Pro Studio Live Artist development and A and R [TUTORiAL]

In this episode, A&R guru and record producer Mark Mazzetti discusses all things related to artist development.

Tune in to this episode for some valuable artist development and production knowledge from Mark Mazzetti, A&R guru, record producer, and expert on all things related to artist development. In this episode, Mark discusses the process of making a record, from the perspective of both the artist and as an A&R exec. Watch this episode to learn about the different members of a good music production team, and how to fit yourself into a good production team. The episode starts with Mark’s background and with a definition and discussion of what his current job and role entails. He talks us through different perspectives on the discovery process, pitching a demo, and the artist development process. You’ll learn about the A&R process, including extensive detail and valuable advice on the pre-production and arranging processes. Throughout the episode, we use a couple of tracks by the band, Black Tie Stereo, as examples for our discussion. For added perspective, we are joined in studio by two of the band members, as well as the engineer for their current record, Brian Scheuble. Sprinkled throughout, you’ll hear stories from Mark’s experience with artists like The Police, Janet Jackson, and Sting. This episode covers everything from details on engineering the Black Tie Stereo tracks with Brian, to valuable information for musicians on how to get their music out there. There’s so much valuable information in this episode; you won’t want to miss it!

In this episode you will see:

Episode 1

• 1.1 Intro
• Introducing Mark
• 1.2: Mark’s Background
• How Mark got his start in the industry
• Mark’s musical background and education
• 1.3: Defining Mark’s Job & His Current Work
• Mark defines what service he provides to the artist
• What Mark is currently doing
• 1.4: Discovery
• Tips and advice for finding the talent and/or finding someone like Mark
• How technology and access for discovery has changed over the years
• Advice for artists before they even try to be discovered
• When an artist should reach out
• Ways to improve your odds of discovery as an artist
• A discussion of the 30 second rule
• How to filter through all the information out there, to get good information
• Strategy advice for developing your talent
• 1.5 Artist Development
• First steps when working with an artist
• Different types of artists, and how Mark works with them differently
• How he guides artists through their development phase: studying that he recommends, etc
• Using example and direct critiques to guide and develop an artist
• How to submit a song to Mark
• What an A&R person does during studio sessions
• How he guides an artist’s writing
• Different levels of success
• How he gets involved with artists in terms of writing and composing
• Breaking the ice with nervous artists
• How to be honest with an artist: the line between brutally honest and more tactful
• Qualities found in artists that he continues to work with
• Stories from working with artists like Janet Jackson and Sting

Episode 2

• 2.1 Pitching a Demo
• Best way to pitch a demo to a big artist
• 2.2 A & R
• Definition of A & R
• A&R as an art
• Being there to make sure the artist doesn’t miss their own vision
• The role of intuition in the job
• Working with Fleetwood Mac and Paul McCartney
• Looking at an artist’s past to plan their future
• Evaluating songs and artists with their future plan in mind
• Lending another perspective
• Dealing with writer’s block
• When to decide to shift from writing to making a record
• Age and working with artists
• Dealing with band dynamics and the importance of being sociable
• What licensing agencies tend to look for
• 2.3 Pre-Production and Arranging
• Advice on pre-production and arranging phases
• Focusing on performance and feel over technical
• Tempo and timing considerations
• A discussion on orchestration
• Mark’s musical experiences over the years: instruments that he’s played, how he got into A&R
• The importance of assembling your team
• The complex relationships in a band
• More stories from working with artists like The Police, Janet Jackson, Sting, etc
• Trusting what the artist wants to do: the balance of giving feedback without trampling the artist
• Advice for playing live during pre-production

Episode 3

• 3.1 Introducing Brian Scheuble
• We welcome engineer Brian Scheuble into the studio for the engineer’s perspective
• 3.2 Audience Questions
• Common misconceptions made by artists
• How Mark and Brian tend to charge: pricing structures and considerations
• 3.3 Black Tie Stereo Track
• Discussion of this episode’s featured track by Black Tie Stereo
• Some considerations Brian Scheuble made while tracking this
• Brian’s opinions on some mixing consoles
• A general discussion of the tracking process
• Listening to the track
• Isolation of some microphones within the song, while Brian explains what each track is
• What Brian looks to get captured going into the studio, and their experience with this band
• Discussion with Brian Scheuble about Tracking with specifics on this track in particular
• Value of making room for others to contribute: deferring to the experts
• 3.4 The Tracking Process
• Tracking a band live vs separated
• Brian talks about recording Bono and The Edge
• Brian tells us about working with Don Henley
• Studio musicians vs bands, and working with each
• Educating your clients
• 3.5 Return to Black Tie Stereo Track
• Characteristics of bands that become successful
• A discussion of working with Black Tie Stereo
• Listening to the track as a whole
• Discussing the elements of the track
• How Brian got started
• 3.6 Mastering
• Brian and Mark’s take on mastering
• Mastering your own mix
• What Brian does on his master bus
• 3.7 How They Met
• How Brian and Mark met
• What makes people recommend you to others
• Talking about A&M
• 3.8 How to Prepare for the Studio
• Advice for bands coming to record in a studio like Signature Sound
• What to prepare in terms of orchestration
• Things to bring to the studio
• 3.9 Audience Questions
• Brian’s opinion on Summing Tools
• Brian answers an audience question about in the box vs outboard summing, differences that he’s noticed
• A discussion of when Brian and Mark disagree, how they handle it, etc
• Working with others in the studio

Episode 4

• 4.1 Introduction
• We bring two members from the band, Black Tie Stereo, into the studio with us
• 4.2 Track Discussion
• We listen to a different track
• Discussion of how the song came about in terms of arrangement
• Specific sounds that the band wanted starting out on this track
• Combining live with programmed sounds
• What they struggled with with this track
• 4.3 Audience Questions
• Working remotely vs in person
• Advice for working with a mixing engineer
• Communicating with your team
• Forging relationships with venues
• The importance of being diverse as a band
• Lyrics and writing advice
• 4.4 Advice for Bands: Getting Your Music Out There
• Next steps for a band like Black Tie Stereo
• How to send a track to an A&R person
• Number of streams and plays on social media and how it affects discovery
• Key indicators that promotion people look for
• Doing commercials for branding
• Advice for reinvesting in yourself as a band
• Getting your name out there as a band

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