Engineer/Producer

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

A: I wish to work with anyone who has an essential story, a gift to give to humanity through their music and presence here.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It's real - and it allows me to fulfill right livelihood according to true conscience.

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

A: E.T. Nada a.k.a. Ervin Bartha, has always had the deepest of connections to music. From his formative years as a small child of four, he encountered the mystical and the mysterious in the music that he heard. Born into a culture that was at the crossroads of east and west, he grew up in an area of Hungary that was the eastern perimeter of the Roman empire, the western perimeter of the Ottoman empire, and home of a people who originally migrated there from the Tibetan plateau. It was a place filled with the music of wandering Gypsies, with Magyar folk melodies and Turkish rhythms. It was the homeland of Liszt, Bartok, Ligeti, Ormandy and Solti, and it magnetically drew the greatest western composers like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, Berlioz, Mahler and Ravel to its exotic cultural and musical blendings like a hive draws honey bees. After his family escaped the Soviet occupation, they moved to Canada. E.T. was an exceptional singer and participated in choirs until he became unshakeably interested in the emergence of rock music – especially hard rock as exemplified by the Yardbirds. Yet he had a notably diverse taste in music even in his early teens. His record collection included all the Yardbirds material, The Planets by Holst, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Julian Bream, Herbie Hancock, Ed Ames, Cream, Bobby Gentry, Balachandar, Berlioz, Strauss, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Renaissance, Led Zeppelin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and on and on... Not only was he interested in playing music, but he was equally attracted to the recording end of things. Eventually he came to manage a rock band, and in the early 1970s decided to build his own recording studio. But just at that juncture, his life received an irreversible shock that precipitated an extraordinary spiritual search for the very root and meaning of existence. He sold his home and all his belongings, and journeyed for the next twenty years in the company of a diverse community of spiritually awakened individuals and teachers. Yet, no matter where he was, E.T. always came into contact with the living heart and essence of music. Whether it was the energetically elevating breath songs of Inuit throat singers, the multi-timbral sacred chants of Tibetan monks, the hymns of the Armenian Apostolic mass, the aural meditations of Gregorian chant, the mystic music of the Sufis or the divine Love-Plays in Classical Indian music and dance, he was continually confronted by the sonic life pulse of the world and universe. So, out of necessity, he was asked to record a wide variety of performers and performances, from the Peking Opera and far Eastern master string players to choirs and organists performing at Chartres and other great Gothic cathedrals to Indian classical music and dance ensembles to the Loseling Tibetan musicians of Drepung monastery to the sonic characteristics of the great Ball Court at Chichen Itza and the temples at Palenque. He even built a recording studio for some rock musician friends in Stockhom, Sweden. Of course, there was a great deal to learn about the root impulses of music from these many master performers, teachers and situations. In essence, much of what is missing from the Western musical traditions could be found in the older traditions of the East. Instead of the western emphasis on personal desire, angst and suffering, the eastern artistic forms still carried the essential human aspirations of genuine gratitude, transformation and transcendence in their core impulses. Virtuosity, the beginning stage of mastery of one's instrument only lays the foundation for the much more important aim of Self Mastery. Self mastery leads to universal service. This vital information led E.T. to a radical new understanding of the higher function of music. Music isn't just an outlet for subjective emotional therapy. It can also be a direct pathway to conscious transformation of both performer and audience. Therefore, the creation of conscious music can play a pivotal role in the development of humanity. With this understanding, E.T. determined that if there was ever an opportunity to return to professional recording again, his primary aim would be to facilitate the conditions necessary for the creation of such music... After many more inner and outer adventures, he finally returned to Canada. After setting up the facilities at ClearLightSound in 2002, he continues to be of service to any who may require his expertise and experience. His attention is focused on invoking the most conscious impressions, expressions and realizations from the musicians, the producers, the technology and from the audience.

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

A: Sheena Grobb - The Breakless Heart. Every song is a gem and the album is a masterpiece. It hasn't even begun to emerge. Engineer and producer.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Video and audio projects

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both, because each fulfills a specific aural function. When skillfully blended they produce better than either alone...

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

A: We aim for excellence and won't stop until we reach and surpass expectations.

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

A: A lot of customers are concerned that what they wish for is going to be impossible to achieve because of financial considerations. It seldom is.

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

A: That somehow, the music has to do with money. It doesn't, and never has.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you wish for your music to express, at the most essential level?

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

A: Come without any expectations or limitations on what you can accomplish. Real Music Is Transformation.

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

A: My custom Gibson 12-string Hummingbird, Zoom H4n (with infinite solar charging capabilities :)), tablas, Neumann KMS-105 with cable, Line 6 DL4 (also solar rechargeable).

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is mutable to the situation and actively receptive in guiding the direction the music takes. I try not to get in the way of the music but let it unfold naturally.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When close miking grand piano, I use at least three mikes to get the full sweep of the instrument, One mike for the bottom end, one for the low to high mids, and one for the high end. Blend and pan each track to give it a really dynamic range and presence in the mix.

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

A: There is no particular type of music that I work on. All types of music can be directed toward a more conscious and compassionate outcome.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Helping to bring the deepest essential expression out of each artist.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: An underlying understanding of what constitutes conscious art, and helping to produce that in each composition.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Preliminary interview to discuss the aim and direction of the project. Setting up a recording date and time. Tracking. Mixing. Consulting with musician(s) on progress of mixes. Finish final mix. Premaster. Send to mastering house... Prefer Abbey Road but whatever will make the client happy.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: ClearLightSound is located in the historical Wolseley district of Winnipeg, the capital of the central Canadian province of Manitoba. The studio is presently located on two levels of a hundred plus year old house. With up to 32 simultaneous tracks available using DAWs like Digital Performer, ProTools and Logic, we can deliver whatever your creativity is willing to explore.

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

A: Tom Dowd, George Martin, Alan Parsons. Al Schmidt.

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

A: Audio recording, engineering, producer. Videography, video editing, post production. Analog to digital conversions and restorations in audio, video and photography.