Platinum Hits & Indie Dreams - StudioExpresso Members Help Artists Make Music
By G-Man, MusicDish.com

Matt Forger. Michael C. Ross. Eddie Kramer. Elliot Scheiner. Joe Chiccarelli. Each one is a huge star... in the world of recording. You probably own albums with their names listed in the credits as engineer, producer, or mixer.

They have worked with Christina Aguilera, Lisa Loeb, Isley Brothers, Herbie Hancock, and the Dixie Chicks (Ross); Beck, Elton John, U2, Tori Amos, and the Kronos Quartet (Chiccarelli); Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Yuming, and Eddie Van Halen (Forger); Hendrix, Kiss, Stones, Zep, Bowie, Buddy Guy, and John Williams (Kramer); Faith Hill, Steely Dan, Sting, B.B. King, and Aerosmith (Scheiner).

One thing they have in common is that they interact with giants in the music business. Another thing they have in common is Claris Sayadian-Dodge and her company called StudioExpresso (www.studioexpresso.com).

StudioExpresso's Michael C. Ross with Christina Aguilera and Ron Fair.

Studio What?

StudioExpresso.com can be your online connection to major recording studios and the professionals who shape the sounds of songs heard on commercial radio, college radio, satellite radio, film/TV soundtracks, and anywhere a tune can be played, broadcast, or streamed.

By using StudioExpresso, you can get near-instant data on available studio time as well as information on the specialties of the personnel affiliated with each studio. Funded by a group of private investors since its start in 2000, StudioExpresso services are free to users because the studios pay commissions on bookings achieved as a result of contacts made online.

Are You In This List?

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Who uses StudioExpresso? Artists, producers, engineers, record companies, managers, and production co-coordinators. All you do is visit the site and register online, which takes perhaps thirty seconds. "We try to make it easy and very user-friendly," states Sayadian-Dodge. "We wanted to make some of these professionals more accessible to labels and artists, both indie and major, who need trustworthy sources for artist development and production."

More Names To Know

In addition to Forger, Ross, Kramer, Scheiner, and Chiccarelli, there are 84 more sonic wizards on the StudioExpresso web site, including Chris Fogel (Seal, Alanis Morissette), Ken Allardyce (Goo Goo Dolls), Rafa Sardina (Alejandro Sanz), Raphael Saadiq (Angie Stone and D'Angelo), Rogers Masson (Marilyn Manson, Teraplane), Greg Ladanyi (Don Henley, Jaguares), Arthur Baker (Paul Oakenfold, Ash), Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode), Tim Palmer (U2, Ben Harper), Shaft (Lil Kim, Loon), Al Schmitt (Diana Krall, Steely Dan), and the list goes on... Some are probably untouchable for true indie artists. But š surprise - you can actually schedule a session with some of these legendary studio masters.

For example, if Matt Forger likes your songs, he'll work with you. This past year, he produced and engineered tracks for many new and promising artists, both in bands and in the singer/songwriter community. He also acts as a consultant for the creative recording arts, especially as it relates to the emotional content of the recording. "Remembering that music is a form of emotional communication is important," Forger says. "Too many people view recording as a technical experience. It is important to understand technology and be able to control it, but it's the music at center stage. It's the song people remember, not the recording system."

True to any purist's heart, Forger is also recording in a classic format, calling it "reality recording." This is a live to 2-track recording approach utilizing a single carefully-placed stereo microphone and a high-quality signal path. "The goal is to capture the moment of a great performance and put the listener there in the environment to share the experience," Forger states.

While working primarily with stars, others at StudioExpresso also make time for indie artists, including Ross, John Wooler (Siedah, Robben Ford, Eraul Malo), and Andre Fischer (Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Rufus, Janet Jackson).

"Claar-Eece"

Claris Sayadian-Dodge is the founder and president of StudioExpresso. While some of us find her last name mellifluous, others are thrown by it. No matter, since almost everyone calls her Claris (pronounced "claar-EECE"). After receiving her degree in business, she worked in the Los Angeles music industry since 1986, and has an impressive track record of positions at such firms as Frank Dileo Management, Management III, PMK, Rogers and Cowan Public Relations, Prairie Sun Studios, Ocean Way, and Record One, as well as studio bau:ton and TEC:ton engineering.

In addition to running StudioExpresso, she provides marketing, public relations, and management consulting to the recording industry, relying on the insight gained from more than twenty years of studio management, sales and PR experience.

Through an affiliated company called C Management, she represents a choice group of producers and composers. Her clients have included: Dr. Dre, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Natalie Cole, Luis Miguel, Ringo Starr, Alejandro Sanz, and Goo Goo Dolls, to name a few.

Click To Try

Cruise on over to www.studioexpresso.com and browse through recent credits of musicians, engineers and producers. You'll see how StudioExpresso lives up to their goal of being the artists' gateway to production services. You just might make the connection you need to take your music to the highest levels of success.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2004 - Republished with Permission