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| Recording An Indie Album: Pre Production Checklist Posted: 19 Mar 2009 01:03 PM PDT Here is another guest post from Cliff Goldmacher, a songwriter/producer with recording studios in both New York City and Nashville. Along with teaching workshops for songwriters around the country, he's a regular contributor to EQ Magazine. For more about Cliff, visit www.cliffgoldmacher.com. When it comes to recording a CD project where you're the artist, you've got a lot of big decisions to make that will ultimately influence the way your project sounds. In other words, the more you do to prepare yourself before the record light comes on, the more enjoyable the process and the product will be. Pre Production Pre production is everything that you should be taking care of prior to the first time you actually record something in the studio. This includes song selection, arrangement ideas, voice lessons, scheduling session musicians, finding a recording studio/engineer and even starting the process of finding a graphic artist for the CD artwork as well as a duplication house to mass produce your finished master. This can be a daunting amount of work especially if you're new to the game, however there is someone you can turn to who can help make this process much more effective and significantly simpler. The Producer If you're wondering whether or not a producer is a good idea for your project, then it's important to understand what a producer brings to the table. In a word, it's experience. Let's assume the upcoming project is your first, second or even third independently released CD. This means that your studio experience is comparatively limited next to a producer who has often done dozens of projects. In other words, a producer has spent significant time becoming an expert at something that's still relatively new to you. With this production experience comes a variety of skills that the producer will use to help you end up with a polished, professional-sounding project. This skill set typically includes everything from knowledge of the craft of songwriting (useful in song selection and improvement), relationships with session musicians (which often includes the ability to play instruments at a very high level themselves), the communication skills to explain to the musicians what the overall "vision" of the project is, knowledge (or ownership) of a good recording studio and, last but not least, the ability to work with you as a vocalist/instrumentalist to help you bring out your best performances in the studio. Finally, the perspective that a producer brings to a project can be extremely useful as it's often difficult to make clear judgments about your own vocal/instrumental tracks. A question that I get asked often in my workshops is where artists should look to find producers for their indy projects. There are a variety of sources. The first is usually word of mouth. Ask other artists in your music community who produced their CDs and how their experience was. Also, if you have a CD of an independent artist and you really like the way it sounds, look and see who's listed as the producer then contact that artist to get the producer's information. If you're new to a community, you can always ask your performing rights organization (BMI, ASCAP or SESAC). They usually have a list of producers that they recommend. Finally, although always a bit of a reach if you're new to the game, you can look at some of your favorite major label CDs and see who's listed as the producer and then contact those producers as well. Although it's unlikely that successful producers will have time in their schedule to work with an indy artist, you never know and the worst they can say is "no." The Recording Studio With the advent of improved recording technology and affordable, high-quality equipment, great recordings can be made almost anywhere. Recording is no longer the exclusive domain of the big, multi-room complex. That being said, there are a few things you should consider before choosing a studio for your project. First and foremost is sound quality. Ask the studio owner/engineer for a demo of something that's been recorded in their studio. But you should be more specific still. Ask that the music on the demo be in the style of the project you're planning to record. In other words, if you're making a country CD, it doesn't matter if the studio has a great-sounding R&B demo because that doesn't necessarily translate into a great-sounding country recording. Secondly, make sure you're comfortable in the space where you'll be working. Although working in a big, beautiful studio can be inspiring for some, it can be intimidating for others. You're going to be spending a lot of time in this place, make sure you feel at ease there so that you can relax and deliver great performances. And, lastly, don't forget to ask for any and all fees. The obvious would be the hourly rate but it's important to ask the owner/engineer what other charges you'll be incurring. This can be everything from a separate engineer charge, cost for burning CD's and even separate charges for certain pieces of studio equipment. A studio ought to be able to give you a decent estimate for what your overall project should cost. Some studios simplify the process even further by giving you an all-in project fee that is decided up front. It's always better to know all of this at the beginning of a project so that there are no unpleasant surprises when it comes time to pay. Vocals Your career as a recording artist hinges on many things from the songs you choose to the musicianship on your records but the single most important thing for your artist identity is your voice. That being said, your ultimate goal as a vocalist is to sound exactly like yourself. In other words, the more relaxed and confident you are as a singer, the more people will know who you are and what you're about. Check out this article: The DIY Guide To Singing In The Studio. Other musicians care about musicianship, but the people who will ultimately buy your CD will connect with your voice first and everything else much later. There are a lot of things you can do before you start the recording process to improve your chances of getting great vocal performances. First and foremost is practice. The voice is a muscle and the more you work with it the stronger it gets. No matter how good a singer you are, I'd recommend working with a vocal teacher or coach on the songs you've chosen to record. This way you'll be working with an expert to help you get the most out of your voice on the songs you've chosen. This is not something that is limited to beginners. Multi-platinum selling artists use vocal coaches as often as, if not more often than, beginners. Artwork/Graphic Design Putting out your own CD is a big job. Not only are you the artist but you're playing the role of record label, too. That being said, it's worth considering starting the process of finding a graphic artist to work with and getting the artwork together even before the CD project has begun. This means collecting the necessary information for the CD insert like pictures and computer files of your lyrics. I mention this because if you don't start this process early then you'll be adding months of additional work after you've finished the actual recording of your project. To find ideas in this area, check out: Artwork and Design Inspiration for Bands and Songwriters. Final Thought Making a CD is like taking an audio snapshot of where you are as an artist at a given moment in your career. Since it's expensive to make a quality recording, it's very likely that you'll be using this CD to represent yourself for a long time. The better prepared you are the more fun you'll have making your recording and the better your CD will sound.  |
| U-N-I "Curly Tops & Nautica Jackets" Trailer Posted: 19 Mar 2009 12:33 PM PDT  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 19 Mar 2009 12:34 PM PDT  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Medical marijuana dispensaries will no longer be prosecuted, U.S. attorney general says Posted: 19 Mar 2009 04:41 AM PDT  Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington -- U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. said Wednesday that the Justice Department has no plans to prosecute pot dispensaries that are operating legally under state laws in California and a dozen other states -- a development that medical marijuana advocates and civil libertarians hailed as a sweeping change in federal drug policy. In recent months, Obama administration officials have indicated that they planned to take a hands-off approach to such clinics, but Holder's comments -- made at a wide-ranging briefing with reporters -- offered the most detailed explanation to date of the changing priorities toward the controversial prosecutions. The Bush administration targeted medical marijuana distributors even in states that had passed laws allowing use of the drug for medical purposes by cancer patients, those dealing with chronic pain or other serious ailments. Holder said the priority of the new administration is to go after egregious offenders operating in violation of both federal and state law, such as those being used as fronts for drug dealers. "Those are the organizations, the people, that we will target," the attorney general said. Medical marijuana activists and civil libertarians embraced Holder's latest statement as the most forceful affirmation of what long had been anticipated: a landmark turnaround from the Bush administration's policy of zero tolerance for cannabis use by patients. "Whatever questions were left, today's comments clearly represent a change in policy out of Washington. He's sending a clear message to the DEA," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Cultivating, using and selling medical marijuana are allowed in some instances under California law. But such actions are outlawed entirely under federal law, which supersedes those of the states. A dozen other states have laws similar to California's, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization that supports the legalization of the drug. In the 13 years since California voters made the state one of the first to legalize medical marijuana, federal officials have won all the major legal battles, including one at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2001 in which their right to prosecute marijuana sellers was upheld. But supporters of medical marijuana have fought back on the political front, and Holder's announcement is their biggest victory so far. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for Thomas P. O'Brien, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said the office already focused on egregious offenders such as those who sell drugs to minors and people with bogus prescriptions or those who operate away from their approved location. "In every single case we have prosecuted, the defendants violated state as well as federal law," Mrozek said. Despite the abundance of medical marijuana dispensaries in Southern California, Mrozek said prosecutors have charged only four operators and their associates in the last seven years. Obama suggested during the presidential campaign that medical marijuana dispensaries operating within state law would not be subject to prosecution if he were elected. But soon after his inauguration, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided several dispensaries in the Los Angeles area and near Tahoe, in what appeared to be a continuation of policies enforced under previous administrations. At Wednesday's briefing, his first major sit-down with reporters, Holder was asked if the Justice Department planned to raid any more clinics. "The policy is to go after those people who violate both federal and state law, to the extent that people do that and try to use medical marijuana laws as a shield for activity that is not designed to comport with what the intention was of the state law," Holder said. "Those are the organizations, the people, that we will target. And that is consistent with what the president said during the campaign." A Justice Department official confirmed that Holder's comments effectively articulated a formal Obama administration policy of not going after such clinics. "Before, he didn't really lay out the policy. Today, he stated the policy," said the Justice Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. "If you are operating a medical marijuana clinic that is actually a front, we'll come after you," the official said. "But if you are operating within the law, we are not going to prioritize our resources to go after them." Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project said he still has some concerns: What happens to dispensary operators caught up in raids during the last days of the Bush policy, and would federal drug agents resist "trumping up" violations to circumvent the Obama administration's edict. "The devil is going to be in the details of implementation," Mirken said. "I think you have to assume that there are people within the DEA and some in local law enforcement who still don't like medical marijuana and would like to find an excuse to continue making arrests of law-abiding dispensary operators."  |
| Step Ya Shoe Gme Up! Nike Air Sharkley White, Grey, Lime Posted: 19 Mar 2009 12:35 AM PDT I Got These In Blue,White & Grey, & Black,White & Red. Get Ya Lunch Money Together & Get Some For $99.    |
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| Step Ya Shoe Game Up! Nike Blazer High World B Free Posted: 19 Mar 2009 12:27 AM PDT  Nike has decided to pay homage to one of the legendary players in NBA history, World B. Free. This House of Hoops exclusive sports a look reminiscent of the 1970's, with a tie-dyed canvas upper, black accents, and yellow stitching. In cas you didn't know, World's original name was Leonard Bernard, but he later changed it to match his flamboyant playing style.  |
| Ludacris & Shawna Speaks On New Album Together Posted: 18 Mar 2009 11:46 PM PDT For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Step Ya Communications Game Up! IPhone 3.0 Posted: 18 Mar 2009 11:35 PM PDT Your Iphone Is Already Old!!! Keep Up  |
| Step Ya Shoe Game Up! Glow In The Dark Air Yeezys! Posted: 18 Mar 2009 11:31 PM PDT Rock These In The Club!!! They Might pat ya pockets though.   |
| Consequence "Buggin Out 09" Video Posted: 18 Mar 2009 11:27 PM PDT  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Jim Jones Ft Oshy & Starr "Blow The Bank" Video Posted: 18 Mar 2009 11:39 PM PDT  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Swizz Beats Speaks On Eminem & Freestyle Posted: 18 Mar 2009 11:03 PM PDT Swizz Beatz 1 Speaks On Eminem ! from Radio Planet on Vimeo. RPT Video : Swizz Beatz Freestyle! from Radio Planet on Vimeo.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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