Music Producing

Background

Musical Octopus, Russell Wolff. A Harvard grad who has been involved in many aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. Producer, singer, songwriter, musician, author, DJ/MC, photographer, wedding officiant, actor, and owner of Krazy Pop Studio on Historic Music Row in Nashville TN.

He began his career in the theater, on stages in NYC; later opening and touring with bands signed to Atlantic Records, playing to sold out venues throughout the United States and Europe and releasing 6 albums. In the years since, he has produced upwards of 30 albums, worked with everyone from LL Cool J to Martina McBride, licensed music with MTV, built relationships throughout Nashville, Los Angeles, Boston and New York and has used those relationships to propel the careers of various artists. He is a voting member of the Grammys in four categories as well as a member of ASCAP.

Wolff tours on piano, guitar, vocal and is available to run sound for tours. You can see him in clips online playing with Martina McBride, as well as on Fox Morning News, PBS, and in shows with Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Michelle Branch, Little Big Town, and YOUR next project. Recently produced, mixed, and toured with James Wolpert of NBC’s The Voice & sound for Lilly Winwood.

Background

I have been passionately involved in the audio production field for 20 years, and have owned my own business for the last 15 of those years. I started with simple equipment and have progressed through many analog and digital advancements. I continue to pursue an understanding of cutting edge technologies within my field of expertise on a daily basis. I have and will always continue to strive for perfection in everything that I do.

I am a firm believer in the adage “where there is a will, there is a way” and I press until problems are solved and tasks are done.

Background

Tim is one of alternative rock’s most recognized and respected names. Originally from England, then L.A., and now based in Austin, Texas Tim is a “household name” among famous musicians and record executives. His platinum credits speak for themselves: as a record producer, engineer and mixer Tim’s credits include David Bowie, Tin Machine, The Cure, Pearl Jam, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears and U2.

Background

Warren Huart is a well-known songwriter, audio engineer, music producer and mixer who has produced, mixed and/or engineered on recordings for The Fray, Korn, Better than Ezra, James Blunt, Matisyahu, and Howie Day to name a few. Warren also has extensive Film and TV credits including Inglorious Basterds, Transformers 2, MTV’s The Hills, Lost, Scrubs, and Grey’s Anatomy. Warren also co-owns a recording studio in Los Angeles, CA.

Background

A student of the legendary Les Paul, Geoff Gray has worked with countless musicians and recorded hundreds of albums for over 30 years.

Locally, Geoff has helped bands come away with albums that are polished by platinum-record holding engineer standards. Geoff’s number one rule is quality, and combining the tools and tricks hidden by industry greats with new techniques has satisfied many musicians looking for a truly professional sounding album.

Background

Recording Connection mentor Gregory Hainer is an interesting case. Usually our Recording mentors work primarily in the music industry but Gregory has made a successful career for himself in music as well as film, television, and video game entertainment as a music composer, voice over specialist, Sound FX designer and mixer on numerous projects including: Plants vs. Zombies 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Guild Wars 2, Prince of Egypt, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, We Were Soldiers, Dishonored, Black Hawk Down, and many more.

Gregory does most of his work from Scorpio Sound, his boutique studio located in the Hollywood Hills. His unique skills-set, talent, and setup enables him to do work larger audio studios can’t. “From a client’s perspective, I own the studio, so there is no middle management overhead to worry about because the owner/operator is also the creative head. This means I have the freedom to choose to spend a little more time with my clients in order to get things perfect versus having to be out of a studio by a specific time.” Specialty might as well be Gregory’s middle name. “I get quite a few calls for the most unusual or difficult to design stuff that many in-house teams can’t quite seem to pull off convincingly, such as creating sounds for creatures, magic spells, sci-fi effects, light sabers and the like. But I will also get the occasional call to do the less-fun direct stuff like cleaning up poorly recorded production audio from a film, or digging out inaudible archival dialogue from excessive background noise.”

On top of working in the film, TV, and video game industries Gregory also takes on Recording Connection apprentices and teaches them about both the industry and the craft of audio engineering.

Articles

RC grad Andrew Holscher reports back on his Eddie Kramer Experience
Recording Connection mentor Gregory Hainer on Vibe and Flow

Background

Kevin Sharpe is an Emmy Award winning producer, engineer, and keyboardist. He has produced, recorded or mixed many fine artists. Click here to see a list of credits.

Kevin began recording at the age of 15 years old with a 4 track Teac reel to real, a Yamaha mixer, Moog synth and a broken drum machine. Soon he was recording local bands and the neighbors dog. After years of making noise and honing his recording skills he opened a small studio in Troy, Michigan. twenty five years and a couple of thousand bands later, he still gets chills while mixing a great song.

As a producer, Kevin is 100 percent committed to doing whats best for the song, while preserving the unique chemistry of the preforming artist or band. By making the recording process work for the music, the artists vision shines through to the finished product. After all it is always about the music!

Kevin attended Oakland University before studying music at Rochester College. After completing his education, he has taken several courses at The Berklee College of Music.

Articles

Graylyn “Gino” Claiborne gets hired by his mentor’s studio after graduating!Aver

Background

Leland Kracher is a classically trained musician, audio engineer and music producer based in Dallas, TX.

With high caliber music making and engineering skills in both Pro Tools and Ableton, Kracher has built a diverse career doing everything from recording local Dallas musicians and bands, to producing EDM artists and others, many whose songs are heard on the airwaves today.

With success on multiple fronts, including that of his own band MOJO, this seasoned Ableton instructor and versatile music entrepreneur is passionate and dedicated to helping his students achieve their goals for achieving satisfying, rewarding careers in the Dallas music scene and beyond.

Background

Josh Denhardt is a music producer, audio engineer, and instructor based in Denver, Colorado. A longtime EDM DJ for more than 10 years, Josh decided to follow his passion for music and changed course from college dropout and self-described “ski bum” to being a highly sought after musical powerhouse with a skillset that ranges from live sound and recording to producing and mixing for numerous well-known musical acts and artists including a recently completed project with Grammy nominated P. J. Olsson of the Alan Parsons Project.

As an Ableton and Pro Tools mentor with a hands-on approach, Josh Denhardt takes tremendous pride in helping various artists and aspiring music producers build their studio chops, musicianship, and professional know-how.

Background

Luis Pacheco is a mixing, recording, and audio engineer based in Las Vegas, Nevada who has worked with a wide range of artists from within the world of EDM and beyond, including, Rain Man (signed on Dim Mak), Jon Bellion, and Jason Derulo.

Also a highly experienced educator in various DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) including Pro Tools and Ableton, Pacheco is a consummate believer in the power of experimentation, hard work, and having a positive and professional mindset. A kinesthetic learner himself, he believes in empowering his students to “learn by doing” and even messing up from time to time.

An opportunity-seeking, productive mindset, having solid communication skills, and knowing how to work with fellow artists and music producers are just a few of the abilities Pacheco works to engrain in his students. Recent graduates have gone on to launch careers in Los Angeles and in famous venues.

Articles

Luis Pacheco on the Sanctity of the Creative Bubble

Background

Recording Connection mentor Josh Monroy is proof-positive that getting in and showing your commitment to the craft, day-in and day-out, can launch your career to unprecedented heights. With more than a decade in the music industry, Josh “Igloo” Monroy has worked with everyone from Justin Bieber to Quincy Jones, to The Notorious B.I.G. The seasoned engineer/composer/producer is also known for his longtime work with iconic artist Ludacris. An Atlanta native, Josh recently answered the call to come out to Los Angeles and is now co-owner of Studio 1 Zero. His most recent success includes the work he’s done on JoJo’s critically-acclaimed album Mad Love, which includes three tracks recorded, produced, and co-written by the multifaceted music professional.

Articles

RC mentor Josh Monroy Talks How He Got Hired by Ludacris and Doing JoJo’s “Mad Love”

Background

A true music industry veteran, Recording Connection mentor Ira Parker is the owner and chief producer/engineer for Maximus Music Records, one of the top recording studios in Charlotte, NC, serving clients like Jadakiss, DMX and many others. As a Recording Connection mentor, Ira is passionate about training up new talent and always looks for opportunities to push his students to expand their skills.

Articles

NUGGETS OF TRUTH: Recording Connection mentor Ira Parker on pushing the limits
Wes Hagy: From Mechanical Engineering to Audio Engineering

Background

Jeramy Roberts is an EDM producer, composer, DJ and Ableton educator located in Austin, Texas. As founder of the Electronic Musician’s Guild, his approach combines the creative and the pragmatic—an ethos that’s dedicated to helping his students get their music out into the digital marketplace and distributed on major platforms.

Jeramy has sold his songs and records in dozens of countries around the world. He has broken the Top 100 spot in numerous international sales charts and even his former students have hit #2 in Amazon’s House Top 100 while training under his direction. A loyal lover of EDM and the great local EDM scene in Austin, Jeramy Roberts is serious about helping today’s most driven and committed newcomers create productive, rewarding careers in music.

Articles

#IZCONNECTED 62 | Jeramy Roberts - How To Monetize Your EDM
Recording Connection mentor Jeramy Roberts talks about the new music industry and creating your own job within it

Background

An established audio engineer/producer based in New Orleans, Recording Connection mentor Misha Kachkachishvili is an industry veteran whose client list includes names like Solange Knowles, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Janelle Monae, Taj Mahal, T-Bone Burnett and many others. A few years ago, he purchased a historic church left decimated by Hurricane Katrina, chose to keep the church’s historic pipe organ donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and converted the space into what is now Esplanade Studios, the largest recording studio in Louisiana (and one of the most prestigious).

Articles

A Day in the Life of Our Student
Recording Connection mentor Misha Kachkachishvili on working with artists and finding opportunity

Background

In 1996, Scotty became Production Manager for the powerhouse production team, The Characters. It was during this time that Scott worked on numerous Platinum and Gold albums, including releases by SWV, Johnny Gill, Tyrese, B2K, Brian McKnight, Petey Pablo, and Faith Evans. Scotty has been lending his expertise in Studio and Production Management at Engine Room Audio since 2006.

Background

Head Mastering Engineer and owner of Engine Room Audio in New York city. Starting his music career as a guitar player in numerous garage bands, Mark was the owner of the first Tascam Portastudio 4 Track Cassette Recorder in Colorado. He has spent the ensuing thirty years staring at knobs and meters. Recent projects include Mastering for They Might Be Giants, Mr Probz, The Killers, 50cent, Trey Songz, Dr. Dre, and OK GO.

Mark and Engine Room Audio have been the recipient of multiple Grammy awards, and have been lucky enough to have been involved with a pile of Gold and Platinum award winning records. In early 2012 Christensen mastered the first single off Trey Songz’ album Chapter V, titled “Heart Attack,” which was produced by Benny Blanco and Rico Love.Around that time he mastered a track for Pauly D on G-Note Records as well, and he worked with the Italian rap group Club Dogo in June 2012. Signed to Universal Music Group, the group’s members DJ Don Joe and engineer Andrea “db” Debernardi flew to New York to mix and master an album with Christensen. Their resulting single “Cattivi Esempi” reached #2 on the Italian music charts. Christensen’s other mastering projects in 2012 included the alt-rock band Weep’s album Alate and the Trey Songz album Chapter V, which reached #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Also that September, 50 Cent was in the studio with Christensen to master his single “New Day,” which features Dr. Dre and Alicia Keys. The song was mixed by Eminem before mastering.

In 2013 Mark starting working with the artist “Mr Probz”, initially on his album “The Treatment” and the single “Waves” and new material including the single “Nothing Really Matters”. On 27 April 2014, Waves debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after selling 127,000 copies in its first week. As of October 2014, it was the fourth-biggest selling single of 2014 in the UK, with sales of 758,000. The song also peaked at number one in Australia (currently 3x platinum), Austria (currently gold), Germany (currently 5x platinum), Italy (currently 3x platinum), Sweden (currently 5x platinum) and Switzerland (currently 1x platinum). In the United States, the remix reached number one on the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart for the issue dated 16 August 2014 and is currently 1x Platinum.

Engine Room Audio in 2014 continued to work on projects by both 50 Cent and Trey Songz, with Christensen mastering albums such as 50 Cent’s Animal Ambition. Other recent mastering projects include Collide by Boyz II Men and Game Changer by Johnny Gill. Christensen’s associated projects had been nominated for five Grammy Awards as of 2015, winning two of them. At that point Christensen had also worked on over 24 Billboard chart top ten hits, and around 25 of the releases had gone platinum or gold. Christensen is an official “mentor” at Recording Connection, a New York-based school for music recording. He also periodically chairs and moderates audio engineering panels at music industry events.

Articles

Recording Connection mentor Mark Christensen
Engine Room Audio completes work on 50 Cent, Trey Songz albums!
From Newcastle, Australia to New York, New York, Darren Fewins Gets Going!
Mark Christensen of Engine Room Audio NYC talks Student Success rates with Brian Kraft

Background

Sweetdrop Digital is a record label founded in 2013 by DJ/Producer Justin Hachat aka Justin David and partners. We are a label built by sound engineers, djs and producers for djs and producers. We have a philosophy of creating something that artists want to be a part of. For our clients we offer a broad array of services including, mixing, mastering, editing, arrangement, sfx placement, foley recording, and background music. For our artists we offer an almost unmatched payout on royalties, worldwide digital distribution, promotional efforts and booking management if chosen. For all others we offer you a selection of music and videos to entertain you. If you are new talent looking for an outlet to get your music heard or a industry professional looking for some of our services please feel free to contact us. Don’t forget to check out our other pages on facebook and soundcloud. Thank you for visiting and enjoy.

Background

Asaf Fulks is a record artist, songwriter, music producer, sound engineer, videographer, graphic designer, educator, author, inventor and founder of OC Recording in 2005. He discovered his passion for music production during his college years. While studying Computer Science and Economics at Denison University in Ohio, he also spent time recording and producing in his dorm room. After graduating in 2004, he moved to his family in Hollywood and eventually relocated to Orange County to work for a book publisher. His boss recognized his passion for music and encouraged him to set up a studio in his unused office space. With minimal gear and few contacts Asaf set up shop and The OC Recording Company opened its doors in 2005. [^]

Articles

Recording Connection Grads find work at The OC Recording Company Inc!