2004. WOW. All I can say is 2003 sure went fast -- almost as fast as my 17 month-old baby daughter grows. All is good in Joe-land, and the studio is sounding better than ever. I've been working on an album with Bill Severance and Gil Leib. The tracks are great, and I've got my baby grand soundin' sweet. Bill and Gil are producing singers in the jazz-cabaret genre, and the arrangements and playing are top-notch. Paul Chiharra has been in working on a Sydney Lumet movie due out next year. Dave Blasucci and friends are cuttin' some live folk-bluegrass stuff which is an offshoot from A MIGHTY WIND, which Dave was in.. Doing Upright Bass, Mandolin, steel string guitar, and banjo live, with overdub vox. There's one tune called TINY BROKEN HEART about a 7 year old boy who's in love with the little neighbor girl, who has to move because they have no money. He asks his dad to buy the farm so they can stay, "and give em all the pennies from my little piggie bank, pennies that my darlin' helped me save." What a great line!

Music Connection Magazine did a nice article on me in Oct.-issue #21, you can read it here. Just expanded my PRO-TOOLS HD analog output capability, and added some new mics to the ever-growing collection. I continue to be amazed at the sound of the HD system, although I still think good outboard gear smokes even the best plug-ins. I continue to find mods to be a great way to improve quality -- no desk or piece of outboard gear comes stock with the kind of sound you can get from it with a well thought out mod -- I stress well thought out! Just throwing a bunch of the most expensive parts in is not a well thought out mod. My board currently has 80 inputs, many of which are tweaked to capacity in the EQ and the mic-pre section. Except for really small things, I always mix out through my board. I usually keep virtual tracks virtual unless the sound is one of those super-programmed would take forever to do it again even if we could kind of stuff, in which case I put it into audio. Inevitably, if I record some synth-keys or strings into audio, someone will want to change something at the mix. It's so easy to change it in midi. If stuff is moving from studio to studio, it can be easier to put it into audio, but recording 40 synth parts can take some time. If I originate the project and its coming back to my place to mix, a sub-mix of synth parts for reference will usually do.

I see more and more people going to more and more places for the same project (unless of course they start here!). To the drummers for the drums -- to the keyboard players for the keys -- and then somewhere like here or something even bigger to mix. That's alright, and certainly cheaper, but I think you'll ultimately get the best sound if every part of the process is done at a real pro level. (Unless everyone involved has thousands of tunes under their belts, and gear they really like to use: "gee, what's wrong with the mic pre's in my old Mackie? They work just fine on the gig!"). Pre-production and knowing for the most part what you are going to do before the clock starts is the best way to do stuff economically. Tunes go fast when things are well planned and scheduled, even with time spent looking for that "Great Inspiration." It comes a lot faster when everything sounds great and all your ideas are immediately on tape. People waste so much money switching around after something is set up and then switching back, waiting for people to show with nothing else to do in the meantime, and the biggest time waster of all-continuing to try to sing when you know it ain't gonna happen today. No magic chant makes that flu go away!

Nothing like singing twice I always say CHA CHING. Even though I make more money doing things twice, it's usually not as much fun. And if we end up below budget, we can do another song or just give me more money because you're happy. You know I'm gonna spend it on something that's gonna make your next project sound better!