may  2016
studioexpresso eZine
Since 2000 

Grammy winning producers Ricky Kej and Brent Fischer at East West Studio 3

This month songwriters came together from Hollywood to DC to talk rights and support the music community.  We drop in an engineer who works with composers in the gaming world. You've guessed it...she gets the  biggest label contract in recent history! We listen to the sounds of a jazz collaboration between a late icon and modern muse. This sonic academy is plugged in and we meet a fellow musician who has the sound and the soul.

Thanks for our 24,000 + readers and community of studios, composers, arrangers who create music that lives and moves.  Congrats to all of you who have renewed and enjoying work, industry networking and more.. Renew today. Thank you!
  
In This Issue
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Mixing Game Scores
New Release: Miles Davis & Robert Glasper
Meet PlugIn Alliance User Soundprank
SAVE THE DATE: Golf + Tennis...June 20
I Create Music Expo
Meet Music Executive Graham Parker
Meet A Hammond Artist:
 
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Mixing Gaming Scores 
Kempster Talks Collaborations and Gear

Although he is best known for his work on over 120 films such as National Treasure, Remember The Titans, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Armageddon, Twister, Bourne Supremacy, and Training Day, veteran recording and mix engineer Steve Kempster has, as of late, turned his prodigious talents to the burgeoning world of high-end audio for gaming. Indeed, this year composer Austin Wintory won the ASCAP Composers Choice Award for Assassin's Creed Syndicate and composer Gareth Coker (above)
won the Game Audio Network Guild Awards for Ori and the Blind Forest in the categories of Audio of the Year, Best Mix, Best Instrumental Track, and Rookie of the Year. Kempster mixed both scores at his private mix room, relying on his ATC SCM100ASL LCR midfield monitors and his ATC SCM25A LCR near-field monitors to ensure that the full emotional impact and intention of the composers' works translate to gamers around the world, regardless of the sound systems they listen on.

"I've done most of Austin's games and movies in the last few years," Kempster said. "I helped him record the original ideas for Assassin's Creed here in LA, and we were able to get very specific about the feeling and timbre we were after. He wanted a real tactile feeling so that the gamer would feel like the music was right there, not far off in the distance. Our early conversations and work held the project together, and so my mix was a natural extension of that." Wintory introduced Kempster to Gareth Coker, which led to his work on Ori and the Blind Forest. Kempster is also working on new games with award-winning composer, Mikolai Stroinski.
Steve Kempster
Back in the late 1970s, Kempster got into the music business as a singer-songwriter. "I learned engineering so that I could get the right sound for the stories I wanted to tell," he said. "I was inspired to do that because I found that if the engineer understood what I was up to, the song's intention came through. But if he didn't, it fell flat. It was an important place to get it right, so I trained myself on how to record and mix and worked with musicians on my own material. They said I had a better sound coming out of my garage than they were getting at the nice studios, so they started asking me to come work with them there. I think it's helpful to keep the songwriter's perspective as an engineer. I look at my job from a storytelling point of view first and foremost."
Kempster explains that the biggest difference between mixing for records or movies and mixing for games is the inherent non-linearity of games. "Depending on the design of the game, the player will hear different things depending on their play," he said. "If a player engages in a battle and loses, the game may reset to an earlier point. There can be a million different paths and outcomes, as compared to a record or movie with just a single linear arc. The music has to be composed so that it walks hand-in-hand with the action without becoming repetitious. It's an amazing art that Wintory and Coker are adept at navigating. They build in different levels of the same cue. Those levels seamlessly transmute, and I have to be very careful that my mix works across all of those levels. That's no easy trick."
Kempster has two ATC setups: he has his LCR system of ATC SCM 25A permanently installed in his home mix room and a large, but mobile LCR system of ATC SCM100ASLs paired with an ATC SCM0.1/15ASL subwoofer for use at different facilities around town. "My ATCs are the most important thing I own, and I own a lot of gear," Kempster laughed. "With the 100s, I'm kind of like a mobile MASH unit. I'm pretty good at arranging them and working with the subwoofer's cutoff and volume to get a nice even response. I have a few pieces of music that I listen to that help me calibrate things. Once they sound right, I know whatever I record or mix will translate."
"All mixing is like sculpting," he continued." I chip away and remove the things I don't want until I hear what I want to hear. With all the levels of a game's mix, the details can add up in unexpected ways, and I rely on my ATC's incredible clarity to alert me to any potential issues. When I have the mix right, the imaging on the ATCs is breathtaking and the mix sounds correct across all the volume levels. By relying on ATCs, my mixes translate to post production and consumer systems. If I couldn't get that right, someone later in the production chain would have to do it for me. It's great that there are talented people who can do that, but I certainly don't want to be the engineer whose mix needs saving! Career longevity doesn't come out of that equation!" (Spoken by an engineer who has been delivering spot on mixes for nearly forty years...)

For more information on  ATCs contact  Brad Lunde at  www.transaudiogroup.com  or call  702-365-5155.  


BETTERMAKER C502V 500 SERIES At AES 2015
Trans Audio Group Introduces the Boutique Analog Compressor 
 
TransAudio Group, Bettermaker's U.S. distributor, introduced the path breaking Bettermaker C502V at the AES's 139th Convention earlier this year in New York City. Like the rest of Bettermaker's catalog - which in just a few short years has earned numerous TEC, Resolution, and Prosound award nominations and wins, the C502V combines a boutique analog signal path (newsworthy in its own right) with intuitive, musical controls and complete parameter recall and automation from a linked DAW-based plug-in - high-end analog sound paired with a superior digital workflow. The C502V is the first compressor from Bettermaker, although with three distinct VCA flavors in one 500-series chassis, it could just as easily be described as the first three compressors from Bettermaker! Stereo, dual mono, or M/S modes, as well as USB or analog side-chain with adjustable high-pass filtering and "look ahead" functionality expand the C502V's universe of possibilities.



Gate your tracks and unlock your mind with this useful, incredibly innovative and creative tool.
  This incredible plugin does everything you ever wanted a delay to do, as well as a myriad of things you never imagined a delay could.
 
Trans Audio Group 
 
 
Millennia's "Twin Topology" technology gives users the ability to select either a full tube, or full J-FET/solid-state signal path as a Plugin
Plug Me In 

PlugIn Alliance via Sonic Academy is offering cool tutorials with 'Anjunabeats' and 'Enhanced' recordings artist 'Soundprank.' Ontario native Colin Fisher, better known by his artist name, Soundprank, is no stranger to the electronic dance music scen. Trained from a young age in classical piano and jazz, Soundprank's productions frequently feature a sense of instrumental realism and melodic complexity. His productions provide a breath of fresh air in an industry moving towards more commercial and accessible electronic music.The in-depth course is on 'How To Mix' his signature sound. In this multi-part course, you learn the process behind making a track sound larger than life. Follow along as he breaks down the elements of the mix process and gives you  tips on how to creatively use gain-staging and dynamics processing to achieve your sound. Listen to one of his tracks, "inversion' here
     

Ralph Sutton, aka "Ralph P-Funk's"career spans the better part of three decades and innumerable recording sessions with the recording industry's most elite recording artists, songwriters and music producers.  Sutton was offered an opportunity to work as an assistant engineer at a popular Burbank Recording Studio named Chateau Recording Studios. One of Sutton's first project as an assistant was with renown British Recording Engineer and Producer Ken Scott, of Beetles' and David Bowie fame. Sutton assisted Ken on recording a little band founded in 1980 in Los Angeles by guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, vocalist Dale Bozzio, and drummer Terry Bozzio, named "Missing Persons".  Next Sutton becomes part of "The Motown Sound" as a Staff Recording Engineer at Hitsville U.S.A Recording Studios which was located at Romain and Poinsettia in Hollywood, CA. Here Sutton worked with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four Tops, to name a few. Sutton was also staff engineer at Kenny Rogers' Lion Share Recording Studios Beverly Hills working with David Foster,   Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick. Sutton who lives in Los Angeles believes that as it's getting easier for independent artists to self-produce and self-release, they are learning to invest more in sound quality. "The fan of the very near future will not continue to except poorly produced and poorly written songs," Sutton says.  We couldn't agree more. A blue bird told us Ralph is having a birthday this week...Happy Birthday Ralph!


For top bundles from PlugIn click here 
 
The Brainworx bx_opto compressor combines some of the best colors, character and features from what Brainworx has learned modeling the optical circuits of some of the world's best-loved compressors. With intense experimentation and listening tests, Brainworx has found a way to adjust the compression envelope by allowing users to adjust the speed at which the Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) regains its dark resistance, producing a sonic character impossible to replicate with a hardware optical compressor. Combine that with the sweepable sidechain filter (20 Hz - 20 kHz) and you have a potent way to smash and pronounce your way to a most unique sound.  This responding differently to different input signals (often referred to as "program dependency"), has made optical compressors a favorite of professional engineers and producers for decades. The Brainworx bx_opto not only delivers that musical quality, but opens up new sonic possibilities with its variable speed knob, simulating changes in speed at which the photo cell in an optical compressor reacts to light. This gives you control over release times that shape transients in such a manner no hardware optical compressor can match. Download the 14-day full function demo today to try out this amazing new compressor from Brainworx on your tracks. 

 
Alex Jacobsen of Auratone Auratone 5C Sound Cubes 
The TEC-nominated Auratone Super Sound Cube reference monitor is a legend in the recording, broadcasting, and motion picture industries for its unfailing ability to represent mixes as they will so often appear in the "real world" - on small-format, zero-crossover loudspeakers.     
 
 
For more information on Aurotones visit  www.transaudiogroup.com  or call  Brad Lunde at 702-365-5155.   
  

Bettermaker, the Poland-based maker of high-end analog equalizers with plug-in control and recall, earned two nominations: one for the Bettermaker EQ502P 500 series module and one for the Bettermaker EQ232P MKII rack-mount.


Drawmer's 1978 Tone Shaping Compressor, which incorporates different analog character circuitry and variable saturation, and Tube-Tech HLT 2A, which pairs high and low shelving with an innovative "tilt" midrange filter, earned nominations as well. Finally, ATC earned a nomination for the ATC SCM45A, three-way compact near-field monitor with unparalleled midrange fidelity. The winners will be determined by online voting via Mix, Pro Sound News, Pro Audio Review, and Electronic Musician and via professional audio and sound production organizations. 


"All of these nominations go to inventor-owned companies, the kind of companies where innovation is king. We're proud to have these exciting new products recognized with TEC Award nominations," said Brad Lunde, founder and president of TransAudio Group. It's easy to imagine that there's nothing new under the sun in the world of pro audio, or that anything new is a gimmick, but that's simply not the case. The sound quality of Bettermaker's equalizers would have earned TEC nominations by itself, but the fact that their fully-analog circuitry can be recalled and automated via a plug-in interface has obvious advantages in a modern workflow. The Drawmer 1978 and the Tube-Tech HLT 2A prove that traditional compressor and equalizer topologies are not the only way to inspire fantastic mixes. Taking a different tack, ATC's SCM45A gives engineers a beefier three-way ATC nearfield with fidelity that ensures mixes will translate outside of the studio. Obviously, we encourage folks to cast their votes for these innovative tools!" adds Lunde.
  
For more information on Auratones, Bettermaker EQ232P MKII, Drawmer's 1978 Tone Shaping Compressor,Tube-Tech HLT 2A and  ATC SCM45A For the latest info on Tube-Tech contact  Brad Lunde at www.transaudiogroup.com  or call  702-365-5155.


Trans Audio Group  
tag crew
l-r: Richard, Todd, Janis and Brad at Trans Audio Group    
 
 
For the latest info contact   
TransAudio Group, founded by industry  veteran Brad Lunde, has quickly become the premier US importer/distributor and/or US sales and marketing representative for high-end audio. Success hinges on TransAudio providing dealers and end users with a higher standard of product expertise and support far beyond the norm. TAG product line includes A-Designs (USA), ATC Loudspeakers (UK),
Questions- pricing, availability and dealer locations please email sales@transaudiogroup.com
   

 

2016 Recording Industry Golf Tournament™  + Tennis clinic & Tournament

MountainGate Country Club
Monday, June 20, 2016
#FUNDAYMONDAY
Registration 10:30 a.m.
Shotgun Start Noon  
Come Play!!
For sponsorship information and to register here
today!
More information, call Karen Dunn at 925-708-0307
The Recording Industry Golf Tournament supports the music and recording program at A Place Called Home www.apch.org, a dynamic community center and safe haven in South Central Los Angeles.   
   
July 28-July 31, 2016 ˇ Grant Park, Chicago 
Bands announced for Chicago to-date: Radio Head, Red Hot Chillie Peppers, Snails, Lettuce, Zhu and more...here 

 
studioexpresso and Trans Audio Presented Production Panelists at 2015 Hot Zone at NAMM 
l-r: Claris Sayadian-Dodge, Cheche Alara (Latin Grammy Awards,The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Bonnie Hunt Show) 14x Grammy-winning Rafa Sardina (Lady Gaga, Placido Domingo, Calle13), Ellis Hall  "The Ambassador of Soul" (Ray Charles, Boston Pops, Tower of Power) and  Grammy-winning Brent Fischer (Usher, Clare Fischer Big Band, Elvis Costello & The Roots).   
Alex Acuna (Randy Newman, LA Phil).
23x Grammy-winning Dr Al Schmitt (Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Jefferson Airplane)
 Kenny Aronoff (The Smashing Pumpkins,  Bob Dylan, Uncommon Studios ).

 
    


The Hundred Million Dollar Singer

The rumored $130 million contract with Sony Music and Adel  will be the biggest record deal ever awarded to a Female British artist.   She surpassed Whitney Houston's $100 million contract with Arista Records in 2001. The contract will be the fourth largest record deal of all time, right behind Jay Z's $150 million deal with Live Nation in 2008. Sony who will have the exclusive rights to release her music, snatched her up from her independent record label XL Recordings.  The singer is currently worth more than $120 million, and is already the wealthiest female musician in Britain.


New UMG President Graham Parker

Universal Music Group has named Graham Parker as President of its classical music labels, part of the Verve Label Group. In this new role, Parker will oversee UMG's U.S. classical music labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, Decca Classics, Mercury Classics, and distributed label ECM. Parker will be based in New York and report jointly to Dickon Stainer, President and CEO of Global Classics for Universal Music Group, and Danny Bennett, recently appointed President & CEO of Verve Label Group. Parker is no stranger to the world of classical music and most recently served as , General Manager of WQXR, the most-listened to classical music radio station in the U.S. and won a Peabody Award this year for the station's Q2Music podcast.
"I've devoted my life to classical music and bringing this incredible genre to as wide an audience as possible...The opportunity to not only join the legendary catalog of Deutsche Grammophon and Decca, but to also be on the forefront of identifying the classical superstars of tomorrow, was too incredible to pass up," says Parker.


Spotlight On Music Creators at ASCAP EXPO 2016 
2016 ASCAP 'I Create Music' Expo on April 29, 2016 in Los Angeles was packed with panels, seminars, parties, and performances providing a unique opportunity for artists, music industry professionals, and fans to meet and network. With 560,000 members representing more than 10 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members
. And if you could not attend. No worries! You can order the series here! 


One of the inspired sessions moderated by John Kessler, Development VP at DMS FM/Downtown (above L) was with producer/songwriter, Ariel Rechtshaid (above R).  With songs like "When We Were Young," "Climax," "Hey there Delilah," Modern Vampires of the City," the versatile Rechtshaid, a former punk rocker, has helped define indie rock records with Vampire Weekend, HAIM, Usher and Snoop Dogg. Additionally, Ariel has produced singles for icons like Adele, Beyoncé and Madonna. So what does it take to earn the trust of so many stars and super-hip indie acts? How do you push collaborators to achieve something they never thought possible? First thing you notice about Ariel is that he's a humble and charming guy, with super communication skills. He's someone artists could trust and can be comfortable with. Ariel often sounds surprised by the caliber of artists who are drawn to him. But, read between the lines, and soon you'll know he's also a savvy net-worker, taking artists and managers to lunch and establishing that all-important relationship!   Ariel pointed out how he saved a song written by his friend songwriter for Adel. It ended up staying on her album "25."  The audience got to hear the original tracks and then the final mixes. It really showed Ariel's skills: Art of negotiating combined with technical and artistic instincts.  
Los Angeles, CA - APRIL 30: (L-R) ASCAP Pop/Rock VP Marc Emert-Hunter, singer Pat Benatar, musician Neil Giraldo and ASCAP Membership EVP John Titta attend the 2016 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO on April 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for ASCAP)
 
Hit songwriter and artist advocate Priscilla Renea delivered a TED-talk style master session designed to motivate aspiring songwriters, urging them to remember they are the CEO of their own business. Later, multi-platinum recording artists and songwriters Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo shared generous advice from their lives in music and gave the EXPO audience an impromptu performance of a few verse of
"We Belong," with Neil on piano.  
 
  
 
Siting travel complications, Timbaland appeared by video conference for an ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO keynote conversation (presented by Ole).  The five-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year and Executive Music Producer for the hit FOX TV series Empire loomed large on-screen monitors in the Dolby Ballroom and treated the audience to his thoughts on what makes a hit song, his chemistry with Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z, and a lively audience Q&A that resulted in some impromptu auditions!   Check out This artist  who received a pricelss reaction from the producer. Anyone know her name? 
You can tell Timbaland eats and breaths music. "I hear rhythm in [people] talking," he says. Listen here 
Q&A was moderated by ASCAP senior VP of membership Nicole George-Middleton. Timbaland began telling a full house about his start in music and
about the importance of having "the right team" surrounding an artist. Timbaland talked about his current project that include: Scoring original music for his own album Opera Noir and anew book, The Emperor of Sound (part-tutorial, part-The Voice).   As for future plans. "... the world has no idea what's about to happen," says Timbaland.
Malibu Guitar Festival  In its second year, MGF offered 3 days of music from April 28-May 1 at the Malibu Village downtown.

    
Line up of musicians at this year's Malibu Guitar Festival included: Kenny Wayne Shepherd ,  Robert Randolph , Albert Lee, Richie Sambora and Orianthi, Cocy Simpson, Eddie Money, Randy Jackson, to name a few.  These outstanding performances brought the community together and supported local charities.
Highlight during the concerts was a photo exhibit by renowned rock photographer Robert Knight and Maryanne Bilham.
Richie Sambora and Orianthi headliners  
 
Event producers are Doug DeLuca, co-executive producer for "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and John Watkin, co-owner of Planet Grande Pictures.
Local producer Matt Diamond is the festival's director of operations.
studioexpresso encourages our community to get out there and connect with some amazing talent this weekend and support good local causes!
Order your Tickets and see you at Malibu Guitar Fest!  
 

 


How About Tennis? 
  
 
This year the Recording Industry Golf Tournament has added a tennis clinic with a a pro and a robin tournament for non-golfers like me. 
Tennis players and golfers both can register here in advance for Monday June 20 (on-site registration open at 10:30am).  "Again, we're thrilled to be one of the media sponsors for this fabulous event. It's a perfect opportunity to take Monday off, hang with friends and get a little exercise. Karen says all levels are welcome!' says Claris Dodge.  
The site is the beautiful and very convenient (easy access from west side and valley), Mountain Gate Country Club -
12445 Mountaingate Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049.
Award reception and dinner follows. Plus, we'll all be supporting a good cause: The music and recording program at A Place Called Home  
For more information, please call Karen Dunn at 925-708-0307  
 

    
Until next month... as we come out of celebrating memorial day weekend, Lennon's poetry resonates: Give Peace A Chance.
 
Visit exotic studio destinations at  studioexpresso home page
Help fans find you easily and contact us to update your profile  with your social networking links (sample: Kenny Aronoff).
Simply send an email to claris@studioexpresso.com  or call 818.990.3031 and tell us your artist story and say "I want to RENEW!"

Music lives and moves. 
Claris Sayadian-Dodge, Founder I Editor studioexpresso
Like us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter
 
   
Everything's Beautiful
May 27, 2016
Amazon

25 years after his death, Miles Davis continues to be synonymous with jazz. You can find his fingerprints in many places like Apple's "Think Different" advertising campaign, or even on Lady Gaga's Miles Davis trumpet tattoo!  There are 2,500 Wikipedia pages linked to Davis. Miles is known to be a major influence on works of many artists to include Kendrick Lamar. This month an immersive site, Miles Davis: Universe of Cool was launched on what would have been the master's 90th birthday. The site uses stunning visuals and animation to construct charts, graphs and interactive models illustrating that Miles Davis' larger-than-life impact extends beyond music into the worlds of fashion, film, politics, fine art, popular culture, and social media. 

The new CD Everything's Beautiful brings Miles Davis' sound into the 21st century, blending a diverse group of master takes and outtakes from across Miles' incredible tenure with Columbia Records (1955-1985) with original reinterpretations produced by Robert Glasper.
"I didn't want to do just a remix record," Glasper noted when discussing the 11-song set. "My idea was to show how Miles inspired people to make new art."
Knowing that "Miles didn't have one audience," Glasper recruited a legion of diverse guest artists to add to the magic of the project including familiar collaborators like R&B musicians Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Bilal and KING. They are joined by British soul singer-songwriter Laura Mvula; hip-hop producer Rashad Smith; Grammy-nominated Australian neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, rapper/producer Illa J; jazz guitarist John Scofield, who collaborated with Davis; and the legendary Stevie Wonder. No doubt, this is a must-have addition to any Miles Davis playlist. 
 
Track Listing:  
The celebrations continued this week by unveiling  a life-size statue by sculptor Preston Jackson installation downtown Alton (a collaboration with The Miles Davis Memorial Project and The Miles Davis Jazz Committee of the Alton Museum of History and Art and Pride, Inc.) 
1. "Talking Shit"  
2. "Ghetto Walkin" featuring Bilal  
3. "They Can't Hold Me Down" featuring Illa J  
4. "Maiysha (So Long)" featuring Erykah Badu  
5. "Violets" featuring Phonte  
6. "Little Church" featuring Hiatus Kaiyote  
7. "Silence Is The Way" featuring Laura Mvula  
8. "Song For Selim" featuring KING  
9. "Milestones" featuring Georgia Ann Muldrow  
10. "I'm Leaving You" featuring John Scofield, Ledisi  
11. "Right On Brotha" featuring Stevie Wonder
 
 

 
 




 
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ERA-D is the product of 10 person-years of R&D and comes after more than 30 scientific papers and technology book chapters.   
Available now in AAX native, VST2, VST3 and AU formats for Mac OS 10.7 or higher and Windows 7 or 8, ERA-D will change your view of audio restoration for $299 MSRP, distributed through Plugin Alliance. All Plugin Alliance products are available for fully-functional 14-day demos from a single downloadable installer. Watch the demo here
 

 
 

 

 

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ATC SCM45A 3-way compact near-field monitor  

 "ATC founder, Billy Woodman, and his team of R&D engineers never tire in the pursuit of perfection, and our request for a smaller monitor has led them to develop the SCM20PSL Pro MkII, based around the ATC 6.5-inch "Super Linear" LF driver with integrated midrange, utilizing the same ATC developed SL technology used in our larger nine-, twelve- and fifteen-inch based monitors," says Brad Lunde of www.transaudiogroup.com 
 



Ben Lilly of ATC 

 
Brad Lunde with Dave Hill 
 


 


HAMMOND CORNER at
250 W Duarte Rd. Suite B Monrovia, CA 91016

 
The Sound . The Soul . The One 
watch here 
 



Come check out this powerhouse package, suitable for studio, stage or worship center.   Call Nelson at 909-599-7899 to schedule a      XK-3 audition
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Free Hammond Accessory Pack
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These Hammond accessory packs include an EXP-20 expression pedal, cables and a Hammond cap (a total value of $300)....and lots of space in the backpack for your essentials, including a laptop computer. 
FREE when you purchase a SK1-73 or SK-2  (artist pricing excepted) during March 2016.

 
 Featured Hammond Artist 
  Ryo Okumoto
Band/Affliation: Spock's Beard
Product: Sk1, Sk1-73

Ryo Okumoto was born in Osaka, Japan. He began playing classical piano at the age of three and was a professional, touring musician by fifteen. He has worked with such legends as David Foster, Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Barry White, Eric Burdon, Peabo Bryson, Aretha Franklin, New Age innovator Kitaro, and Roberta Flack, along with countless other artists. He has recorded five solo albums ranging from progressive rock masterpieces to lilting solo piano, yet has barely begun to scratch the surface of his artistic range.
Best known for his wildly energetic and imaginative contributions to progressive rock through the band Spock's Beard, Ryo is working with the band to release their 11th studio album, "Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep".
Spock's Beard is launching both a European and East/West Coast tour to support the release, with additional shows and progressive rock festival appearances around the globe and throughout the year. Ryo Okumoto is based in Los Angeles and is actively involved with numerous studio and live projects both in the U.S. and in his native Japan.
  
Meet more Hammond artists  
  
For Hammond and Leslie products in Southern California contact
CKC
800.717.KEYS


Fair Pay For Musicians
T Bone Burnett Targets The Digital World  


T Bone Burnett's speech brought the House down on Capitol Hill on May 11 with a passionate "Fair Pay" demand for musicians. The award-winning (13 Grammy awards, an Oscar and a Golden Globe) singer, songwriter and producer's editorial appeared in the  Washington Post in Dec 2015 about today's digital economy.
Digital distributors like Google and YouTube are today's successful business models. Consider this. In February, Alphabet - Google's newly formed shell company - reported that it earned $21.33 billion in revenue during the final quarter of 2015, making it the most valuable company in the world. Advertising accounted for virtually all of this revenue haul, up 17% over last year's results.  The New York Times estimates YouTube makes between $4 and $8 billion annually by its content, mostly powered by music. But, do these companies compensate musicians fairly? That's what artist like T bone Burnett want to see.
Spotify recently posted their financials and Paul Resnikoff at Digital Music News was quick to point out that the average Spotify employee salary is $168,747. A songwriter would need 288 million spins to equal average spotify employee salary!
Last year we heard from songwriter Kadish who wrote the hit 'All About That Bass,' with 178 million streams. What was his pay?  $5,679 That's for as big a song as a songwriter can have in their career and number one in 78 countries!
Other musicians have a different view.
"You want people to f**king listen to your music? Give them your music. And then go play a show. They like hearing your music? They'll go see a show. To me it's that simple, and I think it used to work that way," says Dave Grohl.
According to RIAA numbers just released this month, YouTube, in combination with other on-demand ad-supported services like Vevo and Spotify's free platform, only contributed 5.5% of all music revenues in 2015
There is an unprecedented, unified effort by music creators to push for reform of an outdated law (section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act).  Ted Kalo, Executive Director of musicFIRST, coalition of the music community that supports paying music creators when their work is played on any platform. http://musicfirstcoalition.org/
Listen to T Bone's eloquent speech here
Make your voices heard 
#FairPlayFairPay 


 

  

   
2016 Recording Industry
Golf Tournament™ Details Announced

Recording Industry Golf (RIGT)  will be held Monday, June 20, 2016, once again at MountainGate Country Club, with the shotgun start at 12:00 noon. This year's event is enhanced with the addition of a tennis clinic taught by a Country Club pro as well as a tennis tournament, catering especially to non-golfers.  
The RIGT is again being organized by seasoned event producer Karen Dunn of KMD Productions, LLC and will support the music program at A Place Called Home.
Recording veterans Ed Cherney and Al Schmitt will return as Honorary Co-Chairs for the afternoon's festivities. 
Perks
$1 million shoot-out opportunity,
a Hyundai hole-in-one giveaway,
a hole-in-one Harley Davidson motorcycle giveaway
a silent auction and raffle
reception and awards dinner

The list of confirmed sponsors include the Audio Engineering Society (AES), Audio-Technica, Bartels' Harley-Davidson, Bob Hodas Acoustical Analysis, Clyne Media, Hyundai, JBL, Music Connection, Record Plant, Slate Digital, studioexpresso.com
, The Recording Studio Insurance Group and United Recording, Lurssen Mastering with more being added.  

"studioexpresso is pleased to support a good cause as media sponsor, our 5th year in a row!  I'm specially excited that Karen Dunn has added tennis clinic and tournament to June 20th golf tournee. Hands down, one of the year's best Modays to hang with recording and music industry friends," says Claris Sayadian-Dodge. 
Please don't miss the opportunity to become a sponsor or simply register to play/attend here https://2016rigt.eventbrite.com, or call Karen Dunn at 925-708-0307.    
  



Little Pine
2870 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039










With Beatle's photographer Chris Walter at
Malibu Guitar Festival May 2016 

Classic Rock And Roll Photography
of Chris Walter was at display at this year's Malibu Guitar Festival. London, 1962, Chris Walter at 16 years old, takes his first pictures. Those pictures were of Little Richard. It was the beginning of the Rock and Roll era and the beginning of Chris Walter's career that has spanned over half a century.  Chris continued with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who and the many music icons that shaped, not only the music scene, but our culture the world over. Walter is one of the most published music photographers world wide with many album covers, magazines, newspapers, books, documentaries, television and motion pictures.

http://wall-streetgallery.com/


Music and Politics

Most of the time, musicians, such as Yorke and Marr and countless others would rather pass a kidney stone than have their work associated with a political person or a party. President Barack Obama is the one politician who bucks the trend by actually having musicians scramble over themselves to perform for him or with him. Springsteen, REM and Jay Z are just a few of many that have performed at Obama rallies. The National dedicated their song Mr November to him and sold t-shirts adorned with his face. At his inauguration James Taylor finger picked his guitar, Kelly Clarkson warbled and Beyonce boshed out the Star Spangled Banner in front of the great man and a collective audience of millions.
It should be interesting to see how the new running candidates will bring out the artists this November.
One thing is for sure, there's a wide range of ideologies, but perhaps, the highest priority is going to be healing a nation after the elections.  Music may be the medicine we're all going to need.
.

 

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