Soundscape Studio & School for the Recording Arts with Tim Smith

You don’t need to go to a four-year school to start your music recording career. All you need is 4 concentrated months with Tim Smith at the Soundscape Studio and Recording School in Royal Oak.

As a full-production studio, Soundscape offers recording, mixing and mastering services to complete your album fully in-house. The recording school within the studio provides 1-on-1 training in recording engineering. After completing the program, students are awarded a certification from the State of Michigan.

Smith began his teaching career while working as a music producer and recording engineer. He reached out to a local recording school to recruit their best student to be his assistant. To his amazement, the star student lacked experience and knowledge in the most basic recording essentials - microphone placement and terminology.

“Going back to that, that was the beginning for me,” he said.

The Soundscape Recording School offers 2 and 4 month programs that teach solely music production. Unlike a university program that requires students to take core subjects like math, science and history, Soundscape created an accelerated program that teaches only music recording and mixing.

“If you want to go a university you’re going to find a couple places like the Art Institute to take a program... but you’re not doing just audio engineering classes. You’re taking math. It’s accredited. We’re a little bit different,” Smith said.

“We are a recording studio and the studio operates 7 days a week for over 12 hours a day. And we have classes that are 1-on-1, which is a huge difference than a university. It’s different than accreditation. You’re going to get a certification that’s certified by the State of Michigan.”

THE INTERVIEW:

YOU GOT INTO TEACHING BECAUSE OF YOUR ENCOUNTER WITH AN INEXPERIENCED INTERN. WHAT WERE THE BASIC THINGS THIS INTERN DIDN’T KNOW?

“Basic terminology. Not having a pretty good understanding of the language. You ought to have a conversation and speak the language. If you’re lost when we’re having conversations using the words ‘attenuation,’ ‘ORTF’ and a ‘space pair,’ then obviously you’re not ready for this.”

Smith also said the student didn’t understand how to properly place mics or know how to choose the right microphone for the right recording application.

WHAT DO YOU WISH BANDS KNEW BEFORE ENTERING THE STUDIO?

“Their music” laughs Smith. “I’m being funny, but it’s kinda true. There are many bands who come in here who don’t know their own songs, who haven’t practiced their own material.”

WHAT DOES AN ENGINEER NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKING WITH A BAND, ESSENTIALLY BEING ONE PERSON OUTNUMBERED AGAINST MAYBE 4-5 PEOPLE?

“One of the things I try to translate to my student is you’re their boss,” Smith said.

“It’s very easy to get overwhelmed when you’ve got 5 guys looking at you - this one guy. Maybe you’re sweating. You’re not sure what you’re doing, whatever the case is. Realistically, you have to remember you’re the boss... You’re running the show. They’re looking to you.”

“One of my favorite engineers, Steve Albini, said in an interview,  ‘when you finally figure out the majority of your peers in this industry are faking it then you’ll finally get it.’ And that’s the truth.”

Smith said it’s impossible to know everything in music production and that you need to put in your best effort, just as the band needs to put in their best effort to produce the best music.

YOU’VE HAD VERY SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS, ONE WHO WORKED FOR LADY GAGA. WHAT’S THE KEY TO THEIR SUCCESS?

“First let me point out it’s not super common to do a 16-week class and walk out of here and work with Lady Gaga.”

Smith explained that this 16-week course is the starting point for your recording career and that most, if not all, students will need to get an internship after completing the course to build their career.

“Most engineers in my position that are hiring wouldn’t hire out of class, rarely. I have done it but it’s rare,” he said.

Smith explained that it’s important to get 300-400 hours of internship time after completing the course and to create a demo reel to use as your portfolio.

Smith said that by completing this audio engineering course students will learn the correct recording techniques and have an upper hand in finding valuable internships.

IT’S A COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE FOR RECORDING ENGINEERS. HOW DO YOU LAND THE JOB IN THE STUDIO?

“There’s a lot of rejections and it’s very difficult. The only way to get through it is to push your way through it. And chances are you are going to start your own thing,” said Smith.

Smith gave an example of how a hardworking student of his traveled across America recording bands to create a name for himself. The student eventually got noticed by an indie label and is now a mixing engineer for that label.

He also said it’s important to go to venues to network and meet bands that you would like to record to build a portfolio and get your name out there. By meeting new bands and building your portfolio, you increase your odds of being discovered by a studio.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE MYSTERY BEHIND MASTERING?

“Mastering is a number of different things. At this point a lot of mastering is the process of fitting your mix into that commercial equalization curve. If you listen to any modern hits they all fit a curve,” he said.

Smith went on to explain how a finished track’s equalization curve is determined by the genre and by the competitive landscape. The equalization curves of popular music changes by the year and mastering engineers must keep up with the trends.

“Of course we’re also raising the volume,” Smith says.

“We want it to meet current RMS values. As a mastering engineer we need to stay on top of that so we master your mixes so they’re competitive to the current RMS levels.”

Smith also said a crucial part of mastering music is adjusting the frequencies to ensure the music sounds consistent whether the music is played through studio monitors or ear buds.

“We’re trying to translate it more evenly from one system to the next so there’s no major discrepancies,” said Smith.

I’VE BEEN READING ABOUT THE LOUDNESS WAR. IS MUSIC JUST GETTING LOUDER EVERY YEAR? HAS IT EVER GONE DOWN A LITTLE BIT?

“Pretty much the industry has hit a wall -- they can’t really get much louder. Everybody is hoping it’s going to backpedal because it will sound better and back off the limiters, but I haven’t seen people do that personally. I’ve just seen it sit there.”

Smith explained that increasing a track’s volume too much decreases overall sound quality and creates unpleasant harmonic distortion.

“The only way to get it louder is to use limiters,” Smith said. “When you use limiters you’re cutting off peaks. The audio reaches past a threshold that cuts it off and then it’s able to make it that much louder whatever amount if cuts off, that’s how it works.”

“Unfortunately, we’re at a point where the RMS value of a pop song today on the radio is about -8.5 decibels full scale. Somewhere around there, which is really loud,” said Smith.

YOUR CLASS RUNS 3 TIMES A YEAR IN JANUARY, MAY AND SEPTEMBER. WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO ENROLL BEFORE IT GETS TOTALLY BOOKED UP?

“Right now I’m registering students for classes 8 months in advance. It’s getting that far filled up,” said Smith.

The Soundscape Recording School offers a winter class with a January/February start date.
The summer class starts around May/June and the fall class starts around September/October.

“The fall classes are entirely booked up. Right now I’m scheduling for students for the winter class, which would probably start the end of January or beginning of February.”

Smith said that now is the best time to register for his winter class and that waiting until August/September would be pushing it. He also stated that by registering sooner, you will have better scheduling options for your 1-on-1 classes.

INTERESTED IN ENROLLING OR LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM?

Go to Soundscape Studio & School for the Recording Arts' website to learn more and to contact Tim Smith: http://www.soundscapestudio.com/

How to Make Spotify Sound Awesome: Setting The Disco Smile EQ

Here's a tip: you can adjust the EQ setting in your Spotify account to boost the bass and treble frequencies to get that classic Disco sound -- full bodied bass and some extra "sparkle" in the high frequencies to guarantee the dance floor is hopping.

If you look at a graphical EQ that's set to the Disco Smile EQ, it will appear to make a smiley face. The lower and high frequencies are boosted, while the mid frequencies are lowered or "scooped." The Disco Smile EQ is also known as the "mid scoop."

Try it out for yourself and tweak the frequencies to what sounds good to your ears and body.

Go to your account settings gear icon and tap on "Playback."

Next, tap on Equaliser (what's this, England?)

Choose a preset or set a custom preset. Use your ears and body as a guide. :)

Why you need to record in a studio instead of "in the box."

Like most aspiring music producers, I purchased Ableton Live, watched YouTube tutorials and tried my hand at producing tracks at home, "in the box."

I came up with a few finished songs that I thought were good. That is until I listened to my finished tracks from the studio and compared them side by side. The result: my recordings sucked.

Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like ProTools, Cubase, Ableton Live and Logic are becoming more accessible and more musicians are choosing to produce music at home, "in the box" using their music production software. 

But the proliferation of most "in the box" music is lacking character, nuance, originality and yes, musicality. Especially music being produced that's entirely dependent on pre-recorded loops (like FL Studio). How are you going to stand out when you're using the same tones, loops and beats that thousands of other people are using? 

To stand out and have an original sound, you're going to need to think "outside of the box" and head to a recording studio. Here's why:

1. They have much better equipment than you ever will – a recording studio has everything you don't have in terms of music gear. Can you afford a Telefunken microphone, Hammond organ, Marshall stack, Fender Rhodes, Ludwig drumset, Moog synthesizer, mixing console and mic pre-amps? It would take many, many years (and thousands of dollars) to acquire all of this gear. When you go to a record studio, all of their equipment becomes accessible to you.

2. Their recording engineers are much more experienced – The best part about working with a studio is being paired with a recording engineer. These guys are masters of music and technology. You can describe a tone or a sound you want for the recording and they know how to achieve it. 

These guys also have trained ears to hear any unpleasant frequencies, bad notes, bad performances, and phase cancellation, something your buddy with ProTools and some microphones probably isn't familiar with yet.

They also have worked with so many bands and different genres that they act as producers as well. They'll recommend instruments and effects for you to use that you've never even heard of before. 

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon wouldn't have been the same album if Alan Parsons hadn't worked on it. Not at all. 

3. It's a "real space" where you can capture "real sounds" – What bothers me about using VSTs and pre-recorded samples is that you're missing out on the magic that happens inside a studio. I've had many happy accidents in the studio that turned out to be golden nuggets in my tracks.

4. Legitimacy – Tracks completed in a studio have a professional sound that is nearly impossible to achieve at home with limited gear and expertise. The combination of mic placement, room acoustics, hi-end equipment, mixing and mastering achieve that polished studio sound. 

5. It feels cool – It's just cool to record your music at a studio. There's a certain prestige to it. It feels more real, more professional, more serious. And non-musicians and musicians will take you more seriously because of it.

There's a term called "studio magic." It's a pejorative term, usually implying that a studio can make anything sound good. I disagree with this term. Studio magic is real, and it's the collection of all the tiny mixing decisions, equipment, engineers and inspiration you get inside the studio that creates a magical track. 

And you're not going to get that magic "inside the box."

Deadmau5's rant on creating ballsy synth tones

Deadmau5 is probably the best electronic music producer in terms of sound quality, mixing and finding great synth tones.

In his rant, he complains about the lack of unique synth tones, and goes on to explain why many haters of EDM dislike the music -- because the synth sounds are dull, unoriginal, mechanical and cold sounding.

This can be fixed by adding compression, reverb, using distressors and routing the MIDI data into an external hardware synth and then routed back in. 

By using these effects and external instruments, you can give your synth "balls." A tone that has character and life -- not a dull, lifeless preset.