StudioPros

Isham knew his songs couldn’t reach their full potential in the confines of his project studio.  So he used Studio Pros’ musicians and engineers to bring them to levels he couldn’t reach on his own.

Five years ago, Studio Pros artist Isham first started getting serious about music and began exploring the many facets of being a musician. “I was torn between the artistic and technical aspect,” he says. “I love electronic instruments and old vintage stuff.” Not classically trained on any instruments, he initially relied on sequencers and software–plus a little vocal training–to take the music that was bouncing around his head and make it a reality. Isham used his home project studio to create music inspired by old R&B and soul artists such as Stevie Wonder, Prince and James Brown and electronic artists like Kraftwerk, The Crystal Method, Prodigy and Daft Punk. “I spend a lot of time in my project studio,” he says. “I use it to draft some instrumental tracks that I can share with my lyricist partners.”

Currently living near Bern, Switzerland, Isham realized he needed to take his music out of his project studio into a more viable option to create broadcast-quality recordings. So he turned to the Internet, where he found Studio Pros while searching for guitarists and vocalists to record custom tracks for his songs.

“I was already quite used to using the Internet to share my work with studios and session musicians,” Isham says. “But I was not always happy with needing to go to several places to get a final product.” He appreciated that Studio Pros was something of a “one stop shop” for all of his recording needs, from instrumental tracks to mixing and mastering. “Most of the instruments we need to do a pop/rock/electronic/R&B song are available in one place,” he notes.

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Isham was also impressed by the quality of Studio Pros’ session musicians and how quickly they could crank out quality tracks. “I’m amazed how in two or three days they can bring your instrumental tracks to another level,” he says. “And I really liked the very friendly and helpful staff. Kati is so nice and she always has good advice.”

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At Studio Pros, we give you the best tools possible to record a hit song: world-class musicians.

When I say that, I mean that these session players, engineers and producers have major label credits with famous artists. In fact, we don’t accept any musician to work for us who doesn’t have these credentials. The big advantage to using Studio Pros’ musicians for your own songs is the experience and professionalism they bring–and the inspiration they draw from the top-level artists they’ve worked with.

You’re in charge

Even the best musicians on the market won’t give you the results you’re after if you don’t have a say in what they’re playing.  The special thing about Studio Pros is that you’re the boss of the production process–you get to give feedback every step of the way.  But, just like a craftsman must know how to properly use his tools in order to build something, you should know how to use the great tools we provide–that is, excellent musicians.

How to give great instructions

1. Never leave wiggle room. For example, don’t say “I think the tempo should be somewhere between 100 and 120 BPM… Or maybe a little slower.” Give very specific instructions: “The tempo is 113 BPM.” If you’re not sure what the tempo should be, a quick phone call to one of our producers will give you a solid answer.  Leaving details open-ended could result in a result you hadn’t planned on.
2. Always be specific. Mention parts in minutes and seconds instead of bars, beats, etc. Say, “When the chorus comes in at 2:03, the drummer should switch to ride cymbal.”
3. Describe in detail the playing you want to hear. Give examples and reference songs to help the processes. We once had someone tell us, “I want the guitars to sound like rain.” Since that’s a very subjective description that can be interpreted in various ways, we could only guess as to whether or not we were recording what they wanted!
4. Lay out every one of your expectations. If you’re expecting to get something done the way you want, say it.  Even though you’re dealing with great musicians, they can’t read minds. If you don’t specify what you want, you probably aren’t going to get it!

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