StudioPros

How to avoid the pitfalls of your previous studio experiences—and vastly improve your chances to get your song published with major A&R representatives.

Stephen McElligott reminisces about a recording he made of one of his songs in a local studio. “I wasn’t happy with that production, really,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh gosh, how am I gonna save this?’ I basically turned around and found Studio Pros and thought, ‘Brilliant, they’re my savior.’”

McElligott has been playing music since he was seven years old. He wrote his first song at 16 and soon began playing in clubs and venues around Ireland and Scotland. His music is influenced by music that spans many decades, from The Beatles to Glen Hansard. But after years of writing and performing, McElligott still hadn’t achieved a major goal: recording a professional sounding, radio-quality version of his songs. “I’ve worked with musicians before, and it’s like wearing a blindfold when you take them into the studio because you’ve gotta pay them, and you don’t know how good they are, you haven’t really heard their stuff,” he explains.

Recording A Song Professionally Without Breaking The Bank

The Irish guitarist/singer/songwriter had been in need of a polished, professional recording solution that wouldn’t break the bank. Plus, he was hoping to have better luck submitting his music to TAXI to get song placements and licensing opportunities. He stumbled upon Studio Pros while searching online for recording studios and decided to learn more. “I clicked on it and thought, this is cool, and it’s affordable,” he says. “I had a listen to some samples and thought it was brilliant. I really needed this with the budget I’m on. I would spend 250 Euros on a musician for a day in the studio, whereas Studio Pros is only $125. I thought it was fantastic—it’s not often that you get to work with really good professional musicians, you know?”

Listen to Stephen’s track “She Blew Me Away,” produced by Studio Pros:

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“With Studio Pros, they give you a listen to the musicians’ capabilities, what they’re able to do, and the versatility that the musicians there have. And that really was the winner for me. It was the overall sound even more than the price.” (more…)

Thinking his music career was over, Arizona-based artist Tony Perre used Studio Pros to get back in the game.

“My experience with Studio Pros has allowed me to dream a little bit more about what I can actually accomplish as a musician,” says Tony Perre. “Studio Pros has allowed me to take all of my musical ideas and songs and get them out there. To me, having a very simple process with great musicians who basically do exactly as I ask them to do, with their quality of musicianship, it’s just such a winning formula to me that I can actually dream again from a musical standpoint.”

Perre had all but given up on music after a wakeboarding accident left him with limited mobility in his left arm, effectively minimizing his ability to play guitar. But after adjusting his playing style by relying on the use of a capo, he got the chance to play live music again with some friends in a local band. Knowing he could play again—and realizing he still had good ideas for songs and lyrics—Perre credits Studio Pros with providing the tools he needed to get back to making the music he loved so much. “I found out really quickly how badly I missed playing out, and I found out I could still play,” he explains. “If I could sum everything up in one sentence, it would be that there’s no expiration date for musical and lyrical inspiration.”

Studio Pros first came into the picture when Perre took the advice of a friend who knew he was looking to record an album. “He recommended that I check out the Studio Pros online method of getting my record produced,” he remembers. “When I went on the website and I saw all that Studio Pros had to offer, I was absolutely blown away. I thought I’d give it a try with one of my nine songs, and I quickly realized during my first song that this is no joke, this is world class.”

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Perre soon realized that Studio Pros was the best possible route to take for his music. “I honestly felt that, as a business guy, I don’t have a heck of a lot of time to do what I used to do: cross my fingers and hope that all my band members would have some time to spend in the studio. It was just a really long, very difficult process to get everyone together at one time.” He began comparing his Studio Pros experience to past attempts in recording studios and the choice became clear. “I checked out some local studios here in [Arizona] and it just became very apparent that, because I work a day job, it would be impossible to get something together in a short period of time with the quality of musicians that Studio Pros has.”
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Using Studio Pros to breathe new life into some old songs, English Earl successfully proved to himself that he had what it takes to make great music.

English Earl suspected he had some good songs on his hands, but he knew his productions just weren’t going to cut it against the high-quality recordings of today’s music industry. “I kind of wanted to resurrect my old pop songs and write a few new ones, I thought it would be a great opportunity to prove to myself that some of my pop music wasn’t so bad,” Earl says with a laugh. This “resurrection” refers to the fact that he has been writing pop music since he was a 15-year-old in a garage band, but formally Earl was classically trained on piano and violin. After getting degrees in music theory and composition from the Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, he had established his classical chops. But Earl wanted to see how his pop and rock writing had evolved.

In order to really see what he could do, Earl knew he had to graduate from his local Charleston, South Carolina music scene; he needed to hire some real professionals. In the process of working with Studio Pros, he realized that their world-class session musicians weren’t just good for laying down polished sounding tracks… They could also give him valuable input and musical insight to improve the production of his songs.

“I think the main reason I chose Studio Pros was because I knew they had some very good musicians and vocalists there,” Earl explains. “I knew that the people I’ve worked with before in the studio who were just local musicians, they were there to make a living but were not really there to put too much into a song or its production. I felt that the quality of the studio musicians at Studio Pros might be higher.”

Logistics also played a part in Earl’s decision. Most of the musicians he knew were in Virginia (where he used to live), making the price of recording a little too steep. “Living in Charleston made it impossible for me to go back and forth to record there, so I would have to drop all those musicians and start all over again, anyway,” he says. “And my schedule’s so busy, I couldn’t go in and teach everyone a song. Instead I could start recording with Studio Pros and not actually have to be in a studio.” Earl calculated the costs of recording an album the traditional way and decided Studio Pros was the way to go. “It was way too expensive for me to continue [the old way]. By the time you pay for studio costs, the musicians, the time you spent traveling, the CDs themselves and the artwork and everything, I felt like I was spending a lot more money than I needed to.”

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Native Californian and singer-songwriter Gary Henson’s music brings together a melting pot of varied rhythms and authentic experiences. Raised in L.A., Gary now lives in the foothills of the Sierras in Northern California, about 45 minutes northeast of Sacramento. A busy keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist, we recently caught up with him to talk about producing his latest song “Me And You” at Studio Pros.

Check out Gary’s Song “Me And You”:

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Gary’s musical influences stem primarily from his father. “My dad was very influential on me growing up and is probably responsible for my musical influences today. He was always blasting The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, etc. He had an affinity for the great 60′s groups and had amassed quite an impressive record collection from which to draw and share. I believe that the constant cascade of these sing-along melodies and driving guitar licks planted seeds of inspiration in me that came to bloom after high school.”

Gary’s songwriting process usually begins with a tape recorder running and him playing either a piano or guitar. From there he plays with various chord structures and captures whatever melody and lyrics emerge with unconscious disregard for whatever finds its way to tape.  After a writing session he likes to play back what he’s done and take note of all the parts that he likes–chords, melody, verse, etc., and refine it from there.

“Me and You” is a great example of that process. “This song was an unconscious outpouring of melody and verse that began on piano with the tape recorder running,” he said.

Gary completed his first album at a Los Angeles recording studio with session musicians, so he understands the value, technical chops and creativity that they can bring to a song. While Gary knew that his next project would require the same process, he didn’t have the time or resources to make another trip to L.A. to line everything up. And that’s when he decided to try Studio Pros.

“I found Studio Pros on the internet, checked them out, and decided to give the team there a shot. I was very pleased with the results and have been using them ever since. I like their quick turnaround and the parts that they come up with. I also like the fact that I can ask Kati (StudioPros Head of Production) for production ideas/opinions when I’m not exactly clear on direction.”

Working remotely with the Studio Pros team, Gary had just enough interaction to get the results he was looking for while giving the team the space to make the artistic decisions necessary to enhance the song. “When all was said and done, I think I suggested four or five modifications–not many when you consider all the parts that were played.”

“Studio Pros is the ideal outfit to help a singer-songwriter like me–with lots of songs/ideas and little time–bring his passion to life in a professional way with minimal disruption to my schedule. It’s also a great place to add that drum track, or guitar solo that might not be possible otherwise. I’ll definitely be using them again.”

Upload YOUR Song To Studio Pros’ Free Consultation Page, or call 1-310-928-7776 to get a project started today!

Find out more about Gary Henson at www.garyhensonmusic.com

Gary Quinn is a songwriter that knows how to pull on the heartstrings of his audience.  Creating beautifully crafted lyrics, he draws you in with his picturesque storytelling through his swooning country melodies.  Quinn grew upin] Ireland where he listened to his father’s Kris Kristofferson tapes, but he ended up falling in love with American country music after hearing the Garth Brooks album No Fences in the early ’90s. “There’s a big country and Irish scene with an undercurrent of American country, which is what I’m into,” Quinn says of Ireland. “It started picking up again with the likes of the Internet. It’s a bit more accessible.”

Check out Gary’s Song “He Don’t Show Her Anymore”:

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While there is a country music circuit in his homeland, most performances were limited to festivals, which Quinn has played a few of. Between those gigs, he hosted his own singer/songwriter night in a local pub to give him the chance to play with various local country bands and showcase his original material.  Quinn has since moved to England to take his career to the next level and be more surrounded by a busy music scene.  He had already begun work on an album when he had found StudioPros as an option to get his songs professionally produced by their LA based team of musicians all from his home base in the UK.  Upon their first conversations, StudioPros’ producer Kati O’Toole picked a song Quinn submitted as a clearly commercial and well written track.  Together they took his demo and organized a production that would showcase his hit worthy single in the best light.

Choosing the best country musicians out of the StudioPros team and the best country instrumentation, they organized his first recording and started tracking his first project, He Don’t Show Her Anymore. For the project they picked a combination of electric country guitars with acoustic guitars, mandolin, live drums, bass and keyboards.  StudioPros’ vocalist Racquel did all of the backing vocals to support Gary’s lead and really bring everything together.

“This is a song that I can see as a commercial country track that would be perfect for radio airplay.  That’s why I was very excited to get our team of musicians to work on this track” O’Toole stated. “With the right promotional steps, I can really see Gary’s career taking off.  I’m excited that StudioPros has had a chance to be a part of the recording process for Quinn as he takes the next big bounds in his music career.”

Describing his experience with StudioPros, Quinn stated, “I actually found the experience very easy,” he says. “The whole process was very slick and very quick.  I was delighted with the turnaround. Sometimes whenever there’s a quick turnaround you expect to sacrifice quality, but the quality was right up there at the top as well. I was delighted to get the opportunity to record with StudioPros.” Quinn started by providing the production team with an acoustic demo mp3 of his song and watched as step by step his song took on a new fully produced sound at a professional recording quality. After all of the instrumentation was tracked, he took care of the vocals himself, and even recruited well renowned Sarah Jory—a pedal steel player who has performed with Van Morrison—to play on his track.  Incorporating his own favorite musicians into the production as well as providing vocals gave his recording that personal touch his song deserved.

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Studio Pros artist Eliza Kelley has been a professional musician for years, but not of the rock variety. With a master’s degree in French Horn performance from Boston University, she has been playing and teaching classical music for a living in her hometown of Atlanta, GA. “I play with the Greenville Symphony, and I play in Atlanta with the Atlanta Pops and the ballet and the opera,” she says. “Those gigs are very fun, but they’re also very serious, very focused and high-pressure.”

Looking to enjoy the lighter side of music, Kelley took up a hobby as a singer/songwriter, a decision she’s glad she made. “I’ve been totally having a ball with it,” she says. But she didn’t initially intend on playing the indie-rock that now defines her sound until she began collaborating with Studio Pros. Originally writing pop songs with cello and percussion arrangements, it was a conversation with Studio Pros’ head engineer Kati O’Toole that convinced Kelley to go the rock band route. “When I talked to Kati the first time, she told me about the full production,” she remembers. “I thought I’d try it. I’m really happy with the direction it’s taken with Studio Pros. It does make me want to find a guitarist and bassist that I can go out and gig with.”

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Kelley found Studio Pros while searching for ways to get professional recordings of her songs. “I was trying to record my own stuff. I have plenty of friends that are musicians, but getting a good recording, I mean I’m not a sound engineer,” she admits. “I could use some help with it, and I loved that Studio Pros was a great package. You get musicians and pretty much everything’s done for you. I didn’t have to rely on lining people up and doing all of that. I really loved the way that Studio Pros was all-inclusive.”

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With an upbringing that included classical Indian poetry and Eastern mysticism, it’s no surprise that Dimple Sharma’s music is infused with the sounds of music heard on the other side of the globe. Born in India, her parents passed on their love of the local culture. “My father’s side in India descended from a long line of meditators,” she says. “Thus, the mysticism of the East was ever present in my upbringing.”

Sharma has since moved to Toronto, Canada, but the Eastern inspirations of her childhood remain in her music. Combining a love of singing and writing songs with her seven years of experience studying ancient esoteric texts, she managed to develop a unique style that’s as much spiritual as it is musical. “The music became a mix of my east Indian origins and western sounds akin to Delerium or Tangerine Dream,” she says, referring to her use of instruments such as sitar and tabala on many of her songs. “The lyrics were written for the urban monk–the individual adapting to the ever-changing, modern paradigm, yet still upholding traditional values and principles.”

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When she was having trouble finding reliable musicians to record her projects, Sharma turned to Studio Pros to get Los Angeles session players to quickly record professional tracks for her songs. “I had read positive things about Studio Pros in music magazines years back, and I decided to contact them,” she remembers. “In the past, it was not easy to find musicians that had the technical expertise in addition to a high level of professionalism and ability to follow through on a timely basis.”

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EDGE is a Studio Pros artist with a very unique sound. “My musical style is a mix of all the influences I had from my work and personal life,” says the French-born musician. “It’s also a mix of all the different periods I went through with music styles.” Some of these musical phases included The Beatles, Erasure and The Cure. He’s also been influenced by Brit pop like Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers, French music and American bands like Smashing Pumpkins and System of a Down. The result is a sound that touches on each of his international inspirations and keeps the listener wondering what to expect from the next song.

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Currently residing in Switzerland (after some time living in London and Madrid), EDGE came to Studio Pros after several disappointing experiences working with various sound engineers. “I was looking for people who could understand what I wanted to reach in terms of production,” he explains. “I found Studio Pros on the web and listened to the previews on the website. I found them just amazing, and decided to try.”

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Italian artist Andrea Iorio incorporated Studio Pros into his writing process from thousands of miles away.

Andrea Iorio’s curiosity was piqued when he read an article about Studio Pros in Sound on Sound magazine. Living in Tuscany, Italy, he thought Studio Pros’ Los Angeles-based session players might be the best option for his songs. In fact, Iorio saw living in a different country from the musicians who would be recording his tracks as an advantage for his music. As an artist, he has always preferred letting musicians come up with their own take on his work instead of giving specific direction to achieve strictly his own vision. Working from a remote location made that process even simpler for him. “I like to hear a completely different vision from what I’m doing,” Iorio explains. “I try to give as little instruction as possible for my projects so as not to influence the performer. With Studio Pros it’s fantastic, because it can be different for sure.”

Growing up in Siena, Iorio was turned on to music at the tender age of 9 when a friend showed him Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. A few years later, it was a fusion band expanded his musical horizons even more. “At 13 I was astonished by the bass part of Weather Report’s ‘Teen Town,’” he remembers. “That started my musical education.”

Iorio studied jazz bass in Siena for a decade while also dabbling in piano and guitar. He began learning about the production and recording process and put together his own small studio. “The studies I’ve done gave me a 360-degree interest in music,” he says, “from jazz to rock to metal.” As a result, his music covers wide ground stylistically, having distinct jazz roots with a straightforward rock edge. Now he lists some of his favorite artists as Miles Davis, Steely Dan and King Crimson. He recently developed a strong interest in experimental electronic music as well.

Listen to Studio Pros musicians and vocalists playing on Andrea Iorio’s songs:

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Theodore Frederickson used Studio Pros to help him write and record his songs and won a highly-competitive songwriting competition from Broadjam.com.

“I vividly remember watching the very first appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show when I was just a young kid,” remembers Theodore Frederickson. “It really turned me on to music, as it did many people of my generation.” Frederickson continued his love for rock music throughout his life, but didn’t enter the industry as an artist until he had wrapped up a business career. “In early 2008, I semi-retired from the business world and began focusing on writing songs,” he says. “For the last three years I’ve really focused heavily on songwriting, and I’ve worked with a lot of studios and musicians.”

One of the studios Frederickson began working with was Studio Pros, which he found to be “truly unique” among the many online services he tried. “Their process is highly interactive,” he explains. One of the things that made Studio Pros unique to him was the fact that he could adjust his songs as many times as he wanted during the recording process. “It’s unlike most demo companies, which just send you the finished product without any opportunity for changes along the way.”

Two songs that Frederickson recorded with Studio Pros, “Tragedy” and “Blissful Sadness,” won in the highly competitive 2010 Broadjam.com 6-Pack Songwriting Contest. Broadjam has almost 200,000 members worldwide consisting of musicians, songwriters and producers who review each others’ work and vote on the contest.

Listen to Frederickson’s winning Studio Pros productions:

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