The next project to come out of the studio is Buddy’s “Idle Time” [RELEASE DATE February 25th, 2014]. Signed to Pharrell and iAmOTHER Buddy will be releasing his debut album/mixtape which has incredible production from Pharrell, Cardo, Polyester the Saint and more. Features from Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Freddie Gibbs, Casey Veggies and a few major surprises. It will be available for download on sites like DatPiff and DJBooth.net or email us and I will send it to you. 

To be completely honest, I don’t love the way the project came out sonically (as I was in charge of mastering the project) and I want to break down why so you can consider the mistakes made here when putting together your own project. I will also do a write up on the songs specifically when they are released so you can understand my vantage point clearly.

• Using the same studio, engineers and producers (this does not mean people who make beats). I know this isn’t ideal in 2014 with the ease of the internet but to create magic, music needs to be collaborative with everyone invested in the same goals. Hopefully along with that your selected team will have the skills to reach or grow into the quality you wish you achieve. When you don’t have the same engineers working on your music it’s nearly impossible to create a consistency throughout a project. I feel the mixes (most of them done by Mike, Pharrell’s engineer, are immaculate) while others are done by either producers who made the beat or friends who volunteered to help. This isn’t a problem when doing a song at a time but when you put all of this work together it’s nearly impossible that it will sound like a collective body of work. Vocals can either be very loud, in a pocket or buried.  Tracks can vary significantly in gain and when you mix all of this together you end up doing more reductive mastering to balance out the project. It’s not ideal, you don’t have nearly the same amount of control you have when working on something that is already prepped at an expected quality.

I also have a few more points not directly related to this project but they are often seen with independent artists or new artists working on a debut for their art.

1. Setting a release date prior to having all necessary materials in order for you to set a release strategy with multiple campaigns and a detailed schedule YOU FOLLOW. Sounds simple but over the years we’ve seen this and are guilty of doing this time and time again. So much pressure for getting a project out you don’t do the necessary things to support it and give yourself the best chance for successful growth.
2. Planning past your release date. It’s never easy to make a plan that’s based on projections you can’t count on, after all it’s the music business but having an idea of how you’re going to get the word out, make money to sustain your life, tour and create merchandise is curtail. Equally as important is having an idea when your next project will start coming together so you can build on your momentum.

Hope this is helpful to you, as always you can email with any questions.

GEAR:

Manley Cardioid Reference Microphone
Purple Audio Sweet 10 500 Series Rack
Great River MP500NV Pre Amp
Purple Audio MC77 Compressor
Lynx Aurora 16
Dangerous D Box
Pro Tools HD3 PCIe
Pelonis Model 42s
Focal SM9s

TRUTH STUDIOS PROFILE:

Truth Studios is a boutique recording studio located in the Fairfax district of Hollywood, Los Angeles California. We are across the street from the famous CBS Television City studios and down the street from The Grove. Truth Studios started in the bedroom of owner Nick Breton’s apartment making music with local Los Angeles buzzing artists. We have since grown into a small commercial facility where the studio currently stands. Offering studio rental, recording, mixing and mastering to independent and major label clients from every corner of the globe. Our culture has developed to include several of the industries top characters. Truth Studios is affiliated with acts such as Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Dom Kennedy, Asher Roth, Chuck Inglish, Freddie Gibbs, Alina Baraz, Ady Suleiman, Anatii, Joey Bada$$, Boi 1da, Macy Gray, Mr Hudson, Walk The Moon, Martin Garrix and hundreds of other musicians. This studio has become a landmark icon in Los Angeles and the music community worldwide.