Editors: Fran (The LJETPRO) Allen-Leake

and Danny (The URBAN G) Leake

Volume 25, Number 9 • September, 2010

President – Blaise Barton Vice President – Reid Hyams Secretary – Bob Vodick Treasurer – Eric Roth

OCTOBER MEETING

EARS Welcomes Special Guest Jim Gaines at Uptown

Recording Studio Tuesday, September 28th • 7:30 P.M. – 11 P.M.

4656 N. Clifton, Chicago, IL – 773-271-5119

A Word from the Prez.....

"One day you turn around and it's summer Next day you turn around and it's fall And all the winters and the springs of a lifetime Whatever happened to them all?"

Frank Sinatra, "September of My Years" 1965.

(Composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn)

Now, call me a square (or whatever), but this record is just ridiculously good, made like most records in

1965, with the orchestra and singer cut live in the same room. Frank was 50 in 1965 and at the peak of

his powers. There’re no swinging tunes about champagne or cocaine, here. Thematically the album

contrasts the onset of fall and winter with the reflections and ruminations of a man who is entering his

golden years. Unlike my weak attempt here to use this song as a segue into the fact that it's September

and that summer is basically over, the metaphor works well. But whether you dig Sinatra or not, you

should check out this record if only for the sound of the recording. It is stunning in its clarity, separation,

depth, and tonal balance. The engineers and technicians who made this recording really perfected what

is now becoming a lost art; how to capture a live band and singer to 2-track (or 1-track for that matter).

But enough kvetching about the end of summer and the demise of live to 2-track recording. It's time to

get down and do some fun EARS stuff.

EARS is proud to present yet another installation in our series of "face-to-face" meetings with world

class producers, mixers, and engineers. (We say "face-to face" because we invite our guests into the

meetings using the marvel of Skype).

Folks, we have a very special guest joining us at this month's meeting (via Skype), a multi-platinum,

Grammy winning, iconic producer/engineer and a true Southern gentleman, MR. JIM GAINES. You may

be familiar with some of his work on oh say tracks like... "FLY LIKE AN EAGLE" (Steve Miller Band) "THE

HEART OF ROCK N' ROLL" (Huey Lewis), or "THE GAME OF LOVE" (Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch).

He has many tales about the artists he's worked with and he loves to share them, much to our delight. I

had the privilege and pleasure of hearing some of these stories while working side by side with Jim for a

whole week at JoyRide Studio on a live record for Albert Cummings. I could hardly believe it when the

label told me that I was going to mix and Jim would produce. In my head I'm saying, "Why am I mixing

this? You've got THE man right here". I was nervous at the outset but Gaines has such a disarming and

affable style, before long we found our groove and luckily I was able to glean a few tricks along the way.

Enough about me, Gaines' album credits include Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Steve Miller Band, Stevie

Ray Vaughan, Huey Lewis and the News, Van Morrison, Bruce Hornsby, Journey, Michelle Branch.... and

many more. For a more complete list of Mr. Gaines discography visit:

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0bfixqu5ld0e~1~T40B

ELECTION SEASON 2010

You heard right! As if in lock step with our U.S. national midterm elections, it is time for the way-more-

fun EARS presidential nominations. According to the EARS Bylaws:

1. Nominations for the office of President will take place at the September meeting each year.

2. Any current member can nominate any other current member for President but both must be present

at the meeting.

3. Members cannot nominate themselves. (Duh!)

So come to the meeting on the 28th and let's start nominating!

I swear that I am not an Aboriginal Scientologist set on dismantling EARS.

EARS BBQ 2010

We had a great one this year. Special thanks goes to our sponsors for the BBQ ..... Avid, Shure, Gepco

International, Guitar Center, and Music Garage! A big round of applause and thanks to Sam Rogers for

running 2 grills at the same time..... a virtual grilling machine. EARS welcomes our new members and

hope to see you again soon. Congrats as well to the winners of the raffle prizes.

See you at Uptown Recording.

Here's hoping for a pleasant Indian summer!

Sincerely,

Blaise Barton

President

And finally, a quick note passed on by Gino Sigismondi, Technical Training Manager at Shure Inc.:

Hello EARS,

This is a quick follow-up regarding the Shure Mic Listening Lab recording studio event happening at

Groovemaster on October 14th. It was great to see the positive reaction to the announcement, and we’re

really looking forward to it. As you may know, Shure is producing this event in conjunction with our

friends at the Chicago chapter of NARAS. In fact, they were instrumental in hooking us up with

Groovemaster (which, if you haven’t been there, is a fantastic place!). So, in recognition of the support

and assistance we have received from the Academy, this event is being promoted to their membership

first. This is not, however, a “members only” event. If you are a NARAS member, you should be receiving

registration information very soon, and will be able to register at that time. After about a week or so, a

more general announcement will go out to the recording community at large, at which time registration

will be open to anyone. If both sessions on the 14th fill up quickly, that just tells me we will need to get

another event scheduled, in which case I can almost guarantee that will happen.

I hope that clears up some of the confusion regarding this event. I apologize if I wasn’t very clear on all

the details, but we were still in the planning stages as of a few weeks ago. If you have any questions,

concerns, or comments, please feel free to drop me a line at mailto:Sigismondi_gino@shure.com.

###

REWIND: EARS Annual BBQ @ The Music Garage

(1) Sponsor signage welcomed EARS members and their guests at the start of the festivities; (2) BBQ attendees

begin gathering early!

August 31, 2010 – Annual BBQ at the Music Garage Chicago

Before the BBQ, there was so much activity on the EARS Facebook page that I wasn’t sure if this event

was going to overwhelm us or be a great success. Well, the shindig at the Music Garage Chicago facility

turned out to be a great success! We added many new members and reacquainted ourselves with

friends we hadn’t seen for awhile.

The night started with President Blaise Barton pulling up with a huge van and unloading more food and

drink then even we could finish! Tables, tents, chairs, and music were provided by Blaise and Music

Garage’s production manager, Paul Norman. People just kept coming and at one point, I counted 65

people outside and I know there were plenty more inside the building.

Sam Rogers (of Sweetwater inc.) was the busy chef for the evening doing most, if not all, of the cooking.

Burgers, brats, hotdogs, were flying off that grill and Sam just kept on going, thanks from all of us. I

want to thank Blaise, Eric, Fran, Danny, and my friend John Leonard for all their help in making this

event easy on everyone.

Have to take a moment to thank our sponsors for their support to make this happen: Chris Hammond

from Avid; Sam Rogers from Sweetwater, Dan Scalpone from Guitar Center, Gino Sigismondi and Dave

Mendez from Shure; Joe Zajac and Joe Burger from Gepco International. Last but not least, many

thanks to Jim Gifford and Paul Norman of the Music Garage! Each of you helped to make this a really

great, successful and enjoyable BBQ.

L-R--(1) Reid Hyams, Atty. J.B. Ross, and Hudson Fair, (2) Sam Rogers of Sweetwater was our very own Bobby

Flay and manned 2 grills simultaneously! (3) The Chow Line never ceased: the food was delicious!

Of course this night was not complete until we had a drawing for several

items donated from our sponsors. We made our way to a rehearsal

room on the top floor and were regaled by Blaise’s wit and piano playing

(an early 20th century ragtime number no less) then, on to the drawings. Both Allan Sternquist and Alex

Sarantis won tee-shirts. The big winner of the night was John Christy who walked away with a Shure

SM27 condenser mic. Other winners were Dave Duff and Jack Steinberg (Shure Headphones) and two

people got Gepco tool kits) Congratulations to all!

Several musicians (John Christy, Sarantis Alexopoulis, Dave Leach and Kerry

Haps) stayed after the drawings to continue the night’s festivities by picking up instruments and having a

good old fashioned jam session. I’m guessing there were some very “tired” people the next day.

Again thanks to Music Garage Chicago and all our sponsors for their support and to all our members and

guests who made this BBQ a very special occasion.

-- Bob Vodick, EARS Secretary

(Pictured at Left): Eric Roth and Blaise Barton flank member Allan Sternquist,

who won the tee-shirt drawing.

L-R, (1) Producer/Engineer BeBop, ”Motown” Marvin Smith, and Danny Leake, (2) John Christy is happy with

his Shure SM27 condenser microphone, (3) Gepco representative Joe Burger and Blaise Barton congratulate

Crystal Olson on her cable tool-kit win.

The Live! Corner

The lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer 2010 have begun to wane: the onset of falling leaves, pumpkins at

the local grocery, and the hint of inevitable snowfall promise that truly these blissful days are

numbered! But, before we begin to replace our gardening gloves with winter mittens, let’s take a look

at something that’s warm, wet, BIG, bold, and beautiful. This edition of the Live! Corner will explore a

few of the intricacies in pulling together not one -- but many -- shows aboard the Tom Joyner

Foundation’s Annual FANTASTIC VOYAGE!

Now in its 11th year, The Fantastic Voyage Cruise, (usually sailing in May

and travelling the eastern or western coasts of the Caribbean) is an 8-day music/arts/education

fundraiser – benefitting historically black colleges & universities (HBCU’s) – held aboard one of Royal

Caribbean International’s very large ships. I stress LARGE, because, 1) some of these sailing ladies are

approx. 160,000 tons -- equal to or bigger than your average aircraft carrier, and 2) nearly 3,000 people

sign on each year. The ships are equipped with restaurants, bars & clubs, pools & saunas, spas and

barber shops, a Royal Promenade (so you can shop ‘til you drop!) and STAGES galore! Depending on the

ship name (Navigator of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas,

Liberty of the Seas etc.) the individual venue/room names may differ but are situated in the same

general layout.

The largest performance room is The Theatre (seating 1,500 – 2,000) where headline acts have included

John Legend, KEM, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Michael McDonald, Ledisi, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly,

Erykah Badu, Smokey Robinson, and others; Studio B or “the room that Charlie built (standing/seating

800 – 1,000) – where the Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson is the undisputed King who shares his throne with

the likes of the Ohio Players, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, and the Dazz Band; The Viking

Lounge – home of jazz (smooth & straight-ahead) with performers including Roy Ayers, Najee, Miki

Howard, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Wayne Henderson. The Pool Deck features calypso, reggae and

stepper’s music daily; while the Lotus Lounge, Boleros, and Schooner Bar host a variety of music and

comedic entertainment nightly, with seminars and additional activities throughout the day. Royal

Promenade is the scene for the Mardi Gras and 70s Night parades and late-night D.J’s; down at the

Dragon’s Lair, you can party on until 5 a.m. Comedians such as D.L. Hugley, Cedric the Entertainer, Kier

Spates, and Gary Owen; and D.J.’s like Doug E. Fresh, and Chicago’s own Steve “Silk Hurley, are liberally

rotated throughout the venue spaces.

So, the question is: How is Audio Production strategized for this week-long, sunrise to sunset “Party

with a Purpose?” As a 10-year veteran of the Cruise – in varying positions of Production Coordinator,

Assistant Engineer, Talent Wrangler, Conscientious Observer, and hands-on “problem-solver” – I can tell

you that it ain’t easy. Keep in mind that the crew is pulling together the equivalent of 8 United Center

shows, 8-10 Cubby Bear engagements, numerous City Festivals, and a plethora of club & bar gigs –

SIMULTANEOUSLY, while traveling ON WATER!!

The real CHAMPIONS here is the Audio Engineering Crew: a team of dedicated professionals

coordinated by Chicago’s Ernest A. Greene, who’s Sound of Authority provides the P.A. and primary

Production. Damian “Slice” Simmons of Jonas Productions (Indiana-based) handles the back-line; Bill

Barnett (Perfect Ear) and Chris Weathers (Live Nation) are the Production “Gods,” with Bill often

doubling on FOH and/or monitors; Metro Mobil’s Timothy Powell supplies recording gear, while UGE’s

Danny Leake handles recording and mixing. Additional “live guys,” include Paul Hollis, John “Bugs”

Parkinson, Byron Walton, Clarence Toussaint, and “mah-girl”, Salinda Walker.

Production begins roughly 8 or so months prior (despite the fact that the crew is “seasoned” on this

event, each ship has its quirks & idiosyncrasies, and each year seems to require a higher level of

competency!) Reach Media – the Texas-based outfit that produces this shindig on behalf of the Tom

Joyner Foundation – develops and distributes the talent roster. But, before any music is made; before

the 1st mic is plugged in, the ship must be “transformed” from the family-friendly “Disneyesque”

appearance (that is Royal Caribbean’s hallmark), to a hip, slick, 24/7 Adults Only Party! From food

selections (chicken wings, fried fish, hot sauce and yes, breakfast grits) and libations (extra Crown Royal,

please) to in-cabin television programming (repeats of vintage “Soul Train,” “Good Times”, “Diff’rent

Strokes” and Spike Lee films) to the afore-mentioned music programming -- the ship now has a hip,

urban, “oh-so-cool” vibe!

By the time the crew has landed in the city of demarcation – typically Miami – they have a fairly good

idea of how things will progress. OK Folks…here we go…

Day 1 – Load-In – at 8 a.m., on the day of travel, the Crew begins bringing aboard and setting up all

necessary gear – consoles, racks, mike systems, recording gear, etc. for each venue “room.” All of this is

being done (to the concerned stares of departing passengers from the previous voyage), to transform –

in look, sound & feel – the ship to The Fantastic Voyage. Accomplished with military precision, this

process is not without its glitches – one year, torrential rains on Day 1 soaked much of the gear and

found me rounding up hair dryers and towels for the 2-hour drying process!

L-R: (1) T Platinum Theatre and equipment lift (2) Timothy Powell on Theatre stage w/backline (3) Platinum

Theatre Recording Room (Danny’s home away from home while aboard ship.)

Day 1 – 4:15 p.m. – Most of the set-up is in final completion, only to be interrupted by the mandatory

Maritime Law-enforced MUSTER DRILL (where all aboard must gather on deck in life jackets to learn

how to board the 24 or so life rafts that will save all 3,000 of us in event of an iceberg! ) After the Drill,

sound checks begin in all rooms for that evening’s performances.

Day 1 – 5 p.m. – BON VOYAGE! – Ahhh -- The sea breeze…the tanginess of the salt air! Wait a

minute…All passengers are aboard (and most on the pool deck) as we ship out. But, the Crew is still

working and will have to wait – some until 2 or 3 a.m. – to gather their luggage and check into cabins.

Day 1 – 9 p.m. – The 1st shows begin. The Theatre is boasting both 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. shows; Viking

Crown, Boleros, Schooner Bar, and Lotus are all running simultaneously; Studio B’s showcase begins at

2 a.m.; and Dragon’s Lair won’t close until last call – 5 a.m. It’s been a long day!!!

Days 2-7 – Days begin early and are a constant process of running to venues for shows, sound-checks

and fixes. Let’s also figure in daytime presentations in several rooms, which include Chicago’s

irrepressible George Daniels hosting his “Step Class,” self-help seminars, book reviews/discussions, and

comedy showcases. On Day 3, the Mardis Gras Parade (only in New Orleans will you find a bigger one!)

is held on the Royal Promenade. Audio Days roll into Audio Nights with a continuation of performances

in all venue rooms. Pretty standard fair (since we’re rolling steadily)…except for:

Day 4 – 8 a.m. – Beach Party: we’ve docked on a private island (owned by Royal Caribbean). Pre-

assigned gear (that has been resting on “I-90” which is the ship’s Deck 1) is off-loaded and set-up for the

annual beach party! By 5 p.m., the P.A. gear will be wrapped and re-loaded on tender vessels for the

return to the main “Mama” ship. At this time, on-board performances – in all rooms -- resume.

(L-R) L Acoustics Kudo line array speaker system used in the main theater for the Fantastic Voyage, (2) More

than 1,500 people enjoy the entertainment on White Night aboard Fantastic Voyage.

(1) Monitor Engineer Paul Abrams in Studio B (2) Studio B monitor console (3) the Funk All-Stars in Studio B

Day 5 – Evening Performances: All is going “swimmingly” until – yikes, we’ve run into rough seas! While

the passengers are heaved (bad choice of words!) from Port to Starboard (right & left sides of the vessel)

the Mighty Audio Crew remains steady and sure-footed – aided, no doubt, by liberal doses of

Dramamine! Seriously though, some of these guys won’t see a bunk or a meal until 4 or 5 a.m. as both

Studio B and Dragon’s Lair, are up and running until at least 3:30 and 5 a.m., respectively!

(1) Its White Night and 800 or so audience attendees dress appropriately… (2) Likewise for “What’s My Name?”

Charlie Wilson who performed until the very wee hours of the morning!

(1) Mardi Gras Night on the Royal Promenade -- Laissez le bon Temps Rouler! (2) Tom Joyner(as Shrek) leading

the Mardi Gras Parade.

Days 6 &7 – The Crew is in a steady groove now, having resolved most problematic issues and becoming

giddily accustomed to little sleep. Honestly, this gig is like the tour bus that never reaches its final

destination. Final performances and showcases are wrapping up; gear is being prepared for off-loading

the next morning. But, the party doesn’t stop until 5 a.m., when the last drop of Patron is poured and

the last note is played.

L-R: (1) The Mighty Audio Crew; (2) Danny & Fran with Tom Joyner.

Day 8 – LAND HO! It is now 6 a.m. and the Party with a

Purpose has docked – We’re Home! Passengers are busy with check-out, goodbyes to friends (old &

new) picture-taking and the like. The Mighty Audio Crew, however, is preparing to off-load the tons of

gear brought aboard just a week prior, and returning the ship’s Stages and Production Rooms to their

former glory. By 10 a.m., when passengers have cleared Customs and are hailing taxis for the airport,

Mighty Audio is making certain that all gear is secured in trucks for the return to Chicago and Indiana.

It’s been exhausting; it’s been brilliant! To be honest, we had the time of our lives! And, if asked, we’ll

do it all over again NEXT YEAR! Now, pass the Patron!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fran Allen-Leake

EARDRUM Co-Editor

For more information on the Ultimate “Party with a Purpose,” The tom Joyner Foundation’s Annual

Fantastic Voyage, log on to:

http://fantasticvoyage.blackamericaweb.com/

(Left) – Tom Joyner (seated front in white) pose with

some of the nearly 3,000 people from across the US

and Canada who join him annually aboard The

Fantastic Voyage Cruise. The “Party with a Purpose” is

the Joyner Foundation’s signature event to raise

monies for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Food For Thought…….An Editor’s Opinion

In last month’s “FOOD for Thought” I wrote about the need to sometimes forget about the look of

settings on plug-ins or gear and go with what you feel or what sounds right to you.

I received a wonderful comment from our own Harry Brotman:

“Got a perfectly similar example of what you wrote about from just two days ago! I was invited in by the house guy in Milwaukee to check out a mix he was working on, and it sounded pretty good (for in-the-box), using my Black Lion summing mixer. I had one sight panning suggestion, and then an EQ change on the background vocals. I thought they could have more "air". He said, "I don't want to thin them out any more", I said, "not high-pass filter, more air". He looked at his ProTools EQ and said,"it's already up 6db", I said," try +12db". Cringing, he dialed it up, and now I could hear some sparkle out of the monitors. A moment or two later, I heard the fizz disappear, and inquired," what did you do?" - his response," set it down to +10db". He just couldn't resist letting his pre-conception of the numbers dictate his mix. Glad to see that the "old dogs" aren't so easily fooled!

Best, H(mf)B”

Right on, Harry.

I had a student ask me why it seemed that more EQ seemed to be used on Digital projects as opposed to Analog ones. I told him that when I was starting out I had concept, I NEVER cut anything flat. As I got more experienced I modified that stance but I was always trying to get the exact sound I wanted so I could print that to tape. When I got to the mix if I had to use more than 2db of EQ on anything it was rare because I had already EQ’d the track 90% of the way there. Today, a lot of engineers, because of the use of plug ins in the Digital World or a not having a lot of Analog outboard gear, tend to print flat and use any EQ on the mix side. The plus side of this is that you can “Change Your Mind. The original sound is not touched but you will probably end up using a lot more EQ on the mix side than was needed in the Analog days. Which brings us back to my original comment: Don’t worry about the numbers, just “spin the dial” until “The hairs rise on the back of your neck”

Danny Leake

EARDRUM Co-Editor

EARS BOOK CLUB—

(If Oprah can have one, I don’t see why we can’t!)

Everyone wants to know if there was a book I didn’t like. Well here it is, “Good Vibrations”: A History of

Record Production by Mark Cunningham; Sanctuary Music Library (1998). This is supposed to be a

comprehensive history of record production from the beginning up through 1998. However, I had

several problems with it. One was the same problem that a lot of Amazon reviewers had: it is TOTALLY

biased toward British production. There is one chapter on Les Paul and Elvis. Chapter Two combines

Atlantic, Motown, Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and “The Wrecking Crew”, a group of musicians who

played on just about every hit coming out of Los Angeles in the mid-Sixties. (They “Ghosted” for bands

like The Byrds, Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Beach Boys, and played just about every hit Phil

Spector ever made.) There is no mention of Stax, Muscle Shoals, or the Philly Sound. Tom Dowd and

Atlantic got 2 pages, Phil Ramone got 2 paragraphs, Phil Spector got a full 5 pages (probably because he

worked with John Lennon and The Beatles.) There is another 12 full chapters on British record

production from Joe Meeks through the Beatles all the way through Tony Visconti (He probably got a

pass even though he was American because he was producing David Bowie)and Roy Thomas Baker. The

British productions got a very detailed analysis of what made those sessions happen. The US

productions got as much detailed info as you could cram in two chapters for EVERYONE.

When I saw the chapter titled “Mothers of Invention” I thought, “Oh, a chapter on the late great Frank

Zappa”………noooo! Just another chapter on how AIR Lyndhurst is the greatest studio in the World and

how the British probably invented mobile recording. I know from my time in London circa 1974 that

almost everyone was searching for the “American Sound” which included New York, Detroit, Memphis,

Muscle Shoals, Los Angeles, Florida, Mississippi, and……Chicago. Hanging out at the famous Speakeasy

Club if I mentioned I was from Chicago, I didn’t have to buy drinks for the rest of the night. I was like the

“Forrest Gump” of Audio. I got the chance to hang out with guys like Van Morrison, David Coverdale,

Queen, Pete Townsend, and a whole lot of others trying to figure out how we were doing what we did

in the US. Yet and still, here’s a book on record production that essentially kicks US Record Production

“to the curb” like we didn’t count. Also, in the subsequent chapters there are British sessions in the 70s

that I was actually at (In my “Forrest Gump” of Audio persona) and the descriptions of the sessions are

either incorrect or woefully lacking. If you want the technical info just go to the Mixonline website and

hit search. For example, he “Lifted” Roy Thomas Baker’s interview almost word for word just leaving

enough out to make it inept. I had trouble figuring out what was real and what was “Smoke” in this book

so for this and because of a dearth of real info on American record production this book made my head

hurt so I cannot recommend this book for anything except maybe a good bonfire.

Danny Leake

EARDRUM Co-Editor

We Want to Know…

What have you been working on lately (and with whom?!) Do you have an idea for an article in

an upcoming EARDRUM? Do you have a tech tip? How about an idea for an EARS event?

Don’t be shy… contact us:

Fran Allen-Leake, LJet Productons – 312.405.4335 or e-mail eardrum.editor@ears-chicago.org

Danny Leake, Urban Guerrilla Engineers –312.310.0475 or e-mail eardrum.editor@ears-

chicago.org

Check out our FACEBOOK page(s)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/EARS-Engineering-And-Recording-

Society-of-Chicago/434458785530?ref=ts

Look for the New EARS Website!! – COMING SOON!!

Log on to: http://www.ears-chicago.org