A Pro Musician Answers Your Questions About Professional Music

smoothmoniker · 06-26-2009, 12:40 PM

So, my recent posts of some recordings reminded me that things I consider part of ordinary life are sometimes mystical to people outside of my little world. I thought it would be fun to throw open the door a bit, and give people a peak inside how things really work.

So, think of this thread as an "insider perspective" on the music industry. If you have any questions, I'll answer them as well as I can. I prefer not to answer questions about my specific career (private messages might be more appropriate for that), but about things in general. If you wonder how people get paid, who does what on an album, how people find work, what the studio process is really like, anything like that, I'll answer as best I can.

So, ask away.

glatt · 06-26-2009, 01:03 PM

My BIL is a drummer who toured with a band for a couple of years, and made enough money to live off that income at the time. But the band broke up. He's recently lost his fall back day job.

What are the prospects for getting paying work in a studio or something like that? He's in northern New Jersey and could make it in to NYC. How do you get into the studio musician world?

Flint · 06-26-2009, 01:10 PM

Networking!

smoothmoniker · 06-26-2009, 01:14 PM

Almost everybody makes it into the recording world by being a first-call sub for somebody already working. Usually that means being a student of one of the top players. There are a lot of people who pay to take lessons from the top call players specifically so that they can get on their radar, and hopefully start picking up sessions that the top call guy can't do.

My path in was a little different. I played keyboards for a major label artist on her very last tour. After she got off the road, she started working as a song-writer and producer for up and coming female artists. She pulled me in to play keyboards on the recordings, and from there I was able to network with other people in the recording industry.

The live world and the recording world are surprisingly separate from each other. The live world is sort of the slums of the music industry. It doesn't pay very well unless you're at the very top, a lot of young players get hired because they're cheap and pretty, and the standards for musicianship are usually pretty low. There are a LOT of people trying to make the transition from playing live to playing on recordings.

Undertoad · 06-26-2009, 01:21 PM

Are there people who are kinda not talented, but who get by because they're dependable and not assholes and maybe know a couple good jokes? Like a guitarist who can't solo anything but 12 bar blues, which he's great at but can't really do much else, but he's a good guy and people like having him around?

Clodfobble · 06-26-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

The live world and the recording world are surprisingly separate from each other. The live world is sort of the slums of the music industry.

FWIW, the same is true from the mixing/engineering side of things. Setting the mix for a live performance is a completely different beast from running things in a nice studio, and depending on the venue can require much more skill to do it well, yet everyone I've ever worked with would still rather do anything in a studio than run a live tour, no matter how big or famous. Maybe because in the studio you're the "engineer," while on tour you're just called a "roadie."

Master Cthulhu · 06-26-2009, 01:33 PM

Since you work with keyboards...

What is the best recording software? I normally use either Reaper or Soundbooth as of now, but is there anything better out there?

Bullitt · 06-26-2009, 01:36 PM

Have you seen the film being screened about The Wrecking Crew? http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/index2.html Ever met any of those folks?

Just saw that not too long ago at a film festival, very cool stuff I hope it makes it to DVD soon.

Flint · 06-26-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Are there people who are kinda not talented, but who get by because they're dependable and not assholes and maybe know a couple good jokes? Like a guitarist who can't solo anything but 12 bar blues, which he's great at but can't really do much else, but he's a good guy and people like having him around?

Converse to the guy who has killer chops but is impossible to get along with?
I've read that "not being an asshole" is among the most desirable qualities.

smoothmoniker · 06-26-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Are there people who are kinda not talented, but who get by because they're dependable and not assholes and maybe know a couple good jokes? Like a guitarist who can't solo anything but 12 bar blues, which he's great at but can't really do much else, but he's a good guy and people like having him around?

No, not really. Studio players are almost all amazingly versatile. I've seen players go from nylon string classical guitar solos to flamenco to face-melting power chords all on the same session. That's the norm.

There are a handful of people who have built a career out of being good at only one thing, but that one thing is usually very niche, like being good at authentic early delta blues dobro guitar, or chinese folk erhu.

Being dependable and not an asshole and knowing a couple of good jokes is important, but if you can't hang with the music, you don't get called back. You might get called to go out for beers after the session, but in the room, what matters is what matters, the music.

smoothmoniker · 06-26-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Cthulhu

Since you work with keyboards...

What is the best recording software? I normally use either Reaper or Soundbooth as of now, but is there anything better out there?

For the money, I don't think you can beat Apple's Logic Studio. I use that pretty much exclusively for programming, sound design, composing, film scoring. I use Pro Tools when I have to, but for everything else, I use Logic.

smoothmoniker · 06-26-2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Setting the mix for a live performance is a completely different beast from running things in a nice studio, and depending on the venue can require much more skill to do it well, yet everyone I've ever worked with would still rather do anything in a studio than run a live tour, no matter how big or famous.

I have ton of respect for good live engineers. They can make or break show.

But I've never known a live engineer who can make $250k in a year, and I know dozens of studio engineers who clear that.

There are no back-end royalties on live tours.

smoothmoniker · 06-26-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Have you seen the film being screened about The Wrecking Crew? http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/index2.html Ever met any of those folks?

Just saw that not too long ago at a film festival, very cool stuff I hope it makes it to DVD soon.

The Wrecking Crew were waaaaay before my time, and frankly way higher up than any of the circles I'm traveling in. The closest I've come to any of them is buying a bunch of old gear that Glen Campbell used on his live rig.

I did some low-level technical work on a software instrument called the Trilogy, a bass emulator. Carol Kaye was a consultant on it, but I've never met her.

Elspode · 06-27-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Have you seen the film being screened about The Wrecking Crew? http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/index2.html Ever met any of those folks?

Just saw that not too long ago at a film festival, very cool stuff I hope it makes it to DVD soon.

I've gotta see that. I've emailed with Carol Kaye a couple of times over the years. Great gal, incredible bassist.

TheMercenary · 06-27-2009, 10:41 AM

Pro Musician:

Have you gotten rich yet doing local gigs for weddings? What do you eat for dinner on a regular basis? Have you considered growing your own food or raising chickens to supplement your diet?

06-26-2009, 12:40 PM	#1
smoothmoniker to live and die in LA Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,090	A Pro Musician Answers Your Questions About Professional Music So, my recent posts of some recordings reminded me that things I consider part of ordinary life are sometimes mystical to people outside of my little world. I thought it would be fun to throw open the door a bit, and give people a peak inside how things really work. So, think of this thread as an "insider perspective" on the music industry. If you have any questions, I'll answer them as well as I can. I prefer not to answer questions about my specific career (private messages might be more appropriate for that), but about things in general. If you wonder how people get paid, who does what on an album, how people find work, what the studio process is really like, anything like that, I'll answer as best I can. So, ask away. __________________ to live and die in LA

06-26-2009, 01:10 PM	#3
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Networking! __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

06-26-2009, 01:14 PM	#4
smoothmoniker to live and die in LA Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,090	Almost everybody makes it into the recording world by being a first-call sub for somebody already working. Usually that means being a student of one of the top players. There are a lot of people who pay to take lessons from the top call players specifically so that they can get on their radar, and hopefully start picking up sessions that the top call guy can't do. My path in was a little different. I played keyboards for a major label artist on her very last tour. After she got off the road, she started working as a song-writer and producer for up and coming female artists. She pulled me in to play keyboards on the recordings, and from there I was able to network with other people in the recording industry. The live world and the recording world are surprisingly separate from each other. The live world is sort of the slums of the music industry. It doesn't pay very well unless you're at the very top, a lot of young players get hired because they're cheap and pretty, and the standards for musicianship are usually pretty low. There are a LOT of people trying to make the transition from playing live to playing on recordings. __________________ to live and die in LA

06-26-2009, 01:36 PM	#8
Bullitt This is a fully functional babe lair Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 2,324	Have you seen the film being screened about The Wrecking Crew? http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/index2.html Ever met any of those folks? Just saw that not too long ago at a film festival, very cool stuff I hope it makes it to DVD soon. __________________ Kiss my white Irish ass.

06-27-2009, 10:41 AM	#15
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	Pro Musician: Have you gotten rich yet doing local gigs for weddings? What do you eat for dinner on a regular basis? Have you considered growing your own food or raising chickens to supplement your diet? __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

06-26-2009, 01:03 PM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	My BIL is a drummer who toured with a band for a couple of years, and made enough money to live off that income at the time. But the band broke up. He's recently lost his fall back day job. What are the prospects for getting paying work in a studio or something like that? He's in northern New Jersey and could make it in to NYC. How do you get into the studio musician world?

06-26-2009, 01:21 PM	#5
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Are there people who are kinda not talented, but who get by because they're dependable and not assholes and maybe know a couple good jokes? Like a guitarist who can't solo anything but 12 bar blues, which he's great at but can't really do much else, but he's a good guy and people like having him around?

06-26-2009, 01:33 PM	#7
Master Cthulhu Sentimental Sentient Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 38	Since you work with keyboards... What is the best recording software? I normally use either Reaper or Soundbooth as of now, but is there anything better out there?

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