By Andrew Clunis Freelance Writer
Stephen Stanley at the mixing console at Penthouse Studio, Kingston. - Rudolph Brown
WE FEEL the beat and get mesmerised by the haunting melodies. But we never give much thought to the technical process involved in the creation of music. The chief architect is the engineer whose magical hands and keen ears shape the product to the discernment of the producer.
Jamaica has a proud reputation in terms of the quality of engineers it has produced and the quantity is even more overwhelming. Recently, Errol Brown, who worked on Bob Marley's music, was nominated for an Emmy for his work on 'One Love The Bob Marley Tribute' the Ocho Rios concert and live production for TNT, the American television network.
There are other engineers who are regarded as world-class and have been part of Grammy-winning records as well as worked on gold and platinum selling projects. Among them are Stephen Stanley, Martin Lewis, Barry O'Hare, Mervyn Williams, Ricky Aitman, Christopher Daley, Colin 'Bulby' York, Lynford 'Fatta' Marshall, Bobby Digital, Computer Paul and a string of others.
Engineers rarely take the spotlight, but in their world just being credited on a record is gratifying.
"It's what the people in our field desire. We are behind-the-scenes people and it's not how you look that matters, but rather what people hear," said Mervyn Williams.
Basic courses are offered in sound engineering at various institutions across Jamaica, but that is not the only qualification needed to get into the field. Entry is best gained along archetypal routes, with aspirants serving apprenticeships before they are allowed around the 'big board'.
Sound
engineering
"It is something that you really have to love. Most engineers in Jamaica start in the studio working as assistants," said Williams, who has worked with people like Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear and Inner Circle.
Einstein might have had the best brain, but he could not have mastered sound engineering without a keen ear. It is one of the fundamental requirements.
"It is best if you are born with it, but you can also develop the knack," said Stephen Stanley who is one of the best paid engineers in Jamaica.
Sound engineering can be lucrative, but it takes a while to 'come into the dough'. Very few get paid at the outset.
An aspiring engineer has to pay his or her dues by sweeping the studio, turning on the equipment, switching off the lights at nights, making sure the refrigerator is well stocked and basically be a tea boy.
Still interested? Well, if you have the penchant, you might as well keep focused. Pretty soon you might start earning between $3,000 and $5,000 weekly. Not much to live on you might say, but when those in the entertainment industry start to recognise and respect your work and you are given individual mixes to do, you might start earning a minimum of $4,000 per mix. A regular mix might last five hours.
When you have done 25 years as Stephen Stanley has, you can earn about US$500 per mix. At that stage, you no longer take tracks at any one studio, as producers hunt you to make the final mixes on their records.
Many engineers progress to become producers and musicians. Among the most notable of such a league are Dave Kelly, Barry O'Hare and Bobby Digital. This, the leading engineers say, results from the fact that most recordings are produced by the engineer.
"The so-called producer is often just an executive producer," said Mikey Bennett, songwriter/producer/music entrepreneur.
He has been advocating for a major training institution for sound engineers be set up in Jamaica.
Advancing
technology
"We have no limitation in talent and enthusiasm. What we lack are training facilities. CPTC offers a course, but I'm not sure if the facilities are in keeping with advancing technology which would prepare a person for the working world. The funding needs to be put in place for an engineering school and a institution like UTech could do it with other institutions like HEART.
"All it requires is to build a good studio as the Europeans have offered to help. There are many world-class experienced engineers here and we just need to get them to impart the knowledge to the younger people in a language which is internationally acceptable."
"I hear of over 40 studios being in the Corporate Area. Where are they finding engineers to staff them? I've been to many places and what I hear, I know definitely that the engineers have not been trained," he said.
The engineer working on a project is often the one who makes the difference as to whether the song is played on radio or not. He has to pay attention to frequencies and levels.
Barry O'Hare, of Grove Recording in Ocho Rios, who worked on Burning Spear's Grammy award winning album Calling Rastafari, does not believe young engineers are learning the craft the right way.
"I am not very pleased with some of the technical aspects. The young ones have to know that this is not just about pushing faders... but many don't want to spend the time learning about equipment, microphones, miking drum kits, aligning tape machines etc. Technical standards are important. Mixing music is like painting. It has to be dynamic...," Bennett said.
Stephen Stanley who was producer of Anthem, Black Uhuru's winning inaugural reggae Grammy album, is the son of 1950s' singer Fred Stanley. He foresees an interesting time for the music industry over the next decade.
"It is one of the easiest areas of the music industry to get into, but you have to have the stomach to stick it through," he said.
There is a big distinction between live mixing and studio mixing.
"In the studio you have as many chances as you'd like to correct your mistakes, but when it's a live production, once it's gone you can't get it back," Williams explained.
By Andrew Clunis
Freelance Writer
