Tag Archives: Berklee

Mastering (with Chris Graham) Ep050

June 13, 2019Episodes4 Hour work week, Aaron Sefchick, Berklee, Brian Hood, Chris Graham, compression, EQ, equalization, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, guitar, guitar lessons, guitar teacher, how to play guitar, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, limiter, loudness wars, mastering, mastering engineer, music, music lessons, Music podcast, music production, music talk, music teacher, musician, play guitar, podcast, recording, recording revolution, recording studio, rock, Six Figure Home Studio, studio, talk show, working class audioFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:07 — 60.8MB)

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Are you confused about what mastering really is? Are you tempted to skip this important step in the process of preparing your music for distribution? Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray bring in the esteemed Chris Graham of Chris Graham Mastering and the Six Figure Home Studio Podcast to talk about the final polish in the process of preparing your music for release. According to Chris, mastering is “optimizing a music track for goosebumps for the most people on the maximum number of listening devices.”

Chris tells the guys his story of how he became a musician, started producing music, and fell in love with mastering. When he started his mastering business, he had the idea to put raw vs. mastered samples on his website and provide free mastering samples to new potential clients.

The guys talk about business books including The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. Then they discuss the podcasting world, how podcasts are making it possible for niche shows to thrive, and how podcasts provide people with the opportunity to better themselves by learning while they drive or perform other life-tasks. Then they dive into the topic of higher education and whether it pays off.

Aaron and Joe get to ask Chris lots of questions about mastering. Chris tells them that it involves compression, equalization, limiting, and much more in order to make the tracks sound consistently better, more cohesive (on an album), and often louder on as many different listening devices as possible. The guys ask Chris about his thoughts on having your tracks mixed and mastered by the same person. Chris recommends doing a “mastering contest,” in which you go to multiple different mastering engineers and ask for a free mastered song from each. Then compare the tracks and choose your favorite.

Finally, Chris, Aaron, and Joe talk about the “Loudness Wars.”

You can find Chris at:

http://www.chrisgrahammastering.com

https://www.thesixfigurehomestudio.com/

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Drums, NYC Music Scene (with Graham Doby) Ep044

May 2, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, Autobahn Lab, band, band practice, Berklee, drummer, drums, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, funk, George Clinton, George Mason University, gigging, gigs, Graham Doby, guitar, guitar lessons, jamming, jazz, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, mixing, music, Music podcast, music school, music talk, music teacher, New York City music, NYC Music Scene, Parliament, play guitar, podcast, recording, rock, studio, talk show, teachingFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:02 — 65.3MB)

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Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray bring in drummer Graham Doby to discuss drums and the music scene in New York City.

Graham tells the guys about his musical journey, including playing jazz in high school and studying jazz drumming at George Mason University before moving to NYC to work as a full-time musician. Graham remembers playing at different venues in Washington, DC while he was in music school, and Joe and Graham reminisce about ear-training classes at George Mason with Dr. Anthony Maiello. The guys also contemplate the value of Berklee College of Music as it compares to other music programs/options.

Graham talks about the complexities of the NYC music scene: it’s competitive nature, it’s different circles of musicians (from professional jazz players to wedding bands to professional players of other genres), and it’s often low-paying or pay-to-play gigs. Despite any difficulties, Graham loves being part of NYC’s scene. There are great players, exciting opportunities, and cool people.

Aaron gets Graham to tell us about his experience opening for Parliament and the stories of his interactions with George Clinton.

Graham has built a recording studio in NYC to record other bands and to produce his own music. The guys ask him to explain how he manages the noise and his neighbors in an apartment building.

Aaron, Joe, and Graham discuss how to book gigs for a self-managed tour. Graham talks about his work with a non-profit group that provides music education for youth, senior citizens, and students with disabilities, which reminds Joe of Fret Buzz Episode 38 with Joe Hamm of El Sistema.

The guys talk about the business skills it takes to make a living playing music, from doing taxes to wearing multiple hats (teaching during the day and performing at night). Graham answers the burning question about how NYC musicians deal with getting show equipment to their gigs considering the obvious transportation difficulties. The answer: they often don’t have to worry about it because so many venues have house drum kits and amps.

Graham tells us about his plans for the future, including recording projects, more teaching, and staying in NYC for at least five more years.

Late Sea

https://www.lateseamusic.com/

Mods for Guitar, Amps, Pedals and Gear Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Miles Harshman) Ep031

January 31, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, amp, amp biasing, amplification, amps, Berklee, Berklee College of Music, biasing, capacitors, dumble, effect pedals, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, guitar, guitar effects, guitar lessons, guitars, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, Miles Harshman, mods, music, music equipment, Music podcast, music school, music talk, pedal, pedals, play guitar, podcast, power amp, power-amp tube, pre-amp, pre-amp tube, Randal Smith, rectifier tube, speakers, talk show, tube, tube amplifier, tube amps, tubes, vacuum tube, VibroverbFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:24 — 43.6MB)

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In part 2 of our discussion with Miles Harshman, Miles continues telling us about being a student at Berklee College of Music: his famous roommate, the ensembles available to students, etc.

Then we really dig into the details of modding guitars, amps, and pedals. Modding is a way to get new sounds out of the equipment that you already have by changing physical components of that equipment. Miles shares a wealth of information on how to change/improve your gear by changing out capacitors, rectifier tubes, pre-amp tubes, and power-amp tubes, speakers, etc. Did you know that changing out a rectifier tube in your amp can cause it to naturally break up sooner (for more natural overdrive at more reasonable volumes) or later (for more clean headroom).

Miles also helps to clear up the mystery revolving around biasing tube amps. Please keep in mind that any work involving the internal components of a tube amp can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, even if the amp is off and unplugged.

The more you learn about your equipment, the more you can get the most out of it. Even things as simple as knowing when your amp’s tubes are going bad can make a huge difference to your sound on stage or in the practice room.

Mods for Guitar, Amps, Pedals and Gear Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Miles Harshman) Ep030

January 24, 2019Episodes5150, Aaron Sefchick, amplification, Berklee, biasing, brown sound, capacitors, coil tap, conversation, ear training, fat switch, fender, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, fuzz, fuzz pedal, guitar, guitar lessons, guitar pickups, guitar wiring, Harshman, humbucker, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, marshall, McMurray, Miles Harshman, mod, mods, music, music talk, music theory, phase reversal, pickups, play guitar, podcast, power tubes, preamp tubes, red plating, resistors, Sefchick, signal flow, single coil, solid state, talk show, teaching, tube amp, twin reverbFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 45.8MB)

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Who doesn’t love to talk about guitar tone?? Aside from the obvious fact that much of your tone comes from your fingers, it is also greatly affected by your beloved gear: your instruments, amps, effects pedals, etc. Lots of the gear that you purchase off the shelf can actually be improved or changed through mods / modifications to the internal circuitry – some of which you can do yourself. We bring in guitarist, amp technician, music teacher, and Berklee graduate, Miles Harshman, to give us the ins and outs of musical equipment.

In Part 1 of this conversation we dig into guitar tone, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Robin Trower. Miles talks about his love of different types of fuzz pedals, an effect that Joe rarely uses. While Joe uses several types of overdrive and natural small amp distortion, he commits to giving fuzz another try. Miles presents an overview of how tube amps work – their different gains stages, how the tubes break up, the feeling of a tube amp due to the sag/sponginess in the rectifier tube.

Miles tells us about his journey to becoming a gear technician, including building his first stratocaster in high school and his more recent telecaster with unusual switches.

We talk about clean guitar tones, and how hollow, semi-hollow, and chambered bodies affect the your sound.

Miles begins telling us about his experiences at Berklee College of Music, including the many ensemble choices, the enormous practice room amps, and the general atmosphere. Check out next week’s episode to discover who was Miles’ freshman year roommate!

Music School and Job Opportunities Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Cole Holland) Ep027

January 3, 2019EpisodesB.B. King, bb king, Berklee, Berklee College of Music, blues, blues guitar, Cole Holland, fret buzz, fret buzz podcast, Fret Buzz The Podcast, guitar, guitar lesson, guitar talk, guitar teacher, guitar theory, harmonic major, harmonic minor, jazz, jazz guitar, melodic minor, music employment, music school, music theory, podcast, practice routine, talk showFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:47 — 31.0MB)

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In this episode of Fret Buzz The Podcast, we continue the conversation with Cole Holland about his musical work on a cruise line. Cole tells us his path once he exited Berklee School of Music and how he happened upon the opportunity to join the B.B. Kings All-Stars at sea. He also goes into his setup and what rehearsal looks like. Finally, the guys get into a bit of guitar theory and what a daily practice routine entails.

Cole Holland-
hollandazemusic.com

Music School and Job Opportunities Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Cole Holland) Ep026

December 27, 2018EpisodesB.B. King, bb king, Berklee, Berklee College of Music, cruise guitar, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, gigs, guitar, guitar talk, guitar teacher, jazz, jazz ensemble, jazz guitar, mentor, music, music employment, music scholarship, music theory, podcast, talk showFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:56 — 48.2MB)

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In Episode 26 of Fret Buzz, Aaron and Joe talk to Cole Holland of hollandazemusic.com. We discuss Cole’s early musical journey and the preparation that led him to Berklee School of Music. We dig into the program and special ensemble offerings at Berklee and how they may or may not differ from those of other music programs. We look at the entrepreneurial skills required to make a living as a professional musician – self-promotion through a personal website and social media, understanding our tax system, etc.

In the next episode we will dive into Cole’s year as a cruise ship musician as a member of the B.B. King All Star Band.