NAMBO
Btwn Musik
http://facebook.com/nambomusic
http://vinylsoulmusic.com
Enrique Nambo is a member of the award-winning Latin neo-soul group, Vinyl Soul. He produces a wide range of music from rock, soul, and hip-hop, to R&B, jazz, house, dance and street music. He has worked with Universal Music, Dream, City of Angels, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Tucanes De Tijuana, Urban Legend, Sade, Taxi Doll, Lisa D’Amato and Cut Chemist.
CHOOSING A STUDIO
I check out the hardware and room acoustics. I pay close attention to the consoles, compres-sors and equalizers. I like to combine both analog and digital gear. I also like to talk with the studio engineers to find out what range the rooms might have. That aspect is critical when it comes to recording acoustic drums and guitar. Once I know what a room can give me, I can decide if the studio is right for the project.
HOW CAN ARTISTS SAVE MONEY ON STUDIO TIME
Pre-production is a huge money saver. You need to take some time working on the songs before you ever enter a studio. If you spend enough time in pre-production, you can knock it out very quickly because, then, all the players know what their job is.
Additionally, if you block-out time you’ll generally get a reduced rate. To do that, though, you need to know how long it’s going to take you to record each song. If you’re smart in pre-production, you should have a good estimate of the time you need.
BIG STUDIOS vs. SMALL STUDIOS
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you have the right environment and every player knows what he/she is doing, a small studio—even a home set-up—can get you a Grammy. Today, we have the tools available to accomplish that, and it can be done quickly.
CHOOSING A PRODUCER
Artists should listen to reference recordings the producer has done. They should also inspect the studio to make sure it can deliver what they want. But, most of all, a producer must connect with the artist.
A good producer understands the music and can evaluate the artist’s skill level. This is especially important with singers. In fact, I spend a lot of time working with singers on their delivery.
