Submit Your Music

Orahsounz Studio Projects is now taking submissions for an upcoming film called 16 Bars. Check out IMDB for more information about the movie.

16 Bars The Movie; Click Here

Send your music to orahsounz2.4@gmail.com. Be sure to include all of your information such artist name, label if applicable, song title, PRO (Performance Rights Org: BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, SOUNDEXCHANGE). 

Not every song will be accepted or used, but it will get heard. Links are good to go too, if you have one, send it.

SUBMIT YOUR SONGS HERE

Scaling Down to Build Up

Since the late 90's mid-2000's, my personal studio has gone through multiple changes. The one thing that has never changed is my ability to keep building my catalog. As I keep up with the latest trends for producers and songwriters currently doing their thing, I notice a change in my thinking.

Outboard gear is now called software. Programming sounds, edited samples, vocals, even how you record has all changed. And I think it's great! At any given moment, I now have all the space I need to create with all the necessary software too. Don't get me wrong, I am still a hands-on type of producer. I still love my outboard gear, but what I love most is the capability to switch back and forth between.

If you are like me and you are trying to decide whether to keep your outboard gear or not, I want to give you the top 5 reasons that help me in deciding to scale down or not.

#1 Workflow - This is crucial to your creative process. What I ask myself every time I sit down to write, is how am I going to fly through? I think of this like a cockpit of a huge cargo plane. I have all my instruments, landing gear blah, blah, blah. I want to be able to take off, fly and land smoothly. I may run into turbulence here and there (interruptions), but at least I will be able to run my plane as I need in order to fly.

#2 Reproduction - The whole idea behind this is yet another question. Can I emulate the sounds I want from the software as I had it on the outboard gear? The answer is nearly 100% of the time is yes! The other question is really because I started out on a Korg DW 8000, I quickly adapted to creating my own sounds. So I ask myself through the software I am using, can I create a sound from scratch? Again the answer is yes!

#3 Recording- I am not going to go into serious reasons with this one because I believe its obvious with this one. The advancement of Avid's Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Sonar, Cubase etc, allows each user to adapt to how they record vocals, instruments or what have you. Choose your weapon and get on the field. My weapons choice are Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Native Instruments Komplete, Reason (rarely, but I like the flow).

#4 Trouble Shooting - A lot of people don't really talk about all the problems they can run into while trying to accomplish their next hit recording session. However, we cannot avoid a problem all the time when searching for greatness. Make sure you know what you need to do when you need to do it and what really matters most is how often. If a particular download is constantly causing you issues, remember, you're flying high. You can't possibly be at sound mind when your engine goes out at an altitude of 30000 ft.  Worst case scenario, I would suggest you dump that junk, slide it to the trash and look for something better. Nothing like a bug that never gets fixed.

#5 Compatibility - If you want to bring a sound into your software or export out, can you do it? I have learned how to integrate my old outboard gear to my new software and I can sometimes reverse the process on this too. Some days I may want to work with my MPC 3000 to do beats instead of taping the keys and vice versa. I got to have my compatibility in check.

You got this and if there is something you can't figure out then there are plenty of youtube videos for just about anything you can run into.

Go get creative!!!

New Perspective

I must admit, I have been neglecting this blog. We all have a lot happening whether you're just trying to keep up or you're starting something new. No matter what it is, I want to share with you what I share with an artist earlier this evening.

Sometimes when we take ourselves off the chosen path we want to start all over. Hit the proverbial reset button if you will. I confess, I began the same thing I started many times over. Here's the point I am trying to make. Start over, hit the reset button is all nonsense. Think about it, do you really want to start over after all that you have gone through? Do you really want to rewind to those parts of your life where you are gaining the experience you have now? That would be crazy, right?

As I explained to the artist I spoke with,  you spent time, valuable precious time getting where you are now. All that means something, I mean it has to right? Telling yourself you are starting over is, in a way, a submission to defeat. As a producer/songwriter, it's my job to use whatever an artist has inside them and bring it out. Even if that artist claim to have gotten off track, the answer is not to start over. There is power in your words, why not say to yourself that you can reinvent rather than start a new. The experience you gained can be used to gain more experience. The words you say to yourself can be used as tools to build or rebuild on the foundation you spent so much time establishing.

This is could be a great way to have a new mindset when you start thinking of starting over. The reinvention of oneself has been a focal point for many well-known people. Think about the careers of Steve Jobs, Dale Carnegie,  Oprah Winfrey, Les Brown, Tony Robins, Barack Obama and action movie star Robert Downey Jr. All chose to reinvent who they already were to become who we know of them today. It's arguable that reinvention may be a necessary process for your future self.

If you're reading this, might I suggest that you find a way to reinvent YOU rather than saying you're starting all over? Look at what you have accomplished and start there. That's a foundation that you have spent a good part of your life, use it. Maya Angelou once said, "I will take nothing for my journey now". There is no starting over, no reset button. Use your gifts and become you!

This Year: Mind Your Business

Check out this YT vid I found. Give some feedback.

Music Marketing Strategy

2017 and The New Year

In comes the New Year, new ideas, new innovation, new technology, new thoughts, new problems, new solutions. Everything has to be new, but why? I mean really, who wants old things to keep going on and on, right? I hope you said that you don't!

Not only will the old make for a very boring and mundane life, but your personal growth will be halted at the gates for anything that will be great and purposeful for you. The future is not written yet, however, many people do not realize how their present situation can follow them right up to the point of their deaths if they don't succumb to the "new". I know it sounds morbid, but it is a reality that we must all face.

Here's the thing, we all want something new because we all strive to be better or for things to be better. As a songwriter, producer, engineer I write new music in hopes that my new creation will bring about a new situation. That situation could be to advance our status once again to platinum records sales or open up doors for various avenues in which our music can be heard. Each year, we look for the same vision but in different ways that will result in different outcomes. We call this opportunity!

We look to depend solely on our team of artist, musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers to create the vision we see every day. If you want to glance into your personal future, I am going to make a recommendation right now. I am going to show you exactly how you can predict what you will be doing next year almost to the minute. Are you ready? Ok here it goes.

Today, January 1, 2017, ask yourself what you will be doing on June 1, 2017. Then ask yourself that if you accomplished what you need on June 1, 2017, then what will you be doing on December 31, 2017. If the answer to your question was any of the following:

• I don't know, how am I suppose to know
•  I don't know what I am doing tomorrow
• I have it all mapped out in general. 

If you answered in the above manner, then my friend, the old you is and apparently has been affecting you into these past few new years that you have experienced.

If it sounds familiar then you know what I am saying is right. New Year, old you is a mindset that you have not addressed and dealt with...at all. Only 2% of people will set out to change their life as they know it and accomplish what they set out to do. Where are you in that mix?

If you haven't realized yet, I am talking about the personal development of your mind and not anything else. Wisdom is the key to a better future. You can only get wisdom through experiences you find in books, place, people or situations. And in most cases all four. This is a hardcore fact.

Don't believe me? Run a scenario in your mind on these common life experiences: Pay a bill late ( what is the result and what do you try to do the next time? ), tell someone you love (or hate) them ( what then will you gain or lose if you did this? ). The point is, with each example above there is an effect against the cause but it all educates you for another time.

If in the next time you correct yourself from the previous experience, you will have gained wisdom. Now, all you have to do is put a little thought into your action before you act and you will be wise. I will go on to say that if you repeat the same action as before, then this is called poor judgment and that poor judgment will lead into a pattern or habit so on and so forth.

How does this all tie into the future? If you have a new idea about anything, the trick is to get right on it. We all had great ideas before, but a "new you" will think it through this time around. You have learned from many times before how your new idea just sat and sat until you totally forgot about it and that idea was no more.

You can plant checkpoints throughout your entire thought process. I said before sometimes we have the effect against the cause, a thought process will allow you to have cause that will net you the desired effect if done properly. You don't have to be where you were many years ago. You don't have to be where you are now.

If you develop your mind and how it processes new things, your change will be realized. Allow yourself to experience as many things, people, places, situations (good ones of course) as possible. It will only bring about more wisdom and you can use that wisdom to create a true New Year, New You!!!

Take the risk and go for it!!!

Ideas

Great ideas seem to come from no where in particular. They can be sparked by the rarest and most insignificant events. I approach songwriting a lot like I approach certain decisions in life. I deliberate over the best possible decision with the information I have at hand. I weigh the pros and cons and then decided. Love songs can be made simple, but you can twist the story to make stand out. Sometimes opposites do attract. Love/Hate, Hot/Cold, Known/Unknown, imagine using these when speaking about someone you love (or hate). How would you use them to make your song "pop"? The ideas you can come with are important whether they're hot or not. Throw nothing away, keep eveything. You never know where you next song idea will come from. Keep it simple

Don't Quit

Those of you who are considering quitting as an option, read the title of this post and run with it. Quitting gains no results. Quitting is an evident sign of defeat. Quitting establishes a decent to a lifelong remorse. If you feel like you want to quit, I can tell you now that the most important reason why you shouldn't. You are more important in your future if you persevere in your present!

Truthful Thursday

A hurting soul is an awesome songwriter

Truthful Thursday

Doubt is a serial killer that targets the creative.

Orahsounz Studio

Challenges for the Creative

This post is just to help those who are still chasing their dream of making it in the music business. It may not matter whether you are a major, an indie or an artist just starting out, now is not the time to quit.

Now is the time to dig deep into your creative soul and bring forth the music that will help change the world as we know it. What is going on in our country has impacted each and every one of us whether we know it or not. If it hasn't reached you directly, then you are blessed, but think about your friends and family members who may be going through a rough time.

In the same manner you may have all you need to make and record the songs within your heart right now, but if you don't, do not despair there is still hope. Right now is the best time to get off your assets and stop being a liability to your musical career.

Just think about all the options you have out there to create and record music. Stand-alone recorders, virtual recording systems, hardware, software, interfaces, big computers, small computers all of these are used to make music.

So what is your excuse today? No money? Get a job. Can't find job, keep looking in your area or get a family member who is doing OK to put up some money. Family member wants to be involved with your musical career? Fine, put the label on them as executive producer, take away their creative input, you run the show. The point I'm trying to make is this; there are still options on the table even during these incredulous times.

I'm not sure if you noticed this or not, when watching all the bad news about all the financial firms going belly up, what record companies are you hearing about? What movie studios are you hearing about that are in the same crisis as a AIG or a Lehmen Brothers? None! What you may hear is that they are still putting out records, still putting out movies.

In times like this, people want so much not to think about the thorn in their side that they will turn to the only other thing other than God, that will take them away: entertainment. Your music could be the music a person can hear to let them know they can make it through. Your song could be the song that reaches an even wider audience in a film when person's hero is going through the tough time just to get to the victory that ends the movie.

That's what we call inspiration. Music is a universal language. We creators of music have the ability to capture a certain emotion and drive a listener to do remarkable things all within 4 minute, or less period.

In closing, just read up on your possibilities of making your music. If you got the money or the equipment, put out some records so we can check it out. If you don't have it, a place like Guitar Center will advise you on those possibilities you are looking for. They even let you test gear that you are considering.

Just don't ever say that things are so bad that I have to put off my dreams to do something else I dread. When you get to that point, you my have missed your opportunity have the next great musician behind you grow up listening to you. Take time to think on this, then go get creative!

MRK