=================================   

"When you confront a problem you begin to solve it." Rudy Giuliani

 

So will Dame Vera Lynn make any dosh? [ strange royalty situation with a Top Album ]

Missing Files On Start-up   [ a good computer tip ]

Email Marketing for your music?  [ you have to get it right ]

Testimonials

Subscriber's Section [ advice on recording EQ, Compression etc. ]

The gags: .....      [ CATHOLIC HORSES – from Rory ] 

 

So will Dame Vera Lynn make any dosh? [ strange royalty situation with a Top Album ] 

One of my dearest friends, Dame Vera Lynn is topping the album chart in the UK. 

Vera was the British secret weapon during the 2^nd Word War and many attribute the high morale of the Allied troops to her records and overseas trips to sing for them.  Her daughter Virginia was bridesmaid for Sandy and I at our wedding. 

Her tracks have been released in a nostalgic album … now at Number One.  The problem? 

As she is 92 [the oldest ever to be at number One] and the tracks date from 60+ years ago … there is no reason for the copyright holders [the record company] to pay any royalties.  Weird?  Yes, weird, but that is the law in the UK … the subject of much argument. 

Will the record company do the right thing and pay her a substantial ex-gratia payment … for good will?  Interesting …. I will be watching.  I am reliably informed by sources close to her business organisation that she will not receive one penny … can’t be right? 

 

"An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while the pessimist sees only the

red stoplight. The truly wise person is colour-blind." Albert Schweitzer 

Missing Files On Start-up   [ a good computer tip ] 

If, when you start Windows and get an error message saying that it can't find a file, you click OK and everything seems alright, how can you get rid of that annoying message?  

This usually occurs when you've uninstalled something that normally loaded when you started Windows. The program is gone, but there is still a reference to it floating around somewhere.

First thing to do is write down the name of the file that it says is missing. 

The quickest way to find it is to use msconfig (win98 or higher). Click your Start button, Run, and type in " msconfig "

(no quotes) and hit OK. 

Click the Start-up tab and try to locate the program that is causing the error message. Usually if you look at the end of the "Command" column you can find the file name that Windows claims it can't find. Once located, just uncheck it and hit OK. 

Make sure you pay attention to what you're unchecking so if you uncheck the wrong item, you can go back and re-check it if necessary. Once you're done, reboot and see if that error message is gone.  

 

"A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day

he can sleep at night and do it again the next day." Albert Schweitzer 

Email Marketing for your music?  [ you have to get it right ] 

Email marketing, if done correctly, is one of the most effective network marketing tools for music available. Now I am not condoning "spam" which is a practice widely used today.  Sending the same message to thousands of people, whose addresses were either purchased from someone or harvested from the Internet is frowned on by most people and illegal in some parts of the world.  

If you build your own email list and it contains people who have done business with you in the past, that can be an extremely effective marketing tool.  Someone who has done business with you in the past, is more likely to use you again if your product or service was up to expectations.  

Don't use a phony email address that looks like gibberish or appears to be coded such as 14sTTy@yourdomain.com - this is a dead giveaway of spam and will be summarily deleted by most people.  

Don't use "URGENT" or "Re: Here's the information you requested" as the subject if they didn't actually request information from you.  Many people use filters to automatically put emails with these subjects in their "trash Bin".  

Use a proper mailing system like ‘Mailloop7’ [the one we use] … that will personalise each Email and collect and control your Email customer addresses .. send your auto responders and organise ‘subscribe’ and ‘unsubscribe’ databases automatically … check it out: http://www.marketingtips.com/mailloop/t.x/633813 

Face it - someone who doesn't want to receive email from you is not a potential customer.  You should also never send multiple emails to the same person as that is also aggravating.  This happens most of the time with addresses that are harvested from web sites without the owner’s permission.  

So how can you use email marketing to your advantage in the music marketing game?  If you do, you will realize the benefits of this very powerful tool.  Build your own mailing lists and advertise in newsletters and Ezines.   This will give you a "targeted" market that will result in business. Spam will get you very little in the way of business and could potentially get you into difficulty - not worth the risk.  

If you keep your music in front of your potential clients on a regular basis, you will soon realize the fruits of your effort.  One of the best ways, surprisingly, is not to try to sell them on your immediate offering.  Get yourself a website and keep the contents there informative and up to date.  Use email to let your customers know about the new additions, and give them something interesting to read.  

Once you get people accustomed to going to your site, the rest is easy, and this "email marketing" will not only be your best course of action, but will pay dividends.  

You could always start your own ‘One Minute With Dec’? 

 

"Look before you leap for as you sow, ye

are like to reap." Samuel Butler 

Testimonials 

“Hi Dec 

I had more emails this week about my music than ever before and got paid for some production work.

Then yesterday got a one hour call from a publisher who says we have a hit record! He wants to sign us!

Of course we also need some good luck and I know nothing is guaranteed. 

Jason Field” 

"Don't learn to do, but learn in doing.

Let your falls not be on a prepared ground, but let them be bona fide falls in the

rough and tumble of the world." Samuel Butler 

 

Subscriber's Section [ advice on recording EQ, Compression etc. ]  

“Hi - can you point to an online guide for EQ'ing the tracks for a basic rock

 band. (guitar, bass, drum kit, band member who can sing, band member who

 cannot sing) 

 For example Kick roll off under 40, boost around here, here and here cut this. 

 A guide for mixing down a recording, not live and not mastering. 

Y**** 

My Reply:    

Our rules are "one short reply to ONE question on music FOR NON-MEMBERS, Members of 'The Serious Writers Guild' have unlimited personal access to Dec by direct telephone, Fax and Email, apply at https://secure.mistral.co.uk/makehits/swgappsecure.htm ".     

[Any advice given here shall not be deemed as financial or legal advice under any existing or future laws of any country] 

Hi Y**** 

I get this type of question all the time from my members. There are books, but really, hands on and asking questions is the best way.  If you can sit beside a top hit producer ... then Wow! 

The other questions ... what reverb should I use, what compression settings?  etc., etc. 

The most important choice YOU have to make is what you want your product to do for you.  Are you aiming for a top Three record?  Aiming for a bit of fun as a project to while the hours away?  A product to please and maybe impress fellow music guys?  Get you a record deal? 

I am in the lucky position that I have this answer as a 'given'.  I have always put the food on my table from my music, so I know that I create music to make money ... money from the public ... very simple. 

Therefore, I aim to make my records pleasing to the public [fans of my band, mainly, although I produce a lot for others] and wanted by them, as in, they will buy them. 

So...... 

The EQ that I want on my recordings is what is generally around in the chart at the moment.  I study and analyse the chart, I don't just listen to it and enjoy it. 

The vocal should have little interference from EQ.  To achieve that you must have a great performing talent in front of the microphone.  I have always heard it said that a commercial vocal is achieved in front of the mic. and never in the control room.   

You mention the band member who can sing?  But can he deliver a vocal performance to match a Top Three record this week?  The band member who cannot sing is a waste of time and effort ... there is no EQ, or piece of studio equipment that will turn a rubbish vocal into a sellable one.  The magic always comes from the mouth of the singer, into the mic., down the wire and into the recording equipment.  The magic is diminishing all the way through that process, by the way.  So, it has to be over the top in the live room. 

The most important treatment today is compression ... forget about EQ ... a great vocal is usually best left flat ... a good mic. will deliver a great vocal onto your recording medium.  When mixing it is 'hardness' you should be looking for today.  And that is achieved with experienced use of compression.  Sometimes the cheapest compressor can give an exciting, commercial result.  My favourites are LA Audio 4C ... a nasty sounding 4 in one rack unit.  The TL Audio Fatman Fat 1 valve compressor is the fave unit of the Hip Hop boys and mine too.  Bomb Factory is good but limited by the fact it is a computer driven plug in.  As regards EQ, you may wish to push the high mids a tad to get the most out of the compressor. 

You must know all the facets of FX use. 

Guitars get their sound by the way they are played first and then recorded ... the newest guitars, as old ones rattle themselves apart.  See http://www.makehits.com/recordingguitar.htm  Great guitar sound is achieved rarely by use of EQ [except maybe acoustic, where you have to roll off the bottom end to prevent the sound 'rolling' with the bass frequencies]  My latest book [did I really say that?] is probably the best ever in giving the greatest methods for achieving that monstrous guitar sound we all ache for.  http://www.makehits.com/recordingguitar.htm 

Bass, again, is all down to the playing, the instrument and usually compression ... little to do with EQ as too much bottom end will use up too much energy in the mix and lead to a dull, muddy mix.  Again I get a lot of questions asking "where has the excitement gone?".  A 'today' Hit mix has far less bottom end than you think ... it is the K.Watts in clubs speakers that give it the bottom end. 

Drum kits have now become the easiest to get right as the 'pros' use samples instead of spending hours [as we did in the past] trying to get a sound out of a creaky, ancient kit with six year old skins, played by a dodgy, self opinionated shed builder [drummer].  I use triggers to record the trigger impulses onto Pro Tools .. then I have a vast supply of stunning samples, depending on the genre of the track.  I am in complete control of the sounds and the timing.  When I blend two or three or four samples to get the best commercial kik, say, then I re record that for further use in another project.  That way the sounds are getting more evolved.  In the old days we had to use a synth pad, always, to fill frequencies.  Now the kit is so full and has such a wide frequency band that we can use the kit practically on its own and it will fill the frequency band beautifully. 

But - if you are set on satisfying the drummer's ego and using a live kit ... then stand by for hours or even days of trying to get a decent sound.  And always remember you will be stuck with that sound forever.  You will also be stuck with the clams [mistakes] and inaccurate timing.  Make sure he uses new skins [essential] ... check the entire kit for creaks.  Spend time tuning the kit for overtones [best use a number of toilet rolls taped to the skins to dampen out the overtones, particularly the under skins].  Get him to tune the kit to a flat key if the track is in a flat key [F, Bflat, Eflat etc.] or to a sharp key if the track is in a sharp key [C,D,G, D, A, E].  That is a good pro trick.  There are good tuning tricks around but I won't bore you.  And yes, I know you can use gates, but they can kill the sound that you might want? 

Snare is best under miked ... the engineer will probably over mike it and spend three hours trying to get a decent sound.  Then he will add an under mike and go through the same agonies.  Best trick is to use an under mic. [that is where the wire snare is ....duh!] and if necessary EQ to taste. 

Kik, the same... it is the position of the mic. and the player that will give the sound not the EQ.  Usually placed just inside or at the hole cut in the front skin.  The mic. is of little consequence, despite what you might hear.  New skins, by the way, again, despite what your genius ‘pain in the butt’ drummer says!  You may want to wind in a lot of top for the click/snap depending on how clean your desk is [can create hiss] .... really, it is a case of experimenting to get the kik sound that suits the track and the other instruments [that is why samples are so much easier to use]  ... think about the kik on 'Bleeding' the Leona Lewis hit ... that kik sound would not suit any other track.  There is no 'cure-all' EQ ... the requirement changes for every project. 

Toms are easy ... but we rarely use them in a modern day recording for commercial release.  The metal work takes care of itself ... just don't make it too thin ... hard and brassy is the current thinking. 

Of course the ambience of the recording room is what should be sorted first before you turn on the studio equipment. 

Enough.........................  this subject is the stuff of books .... which is what I do!  Sorry!  Manual.  [I shall make an article out of this Email …. See http://makehits.co.uk/artintro.htm ] 

Regards

Dec [Cluskey]  dec@makehits.com  

2 Gold discs in 2008!  Decca have relaunched their ‘World Of’ series on the back of those hits.  Readers Digest are now promoting a triple album set …. Do you think I can help your music career succeed?  

Check out 'How to Make A £Million From your Music' at http://www.makehits.co.uk.  Secure purchase at https://secure.mistral.co.uk/makehits/swgappsecure.htm or fast cred*it card line: +44 1323.728005 or UK 01323.728005 

 “How to Make A $Million From Your Music”. To see the course go to http://makehits.com/products090707/million.html   fast cred*it card line: +44 1323.728005 or UK 01323.728005 

To purchase go direct to: https://secure.mistral.co.uk/makehits/swgappsecure.htm

 

“3 Minutes on the Radio with Dec” …. Available immediately at http://www.myspace.com/makehits 

=================================  

The gags: .....      [ CATHOLIC HORSES – from Rory ]  

One day while he was at the track playing the ponies and all but losing his shirt, Mitch noticed a priest who stepped out onto the track and blessed the forehead of one of the horses lining up for the 4th race. Lo and behold, that horse - a very long shot - won the race.. 

Before the next race, as the horses began lining up, Mitch watched with interest the old priest step onto the track. Sure enough, as the 5th race horses came to the starting gate the priest made a blessing on the forehead of one of the horses. 

Mitch made a beeline for a betting window and placed a small bet on the horse. Again, even though it was another long shot, the horse the priest had blessed won the race. 

Mitch collected his winnings, and anxiously waited to see which horse the priest would bless for the 6th race. The priest again blessed a horse. 

Mitch bet big on it, and it won. Mitch was elated.. As the races continued the priest kept blessing long shot horses, and each one ended up coming in first. 

By and by, Mitch was pulling in some serious money. By the last race, he knew his wildest dreams were going to come true. He made a quick dash to the ATM, withdrew all his savings, and awaited the priest's blessing that would tell him which horse to bet on. 

True to his pattern, the priest stepped onto the track for the last race and blessed the forehead of an old nag that was the longest shot of the day Mitch also observed the priest blessing the eyes, ears, and hooves of the old nag. 

Mitch knew he had a winner and bet every cent he owned on the old nag. 

He then watched dumbfounded as the old nag come in dead last. Mitch, in a state of shock, made his way down to the track area where the priest was. 

Confronting the old priest he demanded, 'Father! What happened? 

All day long you blessed horses and they all won. Then in the last race, the horse you blessed lost by a Kentucky mile. Now, thanks to you I've lost every cent of my savings -- all of it!'. 

The priest nodded wisely and with sympathy.  'Son,' he said, 'that's the problem with you Protestants, you can't tell the difference between a simple blessing and last rites.'

===================================

http://www.Twitter.com/DecCluskey

 Unsubscribe?  Simply send a blank Email to dec@makehits.com with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line.  Please ensure you reply from the Email address we sent to. 

If you ever need to get in contact with the owner of the list, (if you have trouble unsubscribing, or have questions about the list itself)

send email to:  contact@makehits.com 

 This publication is copyright (c) 2009
serious writers guild, mailto:webmaster@makehits.com   
 Registered Office: Stanton prior, darley road, meads, eastbourne bn20 7uh
also at denton road, meads in the UK
Also at: Il Cortes Del Golf, El Paraiso, Benavista, Costa Del Sol   

tel: +44 (0)1323.728005   fax:+44 (0)1323.729318

Company Registration Number: 1361967   VAT [Value Added Tax] Number: 315 7172 69 

Proud Members of Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce 

www.myspace.com/thebachelorsconanddec