Please read my other blog if you are interested in my opinions about pro recording VS. indie culture. There are pros and cons to both sides of this question. Obviously, I'm in favor of doing as much as possible yourself. I've spent many years in the trenches recording bands on everything from 4-track cassette to Pro tools HD. Does the equipment matter? To an extent, yes. Can a good song survive a bad recording? Maybe. Can you record a hit at home? Sometimes.

But there are limits to what you can do alone, and that's the catch. There is a certain lack of objectivity when you are the artist and AND the producer, and with consumer recording equipment or bad acoustics there's often a 'sameness' that creeps into things. It can make even a good song sound mushy or boring. Eventually you will need to work with people whose skills and equipment are more developed than your own, or you won't progress to a higher level. But only you can decide when that will be.

Money's usually the big problem. I've worked with the biggest budgets and the smallest. Ironically, there's always too little money. And I've run an indie studio for long enough to know that my LOWEST price is still a lot for working musicians to come up with. So the only way I can make that sacrifice meaningful is to make it WORTHWHILE. We give really good quality and a lot of other perks so people walk away happy. After all, I can't run a studio like this for free but at least I can give a lot of bang for the buck. That's been my strategy for years, and it's worked so well that some people actually walked away SUPERSTARS!

Digital Vs Analog? Well, computers are good for a lot of things. In recording, they can speed certain things up. One thing they are really good for is setups. So many things about Basic Tracking and overdubs are similar from session to session. It used to take a day, sometimes more, to get a band, mikes, eq, etc, properly setup for a record. So we installed a Euphonics board that recalls every knob, every fader, even every patch on the patchbay! It's unbelievably efficient. We can set up for Basic Tracks and be recording in five hours or so. Not for a demo, but a RECORD!

Also, I've standardized certain procedures and taught them to my engineers. Everyone here uses the Satellite Park production system. I can open Paul's files and continue working seamlessly with them and vice-versa. Another big timesaver. Efficiency-oriented things like that add up. Plus, of course, we're musicians so we know what it takes to make things sound right.

The sum of all these tricks we've learned? Lower prices. Better sounds. A relaxed working environment. More time to work with artists on their musical performances and give free advice about their career development...and more fun doing it.

I've always getting involved in community action projects, just like I did back in the day, and it tells me a great deal about what is going on in the culture. Along the way, I continue to make my hard-won production experience available to indie artists, as affordably as possible. Why? Because no one else will do it and it is genuinely important.

I've recorded music for thirty years, both indie and major label projects. In that time, I've tried just about everything till I learned what works. There are a lot of myths about recording and production. I've recorded under the lowest and highest budgets only to find that there's always a way to make a pleasing (or DISpleasing, if that's your sound!) record with the available resources.

I was one of the earliest pioneers of the the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) era. A lot of artists have now learned how to record at home, just as I did. So I'm sure you understand the distinctions between 'home' and 'commercial' recording. The truth is, a competent and musical person can make meaningful contributions to the world of (pop, folk, underground, electronica, etc) music simply by exciting people and having something, well...sorta 'contagious?' to say.

The technical and production parts of it are a different story. These are less predictable. You can craft a demo and sometimes nail it, sometimes not. Even the major players have this problem--we are all familiar with the story of a rippin good band that gets signed and then ends up with a watered-down or totally different album that nobody likes. Go figure...they have every opportunity in the world, and then blow it with the most important people in the world: Their Fans.

That's because the music industry thinks from WITHIN its ranks, understanding very little about developing trends. The public, on the other hand, looks to the OUTSIDE for new trends and amusements. People are naturally curious. They are drawn to new discoveries and sensations. That is very good for 'natural' subcultures, bad for 'artificial' (IE mass-marketed) trends. That is the ONLY advantage you have as an outsider.

Your demo, your album, or particularly your SINGLES, are your calling card--immediate grounds for acceptance or rejection by everyone. That's a big problem--in a glut of micro-information and meaningless trends, YOU'RE trying to get heard. And to top it off, it's an uphill battle because there are so many things out there screaming for everyone's attention...people have to make snap decisions, put your whole life's work in the trash like junk mail cause they're TOO DAMN BUSY to spend a minute and 'figure you out'. It's unfortunate, but this point-and-click attitude towards artists downgrades the development of culture, makes everyone helpless, and allows big industries to put out inferior products to a public that is overwhelmed.

So you often have a very narrow window through which to hurl your recordings, if you get what I mean. My only antidote to this is to take what I have: a sizzlin' studio, a hyper-efficient production system, a staff I've taught all my secrets to (including the legendary Paul Roessler--check out his myspace page!); and to try my best to support indie talent. I do this by running promotional contests so bands everywhere can get a shot at a good producer and studio at the lowest cost possible.

I've recorded a long time and usually do several high-profile projects a year. That leaves some unbooked time at the Malibu paradise studio I own with my friend and business partner Josie Cotton. She and I both love grass-roots and indie culture (check out her myspace page!) Our studio always had an open-door policy to upcoming acts but we decided to do something even better with this unaccounted-for time. We give a few acts a year a crazy-super-duper DISCOUNT INDIE HEARTSTOPPER of a deal that comes in pretty close to our cost...okay, okay, I'll skip the hype but it IS a smokin-hot deal!

Every city has a couple of up-and-coming acts. They might pack a club, or have a lotta friends on myspace, or be otherwise representin' in some noticable way. Usually this generates support from relatives, friends, the street, etc. Maybe they pick up a manager or an investor. Maybe they want to make records to sell at shows or something. THAT is the kind of situation that I can really help out with. I respect people that work to build their career cause that's what I did..and if you are willing to give it all you've got, then I am willing to help.

I can knock out an album in my studio indie-style pretty inexpensively. And it comes with outstanding sound quality, a lotta energy, and my infamous production style. Since Josie and I own the studio and it's not tied to a corporate monster, we can make decisions about money and production support on a case-by-case basis. That means we WILL try to make a workable deal if we like you.

What I am looking for are the next contenders--bands, DJ's and solo artists who have made it far enough that a little extra push might hurl them into the next quantum leap. I LIVE for those moments of contact between the underground and mainstream culture, it's a personal thing. I like knowing that I, out of 6.5 billion people, saw the Next Big Thing and went to bat for it. So if you have a really good band, I'm listening and can possibly even help you. All I need is enough money to keep the engineers, the electricity, etc paid. I don't want to make a big profit off struggling acts. Yes, I had a big hit and scored but I wanna share. I can't explain it any clearer than that.

If you are really good, or really original, or crazy popular, and can collect a survival budget from within your ranks; we can TALK. Don't make impossible offers--I CANNOT do projects on spec, there are too many expenses here. But I can and will try to make it work, even if it hurts a little. So let me hear your music, talk to you, and possibly help you. Sometimes, I hear home demos that sound really good and only need consultation or mixing. In that case, I can listen to your rough mixes, make comments by phone or email, or mix your sessions remotely for a reasonable fee. We can easily upload/download the tracks if I mix your home recordings here. You don't even have to fly out.

I WANT to do this for you. Let me find out how good you are and, time permitting, I'll really go to bat for you. In my mind you represent the new culture and the evolution of the species.

If you would like to try out for our discount contest, click right here to go to our SonicBids.com submission page. But remember, this is our lowest price and only a few bands will be selected.

Otherwise, check out our pricelist on the front page or just call for a free evaluation. Our regular Indie prices are great too!

--Geza X