Nov. 10, 2021: Echo Beach Studios

I awakened at a quarter to six in the morning to get ready. The box full of equipment that I had packed the night before sat waiting by the door, and my outfit was laid out on my ottoman. I had prepared as much as I could the day before, but there was still much to do before we would leave at a quarter to eight. In my grogginess, I ran through the to-do list in my mind: make tea for later, pack lunch, warm up my voice, get dressed… the list went on. The next two hours flew by as we hurried around and made last minute preparations, but we were eventually loaded in our car, said a prayer for our travels and the day ahead, and started the almost two hour drive to Jupiter.

I don’t remember many specifics of what I thought about during that drive or much of what I did. I only remember my mind being a tornado of questions and scenarios as I thought about the day ahead and made mental notes of everything I needed to do and be aware of at the studio. Had I learned enough? Would I make the right decisions in difficult situations? How would I handle anything that went wrong? I was nervous about stepping up my role as producer to be more involved in the tracking process. Being a little tired didn’t help matters, so I tried to shut my eyes and rest for a bit.

We pulled into the studio parking lot at around half past nine. The first session of the day was to start at ten o’clock. I took a deep breath, tried to put my nervousness aside, and got out of the car. I should have known then that my thoughts are my own worst enemy for as soon as I walked into the studio, all the fears, all the nervousness, and all the questions disappeared.

Time after time, God has made it clear to me that being a recording artist and producer is what He wants me to do in this season of my life, and He once again made that evident to me. It’s a funny thing to try to describe, and I didn’t completely recognize it until the end of the day, but I remember having the same feeling at my first recording session back in January of 2020. The only thing I can think to compare it to is the feeling one gets at home.

It’s a feeling of being completely comfortable. It’s feeling that you can be completely yourself; not having to impress anyone. It’s being able to communicate openly and honestly without fear of judgement.

It’s feeling that you are where you belong.

Throughout the day, I never again questioned my abilities as producer. I made decisions and led my musicians and engineer through the tracking process with confidence like it was second nature to me… like I had done it a hundred times before.

(In the vocal booth during the morning session)

I thank God for the intuition He has blessed me with when it comes to music and recording, and I am so grateful that He guided me with His peace and mercy through the day. Anytime I ever start to doubt His strength and goodness again, I will always remember the nerves and doubts that I had in my mind beforehand contrasted with the peace and security that I felt at the studio as God reminded me that I was right where He wanted me to be.

From ten o’clock to just past noon, it was nose to the grindstone as we worked to do last minute setup (including setting up a couple of my very own special microphones which I will be sharing about in a future post) and a little vocal warm-up followed by sound checking all the mics on the piano and the vocal mics. This was the first session of the day and the main objective of which was to record the piano on three songs.

(Paul Tine rehearsing on the piano)

We also tracked my vocals because one never knows when one will do something great, even in rehearsal, and what a shame to not be recording it.

Once everything was set and sound checked, it was time to record the first song.

Almost half the time of the first session was spent adjusting and sound checking. Getting the perfect sound in tracking is a delicate science. I am beyond blessed to have such great engineers to work with at Echo Beach Studios. They made my job as producer as easy as could be.

Sound checking the ensemble with engineer Ray (left) and studio owner and engineer Chas (center)

All I had to do was ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ a sound or placement of a mic, and they were on the spot to make adjustments. Later in the session, I asked the engineers if they thought engineering was more of an art or a science to which they both responded that it’s both! I told them that I agreed, so, if I bring the art and they bring the science, we’ll be a perfect team.

And speaking of being beyond incredibly blessed in the people I get to work with, I cannot speak highly enough of my musicians. I love them to death, and, again, they make my job so easy. Mr. Paul Tine, my pianist, is a musician of highest caliber, but even more impressive is that he is a humble, easy-going, and honest soul (things that are greatly appreciated when working one-on-one in stressful environments). One always allows for a few unexpected things to occur, and despite everyone’s best efforts, they always happen. Even with a few bumps during the session, our 3 songs were knocked out in an hour to everyone’s satisfaction, and thus ended the morning session.

Before I continue through the rest of the day's activities, I want to give accolades to the rest of my musicians. On first violin and leading the ensemble was Ms. Dina Kostic, the second violin part was performed by Ms. Bonnie Brown who I am very grateful was able to fill in at the last minute when my previous violinist had an emergency the day before, reprising his role on cello was the incomparable Mr. Chris Glansdorp, and also reprising his role on oboe was Mr. Marco Navarrete. The precision and quality that they brought to my song are beyond compare! I stood in awe the first time I heard them play through my song as I heard the life breathed into my score, and I saw my vision unfold before my eyes. Every articulation, every dynamic, every note was played just as I had written with the emotion that was trying to express through the composition. It is a fantastic and humbling experience to hear a creation brought to life in the hands of others, to place that life in their hands and trust in someone else's abilities, and I am so grateful for their careful and sincere handling of my creation.

Following the end of the morning session, there was no time to lose as there was less than an hour to rearrange and setup for the second session. Ray (the engineer) and Chas (the studio owner and also an engineer) got busy moving the piano and its recording equipment to set up the chairs, music stands, and microphones for the five-piece ensemble we were recording next. After saying goodbye to Paul and sending him off with my most heartfelt thanks (and, of course, his well-deserved check), I had a bit of a reprieve during which I grabbed a quick bite of my lunch, visited my dog who waited patiently in the car, and then hurried back to start welcoming my musicians.

After all this talk of everyone that I am so grateful for, it is past due time that I introduce my business associate: my mom. During a studio session, I tend to get hyper-focused (although I try and am getting better at widening my perspective as a producer needs to be able to oversee the whole day not just the music aspect), and my mom is my ‘right-hand-man’ to take up the slack in any aspect of which I cannot focus at that moment.

My mom, Amy, taking care of business

She takes care of as many little details for me as possible so I am free to work on the bigger picture. From writing my checks, taking care of contracts, and supplying snacks and drinks for everybody to taking pictures and videos throughout the day, keeping my stuff organized, packing things up, and driving me to and from the studio, she works as tirelessly as I do. “Business Associate” does not seem like a sufficient title to cover everything she does because I don’t know what I would do or how I would do anything without her. There are not enough expressions of gratitude that can cover just how much I appreciate all that she does.

The best I can say is, “I love you, Mom!”

As my mom took care of my arriving musicians and gathered contracts from them, I checked in on my engineers as they finished setting up for the second session, set out the sheet music for the musicians on the appropriate chairs, and grabbed my score and notepad. Once the musicians found their seats, Ray and Chas headed to the control room to start sound checking the microphones as I led the ensemble through a first rehearsal of the song we were recording.

Several directions given, a few more rehearsals done, and a lot of microphone adjustments later, it was time for me to head to the control room to do the final sound check. Just a few more microphone adjustments and it was time for Take 1.

I sat at the desk behind Ray at the control panel listening intently to the instrumentation. My sister, Ashley, had come in to help me listen and catch any imperfections. The instrumentation soared and whispered like a single voice as the musicians worked together in perfect harmony.

At three minutes to three, I called it a wrap, and the musicians gave a cheer! After I gave them all my sincerest thanks for a job most well done, they packed up their instruments, collected their checks inside little ‘thank-you’ cards I had written, and departed from the studio.

All that was left to do was wait for Ray to edit together the final two takes, convert all the tracks to the proper files, and save them to my hard drive. While we waited for him to finish his work, we began packing and loading up what we could. Being so near the end of the session was such a relief, but, at the same time, I was sad it was over so soon. With each experience in the studio, I learn more and more. While many of the musicians were so impressed with how organized the session was and how smooth everything went, I know there are always a few things that I can improve on.

On the way home from the studio, I started to decompress. I never feel the stress of being in the studio until we leave. Music mulled around in my mind mixed with conversations and events of the day. But any stress from the environment is natural and worth every bit of it for the experience of the magic that is created in a recording. I am in awe of the experience every time. As we made our way home, I couldn’t help but smile as my heart overflowed with joy and gratitude for the day’s accomplishments. Tracking a song is only the first step in a very long process of releasing a song, but it’s arguably the most difficult step and a major leap forward toward a finished product.

This post has been going on for a while now, but I hope you have enjoyed this insight into what my day in the studio was like and what was on my heart. I cannot wait for the next opportunity to put on my ‘producer hat’ and be back in the studio. It truly is an amazing feeling of belonging when I am there, and I hope that is evident in the sound of the songs I record. For now, though, it’s time to put on my ‘engineer hat’ and begin the process of sifting through and listening to the files from the session. Once that is accomplished, it’s on to mixing, mastering, and eventually, the imminent release to the public.

Taking care of business in my bare feet

It’s a crazy life that God has called me to lead, but I thank Him every day for the opportunities He has afforded me and the person He has created me to be. Maybe I’m crazy, too. Who knows? Some would say you have to be crazy to enjoy this kind of work and life. Despite all its unknowns and the amount of work that is needed to succeed, I’ve got a big God on my side guiding me every step of the way, and

He has implanted in my heart a love for the beauty and perfection of music and the unification it provides when that music is shared with the world.