My guest on the show today is Mark Haffner, an Emmy Award-winning TV/film composer, with many film studio & TV network credits. Some of Mark’s clients include Disney, NBC, CBS, ABC, Orion Pictures, Atlantic Records, P. Diddy, Usher, Busta Rhymes, Notorious B.I.G., and many major-market USA TV stations.

Mark Haffner is a creative media production professional with over 25 years experience in the television, film, music, and advertising industries. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and businesses shape their personal and business brand with well-crafted storytelling and focused messages.

He provides consulting and production services to clients combining his unique blend of experience in copywriting, voice coaching, music consulting and original production, video editing, show packaging, & promotional videos.

For you as a listener of Recording Studio Rockstars and for a limited time, Mark is offering a FREE 30 minute consultation on how you can better brand your business with video, music, & podcasting. 

Mark is also a business partner of mine and cohost of Podcast Professors were we teach you how to get started in podcasting. If you are interested in podcast yourself or even the audio side of podcasting you can check us out at;

Q: Can you share an inspirational quote for making music, recording, your business, or life in general?

A: Star Wars- “These are not the droids you’re looking for.” We in the music business have had to money move around a lot. It’s a very exciting time for musicians to branch out. You don’t wait for permission anymore. It’s a magnificently, democratically, freeing thing for the artistic spirit.

Q: What was an important failure or setback that became a learning lesson for you in the studio?

A: The excitement of composing in multiple genres, drove me into television and I got to work with a lot of big names doing a lot of different projects. After awhile I realized why I was getting paid so well, because I wasn’t putting out my own message, I was putting out the message of my client, the TV company that needed to raise ratings. I lost myself.

Q: Tell us about a moment of success for you in recording?

A: When I was 15, I wrote a song about my band called ‘A Dream in the Making.’ It got on our first record, and others heard it and related to the message. It became a generic “dream” not just for a rock band.

Q: What are you excited about right now with your recording?

A: With podcasting and social media. I’m coming out of the box starting Mark Haffner show (podcast). I want help people make money; I want people to enjoy themselves. My area of doing that is television and film. It’s still music, still your rock band, and still song licenses but instead of licensing to Atlantic Records, you license it to Paramount and then earn royalties that can be substantial over the years if you get in a good show!

The Jam Session

Q: What was holding you back at first from getting started in recording?

A: I had a fair amount of talent at a young age, and it was not hard for me to amaze people with music. But at the same time it made me very lazy. In high school I started to see people who practiced their asses off start smoking me, and I realized I needed to practice.

Q: What recording tip, hack, or secret sauce would you like to share from your experience?

A: Work backwards from the talent you have available. Record them first because then you’ll hear what they’re good at. Instead of structure and forcing everything,

Q: Can you recommend a favorite book or film about making records?

A: It’s a book about film. Rebel without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez. Book is basically a journal about how he made a movie with $7,000 while balancing a family. It sparked the revolution of people making their own movies.

Q: Can you share a favorite hardware tool for the studio?

A: Miktek ProCast SST. I have always used Neumann U-89. If you are a serious musician, save up your money to get an amazing mic!!

Q: Can you share a favorite software tool for recording?

A: CLA plugins. I think they are very quick and easy. They add all the elements you need, they tweak everything behind the scene. It gets everything in the zone quickly.

Q: If you were dropped in a strange city and could only take a simple setup for recording what would you choose? How would you find people to record, and how would you make ends meet right away to continue recording?

A: It’s all about the energy. Meet musicians wherever you can find them. I have a Zoom H6. I could walk in, meet a band, plug into their board and start recording a multitrack! I would also make videos because of social media to share a piece of the action. I’m old school and use Digital Performer to edit music. For videos I use Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, and After Effects those three programs are available through Adobe Creative Suite. You can also use Final Cut Pro, but I recommend the Adobe products!

Markhaffner.comE-mail- Mark@markhaffner.com

Twitter @mhprod

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/MarkHaffnerProd

If you have any or questions about recording you would like me to answer on the show or suggestions for the show please email me:

lij@recordingstudiorockstars.com

If you dig the show and find it helpful I would be honored if you would subscribe, and leave a rating, & review in iTunes.

And if you want to get on the email list for free content full of videos, tips, studio tricks, and special offers just text RSROCKSTARS to 33-444 from your phone (super easy and I promise you won’t get spammed!)

Credits: Thanks so much to Merissa Marx and Hunter Hansen for assisting with editing audio and show notes. You guys totally rock!

Cheers!

Lij

My guest today is Kern Ramsdell a music lover and creator of the recording blog Home Recording Weekly. His goal is to share everything that he learns about writing, playing, recording, mixing, and mastering music in home recording studios.

“I simply must get the music that I hear in my head, out. I love it when a song begins to come to life.”

Kern publishes videos, product demos, and reviews to help you out as well as hosting the Home Recording Weekly Podcast.

Home Studio eBundle

​Kern also created the FREE Home Studio eBundle to help you get more realistic MIDI instruments in their productions, better sounding bass and guitars using Virtual Instruments, and better mixes as a whole. You can find out more at his site HomeRecordingWeekly.com

Get the Home Studio eBundle Now!

Q: What were some of the first failures you experienced that probably someone with a home studio is experiencing right now?

A: I knew I had to EQ my tracks, but I thought there was a right way and a wrong way. I was putting the same “happy face” EQ’s on all my tracks and they weren’t sounding right. I didn’t understand how to make each track have its own frequency space. It’s something you learn over time.

Q: What were some of the things you started to see that felt like you were succeeding?

A: When people started asking me questions and I was able to help. It made me feel like they trusted me because I’ve been in their shoes.

Q: How do you manage time with your studio and your family?

A: It’s tough, I wasn’t good at it. I was absent when I started my podcast. It takes great amounts of time to be an online presence. You have to wake up early and stay up late, do what you have to do to make the time you need. To balance time, you have to schedule and plan ahead. Realize what time you have available and how to use it the best you can.

The “Jam Session” Q&A:

Q: What was holding you back from getting started in recording music and running your home studio?

A: I didn’t think I had anything to offer. I didn’t believe in myself. Once I got over those hurdles, I put my head down and said I want to share what I’m learning. I got so frustrated and I know there are others out there going through the same things, I don’t want them to stop.

Q: What was some of the best advice you received when you were getting started?

A: Definitely “get it right at the source.” The song production pyramid is set up so you spend most of your time in the pre-production songwriting portion. The higher you climb the pyramid the less time you spend on the task, recording, mixing, and mastering at the top. Get that instrument sounding the way you want at the beginning, you don’t want to take away from the sound with the computer.

Song Production Pyramid Podcast

Q: What is a great recording tip, hack, or secret sauce that our listeners could use for their records?

A: Put your microphone up, record a piece, listen to it, then move it. Do it a few times until you find the best spot. You can even use the light on your phone to look in the speaker cabinet to get a better idea of what the speaker actually looks like to place your mic in a better place.

Q: What’s a favorite hardware tool you love having with you in the studio?

A: Due to my injury, I just got a standing work station. You push a button and my desk goes up or down. It’s amazing, I can work longer and feel better at the end of the day. Another one is my Heil PR-30. I didn’t get it due to G.A.S. but to fix a problem in my band, but man it’s a great mic.

Q: Can you explain G.A.S?

A: Product manufactures hype up their products to make it seem we can’t get good recordings unless we buy their equipment or plugins. G.A.S is that Gear Acquisition Syndrome we all fall into where we think we need more gear to sound better. We don’t, we just need to learn to use what we do have.

Q: What is a favorite software tool you use?

A: Definitely StudioOne. Their mastering part of it just sold me on it. Also the T-RackS collection. I think their stuff is great, I use it all the time. You can do mid-side processing with most of their stuff. In mid-side mode, you can treat the extreme left and right stereo field separate then the mono center channel.

Q: What’s a good resource for the business side of recording your music?

A: Any business person you know, if they’re successful, emulate what they do. That being said, I recently reviewed a product called The Voiceover Playbook written by voiceover expert, Bill Dewees. He talks about branding, how to get clients, how to conduct yourself. I learned a lot from that.

Q: Imagine you were dropped in a strange, new city and you could only take a simple set up to record AND you had to make ends meet somehow. What would you do?

A: It’s all about word of mouth. You have to be out there meeting people. Go where the musicians are, be a friend first and eventually your name will get passed around.

Q: Can you share with us the single most important thing a listener could do to become a rock star of the recording studio?

A: Slow down and get it right. Experience with your microphones and do the heavy lifting before you hit the record button. Also commit. Don’t save all of your options for later on in the mixing and mastering, make up your mind and commit! Don’t be scared there are no mistakes, it’s art.

Sites:

Website/ Blog - http://www.homerecordingweekly.com/

Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/user/kernman2

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Home-Recording-Weekly-blog-240576362700652/?fref=nf

Twitter - @SKernR

Email – Kern@homerecordingweekly

Pat Flynn The Smart Passive Income Blog - http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-passive-income-podcast/id383084001?mt=2

All About Microphones

If you have any or questions about recording you would like me to answer on the show or suggestions for the show please email me:

lij@recordingstudiorockstars.com

If you dig the show and find it helpful I would be honored if you would subscribe, and leave a rating, & review in iTunes.

Credits: Thanks so much to Merissa Marx and Hunter Hansen for assisting with editing audio and show notes. You guys totally rock!

And if you want to get on the email list for free content full of videos, tips, studio tricks, and special offers just text RSROCKSTARS to 33-444 from your phone (super easy and I promise you won’t get spammed!)

Cheers!

Lij

If you have any or questions about recording you would like me to answer on the show or suggestions for the show please email me:

lij@recordingstudiorockstars.com

If you dig the show and find it helpful I would be honored if you would subscribe, and leave a rating, & review in iTunes.

Credits: Thanks so much to Merissa Marx and Hunter Hansen for assisting with editing audio and show notes. You guys totally rock!

And if you want to get on the email list for free content full of videos, tips, studio tricks, and special offers just text RSROCKSTARS to 33-444 from your phone (super easy and I promise you won’t get spammed!)

Cheers!

Lij

My guest today is the extraordinary producer, programmer, performer, songwriter, arranger, mixer, engineer, and author, Michael Beinhorn. He began his career as a keyboard player with Bill Laswell in the band Material and had a major breakthrough in the 80's as co-writer of the seminal hip hop classic “Rockit” with Herbie Hancock.

He went on to produce an impressive discography that includes Soundgarden Superunknown, The Red Hot Chili Peppers Uplift Mofo Party Plan & Mother’s Milk , Soul Asylum Grave Dancer’s Union, and Korn Untouchables among many others.

Michael developed a reputation for producing artists’ “career records” and was ultimately Nominated for a Grammy in 1998 as Producer of the year for his work with Celebrity Skin by Hole and Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson.

And if that wasn’t enough Michael has also gone on to create new technology as well. Looking for the best way to capture a broad frequency range during the recording process he commissioned John French of JRF Magnetics to develop the “Ultra-Analog” recording format in 1994. This format featured the first 2” 8 track tape machine with unequalled bass and transient response.

(Basically think of the fattest drum sound you can possibly put onto analog tape)

And Michael is a prolific author. He has an ongoing blog called How To Save Popular Music where he comments on the state of music today. And In 2015, Beinhorn wrote a book called "Unlocking Creativity" which outlines his personal experience with the creative process as a record producer.

Order his book Unlocking Creativity here!

Q: Any tips for recording at home?

A: Have a profound knowledge of what it is that you do. While passion alone is one of the most important aspects, having knowledge and skills to master is most important. You have to look at every piece of equipment as an extension of yourself. Know all your equipment and the room.

“Being flexible may be the single most difficult—and important—aspect of producing records.” @michaelbeinhorn

Click to Tweet

Q: How do you contribute to the artist's vision?

A: Know what you like and don’t like. It’s easy to get swayed by other opinions. Know when you're allowing your point of view to be swayed and be able to sense what you feel really strongly about in life and music alike.

“Music is the most proficient delivery system of emotion” @michaelbeinhorn

Click to Tweet

Q: What’s your opinion on the loudness wars?

A: If people want to make records louder it’s none of my business. I’ve had to deal with people applying compression to boost gain and squash peaks. When you affect peaks it changes the overall sound. If that’s acceptable to them, fine. I don’t enjoy that. I prefer to have a direct conversation with my mastering engineer.

Where music is concerned, the now is all that matters. Now is when you are hearing it, now is when you find it exciting, now is when you are tired of it. @michaelbeinhorn

Click to Tweet

Jam Session

Q: What was something holding you back at the beginning of your career?

A: Self esteem, insecurity. Don’t be afraid of sharing a vision. Go out and do it. I was insecure going out alone when I’d stopped working with a team (Material). I doubted myself alone.

If You Withhold Your Brilliance From The World You Will Suffer For It Later.” @michaelbeinhorn

Click to Tweet

Q: What is a great recording tip, hack, or secret sauce you can share?

A: Use your ears, and find best way to optimize space. And here is one for drums: you can screw thick sheets of plywood together, connect with 2x4's, drill the bass drum pedal and a board to hold the bass drum in place.The plywood now acts as an amplifier.

Q: What’s your favorite hardware tool?

A:Telefunken 251, Neve Germanium, Check out the Sonoma DSD recorder.

Q: Favorite software tool?

A: Reason, Pro Tools, Blackface 1176 plugin from Ik Multimedia

Q: What’s a great resource for the business side of things?

A: Cover your ass - be clear about what you’re doing. If you do favors make sure they're recognized. Know your contracts and rights. Check out these music business books.

Q: If you were dropped into a strange city and you could only take a simple setup for recording, what would you choose, how would you find people to record, and how would you make ends meet right away to continue recording?

A: I would go to shows, watch performances, make inroads into communities where musicians are rehearsing. Get your name out there, reference forums where artists are looking for help recording a record. 

“You only get one shot, it’s best if you take it while not aiming at your feet” @michaelbeinhorn

Click to Tweet

Q: What’s the single most important thing you can do to become a rockstar of the recording studio?

A: Be great, be patient, be intent driven. Make it known you’re willing to go all the way and prove to yourself and to them that you have what it takes.

Order Michael's book Unlocking Creativity here!

Follow Michael on: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

If you have any or questions about recording you would like me to answer on the show or suggestions for the show please email me:

lij@recordingstudiorockstars.com

If you dig the show and find it helpful I would be honored if you would subscribe, and leave a rating, & review in iTunes.

And if you want to get on the email list for free content full of videos, tips, studio tricks, and special offers just text RSROCKSTARS to 33-444 from your phone (super easy and I promise you won’t get spammed!)

Credits: Thanks so much to Merissa Marx and Hunter Hansen for assisting with editing audio and show notes. You guys totally rock!

Cheers!

Lij