Should you Produce yourself?

Hi there,

I am the person who, in between hairdresser visits, hacks at and colours their own hair. I got down on my hands and knees and sanded and stained the damaged floorboards in the kitchen rather than call a professional and I decided I could produce, direct and edit my latest music video all by myself. So I'm no stranger to do-it-yourself.

One area I don't go near, however, is my own music production. I have lots of ideas and I put all those ideas in a multi track demo that I give to a producer. He sees through my suspect sounds and mootable mixing, sprinkles some fairy dust and suddenly what I hear in my own head comes to life. I've heard a lot of self-produced artists recently and each time I've come away thinking: great singer, great songs, but there is something missing. I'm not suggesting that there are no great artists who are also great producers - Michael Carpenter at Love Hz Studios is one of those and Floyd Vincent did a great job on his recent live album. But I think that a lot of artists aren't equally good producers and, while hair does grow back, no-one really looks at the kitchen floor and I might get away with a DIY film clip for one of my songs, I know my home baked production would be half baked. Just like I think singers need singing lessons, I think artists need producers. If nothing else, it's a second brain and pair of ears to prod you out of your comfort zone... or perhaps reign in the wilder reaches of creativity and lend some consistency to a group of tunes that will end up as an album or EP. 

Songwriter's songs are like their babies and we don't take kindly to criticism of our offspring - but let's face it, often it is required. And you might think the little tacker would look terrible in a stripey onesie but it could just be that the pattern brings out the absolute best in their complexion. It takes a lot of years to become a good singer. It takes just as long to become a good producer. So if you have been spending most of your time working on your singing and songwriting, why not leave the knob twiddling and audio magic to the guys and girls that have been spending so many of their waking hours on that craft?

By the way, you can judge for yourself, my DIY filmclip (this is the remix version).

http://youtu.be/dhI5nL0jsuY

'Till next time,
Amanda

Singer Searching for the Sweet Spot

Hi there,

I did a recording session for a Grammy Award winning producer recently. He'd heard my voice before hiring me so while I was nervous, I was reasonably confident it would go OK. 

He played me a few songs he'd written and after a while we got to work. The first one was a rocky number and I did my best to give it some. But I could see on his face and hear in my own head that it just sounded...blah. There were no notes I couldn't hit and I was doing my best to channel Joan Jett but it just wasn't happening. Beyonce was looking down at me disapprovingly from the personally signed photo on the wall. No pressure then.

Now sometimes the problem with songs written by one sex for the other is, no matter how much the writers know about music and songwriting, they just don't quite fit the voice for which they're intended. How often have you heard great singers do mediocre performances because the song just doesn't suit them? That's why song choice and key choice is make or break on TV talent shows like The Voice and when you putting that decision in someone else's hands, well, good luck!

We come to grips with the scope of our own ranges as singers but within that cluster of notes I've realised there are those that make my voice soar and others that are just a bit...blah! In other words, there is definitely a sweet spot and if the song doesn't enter into that neighbourhood then maybe that tune's not for me, not in that key at least. So when a band says: 'Well, we do this song in this key,' I think you have the right as a singer to say: 'Do you mind if we do it in my key?' After all, they don't yet make capos for voices. 

Anyway, the second song we recorded at this session went much better. I could see the producer's face relax and could swear I saw Beyonce winking at me. Bet she knows all about the sweet spot.

See you next time.

Stickin' it to 'The Voice'!

Hi there,

There seems a lot of that lately - more than usual criticism of the show we love to hate, 'The Voice'. Don't get me wrong, keep reading my posts and you'll hear me having a go too; we're all entitled to our rants. But for the moment I find myself, once again, defending the show that I didn't want to be part of myself. Most of the negative stuff I've been reading is about the poor treatment of artists. I've had friends who have suffered by being part of this show - this industry can be soul and ego crushing at the best of time and I hate to see fellow artists become 'fodder for ratings grabs'. The thing is, isn't it naive to think it would be any other way? 

I do actually think this show is more respectful to its participants than compatriots Idol and X Factor, but 'The Voice' wasn't designed by its producers to be a vehicle for artists' careers or even to showcase the best singers. Just as the Biggest Loser wasn't designed to be a helpful way to lose weight and gain health. Both shows are created by the same production company after all. These shows and all like it were designed to, well, make money! Commercial TV is a cut throat world and ratings make or break a show. Viewers need drama to keep watching and producers use what they've got to create it - in this case artists, often with fragile egos. So it hurts to feel used - couldn't agree more; I couldn't subject myself to that. I often don't agree with the judges' decisions and quite often the best artists aren't the winners. At the same time, some artists gain massive exposure and great contacts by tiptoeing along this TV tightrope. 

We need to understand the business of this business and go in with eyes open. It's a risky one with potentially huge payoffs. Just like the music industry itself and a bit like life really! I don't necessarily like it but I do believe it's a matter of 'live by the sword, die by the sword'.

Till next time,
Amanda