John Turner

RT 232 Desktop Production II

Assignment #1 – Personal Producer Paper

The first time I meet a client it is always outside of the studio because the reality is that

they may never make it to the studio. It is important that we have a connection and an

understanding. I am always optimistic and give people the benefit of the doubt when we meet but

people’s actions speak volumes. We usually set up a time to meet at Starbucks or a similar

location where we can have a coffee and take some time to get to know each other. I take time to

build rapport with them at the meeting and we do a deep dive into everything about them like

their inspiration, genre they place themselves in, budget, length of time doing music, family

situation, etc.

I make sure to find out what their expectations are of me and to let them know what it is

that I expect. If I feel like we vibe then I make sure I get copies of their music that they want to

record in the studio. We then come make an agreement and we schedule an appointment to get

into the studio. The first time that we get in the studio it is to go over studio etiquette, record

scratch tracks, and to get payment for 50% of the total time the artist will be working in the

studio. The reason for the upfront payment is to ensure the commitment level of the artist the

other 50% will be due when they receive their finished product.

The reason we record the scratch tracks is so I can get a feel for how they perform in the

studio, their comfort level, and so we can have something to reference that is professionally

recorded. After the scratch tracks for the songs have been recorded, I send them home with
copies of the rough version of the song(s) so they can learn the lyrics completely if they don’t

already know them by heart and find things that they would like to change or improve. I give

them a flash drive with their music before they leave the studio, so I don’t forget to send it, or it

does not come through email.

Next, I perform a rough mix and I send it to them within 24 hours from the time we were

in the studio. On the flash drive I have a text document with instructions on how to access our

shared working cloud. Whenever I send something to a client be it by mail or email, I follow up

immediately to ensure they have received it. I only send mail that can be tracked so I know when

it arrives, and I call instantaneously after an email or a file is added to the cloud. I listen to the

scratch tracks also and write all of my feedback in a dedicated notebook for the artist.

The next session is a listening session where we come together to listen to the rough mix

and go over any changes or improvements that we can make. This is an open conversation and I

do my best to be respectful of my client’s hard work, talent, and artistry. I do my best to inspire

with my notes and feedback, but I always ask the client what do they think? My job is to enhance

their art and help to take it to another level not tarnish the integrity of what they have created.

Once we have come to an agreement about what action needs to be taken to improve the

songs then we schedule a time for them to come back to the studio to record all of the changes

and improvements. The goal is to give them time to practice and to get the best performance

possible from them at the same time. We come to the next session and lay down the updated

vocals and make any tweaks that are necessary for the tracks to have the best recording possible.
I give the client a strict 3 to 7-day time period that they will receive the completed mixed version

of their song and at this time we schedule time for their next project. After they are happy with

the finished product this is when I cultivate referrals. I make sure to be a fun guy and have a

sense of humor so that people are more likely to refer me to someone else. I also have a formal

referral system where if an artist refers a new client to me, they get an hour of free studio time.