There are no shortcuts when you make a CD. And there's a lot more to preparing and recording your album than singing on pitch when the tape is rolling. Too often, a cabaret artist's decision to record is made without proper research and knowledge. Aside from learning songs and working out arrangements, you will need to be savvy about the technicalities of studio production, which include the roles of the producer, engineer, executive producer, and planning a budget.
"Too many performers are lazy. You've got to do your own footwork and absorb everything you can before going into the studio," warns cabaret-jazz artist Mary Foster Conklin, who spent one year doing research before she set foot in the studio to record her first independent album, "Crazy World," released in 1997.
How does it feel to be your own producer as opposed to having a label? Conklin admits, "The one advantage to total obscurity is that they leave you alone." She released her second indie album, "You'd Be Paradise," last year under Mock Turtle Music, and isn't crying over not having a label. "The best advantage [to recording independently] is having 100% creative and financial control," she adds. Since there are no major cabaret labels out there, and the commercial labels don't even have a cabaret division, if you want to immortalize yourself on disc, you must pay for it yourself.
The most prominent label on the scene is After 9 Records, which has produced several respected artists from cabaret and jazz, including Julie Budd, Barbara Carroll, Andrea Marcovicci, Billy Stritch, and Ann Hampton Callaway. Executive producer Lisa Schiff, recently named chairman of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Series, says, "Today, it's a very hard call when you're a record producer. To be frank, the whole industry is looking bleak." A painfully honest Conklin agrees: "Yes, the music business is bleak—you can dream, but look at the market. You have to work much harder to get noticed." She adds, "The more you put your adjectives to what you are, the more you will be used in the business," noting that having a CD helped her get out-of-town gigs. She also recommends two books that will help recording artists producing their own CD for the first time: "How to Make and Sell Your Own Recording" by Diane Sward Rapoport, and Gary Hustwit's "Releasing an Independent CD." If you get off to a good launch, your ship will steer itself as you begin your journey.
The Producer's Role: Guiding Your Project
Remember, a ship doesn't start the engines without the captain at the helm. So, once you've made the decision to record, and you've worked out a budget, the next thing to do is choose a first-rate producer as your partner in the creative and technical end. As your captain, much of the success of your project lies in his hands. An experienced producer will be able to guide you through the technical process, as well as any rough waters, leaving you to do the work of singing. Ideally, he/she will also become your mentor on the creative end.
"Once you hire a producer, be ready to let him make the important decisions in the studio; rely on his expertise, and trust his experience," says André Gauthier, a respected producer, mastering engineer, and the president of Pilot Music, who has over 700 albums to his credit. Gauthier, who has worked with stars from the classical and opera worlds, including Van Cliburn, Denise Grayves, and Marilyn Horne, has also produced albums for renowned Broadway, jazz, and cabaret artists, including Lee Musiker, Donna Murphy, and Karen Mason.
"Learn what to expect from your producer," he advises. "If you had a football team, the producer would be both the coach and the quarterback."
What credentials should you look for in a producer? Aside from the obvious—experience in the studio—your producer should also be familiar with many musical styles, from cabaret to rap. "He may not know them all equally well, but he should be able to work on any album with veracity and a clear knowledge of what is needed," says Gauthier (who put in seven years with RCA). "And," he cautions, "he should be honest about what he's not familiar with."
Your producer should share your vision of the recording and know how you want to be represented on disc. He will likely come from a recording and/or engineering background. Consequently, your producer may be the engineer on your album. "If you go into a studio with a producer or engineer who's not prepared or up to date about new equipment, you're in big trouble," says Chip Fabrizzi, owner and engineer of PPI Studios in Midtown, who has recorded CDs for Sally Mayes, Stephanie Pope, and Julie Reyburn.
"The producer's job involves a myriad of details, including overseeing the work of the singer, musicians, engineers, arrangers, orchestrations—and making sure your team comes together in the recording studio to bring out the best everybody has to offer to create a terrific recording," adds Paul Rolnic, a singer-songwriter and an independent producer. Rolnic recently produced wife Karen Mason's latest CD, "When the Sun Comes Out," as well as three "Jamie deRoy & Friends" compilation CDs in the last three years, involving Broadway and cabaret singers.
Once you're satisfied with your potential producer's qualifications and experience, it is important that you work with someone who is open-minded and sensitive to your needs as an artist. "A producer is the creator who has to maintain an objective set of ears about every part of the recording process," says Rolnic.
Whether a project involves the Mormon Tabernacle choir or just a voice and piano in a small studio, the role of the producer-engineer is the same. He should be in command of the technical end of the project, and ultimately responsible for the finished product. He should be your partner and your team's creative problem solver.
"Hire a top-notch producer with your interests at heart," Gauthier advises. "He must know who you are as an artist, your music making, your needs, and how to get them for the budget you have given him—or he should not take the job."
Passing the Buck: The Budget and the Producer
"There is no such thing as a good 'cheap' CD," says a well-versed Gauthier. However, there are not many Harry Connick, Jr. star-at-20 stories to emerge from cabaret, either. Few beginners will have the luxury of recording their first solo album with the backing of a major label. Without that support, your budget is key, and must be dealt with before you go shopping for a producer.
Your first concern is where the money will come from. Investors (backers) may include friends, family, supporters, the potential producer, or, more likely, the executive producer. Performers sometimes use their own savings to finance their project, which is fine as long as you are prepared to risk a large amount of money as a career investment. While recording an album may prove to be an important career move, no artist should drain his or her savings.
The executive producer is the person in charge of the money end of an album. It's his/her job to keep a budget in line while also considering essential creative matters. "It's important to stay as close to the budget as possible," says musical comic Jamie deRoy, who has executive-produced three compilation CDs released on the Harbinger Records label. "But there are hidden expenses that pop up," she adds. "If a musician cancels a session, everyone else has to get paid. This falls under the category of hidden costs."
Aside from including the cost of studio time in your budget, be sure to include the expense of your musicians and the cost of a rehearsal studio in advance. Rehearsal studios rent for about $25 to $50 an hour. Most musicians are unionized; their hourly rates usually start at $50. Of course, a name musician can command much more.
The recording world is rife with horror stories in which no contract was made other than a handshake. If someone offers you that kind of an arrangement, turn away. "It astounds me what many artists are willing to fork over without anything in writing," says Mary Foster Conklin. "Never accept a handshake as a deal," she warns. She also urges performers to be realistic before going into the studio: "Look at the big picture before you make a decision to spend a lot of money to record."
Ready for the Downbeat: Studios and the Engineer's Role
What you don't know will hurt you—or at least cost you. Even though technology is an unglamorous subject, it's a most relevant part of that big picture. The more you know, the better your chances of success. Technical advances and more sophisticated equipment have caused sweeping changes in the recording industry in the 21st century.
"The role of the engineer is very important. Besides the technical end, he has to work with the artist on a musical level," says Chip Fabrizzi.
Do you know the role of the engineer? Are you familiar with the technologies of studio production? You should be. By the time you are set to lay down that first track, you should be armed with a general knowledge of what goes on inside a recording studio, and what the role of the engineer is. He is often the hub of the recording process, much like a lawyer is the hub of the business process. Your engineer should be an expert who is brought in by the producer (assuming your producer is not wearing that cap himself) to reflect what the artist and producer want to hear. He or she should be able to assess technical problems in the studio and communicate with the various engineers immediately should difficulties arise. As you learn more, one thing will be obvious: Technology changes as fast as your turntable. Keeping pace with those modifications is the job of your producer and/or engineer.
What are the biggest changes in the recording studio over the last 10 years? "In a word: technology," says Paul Rolnic. "Digital recording has made it possible to record in your bedroom," he adds. While this scenario is not recommended, the point is that the industry, along with the times, keeps changing. Typically, most industry professionals have their own spin. "The digital revolution is a blessing, but it is not the be-all and the end-all. Its use has to be blended in with all the other accepted approaches to make a great recording," Rolnic advises.
Analog is the other, slightly older recording method, which came into prominence during the 1970s. The preferred digital method is newer, more sophisticated, and cheaper. "Nobody is dealing in the analog domain anymore," says Andy Gauthier.
It is the producer's job to find the right, affordable studio to fit your technical needs and budget. Average studio costs range from $50 to $250 an hour. If the producer has a good relationship with the studio, there could be a reduction on the fee. "Sometimes I've rented a $250 an hour studio for $175 or less," says Gautier. Beware if a studio costs $60 to $90 an hour; it might be missing such crucial features as adequate space, or high-end equipment. A state-of-the-art microphone, for example, is your most important ally in any recording.
"To get the kind of warm, lush sound most artists want requires a high-quality microphone such as the Neumman U67, which is my first choice for vocalists to get the highest quality digital sound," offers Gauthier, a purist.
Kevin Jasper, another independent record producer-engineer—who once worked at Motown, and more recently has produced acclaimed CDs for Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter, and Tim DiPasqua—argues, "Today, a singer with a limited budget can even work out of a small or home studio and get a good product using the right equipment. In the end," he notes, "the symmetry between the artist, producer, and engineer is the most important part of the recording session." He extends himself to the artist as much as possible, "from singing backup to vocal lessons to working around the singer's budget. I do whatever is needed to make the project a success," says Jasper. He also believes that "the hardest part of recording any CD is the vocals—that's what you're selling. They're right out front."
The Final Stages: Mixing and Mastering
Once the vocals and musicians have been recorded, the next stage is "mixing down." What does this mean? In the case of multi-track recordings, mixing down involves adjusting the balances of all the tracks to the voice, as well as balancing all other instruments to each other.
Mastering involves sequencing (choosing the running order of songs), equalization (optimizing the sound quality), level adjustments (balancing the overall volume of each track), and fixing clicks, hisses, buzzes, or other noises that are found on the tapes.
Here, you are closely examining the recording at a mastering studio and making it sound its absolute best. This process requires a highly qualified mastering engineer, usually hired at an hourly rate. Most qualified engineers will be able to do and understand their own mastering and editing of the final product. "He will be as cool as possible under pressure in the most demanding arena there is: the recording studio," says Gauthier, with the voice of a seasoned pro.
A Beautiful Find: Your Finished Product
At the end of the rainbow is the finished product: your first album. By the time it's done, you should have learned your way around a whole new milieu. While recording a CD is often complicated, it's necessary that you absorb as much about the fundamentals as possible.
Be organized. Be realistic. Learn the realities of making a CD and entering a field that can be cutthroat at times and doesn't offer many guarantees. Respect the people you are working with—experienced professionals who have not only worked in the field before, but have done it well. And it helps to work with nurturing people who offer encouragement and try to make the experience a happy one.
"The whole process of making an album should be pure joy," says Kitty Skrobela, president of Miranda Music, a small label she founded in 1995 that has produced such cabaret artists as Christopher Gines and 2002 Bistro Award-winner Karen Oberlin." Skrobela advises those going into the studio for the first time to "listen to your heart—and follow your dreams. The rest will fall into place." And Mary Foster Conklin cautions, "There's no magic bullet—it takes work."
You, the artist, should always remain in control of your project, just as you are in control of your career. Protect yourself and you will avoid the pitfalls of the recording process.
"Remember, in the studio, you have the last word," reproves Gauthier, who reminds artists, "It's your nickel."
"Even if it's just voice and piano, your product should have the same quality as a Broadway musical," Gauthier concludes. Now that you've cut an album, it's your job to find a way to get some attention for it and make it work for your career. With a little bit of luck, your product will take flight.