cameron The Community for Working Musicians en-US Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:54:05 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/search.php http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/salary-requirements-in-job-postings#post-1880 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:25:13 +0000 Cameron Mizell 1880@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I always try to give a flat rate. I also think most people believe you get what you pay for. If you bid too low, you might give the impression that you're not good enough for the job. If somebody is actually trying to pay you as little as possible, then it's probably not a gig worth your time, anyway.</p> <p>The union rates are a good place to start figuring your prices, but there are a lot of gigs that simply won't pay that much but are still worth doing for other reasons.</p> <p>One of my friends pointed out that every gig has three factors:</p> <p>- The Music<br /> - The Money<br /> - The Hang</p> <p>If you can get two out of three, that's a gig worth doing!</p> <p>I also think about how much time I'll have to invest preparing for the gig.</p> <p>For example, if somebody would like to hire me to play guitar for them, this is what I want to know:</p> <p><ul><li>How many songs will I need to learn?</li><li>Will there be charts or do I have to learn the music by ear?</li><li>Do I have to memorize everything?</li><li>How many rehearsals?</li><li>How many instruments am I playing?</li><li>Is there going to be a backline or do I have to bring my gear?</li><li>Is this for one performance, or will there be gigs in the future playing the same material?</li><br /> </ul></p> <p>Experience has taught me to ask these questions. I've learned how much time it takes me to prepare for a gig based on how much material is provided and what is expected.</p> <p>The irony, of course, is that gigs that will provide professional charts, tracks, and backline at the rehearsal and gig always pay more than those that send you a bunch of YouTube links, need you to spend all week transcribing and memorizing songs, and then need you to haul your gear to multiple rehearsals and the gig.</p> <p>Finally, try to learn what you can about the actual budget. I once got a gig that paid really well. I got all the answers to my questions above, and it was going to be a pretty easy gig--show up with my guitar, play some charts, go home. Then I get to the venue and realize it's a huge party for celebrities and NYC's upper crust. I also figured out I was the lowest paid person in the band! It was still a great gig and good money, but had my negotiating skills been better, I would have been able to earn more. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/obtain-permission-for-excerpt#post-1879 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:57:46 +0000 Cameron Mizell 1879@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I'm not sure. I believe it's ultimately up to the original author or copyright holder. It's never a bad idea to obtain permission, but it could get you tangled up in unnecessary red tape.</p> <p>Speaking of getting tangled up, I know that "Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie &amp; The Blowfish was a nod to Bob Dylan and made reference to some of his songs and quoted some of his lyrics. Dylan ended up suing and won a settlement.</p> <p>It's better to error on the side of being too cautious because the cost of settling a copyright dispute later will probably not be cheap. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/obtain-permission-for-excerpt#post-1872 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:47:09 +0000 ccouture 1872@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hello all, I'm hoping someone can answer this question for me.</p> <p>I understand the permissions and licencing involved in recording/releasing a "cover" song, but what if you're just using one line?</p> <p>I have an original song in which I quote two lines from "Pirate Jenny" of The Three Penny Opera. The melody is mine, the surrounding lyrics are all mine... do I need to contact the copyright holder for permission to use two lines of lyric? </p> <p>Are there guidelines to follow?</p> <p>Any advice is welcome! Thank you! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1868 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:03:20 +0000 nathang 1868@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I guess I forgot to edit that second sentence. I meant to say something along the lines of "It might not have as many features as the Lexicon but it more than makes up for it in sturdiness and functionality." </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1867 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:02:44 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1867@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I actually have one out for delivery right now. I found an 8i6 on eBay for 200 new, and grabbed it up. I'm pretty excited. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1866 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:00:51 +0000 nathang 1866@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Regarding PreSonus and Lexicon:<br /> I have used both, and much prefer the PreSonus. It might not have as many features as the Lexicon (mine was the Lambda). I managed to find an open-box PreSonus Audiobox USB for $120 last year, and it's one of the best purchases I've made. It's by far sturdier than the Lexicon, and even though it doesn't have as many features, mscottweber pegged it when he said that often that will mean it performs better with what it has. In this case, the physical construction of the box is far superior (all metal versus plastic), and the converter is much higher quality as well. My Lambda crapped out when I was about to take it on tour last year, I'm glad I was able to borrow one to use until I could find the Audiobox. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1858 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:17:22 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1858@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Thanks, Cam. That pretty much covers exactly what I was wondering. So I guess it would be safe to keep those videos up for now, and I'll take them down as I make higher quality videos and (hopefully) see more traffic to my channel. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1857 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:50:45 +0000 Cameron Mizell 1857@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>The person/publisher who owns the copyright for the underlying composition might not want the song online. Unlike releasing cover songs on albums, there's no compulsory license for video--meaning you don't need permission from the owner to distribute it as an audio recording (as long as you pay royalties) but you do need permission to distribute it in a video.</p> <p>Many publishers have an agreement with YouTube and are paid via ad revenue or something like that when people use their songs. Other publishers don't have an agreement and can issue take down notices or, perhaps, whatever you're seeing.</p> <p>For example, I know Prince doesn't like his songs being used, so somebody over at Universal Music Group spends all day looking for Prince songs to remove.</p> <p>Read the section about YouTube here, and check out the link to Suzanne:</p> <p><a href="http://www.musicianwages.com/the-working-musician/recording-releasing-performing-cover-songs/">Recording, Releasing, and Performing Cover Songs</a> </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1856 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:26:44 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1856@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I've seen some of the links, but I guess what I'm wondering is, what's the copyright law on performances? Music law is a bit more obscure to look through. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1855 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:59:59 +0000 Joe Stone 1855@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Nick,</p> <p>Have you seen this?</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/t/copyright_center" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/t/copyright_center</a></p> <p>(If you scroll <em>all</em> the way down, you'll see a link called "Copyright" in the footer, along with "Help," etc.) </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1854 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:51:41 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1854@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Okay. I still get the notification each time I go on my account page, though, so I have been wondering about that. Oh well, if they take it down, they take it down. I hope by then I'll have a new set of videos. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1846 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:38:34 +0000 funkyguitar 1846@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I think that video will be fine where it is. I believe the notice you received is merely to acknowledge that the copyright is held by another party. You wouldn't be able to do certain things with the video like earn money based on the number of views. My guess is if they haven't removed it you should be OK. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1844 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:34 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1844@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I got a copyright notice from YouTube for one of my videos. It's a performance of my show band on my ship doing a Tom Jones medley. I got the video from the sound crew after the show; they were filming. There are two other performances from that same show uploaded to my channel, however, I did not get a copyright notice for them. What would be my legal rights to uploading the video, if I even have any? </p> <p>Here's the video in question:</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZpku28BZdA&#038;list=UUgji_RsWg_KUBQL8S4lCH0w&#038;index=4&#038;feature=plcp" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZpku28BZdA&#038;list=UUgji_RsWg_KUBQL8S4lCH0w&#038;index=4&#038;feature=plcp</a></p> <p>Not the greatest video, but until I can get better quality examples of my playing, I kind of need it to stay there. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1843 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:54:27 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1843@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Thanks.</p> <p>With the MXL mics, I kind of am strapped for cash. This recording thing is a trial run, and I'm going to start playing with the gear and try to make YouTube videos of me playing tunes, and myself performing most (if not all) the instruments. The idea is, if I start making bread with this skill, I'll keep upgrading the gear. That being said, I found this:</p> <p><a href="http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=114" rel="nofollow">http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=114</a></p> <p>From what I've found in my internet research, Michael Joly is a well-respected microphone repairman and tinkerer. When I have the bread, he can modify a 990 to sound like its Neumann U 87ai counterpart. After reading off-site reviews of this guy, and hearing his comparisons of the $3500 microphone vs. a modded mic that costs about 10% of that, it seems like a good purchase. I've already exchanged emails with the guy, and he told me to take my time and he'll be there if I decide to go that route. Seems like a very sincere man.</p> <p>As for the Presonus, I've been hearing great things about it, and after running around and shopping the local areas, it seems the Focus Rite Sapphire 8i6 is very well thought of. They go for about $150 used, and I'm going to try to snipe one at around 100 if I can.</p> <p>As for that last paragraph, I couldn't agree more. I'm about as far from a gearhead as one can get, and it took me a while to figure out what amp to buy for my electric. What it comes down to is as long as it's not distorted or busted in some way that keeps it performing at all, I probably won't know the difference. But if I didn't bring my "A" game to the gig, then that will grab my attention. I just had my Fender set up today by a reputable local repairman, and we were talking about gear, and he said he couldn't tell the difference when they used a cheap mic or an expensive one. I bet most people feel the same. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1842 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:53:21 +0000 mscottweber 1842@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Re: MXL mic package<br /> I would ONLY buy that package if I was strapped for cash and desperately in need of a handful of mics for recording something like a drumset. You will get much more use out of the Audio Technica mic mentioned above, or AKG's similarly priced equivilant.</p> <p>Re: SM57 vs Beta 57a<br /> I have no firsthand experience with the Beta 57a, so I cannot speak as to how much better it sounds than the standard SM57. However, the SM57 is a ubiquitous microphone; virtually every pro studio in the world has multiple of these. Not nearly as many studios have the Beta 57a. Also, I used to work at Guitar Center and I know that the profit margin is much higher on the Beta 57a than on the SM57. I am <strong>not</strong> saying that the salesperson was trying to upsell you just to make more money, but you are free to presume whatever you like based on this information.</p> <p>Re: Presonus vs Lexicon<br /> I have no experience with either of these products, but often times a box that costs the same but does less/has fewer features will <strong>perform better</strong> at what features it does have. Also, I know numerous people that have/use various Presonus interfaces (not that particular one) and really like them. I don't know anyone firsthand who has/uses a Lexicon interface. Again, derive from that information what you will.</p> <p>The most important thing to remember, something that can get forgotten quite easily when we start talking about gear and recording techniques and whatnot, is that a mediocre recording of a great performance will trump a great recording of a mediocre performance any day of the week. I'm sure you are a standout player, so I wouldn't stress too much over gear specifics </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1829 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:09:41 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1829@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Thanks.</p> <p>I went and shopped around at the local Guitar Center, and saw this:</p> <p><a href="http://www.mxlmics.com/microphones/900-series/990-991/" rel="nofollow">http://www.mxlmics.com/microphones/900-series/990-991/</a></p> <p>They were selling the package at clearance for $60. Is that a decent buy? The sales guy told me it would sound great on my upright bass and maybe tuba, but trombone might hurt the mic. He also suggested the 57 as well, but suggested the Beta 57a.</p> <p>Also, I forgot I have a BBE 383 preamp for my bass, which was a popular recording preamp a while back, time to dust that off, too.</p> <p>You make a good point, Scott. I'm going to save buying a preamp to the end, and only get it if I need some sound boosting.</p> <p>He also suggested the Presonus AudioBox instead of the Lexicon. He swears it sounds better, and it's roughly the same price, but it only has two channels as opposed to the four of the Lexicon. I'm only planning on recording one instrument at a time, but it would be nice, just in case. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1818 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:49:19 +0000 mscottweber 1818@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hey Nick,</p> <p>I know that you have heard some good things about the ART Tube MP Preamp, but I would probably recommend against getting it. As Cameron and Joe pointed out above, the sound quality you can get out of most current interfaces (even the low-end ones) is surprisingly good, so much so that I doubt the ART preamp would be any improvement at all. Aside from a few discontinued "gems", you pretty much have to shell out $300-$400 minimum for any preamp that will give you a noticably better sound.</p> <p>Again, as stated above, you most likely will not need studio monitors right away, but I would recommend getting a decent pair of headphones, such as <a href="http://www.shure.com/americas/products/earphones-headphones/headphones/srh440-professional-studio-headphones">these</a>, which will probably set you back about $100 or so. Bass and low brass are, obviously, instruments that create a lot of deep, low frequency sound. Having a decent set of headphones that will help you accurately hear those low frequencies will help you record those instruments properly. </p> <p>Also, some acoustic treatment in the room that you plan on recording in will greatly improve the sounds you get in there. There is a lot of information on the web about that, and many cost-effective DIY plans/designs.</p> <p>Those Audio Technica condensor mics, such as the AT2020, are certainly great mics for the price, but you may also want to look into getting a dynamic mic, such as the shure sm57. Both are capable of producing nice brass recordings, but they will sound pretty different from one another. If you google "condensor vs dynamic mic trombone" I'm sure you will find plenty of info on the subject </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1814 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:45:10 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1814@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>That makes me feel even better about getting the AT mics. Thanks!</p> <p>As for monitors, I have a pair of 50w shelf speakers I've been using for the last year. They have a 10" woofer, a 6" mid and a tweeter in each. I've been using an old Crown D60 that belongs to my landlord to power them. They sound pretty good, until I push them too hard. They would be the last thing on my new sound gear list. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1813 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:23:06 +0000 Joe Stone 1813@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I have some friends who <em>really</em> know what they are doing who say the AT mics are really good and generally a bargain.</p> <p>As far as the separate mic pre and interface, I was just pointing that out since Nick asked. Some interfaces have great pres. In fact, I think that nowadays, converters in interfaces and pres are so good the differences for many are subtle.</p> <p>Nick, you may not really even need monitors right now, if all you do is track your instruments. As Cam said, they'll want the raw track to do with it as they please, so once you're done with recording, you just have to make sure what you're sending is okay (levels, no weird problems, dropouts, etc.) and you should be good to go.</p> <p>That being said, good monitors will be nice to have once you decide to do a bit more with your home studio, or if you just get tired of wearing headphones. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/kopete/smile.png&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1811 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:25:21 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1811@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Awesome replies. Thanks,</p> <p>So the AT202 looks like it runs well under $100 these days, and I might just pick that up to start with.that as a mic, then upgrade as I need. Since all of my basses have pickups, that would be the primary source of signal, anyway. Even recording studios like my Underwood on my Kay better than any mic they ever seem to have. And like Cam said, I could upgrade the mic later and still have a use for this one.</p> <p>The Lexicon seems to be going for right at about $120 new on some sites. That seems like a good starter interface as well. Looks like there's decent MIDI support on it, as well, which is attractive to me.</p> <p>The ART preamp still seems like a good idea, too. With its super cheap price, I can't go wrong, anyway.</p> <p>I think I have the beginnings of a decent home studio to fool around with for a while now. Just have to buy them now. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1810 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:58:08 +0000 Cameron Mizell 1810@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hey Nick,</p> <p>Joe's advice is spot on, and I'll add some of my thoughts, share my approach.</p> <p>The most important part of recording is how you play, good ears, and mic placement. I'm sure you've got the first two covered, and with a little practice you'll figure out the last one.</p> <p>Several years ago, when I started doing the home recording thing, I recorded 4 albums using a $100 Audio Technica AT2020, a Lexicon Omega "blem" from MF that came with Cubase LE (all for $140), and a MacBook. I worked within my limitations, found the best spot for the mic on every instrument in whatever room we were in, and made sure every final take was truly a final take.</p> <p>Nobody has ever commented negatively on the production. In fact, some of those albums sell really well and have afforded me nicer recording gear.</p> <p>The most basic technology today is still more advanced than what George Martin used with the Beatles. It's all about how you use it.</p> <p>Whatever your budget is, I think you should spend the most on the mics. Decent mics will never be obsolete. Even if you get something better later, the older ones will always have a use. I don't know if there's a mic that works well for both bass and trombone, but you could figure that out with a little research.</p> <p>Recording mics and live mics are different animals. Except for some dynamic mics like the SM57 or e906 (both could be good for trombone), most studio mics have too "live" of a sound for live use.</p> <p>For the interface, I've been using a Motu Ultralite at home. It has decent preamps built in, and while Joe is right--it's nice to have your preamps and converters separate, I've done a lot of recording with various interfaces that have built in preamps and it always does the trick. I think the new Motu gear can do USB, not just Firewire. Others might have their own recommendations.</p> <p>Another thing to consider, which the Ultralite could handle, is that when you record your bass you might use a mic and a direct out. In other words, you'll want to be able to record at least two tracks at once. Something to keep in mind.</p> <p>Regarding playback: The interface will act as the sound card. The Ultralite has master outputs that I run to my studio monitors, but I've also hooked them up to stereo speakers. Unless you're doing serious mixing, any decent speaker that sounds good to you can do the trick. If you don't have powered studio monitors, you'll need some kind of amp between the interface and speakers.</p> <p>If your goal is to offer a service where you record bone and bass for other people, then I think I've covered everything. You won't have to worry about post production--most people want as raw a track as possible so they can edit it into their mix as they see fit. And the tracks people send you won't be finished anyway, making high end monitors pointless.</p> <p>I think that's most of what I know to help you get started... hope it helps!</p> <p>Joe and others will hopefully have more contributions, too. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1808 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:48:24 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1808@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Cool. Another question:</p> <p>What's a better way for sound playback? This laptop's sound card is godawful, always has been. I have a little M-Audio audio interface that just had an 1/8" in and out, it sounded better, but I still had trouble with MIDI playback when working with Finale (sometimes, the playback is horribly distorted). I was never too worried about MIDI playback because my work involves notation, not sound; but I would like to improve the sound quality of playback if I'm working with sound production. Do I need a separate piece of gear altogether, or do some audio interfaces do that, too? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/nursing-home-gigs#post-1807 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:59:34 +0000 JilinPA 1807@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi Everyone!<br /> I just found this website this morning and already love it! I usually do not take part in forums, but when I found this one I knew I just had to register!<br /> I work in the activities dept in a nursing home that has locations all over the place, and have to say you have been given great advice. We have paid musicians anywhere from 50-150 per hour, but I am sure you could get more at an assisted living/ind.living facility like where my husband works.<br /> I am a musician myself (pianist), and after learning/observing the other musicians doing this I think I am gonna give it a try.<br /> I am just not sure how to report the income at tax time, so I could use some advice if anyone has that experience thanks! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1806 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:58:18 +0000 Joe Stone 1806@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>If you're not recording multiple tracks at once, you don't have to spend a lot on an interface. In fact, you could focus your money on the quality of the mic preamp, whether it's built into the interface or a separate unit like the one you're looking at. Separating the mic pre from the converter allows some flexibility and could alleviate your concern about going obsolete. That said, if what you get sounds good, and continues to work for you, you don't have to worry. USB looks like it's going to stick around for a while. When a device is class-compliant, drivers become much less of an issue. If you're the type that doesn't upgrade your computer nor OS very much, even less of an issue.</p> <p>Four years old isn't too bad. My MacBook Pro will turn three this year. Before I bought that, I was using my MacBook that is even older and slower. Your biggest concern is whether your computer can handle playback of multiple tracks at once, especially while recording. I suspect that's something you'll just have to experiment with.</p> <p>As far as interface, there are lots of nice ones out there now. You may have to make sure what you get can handle the bit depth and rate that any clients desire. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1805 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:04:12 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1805@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I have a Dell Vostro 1700. It's a PC. If everything was in new condition, this thing would be awesome. But it's about four years old now.</p> <p>I don't have Firewire. When it comes to hardware for sound, I'd like to keep it as far away from actual computer audio gear as I can so I'm not worried about it going obsolete in a year or two. But I didn't think about the multiple tracks at once. I don't know if I'd ever do multiple at once; I'd really like to start marketing myself as a musician that can record other tracks for a project out of my own like in this article: <a href="http://www.musicianwages.com/the-working-musician/how-to-be-a-studio-musician-without-leaving-home/" rel="nofollow">http://www.musicianwages.com/the-working-musician/how-to-be-a-studio-musician-without-leaving-home/</a> </p>