1. What made you become a producer?
Answer:

“The road to becoming a recording engineer and a music producer started as a musician.  I was very active as a drummer in my high school’s marching, symphonic and jazz band.  In addition to that, I played in numerous creative side projects including musical genres such as rock, hip-hop, reggae, funk, punk, jazz and blues.  After developing an ear, a taste and an aesthetic for music I became fascinated with the creative and technical end of the process.  I attended Five Towns College where I majored in business management and audio recording.  During that time I was building a name for myself in my home studio, working with all styles of music and honing my skills.  It wasn’t long before I outgrew the home studio and started up this incredible business venture and my dream studio…House Recording Studios.  Typically during a session I where the hat of an engineer (where I take control of the technical aspects such as running Pro Tools, getting a great tone, placing microphones, using outboard processors properly, etc.) and I also where the hat of a producer (where I give the artist creative guidance by suggesting a cool vocal harmony, or writing a catchy melody for the song or recommending a phenomenal studio musician to lay down a tasty lic, etc.).  To sum it up, I became a recording engineer and music producer because I love being part of the creative musical process and there is nothing more gratifying for me than seeing a vision evolve into a fully produced, cohesive song.”

2.Who was your biggest influence when starting in the music industry?
Answer:

“Growing up I listened to a lot of Beatles, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd among other great rock bands. During the peak of my drumming days, I listened to Dream Theater quite heavily…who could deny the chops of Mike Portnoy!  I also love Notorious BIG.  These days I am heavily inspired by 311, Sublime, Bob Marley, Incubus, etc.  I also love listening to Frank Sinatra and various pop artists such as Usher, Chris Brown, Lady Gaga, Pit Bull, etc.  I think it is very important, especially as a full time engineer/producer, to be open to and appreciate as many styles of music as possible.  It makes you a better, more well-rounded person not only musically, but in life.”

3.How long does it take you to make a record?
Answer:

“This really depends on the client, the deadline, the budget, the level of seriousness and dedication to the project, etc.  I’ve cut albums, fully recorded, edited and mixed, spread across two, 10 hour sessions, and I’ve cut albums spread over periods of 6 months or more, consisting of many sessions and many hours.  Sometimes it’s tough to put a project to rest…Even after it sounds phenomenal, it seems that it could always somehow, someway sound better.  The creative process never ends and I’m always learning something new and cool about audio everyday.”

4.What is the most enjoyable part about being in the industry?
Answer:

The most enjoyable part about being in the music industry is experiencing a new musical project on a daily basis.  One day I’ll be working with a high school a cappella group, the next day I’ll be working with a heavy rock band, the day after I’ll have a hip-hop artist at the studio, the next day I’ll be recording a voice over spot for a television network, etc.  It’s just a treat to be working with such great, diverse projects.  It is also incredible being my own boss, making my own schedule, working for myself and reaping all of the benefits of my dedication and passion for this field.”

5.What’s the feeling you get when you create a new record?
Answer:

“Creating a record is an incredibly exciting process that I get emotionally attached to.  How can you not when you live and breathe a certain project for an extended period of time, working so closely with the client and your colleagues, embracing a plethora of creative ideas, etc.  There is nothing more gratifying than seeing an album project come together, fully tracked, edited, mixed, produced, mastered and duplicated…it’s an involved process, but the feeling I get upon completion is indescribable.”

6.What does music mean to you?
Answer:

“Music is my religion. One of the first questions I ask people upon meeting them is “What kind of music do you like?” I feel that you can tell so much about a person by how they respond to that question.  I find it mind boggling the small percentage of people who answer that question with “I don’t really listen to music.”  Those people are lacking something spiritually, creatively and emotionally. Music is a universal language and the best form of self-expression.”

7.When did you start to make music?
Answer:

“I started to seriously make/produce music during my education at Five Towns College at the age of 19 or so.  I was a drummer my entire life and I knew that I wanted to do music full time, but I wanted to make a career in the recording industry and not so much as a performing/studio musician.  Being a musician prior to becoming a recording engineer and music producer was a critical component in helping me to better understand music in addition to much of the concepts I implement on a daily basis at the studio.”

8.Do you think “age” is a factor in creating music?
Answer:

“I do not think age is a factor at all in creating music.  Some of the most talented people that I work with are the youngest and the oldest clients I have.  Music moves people, no matter what the age.”

9.How hard is it to make it in the business?
Answer:

“The recording industry is certainly competitive, but I feel that any one can say that about their industry in today’s economy.  You definitely must have a certain drive, ambition and passion to succeed.  You can’t be deterred by closed doors. Networking is absolutely critical.  I have made so many new acquaintances and clients simply by putting myself out there and meeting the right people.  Thinking outside of the box about innovative and creative ways to promote is essential.  Taking advantage of online marketing and social media is also extremely important these days.”

10.What’s the hardest part about creating a record?
Answer:

“The hardest part about creating a record is sculpting so many different perspectives and opinions into one, cohesive, unanimous vision.  I’ve been in many situations where band members have tried to kill each other over differing views about the arrangement of a song or a vocal melody or the production, etc., and while everyone is looking out for the best interest of the song, it is important to find a nice common ground so that everyone is happy.”

11.What types of music do you most enjoy?
Answer:

“I enjoy every style and genre of music that is out there.  I find that when I ask people what kind of music they enjoy, they often say “Everything, except for country.”  I’m not sure what it is about country that people don’t like, but if something has a nice melody, or a nice message, or was engineered/produced well, it totally speaks to me and I get some creative fulfillment out of it.  I love rock, reggae and hip-hop and when I come across a band or an artist that combines these three styles, as do 311 and The Movement, I’m in a blissful state.  I also love punk, jazz, blues, and house/electronic music.  I feel that every genre of music offers something unique and it’s important to be open to as many styles as possible.”

12.Do you have any advice to give for someone looking to create a career in the music industry?
Answer:

“Work hard.  Make positive connections.  Always be networking.  Be passionate and enthusiastic about what you do.  Believe in yourself, and others will believe in you.”

13.What program do you use to create music? (i.e. Logic; Abelton; ext)  Why?
Answer:

“I use Pro Tools HD for all of my music production, recording, editing and mixing needs.  It’s the program that most audio school’s (including Five Towns) ingrain in their students and it’s the program that one will most likely come across in any major, commercial recording studio.  I have used most of the major DAW’s out there, including Cubase and Logic, and I find that Pro Tools best suits my needs in any recording or mixing application.”

14.Where do you see yourself in the future?
Answer:

“I see the studio and I being quite successful in the future.  I’ve been involved in so many incredible sessions with so many talented players in the two years I’ve been running a commercial recording studio.  I can only imagine how awesome things will be 10, 20, 30 years from now, when I have that much more experience and connections under my belt.  It is not as important for me to be involved with anyone famous or a big label gig (of course that would be great), as much as it is important for me to remain busy with diverse sessions and keep the House name and reputation prosperous.”  Right now I am doing everything myself at the studio, from all the marketing, to the engineering, to the sales, etc.  One day I’d like to potentially take on some employees to help me run some of the daily operations.”

15.How many years did it take to get noticed?
Answer:

“Despite being quite busy at House Studios over the last two years, we are still very much in the process of “getting noticed.”  It is essential to be networking and meeting people at all times.  I always have business cards in my pocket ready to go.  I also do some heavy online marketing with my website and I get most of my leads that way.  Word of mouth is huge and when you do one good job for someone, they tell their friends and it leads to the next job.”

16.How often do you work on your music?
Answer:

“Unfortunately, I don’t work on my own musical productions as often as I’d like to.  The reason is because I am kept so busy working on my client’s projects.  When I first started learning about audio, and I didn’t have many clients, I would only work on my own music and I had so much fun recording some of my original song ideas.  It was also a phenomenal way to get acquainted with some of the audio concepts and terminology that I now use regularly.  From time to time, when I have the opportunity in between client’s projects, I enjoy putting together a remix with cool a cappella’s and stems I come across, or programming a high energy dance track or catchy hip-hop track, etc.”

To go about recording the a cappella group, we started with the rhythm section (drums and bass) to get the basic structure in place and then we proceeded to overdub the rest of the vocal parts (tenor, alto, soprano).  The vocal percussion was recorded alongside a metronome and a MIDI file was provided which contained a basic piano arrangement of the various sections.  Each recording session consisted of one vocal section being present at the studio at one time (just the bass section, or just the soprano section, etc.), and the vocalists were recorded in groups of two.  We knew that we wanted to achieve maximum isolation of not only each section, but of each voice that comprised Marc’s complex arrangement (each voice on its own track yielding maximum manipulation of every element in the mix).  Each vocalist stood behind his/her own microphone in the live room.  Despite them singing simultaneously in the same room (standing several feet apart), there was minimal leakage or “bleed” into the adjacent vocalists microphone.  To save time, we instructed the musicians to only sing the verse or the chorus once (as opposed to singing the song all the way through), in which we were able to quickly copy and paste into a later part of the song.  Two microphones were used during the making of this entire project.  The first was our Telefunken AR-51 Tube and the second was our Bock U195 Fet microphone.  The Telefunken ran through an A-Designs P1 mic preamp and the Bock ran through an Avedis MA5 mic preamp.  Compression was used during tracking (through our Distressors) and the signal chain ended into a track in Pro Tools HD recorded at a 96k sample rate.  Once the vocal percussion and the four main sections were set in place, the last element to be recorded was the lead vocalist.

Everyone in the a cappella show choir was ecstatic and proud of what they had accomplished at House Recording Studios.  The students were enthusiastic and eager to obtain as much knowledge and creative inspiration from this endeavor as possible.  For most of the musicians in the group, this was their first experience in the recording studio and we made sure that everyone had a fun, exciting experience working with us.  We achieved our goal by creating a great sounding product that had a perfect balance of being moderately produced mixed with an authentic, live performance feel.  Upon listening, one can truly make out each section that went into Marc’s arrangement.  We can’t wait to work with the Bathpage High School show choir again in the future.  Check out “Shark in the Water,” arranged my Marc Silverberg, performed by Erin Fowler and recorded, mixed and produced by Marc Bauman at House Recording Studios.  Enjoy!

Mike was to read three, 30 second scripts to raise awareness for this great cause.  To go about capturing the sound of Mike’s vocal I used one of the best microphones we have in our arsenal, the Telefunken AR-51 Tube.  I ran the signal through an Avedis MA5 mic preamp (Neve’ish type sound with its own unique coloration) with the 28k switch engaged to give the vocal nice air and presence.  After the signal left the Avedis, it went straight into our Lynx Aurora converters/Pro Tools HD.  No compression, or any signal processing for that matter, was used on the vocal whatsoever.  The sound going in was warm, crisp, articulate and hi-fi.

It was a pleasure working with Mike Bossy on this project.  In addition to his voice having a naturally pleasing timbre and tone, his professionalism, work ethic and willingness to be a part of this worthwhile cause was admirable.  We look forward to contributing our services here at House Studios to future research foundations committed to finding cures and remedies for potentially life threatening diseases and illnesses.

Mike Bossy VO Session

One of our clients, Rachel Margolin, who is a young, ambitious and highly passionate pop vocalist/songwriter is recording an album with us at House Recording Studios.  She writes deep, meaningful lyrics that are sung to an incredibly catchy melody.  She decided to work with us because she needed a musical composition to embody her original lyrics/melodies.  What I had Rachel do was practice her songs to a metronome so we could determine a comfortable tempo for the song.  I also asked her to determine the key/scale information (D Minor for example).  When Rachel was completely comfortable with her vocals, we scheduled a pre-production/vocal recording session, in which she sang a cappella alongside to the metronome.  I now had this great vocal track in which I could create musical backing elements to surround and accompany the vocal.  Some of this will be done electronically with various synthesizers/soft synths and much of it will be done by bringing in studio musicians (acoustic guitar player, background vocalists, etc.) to give her songs that live, authentic feel.  We have had much success creating songs this way.  It is imperative that the vocalist is comfortable singing to a constant tempo that a metronome puts forth.  We will most likely have Rachel come back to re-record her vocals once the song is complete.  The purpose of her preliminary vocal recording was to act as a guideline and blueprint for the full production which will be created.  Here are two video clips from the pre-production recording session with Rachel.  You will notice that we pride ourselves in making our clients feel extremely comfortable, as the recording process can be rather intimidating for some.  We ensure that everyone who walks in the door has fun

Another product from Empirical Labs that has gained popularity among audio engineers is the DerrEsser, a multi function dynamic filtering device in an API 500 series module format.  By using a Voltage Controlled Amp (VCA) to turn down comparatively high or harsh frequencies, one would use the DerrEsser to tame the sibilance in a vocal recording or soften the pick and squeaky noises on an acoustic guitar track or attenuate some of the brightness on a crash cymbal or a drum overhead track.  It does so in a highly musical manner, instantly making the signal sound more analogue while inducing warmth.  The DerrEsser can also be used as a filtering device, either as a LPF (rolling off the top end) or a HPF (cutting out the low frequencies).  This can be a useful tool to remove certain frequencies from a signal, allowing other instrumentation to breathe more in a mix.  The Empirical Labs DerrEsser is an extremely versatile tool in which any engineer could benefit from.  It is also found in many mastering facilities, used as a device to soften certain frequencies in a final mix.

Check out the video we created, providing a tutorial and demonstration on the Empirical Labs DerrEsser at House Recording Studios, explaining its various functions and applications and how it has proved to be a successful tool in our audio arsenal. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kV67xR-GJ8)

It truly is amazing to be featured on the Vintage King Audio website, alongside with legendary Electric Lady Studios and world renowned recording engineer and producer Eddie Kramer, who has worked with Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.  We have had a long line of audio retailers in which we have purchased from over the years, but the level of professionalism and attention to detail that Vintage King portrays is a notch above the rest and we feel more than comfortable making this company our main hub for audio equipment purchases.  To view the article that Vintage King has posted about House Recording Studios, visit www.vintageking.com/House-Recording-Studios.

The API 512c preamp, made famous by the sonic purity delivered by their legendary 2520 Op-Amp, is one of the most sought after microphone preamps available.  At House Studios we are avid users of API products and included in our vast collection of audio equipment and technology, we own a 512c, an API 3124, the Waves API Bundle and an API Lunchbox.  Our API preamps are the rock of our studio operation.  From drums to synths to electric and bass guitars, these preamps capture every sonic detail, frequency and transient put forth from a sound source.  The 512c delivers a certain bite and punch to the signal, truly allowing an instrument to cut through a dense mix with ease.  The Waves API bundle is an essential asset to the mixing process as the EQ’s are extremely musical and transparent.  It is an engineer’s dream to have the ability to add that pristine API touch to each track in a mixing session (without hogging CPU power) and API did an incredible job emulating the hardware in which the software algorithms replicate.    

Check out our review and profile piece on the API website at apiaudio.com.

As a proud owner of this sturdy, classy studio rack, we feel that it is the perfect solution to holding our outboard gear, including various preamps, compressors, etc., while providing ease of access to the controls on the equipment.  We are confident that our outboard gear is resting in a well made, professionally built case that will last for many years.  Check out our review on the Nice-Racks website at www.nice-racks.com/comments.

Purple Audio, a manufacturer of high end audio microphone preamps, eq’s and compressors, has included a review that we wrote about their Purple Biz Mk mic preamp on their website.  As a proud owner of this versatile mic pre, we feel that it produces a wide range of tones and colors that prove to be a perfect choice on everything from vocals to drums and synths.  By engaging the dual circuitry, one can dial in many tones with the gain and level parameters, obtaining a colorful, dirty tone or a pure, clean tone.  I have many preamp flavors to draw from in my rack (including API, A-Designs and Avedis), and the Purple Biz always shines!  Check out our review on the Purple Audio website at www.purpleaudio.com/Product/Biz.

The 311 Day show featured the band’s biggest stage ever.  An intricate light and laser show was enhanced by circular video screens and an in-the-round stage, where the band played to fans in the front, in the back and to the sides of them.  No matter where you were in the venue, fans were on their feet for five hours, grooving hard to 60 songs, feeling the 311 Day magic!

After the 311 Day show, the musical week in Vegas had just begun.  The following night I saw Bob Marley’s legendary Wailers perform at the Mandalay Bay beach front and wave pool.  Some of the members are originals who actually toured and recorded with Bob Marley.  They played many classics including “Waiting in Vain,” “No Woman No Cry,” and “Jammin.”  It was amazing seeing these timeless songs executed perfectly in such an authentic fashion.

The last part of my musical journey consisted of the incredible Cirque Du Soleil Beatles Love show at the Mirage hotel.  It was wonderful to see breathtaking acrobatics, technical choreography and abstract visuals to some of the most famous Beatles songs ever written.  The audio of the show was in 5.1 surround sound and they achieved this by placing left surround and right surround speakers in the head cushion of the seats.  After seeing the show, I now have an all new appreciation for the Beatles Love album, as I experienced it in such a unique fashion.

The musical experience I had in Vegas was not only enlightening, but inspirational.  I got to experience some incredible shows with my best friends and it was unanimous that everyone had a blast!  I could have easily stayed in Vegas for another 2 weeks and experienced more musical endeavors (and there were some great acts coming to Vegas shortly after I left) but I have sessions to attend to at House Studios and great music to make here in NY!