Music Production and Beyond

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Work hard on perfecting the craft of song writing. Learn how to collaborate with others. Everyone needs help, and you have to have a good team. Find an experienced producer that you can learn from and embrace the process. Oh, and protect your ears! You’re going to need them!

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Working on the KISS “Revenge” record was amazing. I mean, Bob Ezrin was producing. He’s worked with artists like Phish, and Peter Gabriel. It was 3 months of making great songs with some very legendary folks. Even the Winger Bros. made an appearance on the track for Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey movie “God Gave Rock And Roll To You.” Sadly that song was also the last time Eric Carr (former Kiss drummer) ever recorded background vocals before he passed… on the bridge… he did those a few days after open-heart surgery and they gave me goosebumps! Check it out, KISS fans! “To each of us he gave a song to be sung.” I still get chills.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I am lucky that I get to be a part of every band I work with. I do love being behind the scenes, though. Producing and writing music is very gratifying.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Work hard on perfecting the craft of song writing. Learn how to collaborate with others. Everyone needs help, and you have to have a good team. Find an experienced producer that you can learn from and embrace the process. Oh, and protect your ears! You’re going to need them!

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I’ve worked with a number of artists like KISS, Madonna, Kanye West, and Andrea Boccelli! Musically, the differences are vast. One uses different techniques on a rock record versus a hip-hop record versus a classical record, and so on. Studying all these styles helped broaden my skills and make me a much better producer for today’s cross-over genres. The differences are too many to list, but I would say knowing what your artist is looking for and where they’ve come from is the key.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: Stonecutter Recording Studio’s Chief Engineer, Chris Steinmetz, has over 30 years of experience in the record industry, and has worked on gold, platinum, and grammy nominated albums. Steinmetz began his career working as an assistant engineer for Warner Bros. Records in L.A., and then as as a freelancer. As an engineer in Los Angeles, he has worked with Paul Simon (Graceland), John Denver, David Lee Roth and Producer Michael Wagener, for whom he engineered many classic 80s hard rock albums. During his time in LA, Steinmetz also did freelance work for many other bands such as Kiss (with Producer Bob Ezrin), Suicidal Tendencies, and Alice in Chains – as well as many feature films. After returning to his native Chicago, Steinmetz served as Chief Engineer at Chicago Trax and then later as Senior Music Producer / Engineer at the Chicago Recording Company (CRC). There, Steinmetz’ clients represented some the top names in hard rock and hip-hop. He received credits on albums by Kanye West, Disturbed, Rihanna, Twista, Lil Jon, Usher, E-dub, and Jin, with all going platinum or gold. During this time, Steinmetz also helped to pioneer the field of music mixing in 5.1 Surround Sound. Opened in April of 2012, Stonecutter Recording Studios is excited to continue its mission of capturing exceptional performances for artists at any level to share with an ever-expanding world community. With the scenic backdrop of the Chicago skyline and lakefront as inspiration, Stonecutter Recording Studios promises a good time along with all of the professionalism and experience expected in the creation of great sounding music.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: One big reason why most of the mixing engineers moved to the digital realm is the ease to revisit the projects without needing to re-wire the whole circuit. We can still get the best of both the worlds with the right approach. For e.g. the input from a Neumann M149 microphone in our studio passes through a series of legendary pre-amps and compressors to enhance it's sonic quality before entering the digital realm of pro-tools to be further processed with the latest and sophisticated plugins.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Chris Steinmetz, brings his 30 years of experience into each song that we work on. Steinmetz’s experience as a producer and recording engineer is legendary. Working with the like of Paul Simon (Graceland), John Denver, David Lee Roth, Producer Michael Wagener, Kanye West, Disturbed, Rihanna, Twista, Lil Jon, Usher, E-dub, and Jin, bands such as Kiss (with Producer Bob Ezrin), Suicidal Tendencies, and Alice in Chains and feature films gives him a unique position of knowing what it takes to create songs that are musically superior and commercially successful.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: We believe in being a part of the team right from the initial stage of song-writing while allowing the creative freedom to the songwriters. This would help them arrive at a finished song much sooner and start the production process. We have a team of in-house musicians and producers who assist the clients to give sound to their ideas.The state of the art recording equipment and the informal ambience of the studio bring out the best in the artists.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Our amazing sounding studio is equipped with a fully loaded Pro Tools HD system, Vintage Neve 1073s and a desirable collection of both modern and vintage gear. In addition, our large live room has high ceilings and unique surfaces that capture a wide array of unique acoustics. We take the clients beyond the traditional recording equipment to bring out the best in their recordings. Our highly experienced and skilled production team, paired with some of the best instruments and amplifiers help our clients to take their music to the next level.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: In addition to all the traditional services expected from a professional recording studio, i.e. recording, mixing, mastering and production, the studio provides audio / video services and marketing for bands online by giving fans access into the recording sessions through the streaming videos.