Cookie's Corner

If 2020 was a fiction novel, no one would have believed it possible to have this kind of year.  Pandemic aside, we had the worst fire year ever, economic depression, riots, and challenges to our democratic elections.  Good-bye 2020!  And Good Riddance!

Blue Coast Records is a label.  What does that mean?  It means Blue Coast Records owns the masters and creates a brand around the kind of music we choose to record.  That music has been guided by my personal taste in what I enjoy hearing.  Sometimes the artists overlook their own best feature...  the ability to perform fantastically live whether in concert or in the studio.  Blue Coast Records chooses to capture those intimate moments.

Introductions on email are always interesting.. you never know where they're going to go. I'll do a little research and more often than not, after 40 years in the music business, you find a common thread.  After that, I'll write a brief history of then to now with that thread of commonality.

Many of you aren't aware that before I started Blue Coast Records, I had a thriving commercial recording studio business.  We opened the doors to OTR Studio back in 1982 and for 20 years had the opportunity to record then emerging artists who would later become key figures in today's music.  Yes, I used to record large ensembles with the musicians isolated in their rooms.  Yes, I recorded to tape. Yes, some of the music I forgot and some of it is fantastic. Here's a playlist of some of those recordings.

Hi all, David Solomon has been a very good friend and supporter through many years of HD audio.  Now, he's a high end audio champion working for Qobuz, the favorite HD streaming company of many audiophiles. 

Last week we filed a trademark for our proprietary systems.  So far, things look good.  It's an interesting process.   You're probably wondering why and what does SEA mean?

Over the years we have developed several proprietary processes either for recording or releasing DSD recordings to the listeners.

My last few "Corners" have gotten much response so I thought I'd fill in the blanks for everyone.  First, I wanted to remind you that DSD-Guide is our information website.  If you're signed up at bluecoastmusic.com recently, you may not be receiving DSD-Guide.  We send out about 2x a month with information on sound, tips on recording, DSD, comparative listening tests, etc.  You can sign up here, if you're not already receiving it.

One of the reasons I started Blue Coast Records was to capture the sound of the musicians as they played together learning new songs in the studio.  There was a freshness and lightness that was often lost when the 'record' button went on.  It was a luxury I got to experience as a recording engineer and producer that I felt was worthy of sharing with the world.

It's sad when you hear of someone's passing.  And especially touching when you are notified by a newsletter that features a photo of that person -- while you were with them 40 years ago.  It stuns you on the passing of time.  Wasn't that just yesterday?

As we're nearly the 6 month point of living in the midst of a pandemic, I thought I'd check in with everyone and see how you're doing.  Truthfully, the smoke surrounding the San Francisco area is harder to deal with than COVID.  That was true lockdown.

Sometimes I forget to explain what the difference is between a STORE and a RECORD LABEL.  Even my crew can be confused so we have this daily mantra... "Blue Coast Music is a STORE.  Blue Coast Records is a LABEL."  So, what's the difference?

What does recording "Live in the Studio" mean?  Isn't a concert recording the same thing?  Not really.

We first met Garett by chance singing at a friend's birthday party in Portland.  At the time, Jean Claude Reynaud and myself were working on a new recording technique which later became Extended Sound Environment or E.S.E.  

Those of us who have wandered around the audiophile forums know the battles between formats (can anyone hear the difference?) and expensive cables (can anyone hear the difference?).  Yes, we can hear the difference and we do blindfold tests often.  

Rick Clark is a phenomenal writer and journalist which are only a part of what he does in life.  I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Rick many times for Mix Magazine.  When it came time to introduce the world to our new adventure in sound, we invited Rick with several others to attend our sessions which became the discover of Extended Sound Environment and later Blue Coast Records.

Tuesday... our first session.  Solo guitar with with an old friend.  Musicians want to get back to recording.  More to the point, musicians want interaction, ideas and sparks of inspiration they get from producers and engineers.  Being in the studio is more than just capturing a sound.  It's about creating an experience.

We've got a plan to handle it.  We'll see how it works out.

Jenna Mammina is an amazing singer, performer, improviser and now podcast personality.  Since the lockdown, she's logged more than 250 livestreaming podcasts on FB. To know Jenna is to marvel that she's figured out how to do an incredibly low-fi show that makes a very fun podcast.  She is as clever in her repartee as she is in her ability to wow a live audience.

I had a music lover ask about us rolling him a copy of a 1/2" master tape.  Seems simple yes?  But really.... No, it's not that simple.  I'll explain more in an upcoming issue at DSD-Guide but for now, here's a simple story of mastering.

I love baseball.  I love listening to baseball on the radio when I'm gardening.  I love watching baseball at night as I'm headed off to sleep.  I heard a saying the other day, "Sports is the reward of a functioning society" which has haunted me ever since.  How is any sports team going to play during the pandemic?

I was a strange kid growing up.  I hated practicing the piano but I loved music.  At some point, my parents thought it was a good idea to buy me a few vinyl albums...  

Dino (aka J.A. Deane) has written a exhaustively thorough blog post reviewing livestream gear for musicians.  The equipment cost is less than $500 (most of which is the camera).  I thought some of you more technically savvy would find this interesting.  

Well, after all the trials and tribulations I've had with the Zoom Room set up at the studio, it all seems to be working.. at least good enough.  The Beecaster mic is wonderful and sits on the desk, always on, I don't have to think about it.  The camera is a pain, but workable.  Yesterday, we had a nearly full crew meeting with all in our first Zoom meeting.

We are often asked why we don't sell single song downloads from our Blue Coast Music webstore.  Yes, at Downloads NOW! (our older site) we used to sell single songs so why did we stop?

I didn't get the job.  I didn't tell many people that I was offered the position.  A very prestigious university with an incredible music department had asked me to apply for the Program Director of Music Business. I was honored and flabbergasted all at the same time. They also had an amazing music wellness division that I was excited to exchange ideas with.  

Some people go through life thinking that routines and rituals are a bad thing.  I might have been one of those people until I realized that I miss routines and rituals.  There is a peace and calm around doing the same things again and again with better results and happier days.  Even a small ritual of how you make your coffee or where you get it from can be upsetting if you have to suddenly change.

Once a year or so I try to make a dent cleaning out one of those hidden places where things have been hiding for years.  During the pandemic, I made an effort to do it once a week.  You find all kinds of memories there.

Both my father and brother are retired firemen. I chose a life in the music business.  I don't talk about it much with them.  My lifestyle doesn't make much sense to them. If you're reading this now, you probably know more about me than my family does. :)  That's okay.  I love them anyway. But we do share a couple of things in common... watching the San Francisco Giants play baseball and growing tomatoes.

I turned on the news yesterday as the the count down to a space launch was taking place.  I had turned on the news to see if America had lasted overnight with fires burning in all the major cities.

John R Burr contacted us yesterday.   He asked how we were doing and then said, "Wouldn't it be fantastic if we were the first ones to be in the studio since we were the last ones to record before the lockdown?"  We think it's a terrific idea!

When I first saw Billy Childs perform he was playing with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's group.  It was the Keystone Corner where jazz artists come to play Tuesday through Sunday. I was a budding jazz pianist back then and Billy's playing captivated me like few others. He was listening to the others play, reacting to their solos that gave meaning to the song..

A dear friend heard my pain and anguish over the USB microphone issue and sent me the Beecaster Microphone.  Wow!  It's a work of art from the box to placement on my desk and sounds fantastic.  

My friends, for a week I've tried everything to solve the issues of my Zoom meeting cutting out my audio.  Now, after speeded up internet, USB mic, upgraded computer and video and an Ethernet cable, I've come to the conclusion that if I talk "lower" (like a man) there's no problem... except I sound very strange. :)

After a number of really bad zoom meetings where the audio and video stuttered so badly I had to use my iPhone with Zoom...  we decided to make upgrades.  Well, the ethernet adapter bypassing the wifi didn't work... next....

The $100 video camera for livestreaming will be tested today.  On Tuesday we'll get a new router for the wifi and I'm one click away from ordering a new laptop.

Most of us are locked up inside our homes.  Many of us trying to work from home creating a whole new wave of online classes, webinars, zoom/skype or whatever meetings.  Were you caught off guard as I was?

Celebrate who you are, what you love and how you can help

We're stepping it up. What does that mean? It means we're going to be much more proactive during these lockdown times by sending out more newsletters with great information, focused genres, more artist and production information

03 30 2020 Today was announced another 30 days of Shelter in Place. Do you use Facebook? I know... it's a pain. But in these days of shelter, I'm trying to be supportive of the musicians doing livestreams to keep in touch with their audiences. Most fun are when the musicians AREN'T giving a performance... like Jenna Mammina.