Friday, August 31, 2012

Home is where the studio is.

     Hey guys! Just thought I'd catch you up on what's been going on lately. About a week ago I was in the studio recording two new songs, which I'm SUPER excited about. For anyone who doesn't already know, I love being in the studio. Ever since the first time I was lucky enough to get to record a demo, I've loved everything about it. Not only has so much great music been made in it, but so many amazing artists have worked there for hours at a time to perfect their music. The atmosphere is so laid back. Not to mention I learn something new every time I go there.
     Some of you guys might not know what happens when I go to record, so I'll try to break it down.
Most of the time the full band production is already done, which means just the vocals are left to be recorded. I'm so thankful for the amazing musicians that have played on my songs. The music is normally recorded wherever the session players are ( California, Tennessee, Texas etc.). Every time I go to the studio it's different. It depends on who you're working with. Most of the time we walk in and take a few minutes to catch up with everyone. After that we get down to business. I go into a separate room from the sound board, put on my headphones, and run through the song once so we can get the volumes right, then start to record the real thing.

     Once I've gone through the song about four times I go back to the main room where everyone is. I tend to joke around a little and talk before we are ready to do the vocal comp. I bet some of you guys are wondering what that is exactly. Vocal comp. is when we go through a little section of the song at a time and pick the best parts of the four times I went through the song. It can be quite a tedious job. Some artists leave it up to the producer or engineer to do it, but I can be a perfectionist, and I like getting a say in how I sound in my songs. Once we're done with that, I either go back to the recording room and record the backing vocals, or we're finished. Sometimes it can take hours, or even days. I honestly wouldn't mind having to work in the studio for weeks.
     Like I said I learn new things every time I go to the studio. Sometimes it's musical stuff and others it's stuff about me I never knew. For example, this past week I've learned that I love the technical side of music. Yes, it can be a pain when you have to go through every little detail of a song, or you might be editing something and the computer decides it doesn't want to work, but I could see myself working on that side of music one day. Maybe a producer, or audio engineer? I don't know, but it definitely makes me think. I know right, that sounds scary! Haha. I guess everyone learns new things about themselves every day.
     I know I'm probably leaving a few things out on what happens at the studio, but like I said I'm still learning. Plus I think I'm lucky if you guys are still awake after reading this. I hope I'm not too boring and y'all enjoyed reading it. I'd like to quickly thank everyone who helped with my songs! They sound amazing, and I can't wait for everyone to hear them. Keep your eyes out! I'll hopefully post something again soon.

xx Carson

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

For Starters...

     Hey guys, I'm Carson Hill. In case you didn't already realize this, I'm starting a blog. For anyone who may be reading this and doesn't know who I am, here's a few things you should know about me. I'm a singer/songwriter. I've been writing, performing, and playing guitar for about three years now. I'm fourteen and live in a small town in North Carolina. Yes, I am a Tarheel fan haha. I've been told I talk really fast, and loud when I get excited. I love to laugh, most of the time it's at myself. I love making other people laugh too. I think you shouldn't take life too seriously, so live in the moment. I'm a perfectionist especially when it comes to my music. Music is my life, and the reason I'm starting this blog. So if you want to hear about what's going on with my music this is the place to come. Another place where you can find out more about me is my website .http://www.carsonhillmusic.com/.
     I'm currently performing a lot of different places, and trying to get as many people as I can to hear my music. It's harder than it seems. I'm very thankful for anyone who has shared my music and supported me. Without them I would just be crazy girl singing to no one.
     People are always asking me who my musical influences are and my answer is always "What Genre?".
I love all kinds of music. I'm really into 70's and 80's stuff like The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon, John Melon Camp, Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, and Steve Miller Band. I also love swing music, and stuff from the 50's and 60's. Frank Sinatra stole my heart. I wish I could go back in time and hear him live. So like I said, I listen to all types of stuff. Personally I think my Genre is Singer/songwriter. I've always said that's the genre for artists who don't really fit in a genre. Garth Brooks is my hero when it comes to entertaining. He's also one of the reasons why I love country.
     I feel like music brings everyone together. It doesn't matter what race, language, or country you live in, music is always the same. If I can write a song that gives one person hope, or makes them feel less alone my life is complete.
     So basically this is the start of many posts. Hopefully the rest will be a little bit more interesting. As a reward for reading through I will leave you with a silly picture of me. Thanks for reading!


-Carson