(1)

Hi Dec,

I have this song, it is a simple love song.I wrote it ages ago...Over the past few months I have been to what you would describe as a *home studio*...I cannot sing it the way it should be sung so, cutting a long story short, 4 men (who had been in a band together) offered to come down and sing it.

I did not like the end product as they sang it semi operatic and it sounded like the late Harry Seacombe ( God bless him )...so back to square one!

I then bumped into one of our local northern singers, he does the clubs etc, name of Marvin Ruffin ( yes!!!)...young black man with an absolutely astounding voice. Anyway, his manager said that for a small fee Marvin would sing it for me. This was agreed.

We had only a small session in this home studio, and we recorded a basic track. The song Dec, is a winner, there is no doubt about it. Marvin sang it great, and he and his manager are so impressed with the song that they want to go into a *proper studio* and record. I suspect that they would like the song for himself.

Sometime ago I copyrighted the song, having taken advice from a Patent Agent. I have no problem in going to a studio and getting it done professionally, and giving him a further fee for singing etc. but should I?

1. Use him to promote the song on the local circuit and radio etc......Agree something about money......the problem with this he is not that well known...or

2. Take the recorded CD and give it to a publisher to listen. I have been given a contact at Booker and Co in London.

Sorry to go on but the song IS a winner (remember when some one played you a basic track of * I Believe*......you knew that was a winner.........so is this one!

Best Regards.

Bob Bingham [Member No. STA0497030W]

Hi Bob

One phrase in your Email worries the life out of me: "a simple love song. I wrote it ages ago".

Music moves at 2,000 miles a second...what was in vogue last week will be 'old hat' in six months time. And that is mainly to do ?

Anywith the writing, sentiment etc., although, of course, there are the 'timeless' exceptions.

ADVICE:

Any promotion is good promotion whether it is on a club, a local TV slot, a radio slot....a Potential HIT never reaches it's 'clients' while sitting on a CD in the cupboard.

Don't give it to a Publisher to "give it to a publisher to listen"...you only give it to a Publisher to MAKE MONEY....if it is a Potential Hit then they will grab it and rush it to the twenty recording acts looking for HITS...make sense? contrary to what amateurs think there are dozens of acts out there craving HIT POTENTIAL TOONS....problem is that 97% of the stuff written is 15 years out of date cr*p....

If the 'Ruffin' guy and his management are so keen on the song, then they should have no problem with 'investing' a little dosh in it. That always sorts the men out from the boys. As long as you are shelling out, then he is on a winner...no investment from him means he has nothing to lose and all to gain! Make sense?

I would go along with the suggestion that he records it properly [if you are absolutely convinced it is a HIT] make sure he pays for the studio, make absolutely sure you have the best producer you can afford ["NEVER GO NEAR A STUDIO WITHOUT THE BEST PRODUCER YOU CAN AFFORD"]. Self production is NO production. The studio engineer is only interested in your cheque book...he couldn't produce a rabbit out af a hat, let alone a HIT record. Just ask him how many Number Ones he produced!

Offer 'Ruffin' 10% of the writing royalties [you get 50%...give away 10%, you have 40% left]. Make sure you publish it yourself, in your own company [check out www.makehits.co.uk/publishing.htm ].

Then follow my method as outlined in my 'Serious Writers Guild' writings especially 'How To Make a Milion From your Music' for approaching Publishing/Record companies.

BE CAREFUL:

You don't get sucked into an 'ego' thing...a 'vanity recording' situation....you must be totally sure that the song is a TOP THREE HIT before you (or anyone else) spends one cent!

You must be absolutely sure that the guy is right for the demo and that you are not just a 'meal ticket' for him.

Let me hear the song...it doesn't matter how rough the demo is...it's the song that is the hit not the production.

I will tell you immediately whether there is mileage in it.

Hope this helps....

Regards....

DEC dec@makehits.co.uk

Serious Writers Guild

"where the 'lil guy gets the same chance as the big guy"

(2)

Hi Dec,

I have a couple of questions that I would be grateful of your answer;

1) You've talked frequently about the importance of vocal arrangement - the use of which seems to be less obvious in acts like Travis and Coldplay, and more so in girl and boy bands. If record companies are only really attracted by vocal arrangements, is there another approach for the former?

2) I've threatened before to send you a couple of tracks of mine (just me in the bathroom with my takamine, hence very basic, but the structure's there!)

I'm only Grade One at present, but think that I am, and have previously been a good songwriter. Seriously though, I know you're busy, but would you mind having a listen, and assessing me so far? (time-permitting!)

Matt Allen [Mem. No. NET0522030W}

Matt...

The importance of vocal arrangement cannot be stressed enough...and anyone who dissregards the importance or argues against it [like many I know] usually end up bitter and disgruntled.

I am currently mixing an album for Germany...there are minimum 30 tracks of vocals on .....that's how we get the quality, the 'expensiveness', the 'commercial' sound that sells.

As regards Travis....the band will use vocal arrangement when they want to...not because they don't undertand the importance of it...listen to their album! Same for Coldplay....but also for the reason, in their case, that vocals are usually sampled....and same for any successful recording act....it's the producers who make the decisions not the artists and the producers KNOW! That's how they are successful producers. And if you feel it is only boy/girl bands that use these techniques then listen to Craig David, Anastasia, Gerri Halliwell...even Shania Twain....in fact any solo act in the charts.

The only successful artist who consistently makes a 'feature' of being just a solo voice [or tracked a lot of the time] is Madonna...but her producers use a lot of 'new' dance talent to put her stuff together and they have little 'knowledge' as regards putting vocals together....it works for her!

Matt....you will definitely find that the guys who pooh-pooh vocal arrangement are the guys who haven't a clue how to do it...and mostly wouldn't even recognise it on a record! just ask them the magic question: "how many Number One records have you had?"

2) I will certainly listen to your stuff but nothing over three months old! Please....and that is not being awkward....experience tells me that 97% of demos are absolute cr*p....15 years too late and egotistical, vanity recordings...nothing to do with the real world of commercial music...it genuinely takes two/three years with a guy like me mentoring, to have a clue what money-making commercial music, that 12 year olds will buy, is all about....and that's where the success lies.

In a year's time you will totally agree with me!

Regards

DEC dec@makehits.co.uk

Serious Writers Guild

"where the 'lil guy gets the same chance as the big guy"

(3)

Dec,

I'd like to ask where I can find some decent producers. Any producers that I know of in Wolverhampton are amateur (wannabe's is probably the best word.) Is there a source of information that provides names and addresses?

Many of the things you outline in your 'The Serious Writers Guild' releases are very polite and intelligent when dealing with other people. For example the little notes sent before arriving at a venue. Are there many people working professionally within the music industry i.e. publishers, producers, etc, who don't conduct themselves very professionally?

Producers...for most professional producers such as yourself, are there ever days when there is near enough not a lot going on? A slow day, I guess it could be called?

These may seem like strange questions, but I like to know what people are really like at a pro level.

I dislike being a pain...."Girlz Like Me" is it as bad as I feel it is (the general recording that is)? I'm fearful that my studio sessions thus far have been, what is termed as 'vanity recordings'.

I'm wondering also...I went to a studio not long ago and was put off by their main recording area. It was sparse of equipment to say the least, although it had the 'basic essentials'. Is a sparse studio necessarily a bad one?

E.D. [Member: NET 0430030W]

Hi...

A lot of questions:

I'm a bit behind at the moment as I am mixing an album for Germany...so it's 29 hours a day!

First of all - you have improved so much...quite astonishing! Your writing is incredibly commercial and usable...your voice is commercial and unusual [new, not heard before, in other words].

The track 'Girls Like Me' has a phenomenal Top Three chorus...I did find that the verse seemed to be from a different song ...get what I mean? It wanders about and you feel that it is just passing time until the great chorus comes along. A little bit 'under produced'...and a bit over 'wordy'....far too many differing words, so your brain doesn't 'hear' them...none stick.....there isn't a line that you can 'hang onto' .... the way to get a line like that is to write hundreds [and I mean hundreds] of hooky lines....on those filing cards..one on each...then a few days later go back over them and the 'winner' will jump out at you...then in the context of the song, try to repeat that line as much as possible...Think of an 'Eight days a week' line a 'From the Heart' that bears up to repeating like mad....or even a single word....remember 'horny'?

I've just listened again...that is a wondrous track!

It's now all down to that 'magic' that a hit record has to have, and that is something that none of us can plan for.....you are doing nothing wrong...it's all brilliant...the 'magic' one WILL come along....I can tweak your thinking..as I am doing and you WILL write a screaming hit toon...this one could be that one,,,,the chorus is brilliant - the mid eight [bridge] is brilliant - the intro is good....could be produced better...but the verse is at 70%. Thus the overall percentage of the song comes down...chorus 100% + bridge 100% + verse 70% = 270%...divide by 3 and you get 90%...See what I mean?

For the first time in my life I would say re-work the verse...I am not a great believer in re-working but this time the chorus is so good, the bridge is so good...you must!

BY THE WAY:

I love the idea of the pink jewel case....always keep that idea...it makes your demo so easy to find...I went straight to it among about 200.....it could be your trade mark in the industry.

PRODUCERS:

This is a hard subject. You can only tell a producer by what he has done...i.e. "how many Number Ones have you had?" And then sadly, that guy will charge you a fortune. On the other hand, there are loads of DJ's around who call themselves producers, but sadly they have no 'real knowledge', other than passing judgement on existing music - they can't put it together...guys like Norman Cook will tell you they were DJ's - but they will conveniently forget to tell you that they were with loads of bands [Norman Cook had hits performing with 'Housemartins' and others...so he knows his stuff].

The top producers are all my age and all with my experience...Quincy Jones must be 80 now! It takes a long time to learn the techniques of production...the techniques of producing vocals, then mixing, effects use, compressors, limiters...goes on forever....the DJ guys just couldn't know that stuff.

Dr Dre has been around a long while and 'knows his stuff'.

You will find Esther, that if a good producer actually likes your stuff and thinks there is money in it, then he will get involved...so it is a case of getting attention...remember my 'getting famous before you are famous?'. that's all in my 'The Serious Writers Guild' writings for the Members.

There is a source of information [used to be called Kemps Yearbook now call Showcall...useless!] A few questions:

What age are you Are you 'saleable' as an artist? [let me have a recent, proper, theatrical pic.] Are you gigging live? [mega important...trust me!]

BACK TO THE QUESTIONS:

"are there ever days when there is near enough not a lot going on? A slow day, I guess it could be called? "

Never!

And that is the same for all of us...the good ones haven't one second to spare...the cr*p ones are available tomorrow...just the same as surgeons, accountants, architects. I have a line up of projects waiting....I'll let you in on a secret: I prioritise by the amount of money a project will bring...simple...and you will find most guys do that. Freebies [and I get asked a lot] go to the end of the line.

And that is why artists have to prove to us that they have 'cast iron' hit product...with no 'if's but's and maybe's'...we're just too busy. A hit has to be a definite hit before it ever comes near a studio. We don't change, rewrite, edit...we merely produce, gloss and add magic to an existing Hit Potential demo.

"Are there many people working professionally within the music industry i.e. publishers, producers, etc, who don't conduct themselves very professionally? How do you deal with or associate with such people?"

The successful guys are all like me...extremely nice, courteous, well mannered and pleasant...but do not suffer fools gladly...we have no time for amateurs. So the answer is...if they are not nice, I just don't deal with them. Even the loud-mouth from Belfast [not meant to offend] Ian Paisley is an extremly nice guy....sat beside him on the plane to Belfast....nice=success...simple.

"main recording area. It was sparse of equipment to say the least, although it had the 'basic essentials'. Is a sparse studio necessarily a bad one?"

Main recording areas are a thing of the past...for instance I don't have one...a new studio in Brighton being built has a 'live' space just big enough for a kit of drums....it is never the 'look' of a studio that counts, but what they produce [with a great producer...sorry to harp on]. I can look at a studio for ten seconds and tell you exactly what they can produce without hearing anything...it's called 'experience'.

Then again, you can have the latest, best gear and still produce total 'kack'. Great music is produced from the brain, not from great equipment.

Let me have the stuff I asked for as quick as possible....you have the address.

regards

DEC dec@makehits.co.uk

Serious Writers Guild

"where the 'lil guy gets the same chance as the big guy"

(4)

Hi Dec

I hope you are well.

I've just finished reading your "Lil' Instruction Book 2" that you sent me for free. Thanks for that. It's all great stuff.

I'm moving away from PC based software and I'm trying to piece together the type of studio you suggest. I've been looking for an Atari computer, and I've found a web site where they are advertised in abundance, but I have absolutely no idea what particular kind I need, or what would be the best deal. And should I get one with a CD writer so I can record onto CDs?

The website is http://www.sospubs.co.uk/adverts/adverts.asp. Could you have a quick look for me and guide me in the right direction?

I'm forever indebted for the incredible knowledge you share.

Thanks,

Dave (Membership Number: NET0543030W)

Hi Dave....

Good move...you will be more than pleased.

The Atari is not a recording sequencer, it is purely a computer sequencer dedicated to midi information. In other words it writes all the musical information to disc. Then you send that information in real time to sound modules to create the sounds you want.

The benefit [some say the only benefit] of PC is that you can record live voices, guitars etc. using the many programmes available and also have the music information available in midi form which can be played by the internal soundcards and effects. But that is where the problem lies...it all sounds like that...all coming out of the same sound source...also the computer is handling masses of information, usually too much for the power of the computer. Especially if the computer is not a 'dedicated' one for music and is used for home word processing, accounts, Internet, Emails etc., which most guys do!

So you can easily see that the 'professional' route is a little more complicated, but the results are vastly superior...as I always say: "ten thousand Indians can't be wrong"....the whole industry operates the Atari/Mac way, the amateurs operate the PC way!

The standard Atari is the ST1040ST. One that has been expanded [bigger memory] can be useful although I have never filled the memory of mine yet and I do huge orchestrations. They do not have a permanent memory as such and everything is memorised on floppy disc [always make two copies, by the way, also make two copies of the start-up disc]. This may be where the disc you refer to comes in.

Do not touch the 540...or in fact any number other than the one above. These are older models. Do not touch Atari Falcon. This was a last ditch attempt by the company to compete with PC....didn't take off.

Be absolutely sure you get a 'dongle' with it...that is the encoding box which slots in the left side and makes the music programme work...do not be fooled by guys saying you don't need one...this means the Company software has been cloned or is bootleg.

A Midi expander is a good idea...I use one [small device that plugs in the back, costs pennies]. It means that you can expand to two lots of midi....A and B this gives 32 midi channels instead of the normal 16....the 'Unitor' plug-in will give four lots of 16 and also link to SMPTE code [the really professional code for 24 track tape machines...not necessary today though with midi sync]

Make absolutely sure you get an Atari or Samsung or Viewtek monitor...these are high resolution monitors dedicated to Atari...again don't be fooled by guys saying you can use a standard TV monitor...you can - but the low resolution quality is cr*p.

Price? Around £125...for a complete package of computer, monitor and Cubase or Creator software plus dongle. Delivery? Negotiate with the seller. I had one delivered recently by Fed. Express no problem. Around £10-£15 is the normal charge.

Hope this helps...I will look at that site...you have helped me a lot there, as Ataris are hard to find and I like having spares! So does Norman Cook.

regards

DEC dec@makehits.co.uk

Serious Writers Guild

"where the 'lil guy gets the same chance as the big guy"