Author: David

A Microphone Chameleon

Meet the newest addition to my mic locker – the UAD/Townsend Labs Sphere L22 modeling mic. It looks striking and sexy with its glowing blue color. There are actually two microphone capsules (front and rear) in one housing, and they both are used to create the mic simulation.

In practice for recording vocals, we would record as usual, but to a stereo track. After recording is where the fun begins. We now have the ability to listen to how your voice would sound through various different vintage mics and find out which one works best to help your vocal tone sound great and sit well in the mix.

Universal Audio is one of the premier companies for this kind of technology, and they have provided models of some of the most sought after microphones in the world. You have your choice of large diaphragm Neuman U-87, U-67, U-47, U-49, AKG 414 (4 models), Telefunken ELA M-251, and many others including small diaphragm condenser and dynamic microphones. I have listened to each of these models and have gotten a good idea of what type of voice would benefit from their specific coloration, which makes the selection go quicker.

In addition to the general coloration of the mic, I can control the low end mud by working with the proximity knob (which simulates the way the mic responds to how physically close you are) as well as a bass roll-off. And that’s not all!

The mic can be used as a normal vocal mic with a cardiod (heart shaped) pickup pattern, but the capsule can be rotated to change the pattern to bi-directional (great for stereo guitar or live duets), omnidirectional (to record the entire room sound), as well as in-between patterns which might give a different tone.

In short, it’s crazy versatile, sounds great, and will be a vital part of my studio sound going forward. It’s the mic for the 21st century.

 

Sonobus Remote Sessions

Ever since the pandemic, I have been trying different ways to work together remotely with you. The video chats work well for video but lack the features for good quality audio. Zoom, Webex, Facetime, Skype, Jitsi Meet – they all suffer being limited to mono audio, and an audio frequency range that is more suited to speech than music. Add to that the noise suppression algorithms that mangle sustained musical tones and it’s just not a good experience.

In the past I have used a product from Audionamix called ListenTo that worked well – full bandwidth audio, but there was no way for us to communicate with each other during a session.

Sonobus is the latest product to be offered to help musicians collaborate with each other. It was intended to be a solution for those who want to play live music with friends and band mates over the internet. It features:

  • Full bandwidth, stereo CD quality audio
  • Very low latency – usually less than 100 milliseconds to make the round trip from your mouth to the web and back again to your ears.
  • Text chat is built in
  • Voice chat is built in as well, with the ability to mute your mic input.
  • Works on Windows, Apple, IOS, and Android – so you can use it with any device on hand.
  • It is open source, so it will always have the support of the programming community
  • It is free to use
  • For best results, wear headphones or ear buds to prevent feedback.

It works well for tracking and general editing work. For mixing and mastering, however, headphones are not as accurate as speakers. When you book a remote session, remember to allow another half hour or so to get a good mix from me after we disconnect from Sonobus.

Recording Guitar to a Track with a Single Mobile Device

Stop calling it a phone. It’s so much more. Our mobile devices have become our still cameras, our video cameras, our encyclopedias, our newspapers, our magazines, and our audio recorders. The microphones that are built into our mobile devices are capable of recording the entire human frequency spectrum.

Just look at the specs for the iPhone6 (L) and the Galaxy S2 (R):

These are both older generation devices (S2 was released in 2011, iPhone 6 in 2014), but you can see that the frequency response is practically flat – nearly reference level. And they’ve only gotten better.

Here is the iPhone 11 (L) and the Pixel 4 (R):

So the device is no longer the problem. The problem is how to make a recording in your house that sounds almost as good as if you had recorded it in the studio.

I have just created two videos on how to record your guitar to a rhythm track using just one mobile device. Click here for the Android version, and click here for the Apple iPad version.

In the video I show you how to create a good recording environment by treating a common bedroom door with quilts to create a sound baffle. This keeps your recording from sounding like it was made in a bedroom.

You’ll learn where the microphone is located on your device and (through my prior testing) I’ll show you where to place your device in order to get the best sound.

I pass along some technical tips about what type of earphones to use as well as a few recording tips to make sure that you can deliver something that can be quickly time-aligned and will sound good from the start to the very end.

If you schedule a remote session with me, I have documents that I will share with you as to what apps to get for Android and IOS (they’re all free) and I’ll give you a free technical session to help you set things up.

Even though in-person sessions are available, some of you are far away and it’s not an easy thing to travel here. Remote recording is a good solution and one that shouldn’t require a sacrifice in quality.

 

Mobile Recording

As you know, during this time of uncertainty I have requested that my clients work with me remotely. One of the biggest challenges is getting a near studio quality vocal recording from home. I have just put together a short video with tips on how to do it. Follow this link for my brief YouTube video. In it I cover these topics:

  • Technical issues regarding wired earphones versus Bluetooth earphones
  • The two ways of recording your vocal along with a track
  • The importance of removing your device case
  • How to hold your device for best vocal quality
  • The best place in your house to record

I am preparing procedures for safely re-opening to in-person sessions; however I will still be offering my discounted price to clients who are willing to record with me remotely. This pandemic will remain a serious concern for those like me in the high risk category until a vaccine can be developed and implemented, and that is not likely to happen until some time in 2021. In the meantime, I believe that we can still work together and create more music for the world.

 

Lawyers for the Arts

From time to time we are presented with legal documents that we need to carefully review and sign or negotiate. If you need legal assistance but don’t have the funds to hire an attorney, there is help available to you.

 

One of the oldest organizations is the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, based in New York. While this organization is for New York artists, the basic model has been copied here in Georgia with the Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, an outreach program of the Atlanta Bar Association. You can sign up for membership as an artist and receive

    • Regular invitations to upcoming seminars, workshops, and social events
    • One free pro-bono or paid referral per year for an arts-related legal issue
    • Unlimited placements in monthly Legal Clinics
    • Access to their extensive resource library
    • Invitations to members-only social events (Annual Gala tickets are not included)
    • Opportunity to network with artists, arts organizations, attorneys and other entertainment professionals.

 

 

 

Songland

The new series Songland premiered on NBC May 28, 2019. It has been in the works for four years now and it looks like they’ve got the format ironed out. It’s sort of like The Voice, only for songwriters.

Currently the celebrity panel is made up of three well known and successful songwriter/producer/artists – Ryan Tedder, Shane McAnally, and Ester Dean. They each bring something different to the table. Ryan is the visible lead singer of One Direction. He writes and produces not just for his group, but for many other currently successful pop artists. Shane is the son of legendary songwriter Mac McAnally and writes and produces many of the top acts that come out of Nashville. Ester made her mark initially as a premiere top line writer, coming up with melodies and lyrics for beats and later producing many of the major hip hop/R&B artists.

In addition to the writers there is one featured artist each week who is looking for material for their next album. For the first week it was John Legend.

Each episode features four songwriters who personally sing their songs to the panel with the help of a band and tracks. Almost immediately afterward they get feedback from the panel in the form of possible changes to improve the song. It might be a lyric tweak. It might be a change of melody. It could even be a re-thinking of the entire groove. Then it’s on to the next writer.

When all of the writers have taken their turn, it’s time for the artist to decide on three of the four to take into the studio for more tweaks. Each writer is then paired up with one of the pro writers on the panel to collaborate with on the final version of the song. I love this part because both the pro and the amateur have a stake in how the rewrite turns out. If the artist records their song, they both make money.

Then it’s time for the final three performances of the newly rewritten songs and the artist makes the choice of which one of the three to put on the album. Since the show is taped in advance, the song gets recorded and is then released on iTunes the date the episode is aired. Magic!

(Putting on his “old man” hat) Back in the day, occasions to cowrite with an artist on a song that was going to be immediately released were extremely rare. The normal route was that writers performed for publishers, either live (in person, in their office) or by playing a recording on a tape cassette. The writer NEVER asked the publisher for feedback, since that would essentially make the publisher a cowriter which would be a conflict of interest. As time went on, publishers began signing persons who they thought might have potential to be artists, regardless of their songwriting experience. They would then arrange writing sessions with the writers on their staff in order to stack the deck in case the potential artist ever did get a deal. That then evolved to where it is now, with triple threats like the Songland panel controlling their own publishing catalog, producing their own music, and freelancing for other artists. An outside writer won’t get a shot like this unless they have a personal connection to the writer or artist, which is by necessity. Lawsuits over intellectual property can easily happen if ideas are shared between relative strangers who don’t have a bedrock of personal trust.

Originally, the show addressed this issue by having potential writers sign a contract that made them basically waive all rights to their song. After that was publicly disclosed, they then amended the contract so that the writers kept their intellectual property. The current wording is: “As part of my application to participate in the Program, I may or will be required to submit an original, unpublished song and other musical material (collectively, the “Music”), for which I hold and shall continue to hold all copyrights and ownership therein.”

As of the date of the first airing, BMG is currently the publisher of record for the show. Per a report in Billboard: “Under the agreement, BMG serves as the worldwide distributor for Songland Records and the administrator of the show’s publishing company, Eligible Music. BMG has also committed to releasing the music written and recorded by the two runners-up, immediately following the airing of each episode.”

In short, this is a groundbreaking show and must-see TV for any aspiring songwriter out there. Catch it while you can. It’s a great education.

Also – don’t forget that there are two great songwriting organizations here in the Atlanta area. The Nashville Songwriters Association International has three chapters here – the Metro Chapter in Marietta, the North Atlanta chapter in Lawrenceville, and a Christian chapter in north Atlanta. The Georgia Music Industry Association also holds a monthly songwriter meeting on the last Sunday of the month in the Duluth area. Use these to meet other writers and hone your craft!

Remember – keep your ears open!

The New Retitle Publishing Approach

A friend and cowriter of mine recently sent me a link to a site that was interested in pitching our song for film and television.  All well and good.  But this proposition had a twist:

  • They would give our song a new title
  • They would have ownership rights to the retitled version
  • We would keep all rights to our original title

In every other respect, this was a standard publishing contract.

Why would a company do that?

The publishing industry has changed dramatically in the digital era. The two largest sources of income for published songs are broadcast performance royalties (radio, television) and film and television licenses (synchronization fees).  It’s practically impossible to crack this field as an individual.  Given the wide range of musical material needed for film cues, you have to have a large library of music in all styles in order to compete.  So in addition to the usual large traditional exclusive publishing  companies going after this business, there are also companies that employ member crowdsourcing (TAXI) and still others that troll searchable sound sites like Soundclick to quickly build up a catalog of material by working out retitle deals with the owners of the music.

In our case, I thought it was a win-win for everybody.  Our song had been written for a specific movie use and was not selected.  We had nowhere else to pitch it, so it sat dormant for a year.  The way this deal was structured left us free to continue to pitch our original title any way we wished, AND we had the benefit of the alternate title being actively pitched by a publishing company with film contacts.

As I did more research, I discovered that there are some drawbacks.

Because the content is identical, and only the ‘wrapper’ changes, it means in effect that the retitle publishing company does not have exclusive rights to the song.  As a matter of fact, we could find another retitle publisher and work out a similar deal, giving us our original and two retitled versions pitched by two different companies.  This can create confusion and ownership questions when the film company receives the same song with two different titles from two different companies at two different licensing rates.

Another area of concern is automatic song identification.  ASCAP and BMI have both employed ‘fingerprinting’ services that can identify a title by its sonic characteristics, reducing  the need for broadcast station playlists and streamlining the logging process.  This is extensively used for song identification with streaming internet radio.  If you have your original version recorded and released for airplay at the same time your retitled version becomes popular from inclusion in a film, who gets the airplay royalties?

Also, consider the possibility of future interest from a traditional exclusive publisher.  They would not be interested in signing a song that already exists in the marketplace under a different title.

Lastly, why retitle the song when there is the option of placing it with a company that does in effect the same thing (pitch the title to film and television) but they don’t retitle the song and there is no long term contract (musicsupervisor.com).

So it’s a mixed bag.  Retitling makes sense if:

  • Your song has not been previously released
  • You are not actively pitching the song
  • You don’t have the option of placing it with an exclusive publisher
  • You don’t have the option of placing it with a licensing company that doesn’t retitle
  • You sign it to only one non-exclusive retitle publisher
  • You are comfortable with the fact that the retitled version, if successfully placed, will be the version of the song that will be recognized and identified, not the original

If you do decide to pursue a retitle publishing deal, remember that this IS a  publishing contract.  As with any publishing deal, you’ll want to make sure you agree on the money splits, that there is some kind of reversion term where you get the song back after a period of time if no placement is secured, and that the publisher is someone you feel comfortable about staying in contact with since you have, in effect, entered into a partnership agreement.

WHERE’S MY MONEY?

Let’s talk money. All forms of income from music stem from the protection offered by the existing copyright laws.  The monies that are generated by a song’s copyright are usually split evenly between the writer(s) and the publisher(s).  If you are the sole writer of a song and haven’t signed an agreement with a music publisher, YOU are in effect both the writer AND the publisher.  If you are an artist with a song somewhere on the internet and you haven’t entered into an agreement with a recording company, YOU ARE the recording company as well.

Unless you are negotiating directly with someone for the use of your music, another company is collecting these royalties for you (and for everyone else like you).  If you don’t register with them, the money they collect for you goes into a big pile and gets distributed to the ones who HAVE registered.

So, getting down to it, in the copyright law passed in 1976, your rights were:

RIGHT DESCRIPTION WHO PAYS?
Public Performance Concerts, radio and TV broadcasts,nightclubs, etc Broadcasters pay the performing rights societies: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC.  They in turn pay both the publisher and the writer.
Mechanical Rights Any form requiring a mechanical device for playback: cassettes, CDs, MP3s Recording companies  (Sony, UMG, your indie label) pay the publishers or publisher representatives (Harry Fox Agency).  The publisher then pays the writer according to their agreement.
Synchronization Synchronizing music with video – whether TV or film or commercial. This is usually a negotiated one-time fee. The publisher of the song negotiates directly with the film or TV or advertising company, then pays the writer according to their agreement.
Print Sheet music, TAB transcriptions, etc. The print publisher pays the song publisher, who then pays the writer according to their agreement.
Grand Rights The use of the song as the basis for another art form, such as film or book.  This is, again, usually a one-time fee. The publisher negotiates the fee directly, and pays the writer according to their agreement.

OK, that’s the ‘what.’  How much money are we talking about, and how does it get paid?

ROYALTY TYPE HOW IS THE FEE PAID?
Radio & television Stations pay a blanket license to the performing rights societies for the right to play ANY song in their catalog.  The fee is based on the size of their listenership. Generally, this is the lion’s share of income received by a songwriter or writer/artist.
Nightclubs Clubs also pay a blanket license for the right to play music in their clubs for their patrons, based on their capacity.
CD sales Record companies pay a per song rate to the publisher or a publisher representative such as the Harry Fox Agency. Congress has established a minimum rate (statutory rate – currently 9.1 cents) that is reviewed every few years. FYI, record companies will generally submit a separate agreement to the writer(s) prior to a CD release for a sub-statutory rate. Gotcha!
Synch License (Film), Grand Rights The film production company pays the negotiated fee for synchronization to the publisher directly.   This is normally a one-time fee ranging from free (for exposure) to thousands of dollars.
Advertising The advertising agency negotiates either a one-time fee (buyout) or a residual fee with the publisher.  Many factors determine the amount paid: the number of markets in which the ads will air, artist name recognition, lyric changes, etc.
Print The print publisher pays the song publisher a percentage of the wholesale price as a royalty. Traditionally this has been between 10%-12.5%.  Also, traditionally, this is not split 50/50 (a holdover from the days of print), but that is changing.

In 1998, the Digital Milennium Copyright Act was passed which expanded the 1976 law into the digital realm of the internet.  It also criminalized attempts to circumvent digital rights management and heightens penalties for copyright infringement. There’s a great article from back in 2007 written by Dina LaPolt that goes into great detail about the various ways artists and writers are paid for digital streaming and downloads.  Click here to read it in its entirety.  Here are the highlights:

RIGHT DESCRIPTION WHO PAYS?
Digital Downloads Treated as a form of mechanical license, these are files downloaded for a fee from sites such as iTunes or Amazon. The download site pays the recording company or administrator such as CDbaby, who then pays the song publisher a percentage of the fee.
Interactive Webast The consumer interacts with the website to hear music of their choosing as either custom playlists (Grooveshark, Rhapsody) or random automatic selections based on preference (Pandora). The web site owner pays the recording company, since this is not a broadcast situation. They in turn pay the song publisher a percentage of their fee.
Internet Radio (Master Recording License) XM Radio, internet versions of terrestrial radio, cable music stations such as Music Choice. The Master Recording license is the fee paid for the right to stream the sound recording. Soundexchange collects streaming royalties on behalf of the owner of the master recording (usually the record company). 50% goes to the label, 45% to the featured artist, and 5% to the non-featured musicians and vocalists.
Internet Radio (Broadcast performance license) XM Radio, etc. as above.  This is the fee paid because it fits the legal definition of a broadcast. These fees are collected by the performing rights societies (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) and are paid to both the publisher and the songwriter.
Video Games X-Box, Wii, online games, mobile apps Publisher negotiates the fee directly – usually a ‘buyout’ (one-time fee for unlimited use)
Ring Tones Treated as a mechanical license, these are short portions master recordings used to identify callers musically. Carrier keeps half the money, record label gets the other half, and pays the statutory rate (24 cents) to the publisher.

So now you know.

A Lyric Writing Approach to Consider

The three cornerstones of good songwriting are:

  • The purpose of a song is to convey an emotion
  • Lyrically a song is about one moment in time from an emotional point of view
  • Musically a song is a balance of repetition and surprise

This post digs a little deeper into the lyric writing aspect.

I am primarily a musician. That comes easily to me. I had to work at writing effective lyrics.

  • One moment in time
    That one moment is usually now. If the singer is remembering something, it’s in the context of what’s going on now. If the singer is thinking ahead, he’s still planted in the reality of now.
  • Say one thing
    Each verse should basically say one thing. When you plan your song, come up with an outline of the entire song something like this:
    V1 – one thing
    CHORUS
    V2 – one thing
    CHORUS
    V3 or BRIDGE – one thing
    CHORUSEach time the chorus comes back, it should have a slightly different meaning because of the new context of the verse that sets it up.
  • Punch lines
    There are always two planes of thought in a well written song: the logical plane and the emotional plane. Each couplet should be written with the two planes of thought intersecting at the last word (the link word). in other words, write it like a joke. A joke is also the intersection of two different planes of thought. The listener is led along the logical line of thought until the last word, which introduces a completely different plane of thought.Here’s a pun to illustrate the point – My last job was working in a muffler factory, but I had to quit. It was too exhausting.   “Exhaust” is the link word – joining the logical reason for quitting with the physical function of a muffler.Construct the last line of your couplet from the thought generated by the last word (the link), then work backwards. Come up with your setup rhyme word and write the lead-in line that ends with that word. That way you always write to the strong word.
  • Bridges
    My rule of thumb for bridges is this. If you’ve written two verses and choruses and still feel that you haven’t made your point, then you need to write a lyric bridge. Lyric bridges can go two directions. They can be universal, as if to say everyone feels this way or this is the way the world goes. They can also go inward, as if to say this is how I truly feel in my heart. Either way, when you write your bridge, forget about your rhyme scheme or your lyric rhythm. Get right to the heart of the matter and just blurt out what it is that you are trying to say. Once you have that bit of prose, then you can let it lead you as to what to do musically with it.

I hope this helps you when you hit a lyric wall.

Breaking Down The Dividing Line

I’ve stated before that I think the key to effective live performance is to break down the barrier between who’s the performer and who’s the audience.  I give the example of my friend, Skip Folse, who performed at a club here in Atlanta.

At one part of the evening he would start the “naked conga line.”  The club had two entrances and people would form a line in front of the stage, dance out one door into the parking lot, return through the other door, and when they reached the front of the stage the ladies would lift their tops and the men would turn and drop their trousers.  Skip performed with one hand on the keyboard and one hand holding a digital camera, which he used to snap a picture as the action happened.  He would meet the people on his break, find out their story, edit the pictures with ‘stars’ to cover the naughty parts, and upload them to his website before going to bed after the gig.  Everyone knew that if they were part of the naked conga line, they would be ‘famous’ by morning.

The Kaiser Chiefs did a similar thing with a new album release. Fans could go to their website and listen to 20 new songs by the Chiefs.  They could then pick their favorite 10 songs, arrange them in any order they wish, and design their custom album cover from pre-selected art.  Next they were given their own personalized web page to sell their version of the album.  For every copy they sold, they received £1 via PayPal.

Each of those were a twist on the normal roles we play. I encourage you to think outside the box this way and incorporate your own ideas into your music.