Shattered Glass Records

12/04/2024

A little math for you:

This (masterpiece) album was released in 1977, which is generally accepted to be the height of vinyl sales in the US, and this one sold the most. That year there were about 24,400 releases (singles, EPs, LPs, etc), which is a lot of competition.

In 2023, there were about 120,000 releases. Per day. Which means that in 2023, we matched the entire musical output of 1977 on January 1st, at about 5 AM.

When you have a friend who spends their time and money making music, who then is constantly grinding on social media just for a few likes and shares, THIS IS THE REASON WHY. There is just so very much noise out there, and the algorithm is always working against you. You have to scream just to be heard, and even then it’s not a sure thing. But you can help your friend, just by sharing their stuff and encouraging them, because it’s soul-crushing to put everything into something you love and hear crickets.

I tell every artist who comes to me that the only sane way to define success is to make something you love that you’re proud of, because the industry is fickle and random. So that’s what we do. My artists make music they love and are proud of, and I help them record it so that it lasts forever and sounds like them.

It really is the best job.

08/07/2024

You guys might not have seen this, but a while ago I produced my friend Libby Piper Chiaradonna's album of kids music, and it was a blast! I don't know what made me think about it today, but I wanted to share this one (Bedtime for the Birdies) which was one of my favorite songs on it. It's got so much personality and Libby sounds amazing on it. Her harmonies are particularly good. If you've got kids, or know someone who's got kids, check out the whole thing, and also her business where she teaches kids music classes: Ms. Libby's Music Class

07/02/2024

How many mic pre’s do you have in your studio? Do you actually know what they sound like? Is it a big difference, or a small one? Have you ever tried to find out?

My $200 (for 16 channels!) Mackie CR1604 from 1991 sounds way more like my two-channel Neve 1073DPX than I’m comfortable admitting. They both sound different from my late 80’s Fostex 454 that I got in a Music Go Round for $60, which is a little more aggressive but not all that different. We’re talking maybe 5%, which is important but not life-changing. Even my Shure m267 from the 60’s that is obviously broken in several critical ways (the VU meter is mostly for show…) sounds aggressive and cool. Different from the rest, but again, not night and day.

There are a lot of reasons to buy one piece of gear over another. Flexibility (or lack tbereof) and ergonomics are important considerations if it’s something you’re going to use more than a handful of times. Obviously budget dictates everything else. But when we care mostly about sound, as an audio engineer, you should be curious. If you don’t listen critically to what you have, you might get sucked into the vortex of internet experts trying to tell you that what you have is garbage and you can’t make records without a vintage console and $2 million worth of outboard gear. I’m not immune myself, but the only solution is to listen for yourself. Otherwise you might never know that the Behringer mixer you use mostly for live sound as a solo artist might be more appropriate in some situations than your most expensive outboard preamp.

Always remember: comparison is the thief of joy. Make something cool with what you have. I promise you, cool stuff is being made everyday on equipment that some guy on Reddit says is trash.

06/28/2024

This 47ss is quickly becoming my only choice for vocals. Still can’t believe I got it for free, because it’s a steal at twice its asking price. Really, give a look, because this thing just might be magic.

Quick tip: if your room is not particularly inspiring, or if you’re just looking for the classic dead sounding vocal, you can put the singer in front of a deadened surface and use your vocal mic in figure 8, if available. The deep nulls will reject the ceiling, floor and side walls and you will get a nice full vocal due to the increased proximity effect inherent to that polar pattern. I like it more than cardioid for vocals, most of the time.

08/25/2023

So excited to have this one finally out in the wild! Libby is a great songwriter and artist (and friend!) and this one was a marathon, to say the least. An album for kids is definitely a first, but there’s nothing like having your little ones singing and dancing around while you’re working. Give this one a spin, and if you’ve got friends with kids, pass it around!

Stream and Save Ms. Libby's Music Party! - Distributed by DistroKid