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Interview with Judy Clapp.By: Steve Veloudos |
| Interview with Judy Clapp By: Steve Veloudos, Zebra Music Can you tell me how you got started as a recording engineer? I first started by studying electronics and live mixing for some friends in a band in Arizona. I then moved back East and took a course at a studio in Massachusetts and worked (for free) at a studio in Rhode Island. This gave me enough experience that when I went out to Los Angeles I was able to get a job at Larrabee. What are some things bands can do to prepare themselves before they record? Mainly rehearse. Have your arrangements worked out as well as the key and time of the songs. Make sure your instruments are in good shape so that you aren't spending valuable studio time stringing guitars or putting new heads on the drums. Can you give me your thoughts on the changing technology in the recording industry and how it will affect the future? It seems that there is a huge move towards hard-disk recording. There are very powerful systems available for much less money than you would pay for a good console and tape machine. That will enable more and more people to have professional quality home or project studios, but I think there will always be a place for the traditional studio with a big room, especially for orchestral work and larger bands that want to record together live. What was it like being a staff engineer for a major label like Capitol Records? The thing that was nice about it was that all the record company offices were right there in the building, so that A&R people were readily available and if there were any decisions to be made requiring the input of the folks "upstairs", they could be made much faster. Also, the mastering facilities were on the premises, so you could get the opinion of a great mastering engineer on your mixes or just have the perspective of a different room to listen in. There was a lot of history there too, and it was a great feeling to know that those very same rooms had seen the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and many others. Being on staff for a label also meant that many of the label's bands recorded "in-house" (though this is less true as time goes on), and this provided the staff engineers with some interesting gigs. Can you give me a few engineering tips that can help the unsigned band produce a better end product when they record? Since it's mostly the songs that sell the band, I would say try to get a good, clear vocal sound and make that the focus of the mix. Try to keep your recording relatively simple and don't worry too much about fancy special effects unless that is a big part of your band's sound. That can always be done later when you are signed and hopefully have a good budget for recording. Can you give me some advise for the musician that is trying to get involved into the radio and TV session work? Know how to read music and have a professional attitude. Be on time, contribute what you can creatively, but be very aware of not giving unwanted input - you are there to help the composer (or whoever hired you) to look good, not to show off your own talents. It helps to have a friendly, "up" personality, but if you don't come by that naturally, then don't try to fake it - just be yourself. Trite words perhaps, but in the end I think that is rewarded more than pretending to be someone you're not. What are some things that artist should look for when considering hiring a producer for their projects? Listen to the songs together and make sure you are both trying to go in the same direction with them. Be open to any changes the producer might want to make as long as they serve the song. You can consider what bands the producer has worked with before. It's not necessary for him/her to have worked with bands that have a similar approach and sound to what you are trying to achieve, but it can help. Also, does your band need a producer who is also a musician and can add guitar or keyboard (or whatever) parts. Beyond that, it's mostly making sure your personalities work well with each other because you're going to be spending a lot of time together! Is it customary to do a different mixes for radio and general retail releases? I would say it's not customary, but it's also not unusual. In my experience, if the project has a big enough budget then often the record company wants to hire a name Remixer for the singles that are released to radio. What does the future hold for you? I'm moving more into working with Pro-Tools and am tracking how much of a market there is for 5.1 mixing. But what I still love the most is working with real musicians playing real instruments live in a studio and recording and mixing to analog tape. This may make me a dinosaur, but to me the music has the most energy that way! CONTACT INFO: Judy Clapp 1146 N. Central Ave #107 Glendale, CA 91202 Phone:(310)306-0929 Fax: (818)507-1722 E-mail: [email protected] |