Weekend Intensive: Producing Music with Ableton Live

January 12th, 2012

Jan 28th & 29th - 11am-5pm - The Art Institute of Seattle - $165

In conjunction with the release of his book Producing Music with Ableton Live, Jake will be holding a two-day weekend intensive workshop exploring the fundamentals of Ableton Live. Whether you have never used Ableton Live before or would just like to improve your knowledge of the fundamentals, this workshop is for you.

Check the Workshop page for details.

Coming in February: Weekend Intensive 2: Sound Design, Mixing, and Mastering with Ableton Live!  Dates TBA.

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Cafe Musica album recording

December 9th, 2011

Isaac and Esther Olson are truly masters of their craft.  This brother / sister duo not only played breathtaking violin and viola for this recording, but also seamlessly overdubbed multiple parts, adding additional parts alongside their previous takes, which is hard to do.  Finally, they arranged all the music for this collection of songs because they didn’t like what was commercially available: “Its all too simple and cheesy,” says Esther.  In just three short days we tracked, overdubbed, mixed and mastered 11 songs for their upcoming release.  Amazing work.

 

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Kiran Music Project – EP

October 26th, 2011

New mastering client and talented producer: Kiran Hunter.  Organic, rootsy, dubby and yet still very much dubstep.  I think.  You decide:

I like it.

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Enchanted Forest at the Orcas Center Black Box

October 22nd, 2011

Admittedly, its been a while since I’ve acted in a play, but I had a feeling this show was going to be a hoot, so I got on board – and what a ride its been!  From the creative recesses of director Deborah Sparks’ subconscious, onto the stage comes Enchanted Forest, a semi-steampunk cabaret romp through an eclectic mix of songs and silliness.  I played Dr. Livingston, a bumbling British chap constantly on safari.  Included were two “Chap-Hop” rap numbers – nothing like having to rap in an upper-crust Brittish accent with a glued on mustache… The photo is of Grace McCune and myself – she played the female lead, Carmen, and in this scene we sang the Carpenter’s “Close To You” to each other over iPhones patched into the house PA.  Fab!

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Grace McCune – Direct Box of the Soul

September 19th, 2011

Grace is a force of nature: singer, songwriter, piano player, teacher, actress… I’ve only been on the island a short year and her name just keeps coming up – clearly a big fish in our little island pond!  We were in Enchanted Forest together at the Orcas Center these past two months, and Grace was a true pleasure to work with: punctual, professional, fun to be around, worked hard and complained not at all.  Then she asked me to help her put together an EP of her songs for a mini tour she is doing in Europe presently, and Direct Box of the Soul is the result.  Five songs, recorded in one day, mixed and mastered in another.  She was prepared and nailed it each song in under three takes, with few overdubs if any.  I look forward to working with her again.  Here is my favorite song from the album, She Is Water.  

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Katie Gray – Love Like Fire

July 21st, 2011

Once in a while you find yourself in the perfect place at the perfect time. This mixing and mastering project fell in my lap after playing Bloom for Jim Bredouw, the producer, arranger and recording engineer for Katie Gray‘s epic second album, “Love Like Fire.”  Liking what he heard of Bloom, Jim immediately asked me to mix Katie’s album for him.  After picking my jaw up off the floor and stammering an emphatic “YES”, I spent a month polishing Katie’s staggeringly beautiful voice and songs and Jim’s masterful and lush arrangements into a finished album.  It is one of the finest projects I’ve had the honor of working on.  Here’s my favorite track from the album, “Shelter.”  

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