Memorial Day Celebration Remembering the Interns, Soldiers of the Studio

Enjoy your Memorial Day. This year we start a new tradition, remembering the Soldiers of the Studio.... The Interns.

We remember the interns who have journeyed thousands of miles to make coffee, water plants and vacuum which makes our studio that much more enjoyable for all who come.  Those who come to have their ego stripped away to serve the good of the Artist Community.  These fearless souls whose watchful eyes and sensing ears come to learn a craft where the only reward may be the excitement of being at an incredible performance.  They are the ones we pass on our decades of experience where in we relive and embed what we know. 


Sure, we watch them make the same mistakes we did whether it's placing a microphone inside the piano with the brick on the pedal or unplugging the power supply before turning off the preamps.  Yes, we get a few laughs when one of them tries to do a rough mix or figure out how to punch in on analog tape.  Of course, we roll our eyes when a newbie says "I've got ProTools Certification".  But in the end, we are all family, we all contribute.  No less important is the intern who learns to open the sliding glass door than the oerson sitting behind the console.  Both have the power to completely f*&k up a session... or make it a happy lifetime experience for the Artist.


We wonder where many of you are, our Soldiers of the Studio.  Please tell us what you are doing?  Where you are living?  And any memories you might have from your experiences at OTR.


And Artists, if you have an experience to share that you remember from being at OTR with a particular experience, please chime in.


Once you've been at OTR Studios, you are family.


Happy Memorial Day!  Thanks for the Memories!
Cookie Marenco

Feel free to comment on our Facebook page

Workshop Lecture on Thursday night. Recording Higher Quality Audio and Why

Cookie Marenco be giving a workshop this Thursday night, February 10, 2011  in San Francisco at 7pm. RSVP and Details below. Topics will cover how to listen, high performance recording using Blue Coast Records E.S.E. technique, and why high quality audio matters in an mp3 world. Q&A. Everyone welcome.

The event is being sponsored by WAM and is free.

When: Thursday, February 10th, 7-9:30pm
Location: WAM, 1890 Bryant Street, Suite 312, SF
FREE
ALSO webcast.
RSVP or questions to hburkman@womensaudiomission.org
(limited seating. Reserve your spot today!)

Congratulations to Rob Ickes for Winning the United States Artists Fellowship!

OTR Studios would like to celebrate with Rob Ickes his Fellowship. Here's the note sent by Rob's team to us about the award and ceremony! United States Artists, an organization dedicated to supporting America's finest artists working across diverse disciplines, announced the selection of Rob Ickes as the 2010 United States Artists Cummings Fellow at a ceremony tonight at the Lincoln Center. The USA Fellows program awards a $50,000 grant to fifty artists each year in the disciplines of music, theater arts, visual arts, dance, literature, media, crafts/traditional arts, and architecture/ design. United States Artists was formed by the Ford Foundation in 2005 with $22 million in seed funding from The Ford, Rockefeller, Rasmuson and Prudential Foundations, with a mission "to invest in America's finest artists and illuminate the value of artists to society." USA Fellowship nominations are made by an anonymous group of arts leaders, critics, scholars, and artists chosen by USA. An expert panel for each discipline then chooses the USA Fellows to be recommended for approval by the USA Board.  Previous USA fellows from the field of music include Michael Doucet, Bill Frisell, Ali Akbar Kahn, Terry Allen, Lionel Loueke, violinist Leila Josefowicz, jazz musician Muhal Richard Abrams, and interdisciplinary artist Meredith Monk. Katharine DeShaw, USA Executive Director, described the 2010 recipients as follows:  "Chosen for the caliber and impact of their work, the USA Fellows for 2010 hail from 18 states and Puerto Rico, range in age from 32 to 71, and represent some of the most innovative and diverse creative talents in the country." Ickes is the first artist with roots in bluegrass music to be named a USA Fellow. His work spans multiple genres, and Ickes plans to use his fellowship to continue to explore "the vast musical potential that the dobro has to offer," and to raise the visibility of the instrument.  WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CELEBRATION , STREAMING LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER AT 8pm ET:  The 2010 USA Fellows will be announced tonight at 8:00pm, followed by a celebration with special performances by several Fellows from prior years.  Watch a live stream of the announcement and celebration at www.unitedstatesartists.org (a video will also be archived and available for viewing on USA's website after the event). About Rob Ickes A Northern California native, Rob Ickes moved to Nashville in 1992 and joined Blue Highway, the highly esteemed bluegrass band, as a founding member in 1994. He is recognized as one of the most innovative Dobro players on the scene today, contributing signature technique and greatly expanding the boundaries of the instrument's sonic and stylistic territory. He won the International Bluegrass Music Association's Dobro Player of the Year award for a record-setting twelfth time in 2010, and is the most awarded instrumentalist in the history of the IBMA awards. An active session player and touring musician, he has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Merle Haggard, Earl Scruggs, Tony Rice, Charlie Haden, David Grisman, Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, David Lee Roth, Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless, Peter Rowan, Claire Lynch, andMary Chapin Carpenter. His most recent release is Road Song (ResoRevolution), a dobro-piano jazz album. He has also released four acclaimed solo albums on Rounder, nine albums with Blue Highway (Rounder, Ceili, Rebel) and a CD with Three Ring Circle (Rob, Andy Leftwich & Dave Pomeroy). The youngest dobro player on The Great Dobro Sessions (Jerry Douglas & Tut Taylor, producers), which won the 1994 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, he was also on the Alison Krauss & The Cox Family album, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, which won the 1994 Grammy for Best Southern Gospel. Rob is also a gifted resonator guitar teacher; in 2007, he founded ResoSummit, a three-day annual instructional event in Nashville, featuring leading Dobro players and luthiers as faculty.

To schedule an interview or for more information:publicity@resorevolution.com      615-656-5306 www.unitedstatesartists.com     |    www.resorevolution.com CD Quality and High Resolution versions of his song are available on his Downloads NOW! page. http://robickes.downloadsnow.net/ Recorded by Cookie Marenco, owner of OTR Studios

In The Studio with Chi MClean

In The Studio
From Chi McClean's blog post... Sessions at OTR with Chi, Brain and Jon Evans. Incredible!

In The Studio

Woah! These past few days have been a whirlwind…. Starting on Monday, September 27th, I have been working on my new record down at OTR Studios with producer/engineer Cookie Marenco, percussionist Brain, and bassist Jon Evans.

Cookie playing back a take of "Life Got In The Way" while Brain reviews his performance.

It’s been an incredible experience to spend some time with these guys and work out parts, new arrangements, and an overall sound for the record. Every one of them has contributed heaps to the entire process and it’s just amazing to see and hear it all come together so quickly.

Last night was pretty special. I honestly could have sworn that, for a few moments, I had John Henry Bonham and John Paul Jones in the tracking room for “Life Got In The Way” and “I Save You”. Chills… really! Talk about locking it down… BAM.

Today is our last day of tracking at OTR Studios and while we still have a bunch to do, it’s amazing to see how much ground we’ve already covered. Today is also my birthday, coincidentally, and I really can’t think of a better way to kick off another year than with these guys making music.

Stay tuned here for more updates as the recording develops and keep your eyes peeled for some new material soon! It’s gonna be awesome…

• 

Why Do Professional Recordings sound so BAD? from Computeraudiophile.com Entry

Submitted by cookiemarenco on Sun, 08/22/2010 - 07:26.  Joined: 04/12/2009 .:. Online .:. Comments: 8

Why Do Professional Recordings sound so BAD?

I've been reading this thread and am continually fascinated that more professional engineers aren't involved in the audiophile world listening the way you do.
Thanks, Steve, for the mention. I've been a recording engineer since 1982 and have recorded more than 400 albums/cd before starting my own label, Blue Coast Records.
As a hired gun engineer, my drummer credentials include recording Max Roach, Billy Higgins, Brain (Bryan) Mania (drummer for GunsNRoses, Primus, Tom Waits), Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Spyboys), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Ricky Martin, Melissa Etheridge), Steve Smith (Journey) and hundreds of other drummers.
Drums are my favorite instrument to record because they are always a challenge. No kit is ever the same. The question posed as to 'why do recorded drums sound so bad' is complicated. Below, I'll list some of the challenges we pro engineers face.
CURRENT HIT RECORD TRENDS and LOUD DISC MASTERING
The biggest reason for inadequate drum sound is trend towards loud mastering to compete with the latest hit record. Much of this is about getting a record to 'pop' when you put it in the disc player... translation, a loud recording. It's tough when the label or artist thinks loud is good and they hold the purse strings.
There are cases where music I've recorded and mixed became unrecognizable to me after mastering or mp3s were made. It is one of the reasons I started Blue Coast Records.... to regain control from beginning to end.
COMPENSATING FOR AN INADEQUATE DRUMMER
It's not that hard to get a good sound on drums, especially if no other instrument is playing. As you add instruments and make decisions on how to mix, different criteria for sound come into play. Unfortunately, drums often take a lower priority to vocals or other instruments when mixing. As the drums fall back into the mix, the inadequacy of the drummer becomes apparent.
An inexperienced drummer will not have control over the sound of his high hat or ride cymbal. Individual miking of drums and cymbals is not often sufficient to compensate. If you take out the 'loud' high hat mic, it will still bleed into all the other mics creating a less than definite sound of the hat, for example. If the drummer can't control how loud he plays his individual drums/cymbals you're destined for problems.
If you are familiar with the early Steely Dan drum sound, you'll notice a very 'tight' drum sound. I'm not a fan, but this style of recording will give you more control over the individual sound of the drums. It's achieved by recording each drum separately to a click track-- kick then snare then hat, etc. Or by padding up the drums with tape, etc, to lessen the bleed. Then, noise gates are applied to open only with the one drum is hit and compressed to re thicken.
To me, the sound achieved is dead and lifeless. Some of the finest engineers and my heroes have had to record in this style. I can't deny I've done it myself over the years.
OVER COMPRESSION
In today's pop music, to compensate for a less talented drummer, the entire drum kit is compressed to 'even' out the sound, squish the cymbals and make the drummer sound more 'powerful'. Use of compression is an easy way to even out the performance and automatically removes the high and low frequencies naturally present. It turns to a thick pile of mud and helps disguise just how bad the drummer is!
DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDING FORMAT
I record my basic tracks to 2" tape or DSD where I have lots of headroom. But, as Steve mentioned, 80% of today's recordings are made at 44.1 on Protools. Most ADDA's used in recording to digital have uncontrollable compression built in to avoid going over the head room.
Rather than teach the engineer to record at a lower level, engineers are taught to record hot to get more bits active. Low level PCM recording has fewer bits and losses sonic life in these low levels.
Aside from 44.1 not having true high or low frequencies, percussive instruments especially suffer badly as transient frequencies slap the limit of dynamics and 'flat top'. There is a slight 'ticking' sound that resembles slapping your hands. Tape and DSD recording do not have these same issues.
MUCKING AROUND WITH DIGITAL PLUG INS
One way to run up a clients bill is to use digital plug ins that automatically put drums in time (beat detective). I'm very much against this practice and believe the lifeless perfection takes the personality away from the drummer. It also causes subtle artifacts that fly under the radar for most engineers, artists and public, but, I believe contribute to the public's gradual trend away from new music.
This technique is being used on even the finest drummers. You would be horrified to know that this is done in many current jazz recordings... and how many times I have to convince people to accept their slightly imperfect recording for the sake of the human emotional content.
DIGITAL COPYING
It is unfortunate that pro engineers are not taught that every digital copy, consolidation, bounce or transfer results in lowered quality. Instead, they are taught to make their life easier by using these copying tools freely without considering the consequence. From Recording to Mix to Mastering to Replication there is a minimum of 3 digital transfers. You are not close to listening to the original master. After the master in the studio, it's all downhill.
CREATIVITY, DEADLINES AND REALITY
Some artists just want to do something differently, like Tom Waits. He'll have the drummer set up in the bathroom with one mic outside the door. I am guilty as charged. Sometimes, I just want the drums not sound like drums... for fun.
A big issue for an engineer is that if we're on the money clock of the artist or label, we often don't get much time to really get the 'right' sound all the time. You learn to move fast, get a great sound quickly and move on. The session can't be about getting the best possible sound on the drums or you'll lose the magic of the moment from the other artists. A good engineer is always conscious session momentum.
BOTTOMLINE
It's easy to fault my fellow engineers for ignoring the true sound of the drums. The luxury an amateur engineer has in time spent can result in some nice recordings. The test of a good professional engineer not only getting a great sound, but also a great performance within a time deadline. Even the finest engineers will say that time and money can interfere with the sound of the drums.
I run an active intern recording program at my studio, OTR Studios, which is one of the few in the country. We get audio students from around the globe who are completing their college programs. I am often horrified at the lack of knowledge of music and physics of sound they are taught in school. On the otherhand, I am happy to say my students all leave as intense listeners and the next generation of audiophiles.
I am part of a recording book written by Rick Clark that is going to be used as a college text book for recording. It has interviews by many, many excellent engineers who offer their expertise. You might want to check it out.
http://bluecoastrecords.com/cookie-marenco-s-recording-techniques-featur...
I was thrilled that Rick chose to include Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E) that was developed by Blue Coast Records for recording. It shows a commitment to more audiophile kinds of recordings.
Sorry for the long note, but, I was compelled to set the record straight for the pros and confirm that your findings are correct.. most recorded drums sounds sound bad!
:)
It's a tough gig.
Cookie

Why Do Professional Drum Recordings sound so BAD? from Computeraudiophile.com Entry

Submitted by cookiemarenco on Sun, 08/22/2010 - 07:26.  Joined: 04/12/2009 .:. Online .:. Comments: 8

Why Do Professional Recordings sound so BAD?

I've been reading this thread and am continually fascinated that more professional engineers aren't involved in the audiophile world listening the way you do. Thanks, Steve, for the mention. I've been a recording engineer since 1982 and have recorded more than 400 albums/cd before starting my own label, Blue Coast Records.

As a hired gun engineer, my drummer credentials include recording Max Roach, Billy Higgins, Brain (Bryan) Mania (drummer for GunsNRoses, Primus, Tom Waits), Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Spyboys), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Ricky Martin, Melissa Etheridge), Steve Smith (Journey) and hundreds of other drummers.

Drums are my favorite instrument to record because they are always a challenge. No kit is ever the same. The question posed as to 'why do recorded drums sound so bad' is complicated. Below, I'll list some of the challenges we pro engineers face.

CURRENT HIT RECORD TRENDS and LOUD DISC MASTERING
The biggest reason for inadequate drum sound is trend towards loud mastering to compete with the latest hit record. Much of this is about getting a record to 'pop' when you put it in the disc player... translation, a loud recording. It's tough when the label or artist thinks loud is good and they hold the purse strings.

There are cases where music I've recorded and mixed became unrecognizable to me after mastering or mp3s were made. It is one of the reasons I started Blue Coast Records.... to regain control from beginning to end.

COMPENSATING FOR AN INADEQUATE DRUMMER
It's not that hard to get a good sound on drums, especially if no other instrument is playing. As you add instruments and make decisions on how to mix, different criteria for sound come into play. Unfortunately, drums often take a lower priority to vocals or other instruments when mixing. As the drums fall back into the mix, the inadequacy of the drummer becomes apparent.

An inexperienced drummer will not have control over the sound of his high hat or ride cymbal. Individual miking of drums and cymbals is not often sufficient to compensate. If you take out the 'loud' high hat mic, it will still bleed into all the other mics creating a less than definite sound of the hat, for example. If the drummer can't control how loud he plays his individual drums/cymbals you're destined for problems.

If you are familiar with the early Steely Dan drum sound, you'll notice a very 'tight' drum sound. I'm not a fan, but this style of recording will give you more control over the individual sound of the drums. It's achieved by recording each drum separately to a click track-- kick then snare then hat, etc. Or by padding up the drums with tape, etc, to lessen the bleed. Then, noise gates are applied to open only with the one drum is hit and compressed to re thicken.

To me, the sound achieved is dead and lifeless. Some of the finest engineers and my heroes have had to record in this style. I can't deny I've done it myself over the years.

OVER COMPRESSION
In today's pop music, to compensate for a less talented drummer, the entire drum kit is compressed to 'even' out the sound, squish the cymbals and make the drummer sound more 'powerful'. Use of compression is an easy way to even out the performance and automatically removes the high and low frequencies naturally present. It turns to a thick pile of mud and helps disguise just how bad the drummer is!

DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDING FORMAT
I record my basic tracks to 2" tape or DSD where I have lots of headroom. But, as Steve mentioned, 80% of today's recordings are made at 44.1 on Protools. Most ADDA's used in recording to digital have uncontrollable compression built in to avoid going over the head room.

Rather than teach the engineer to record at a lower level, engineers are taught to record hot to get more bits active. Low level PCM recording has fewer bits and losses sonic life in these low levels.

Aside from 44.1 not having true high or low frequencies, percussive instruments especially suffer badly as transient frequencies slap the limit of dynamics and 'flat top'. There is a slight 'ticking' sound that resembles slapping your hands. Tape and DSD recording do not have these same issues.

MUCKING AROUND WITH DIGITAL PLUG INS
One way to run up a clients bill is to use digital plug ins that automatically put drums in time (beat detective). I'm very much against this practice and believe the lifeless perfection takes the personality away from the drummer. It also causes subtle artifacts that fly under the radar for most engineers, artists and public, but, I believe contribute to the public's gradual trend away from new music.

This technique is being used on even the finest drummers. You would be horrified to know that this is done in many current jazz recordings... and how many times I have to convince people to accept their slightly imperfect recording for the sake of the human emotional content.

DIGITAL COPYING
It is unfortunate that pro engineers are not taught that every digital copy, consolidation, bounce or transfer results in lowered quality. Instead, they are taught to make their life easier by using these copying tools freely without considering the consequence. From Recording to Mix to Mastering to Replication there is a minimum of 3 digital transfers. You are not close to listening to the original master. After the master in the studio, it's all downhill.

CREATIVITY, DEADLINES AND REALITY
Some artists just want to do something differently, like Tom Waits. He'll have the drummer set up in the bathroom with one mic outside the door. I am guilty as charged. Sometimes, I just want the drums not sound like drums... for fun.

A big issue for an engineer is that if we're on the money clock of the artist or label, we often don't get much time to really get the 'right' sound all the time. You learn to move fast, get a great sound quickly and move on. The session can't be about getting the best possible sound on the drums or you'll lose the magic of the moment from the other artists. A good engineer is always conscious session momentum.

BOTTOMLINE
It's easy to fault my fellow engineers for ignoring the true sound of the drums. The luxury an amateur engineer has in time spent can result in some nice recordings. The test of a good professional engineer not only getting a great sound, but also a great performance within a time deadline. Even the finest engineers will say that time and money can interfere with the sound of the drums.

I run an active intern recording program at my studio, OTR Studios, which is one of the few in the country. We get audio students from around the globe who are completing their college programs. I am often horrified at the lack of knowledge of music and physics of sound they are taught in school. On the otherhand, I am happy to say my students all leave as intense listeners and the next generation of audiophiles.

I am part of a recording book written by Rick Clark that is going to be used as a college text book for recording. It has interviews by many, many excellent engineers who offer their expertise. You might want to check it out.
http://bluecoastrecords.com/cookie-marenco-s-recording-techniques-featur...

I was thrilled that Rick chose to include Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E) that was developed by Blue Coast Records for recording. It shows a commitment to more audiophile kinds of recordings.

Sorry for the long note, but, I was compelled to set the record straight for the pros and confirm that your findings are correct.. most recorded drums sounds sound bad!
:)
It's a tough gig.
Cookie

Vijay Iyer Solo Piano Recording -- Review on Hatchet Fish

Reprint from
http://mavogdezza.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/vijay-iyer-on-solo/

Hatchet Fish

• Hatchet Fish

Vijay Iyer on ‘Solo’

In 2010, one thing I almost always want to do is listen to Vijay Iyer play the piano.  And I’ve only just begun. I listen to Historicity, a 2009 album by the Vijay Iyer Trio, and a few tracks from his collaborations with tenor saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and spoken word artist Mike Ladd. On a Friday night earlier this summer, I traveled from Ithaca, NY to hear and see the trio perform at Birdland.

Iyer’s first solo album, entitled Solo, is coming out at the end of the month. To occupy this particular want until then, a short video on the making of Solo has been released.  I made an imperfect transcription of Vijay Iyer’s commentary on the video, which I hope doesn’t violate any IP rights.

So we’re making this album here at  Belmont, CA, at a place called OTR Studios, with this beautiful piano which… is one of the finest recording pianos on the West Coast. And it also happens to be the piano where I made my first couple of albums and with the engineer who helped me make those albums. I’ve known her since 1995, and she’s someone I can trust.
I think of it, this process, making a solo album, everything is so exposed and…sensitive; it’s a very delicate process…y’know…you’re getting a real full dose of the piano…it’s like you’re being immersed in it. It’s not just a document….it’s really a sort of taking a stand about what a piano should sound like. The piano has a feeling very…lush and rich and vast…also has a lot of clarity, a lot of delicacy. Some people want the piano to be in front of them; but this is more like it’s all around you.

***

This is the most personal statement I could possibly issue, artistically. It’s the ultimate reveal [laughs], you know? ….um and it’s very vulnerable. So, one of the central pieces on this album is entitled  “Autoscopy,” which is a kind of out-of -body experience, when you have a sensation of leaving your body and watching it. So, in a way, that’s what this album is…[laughs] is that process performed through the recording studio.

In the craft of records there is improvisation involved, you know, and discovery and, uh, and collaboration…building …it’s not built before they get in the studio it’s actually built in the process. I guess each piece…I’ve been playing has its own story. It’s been interesting deciding what to put on this album. I’m doing a number of my own pieces. I’m dealing with pianists who’ve inspired me, you know, I’ve talked about Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, pianists as composers, people who’ve presented a vision of music at the piano….not just as players but as architects of music.

***

Well you know, one thing that I find to be pretty crucial is to strip away any notion of …pride? [laughs] or, uh, intent. You know, like it kind of has to, you can’t be too attached to what’s supposed to happen ……a specific piece, you know, because it’s improvisational music, it’s meant to be alive. I think part of what I want to do with this album is sort of re-….acquaint people with the process of experience itself, with really what it means to live through a moment. There are certain kinds of works of art that do that, where you don’t just glance at it, you live with it or you kind of live through it or move through it. You’ve got to put your body in the space. Now, music does that with you with time. You have to put your body through the time that was experienced by the body that made it. At some level we’re sharing time. This recording is recording something that you can kind of move around in. You can kind of live inside of it, something you can live with and can experience in layers, like each time you revisit you find something else.

Downloads NOW! Upgrades and Offers Full Length Song Preview and Single Song Purchase for Basic Setup

Tired of your music sounding like doggy doo doo on iTunes or Amazon?
Now, Sell your songs in 44.1/CDQuality or 96 24 High Rez files with Downloads NOW!
 650 595 8475

Not Flac, not lossless, not zip compressed.  Full sized files.
Music tracks delivered with MAXIMUM sonic precision as you heard them in the studio.

Examples

Keith Greeninger and Dayan Kai, Make It Rain
The Valence Project
Houston Jones, Calico Heart
Jenna Mammina, Under the Influence

Forget what you read, quality counts.  Our 96kHz files outsell our CD Quality 20 to 1 !  
We've also seen that sales of singles encourages the full album purchase.  While full length discs don't sell as many numbers as singles, dollar for dollar, customers are spending the same.  All you need to do is send us the disc, we'll do the rest.

Looking for international exposure?  75% of our visitors are coming from outside the USA.  Through the Artist Connex module, you get exposure to new customers while your album rotates on every DN! page.

Capture those fans?  We can add a ReverbNation mailing list/ fan collector or other widgets to the DN! site.

Tired of no flexible pricing?  You set price.  Have a 9 minute song?  Make it $4, not $0.99

Our research shows that full length previews streaming at 192kbps SELL MORE SONGS!  Or, use it for high quality examples for your booking use.


Not Just Another Downloads Store! We help you Produce, Market and Sell your MUSIC!
Downloads NOW! pages can be expanded to a full functioning, dynamic website.  When you're ready, we can offer basic to comprehensive marketing services to help build your brand.


Downloads NOW! is a proprietary service from Argo Arts, a division of OTR Studios.
Argo Arts is a dynamic web design company with focus on the music industry.
For a list of more websites visit
Downloadsnow.net

MIchael Gaither Interviews Cookie Marenco on Production Techniques

OTR would like to thank Michael Gaither for coming by in Feb 2010 for these impromptu interviews.  He did a terrific job.  Michael has also interviewed many terrific artists who have recorded at OTR.  You can visit his website or subscribe to his blog here.

Transcript from Michael's blog. 
In episode #83, Cookie talks about her history in the music industry, why she never left analog tape, and why she loves working with acoustic artists. This episode includes two examples of Cookie's work: A cover of Warren Zevon's "Mutineer" recorded by Jenna Mammina and Matt Rallings and "Make It Rain", the title track to the new release from Keith Greeninger and Dayan Kai. (Not uncoincidentally, Keith and Dayan will be the guests on the next episodes of "Songs and Stories.") Subscribe to this in iTunes or sign up for my mailing list to find out when the interview is available. Click the red podcast button below to hear Songs and Stories #83 (time = 33:40, size = 30.9 mb)


Episode #84 is an audio tour of Cookie's Belmont, California studio. I've learned to just hit RECORD as soon as I start talking to someone, which I have to admit was a very good idea in this case. With the tour, we get even more insight into Cookie's approach to music, recording, and her engineering intern program. Click the red podcast button below to hear Songs and Stories #84 (time = 29:00, size = 26.6 mb)

2009 IFPI Worldwide Music Sales

IFPI publishes Digital Music Report 2010

SEE ALSO

Download Report Key Highlights

London, 21st January, 2010

“New licensing deals help push digital music sales to 27% of global revenues - but piracy is damaging investment in artists”

• Global digital music trade revenues reach US$4.2 billion, up 12% in 2009
• 400 services licensed worldwide by music companies with ISPs, mobile and other partners
• New figures show local music collapsing in major markets as piracy bites into releases, sales and investment in France, Spain and Brazil
• IFPI Digital Music Report highlights urgent need for legislation to curb digital piracy on ISP networks

More than a quarter of all recorded music industry revenues worldwide are now coming from digital channels, as music companies license music in partnership with ISPs and mobile operators, subscription services, streaming sites and hundreds of download stores.

However, despite the continuing growth of the digital music business - with trade revenues up 12% to an estimated US$4.2 billion in 2009 - illegal file-sharing and other forms of online piracy are eroding investment and sales of local music in major markets.

In particular, three countries known for the historic vibrancy and influence of their music and musicians - Spain, France, Brazil - are suffering acutely, with local artist album sales or the number of releases plummeting.

Governments are gradually moving towards legislation requiring ISPs to curb digital piracy. But progress needs to be much quicker. In 2009, France, South Korea and Taiwan adopted new laws to address the crisis. Other governments, including the UK and New Zealand, have proposed new laws for adoption in 2010.

These are key highlights of the IFPI Digital Music Report, published today. The Report provides an overview of the music industry's changing business models, outlines the impact of digital piracy internationally, and reviews the efforts of governments to address it.

New models are increasing consumer choice

The Report outlines how music companies are diversifying their revenue streams, offering new ways for consumers to buy and access music. These include: subscription services; music services bundled with devices and broadband subscriptions; streaming services with applications for mobile devices; advertising-supported services that offer premium services; and online music video services.

In the last year, music companies have partnered with advertising-supported services such as Spotify, Deezer, MySpace Music and We7; ISPs such as TDC in Denmark, Terra in Brazil and Sky in the UK; mobile operators such as Vodafone; handset makers such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson; and online video channels such as Hulu and VEVO.

Sales of music downloads, the dominant revenue stream in digital music, are seeing steady growth. Single track download sales increased by an estimated 10%, while digital albums rose an estimated 20% in 2009. Recent innovations in this sector include the introduction of variable pricing, which has increased the conversion of track purchases to album sales, as well as the launch of the iTunes LP and the rollout of DRM-free downloads internationally.

New figures show piracy is harming investment in local talent

Despite this progress, piracy is the major barrier to growth of the legitimate digital music sector and is causing severe damage to local music industries around the world. Providing new evidence of this, three of the world's biggest music markets, all heavily dependent on local repertoire - France, Spain and Brazil - have seen a sharp slump in the fortunes of their local music industries:

• In Spain, which has one of the highest rates of illegal file-sharing in Europe, sales by local artists in the top 50 have fallen by an estimated 65% between 2004 and 2009;
• France, where a quarter of the internet population downloads illegally, has seen local artist album releases fall by 60% between 2003 and 2009;
• In Brazil, full priced major label local album releases from the five largest music companies in 2008 were down 80% from their 2005 level.

The report shows that, while the music industry has increased its digital revenues by 940% since 2004, piracy has been the major factor behind the overall global market decline of around 30% in the same period. Overall, global music sales in the first half of 2009 were down by 12% (physical and digital sales) and full year figures are likely to see a similar trend.

Third party studies overwhelmingly conclude that the net impact of illegal file-sharing is to depress sales of music. Two surveys confirmed this in 2009 - by Jupiter Research, covering five European countries, and Harris Interactive, covering the UK. According to Jupiter, around one in five internet users in Europe (21%) shares unauthorised music.

"Climate change" for creative industries

The Report also shows how digital piracy is causing "climate change" across the creative industries. In 2009 the issue rose to the top of the agenda for film and TV producers as well as book publishers. TV programme piracy is estimated to be growing faster than in music, according to research firm Big Champagne. Meanwhile, the film industry estimates illegal film streams and downloads account for 40% of its piracy problem by volume (MPAA).

The Report calls for the urgent adoption of laws to curb P2P and other forms of online piracy - including the "graduated response" by which ISPs would cooperate with right holders in deterring illegal file-sharing on their networks.

Introducing the Report, IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy, said: "Music fans today can acquire tracks and albums in ways not conceivable a few years ago - from download stores, streaming sites, subscription services, free-to-user sites, bundled with their broadband or a mobile phone handset.

"It would be great to report that these innovations have been rewarded by market growth, more investment in artists, more jobs. Sadly that is not the case. Digital piracy remains a huge barrier to market growth and is causing a steady erosion of investment in local music. The collapse in sales and investment in France, Spain and Brazil, countries with traditionally vibrant music cultures, testify to this and are a warning to the rest of the world.

"In 2009 the mood has crucially changed. It is now accepted that this is about the future of a broad base of creative industries that have huge economic importance and employ vast numbers of people. Governments, led by France, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and New Zealand led the way in 2009 by adopting or proposing legislation to tackle piracy. It is vital these efforts are seen through to their conclusion and followed by other governments in 2010."

Also available:

• Full Report
• Key Highlights

Butch Morris Celebrates 25 Years of Conduction®

One of OTR Studios favorite artists... Butch Morris! A Contemporary Music Legend. Check out his piece, Nowhere Everafter, mixed by Cookie Marenco at OTR. In the meantime, if you're in NYC, go to see him in action tonight!.

25 YEARS OF CONDUCTION®

BUTCH MORRIS CONDUCTS

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

AT THE STONE & NUBLU

7PM-9:30PM at THE STONE

2^ND STREET @ AVENUE C.

THE PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCTION®

LECTURE/DEMONSTRATION/REHEARSAL/PERFORMANCE

Violins: Skye Steele and Charlie Burnham

Violas: Nicole Federici and Stephanie Griffin

Celli: Alex Waterman and Okkyung Lee

Basses: Jane Wang and Shawn Mc Gloin

10PM & 12AM AT NUBLU

BUTCH MORRIS CONDUCTS nublu ORCHESTRA

NUBLU

62 AVENUE C. BETWEEN 4^TH & 5^TH STREETS

On February 1^st 2010, Avenue C. will help celebrate the 25^th anniversary of Conduction®, Butch Morris’ ground breaking supplement to music. From 7 to 9:30pm at STONE (Avenue C at 2^nd Street) he will discuss and demonstrate his methods with String Octet. $20 At 10 & 11:30pm the same night, he will conduct nublu Orchestra just a 3 minute walk down Ave. C at nublu (62 Avenue C, bet 4^th and 5^th Streets).

WHAT IS CONDUCTION®?

A sign and gesture structure-content exchange utility to construct or modify sonic possibility.

Conduction®:

The practice of conveying and interpreting a lexicon of directives to modify or construct sonic arrangement or composition; a structure- content exchange between composer /conductor /instrumentalist that provides immediate possibility to alter or initiate harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, progression, articulation, phrasing or form by manipulating pitch, dynamics, timbre, duration and order in real-time.

Directives (idiographic signs and gestures) 'signify' the parameters of interpretation and demonstrate a precision and flexibility that may be utilized by all musical forms, styles and traditions.

“What Morris accomplishes is a work so vast in its tonal spaces and colors, recordings can barely contain it. In conduction — and perhaps only there — is it possible to achieve the feat of a musical community dissolving its separate identities in order to communicate in freedom as an individual unit of creative expression.”

- All Music Guide

“The universal nature of Morris’ Conduction Vocabulary is obvious...but the unorthodox beauty is what resonates the most.”

- CD Review

“You do really feel you’re at the beginning of a new and exciting musical language.”

- Gramophone Magazine

“….Nothing compares to (or prepares one for) the magnitude of Morris’ personal vision of Conduction.”

- Metroactive Music

www.conduction.us

Producer, Cookie Marenco from OTR Studios, Takes Her Proprietary Recording Technique to Grace Cathedral

On January 11th and 13th of 2010, Cookie Marenco brought E.S.E (Extended Sound Environment) recording to Grace Cathedral for a special event featuring solo vioinist, Emily Palen. Along with Marenco, came much of the staff from OTR Studios who chose to record live to DSD (Direct Stream Digital). For this recording, Marenco brought out Gus Skinas, founder of the Super Audio Center and early pioneer of DSD recording/SACD for Sony Music.

The two day remote marks the debut of newly formed Valence Records founded by Gregory James. His history on Rogue Records is well marked by 8 contemporary jazz guitar releases of his own, nearly all recorded at OTR Studios by Marenco. James was enthralled by Ms. Palen's fierce improvisational style. After stunning performances on the soon to be released The Valence Project Palen was asked to be the first solo artist on Valence Records.

When James asked Marenco to record the solo violin project, her first instinct was to use the
E.S.E (Extended Sound Environment) technique at Grace Cathedral. E.S.E. was first designed for Blue Coast Records by Marenco and engineer/audiophile Jean Claude Reynaud. This marks the first release where the technique is being licensed for use by another record label. The San Francisco landmark proved to be perfect to capture the surround sound of the violin.

"This may be the finest recorded sound of acoustic music I've heard", remarked Gus Skinas after listening to the surround sound played back in his Boulder, Colorado studio. Marenco is planning to write a detailed white paper on how the recording quality was achieved. For more information you can write her directly at cookie@otrstudios.com or call 650 595 8475.

Along with Marenco and Skinas, the crew from OTR consisted of Patrick O'Connor/GM OTR Studios, Tim Jones/house engineer, Andrew Doyle/chief assistant, Gene Johnson/video, and Paulo Horn/assistant.

Dynamic Mastering Debuts at OTR Studios for High Resolution Sound!

We've all heard the complaints about mp3 sound. Now, there's something you can do about it!

Dynamic Mastering
If you own the rights to your music, are a record label, or have access to your mixes BEFORE they were mastered at 44.1, we can remaster with the full dynamic range. We have developed several proprietary methods for mastering to 96kHz and 88.2Khz audio (also 192 and DSD) to create new stereo audio suitable for the new fans of FULL DYNAMIC RANGE.

The whole recording chain has taken a turn for the worst in the last decade, but not nearly as drastic as what's going on in Mastering. The Loudness Wars, Over Compressed Audio, Resampled Digital... whatever you want to call it, your Mastered CD should sound as good as your Mixes did.

For those of you who think the public doesn't care, YOU ARE WRONG! We have seen tremendous acceptance of our 96kHz downloads by an international audience looking for DYNAMICS, DETAIL, FULL FREQUENCY RESPONSE AND GREAT RECORDING TECHNIQUE. Granted, this isn't your everyday consumer, these are people who value MUSIC and SOUND. This is their passion.

We are now working with several small labels to give them the edge that they well deserve in these changing times. Our own Blue Coast Records began selling 96kHz downloads last March with overwhelming success! Priced between $2-$4 per single and $30-$40 per album, Blue Coast Records 96/24 High Resolution downloads are outselling the 44.1 CD quality (that is half the price) by as much as 30 to 1.

These High Definition files can be listened to through iTunes, Windows Media and most audio cards sold today. Our listeners are far more advanced than many musicians. With 3D TV on the horizon, you can bet that higher quality audio will not be far behind. This is your jump into the future.

How can you take advantage of this new wave of music fans?

If you're looking for a way to distribute worldwide, we can also help you with that. Ask about our Downloads NOW! program and the Artist Connex Rotating Module. Through our sister division, Argo Arts, we have developed marketing and sales tools for the next generation of the music business.

Call us for a complete program that takes you from production to distribution to building a community at your website.

650 595 8475

check out these artists on Downloads NOW! with 96kHz downloads

TheValenceProject.DownloadsNOW.net
KeithDayan.ArgoArts.com
BlueCoastworld.com/Houston-Jones/CalicoHeart24-96
BlueCoastRecords.com
RobIckes.ArgoArts.com
GregoryJames.com/Come-To-Me
ButchMorris.DownloadsNOW.net/NowhereEverafter

J.A. Deane and Ava Mendoza at OTR.. a Sonic Food Festival!

This last week, Novembe 18-22, OTR hosted long time friend, JA Deane (Dino) to 4 days of recording adventurously WILD music with Ava Mendoza, a young rising talent on guitar in the avante garde scene. The music took two days to record and two days to mix (well, one REALLY long day that had no break). Dino has sold his trombone and bass flute to focus on the electric mountain dulcimer which he hooks up to a plethora of effects. It was a battle of the foot pedals between Ava and Dino!

Cookie Marenco was the engineer and co-conspirator for the sessions with help by Patrick O'Connor operating the digital machines (and reviewing guitar pedals on line) and Mike Howles, our aspiring young engineer who admitted he had never heard music like this before. Several other assistants were onhand to witness the musical assault.

BluCube arrived for mixday and held the console hostage, despite the cries of Dino and Ava, "How COULD you do that to our music?!?!". The Cube has posted one mix at the website to protest Pluto's removal as a planet by current scientists. She left shortly afterwards.

Black Coast--12 minutes to barbeque a steak by....

The 2 hours and 40 minutes of music created and mixed was then used to set the mood for an all day cooking fest at OTR the following day. The sonic explosion was put on endless repeat while Dino, Cookie, and Mike cooked and ate dinner from 3pm to 10pm. Patrick offered his help on the steaks, but mostly stayed in his room working on the vintage electro harmonix efx box after a lesson from Dino.

The menu included and was revealed in this order....
Toasted Crostini with olive oil, garlic, red hot peppers and grated white cheddar cheese
Crab Cioppino with some Heat
Spinach and Cheddar Souffle
Crab Cakes with Leftover Vegetables and Lemon Aoili
Barbequed Steaks and Mash Potatoes
Baked Apples and Pears with Cranberries and Breadcrumb Cookies

Not one bad dish through the night! Amazing.. a first!
And by the way, the music was INCREDIBLE for cooking to as it blasted through my Orfeo speakers.. one wild Blue Cube ride after the next. Sonic torture for some, but for us it was a ride to the heavens!

A little history... Cookie and Dino played together in bands before the days of OTR. It was Dino who said to Cookie, "YOU'RE GONNA LEARN THIS STUFF!" when the first installation of gear was complete more than 20 years ago. Cookie complied fearing the wrath of Dino.

The complete set of music will soon be available as downloads.
The recipes can be found at the Jar of Spice fan page on Facebook.

We would like to thank Whole Foods for having crab and steaks on sale for a change! Cookie would like to thank Dino for buying the new souffle dish. It is rumored BluCube and Ava have run off to a heavy metal camp for kids in South America... or so they SAID that was the reason they had missed dinner!

The World Has Lost a Remarkable Innovator and Musician: Les Paul Passes Away at 94

For Immediate Release:

The World Has Lost a Remarkable Innovator and Musician: Les Paul Passes Away at 94
1915-2009

New York, NY…August 13, 2009…Les Paul, acclaimed guitar player, entertainer and inventor, passed away today from complications of severe pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plain, New York, surrounded by family and loved ones. He had been receiving the best available treatment through this final battle and in keeping with his persona, he showed incredible strength, tenacity and courage. The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks for the thoughts and prayers from his dear friends and fans. Les Paul was 94.

One of the foremost influences on 20th century sound and responsible for the world’s most famous guitar, the Les Paul model, Les Paul’s prestigious career in music and invention spans from the 1930s to the present. Though he’s indisputably one of America’s most popular, influential, and accomplished electric guitarists, Les Paul is best known as an early innovator in the development of the solid body guitar. His groundbreaking design would become the template for Gibson’s best-selling electric, the Les Paul model, introduced in 1952. Today, countless musical legends still consider Paul’s iconic guitar unmatched in sound and prowess. Among Paul’s most enduring contributions are those in the technological realm, including ingenious developments in multi-track recording, guitar effects, and the mechanics of sound in general.

Born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul was already performing publicly as a honky-tonk guitarist by the age of 13. So clear was his calling that Paul dropped out of high school at 17 to play in Sunny Joe Wolverton’s Radio Band in St. Louis. As Paul’s mentor, Wolverton was the one to christen him with the stage name “Rhubarb Red,” a moniker that would follow him to Chicago in 1934. There, Paul became a bonafide radio star, known as both hillbilly picker Rhubarb Red and Django Reinhardt-informed jazz guitarist Les Paul. His first recordings were done in 1936 on an acoustic—alone as Rhubarb Red, as well as backing blues singer Georgia White. The next year he formed his first trio, but by 1938 he’d moved to New York to begin his tenure on national radio with one of the more popular dance orchestras in the country, Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians.

Tinkering with electronics and guitar amplification since his youth, Les Paul began constructing his own electric guitar in the late ’30s. Unhappy with the first generation of commercially available hollowbodies because of their thin tone, lack of sustain, and feedback problems, Paul opted to build an entirely new structure. “I was interested in proving that a vibration-free top was the way to go,” he has said. “I even built a guitar out of a railroad rail to prove it. What I wanted was to amplify pure string vibration, without the resonance of the wood getting involved in the sound.” With the good graces of Epiphone president Epi Stathopoulo, Paul used the Epiphone plant and machinery in 1941 to bring his vision to fruition. He affectionately dubbed the guitar “The Log.”
Les Paul’s tireless experiments sometimes proved to be dangerous, and he nearly electrocuted himself in 1940 during a session in the cellar of his Queens apartment. During the next two years of rehabilitation, Les earned his living producing radio music. Forced to put the Pennsylvanians and the rest of his career on hold, Les Paul moved to Hollywood. During World War II, he was drafted into the Army but permitted to stay in California, where he became a regular player for Armed Forces Radio Service. By 1943 he had assembled a trio that regularly performed live, on the radio, and on V-Discs. In 1944 he entered the jazz spotlight—thanks to his dazzling work filling in for Oscar Moore alongside Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet, and other superstars —at the first of the prestigious Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts.

By his mid-thirties, Paul had successfully combined Reinhardt-inspired jazz playing and the western swing and twang of his Rhubarb Red persona into one distinctive, electrifying style. In the Les Paul Trio he translated the dizzying runs and unusual harmonies found on Jazz at the Philharmonic into a slower, subtler, more commercial approach. His novelty instrumentals were tighter, brasher, and punctuated with effects. Overall, the trademark Les Paul sound was razor-sharp, clean-shaven, and divinely smooth.

As small combos eclipsed big bands toward the end of World War II, Les Paul Trio’s popularity grew. They cut records for Decca both alone and behind the likes of Helen Forrest, the Andrews Sisters, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Dick Hayes, and, most notably, Bing Crosby. Since 1945, when the crooner brought them into the studio to back him on a few numbers, the Trio had become regular guests on Crosby’s hit radio show. The highlight of the session was Paul’s first No. 1 hit and million-seller, the gorgeous “It’s Been a Long, Long Time.”

Meanwhile, Paul began to experiment with dubbing live tracks over recorded tracks, also altering the playback speed. This resulted in “Lover (When You’re Near Me),” his revolutionary 1947 predecessor to multi-track recording. The hit instrumental featured Les Paul on eight different electric guitar parts, all playing together. In 1948, Paul nearly lost his life to a devastating car crash that shattered his right arm and elbow. Still, he convinced doctors to set his broken arm in the guitar-picking and cradling position. Laid up but undaunted, Paul acquired a first generation Ampex tape recorder from Crosby in 1949, and began his most important multi-tracking adventure, adding a fourth head to the recorder to create sound-on-sound recordings. While tinkering with the machine and its many possibilities, he also came up with tape delay. These tricks, along with another recent Les Paul innovation—close mic-ing vocals—were integrated for the first time on a single recording: the 1950 No. 1 tour de force “How High the Moon.” This historic track was performed during a duo with future wife Mary Ford. The couple’s prolific string of hits for Capitol Records not only included some of the most popular recordings of the early 1950s, but also wrote the book on contemporary studio production. The dense but crystal clear harmonic layering of guitars and vocals, along with Ford’s close mic-ed voice and Paul’s guitar effects, produced distinctively contemporary recordings with unprecedented sonic qualities. Through hits, tours, and popular radio shows, Paul and Ford kept one foot in the technological vanguard and the other in the cultural mainstream.

All the while, Les Paul continued to pine for the perfect guitar. Though The Log came close, it wasn’t quite what he was after. In the early 1950s, Gibson Guitar would cultivate a partnership with Paul that would lead to the creation of the guitar he’d seen only in his dreams. In 1948, Gibson elected to design its first solidbody, and Paul, a self-described “dyed-in-the-wool Gibson man,” seemed the right man for the job. Gibson avidly courted the guitar legend, even driving deep into the Pennsylvania mountains to deliver the first model to newlyweds Les Paul and Mary Ford.
“Les played it, and his eyes lighted up,” then-Gibson President Ted McCarty has recalled. The year was 1950, and Paul had just signed on as the namesake of Gibson’s first electric solidbody, with exclusive design privileges. Working closely with Paul, Gibson forged a relationship that would change popular culture forever. The Gibson Les Paul model—the most powerful and respected electric guitar in history—began with the 1952 release of the Les Paul Goldtop. After introducing the original Les Paul Goldtop in 1952, Gibson issued the Black Beauty, the mahogany-topped Les Paul Custom, in 1954. The Les Paul Junior (1954) and Special (1955) were also introduced before the canonical Les Paul Standard hit the market in 1958. With revolutionary humbucker pickups, this sunburst classic has remained unchanged for the half-century since it hit the market.

“The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul. He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone’s face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We will dedicate ourselves to preserving Les’ legacy to insure that it lives on forever. He touched so many lives throughout his remarkable life and his influence extends around the globe and across every boundary. I have lost a dear, personal friend and mentor, a man who has changed so many of our lives for the better.”

“I don’t think any words can describe the man we know as Les Paul adequately. The English language does not contain words that can pay enough homage to someone like Les. As the “Father of the Electric Guitar”, he was not only one of the world’s greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and contributed to the success of musicians around the world,” said Dave Berryman, President of Gibson Guitar. “I have had the privilege to know and work with Les for many, many years and his passing has left a deep personal void. He was simply put – remarkable in every way. As a person, a musician, a friend, an inventor. He will be sorely missed by us all,”

With the rise of the rock ’n’ roll revolution of 1955, Les Paul and Mary Ford’s popularity began to wane with younger listeners, though Paul would prove to be a massive influence on younger generation of guitarists. Still, Paul and Ford maintained their iconic presence with their wildly popular television show, which ran from 1953-1960. In 1964, the couple, parents to a son and daughter, divorced. Paul began playing in Japan, and recorded an LP for London Records before poor health forced him to take time off—as much as someone so inspired can take time off.
In the 1977, Paul resurfaced with a Grammy-winning Chet Atkins collaboration, Chester and Lester. Then the ailing guitarist, who’d already suffered arthritis and permanent hearing loss, had a heart attack, followed by bypass surgery.

Ever stubborn, Les recovered, and returned to live performance in the late 1980s. Even releasing the 2005 double-Grammy winner Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played, featuring collaborations with a veritable who’s who of the electric guitar, including dozens of illustrious fans like Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Joe Perry. In 2008, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame paid tribute to Les Paul in a week-long celebration of his life which culminated with a live performance by Les himself. Until recently Les continued to perform two weekly New York shows with the Les Paul Trio, at The Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, for over twelve years where a literal who’s who of the entertainment world has paid homage. It has been an honor to have Les Paul perform at The Iridium Jazz Club for the past twelve years hosting such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and others and is a tragic loss to owner Ron Sturm both personally and professionally. Iridium intends to celebrate Les Paul's music and legacy every Monday night.

Les Paul has since become the only individual to share membership into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Les is survived by his three sons Lester (Rus) G. Paul, Gene W. Paul and Robert (Bobby) R. Paul, his daughter Colleen Wess, son-in-law Gary Wess, long time friend Arlene Palmer, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. A private Funeral service will be held in New York. A service in Waukesha, WI will be announced at a later date. Details will follow and will be announced for all services. Memorial tributes for the public will be announced at a future date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Les Paul Foundation, 236 West 30th Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10001.

CONTACTS:
Caroline Galloway GIBSON GUITAR 615-423-4904 o 440-318-1202 caroline.galloway@gibson.com

Jim Eigo IRIDIUM 845-986-1677 jazzpromo@earthlink.net

Michael K. Braunstein Braunstein & Co. 212-687-3939 mkb@braunsteinandco.com

Interscope Wants Better Sound Quality!

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10307894-93.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-DigitalMedia

'bout time! I'll let the article speak for itself!

Performing Songwriter Closes its Doors. A Fond Farwell

Dear Friends, June2009 marked the final issue of Performing Songwriter. In a heartfelt editor's note, Lydia Hutchinson bids a gracious thanks and farewell after 16 years of publishing one of the top music magazines. I am sad to hear it is closing, but happy to hear that Lydia made the decision on her own terms. Just as she started the magazine as and independent, she closed it as an independent. Truly the end of an era.

This is Lydia's goodbye note to all of us.

I remember meeting Lydia at the Planet Bluegrass Folks Fest, Lyons, CO.... I don't even remember the date, except that she was on the 3rd issue of the magazine. We met through a mutual friend and I helped her 'flog' a few subscriptions. We had a great time on that day and though we don't see each other nearly enough, I consider her a friend. We practically grew up in our careers together in music.. a sister entrepreneur.

Last summer, during a stay in Nashville, was the last time I saw her. We chatted briefly at her offices about the 15 years that had passed. She told tales of keeping the magazine away from the corporate buyout. The magazine was her art, her baby, her own. She kept it independent, she kept the quality. Lydia made it happen on her terms. I'm so damn proud of her.

This upside down economy has taken a hard toll on all of us... music industry and print publishing are just a few industries affected. It's the end of an era for sure, but not the end for Lydia.

Lydia, my friend, here's to you, your future and all the people who's lives you touched.
Cookie

Kai Eckhardt at OTR Studios Recording with Blue Coast Records!

On June 5, OTR Studios hosted a Live in the Studio recording with Blue Coast Records featuring an extraordinary musician of international stature!

His name is Kai Eckhardt, one of the most gifted electric bass players in the world. His credits include touring and recording with Billy Cobham, John McLaughlin, Trilok Gurtu, Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter, Patrice Rushen, Dewey Redman, Donald Byrd, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Robert Walter, Karl Denson, Michael Franti, Larry Coryell, Warren Hill, Al Di Meola, Zakir Hussain, Vital Information , John Scofield and Bill Frisell. In the last five years, Kai can be seen as a regular with Garaj Mahal a well known ensemble playing high powered instumental music in the jamband circuit.

For this session, the recording team at OTR Studios, helped setup a unique E.S.E. microphone placement. Led by producer, Cookie Marenco, The E.S.E. setup was employed, a proprietary recording technique she developed for Blue Coast Records. While Kai utilized his 3 instruments a 5 microphone setup captured the entire room as it vibrated with the sound of his instrument. Kai's interpretations of his songs uses full dynamic range and Marenco chose not to use compression in this recording.

OTR Studios is located in the San Francisco area and is known for it's high performance recording technique specializing in analog tape and Direct Stream Digital. Their services include multitrack recording, mastering and dynamic webpages for music downloads.

650 595 8475

ENJOY THE MUSIC!

What's all the Buzz about Social Media Marketing?

June 27, 2009 $50 per person, free with a Downloads Now! site
OTR Studios, Belmont, CA
Workshop 1 10am- 1pm
Workshop 2 2pm- 5pm
Call for more information.

650 595 8475
RSVP required.

Do you get checks from your distributor that has a big ZERO on it?
Are you trying to earn a living on your art or craft?
Are you wondering how to take advantage of all the internet offers?

On June 27, we'll be offering a special workshop to help you evaluate your own use of Social Media Marketing
and how to make it work to your advantage.

Workshop focuses on
Personalizing your Marketing
and using Google Analytics to find your fans

This workshop is FREE to those who already own a Downloads Now! page.

If you don't have one....
During the month of June, we will be offering a special price of $250 for our full release page and include the workshop.
Downloads Now! is our proprietary CD Quality Download or High Resolution Download page customized for

your music, website, price, paypal account, and analytics

Here are some examples of pages we've done
Blue Coast Records
Brainbeatz
James Armstrong Music
Garett Brennan

Your fans can buy a Latte or they can buy a song from you!
Let them know you exist.

Congratulations to Ryan Andrews! One of our Interns!!!

One of our newer interns Ryan Andrews recently completed his first post-college project. A children's audio book titled "The Wonderful Adventures of Ozzie the Sea Otter". The CD was mastered here at OTR Studios with our own-- Tim Jones-- who oversaw the process. Both Ryan and everyone here at OTR are very excited to see this project come to fruition. It will be released and packaged alongside it's physical counterpart and will see nationwide distribution through Bookmasters and Atlas books.

Look for it at your nearest bookstore this summer!