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Hi everyone, and welcome to The Studio Trenches. My name is Phil O'Keefe, and I am your most excellent host. Like Bill and Ted, I'm originally from San Dimas California. Really. 
So what's going on in The Trenches? Our forum description sums it up pretty well: From novice to professional, pre-production to final release, it's all about the recording process -- gear, production, art, arranging, and more. If it happens in a studio - any studio, from the most basic home hobbiest setup all the way up to "big boy (and girl)" rooms, then it's an open topic here. I've got a lot of ideas I'll be sharing with you in the weeks and months to come, but to give you a preview of what's on deck, here's a few sample topics that I hope we can discuss as we go along:
Gear - what works and what doesn't, with a big emphasis on getting the most for every gear investment dollar you spend.
People skills - How to interact with clients, musicians, producers, other engineers, etc. How to "sell yourself", where to locate clients and how to approach them. What to charge. How to insure you get paid (it's always nice to get paid
). How to increase your exposure, "name recognition" and demand. Advertising and promotion for yourself, your studio and / or your services.
Engineering techniques - how do you mic up a orchestral harp? Or a Brazillian Berimbau? How do you get that oh so important kick / bass guitar balance to lock in while mixing? Not just "what's cool" in the world of gear, but how to best utilize it in support of the song so you can get the results you're after.
Production techniques - spotting talent, developing and nurturing it. Budget considerations and project planning. And getting the talent to perform beyond their best when the red light goes on.
Art - musical considerations. How does it "feel"? Arrangements and the mix - how they're important to each other. Promoting the vibe - getting people comfortable and relaxed and performing at their best. Setting the mood and knowing when to push and when to come back to it later. And the Song. It's always about a good song.
Designing a "system" - Making everything "work together". Purchase decisions, acoustical considerations, connecting everything and troubleshooting problems. Workflow and ergonomics. How to get the best results from what you have. Determining where the weak links are in your setup and prioritizing gear upgrades.
I'm just scratching the surface here - like I said, there's a lot we can discuss, and I'll have more to share when we do the official "launch" on Monday. And YOU are a big part of it. So think about the things you want to talk about. Get ready... We're just a few days away from getting started.
And remember: Be excellent to each other. :cool:
So what's going on in The Trenches? Our forum description sums it up pretty well: From novice to professional, pre-production to final release, it's all about the recording process -- gear, production, art, arranging, and more. If it happens in a studio - any studio, from the most basic home hobbiest setup all the way up to "big boy (and girl)" rooms, then it's an open topic here. I've got a lot of ideas I'll be sharing with you in the weeks and months to come, but to give you a preview of what's on deck, here's a few sample topics that I hope we can discuss as we go along:
Gear - what works and what doesn't, with a big emphasis on getting the most for every gear investment dollar you spend.
People skills - How to interact with clients, musicians, producers, other engineers, etc. How to "sell yourself", where to locate clients and how to approach them. What to charge. How to insure you get paid (it's always nice to get paid
). How to increase your exposure, "name recognition" and demand. Advertising and promotion for yourself, your studio and / or your services.Engineering techniques - how do you mic up a orchestral harp? Or a Brazillian Berimbau? How do you get that oh so important kick / bass guitar balance to lock in while mixing? Not just "what's cool" in the world of gear, but how to best utilize it in support of the song so you can get the results you're after.
Production techniques - spotting talent, developing and nurturing it. Budget considerations and project planning. And getting the talent to perform beyond their best when the red light goes on.
Art - musical considerations. How does it "feel"? Arrangements and the mix - how they're important to each other. Promoting the vibe - getting people comfortable and relaxed and performing at their best. Setting the mood and knowing when to push and when to come back to it later. And the Song. It's always about a good song.
Designing a "system" - Making everything "work together". Purchase decisions, acoustical considerations, connecting everything and troubleshooting problems. Workflow and ergonomics. How to get the best results from what you have. Determining where the weak links are in your setup and prioritizing gear upgrades.
I'm just scratching the surface here - like I said, there's a lot we can discuss, and I'll have more to share when we do the official "launch" on Monday. And YOU are a big part of it. So think about the things you want to talk about. Get ready... We're just a few days away from getting started.
And remember: Be excellent to each other. :cool:
Originally Posted by coyote-1
Hi all! 
Just pokin my head in to say hi. It's cool to see people from MP over here, hopefully more will come soon. With Phil at the helm, I'm sure this board is going to just as awesome as the 'old' one
Cheers,
Matt
PS: Hey Phil, do you know if it's possible to turn on image posting? That can be super useful sometimes, and I miss the .
Just pokin my head in to say hi. It's cool to see people from MP over here, hopefully more will come soon. With Phil at the helm, I'm sure this board is going to just as awesome as the 'old' one
Cheers,
Matt
PS: Hey Phil, do you know if it's possible to turn on image posting? That can be super useful sometimes, and I miss the .
Originally posted by Kid Klash
Hi Phil,
So what's the difference between this forum and the Recording forum? :confused:
Click here for the answer.
Originally posted by younggunmn
PS: Hey Phil, do you know if it's possible to turn on image posting? That can be super useful sometimes, and I miss the .
I was just thinking about that... IMG tags can be turned on or off for individual forums, and IMO, they definitely need to be "on" over here. They're a lot of fun, and for technically oriented topics, they can make explaining things a lot easier - a picture being worth a thousand words, etc.
But there will be some rules about their use.... I'll expect people to be responsible about how they use that feature, and be careful about what images they post. Anything profane or obscene will be yanked immediately, and may result in banning of the person who posted it. :eek: So yes, I am going to turn that feature "on", but please use it responsibly folks.
Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe
Click here for the answer.
Thanks for the link.
By the way - your site www.philokeefe.com seems to be suspended... the message says "Please contact the billing/support department as soon as possible"...
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