Three minute reads for artists and producers
who want to make better records

By Thomas Dulin

Hey Reader, here's this week's Take Three email.

Wanted to mention this at the top: I am hosting a one hour live class next week, March 20, showing folks how to edit drums in Pro Tools.

Never done anything like that before, so I'm pricing it low. Come join! I'm covering:

• editing drums by hand QUICKLY
• the most important keyboard shortcuts
• using beat detective like a pro
• when and how to use elastic audio
• advanced tips to maintain FEEL in edited drums

LIVE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: March 20, 2024 Sign up now!

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TAKE ONE: QUICK LINKS

• Free plugin: iZotope has announced a relaunch of its popular distortion plugin Trash. They also have a free "lite" version.​
• Another free plugin: Initial Audio has released a Dynamic EQ that will be $49, currently free.
• Report: over half of the US population now pays for a music streaming subscription, including 70% of millennials. via MusicWatch​
• I'm hosting a LIVE CLASS one week from today. More info/sign up here.​

TAKE TWO: RECENT RELEASES

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Lady Luck Kade Hoffman PREVIEW   ​

"Lady Luck" - Kade Hoffman
Produced by Pat Lyons. Engineered by Thomas Dulin.

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Wake Me Up Jake Smith PREVIEW   ​

"Wake Me Up" - Jake Smith
Produced and mixed by Keith Harris. Engineered by Thomas Dulin.

TAKE THREE: IS SELF-PRODUCING A GOOD IDEA?

When, in the planning phase of making a record, you choose not to hire a producer, you are the producer.

And oftentimes, the people who make that decision happen to be incredible artists but not necessarily incredible music producers.

I’ve been noticing more and more artists make that decision recently, and I’ve been thinking about that trend over the last week.

The advantages of DIY

Producing yourself is definitely less costly (financially).

The low prices of entry-level microphones and interfaces today are mind-blowing to me. It’s never been easier to afford recording gear.

And talented producers are not cheap (though most of us probably need to raise our rates… that’s an email for another time).

This is no doubt the main reason most would choose to DIY. Why spend thousands of dollars hiring someone to do something you can probably just do yourself?

I relate with this sentiment a lot…

You are not a plumber

Several years ago, we had a bathtub faucet that needed to be replaced.

I figured it was a simple repair and something I should be able to figure out how to do by watching a few Youtube videos. Ignoring the fact that at the time I was on tour 4 days a week and tracking an artist on the days I was home, going weeks without a day off.

One day, my wife pleaded with me to call a plumber for probably the 10th time.

“No, babe, this is a simple fix - I can do it myself,” I said. And she said something that kind of changed my world:

“You’re not a plumber. And that is okay.”

She was 100% right. I called a plumber, and it was fixed the next day.

Could I have saved money by doing it myself? Probably! I also could have made it worse. But that’s okay, because I’m not a plumber. I’m a music producer.

By saying "that is okay," she recognized that I felt this strange need to do everything myself, and wisely gave me permission to specialize in something else.

I have no desire to go to a trade school and become a master plumber, and that is okay.

Does someone need to tell you the same thing? If so this is for you:

You are not a music producer. And that is okay.

You have other strengths. Focus on those and collaborate with someone who can help fill in the gaps.

The advantages of hiring a producer

I realize this might sound like a barber telling you that you need a haircut, but hear me out.

I have found that many artists underestimate the benefits of hiring someone else to produce their project.

Here are 10 things off the top of my head that a producer might be able to do:

• play an instrument you don’t play
• perform quick editing tasks in the DAW
• help you choose which songs to include
• inspire you to get the best performance possible
• help you finish writing that song you never finished
• have access to more professional equipment than you
• introduce you to other artists and musicians in your area
• coach you through a vocal take in a way you hadn’t considered
• provide a more relaxing and professional-sounding space to record
• recommend certain changes to an arrangement that improve your song

Is it more expensive than doing it yourself? Absolutely. But the right producer can save you a lot of time and inspire you to do your best work.

Cost-effective collaboration

Maybe you are a music producer, and you have perfected your self-producing workflow. That’s great! Either way, I think we all need to be collaborating in some form or fashion.

I have several clients right now who are self-producing, but are sending me their projects to add drums, or edit vocals, or mix, or some combination of those things.

This is kind of a hybrid model where I am only doing a few “producer” tasks.

It’s really smart because these artists recognize their strengths and they’re reaching out for help on things they’re less confident about. And it definitely saves money.

If you’re a producer, you need to be offering services like this to your clients.

I'd love to hear from you on this. Are you a self-producing artist? How's that going? Hit reply and let me know!

Until next week, happy music making, Reader.

P.S. I'd love to see you at my first ever live class next week. More info + sign up here!​

Thomas Dulin Producer / Engineer / Mixer