it’s not perfect. Also, get the music out as soon as it’s ready, that way you don’t have time to get bored with the songs and can move on to new, fresh stuff.” Wise words.

So what are you waiting for? Send us your songs! Make yourself heard! We’re here at  Studio Pros  just waiting to hear your stuff!

Learn More About Studio Pros Music Production Service.

Mark Sadek Ricotta is a man of few words, but when it comes to songwriting he doesn’t hold anything back. Studio Pros just recently did a music production for Ricotta and got in touch with him to get to know the man behind the song.

 

 I Don't Wanna Lie: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

How long have you been writing songs?

“I’ve been writing since I was in junior high. I started playing guitar when I was 6 or so. I wanted a toy guitar when I was little out of curiosity and got a few lessons and that’s was about it really. I’ve been playing ever since.

Do you have any major influences in your music and songwriting style?

“My major influences would probably be early 90’s rock, a lot of classic rock, as well as cheesy pop music (it’s the truth). I take a lot from listening to the hooks in pop and applying them to my songwriting.

Have any particular bands or artists influenced your songwriting style?

“The biggest influences for me are Nirvana, Sound Garden, Led Zepplin, and the Beach Boys, and Sheryl Crow.

Where are you from?

“Originally, I was born in Greece, and then after that I was in Montreal. My parents were over in Greece for work, they were doctors, it’s a long story. Now my family lives in New Jersey. I’m currently living in Hollywood performing solo around the LA area and recording my songs.

Now You’re in LA. Has Los Angeles influenced you in any way as far as your song writing?

“I would say it has changed my songwriting because I’ve had to do a lot of acoustic shows since I’ve moved to LA, so I’ve been forced to write stuff that works acoustically. Playing solo has changed.

And you got a degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, right?

“Yes. The reason I went to Berklee is because I was already a musician and I didn’t really have much of a choice of where to go. I wasn’t really doing well in high school and so it was pretty much by default that music was what I was supposed to do. I studied Music Production and Engineering at Berklee and learned about recording techniques and production.

Do you record yourself now?

“I recently finished putting together a vocal recording studio in my apartment in Hollywood. I bought an isolation booth so I can practice and record vocals. My neighbors were getting fed up with me recording at my apartment here, so I had to do something about it.

You just recently finished up a Studio Pros music production service. What did you think about having your song recorded online? Was it something you had ever considered?

“I had never heard of getting songs produced online before Studio Pros. I had heard of exchanging ideas, but never meeting studio musicians online to play on my stuff.

Would you recommend it to others? Why?

“Yes. In my situation I would recommend this music production service to people who have an idea for a song that’s meant to be played with a full band. In my case, I wasn’t able to execute my ideas without outside help or record them because I didn’t have a full line of musicians. With Studio Pros you can get it all done in one place without having to rehearse them and deal with going into a studio and recording yourself.

Learn More about Studio Pros Music Production Service.

 Emily Russo is a Boston based diva on the rise who just recently finished a Studio Pros Music Production Service.

 

 The Price Of Letting Go: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

She has been playing piano since she was five years old, and started songwriting when she was fifteen. She is currently attending The Berklee College of Music in Boston where she is studying songwriting.  Emily draws her inspiration for songwriting from many different walks of life - both her own and other people’s. She worked with us on her song “The Price of Letting Go” and kindly answered some of my questions about her experiences with Studio Pros…

Who would you say are some of your main influences?

The Beatles for sure, but also oldies, motown, and old school metal. I’m not really influenced that much by today’s modern music.

Tell me about your experiences working with Studio Pros.

Honestly, it was great. The track sounds amazing! I was very impressed that they didn’t need a lead sheet or anything like that, they just took my song, and recorded it and arranged it, and it was ready to go!

What was your inspiration behind the track you did with us? And inspiration for your music in general?

Well it was a mix between my grandfather passing away, and how that made me feel, and then it was also about one of my best friends who passed away last year. It was nice to be able to have an outlet to express the emotions I felt as a young girl, as well as how I feel as an adult. And as far as inspiration in general, you never know when it’s going to strike. Last night for example, I was in the kitchen, and I just got inspired, and I went to the piano and had to write a song right then and there. It’s rare that I’ll actually have the patience to sit down and schedule time to write songs, usually it’s just when the inspiration strikes me that I’ll write.

Did you have a particular sound in mind for your song “The Price of Letting Go”, or did you leave the production to the players at Studio Pros?

I just kind of let them do what they wanted to do. There was one time when I asked them to change the guitar part, and they changed it exactly as I wanted them to, and that was awesome! Other than that I just kind of let them do what they wanted to do and it turned out great!

Had you ever heard of recording online before?

No. I was very surprised actually that they could do that. I was amazed that they could just hear the song and then be able to record it, just like that!

Did you have any reservations about recording online?

No. I was all for it, just because I knew it was going to be professional, and because I knew the recording equipment they were going to use was a lot better than the stuff I have, so I was all for it.

Was it an easy process for you?

Yes, it was very easy and I was able to have talented session players produce my song without having to leave Boston.  What more could I ask for?

So there you have it, we loved working with her, and we hope to do so again some time in the future.

Learn more about Studio Pros Music Production Service