Seattle-PNW Studio Summit Recap!
The 11th annual PNW Studio Summit started off with a bang this year. Few people can say they have been making record for over 40 years and just had an album debut in the top ten. Well- Eddie Kramer can! Fresh off the #4 debut of the new Jimi Hendrix album Valleys of Neptune, Eddie Kramer came to Seattle to share some amazing stories about working with artists like Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Kiss. He also talked about his new line of Waves recording plug-ins and his overall philosophy of recording. Interviewed by PNBW Chapter ED Ben London, Kramer came to life bounding out of his chair at several different points as he entertained the crowd and had them in stitches.
Following Kramer the P&E Wing’s Maureen Droney hit the stage with Alia Fahlborg. Fahlborg, a producer manager from Nettwerk, and Droney discussed the state of the business and the types of deals producers are making with artists and labels these days. She did a great job of illuminating some of the different models that exist and encouraged producers to take credit for their part in the process and make sure to be compensated for it whether it comes from record sales or other revenue streams from the artist.
Simultaneously, GRAMMY nominated 5.1 producer David Miles Huber held a 5.1 listening demonstration in Experience Music Project learning labs where attendees where able to hear a variety of 5.1 compositions and mixes and discuss the future of the medium.
After a lunch break AES Chapter president Steve Turnidge along with Burl Audio’s Rich Williams and Kevin Dickey did an in depth presentation on A/D conversion. Their presentation looked at the science behind analog to digital conversion and discussed how to maximize your studio’s converters.
During this same period, the PNW GRAMMY U students came together for a Demo Review sessions with esteemed local producers Kurt Bloch, Martin Feveryear, Johnny Sangster and Bill Gibson. The four producers critiqued 7 songs that were selected in advance out of all of the Demo Review submissions. The panel gave expert feedback on the student recordings and encouraged them to think about new techniques and composition tools while recording.
To end the day, we were lucky enough to have famed producer Sylvia Massy finish out the day. Massy, most known for her work with Tool, System of a Down, Johnny Cash and Tom Petty had a treasure trove of stores about working with these famed artists and some of the strategies she used to coax great performances including setting up a large camping tent for System of a Down vocalist Serg Tankian to cut vocals inside of. Massy is a classic example of how hard work and great ears can build a lifetime career.
Following the panels the event shifted to the Solo Bar for an after event networking reception where the attendees were able to discuss with each other and the speakers the many topics of the day.
Overall, the Studio Summit just keeps getting better!