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The 4 Powerful Secrets Behind a Lucrave Home Studio By Gary Gray © 2018 Gary Gray All rights reserved. Unauthorized use is a violaon of applicable copyright laws. lucravehomestudio.com So you’re probably reading this ebook because you either have a home studio and want to make it more profitable, or because you want to build a home studio and want to know what it takes to be successful. I’ve been working as a producer, engineer, and composer for 30 years and I’ve managed to build a home studio business that brings in six-figures and serves clients like 20th Century Fox, Disney Music Group, CBS, A&E EMI, and Hollywood Records - all from my one-bedroom, condo home. I’m telling you this so you can see that I am not going to teach you anything that I don’t use in my own home studio - and that I don’t deem 100% necessary for success. In this ebook I want to share a super-condensed overview of my approach to mixing, producon, and owning a home studio business. But before we get started, I want to share one of the biggest keys to success in the world of music producon. Regardless of your experience and knowledge of music theory, music producon, IT savviness, musicianship, working with bands, studio recording, arranging, mixing, mastering and licensing, you will ONLY reach your full potenal if you have a humble yet voracious appete for knowledge. lucravehomestudio.com I1 The VERY BEST producers and engineers in the world are willing to say, “I don’t know what I’m doing, can you help me with this?” They are willing to listen without asserng their own self-worth or ego -- and they oZen take notes. They are willing to take what they are shown and go home to their own studios and put the me in to EXPERIMENT ON THEIR OWN. This ebook is just one small step on a much bigger music producon journey. How you connue that journey is up to you, but I am ready to guide you in my course The Lucrave Home Studio should you chose that path. lucravehomestudio.com I2 Home Studio Myths & Truths — When it comes down to actually building a home studio - one that will get the job done and produce high-quality recordings and aract top-dollar clients - there are a lot of myths out there. Some of those myths are even accepted as fact, wasng home studio owners hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. I have logged thousands of hours in home studios and in mul- thousand dollar studios, and in that me I’ve been able to find the truths behind a lot of the home studio myths. So let’s take a look at some of these myths and how to effecvely plan an inexpensive home studio (that sll delivers on the quality). Myth: You need a big space with excellent acouscs. Truth: My one-bedroom home studio generates a 6 figure income. AND I built my home studio in a condo, which means neighbors are just one wall away. Myth: You need to spend a lot of money on sound treatment. Truth: Total money I’ve spent on sound treatment: 0 dollars. Myth: You have to invest in expensive pre-amps, mics and speakers worth at least $4,000 - $5,000 to create radio-ready recordings. lucravehomestudio.com I3 Truth: I spent about $2,000 on my inial studio set up and have very happy clients, including The Disney Music Group & 20th Century Fox. I have a full breakdown of my home studio costs with exact expenses in the Lucrave Home Studio course. Myth: The Microphone and Pre-Amp you are using in the studio makes a huge difference. Truth: Any decent Mic and Pre-Amp can be (and have been) used on hit recordings for Major Labels and Home Studio Recordings. Myth: Never Touch The Master Stereo Out Fader On Your Mixing Console or it will mess up your mix. (Applies to Actual Consoles or In-The-Box D.A.W. “Mixing Consoles.”) Truth: If adjusng the volume of your Stereo Out Master fader would mess up a mix – there wouldn’t be a Fader Switch on it!!! Somemes the best thing you can do, if you have a great mix and the level is a bit too high – is to lower the Master Fader before bouncing your Mix in order to give the Mastering Engineer ample headroom. Myth: Drums always sound be`er when recorded with Analog Tape. Truth: First of all, I grew up as a drummer prodigy. I also played drums under Berry Gordy and Suzanne De Passe at Motown Records. I’ve worked my whole life as a studio and live drummer, as well as keyboardist, composer, conductor and Musical Director. lucravehomestudio.com I4 AZer spending over 900 hours experimenng personally during a two-year Residence Producer posion at the 13,000 square foot Mul-Million dollar Springs Theatre Studio in Tampa Florida (featuring a 7,000 square foot main room) under John Zumwalt Stephan, I discovered the empirical truth – if a producer/engineer is experienced and competent at both digital and analog recording – DIGITAL recording of drums come out sounding be`er. And this was with blindfold tesng, where listeners thought, me and me again, that DIGITAL recordings were analog recordings and told me how much be`er they sounded! Now, this Myth/Truth may never affect you in any way. I understand – perhaps you won’t ever be in a posion to even think about having drums recorded analog, and you may use a version of any number of Studio Created Digital Drum Programs (which I love by the way) for your drum tracks. But we are dealing with an invisible, subjecve art form which is very vulnerable to “authories” and “authoritave statements” being accepted at face value - without a balance of research done to verify as truth, or discard as false. In fact, don’t even take what I tell you as truth for yourself – I would rather you challenge what I say and I would even welcome someone showing me I’m wrong. A) I would learn something new and even more importantly… lucravehomestudio.com I5 B) B) I would feel great, knowing that an independent thinking individual, able to thoroughly research any subject, not suscepble to being professionally seduced by assumed “authority” was standing up with their own integrity intact and speaking up about it. Believe me, my purpose is not to “be the be-all-end-all authority” on audio recording. My purpose is to educated and inspire students so that they experience ever increasing confidence, create masterpiece recordings and constantly improve their abilies and results as musicians, songwriters, composers, producers, engineers and entrepreneurs. Myth: The equipment you record on makes a huge difference. Truth: The Producer and/or Engineer you are working with makes the biggest difference BY FAR. There have been Major Label Releases recorded on Garageband – by competent Producer/Engineers. Myth: Home Studios cannot put out the same quality as Pro Hollywood Studios. Truth: With my home studio, which has no mixing console, no expensive pre-amps, uses a PC laptop computer (HP BeatsAudio), Cubase and East/West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, StormDrum II and Ministry Of Rock, I landed a featured Single release on the presgious Concord Records Major Label for a recent Dennis Quaid Major Moon Picture Sound Track Album, negoated through one of the top Hollywood Music Supervisors, Mason Cooper. lucravehomestudio.com I6 I’ve landed jobs with Disney (all 5 projects were accepted first me no quesons asked when submied) and several re- record jobs. I did a re-record of U2’s “One,” and received an email response the same day from Steve Lillywhite, Grammy Award-Winning Producer of U2: “Gary, it sounds just like the original!!” Myth: You need people with be`er ears than yours to master your mixes. These people have special powers that you’ll never aain. Truth: Mastering is actually much easier than mixing in terms of the number of decisions you’re making. I’ve developed a Music Producon Ear Training exercises that allows anyone to sha`er that myth in a ma`er of weeks. Myth: You have to be born with good ears, you can’t “develop” good ears. Truth: Anyone can develop not only good ears for recording, but great ears. My opinion (backed by years of experimentaon and producon) is that the equipment you are using doesn’t really ma`er much. A prey crass and blunt statement, Yes. But is that statement true? An equally resounding. Yes! So, if you thought I was going to encourage you to buy this latest plug-in or that latest hardware. not me. I’d rather you work on developing a good ear and on ensuring you have a posive, construcve environment to work in. lucravehomestudio.com I7 When you talk to the greatest mixing engineers and mastering engineers behind the scenes, they will tell you that it doesn’t ma`er what gear they are using - as long as it’s working! They can deliver amazing masterpiece recordings on whatever equipment they are using and in whatever room they have to work in. How? Because they have developed their ear, and thus their confidence, to the point where myths die gasping and the truth lives strong. Developing A Good Ear Developing a good ear is not hard, despite what others may say. Consistent daily pracce will pay off nicely. Even if you only get in 15 minutes a day.