Advice for aspiring Studio Players or anyone that wants to "Go Pro" - Page 3

tommixx · #41 04-06-2005, 01:02 AM

To me Sadowsky has just got IT....great tone, great playability, flawless fret board, no dead spots, slightly smaller body than a Fender, light as a result of Chambered bodies, I could go on and on but the main thing for me is how they SOUND and how they PLAY.....Fender on Steroids is an understatement to me.....I have a real 62 Jazz and a Real 67 Jazz and while they are both great basses I prefer my Sadowskys.......

Peace,

T

adrian garcia · #42 04-06-2005, 03:03 AM

Tom, did you work on the Bandera record for Island records with Joe Galdo?
I used to play with Lagaylia Frazier and Rosco Martinez- a trip for sure.
The studio where i do most of the sessions here in Vegas has a 2 inch machine, it is gathering dust, everything is Protools - I have the digi001 system at home and have done some stuff for production shows. While it is great to have a studio in your computer, it is sad to see the big places shut down.

Superdave · #43 04-06-2005, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommixx

Thanks guys,

You would be surprised how many big name "Bands" hire me and other pro players to play the parts that they are credited for on the albums and force me to sign a non-disclosure that I will not tell a soul after the fact.......

Actually the reason that I (and ALL the other pros I know get hired is BECAUSE of my playing and my TONE) When someone pays my rate you can BET that ALL they care about is that the part is played perfectly and sounds as good as it possibly can sound......

Peace,

T

Isn't this what Maroon 5 actually did for Songs About Jane?

masmasbasso · #44 04-06-2005, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zirc

Interesting read. I'm glad someone on TB is active in the music industry. However I was expecting a different thread. Sounds like this is for hired technician bassists.

I know with bands, it's a little different. For example, a good sound is EVERYTHING, no matter what the cost. Rule number one is to record a song you can NOT make excuses for. If you're making excuses about your recording, you should have spent more time/money.

Sounds like people hiring fill in bassists don't really care about the sound quality that much.

I'm not really sure where you got that idea about a good tone not being important to session players and those that hire them. I just don't think tone is correlated to how much money you spend on your gear. It is a given that you will be giving them a good sound. Most of it comes from your hands. I mentioned that you should just give them a good clean sound. That's great if the producer wants to spend a lot of time trying different things with your sound to get something unique. But that usually happens after you are gone and they start to sculpt the sound of the song. They spend more time on bands because all of the guys are signed and they are the "Product." Producers pretty much have to give them a chance to get it right. Like Tom said, so many parts “played” by guys in bands weren’t really played by those guys.

EDIT: Sorry, never mind this post. I quoted and started writing before I read the rest of the thread.

tommixx · #45 04-06-2005, 09:06 AM

AG - No I did not work with Joe on that 1 but I am sure I missed something "interesting"!! It breaks my heart to see some of these places go under...I have worked at Muscle Shoals and the place has such a History and it was a magical experience for me to be there...Now it will probably be knocked down and be a strip mall!!! When I heard Hit Factory NY was closing I KNEW things were getting bad.....The Miami location is humping so they are still in business but it is really sad to think that all that space is going to be turned into an office!!! Cello was the site of Bill Putnam's place and is hallowed ground as far as most engineers and a lot of artists are concerned.....I would love to be able to buy the place just to turn it inot a museum if nothing else.......It is right next door to Ocean Way so talk about VIBE.....I started using Pro Tools pretty much from the beginning but typically would still track to 2" and then move over to PT for editing and mixing....that is just NOT happening these days and I feel really bad about the current state of the business......

SuperDave - that is what the rumor mill says but one can never know for sure unless you actually play on the tracks and it was not me nor anyone I know of unless they are just not talking about it which would not be surprising either.....I did really GREAT things 10 years ago that I still can't talk about or I would lose my a&& in a court room!!!! It is rediculous but that is just the way it is.....

Peace,

T

masmasbasso · #46 04-06-2005, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommixx

To me Sadowsky has just got IT....great tone, great playability, flawless fret board, no dead spots, slightly smaller body than a Fender, light as a result of Chambered bodies, I could go on and on but the main thing for me is how they SOUND and how they PLAY.....Fender on Steroids is an understatement to me.....I have a real 62 Jazz and a Real 67 Jazz and while they are both great basses I prefer my Sadowskys.......

Peace,

T

I feel the same way about mine. I'm not really into super modern sounding basses, but the Sadowsky totally won me over. Here is a good story and I should write Roger and tell him about it:
I had been using my Joe Osbourne Lakland on tour and was pretty happy with the sound, but I had a Sadowsky on hold for me at Bass Emporium and we were hitting Austin as part of our tour. I picked it up and didn't tell the singer I work with that I was getting a new bass. The singer wasn't able to make the sound check because of some radio stuff and my Sadowsky looks a lot like my J.O., so he had no idea. He turns around after the FIRST SONG and says "Your bass sounds F&*king awesome." I was also on fire that night because I was having such a great time playing it. I just laughed and thought "d*mn that 's a commercial right there." I didn't tell him it was a new Sadowsky until after the show. He understood then because he had Roger do some work on his acoustics a while back.

Intune · #47 04-06-2005, 09:53 AM

Having played at Cactus & Fame studios in the 'Shoals back when it was a dry county and the bootleggers made regular stops with brew & liquor in their trunks you can say I miss the good old days of 2". Time marches on & this is usually a good thing I guess.

My advice if you wanna be a session cat is to be quick at knowing what the song calls for and precise. Your gear & articulation need to be as close to perfect as you can make them. I spent 14 yrs at MCA Records and 5 @ Billboard Magazine and got to see a bunch of top-notch session cats. Watching guys like Michael Rhodes & Billy Joe Walker Jr. work their trade is astounding. Almost supernatural. But they do it and you can too.
Perseverance and practice. Do it!

Thunderfunk · #48 04-06-2005, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adrian garcia

has a 2 inch machine, it is gathering dust, everything is Protools

I stupidly pawned an Ampex 440 for a friend of mine, and when he couldn't pay me I checked what they were worth on eBay. How about $40? Not a misprint. Forty Dollars!

Davehenning · #49 04-06-2005, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommixx

Cello was the site of Bill Putnam's place and is hallowed ground as far as most engineers and a lot of artists are concerned.....I would love to be able to buy the place just to turn it inot a museum if nothing else.......It is right next door to Ocean Way so talk about VIBE....

Peace,

T

Oceanway LA?

I played on a track there not too long ago for a pretty big UK artist. And guess what bass the producer liked best? My Fender Mex J-bass! It seems to be getting on a lot of tracks lately. Whatever it takes to make the client happy is my motto.

And all good advice. Having lived it myself, I know exactly where you are coming from.

adrian garcia · #50 04-06-2005, 10:51 PM

I am also a Fender fan- good thing i don't have it bad for a Sadowsky- i'd be broke!wait, I AM broke! you guys are out of control!

tommixx · #51 04-07-2005, 06:12 AM

Thunder....I saw a MCI JH24 24 (designed by none other than Tom Dowd and Jeep Harned!!) track machine on the other night that had been totally refurbed in December 04 and the buy it now was 2995.00!!! on the Bay from a studio that has closed...I wanted to buy it but if I can't get tape what is the point?

DaveHenning...yeah Ocean Way LA - I think that place is the Mecca of ALL studios in the world EXCEPT Abby Road..those 2 are on a par in terms of vibe but I have to say that Ocean Way Studio A actually has the edge for me (yes, I have been in Abby Road as well)

http://www.recordproduction.com/ocean_way_studios.htm

this is a link to a page that takes you on a video tour inside Ocean Way WITH the technical staff FROM Abby Road - make sure you have the volume turned up and listen to what they say and you will get an idea of where I am coming from......they can't believe it either!!

Allan Sides bought what is now Cello (he sold it to a new owner several years ago and the place has recently closed as mentioned) as well as Ocean Way LA from Bill Putnam who is considered THE grandaddy of modern recording and vintage equipment design......Allan is a Maverick and another one of the truly gifted people in this business and is one of the smartest people I have EVER met....he is not only a GREAT engineer (one of THE TOP in the entire world) but also an incredible designer and businessman....it is said that he owns the largest private collection of vintage microphones in the world (I believe it too they have any mic you can imagine for use in their studios)..

If any of you ever get to LA and have the chance, Ocean Way Hollywood is at 6000 Sunset Blvd and Cello is at 6050 Sunset...I would REALLY like to see someone (maybe Allan??)
come to the table and preserve Cello and restore it to the old Western Recording Moniker.....hhhhmmmm.....maybe if I won the 102,000,000 lottery prize this week....

Peace,

T

Davehenning · #52 04-07-2005, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommixx

DaveHenning...yeah Ocean Way LA - I think that place is the Mecca of ALL studios in the world EXCEPT Abby Road..those 2 are on a par in terms of vibe but I have to say that Ocean Way Studio A actually has the edge for me (yes, I have been in Abby Road as well)
T

I think Oceanway is my all time favorite too. Jack's room is my favorite.
Just love the vibe in there......

Been to some great parties there as well....

tommixx · #53 04-07-2005, 03:35 PM

Dave.....not to mention the Focusrite.....Nile Rogers once said that the sound was so warm on that console you could put your lunch on the console in the morning and it would be hot by lunch!!!!!! A LOT of the outboard in there is Jack's personal stuff!!!! Can you imagine what it's worth? He's got a couple of Fairchilds that are about 30,000.00 apiece!!!!!!

MAN I love that place!!!!!

Peace,

T

Davehenning · #54 04-07-2005, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommixx

Dave.....not to mention the Focusrite.....Nile Rogers once said that the sound was so warm on that console you could put your lunch on the console in the morning and it would be hot by lunch!!!!!! A LOT of the outboard in there is Jack's personal stuff!!!! Can you imagine what it's worth? He's got a couple of Fairchilds that are about 30,000.00 apiece!!!!!!

MAN I love that place!!!!!

Peace,

T

I've been friends with Jack for years. He was the one who produced the last session I did there in January. He also mixed a few records I played on. Great guy. And yes, his gear collection is the envy of the biz. Plus he throws wicked parties there as well.

chimp · #55 04-17-2005, 11:43 AM

I don't know if this issue has been discussed yet but i would like to know if you have insured your fingers? I came close to a bad accident with a knife earlier today and it scared me and even though im not a professional (as yet) studio musician i will more than likely study Bass and composition at university in up coming years. Whats your take on insuring fingers?

Bassossorus · #56 04-26-2005, 09:08 PM

This is a great thread..........One question: how does a aspiring studio worker get the first job........where does one start? I am more than willing to give it my all, I take my music very seriously. I think that I am ready to give it a shot, but I have no idea where to start...........I live sorta near NYC, so I know that there is work out there, how do I tackle it? THanks!

nicoli · #57 04-26-2005, 09:16 PM

The usual ways - check out the musician wanted ads wherever they're usually posted in your locale, and most importantly network network network. Get your name out there, and do a good job with whatever you land so your name gets passed on and recommended to others.

tommixx · #58 04-27-2005, 01:34 AM

+1....the key is no matter where you are, GET STARTED.....learn to read, get your chops up, and be able to groove!! Find a place that will let you answer phones or sweep the floors but whatever you have to do, GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR!!! Nobody else is going to do it for you so what are you waiting for....Go for it!

Peace,

T

Thunderfunk · #59 04-27-2005, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommixx

+1....the key is no matter where you are, GET STARTED.....learn to read, get your chops up, and be able to groove!! Find a place that will let you answer phones or sweep the floors but whatever you have to do, GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR!!! Nobody else is going to do it for you so what are you waiting for....Go for it!

Peace,

T

At the south end of Music Row is Belmont Univerity. Trisha Yearwood has a business degree in music from there. I think she then got a job answering phones at a record company, which led to a job singing background vocals on demos for Garth Brooks (a nobody at the time?). If you're a gopher at a recording studio you'll network, and be the first one that's called when the session player doesn't show. Interning is the new hot tip in all businesses.

(BTW, Garth's band was reputed [this comes from a bandmember himself] to be the worst in town. You probably don't know that his bass player was also his sister. (Being family also helps). Garth said you play for two hours a day, but ride the bus for twenty-two. It was more important that you get along.)

Davehenning · #60 04-28-2005, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderfunk

Garth said you play for two hours a day, but ride the bus for twenty-two. It was more important that you get along.)

I have lived that for many years. It is very true. You don't have to really liked the people you are working with, but you do have to get along.
A solid player who brings a great vibe to the group and is friendly is going to work a lot more than a brilliant player who is a pain in the ass and brings everyone down. I have witnessed that first hand. No one likes to be around an A-hole for very long.

That goes for the studio too.

I always explain to people who ask..... that touring is kind of like everyone you work with at your 9-5 going home with you at the end of the day to your home........every day for 4-6 months!