A little about James Collins…
James Collins (producer and engineer at Grizzly Studios), was born in Exeter, UK in 1984 and has been living in Perth for 23 years. He is an international solo guitarist who has studied music at the highest level for 16 years (4 years of which were spent at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK), and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in many locations in Australia, England, Scotland, Vienna, Prague and Valencia. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Western Australia, and an Advanced Diploma in Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music. After the independent release of his debut album, The Way You Look Tonight, he was signed on to local record company, Rella Music. With two albums scheduled for release in 2011 and a planned international tour, James continues to maintain an active performance career, which we believe has contributed greatly to his skills as a producer. He has played many styles of music from classical to rock 'n roll, and is also a trained singer and songwriter.
James is Producer for record companies BMC and Rella Music, but also works with independent artists.
A little about Grizzly Studios…
Built in 2008, and designed with the help of an acoustician and French producer, Philippe Delalande, Grizzly Studios features a dual skin, floating floor construction, with movable sound control panels to allow for tailoring of the acoustic characteristics. The inner skin is constructed entirely from timber, giving it a warm and pleasant acoustic, and James insists on using only state-of-the-art equipment.
In 2010 after much research and deliberation, Grizzly Studios was set up for full 5.1 surround sound production, the only facility of its kind in the state. This is a very exciting aspect of all that goes on at Grizzly, so have a look at the surround sound page for more information!
There is a very relaxed, positive atmosphere in the air-conditioned studio, making it the ideal environment for creativity. We also serve the best coffee in town, and roast our own beans on site!
So what is a Producer?!
Well, a modern producer's job varies, and it's really up to you to decide how involved you want James to be, if at all. In a global sense, a producer's role is simply to help the artists make the best recording possible.
A list of possible tasks a producer might perform are:
Coaching
A producer's ability to get the best performance out of an artist is one of his most important skills, as well as deciding which ‘takes’ to use. (There are always a million different ideas flying around in a recording session, so it's best to have a trusted producer around to decide which ideas should be used, leaving the musicians free to concentrate on playing well and being creative). Most of the coaching should occur during pre-production, but James will also give vocal/instrumental coaching during a recording session where necessary to help achieve the perfect take.
Arranging/composing/song writing/overdubs
A producer will work on the arrangements, and sometimes the actual songwriting with the artist, as well as organising session musicians for any overdubs which may be required, or programming/playing these parts himself. Have a clear idea of how involved you want James to be with arranging and songwriting – remember, a bad arrangement can ruin a good song. Again, this is mostly a pre-production role.
'The Sound'
This is a crucial part of a producer's role and usually manifests itself in one of two ways. Either a band is looking to fit into a genre's characteristic sound, or they are looking to experiment and create new soundscapes. A producer will know the technical and musical techniques necessary to arrive at a certain sound. This usually requires him to be heavily involved with mixing the album, as well as pre-production and the actual recording sessions.
Budgeting
Pretty self explanatory – once presented with a total budget, a producer will allocate resources and time to best effect. For example, if your total budget for an album was $15,000, he wouldn't allocate $13,000 for the recording itself - you've still got printing costs, album artwork, website etc. – you get the picture.
Cracking the whip
Recording an album is an exciting experience, but some bands get a little too excited! It's often good to have a producer on hand to keep everyone focused, and not wasting too much time. It may also involve kicking arses when people are late – time costs money, so you may want to consider asking James to be the official party-pooper if you're on a tight budget.
