StudioPros

A versatile songwriter, Jack Brill, finds the team to take his songs from demo quality to the radio airwaves.

Jack Brill is a blues, pop, rock song writer and a favorite staple for collaboration ,who has now used Studio Pros’ production services on seven songs. Coming away with a great completed set of productions, Brill has proven that you don’t have to be in the same city, country, even continent to collaborate on projects with the Studio Pros team.

Brill left his home of New Jersey in the United States and settled in beautiful Sicily, Italy- causing him to essentially lose his previous band. With the help of Studio Pros’ accesible services, Brill recalls, “It was like a band away from home.”

Listen to Jack’s productions produced by Studio Pros:

Brill cites Bob Dylan as a driving force for his music. We spoke to him about growing up and what it was like harnessing the genius of other songwriters into his songs.  “I think I started writing my own songs cause I couldn’t figure out what he was saying (Dylan), ” says Brill. “My mom hated Dylan’s music, which made me like him even more. Being from Philly in my teens, the folk scene was just starting to emerge. The radio was playing mostly Smokey Robinson, the Tokens and the Temptations, but me and a couple of friends were working on Bob Dylan, Eric Anderson and Dave Van Ronk songs. These guys were my inspiration.”

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Have you ever tried talking to someone about your music? Sometimes describing something so abstract can be a little tricky.

“I want this song to have a smooth vibe, but still be a little rough around the edges.”

“This song should rock out and have tons of energy.”

“This track very ethereal and spiritual, but without being corny.”

Sound like anything you’ve heard before? Each of these things means a specific thing to the artist. But what it means to them could be completely different from what it means to you (or any other musician for that matter). And that’s the trouble with using words to describe music: it’s not always a universal language. What’s dark to one person might be somber to another. What’s peppy to one ear could be cheesy to the next. So how can you convey the style you’re going for, particularly when you’re doing a project with an online recording studio like Studio Pros?

The answer: reference tracks!

The simplest and most helpful way to help a musician figure out what you want for your song (beyond musical charts) is to provide them with songs that achieve the same kinds of goals you want your song to achieve. That’s why the musicians at Studio Pros like having our customers send reference tracks to help translate their instructions. Reference tracks are particularly important when the customer provides only a basic recording of the song (like a vocal/guitar take) or have decided to use our chord progression writing service. Any time we don’t have a partially-arranged recording to base our parts on, reference tracks are very useful.

You may be thinking to yourself, “But I don’t want to send in reference tracks. I don’t want them to just copy another artist’s song. I want my song to be original!”

We understand the concern; no one wants to sound like they ripped other musicians off. But Studio Pros’ world-class session musicians don’t use reference tracks so they can copy from them. As the name suggests, they are simply for reference. Our session players have played on countless major label releases, so they have lots of experience capturing different vibes, not copying other artists.

You may also be thinking, “but my song is unique in style, there isn’t an artist that I can be compared to!”

That’s awesome!  We love working with talented artists forging new grounds with their music.  But you can put those creative forces to work with the reference tracks, too…  If you can’t say, “I want this song to sound like Ben Harper,” you can say: “I’d love the raw energy of Ben Harper’s ‘Ground On Down’ along with the laid back beach feeling of Jimmy Buffet’s ‘Margaritaville.’”  This way you can retain the uniqueness of your song, but also give our musicians some great references to work from.

So for your next Studio Pros project, think about some songs that have a comparable sound and feel to the track you want to record and upload them with your song files and instructions. This will help you get the best possible product and maximize your Studio Pros experience!

To get your next project started, click here.

Working from halfway across the world, Reign Lee used Studio Pros to record with world-class LA studio musicians from the the comfort of her own home.

Playing across continents is hard work, but recording an album with musicians that are halfway across the globe is even harder. Unless you do what Hong Kong musician Reign Lee did: record with Studio Pros. Lee has no trouble finding musicians to back her up in the many countries where she gigs, but when it came time to record her songs, she came up short. “I’m a solo artist, so when I tour I play with different players in different parts of the world,” she explains. “I don’t have a set band that I can just head into the studio with and start working on a record.”

For her latest EP, Angels in the Dirt, Lee decided she would use Studio Pros to record with top Los Angeles session musicians while staying in Asia. “About a year and a half ago I came across an ad for Studio Pros on Reverbnation,” she says. “I’d also read an article in Sound on Sound magazine and was very intrigued by the whole process. I knew that with this record I wanted to have a different experience than what I’ve had in the past and I really wanted to kick it up a few levels. That was why Studio Pros really appealed to me.”

Lee cites two primary factors in helping her decision to record with Studio Pros: “From a practical point of view, there was no better way that I could budget my money to get anything better than what they were offering. The other factor was scheduling.” She found the convenience of Studio Pros’ 48-hour turnaround very appealing. “I’ve never, ever had anybody’s parts completed in that amount of time.”

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Do you check your email first thing in the morning?

Do you get up to date with the news online over an early cup of coffee?

Do you use the web to check your bank account balance?

These days we use the Internet for just about everything: communication with old friends via Facebook; updating our financial portfolios and checking stocks; even buying movie tickets for the 8:30 show. If you’re anything like me, the net is your go-to resource for just about everything. Sometimes I roll out of bed and land at my desk, checking my messages before I even brush my teeth. Now with smart phones providing Internet access just about anywhere, pretty much everything is tied to the online world. Even grocery shopping has moved from a notepad to an iPhone app for many people.

I use the web for music stuff, too. I like discovering new music, reading news about my favorite bands, even listening to streaming music online is simple now. But the net is not just a great resource for hearing other artists’ music; it’s also a great resource for your own music career.

Sure, there are sites that have articles about making it in the music industry today… So many in fact that it can be a bit overwhelming to read all the advice that’s available to you. But while many musicians turn to the Internet for tips on how to take their career to the next level, most don’t realize the Internet can actually be used to take their career to the next level.

I’m not talking about making a Facebook music page, although that’s certainly a good thing to do. I’m talking about using the web to record an amazing album.

That concept may even sound a little crazy to you. But ten years ago, the idea of being able to instantly watch millions of hours of video probably sounded a little crazy. And here we are, all regular users of YouTube without even thinking about that simple fact.

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Jeff Heiniger knew the importance of a professional production–so he turned to Studio Pros when he didn’t want to settle for anything less.

Jeff Heiniger has known what goes into a professional production for a long time. In 1987, he won a national songwriting competition in the UK that was put together by Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. The prize: a chance to record in the Stones’ state-of-the-art mobile recording studio with top producers Mick McKenna and Terry Taylor. “It was brilliant to work with actual professionals,” Heiniger remembers. “They turned our demo into something that was fantastic.”

Heiniger first started taking music lessons after getting a piano when he was 13.  He also started listening to all sorts of pop music, from Electric Light Orchestra to Depeche Mode, ABBA to The Beatles. Since winning the competition he has put together a Pro Tools-equipped home studio, but soon realized that without a professional producer behind the board he wasn’t going to achieve the same sort of radio-ready product he got with is winning song. “The problem is that I’m not an engineer, so I didn’t have anybody to record my stuff,” he explains. “What I found was really good about Studio Pros was that the production was sort of taken out of my hands in a way.”

When he found the Studio Pros website, Heiniger was actually looking for session vocalists on the web. “I couldn’t find anyone locally who was any good,” he says. “It’s quite laborious, taking your music to a recording studio and finding an engineer who will record a session singer who you may not like. It seemed quite a lengthy process, and one that may not yield results at the end of the day.” He found himself intrigued by the Studio Pros website. “The site itself looked very professional. Professionalism and price were important.”

With Studio Pros, Heiniger was able to focus on writing a song on piano, then letting our team of world-class studio musicians build the rest from the ground up. Along the way, he would provide input and feedback to make sure everything came together how he wanted it. In order to make it easier, Heiniger would provide reference tracks with other music that matched the vibe he was going for with each song.

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Did you know that 9 out of 10 artists who have used Studio Pros’ music production service and submitted to TAXI.com had their songs forwarded to record labels and music supervisors?

In case you didn’t know, TAXI.com is a service that connects independent musicians like you with record label personnel, music supervisors who place songs in TV shows and movies, and other industry people who are always looking for new music. Studio Pros conducted a survey of 10 customers who used our music production services for their songs and discovered that artists–even those who previously had major difficulty in getting their songs forwarded to industry folk by TAXI.com–were now finding it much easier to get their music passed along after using Studio Pros. In fact, as I mentioned above, 9 out of 10 artists noticed this improvement!

We were very proud to hear this, not only because it means we’ve helped lots of indie musicians take a huge career step, but because it further reinforces our belief that it is incredibly important to have a professional quality recording of your music before you try to shop it around. There are many reasons for this… Here are two that directly relate to TAXI.com:

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Many songwriters ask me how they can distribute their material online after completing their productions.  Distributing your materials online is a very easy way to broaden your listening audience and make your music accessible for purchase throughout the world.  What would we do without the internet?

What Is Digital Distribution?

Digital distribution, when it applies to music, is selling your content online in digital mp3 format.  Instead of purchasing a physical copy of a cd in an old school record store, consumers are now able to purchase recordings online.   This is a sad reality for record stores, but at the same time makes distributing independent music much more accessible!  Currently, the world’s largest digital music company is iTunes.  Ever heard of it?  I thought so.  iTunes has changed the music industry with their model of providing digital music for sale across the globe through their online sales.

How Do I Get My Recordings On iTunes?

Believe it or not, digitally distributing your materials for sale online through iTunes is easy!  Any independent songwriter can post their music for sale online if they take the proper steps.  Just another reason why independent musicians have much more advantage than 20 years ago when the need for label support was more necessary in making your recordings accessible to the public.

Which Companies Offer Digital Distribution?

These sights can help you get your materials live on iTunes:

1.  TuneCore
2.  ReverbNation
3.  CDBaby

All you have to have is a finished master of your materials and you’re ready to get your songs for sale on iTunes (but first make sure you go through the proper steps of determining if it’s ready for release).

Typically, an iTunes single song purchase is .99 cents up to $1.29 per song and the artist receives a designated percentage of the sale of each single song sold.  For every single sold on a .99 cents purchase the artist receives .70 cents.  Managing your iTunes purchases through these online distributors is easy and a great way to get your music sold.  I have personally used Tunecore myself in releasing my materials and find the layout very convenient and user friendly.  They keep track of my sales and have an accounting breakdown of sales per month.  As the artist, I can request to have the royaltees from my sales sent in a check whenever I’m ready, or can choose to have the money transferred to a future project.

Are My Songs Ready For Release?

Get a producer or trusted musical ear to take a listen to your recordings to help you determine if all of the steps have been taken to assure your song is ready for release.  Remember that once your song goes live, you cannot take it back.  Re-releasing materials after they’ve already gone up for sale is not professional.  If you’re happy with where your song is at, I would recommend emailing your final mp3 of your product to a producer at Studio Pros (info@studiopros.com) and they will give you some feedback on what can be improved and help you make the correct steps to get it released.

Improve Your Recordings…

Common improvements that can be made on home recordings are: get your programmed drum tracks recorded by a live drummer, putting some polishing touches on your vocals with  vocal tuning where needed and a professional mix/master by an experienced engineer to get the final polishing.  If you are hesitant of the overall quality of your production, Studio Pros can help you get a professional broadcast quality production complete and radio ready within weeks.

If you’re ready to take the final steps at making your materials live, you can do it today!  Contact a producer at Studio Pros: 1-310-928-7776 or email us at: info@studiopros.com and we can help you put the finishing touches on your recordings.  You can get your recordings distributed in no time!  Give us a call.

Let Studio Pros help you fill in all of the missing elements to your home recordings.

Adrian Sakashita is a composer who spends his time between Los Angeles and London as well as an online business owner.  This is the perfect case for Studio Pros, as Adrian can manage his projects from all around the world and still be kept in the loop on his production, while not wasting too much time at a studio.

 Studio Pros just recently worked with him on his latest work “Seduction” and filled in the missing pieces of his recordings using our studio musicians, “Studio Pros helps make better music!  I simply couldn’t resist the temptation and dove in head first a few years ago.  Since then, I’ve turned my attention back to composition.”

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Matt Ryd, a Chicago based singer-songwriter who uses Studio Pros to produce his songs and recently licensed his song “Healed” to the TV series Scrubs on NBC.

Hear Ryd’s song “Healed” on Scrubs:

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.

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