Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.....ha!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ok, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me assure you that it wasn't just an outburst of insanity. Well, maybe just a little but there is genuinely a sane reason. This blog will be a little bit if a rant. 

You see, I am generally referred to by other studio guys around town in a kind of derogatory way. They tell people "Joey's sound is very commercial, very pop and top 40". They usually mean this in a negative sense. They prefer the obscure, older more unpolished sound to my slick production and punchy as heck mixes. They put down today's top mix engineers and producers. The guys responsible for just about every song in the Billboard Hot 100 are "not good" to a lot of the engineers around. They poke fun at guys like Chris Lord Alge who has mixed hundreds of current/recent number one singles, number one albums and has many recent Grammys. Serban Ghenea (my absolute favorite mix guy in the business right now) is crap to them even though he often has twenty to thirty songs in the Hot 100 chart simultaneously at any given time nowadays and seems to have mixed just about every hit that comes out lately. 

Hearing that other engineers put me down to people by putting me into the category of these great engineers simply cracks me up! Go ahead, keep saying that. I love it! I am extremely flattered to be compared to these guys for the music I produce and Mix. I'm also humbled and under no delusion that I am anywhere near the caliber of Serban Ghenea or Chris Lord Alge. However, just give me time and I will do everything possible to create a musical legacy as amazing as the one they are creating for themselves.

When these same studio guys tell me "Our clients don't want a commercial sound. They don't care if it sells" I am blown away. Really? They spend all their money and time to record an album that they don't want people to like and don't care if it sells or not? I'm sorry but that is just plain bull. EVERY artist wants success in some form. Sure success means something different to each person and not everyone has dreams of being on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans but EVERY artist DOES want success in some form. 

I've worked with almost a thousand different clients so far in my career. They come to me because they know what I do. They know that I consider the song to be most important piece of the puzzle, then the production should appeal to as many people in their target audience as possible and finally the mix should sound comparable to what is on the charts at the time. 

I never attempt to sound like another producer. I am however always listening for what is hot and what other creatives are doing that I may not be doing. I could care less if an engineer used a very cool rare vintage microphone to record Jo-Artist if I don't like how it sounds. If I love how it sounds I may have to go get one just to have access to that sound I like. I'm not afraid of change. I'm not afraid of digital or the latest technology. In fact I love it. It is a very powerful tool for creating ultra high quality productions. Sure I love old tube and analog gear and have lots that I use everyday but when a new technology comes out that is amazing I am going to utilize it where it is best. One thing to remember "It's not the gear it's the ear". This just means that the best gear in the world in the wrong hands will sound worse than cheesy gear in the hands of a master. 

I will continue to produce radio quality and commercially viable music for my clients for as long as the good Lord allows me to. I'm thankful that it's that sound that I am naturally drawn to and inspired by. There's just nothing better to me than feeling that kick and snare hit me in the chest while the other instruments wrap around me and I can almost feel the vocalists breath on my face as I listen to a song. So if that's the kind of production you want for your song, I'm your guy!