Hello fellow soundies, my name is Martin Shears. I am the head audio engineer at Tahoe Production House and the author of this blog. I am also a professional musician. For the past 25 years I have written, produced, recorded, performed, toured, ate, drank, and slept MUSIC. It is what feeds my soul and drives my passion. Of course my family does too but even they were found and born via my love of making music.
I live in South Lake Tahoe, California where I perform with my friend and business partner in the acoustic duo Ike & Martin (guess which one is me). Ike Marr and myself run a label/artist development outfit called Four Count Concepts. We represent several acts around the Tahoe basin, book gigs, develop web presence, record, and basically show them how to make a better living as artists. FCC also provides the audio recording equipment and services for Tahoe Production House which, along with the expertise of yours truly, helps round out TPH into the awesome full service facility that it is.
Ok enough background noise for now. This blog will be a monthly chat about all things audio and what we are doing at TPH that relates to audio recording and production. It might get nerdy, it might get philosophical, but it will definitely be insightful and informative and even, hopefully, inspiring. So let’s get to it.
In 2015 I have a goal to turn TPH into THE place to record acoustic music from here to the Bay Area. We have great gear for the job, although more bits and pieces get added or subtracted as we grow. The biggest factor in the recording of acoustic music is the space in which you’re recording. The live room. TPH has a large multi purpose room that has been acoustically treated and was, until FCC, used mostly for video and photo shoots. I have been and continue to record acoustic instruments of all variety in this room to develop the best techniques for the space that I can apply to each recording session. I love to record live bands. The special sauce that happens when good musicians play well together is what makes the difference between a recording and a “record.”
So I’m on the lookout for acoustic musicians to record. In the interest of experimentation and growth on both our parts TPH will offer reduced rates for acoustic recording sessions for a limited time. Singer songwriter, duos, trios, bluegrass band etc? Yes! If your music can be called “Acoustic” then I want to hear from you. Email me at martin@tahoeproductionhouse.com, and also check out our soundcloud page here https://soundcloud.com/tahoeproductionhouse
