From L-R: P&E Wing Texas Chapter Committee Chair/producer/engineer Dan Workman; Texas Chapter staff Jennifer Vocelka (project manager), Christee Albino (Chapter assistant) and Theresa Jenkins (executive director); producer Jimmy Douglass; and Texas Chapter President Malcolm Harper. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com ©2007. Photo by Bob Levey/WireImage
The Recording Academy Texas Chapter and the Producers & Engineers Wing, in partnership with JBL Professional, presented “The 2007 Texas Studio Tour” as part of an ongoing effort to stimulate dialog and share experiences throughout the music technology community. Designed to appeal to both the novice and seasoned pro, this professional development series featured three of music’s most successful producers/engineers and offered the Texas music community an intimate look behind the scenes of high-end music production.
“The Producers & Engineers Wing is privileged to be able to provide this kind of amazing talent for our Grammy Professional Development Series,” says Maureen Droney, executive director of the P&E Wing. “We’re able to bring professionals with the widest experience to the most receptive audiences across the country. The 2007 Texas Studio Tour illustrates just how effective these events can be.”
The three well-attended events—held on July 24 at Luminous Sound Studios in Dallas, July 26 at Tierra Studios in Houston, and July 28 at the Gibson Guitar Showroom in Austin—brought three highly-experienced professionals together to share their knowledge and opinions with Academy members and others from the local music community.
Back row, from L-R: Texas Chapter project manager Jennifer Vocelka, music business entrepreneur Sam Taylor and Texas Chapter Executive Director Theresa Jenkins. Front row, from L-R: Texas Chapter President Malcolm Harper, producer/engineer Mike Clink, Texas Chapter Trustee Chris Bell. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com ©2007. Photo by Peter Larson/WireImage
In Dallas, music business entrepreneur Sam Taylor moderated the discussion with Mike Clink, whose production and engineering discography represents more than 70 million records sold over the last 20 years. Clink discussed what inspired him to start in the music business; his work with legendary bands like Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Van Halen; and his current business model of partnering with up-and-coming bands.
In Houston, engineer/mixer/producer Jimmy Douglass, interviewed by engineer and Texas Chapter P&E Wing Committee Chair Dan Workman, discussed his prolific career from both artistic and business perspectives. Douglass traced how the industry has changed since his earliest days working at New York City’s Atlantic Records studios with the legendary producer Tom Dowd and artists like AC/DC, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones, to his more recent work with Duran Duran, Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliot. Commenting on how music production has both improved and also perhaps lost some important elements, he emphasized the positive aspects of collaboration with today’s music professionals.
At producer/engineer Ken Scott’s presentation in Austin, which coincided with the Summer NAMM Show and was hosted by Texas Chapter President Malcolm Harper, Scott discussed his early years of apprenticeship at EMI, his work with The Beatles, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Elton John, among others. Scott also technically dissected several well-known recordings he worked on, describing specific techniques and information on the equipment he used.
“This is JBL’s second year as an official Audio Partner of The Recording Academy’s P&E Wing, and the events in Texas demonstrate that our partnership continues to be a tremendous success,” says Peter Chaikin, director of Recording and Broadcast for JBL Professional. “As an industry-leading manufacturer of professional studio monitors, we make a concerted effort to educate the industry about the challenges of accurate monitoring, as well as JBL technologies and solutions. Our partnership with the P&E Wing has enabled us to reach top recording professionals and accomplish our objectives.”
For more information, visit www.grammy.com, www.producersandengineers.com and www.jblpro.com.
