Post by mcbutterfly on Dec 11, 2007 18:51:38 GMT 8
Miami producer Steve Morales has contributed multiple tracks for Lil' Wayne's highly anticipated album The Carter 3; however his proven track record with artists like Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera have earned him the reputation as a stellar producer in all genres. With that in mind, Morales offered SOHH some pointers on how producers can diversify their catalog.
1. Rely on What You Know
The first thing is never forget the music you listened to as a young kid -- the music your mom and dad might have played. Those are usually the things that we need to go back to. Those will be the notes that move you in the future. I used to look at different producers, like David Foster. The beginning of my career was chasing after David Foster, trying to be David Foster at an early age, that's what motivated me.
2. Understand Melody
Be very involved in your sound selections. Know what sounds are hot. It's crucial. It's what makes you. For me it started when I grew up in Brooklyn. My mother would listen to Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer and I would be in the streets listening to Run DMC. Melody is important/ your tracks have to have room for melody. Melody is everything. If there is no melody in your track, you don't have a track. Knowing how to use the melody determines if you are going to go pop, or rock or hip hop. Your choice of chords has to be right.
3. Be In Tune with Industry Trends
I started off doing urban music, but I moved over to pop music because of the people that I liked. I was looking at who was running the charts. I knew what records were hot and I had to know who produced them and who wrote them. I was on a mission, kinda like collecting baseball cards, I would collect information. I was in the studio. I learned how to mingle and how to keep a great relationship on both sides of the business. I would read Billboard, I was also going to record company conventions; as a sound engineer, that was how I mingled and networked. Wherever there was a connection to a record company I would be there. I wanted to know who was who so I'd know what I was talking about when I said this is why the record was gonna be a hit.
I got to sit down with Tommy Mottola and Jimmy Iovine. I saw what Tommy was doing and how Tommy's approach was very champagne glass, very suit and tie. Jimmy was very different, he was doing street music and rock music and I was between these two men, trying to get my work out to these two guys, so I had to be diverse, I had to flip sides, I had to rely on sounds of the past and listen to radio today.
4. Use Hardwork, Dedication and Teamwork
Another thing that got me where I am is my addiction to work. I had to be near something I could make music on at all times because you never know when that melody was going to come. When I worked with Christina Aguilera our session was supposed to start at 10 pm and she showed up at 2 am. She only stayed 20 minutes and left. It took me a month to put the record together. Christina put me to the test because she gave me that diva, it was walk out of here or be a man because this was my dream.
Also, I'm always surrounded by my crew. What makes a great producer is the musicians they surround themselves with. A great producer surrounds himself with great musicians -- you don't need to play piano, you don't need to play an instrument. Jesus Bobe & Raymond Sarom Diaz are essential to me, they're a big part of my career moving forward. They're a part of my production company Icon Music Group.
5. Seek Digital Versus Analog
Don't spend any money on keyboards, software is the way to go. If you want to make it as a producer and diversify, you need to have a program that will allow you to record all kinds of different genres. Logic 8 helps me get very expensive sounding string sounds as well as the stupid cheapy sounds that are what's hot on the radio. You need to know how to make your music the least expensive way. Now we have programs like Logic 8 and Fruity Loops, which I use as well. There's tons of software that is worth $200 apiece versus a keyboard that's worth $4,000. For a kid that's trying to get on, how is he gonna buy a $3,000 keyboard? This whole digital software revolution is not even the next era, it's now - Protools, Logic. It allows you to be more productive with less money. Most of today's programs sound amazing.
Bonus Tip: And Let God Do the Rest!
The Come Up
I started... in New York City, I lived in Brooklyn and I started at this recording studio called Bayside Sound Music in Queens. I was about fourteen. It started with going to the store for the fellas, cleaning up after the studio just doing little kid stuff, but I started learning my way around the equipment at an early age. I started out as an intern, then an assistant engineer and then after that I got into production.
My first break...came with the song "Say It" by a group called Voices of Theory, but my real break was "Tell Me" by Dru Hill. They were around the same time, I was probably like 19.
Steve Morales' Play-O-Graphy
Production Credits include work with:
Santana & Jennifer Lopez feat. Baby Bash "This Boy is Fire"
Celine Dion "Right in Front of You"
Enrique Iglesias "Escape"
Dru Hill "Tell Me"
Christina Aguilera "Get Mine, Get Yours"
Fabolous ft.Young Jeezy "Diamonds"
Rick Ross "Shot to the Heart"
Fat Joe "Crack House"
Baby ft. Lil' Wayne "Pop Bottles"
Currently working with:
Beyonce
Ludacris w/ DJ Khaled
Source: SOHH
1. Rely on What You Know
The first thing is never forget the music you listened to as a young kid -- the music your mom and dad might have played. Those are usually the things that we need to go back to. Those will be the notes that move you in the future. I used to look at different producers, like David Foster. The beginning of my career was chasing after David Foster, trying to be David Foster at an early age, that's what motivated me.
2. Understand Melody
Be very involved in your sound selections. Know what sounds are hot. It's crucial. It's what makes you. For me it started when I grew up in Brooklyn. My mother would listen to Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer and I would be in the streets listening to Run DMC. Melody is important/ your tracks have to have room for melody. Melody is everything. If there is no melody in your track, you don't have a track. Knowing how to use the melody determines if you are going to go pop, or rock or hip hop. Your choice of chords has to be right.
3. Be In Tune with Industry Trends
I started off doing urban music, but I moved over to pop music because of the people that I liked. I was looking at who was running the charts. I knew what records were hot and I had to know who produced them and who wrote them. I was on a mission, kinda like collecting baseball cards, I would collect information. I was in the studio. I learned how to mingle and how to keep a great relationship on both sides of the business. I would read Billboard, I was also going to record company conventions; as a sound engineer, that was how I mingled and networked. Wherever there was a connection to a record company I would be there. I wanted to know who was who so I'd know what I was talking about when I said this is why the record was gonna be a hit.
I got to sit down with Tommy Mottola and Jimmy Iovine. I saw what Tommy was doing and how Tommy's approach was very champagne glass, very suit and tie. Jimmy was very different, he was doing street music and rock music and I was between these two men, trying to get my work out to these two guys, so I had to be diverse, I had to flip sides, I had to rely on sounds of the past and listen to radio today.
4. Use Hardwork, Dedication and Teamwork
Another thing that got me where I am is my addiction to work. I had to be near something I could make music on at all times because you never know when that melody was going to come. When I worked with Christina Aguilera our session was supposed to start at 10 pm and she showed up at 2 am. She only stayed 20 minutes and left. It took me a month to put the record together. Christina put me to the test because she gave me that diva, it was walk out of here or be a man because this was my dream.
Also, I'm always surrounded by my crew. What makes a great producer is the musicians they surround themselves with. A great producer surrounds himself with great musicians -- you don't need to play piano, you don't need to play an instrument. Jesus Bobe & Raymond Sarom Diaz are essential to me, they're a big part of my career moving forward. They're a part of my production company Icon Music Group.
5. Seek Digital Versus Analog
Don't spend any money on keyboards, software is the way to go. If you want to make it as a producer and diversify, you need to have a program that will allow you to record all kinds of different genres. Logic 8 helps me get very expensive sounding string sounds as well as the stupid cheapy sounds that are what's hot on the radio. You need to know how to make your music the least expensive way. Now we have programs like Logic 8 and Fruity Loops, which I use as well. There's tons of software that is worth $200 apiece versus a keyboard that's worth $4,000. For a kid that's trying to get on, how is he gonna buy a $3,000 keyboard? This whole digital software revolution is not even the next era, it's now - Protools, Logic. It allows you to be more productive with less money. Most of today's programs sound amazing.
Bonus Tip: And Let God Do the Rest!
The Come Up
I started... in New York City, I lived in Brooklyn and I started at this recording studio called Bayside Sound Music in Queens. I was about fourteen. It started with going to the store for the fellas, cleaning up after the studio just doing little kid stuff, but I started learning my way around the equipment at an early age. I started out as an intern, then an assistant engineer and then after that I got into production.
My first break...came with the song "Say It" by a group called Voices of Theory, but my real break was "Tell Me" by Dru Hill. They were around the same time, I was probably like 19.
Steve Morales' Play-O-Graphy
Production Credits include work with:
Santana & Jennifer Lopez feat. Baby Bash "This Boy is Fire"
Celine Dion "Right in Front of You"
Enrique Iglesias "Escape"
Dru Hill "Tell Me"
Christina Aguilera "Get Mine, Get Yours"
Fabolous ft.Young Jeezy "Diamonds"
Rick Ross "Shot to the Heart"
Fat Joe "Crack House"
Baby ft. Lil' Wayne "Pop Bottles"
Currently working with:
Beyonce
Ludacris w/ DJ Khaled
Source: SOHH
