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Todd Adelman is a recording artist, producer and engineer who owns The Woods Studio. He is a man of many talents but first and foremost is a songwriter at heart.
I tend to be proud of every project I have worked on with very few exceptions. Here are a few examples:
Justin Tracy - Five Fathoms - forthcoming release
Amberly Chalberg - Hi-Line
Kevin DeForrest - All I Got To Give
Pete Rubens - Sweet Talkin
Todd Adelman - Western Soul
These days I am either producing or being a studio owner and making sure that visiting artists, producers and engineers have what they need to create and are comfortable.
I started playing guitar when I was in middle school. I wasn’t that serious, but I was a serious listener - used to spend a lot of free time in record stores and listened to a ton of records. I was instantly hooked on rock ’n' roll records from the 60s and 70s like Who’s Next, Muswell Hillbillies, Tonight's The Night, Music From Big Pink, Astral Weeks, Beggars Banquet, Cosmo's Factory, you name it, I was likely into it. My father played a little guitar and was a fan of folk music which I also listened to a lot of from Dylan to Lightfoot, Kristofferson, Fogelberg and Joni Mitchell. I was also intrigued by and interested in stereo equipment which likely had something to do with the path I’ve chosen, and audio gear still gives me a buzz to this day.
These days almost all the records I am working on are cut live and this requires expertise, versatility, and trust in the process. I always have extensive preproduction conversations with the artist to understand their perspective, creative vision, objective and concerns. I stress the importance of assembling musicians that are going to be right for the specific project.
There have been times over the years for whatever reason, a player was brought into a session, and they were not the right person. Often it is someone that has a prior relationship with the artist, or when a decision is made based on budgetary restrictions.
This happened recently. A rhythm guitar player was brought in, and they were unfortunately not up to the task. The session was dragging, and the music was suffering as a result. We had to make a hard decision.
While it is difficult to have these types of conversations, as a producer, the recording process, the music, and the end result are my responsibilities. Keeping someone on a session that is not propelling the music, ends up not only being detrimental to the project, and depleting the budget, but it can further damage relationships. The only thing I would have done differently in this case was to be more insistent that the artist trust my gut as I suspected the potential issue. Sometimes, we have to learn the hard way, the key is that we hopefully learn and learning is the key -- I am always learning in every session from myself and more importantly from those around me.
Well, my primary favorite tool is a good song, and the second tool I rely on is an appropriate ensemble for the project. Beyond that I am fortunate to have a deep well of great gear at The Woods. I’d say the piece that I rely on most is my vintage API 1604 console, because almost everything sounds great through it. I almost always mix to an ATR 102 1/4inch tape machine. I have a lot of outboard gear and a wide variety of mics. I try to approach every session with an open palette as they are all different and warrant a variety of choices. I have recently been using an SPL transient designer on some mixes and it is a great piece of gear.
I recently had this conversation with an aspiring young musician/engineer that was participating in a session. My advice to him was “put yourself in as many situations as you can, be a sponge, a fly on the wall — listen and learn from anybody you can spend time with. Keep a list of questions, ask yourself what you like and what you don’t like, be willing to work harder and smarter." This is an inspiring profession, but not an easy one - especially in the beginning years. Keep an open mind and an open heart and serve the situation every time. It is our job as producers and engineers to bring out the best in every player on every project. Often time this means keeping out of the way. Pay precise attention to human nature and be intentional with your words and actions. There are so many legendary record makers that are reaching the ends of their careers and there is a great need for a new generation of young producers and engineers that “get it.” The last word of advice I told him was “listen to as many of the great records as you can in all genres and study them intently, as if they were textbooks, because they are”
I have been wanting to use headphones as a reference point for years. I generally spot check sounds when I am tracking through headphones to see how the music is translating, and I do the same when mixing. An accurate headphone (which I am not sure I have had until the 4zs) often reveals nuances that I don’t always pick up on with my 3 sets of monitors. The issue prior to the 4z’s is that I wasn’t always being told the truth.
A few years ago, I relocated The Mountain House recording studio (which I operated for about a decade), now called The Woods from Nederland, CO to Woodstock, NY. We are finally up and running -- making records, having fun and sounding great.
Since acquiring a pair of the LCD-4zs, my philosophy of not fully trusting headphones to make critical decisions is slowly changing. I am impressed by what I am learning from their presentation. I have been using them effectively to make subtle mix choices and changes I otherwise wouldn’t be hearing. I am finding them to be useful in improving my mixes, as well as making critical tracking decisions. I was not expecting to be able to rely on headphones and the LCD-4zs have been a welcome addition to the studio. They have become a reliable tool in the relatively short time I have owned them. I have recently been mixing “All I Got to Give” an exceptional record by Kevin DeForrest, a Colorado based artist, that I co-produced. It is a roots country record that we cut live. The songwriting is top-shelf, and the band and performances speak for themselves. I have moved straight from that project into another exceptional record by Justin Tracy, who is a remarkably talented musician, engineer, producer based out of Hurley, NY. Justin is a singular artist with an undeniable potent style. Justin’s record was tracked live to 2-inch tape. It is a warm, lush sounding record that will be released in the upcoming months. The relationship between the vocal mic (RCA PB90) and guitar mic (M49) was critical and the 4zs were valuable in finding the sweet spot.
