Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.
A. Shine On Studio offers recording, mixing, & mastering services for musicians and commercial businesses. Our full-production recording facility can host live bands for demo recordings to professional albums. Our quality mics have been carefully selected by researching industry professional reviews from other engineers and producers. From beginning to end, Shine On Studio can help you get CDs made and help with merchandizing. Our staff are also musicians, so we know what you're going through and want to hep you every step of the way.
Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A. An engineer that can listen to your project and enhance it without changing it is very important. Talk with the engineer and see if they are open to making YOUR creative idea improved with their help. Not all engineers are equal and some are helpful, while others can ruin a great audio project.
I will do my best to hear your audio and offer suggestions and take it in a direction that you see fit. Come down to my studio and we'll discuss the options that you feel are a good match for your project. With 10 years of recording experience in the Bay Area, my production skills have been finely tuned to offer you the very best in music production.
Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?
A. M/S processing is very important for all audio production projects. Without the proper EQ and compression, an audio project can suffer greatly on multiple sound systems.
Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A. Constant education in the field of audio production is necessary. I've been reading and studying audio techniques for the past 15 years. I let my recordings and mixes speak for themselves.
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. I love music. All types of music are welcome at Shine On Studio. I get a big kick out of helping young and emerging musicians produce and mix their creations.
Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A. How long will it take to record or mix? It can take as long or as short as you like. There is no officially set standard for how audio should sound. If you have an idea or goal to achieve, I'll do my best to help you get there as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.
Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?
A. All things just worked out and I started working in audio production freshman year of college at the college radio station.
Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.
A. Gearing up the studio to focus on live bands. New studio space is currently under construction and will be more spacious and able to host large groups. Our gear will be tweaked to the dark side for a heavier sound. Metal & Rock bands will be thoroughly impressed with our new sound.
Malki Means King just brought in their most recent project PARTY MUSIC for mastering. I've heard a lot of club and hip hop albums over the years, but I have to admit that this album is one of the best I've every heard. It has beats and lyrics that just get stuck in your head and you find yourself humming them tunes throughout the day. Check out Malki's site and give it a listen.
I've been mixing a bunch of Hip Hop albums, Nix Kuiper, Gargeezy, Xclusive and I've been able to give clients a mix that they're proud to release to their fans. There is nothing better than a happy client.
Check out our website for links to all the clients that have recorded at the studio.
Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?
A. We've just added Pro Tools HD10 to our studio production. I've already completed the new training courses for this software. I've been certified in Pro Tools 7, 8, & 9. I like to know all options and the full capabilities of my software. I strive to learn more about audio production everyday. With the ever-changing world of digital media, this learning process will be an endless endeavor. I do teach private and group classes for learning audio production and Pro Tools Software. If you're looking for a few new techniques to have on your palette, give me a call and we can arrange a lesson package that will give you an edge on your production skills.
Q. Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.
A. A typical 4 piece band recording can take about 6-8 hours for recording and mixing 3-4 songs. The band should be well rehearsed and not need a lot of time to practice parts or need more than 2-3 takes for a particular section.
Q. What are you currently working on improving?
A. We've moved the studio to a new location in Oakland. This new facility offers more space and options for all our recording clients. The new studio has improved acoustic control allowing musicians and engineers more experimentation with sound. We also have a fireplace in the main room for added ambiance.
The new studio will also offer in-house instruments that can be rented during the recording session. There will also be the option of hiring professional musicians for tracking.
The new studio will also offer MIDI tracking for singer/songwriters to compose their own musical compositions and track vocal recordings. We will have an in-house engineer that can custom design a beat or musical arrangement to your personal liking.
Q. Write your own question and answer it.
A. What system are you currently using to do tracking?
Currently, we are running Pro Tools 9 and Peak Studio 7 as our primary DAW systems. I do have some experience with Logic Pro and can work with clients in that DAW system if needed.
