Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
Audient’s EVO 8 USB audio interface is made for independent musicians, recordists, and podcasters. Featuring four transparent EVO preamps, class-leading AKM converters, a JFET instrument input, low latency software mixer, audio loop-back functionality, and Smartgain automatic level setting function
Sennheiser is bringing the sound of its MD 9235 capsule to a wired vocal microphone. The new cardioid MD 435 large-diaphragm microphone has a shock-mounted capsule to protect it from structure-borne noise, while a hum-compensating coil protects the microphone against electromagnetic interference. The lightweight aluminum-copper voice coil ensures fast transient response.
The new K361 and K371 headphones from Harman Professional Solutions combine studio-quality sound with a compact design that enable artists to produce professional content in the studio or on the road. An extra durable, oval earcup better conforms to the geometry of a musician’s head to provide comfort and less low-frequency leakage. Both models are equipped with 50 mm drivers and oxygen-free copper voice coils for enhanced clarity, detail, and acoustic precision.
HANDS OFF THE MIC
The new D Squared digital wireless microphone system offers users enhanced audio quality, flexibility, low latency, and compact size. The system includes the DSQD 4-channel digital receiver, which has a half-rack design with high-resolution color display, analog or Dante digital outputs, and rear antenna ports with “loop-thru” buffered outputs. It also includes the DBu digital belt pack transmitter and DHu digital handheld transmitter, which include specially developed, high efficiency digital circuitry for extended operating time.
www.lectrosonics.com
Far from being a recording how-to book, award-winning music producer Sylvia Massy shares creative and unconventional music recording techniques. Celebrity music industry producers, engineers, and recording stars discard their fixed notions about recording to explore innovative techniques that yield emotionally powerful and incredibly personal recordings. The book includes exercises, diagrams, jokes, and images.
Recording Unhinged: Creative & Unconventional Music Recording Techniques, by Sylvia Massy with Chris Johnson, Hal Leonard Corporation, www.halleonardbooks.com.
The network-based audio mixing and recording system myMix is easy to set up and operate and ideal for personal monitoring in on-stage performances, studio setups, as well as installed applications such as houses of worship. Meeting the highest audio demands, each unit has network inputs and outputs and can operate either self-contained or integrated with analog or digital mixing console systems as large as 500 audio channels. With optional SDHC cards, each myMix can record up to 16 audio channels as 24-bit .wav files, which can be used in any DAW or played back and remixed within myMix. Combined with the local inputs, myMix is a perfect way to practice at home “with the band.”
A concise and comprehensive guide to audio and recording equipment and techniques, Audio Made Easy contains everything you need and nothing you don’t. Author Ira White, shares more than 35 years of recording studio experience, providing real-world solutions and tips that show results. He delves into often-misunderstood details of digital mixers, EQ, speaker specifics, and recording techniques using easy-to-understand language. The book also contains access to online demonstration audio tracks.
Audio Made Easy, or How to Be a Sound Engineer Without Really Trying, 5th Edition, by Ira White, Hal Leonard, www.halleonard.com.
It’s never been easier to record at home, but it still requires some know-how. This book covers equipment—digital audio workstations, standalone digital recorders, and mobile devices; the use of effects; plus mixing and editing. It provides tips on acoustics for rooms and guides for recording instruments and vocals. It also gives access to more than 330 recordings (through an Internet link) demonstrating concepts and techniques.
How to Record at Home on a Budget, by Chad Johnson,
Hal Leonard Corporation, www.halleonard.com.
by Patrick Varriale, Director AFM Electronic Media Services Division and Assistant to the President
It is with great pride that I present to you this year’s International Musician focus issue dedicated to musicians that perform or plan to perform services in the world of electronic media (nonsymphonic) and the division of the AFM that serves and protects the interests of those musicians—the Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD). Our cover story features Brent Mason, a session guitarist, whose résumé spans more than 35 years, and has been a union member in good standing for all of those years.
On this site you will find articles from EMSD staff that we hope all readers will find of interest. We’ve covered the gamut, from the importance of seeing to it that your recorded product is properly covered to the emerging world of new media. In addition, there is an article from Recording Musicians Association (RMA) President Marc Sazer you should read. I am grateful to him for his contribution to this issue.
We also have an up-to-date list of the dedicated staff ready to assist you in their particular fields of expertise. I am very proud of the folks that work tirelessly in this division—they make my life so much easier. Thanks to their efforts, we have been able to expand our services even more to address the myriad of tasks and projects that we encounter on a day-to-day basis.
This issue also includes a reprint of “Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Electronic Media” authored by EMSD Alumnus Michael Manley (now the director of the AFM Touring/Theatre/Booking Division), a revised version of “Top 10 Reasons to Record AFM”.
So, please take some time to sit back, relax, and read these articles, as well as the material we have provided. Let us know if you have any questions or comments.
In June, I participated in the 100th Convention of the AFM. With only two exceptions, I have had the honor of attending all conventions as part of the setup team that oversees the inner workings of this momentous event.
However, this year’s convention was different for me on two fronts. It was my first as co-coordinator with Assistant to the President Ken Shirk. Ken did a masterful job and I was happy to work with him in leading our talented and hardworking “crew” through the months in advance detailed preparation process and the volume of “on the ground” moving parts at the actual event. The fact that it took place at a new venue, with a new hotel staff to work with, made it all the more challenging and the success of it all the more rewarding.
It was also my first convention in the capacity of EMSD director. It was quite daunting, to say the least, to see to it that the heavy volume of activity in the EMSD New York, West Coast, and Canadian offices continued to run like a well-oiled machine, while at the same time taking on the many responsibilities as co-coordinator of this landmark convention.
Among EMSD’s “eleventh hour” projects I simultaneously attended to were: speaking with and preparing agreements for producers and attorneys to cover employment for our musicians; advising local officers and members; meeting project deadlines; providing time sensitive information to our counsel; and conducting research for the next round of recording agreement negotiations.
I owe my ability to juggle a wide variety of projects and multitasking to many years of experience working with former EMSD Director and mentor Dick Gabriel. There was no one better than Dick at evaluating multiple tasks and devoting the time necessary to see to it that all aspects of a given project were given the attention required. Not all of them came to fruition, but many of them did.
I have been with the AFM for 42 years, and the enthusiasm I feel from helping make our convention run smoothly and the satisfaction I experience from representing the interests of recording musicians never get old. And to accomplish them on these levels I can’t help but find it truly amazing.
