Music Production and Vocalist

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Lainy C. is a phenomenal vocalist, man! Hire her!

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: In 2016 I got hired to produce several of the tracks on Jennifer McGill's debut solo album titled "Unbreakable." (You can check her out on all the major platforms, and at www.jennifermcgill.com.) Jennifer was a star on the New Mickey Mouse Club show in the 90s and is seriously one of the most talented vocalists I've ever heard. She's truly amazing. One of the tracks on the album, titled "Fearless," which I produced solely, was reviewed by CCM Magazine (who gave the album 4 out of 5 stars) and was voted their favorite track on the record. That was pretty cool! By the way, she's currently available for hire as a vocalist through JBO Music Productions!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now a little bit of everything. I'm producing and doing some vocals for a client who's writing a musical, so that's a lot of fun. It's great when I get to do something a little bit different like that! And of course there are plenty of pop and country tracks on the slate!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. There's room for both. But these days the digital emulations of analog gear have leveled the playing field. We can get sound quality in the box, beautifully saturated tones in the digital domain that used to only be available to the "big guys," the guys with 250 grand worth of outboard gear. Not so anymore! We do employ some gear... preamps, compressors, limiters, reverbs and such, but we also use a lot of Slate and UA plugs.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That I can't afford to let you walk away unhappy. That I'll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen. I can't say we've never had an unsatisfied client... music is SUCH a subjective thing!... but I CAN say we haven't had many! And in each of those cases we bent over backward to give the client exactly what he or she wanted. So my promise is that we'll work hard for you and your song to make it come to life just as you imagined it!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the work, but I also love the freedom it gives me. I can set my own schedule, which is always a nice thing.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: They usually want to talk about cost! Actually they often want to know what I think of their song. They want some feedback. They want to know if I like it. They want to know how they can make it better, even before we start working on it. I am always more than happy to help! I've got a great knowledge of song structure, probably because I've produced thousands of songs!

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That we're just pressing buttons! No, no.... there's a bit more involved in it than that. Software has made things easier, but from pre-production to tracking to post-production to revision, I'll have around 20 hours minimum in each project. It is a very, very detailed process.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I touched on this earlier: "What's your vision for this song?" "What kind of instruments would you like?" "What kind of singer/voice?" "What famous band or artist could you hear singing this song?" "Is there a song out there with a sound that you would like your song to be similar to?" These kinds of questions help me as a producer to get a better idea of what the writer is going for. We also will discuss the songwriting process... What the writer was feeling when she/he wrote it, etc.

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

A: I think the most important thing that people forget or don't think about is that forging a relationship with a producer is a very personal thing. Music is personal. So if you're a writer or an artist, you've poured your heart and soul, in a very real way, into your music. I understand that, because I'm also a writer and an artist. It's important to consider that, when hiring a producer, talent isn't the only consideration. You should LIKE the person who's producing your music. You should be able to freely express ideas with your producer without feeling shy about it. I've met a LOT of super talented people that no one wants to work with because they're either know-it-alls who won't consider others' ideas, or because they're rude or just mean-spirited in general. One thing that I really pride myself in is that I always try to remember how important this job is, how much music means to people. And I try hard to treat each client and each song with the respect and care it (and they) deserves.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: I'm assuming we have power?? :) My Taylor dread; my Komplete Kontrol 88; a laptop loaded to the gills; my apollo twin; and my Slate VMS ML1 mic.

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

A: I have owned and operated JBO Music Productions full time since 2015. Prior to that I worked in the building products industry which was lucrative, but I hated it. My wife encouraged me to produce full time since I've been doing side productions since the 90s. It was a scary leap at first, but I'm proud to say our client list has grown tremendously over the past 4 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I really dig blending modern and organic elements. I think that's probably my signature if I have one at this point. Like, acoustic guitar licks on a pop track. Or live drums with electronic... an 808 or something like that. I'm always looking for really interesting ways to blend sonic elements to try to create something that sounds big, full, and expensive.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I'm gonna say Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars. For obvious reasons. Oh, and Maren Morris. She rocks!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you're tracking live, gain staging is everything. If you're tracking in the box, beware of too many tracks in one song! There is definitely a saturation point, and "Less is more" is a real thing!

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

A: Like I said, these days I'm doing a lot of modern country and pop. But I also love to produce rock and CCM, and even the odd hip-hop track!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think I covered that in the previous question, but I'll reiterate one point: I'm often told I have an excellent ear for production and for detail.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: As a producer, I think my strongest attribute is my attention to detail. I ALWAYS start a project by considering the lyrics. What sounds or instruments will serve what this song is trying to say? What arrangement will serve the song best? I'm also multi-instrumental myself, so that's very helpful. I was trained as a classical vocalist (I have a degree in voice), I play keys, rhythm guitars, and drums, and I have a strong working knowledge of theory. So I understand how music should fit together in an arrangement, like pieces of a puzzle. At any rate, on every project I do, my goal is always the same: to blow the client's mind.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It depends. If we're talking about a demo for a songwriter, I will ask the writer to email us a basic song sketch. This can be as simple as a solo vocal sung into a phone. We just need to be able to hear how the song goes... the melody, the basic rhythmic cadence of the lyrics, etc. Of course if the client has a rough demo with instruments, that's totally fine, too! Once we have the sketch, I'll circle back with the client and ask a few questions: "What's your vision for this song?" "What kind of instruments would you like?" "What kind of singer?" "What famous band or artist could you hear singing this song?" "Is there a song out there with a sound that you would like your song to be similar to?" These kinds of questions help me as a producer to get a better idea of what the writer is going for. After that, we get to work! We sometimes track all at the same time in a single day, but often we lay down tracks in stages. We may do the rhythm tracks one day and guitars and vocals another. It just depends. Often our session guys work out of their homes... That's the main way we're able to keep costs down. Now of course this prohibits clients from actually being able to be at the session, but our clients find that they appreciate the cost savings... PLUS we ALWAYS offer revisions! So we'll generally turnaround a first draft around in about 5 to 7 business days for the typical song, and then send it to the client for notes. Once we have the client's notes, we'll fix whatever we did wrong the first time. We can't afford to let our clients walk away unhappy!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We actually function as a studio network of sorts. We track at a great boutique studio called The Facility Nashville, which is, of course, in Nashville! Beautiful room, acoustically fabulous. David, the studio engineer, has a gear list a mile long. You can check it out at www.thefacilitynashville.com. We often track vocals on a Telefunken u47, although lately I've really been enjoying the options I find with the Slate VMS. As far as software goes, you name it and we probably got it. I love the Output suite of sounds/synths/pulse engines for producing pop and even modern country. Our guitarists are some of the best in Nashville... Seriously. Guys who are regular session players but also play on the road with the likes of bands like Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts.

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

A: Lately I've been producing a lot of pop and modern country. So there are producers and writers out there like Mark Ronson, Max Martin, and Chris Destefano--among many others--whose stuff I listen to and think, "How inventive!" It's influences like these that inspire me to think outside the box as a producer.

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

A: Our business is about 70% songwriter demos and 30% EP/LP projects, if we're talking in terms of the kind of production we typically do. We pretty much do it all: producing, instrument tracking, vocal tracking/comping/tuning, mixing/mastering... you name it!