Day One... and Grammy Tracks - Posted on 2012-04-01 by Ben Behrens

Wednesday was my first lesson with the Recording connection.  My mentor Michael and I went down to Starbuck’s on the corner near the studio and discussed the physics of sound.  Not much new information since I previously worked for DTS and have had some experience with recording, but it was good to hear some real-world examples of otherwise abstract concepts.

After the lesson we went back to the studio and had a short get-to-know-you chat.  I told him about my personal history in Australia, how I was there for 6 years with several bands, and how that sparked my interest in recording.  I also told him about nice personal stuff like how I met my wife and where I work.  He told me about how he came out from the Midwest and started doing what he does (apparently he got a lucky break fixing a broken tape reel). 

Then I got to observe the day-to-day reality of running a studio, which is really why I want to do this.  I know it can't be all artists and awards and credits on albums--what's the nitty-gritty look like?  And how do they get bands?  (That last question is still unanswered, but we have six months to address it and I plan on asking a lot of questions.)  Anyway, this time it was fixing phasing issues, which takes time and attention to detail.  One detail here worth mentioning is that the artist on these tracks is a Grammy-winning jazz guitarist working on his next album.  I think learning from my mentor in particular how to connect with artists is going to be a very valuable lesson, because he obviously knows how to do it well.