Keith Everette Smith and Timbaland

Hey guys. I just had a chuckle to myself. I've recently begun working with a company called Open Labs. These guys make fantastic keyboards! Their Meko and Neko series keyboards are actually fully functioning studios based around a powerful PC computer. Anyway, Saddleback used our new custom Neko during our Christmas special for the Fox Network. I was interviewed for their website.

I logged on to openlabs.com and this is what I saw... my face next to Timbaland!!!


Timbaland is writing hit after hit these days with artists like Justin Timberlake, One Republic, Madonna... the list goes on.

I just thought I'd share. Click here to read the entire article. I can't recommend these guys enough!

If I could only have 2 plug-in bundles!

I am a talker… especially when it comes to recording. I could go on for hours about new toys, techniques and music. What I don’t want to do is make you salivate over all the stuff you can’t afford. No one’s spouse likes us spending money we don’t have. BUT if you are mixing your own music there are a few plug-ins that I believe every musician should own. At this point, I literally could not mix a song without these tools. Take a look.

#1 WAVES SSL 4000 Bundle – These plug-ins are modeled after the famed SSL recording consoles. Before the industry got on board with in-the-box mixing, the vast majority of hit singles and platinum albums were mixed on these boards. Still today, tons of engineers won’t mix a record without one. They have a fantastic sound. The EQ is especially aggressive and has a very recognizable quality that it adds to the sound.
Waves’ did a great job of cloning this console. The SSL E-channel plug-in models a single channel of the E Series Console. It has EQ, compression/gating (dynamics) and all the other routing functions of the original E series console. The 4-band equalizer is similar to the EQ on the channel strip except it mimics the sound of the G series console, which sounds slightly different than the E series. The bus compressor is modeled after the master bus compressor of the console. This compressor is most often used on the entire mix, adding “glue” to the sound and giving everything a little aggressive edge.
OK, this bundle is a little expensive but well worth the price in my opinion. I literally think I could sell almost all my other plug-ins and mix exclusively. (Thus, the reason for this blog.) At this point, I wouldn’t think of mixing drums without it.

#2 WAVES MUSICIANS II Bundle – Another great bundle from WAVES. These plug-ins are not models. They are original plug-ins and they sound great. At a price point of a little over $200, this bundle is well worth the price.
R-Compressor – Is a really nice sounding compressor. It can handle standard compression or even venture into optical compression (useful on vocals, bass or anything else you’d want processed with transparency).
R-Vox – Here is a good reason to buy the musicians II bundle. R-Vox is a compressor limiter, expander specifically tailored for vocals. This thing is magic and adds presence and excitement to a vocal.
R-Axx – This is another compressor tailored for guitars. I really don’t know what it does but it does it well! Adds beef and excitement to guitar tracks.
R-EQ – I absolutely love this eq! It’s not particularly colorful but it allows you to easily pinpoint EQ points for adjustment. It treats the high end very nicely and things don’t get overly harsh.
SuperTap Delay – Another reason to buy this bundle. This delay does everything from U2-type delays, simple analog mono delays and lush reverb type complex delays. It’s a “do it all” delay unit.
Doubler – This plug comes in handy when you wanna create a pseudo-doubled vocal effect on the chorus or thicken background vocals to fill up a bit of the mix.

You know, I really didn’t mean for this to be a WAVES advertisement. I really don’t care who makes the plugs I use. I just care about the result. These bundles help me do my job. I use many other plugs but if I had to, I could do everything I need with these guys.

Other plug-ins I use regularly:
Massey CT4 Compressor, Massey TD5 Delay, TL Space, Digi ReVibe, Drawmer Dynamics, Massey L2000 limiter, SoundToys EchoBoy, Digi Echo Farm, Waves MaxxBass, McDSP Filter Bank Bank, BombFactory 1176

Composers and Inspiration

I played a concert for the Presbyterian Church of the Master Sunday night. It was fun. It was pretty much a classical gig playing trumpet. I really miss classical music. That used to be most of what I did. I played in orchestras, concert bands and many brass ensembles growing up. Though my personality ultimately didn't fit in with this crowd, as a trumpet player, I am probably best at this style. For this reason, it's nice to play this music on occasion.

The conductor's name was John Elg. He was a FANTASTIC conductor and really had the church choir sounding fantastic. What I noticed about John was his inspiring personality. His gestures, smiles, and attitude begged you to play with the emotion that he was portraying. This got me thinking about record production. I consider myself a good producer in part because of the conductors I sat under through the years. I watched these men (and women) turn a bunch of individual musicians into a single unit, making beautiful music together. It was amazing.

One thing I remember is how 2 conductors specifically would use word pictures to describe the emotion for which a part should be performed. It was amazing how an emotion could be imparted on someone else and an emotional musical performance would result. I've tried to use this technique on several occasions in the studio. Correct notes has never been good enough for me. You MUST inspire me with the notes. With vocalists, I may say "Sing beyond the microphone, like you're singing at a rock concert in front of 50,000 people!" Or I might say, "Sing delicately as if you were whispering to a person you love." These things really work. When the mind is focused on the record button or the microphone in front of them, I'd venture to say that you will never received the most powerful performance possible.

All that to say, if you want to produce exciting, emotional music, head to your local college and watch a conductor interact with his ensemble. You'll learn very useful tips for inspiring the musicians you are producing!

Pro Tools 8

Even though I'll wait a good long time before upgrading, I'm REALLY excited about this release. I actually may try out Sibelius because of this new version. We'll see :)

Check it out!

PRO TOOLS 8

MASSEY

OK people. Listen close. If you don't own plugins by MASSEY PLUGINS you are missing out! My goodness, this guy is amazing. His compressor is fantastic, his 3 band EQ is easy and colorful, his De:ESSER is genius and transparent, his analog Delay is PERFECT, his LIMITER is the industry standard, his Tape Head modeler glues my mixes together.... the list goes on.

The best part is that every plugin is well under $100!!

The reason I'm posting this blog is because Massey just introduced DTM, a drum to midi drum replacement plugin FOR FREE if you own any of Massey's other plugins. THIS THING IS HOT! Logic already has something like this and it's nice to have it within pro tools!

Speaking of Pro Tools. Pro Tools 8 comes out soon and has some AMAZING new features. If you had though about moving to Logic, think again!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

My blog, my opinions

Hey guys. I feel that this is important. It's important and it's my blog so I can do this. I think Christians (especially the non-crazy ones) need to voice their opions (so the world doesn't just see the crazy Christians).

I am a Christian. That is my world view. I believe that God the focus of everything. Jesus is my Savior. Jesus is everyone's Savior. If you don't know that, email me. It'll change your life... promise.

As a Christian I vote my convictions NOT my personal comfort in life. I feel this presidential race is being fought on the basis of everyone's comfort. I personally believe that America is long overdue for a wake up call about the way we live, the way we over-spend, the way we fight for self. We are not going to fix our economy the way it needs fixing if we are appealing to everyone's need to be comfortable. We need to plead for people to have dignity, respect for one-another, integrity, charity, patriotism, and for people do be the opposite of greedy.

I will be voting for McCain. I think Clinton and his de-regulation of banks got us into this mess and then the greed upheld by EVERYONE kept us there. Conservatism is necessary for getting out of debt. Small government and the trust of Americans to build a strong economy is key. Taxes are fair when they are even. Business owners should not be punished for building strong businesses that work. This is what keeps the economy going. It is good stewarship and good leadership to REWARD and ENCOURAGE people in this situation... not punish them by taxing them more. If you want to fuel the economy, encourage these people to give back on their own. This will do more for the economy. It's called delegation.

OK so I rambled a little bit... I'll be voting for McCain. I care about our country. I care about my children and my grandchildren and the country they will inherit. I think we need to guard our values, vote our convictions and get to the core of the problem, not focus on symptoms. Please vote McCain. Do your own research and get informed, but I'd encourage you to vote McCain.

It's my blog, that's my opinion.

Keith

Monitors and listening environment

Hey gang. I've been asked recently about my preference in monitors. GOOD QUESTION!

Your monitoring environment is extremely important. It's how you hear the music you create. You are taking a huge gamble when you produce/mix without good monitoring. Without good monitoring how will you know that what you are recording is accurate? How will you know if the bottom end of your mixes are punchy? Will your mixes translate? YOU WON'T KNOW.

OK, so I'm playing up the scenario a little bit for effect. The above is true, yes, but obviously what is MOST important is that you know your gear and how it sounds. Crummy speakers can be used to mix if you know how they respond. I'm sure you've heard someone tell you that your car is very important to your mixes (or your ipod in this modern day). The reason is that your car is most likely where you listen to the most music. Your ears recognize a good sounding mix in that environment. I heard of a mixer who actually owned a radio transmitter with a radio-type compressor set to the input. This engineer would play a song and transmit it to his car stereo... he felt that the best way to understand the way a mix would translate on the radio was to hear it on the radio! ha! Pretty crazy, huh?

Here's a little help for purchasing monitors...

1) go to a music store or local studio and try out some monitors!!! Use YOUR ears to find monitors that suite your personality. I don't like the same monitors that everyone else necessarily likes. Bring a few CDs that you know intimately. This will help you hear the differences in each monitors as it relates to music you know well.

2) get recommendations from other engineers... though using your own ear is most important, the experience of others can help you along the way. Russ Fowler recommended KRK V4 monitors to me a few years ago. He and Mike Clark (recently passed away... he was the owner of the famed "Southern Tracks Studio" in Atlanta) went to guitar center and both loved these. I eventually tried them and then purchased a pair and added a small 10" sub to add a touch of low end.

3) consider your style... R&B music can call for a different type of monitor than rock music. Rock music is rugged and midrang-y. R&B has lots of highs and extreme lows. If you are purchasing a monitor for R&B or electronic music you'll need monitors with a good low end and highs that don't fatigue. If you're buying for rock, something like NS-10's may be perfect for coming up with a raw edgy mix.

4) monitors should sound the same at all volume levels. Some monitors have a volume "sweet spot" where the drivers are activating the cones correctly on at certain volumes. The best monitors are ones that sound good at all volume levels.

5) good monitors should also have a decent sized stereo image "sweet spot." This will happen when the monitors are positioned correctly and if the monitors are built properly. You want to be able to move around your desk without having the sound change a ton.

6) good low end - I personally believe that mixing is best accomplished with a sub. It's only with a sub woofer that I can understand what is really going on down in the extreme low end of the mix. Mixes are done without subs, sure, but I believe the mixes with the best low end are done with monitors with good low end.

7) accurate mids - "hyped" monitors are not good monitors. Small speaker component surround-sound systems have taught us to hear music with highs and lows only. This is not a good thing for music mixing. The mid-range in your monitors should be present and accurate.

8) smooth high end - You'll likely spend hours upon hours in your studio. The worst thing you could do is fatigue your ears before you're tired of working. Make sure the high end of your monitors is smooth and even.

9) passive or active - It seems that most monitors these days are "active" meaning they have amplifiers built into the monitor. This is great! It insures that the amp is perfectly matched to give the right amount of power to each speaker. If you're looking for a passive speaker (like NS-10's) you'll need to purchase an amp too. An amp should have plenty of power to handle the speaker. Too little power and you can actually blow the speaker.


MY MONITOR SETUP....

Mackie 824 Monitors attached to JBL 4300 sub
KRK V4 Monitors with Tapco 10" sub
Sharp Desktop Stereo (from John Carl.. thanks John)

not setup right now..

JBL 4300 Monitors with matching sub

OTHER GREAT MONITOR COMPANIES...

Adams
DynAudio
Blue Sky
Yamaha NS10 with Bryston 4B amp
Barefoot (if you got too much money to spend)



TIP: do most of your instrument rides (especially vocals) on small monitors at lower volumes. It is easiest to hear balance issues at low volumes.

TIP: double check your low end (kick and bass in relation to the mix) on small speakers (this will let you know if you're gonna blow someone elses speakers with your mix).

TIP: put your mix up on the big speakers to WOW the client.


Have fun SHOPPING!