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Saturday, 24 March 2012 15:57

Is Your Single EVEN Ready for Radio? (PT.1)

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Now-a-days among the population of indie artists trying to "get on", unfortunately for most of them the answer to this question is a big fat NO! But it's understandable. As an artist, I'm sure you'd love to only have to focus on your music but unless you have the budget to hire the right professionals to handle your business, you have to handle it yourself. With that said, here's 6 things you have to take care of before you're even adequately prepared for radio play and commercial distribution: 

1. ISRC
At Patchwerk, I swear, we get at least a handful of calls every day with artists that don't even know what an ISRC is, much less have one for their single. Why is this a problem....? Well particularly because you can ONLY encode an ISRC at the mastering stage of the recording/production process. That means you should technically have one to assign BEFORE you get your song mastered. So what's an ISRC? It stands for International Standard Recording Code. Every commercially released recording has one assigned to it for identification and tracking purposes. So if you don't have one, you won't be able to track your recordings. Get it? Now if you're fortunate enough to attract the interest of a radio DJ and they play your record on the radio, they will assign an ISRC for you but the problem is that it won't be associated with your name/company.

You can apply for an ISRC code at usisrc.org, but of course, they cost money. And because you will need multiple ISRCs (for each song you release) you may want to apply for a company account however that can be even more expensive. Lucky for you... a few companies, such as Patchwerk, offer to generate your ISRC codes for you. At #thepatch we only charge $15 to generate your own unique code and since we have your masters we go ahead and encode it during the mastering phase free of charge! Now, how's that for service?! :-)

To get PT. 2 of this entry subscribe with your email below.

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Sunday, 25 March 2012 15:05

(Cont'd) Is Your Single EVEN Ready For Radio (PT. 2)

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Ok so to recap, we told you about getting your ISRC codes in PT.1 so now you should be ready (with your masters in hand) to get out there and promote/sell your music. But before you do, here's the other 5 things you need to take care of:

2. UPC
Yes, another code! It's called a Universal Product Code and it's a lot more popular so you should have heard of it. Everything that is sold (music included) has a Universal Product Code assigned to it to differentiate it from everything else. We typically call it a "barcode". From personal experience I can tell you that it's a BAD IDEA not to have your music on sale before you get radio play. Back when I used to manage artists, I made this mistake and who knows how many lost sales it costed us! Don't be like me... get your upc well before you're even presented with the opportunity to get your song on the radio! The company that creates and distributes these codes is called GS1. Or, again, you can purchase one from us at Patchwerk for $25. One important note is that in terms of music, each individual release needs its own barcode. So if you release a single, then you release your album (including that single), you'll need two separate barcodes for each release.

3. COPYRIGHT
Of course you all know this one! It's pretty straight forward... protect your intellectual property from 'copy' cats by registering it with the US Copyright office. I don't think I need to go into detail on this one... if you don't know what a copyright is by now... well... let's just say you have some serious homewerk to do!

4. REGISTER WITH BDS & SOUNDSCAN
You've probably heard of these but do you really know what they are and why they're important? Well very simply put, in the U.S. and Canada BDS tracks and reports airplay spins, and Soundscan tracks and reports commercial sales (using your UPC codes). Labels, managers, and other organizations use this information to make a plethora of important marketing/distribution decisions. Furthermore, both of these information systems are the primary sources for Billboard's music charts. You can register for both through Nielsen.

5. REGISTER WITH MEDIABASE
Mediabase is also a mass-airplay tracking and reporting company... owned by the media giant Clear Channel Communications, they just do their tracking a little differently and track what music industry professionals like to call "specialty spins". Here nor there, you should register with both BDS and Mediabase to be on the safe side (they cover about 80% of the total U.S. radio market).

6. REGISTER WITH SOUND EXCHANGE
Sound Exchange collects your royalties from Satellite-radio spins. Simple as that.

So, yeah, you should have all of these things in place before you go and try to take over the world with your music... because when opportunity knocks... you better be ready! If not, you'll be spending valuable time playing catch up or worst yet... miss your opportunity all together! At Patchwerk, have a package that includes us doing all this FOR YOU plus Recording, mixing, and mastering your song, ANNND (wait there's more!) we also give you 200 CD duplications with your ISRC encoded for you to sell or give away. It's called the "Single Deal + Paperwerk" Ask about it next time you call or book.

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Thursday, 05 April 2012 16:44

Exclusive In-Studio Preview: New MPC Renaissance

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Tuesday, 10 April 2012 14:09

PatchWerk Teams Up With iStandard!

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iStandard ATL back April

Patchwerk is teaming up with iStandard yet again! And guess who one of the judges will be?! That's right Patchwerk owner and COO, Curtis Daniel III... Check the flyer! Did I mention the winner of the iStandard Producers Showcase will WIN 3 HOURS of STUDIO TIME at Patchwerk?! Yea... really! Sign up here!

Visit istandardproducers.com for more details.
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Tuesday, 10 April 2012 16:05

March 2012 Session Report

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SESSION REPORT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Toya Elise Brown
404-874-9880
MARCH 2012 SESSION REPORT
Who Werked in STUDIO 9000?

Without MJG by his side, 8 Ball links up with producerDrumma Boy for his new solo mixtape. Features include Bun B, Killer Mike, 2 Chainz and more. This year marks 8Ball & MJG's 20th anniversary in the rap game. Knowing that, it's kind of hard to fathom that one of the members of the revered Memphis rap duo hasn't ever dropped a solo mixtape throughout all these years. All that changes via 8Ball's new, Premro, his first solo mixtape. Premro is titled after 8Ball's government name, Premro Smith. The mixtape's opener, "Drought," has 8Ball ferociously setting the tone. His longtime partner in rhyme, MJG, only appears on the strong,"Showed Up." But 8Ball has plenty of good company on this mixtape, collaborating with 2 Chainz and Yung Joc on the the enthralling, "Em Down," and Waka Flocka and Yelawolf on the hard-hitting, but stirring, "Immaculate Perception." Styles P and Trae Tha Truth assist the protagonist on "Put That On Everythang," while XXL Freshman Don Trip is featured on "No Pain." This past March, 8-Ball was having songs mixed by Leslie Braithwaite at Patchwerk Studios assisted by Patchwerk engineer Michael Pratt
Other sessions in 9000 included those for WOD-G (K. Anders), Jazze Pha (Zack/M.Pratt),Gucci Mane (D. Brown), Drumma Boy (Dre/M.Carter), J Bean (D. Brown), Junior Reid (K. Anders), Adrian the Problem (L. Banks), Ramon Orion (M. Wilson), Osiris Records (N. Bassani), DJ Holiday (D. Brown), Votte (A. Poole), Bleu Davinci (D. Brown), Jordin Sparks(D. Brown/M. Carter)

   

TO BOOK A SESSION IN PATCHWERK'S STUDIO 9000 CALL 404-874-9880
Who Werked in STUDIO 1019?

Jordin Sparks is the pop / R&B recording artist, songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. According to Billboard.com, Sparks has sold 1,300,000 albums and 9,883,000 tracks in the United States as of February 2012, making her one of the most successful idol winners.  In 2012, VH1 included Sparks in its list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music and ranked her at #92. She will also make her film debut in the remake of Sparkle, co-starring Grammy Award/Emmy Award-winner Whitney Houston, Derek Luke, Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter. Most recently songwriters and producers Stacy, Pop, and Oak were hard at work in the studio with Patchwerk engineers Dee Brown and Matheis "Stafa" Carter, working on new hits for an upcoming Jordin Sparks release.  
Other sessions in 1019 included those for Mulah (Z. Shoemake), Venom (M. Carter), Adam Taylor (K. Anders), A Minor (A. Emmanuel), Blu (M. Carter), Lakeboy (M. Carter), Big Dre(M. Carter), Dirty Diana (A. Revere), Bad Habbitz (M. Carter), Antonio Flowz (D. Brown),Esty (M. Carter), Malone (D. Brown), Deanna Dixon (M. Wilson), 38 Special (N. Bassani),Joseph Foster (M. Carter), Team Ink (M. Carter), Big Dre (M. Carter), Yani Simone (M. Wilson)
TO BOOK A SESSION IN PATCHWERK'S STUDIO 1019 CALL 404-874-9880
Who Werked in STUDIO 995?
 
B.A.D (Build And Destroy) was born and raised a native of The Lower East Side of New York City. Musically B.A.D featured on The D&D Project compilation album, under the group 2 Mental. He also appeared on various Mix tapes with DJ Ron G, DJ Bamm Bamm, DJ Status, DJ Jemani, DJ Cashis Kay & Mister Marlon, DJ Keyz & Fully Focus, DJ Pulcro Mixtape( in Spain) and Gekokujo The Album ( in Japan),  All Access DVD, and Down Bottom DVD, just to name a few. Set to light up the music scene, B.A.D was in Patchwerk studio's this past March, working with Patch Werk engineer Mike Wilson on his new single called " Catch A Break " off of his upcoming album: The B.A.D Inauguration.
Other sessions in studio 995 included those for Kevin D (M. Miller), DC (L. Banks),Rhandsome Bluff (M. Wilson), Gucci Mane (K. Anders), Rodric King (M. Wilson), Adam Taylor (K. Anders), John Bliss (M. Wilson), Mystr Anderson (M. Wilson), Rhythm D(Rhythym D), Adrian the Problem (L. Banks), DJ Holiday (D. Brown), Jazze Pha (A. Emmanuel), Rude Boy B (M. Wilson and A. EmmanuelScrappy (D. Brown), Joy Deja King(L. Banks), SurReal (M. Wilson), J Rich (M. Wilson), EMC (M. Wilson), Mecca (Z. Shoemake)
TO BOOK A SESSION IN PATCHWERK'S STUDIO 995 CALL 404-874-9880
Who Werked in the MASTERING Suite?
Mystr Anderson (mystranderson.com) is the new face of NEOSTREET MUSIC. According to the man himself, "Mr. Anderson was an MC named Rie who had put down his mic and had become one with the Matrix of LOM creating marketing and promotional concepts and brands for companies and artist throughout a sector of LOM called Florida. His mission is to balance the scale between Gangsta Rap and Conscience music. On his journey he creates a new form of music called 'NeoStreet'. Wearing his hot supernatural specs called Peppaz Mr. A sets out to preserve the integrity of entertainment in music while working to build a non for profit empowerment center to prepare the next generation of hood heroes for the ongoing battle of good vs. evil." Do you have what it takes to help MYSTR ANDERSON Re build the Industry and bring down his arch nemesis, INDUS! Come and join the fight with his hot single"Light Speed" recorded  at Patchwerk Studios, mixed by Mike  Wilson, and  mastered by Kenny Mixx, (in the Georgia Sector of LOM, that is!) Mystr Anderson reinforces the truth that everyone are stars and they can shine, all they have to do is believe...Stay Tuned...
Other sessions in the mastering studio included those for Delonda, King Sosa, Slice, Squirt, Spotlight, Rhandsome Bluff, Wod-G, Iggy and T.I., Rodric King, Swezi, 0-60, Freddy B, Adam Taylor, Ramon Orion, Rude Boy B, Six 6, K Slim, Restless and Jackie Michaels. All sessions in the mastering studio were mastered by Patchwerk mastering engineer, Kenny Mixx.
TO BOOK A MASTERING SESSION CALL 404-874-9880
PatchWerk Recording Studios (www.patchwerk.com) is a world-class recording facility that has catered to the national entertainment industry since opening in 1995. The company, which is centrally located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, has earned a reputation for its excellent sound quality and superb customer service. PatchWerk features Georgia's only SSL 48-channel Duality Console as well as Georgia's only SSL 9000 J Series Console. The larger of the two studio rooms, Studio 9000, features design by industry leader Russ Berger (RBDG). PatchWerk has continuously serviced the top record labels from around the world and has accomodated an endless array of world-renowned talent, including TLC, Beyonce Knowles, Outkast, Usher, Ludacris, the Neptunes, Rodney Darkchild Jerkins and Bow Wow.

We want to know your take... leave a comment below.

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Sunday, 15 April 2012 10:56

Is Convenience Killing Quality?

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Patchwerk's Chief Mastering Engineer, Kenny Mixx, recently posed this question to his facebook followers and got a range of commens. After all the feedback, he offered his take:

I still think there are a lot of great composers out there; I still master great music every day. What I mean by "convenience" is the lack of a solid foundation of knowledge of a craft, whether it's composing, mixing, mastering, or even tracking. It's easy to say "I mix," and just throw on some presets and not fully understand them. It's easy to say "I master," and just throw an L2 on the master track. It's easy to say "I track," and not understand the acoustics behind a properly treated vocal booth or proper microphone/preamp combinations/selections. It's easy to say "I compose tracks," and not understand phase relationships between kicks, 808s, and bass-lines. This is because it's more convenient to just *do* these things rather than understand *why* we do these things. Doing things right the first time with an experienced engineer is outweighed by doing things wrong multiple times the "convenient" way. Composing, mixing, and mastering are all different fields that require different expertise. When you begin to mix these together, you lose quality and replace it with convenience. Music should not be done in a "one-stop shop" where the mixing, mastering, and tracking are all done by the same person in the same room (or even worse, all in the same day). There is no Wal-Mart for audio. Can we get an intern to clean up the music on aisle 5 please, intern on aisle 5. Thank you.

-Kenny Mixx

Click HERE to check out his original post on Facebook

We want to know your take... leave a comment below.

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Video courtesy of 2DB

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Artist: Karmella f/ B.O.B

Mix Engineer: Leslie Brathwaite

Mastering Engineer: Kenny Mix

Thanks to Amadi Jae @ Examiner.com for the link

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Wednesday, 02 May 2012 12:29

Press Release: "Who's Werking" April 2012

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SESSION REPORT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Toya Elise Brown
404-874-9880
APRIL 2012 SESSION REPORT
Who Werked in STUDIO 9000?

Rapper Mystikal's next album is expected for a 2012 release. The New Orleans rapper premiered the video for his Cash Money debut  "Original" featuring Lil Wayne and Birdman on "106 and Park" and shared his excitement about being a member of the YMCMB family. "It's awesome. It's bananas," he said. "Me and Baby been having conversations even during the No Limit days." A humbled Mystikal, who recently welcomed a son, shared what he learned from his past experiences. "Watch your surroundings and pay attention to them. Bees do not hang with flies." This past April Mystikal stopped by Patchwerk to work with Patchwerk engineer Kori Anders assisted by Patchwerk engineers Michael Pratt and Nick Bassani.
Other sessions in Studio 9000 included those for Stacy Barthe (D. Brown), Blue Davinci (D. Brown), Toni Jones (D. Brown), Cris Cab (K. Anders), Young Mexico (D. Brown), Joy Deja King (L. Braithwaite), Bigg Quan (L. Banks), EMC (M. Wilson), Karmella (L. Brathwaite),Gucci Mane (K. Anders), Marcus Manchild (Z. Shoemake), Waka Flocka (M. Carter), Akon(L. Brathwaite),  DJ Holiday (D. Brown), A.R. (M. Carter)Zinj El-Barr (M. Carter).
  
TO BOOK A SESSION IN PATCHWERK'S STUDIO 9000 CALL 404-874-9880
Who Werked in STUDIO 995 ?

Waka Flocka Flame has released several mixtapes including Salute Me or Shoot Me 3Benjamin Flocka, and his last Twin Towers 2 with Slim Dunkin'. On August 9, 2011 his latest compilation with Gucci Mane, Ferrari Boyz, was released. The first single was "She Be Puttin On", featuring Slim Dunkin. Also, the first single for his sophomore album,"Round of Applause", produced by Lex Luger, featuring Canadian-rapper Drake was released. The first original version featured only Waka Flocka Flame, and the remix featured Drake, but later the remix was made the original version. Triple F Life: Friends, Fans and Family is Waka's next venture, slated to be released in the first quarter of 2012 and will feature guests including Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Diddy, Tyler, the Creator, Drake, Gucci Mane and more. This past April Waka Flocka was in Patchwerk Studios for several days working with guest engineer KY assisted by Patchwerk engineers Matheis "Stafa" Carter andZane Shoemake.
Other sessions in Studio 995 included those for Ester Dean (S. Thomas/Juice/M. Carter),SurReal (M. Wilson), Kevin Gates (K. Anders), Mesha (S. Paine), Lil Nard (M. Wilson), Geela(M. Wilson), Adam Taylor (K. Anders), Deanna Dixon (M. Wilson), Mack AAO (M. Wilson),Midwest Monsters (D. Brown), J Rich (M. Wilson), Renzo (M. Wilson), Bigg Quan (L. Banks), Gucci Mane (K. Anders), Fiya Boi (K. Anders), Serena (D. Brown), Emeka (Z. Shoemake), Satellite (L. Banks), Malone (M. Wilson), Picasso Varner (M. Wilson), Inka (M. Wilson), Drea Love (K. Anders), Mook (K. Anders), Dexter Porter (M.Wilson), David Morgan (Z. Shoemake), Crysel Martin (D. Brown), Scrappy (D. Brown/M. Carter), Rolls Royce Rizzy (M. Carter), Mystr Anderson (M. Wilson), The Barcays (L. Banks), DJ Holiday(D. Brown), Zachari Lee (I.Porter/M. Carter), M. Manchild (Z. Shoemake).
TO BOOK A SESSION IN PATCHWERK'S STUDIO 995 CALL 404-874-9880
Who Werked in STUDIO 1019?
 
2012 is the 20th anniversary for the group TLC and is filled with many surprises for TLC fans worldwide. Chilli and T-Boz are very excited to be executive-producing a biopic on the group's story in conjunction with VH1. "This project is truly a dream come true for us," says Chilli. What's Love Got To Do With It scribe Kate Lanier will pen the project, which documents TLC's rise to fame with 1991's Ooooooohhh... On The TLC Tip and their follow-up success with 1994's CrazySexyCool, and eventually selling more than 65 million albums worldwide making them the biggest-selling girl group in history.  In addition to the movie, TLC is working on a 20th anniversary package which will include tour dates, an album project with new music and several remixes on some of their favorite hits. Chilli and T-Boz say they are looking forward to giving new music to their eagerly awaiting fans and returning to the stage. Most recently Chilli stopped by Patchwerk Studios for  day to work with engineer Mike "Snotty" Miller.
Other sessions in studio 1019 included those for Team Ink (A. Poole), Money Marc (M. Carter), Picasso Varner (M. Wilson), Michael Young (M. Carter), D Fun Art (M. Carter),Blu/Thoroughbred (M. Carter), Lillian Scott (D. Brown), Preach (M. Carter), Yani Simone(M. Wilson), Cash P (Z. Shoemake), Kalil (K. Anders), Ana-Maria (M. Carter), Adam Taylor(M. Carter), Skeet (M. Carter), DJ Holiday (D. Brown), Mack AAO (M. Wilson)
TO BOOK A SESSION IN PATCHWERK'S STUDIO 1019 CALL 404-874-9880
Who Werked in the MASTERING Suite?
Block Entertainment signee, Gorilla Zoe is back with a brand new mixtape. The "King Kong" MC put out his third album last year,  and is back gearing up for a release all over again with a free musical offering. With DJ Smallz and DJ Nando hosting (Trap a Holics Mixtape), Gorilla Zoe World, which dropped last month, has 21 new tracks from the underestimated MC and an 'original score' by "Racks" producer Sonny digital. Word on the street is there is a lot in store for Zoe this year. With a revamp of the music, there's word that Gorilla is working on making a few tweaks that'll leave fans surprised - but in a good way. Most recently Zoe was having tracks mastered at Patchwerk Studios by Patchwerk engineer Kenny Mixx.
Other sessions in the Mastering Studio included those for Renegade, SurReal, J Rich, Geela, Darrell Dior, Joy Deja King, Fiya Boi, Dirty Dave, Tae Bae Bae, King Sosa, Karmella, Mack AAO, Mook, Mattie B, and Mr Sipp. All sessions in the mastering studio were engineered by Patchwerk engineer Kenny Mixx.
TO BOOK A MASTERING SESSION CALL 404-874-9880

We want to know your take... leave a comment below.

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Sunday, 20 May 2012 16:33

Watch: The Power of Music

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iPods have opened up a whole new world for elderly and infirmed. What professional caregivers have learned, is that when tailored to the listener, the benefits of music can be highly therapeutic!

For more information about how Music and Memory can help elderly patients, or to volunteer or donate an iPod (new or used), visit http://www.MusicandMemory.org.

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