Recording A Cappella with Danny Ozment

Latest Episodes:

Big Announcement and The Recording Process! Jun 12, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, I start with an inspiring story from a listener and then announce the details of the Catalyst Workshop 2017 (July 30 - August 3, 2017 in Nashville, TN) presented by Tom Anderson and myself.

I then give you a detailed overview of The Steps in the Recording Process. I go through them making sure you know what happens at each step, why it’s important, what you are able to do (and more importantly what you aren't able to do) during each step, who’s involved, and some of the gear/software used in each step. I also spend some time making recommendations on how to prepare during pre-production to get the best results later on in the process.

Catalyst Workshop 2017 - http://recordingacappella.com/catalyst-2017

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

When Chuck Norris started an acappella group, he hired Ed Boyer to mix their album Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

Thank you all for the incredible response to the show so far. I’ve been blown away by the support you’ve given me. I’ve really enjoyed talking to all of my guests and sharing their stories with you. I’m a big history geek and I really hope you’ve enjoyed learning things about the a cappella world and its history.

Before I introduce this week’s guest, I have a couple of announcements.

I’ve got a huge list of potential guests lined up and I’m also starting to develop some new ideas for segments on the show with different experts. This show is for you though. I’m always looking to talk to interesting people and I definitely don’t know everyone so if you know someone in a cappella that you think would make a fascinating guest on the show, please head over to recordingacappella.com and send me a message.

I’m super excited to announce Catalyst, a workshop happening this summer. Arranger Tom Anderson and I will be leading a multi-day workshop on arranging and recording that is designed to propel you faster to greater things in acappella. Whether you are interested in an acappella career or just want to improve your groups’ arrangements and recordings, you’ll want to check this workshop out. The event will be held at my studio in Nashville, TN during the week of July 31st. I’ll have more info for you next week including exact dates and where to go for more detailed information so please stay tuned for that info.

I am really thrilled to introduce you to this weeks’ guest Ed Boyer. I have so much respect for Ed and all of the amazing things he’s accomplished in his a cappella career. And if you met him on the street, you’d never know he had platinum records with arguably the most popular acappella group in the world Pentatonix, had mixed The Sing Off, and worked on all the Pitch Perfect films. I first met Ed over 10 years ago when Deke Sharon told me I should email Ed about what equipment to buy to record a cappella groups. I’m really excited for you to hear this episode because Ed shares why he loves mixing, what he does every week to remind himself of his goal when mixing a song. He tells us about his journey from being a producer who was constantly on the road to being a mixing engineer that can work from home. He also talks about how he loves getting to work on songs that millions of people will hear and as cool as it is to work on big name records, he still loves the simple direct to the artist relationship of working with a school group. And for those of us that have been working in the acappella world for a while, Ed has a great reminder for himself that we can all take to heart. He reminds himself regularly that even though we sometimes complain about things we have to deal with in this job, it’s still pretty damn cool that we get to work on acappella for a living.

Ed Boyer’s website - http://edboyeracappella.com/

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

What is Mastering with Dave Sperandio of Vocal Mastering May 29, 2017

Show notes

Dio, as he is known by so many, loves to bring people together and he’s been doing so since before he founded SoJam in 2003. He’s helped many current a cappella engineers get started in the industry. He’s been a performer, producer, recording, editing, and mixing engineer and now is one of the go-to mastering engineers for acappella. I’m really excited for you to hear this episode because Dio explains the mastering process and why it’s important. He also shares his thoughts on using a mastering website versus a human mastering engineer.

Vocal Mastering and Dave Sperandio - http://www.vocalmastering.com/

SoJam - http://sojam.net/

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

Three Things You MUST Understand Before You Start Recording May 22, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, I focus on 3 important things that you need to understand before you start recording that you won’t learn easily from tutorials or my videos. Signal Flow, The Steps in the Recording Process, and that every piece of gear or software has a Learning Curve.

We talk about where to go to learn more about these things, why they are important to know, and how understanding them can improve your recording experiences.

Audio Signal Flow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_signal_flow

The Recording Process - http://recordingacappella.com/blog/2016/7/18/what-do-the-steps-in-the-recording-process-sound-like

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

Tom Anderson - Arranger and Aca Geek May 15, 2017

Show notes

Tom Anderson is a prolific professional vocal arranger who used to be an attorney. His career really took off when some guy from Oregon asked him to arrange a song for his college group. That guy was Peter Hollens and the group was On the Rocks. Tom stopped by my studio a few weeks back on his way to Memphis for NACC and we talked about how 4 Boyz from Philly started his acappella geekdom and a took a deep dive into vocal arranging where he talks about how instrumental orchestration has influenced his arranging style.

Tom Anderson - https://www.random-notes.com/

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

The Bill Hare Story May 08, 2017

Show notes

Bill Hare has had an incredible influence on my acappella engineering career. I literally wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t annoyed the crap out of him with tons of questions over the years. Bill has over 30 years of experience as an engineer and producer and much of what we call the contemporary acappella recording sound was pioneered by him in the 1990s and 2000s. Yep… and he has a Grammy! Bill is so busy when he’s home working that I had to catch him in NYC 3 hours before he was about to get on a plane back home. We cover his early history with acappella, how his sound began, how being neighbors with Digidesign affected acappella recording, and the most important thing to do when self-tracking.

Bill Hare - http://billhare.tv

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

Why Great Sound? May 01, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, I share with you the main reason I started recordingacappella.com and this podcast. To help you get GREAT SOUND. Why is great sound important? It’s professional, important for success, and your recording will last forever so why sound bad?

You live in amazing times! Amazing quality recording equipment is inexpensive and plentiful. It is easier than ever for musicians to record themselves and end up with recordings that sound amazing at very low cost.

Why is this important to know? While it is easier than ever to make a great sounding recording, there are many elements of making a passionate and inspiring recording that are just as important as ever and are unaffected by technology. We will cover gear and tech on this podcast but will spend much more time focusing on music, sound, and performance when sharing techniques that will improve your recordings.

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

How to Get on Voices Only and Starting an Acappella Career with Corey Slutsky Apr 22, 2017

Show notes

Corey Slutsky and I started in acappella at the exact same time. Before starting the amazing Voices Only compilation albums back in 2005, Corey was a member of ICCA champion and finalists groups the USC Socal Vocals and Univ of Michigan G-Men. He is Executive Producer of Voices Only and Voices Only Forte and producer for Voices Only Productions. But before becoming a full-time a cappella producer, Corey had a career in TV marketing and sports journalism. He shares what it’s like to switch careers, how to do it, and we also spend a lot of time talking about what it takes to get a song on Voices Only. I can’t wait for you to hear this interview because Corey is brutally honest about some of the not so sexy sides of making a career in a cappella work.

All things Voices Only - http://www.voicesonlyacappella.com/

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

Going So Far So Fast in Acappella with J.D. Frizzell Apr 22, 2017

Show notes

J.D. Frizzell is one of the most inspiring educators I know. I first met him 6 years ago at SoJam and in the time since he has become a leader in the acappella community. He is president of the Acappella Education Association and his high school acappella group OneVoice appeared on America’s Got Talent and is a Sony recording artist. Would you believe that he didn’t get seriously involved in acappella until 7 years ago? In our conversation he shares how his groups got so far so fast, specific rehearsal methods they use including his 5-step rehearsal method, tells you about some of the lesser known benefits of joining the AEA and why you’ll have FOMO once you hear about the National Acappella Convention happening this weekend. We also spend a good amount of time talking about how working with pros like Dave Sperandio and Robert Dietz have really upped their recording game.

J.D. Frizzell - jdfrizzell.com

Acappella Education Association - http://acappellaeducators.com/

5-Step Rehearsal Method - http://jdfrizzell.com/2016/02/rehearsing-contemporary-a-cappella-groups/

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

Deke Sharon is Acappella Apr 22, 2017

Show notes

Who else would I have had on my first show other than Deke Sharon? You name it in acappella and he’s done it, or probably created it, or made it better than it was. When you hear Deke’s name, you often hear “the father of contemporary acappella” following it. Arranger, Producer, Coach, Writer… Deke’s acappella pedigree is well known. the Bubs, CASA, The House Jacks, Straight No Chaser, Committed, Nota, Street Corner Symphony, The Sing Off, Pitch Perfect 1, 2, and 3, Pitch Slapped, In Transit, and the upcoming Pitch Battle on the BBC. Deke is rarely at home and I caught him there and we talked about In Transit, some of its pioneering elements, and what it was like to record a Broadway soundtrack. We cover Pitch Perfect 3, get a sneak peak at Pitch Battle, and also talk at length about acappella finally getting a seat at the grown ups table in the music industry.

Deke Sharon - http://www.dekesharon.com/

10 Ways to Improve your Acappella Recording - http://recordingacappella.com/podcast

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