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Shown L-R: panel moderator and Guitar Player magazine editor Michael Molenda; artist/producer/engineer Butch Walker (Pink, Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites); Harvey Mason Jr. of the producer/songwriting team The Underdogs (Dreamgirls, Ruben Studdard, Aretha Franklin); artist/producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo (Coldplay, Seal, Pete Townshend); and engineer/producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mars Volta).

Shown L-R: panel moderator and Guitar Player magazine editor Michael Molenda; artist/producer/engineer Butch Walker (Pink, Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites); P&E Wing Executive Director Maureen Droney; artist/producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo (Coldplay, Seal, Pete Townshend); engineer/producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mars Volta); Lizzy Moore, West Regional Director of The Recording Academy®; and Harvey Mason Jr. of the producer/songwriting team The Underdogs (Dreamgirls, Ruben Studdard, Aretha Franklin).


PRESS RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


THE 14TH ANNUAL GRAMMY® PRODUCERS SOUNDTABLE
ASKS THE QUESTION: "WHAT'S IN YOUR RACK?"

Top Producers/Engineers/Mixers Harvey Mason Jr. of Production Team The Underdogs,
Nick Raskulinecz, Carmen Rizzo, and Butch Walker Discussed How Technology and Creativity Can Coexist and How the World of the Recording Studio Has Changed

The Latest in an Ongoing Series Sponsored by The Producers & Engineers Wing of
The Recording Academy® Sheds New Light on How the Culture of Creating and
Recording Music Continues to Evolve in the Digital Era

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy®, the organization that produces the music industry's highest honors, the GRAMMY® Awards, held its 14th annual GRAMMY Producers SoundTable on Jan. 20, 2007, at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel. The panel took place during the 2007 Winter NAMM Show, the world's leading exposition of musical instruments and professional audio technology. This year's SoundTable was titled "What's In Your Rack? Top Music Producers Sound Off On How We Work Today" and featured an all-star lineup of panelists: Harvey Mason Jr. of the producer/songwriting team The Underdogs (Dreamgirls, Ruben Studdard, Aretha Franklin); engineer/producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mars Volta); artist/producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo (Coldplay, Seal, Pete Townshend); and artist/producer/engineer Butch Walker (Pink, Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites). Guitar Player magazine editor Michael Molenda moderated the panel.

"What's In Your Rack" examined the diversity of modern recording techniques. Nick Raskulinecz remains a devotee of the conventional studio as creative and technical hub. "Making a record is like a camping trip, where you've got a bunch of people hanging out together all the time," he said. "And we huddle around the console the way you hang out around the campfire."

On the other hand, two-time GRAMMY nominee Carmen Rizzo underscored his strong interest in electronica and computer-based recording when he stated bluntly, "I hate studios. I like to record everywhere but a studio, and a laptop loaded with Pro Tools is my best friend." Rizzo, who was a key figure in pushing for the new Best Electronic/Dance Album category, described a variety of non-traditional studio situations he's recorded in, including working with Pete Townshend on a barge in the UK on the River Thames. He pointed out that the power of new recording software meant that such "location" recording offered a unique experience without any compromising of professional-level sound quality.

Butch Walker reflected the middle ground when he said, "It's not about finding the perfect sound, but finding the right vibe," adding that the overall emotional power of a song and its performance had to be considered more important than "perfect" tracks: "The sound of a kick drum won't change someone's life."

As always happens when you put two or more audio pros in the same room, the talk turned to gear, and attendees at "What's in Your Rack?" enjoyed a spirited discussion of favorite microphones, compressors, effects units and software, and frequently spoke of the rewards of pushing technology to its limits in order to get unusual, ear-catching sounds. Toward the end of the SoundTable, the panelists happily fielded questions from the audience, dispensing advice on such topics as the proper way to lay in backing vocals, the trick to getting bass and kick drum tracks to groove together, and the importance of mastering. But all the panelists echoed the idea that, whatever the recording situation or set-up, an ear for artistry has to trump any concerns with technology. "It's easy to get so distracted by technology that you lose sight of the song," said Raskulinecz.

Photo File: WhatsInYourRack1.JPG
Photo Caption: Shown L-R: panel moderator and Guitar Player magazine editor Michael Molenda; artist/producer/engineer Butch Walker (Pink, Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites); Harvey Mason Jr. of the producer/songwriting team The Underdogs (Dreamgirls, Ruben Studdard, Aretha Franklin); artist/producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo (Coldplay, Seal, Pete Townshend); and engineer/producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mars Volta).

Photo File: WhatsInYourRack2.JPG
Photo Caption: Shown L-R: panel moderator and Guitar Player magazine editor Michael Molenda; artist/producer/engineer Butch Walker (Pink, Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites); P&E Wing Executive Director Maureen Droney; artist/producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo (Coldplay, Seal, Pete Townshend); engineer/producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mars Volta); Lizzy Moore, West Regional Director of The Recording Academy®; and Harvey Mason Jr. of the producer/songwriting team The Underdogs (Dreamgirls, Ruben Studdard, Aretha Franklin).

Photos courtesy of The Recording Academy®
Photograph by: Maury Phillips/WireImage.com ©2007

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs — including the creation of the national public education campaign What's The Download® (WhatsTheDownload.com). For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.

Currently, 6,000 professionals comprise the Producers & Engineers Wing, which was established for producers, engineers, remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related creative and technical professionals in the recording community. This organized voice for the creative and technical recording community addresses issues that affect the craft of recorded music, while ensuring its role in the development of new technologies, recording and mastering recommendations, and archiving and preservation initiatives. The Wing builds on the existing regional professional development activities of The Recording Academy, which include workshops, forums and panel discussions, and other recording technology-related events, all occurring locally and nationally throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.grammy.com.

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Media Contacts:
Robert Clyne/Clyne Media, Inc./615.662.1616/robert@clynemedia.com
Lisa Roy/626.395.0163/lisaroyaudio@mac.com
Barb Dehgan/The Recording Academy/310.392.3777

 

 


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