06/21/2025
The image on this post is an illustration, but…it’s a pretty accurate depiction of my workstation in the audio lab. It’s the engine that fuels the beat building process. Sony’s “Acid” (shown in the posted illustration, that’s a pretty accurate depiction of my computer screen) is the software of choice to assemble the wav files, chop-up samples and test out virtual plug-ins, before the final mixes are handed over to the mastering engineer…mastering those mixes is the last step in the recording process. It’s this last step that ensures the music you handed over is leveled up to broadcast quality standards. The best way to explain the standard is this: My track next to whatever, whoever popular hit in rotation on FM radio, the loudness of mine would be similar. No drop off.
The stamp at the top is the mode of operation. It’s a focus on long-term objectives with a daily habit of discovery. I think of it as, keeping an open mind to receive inspired creative direction, with two eyes on the prize.
It’s been 5 years since I’ve planned, packaged and promoted a full-length music release. Add 15 more for a nationwide campaign…The commercial music marketplace flipped, and now I’m looking at this glass drinking container. The level of vodka & O.J in the glass container depends on how you frame it.
Is it half empty? Do you believe the music marketplace is over saturated, so deep in numbers so vast, the independent artist is destined to reach zero sum game. From a pessimistic perspective, it’s close to the truth …. Look closer and you’ll find the market is saturated beyond saturation! It’s so saturated there is not a word to encapsulate how flooded the market is at this point. However, I see the glass half-full.
Certain barriers that were prohibitive or required all kinds of extra effort, patience and attention to the smallest of small details… have been largely removed. It’s a playing field with new turf on the surface. Put me in Coach!
Let’s get back to the basics and flex some music genre definitions. Then move to dial-in the precise verbiage to breakdown the sound and core principles held by the 85 decibel Monk music collective. No need to take notes, I’ve designed this visual aid for both fresh faces just getting acclimated at the shallow end of the pool and the long-time supporters who have jumped off the diving board head first, known as “The 85 dB Tribe”.
Hip-Hop music has been around for 50 years and I’ve been a participant in 1 of the 4 elements for about half of that span. Boom-Bap is a sub-genre of Hip-Hop...the given title comes from the snare and kick drum pattern, including the sonic qualities, usually pushed to the front of the mix and steady with the vocals. Bossa Nova is just Samba with Jazz and Jazz is just what it is. Good or Bad. You’ll know it when you hear it. What is Soul? If you guessed: “Reverberations between Gospel and R&B,” as an answer? Sure. Yeah. The math adds up. However, I would also attach the disclaimer: “Derivatives of R&B not R&B”
The analog wav sign is the messenger in this digital environment. The mixture is prepared in the recording studio with natural and artificial additives to stabilize the product for consistency.
The protocols in the production studio have stages or steps similar to meal preparation. Secure provisions, mix, filter, heat to boil and cool. The refined ingredients equal the 85 decibel Monk signature sound.
But wait! There’s more!
The audio has a visual compliment in various forms with stock footage and B-Roll used as the primary subject as an example. Demonstrations recorded for educational purposes or detailed manufacturing procedures that highlight the company’s position in the marketplace…color saturated moving images on cinematic spools, at some point in time taken off the shelf, labeled for designation, then boxed up and stored in 16mm film canisters for decades.
These types of presentations intended for utility, become creations of art displayed in a completely different context …Low-Budget Drive-Inn Movies from the landfill with acting so bad…it’s good…and a goldmine for the rhythms and grooves contained in the soundtrack produced by the 85 dB Monks!
The recycled and re-edited works are available for your viewing and listening pleasure on the YouTube channel. (see visual aid) Review the material, comment like and subscribe. Class Dismissed.
