My first MAJOR engineering session!!

djswivel

Producer Extraordinaire
ill o.g.
This is copied from my blog on myspace I just finished writing....

So, it's just about 5am, and I just got home from my first official recording session as an engineer. I've been assisting session for several months now with some major names, but this time I engineered it myself!! Now I can OFFICIALLY add engineer to my title on top of Producer and DJ!! (Tehcnically yesterday was my first engineering session, with a new R&B singer named Lee Carr, but I'm not counting it because I sort of took over from Duro mid-way through the song, and then Duro was in the room for part of the time just looking over making sure I have a handle on things and don't make any major screw ups. Luckily I didn't lol) Anyways, back to my first SOLO session!

It was with a new artist signed to Kanye West's record label GOOD Music. His name is Consequence. He's a Grammy-winning rapper featured on both of Kanye Wests albums. His shit is straight fire! Very lyrical, witty, and his flow is just crazy! He's actually extremely talented. He sort of reminds me of the way Jay-Z records. He didn't write anything down, just sort of got in the booth, started mumbling some lines, and when he was ready he just said hit record, and there it was!

Anyways, the session was pretty smooth, no problems at all. The track is tentatively titled "Whatever Then" so watch out for it when his album drops this summer! And by the way, this will likely be my first official credit so when the album drops, GO OUT AND BUY IT SO I CAN HANG A PLATINUM PLAQUE ON MY WALL! hehehe

Anyways, today was a pretty good day at the studio to say the least. Of course I'll be keeping you all up to date with what else is going on production-wise, and really just career-wise. Well it's really late now, so I need some sleep, another long day at the studio tomorrow I'm sure! Peace!

Swivel
 

Producer_GyaL

IllMuzik First Lady
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 182
This is awesome!!! I wish you could give a little bit more your thought about the good and bad side of the music industry that you had to go through during your learning process until today. Especially if you are planning to do this as a career, what keeps you strong to not let go your dream?
 

djswivel

Producer Extraordinaire
ill o.g.
StressWon said:
word up man,,,thats tight Swiv,,keep it up. I think the Consequence you talkin about may be from Queens right?

Yeah, Cons is from Queens...He's been around for a minute...I'm pretty sure he was down with ATCQ back then. I know he was up in the Vivrant Thing video with Q-Tip and a whole bunch of other shit with LL and this and that.

Producer_GyaL said:
This is awesome!!! I wish you could give a little bit more your thought about the good and bad side of the music industry that you had to go through during your learning process until today. Especially if you are planning to do this as a career, what keeps you strong to not let go your dream?

Well I've mentioned what I do on here every once in a while. I don't really blast off on everything I do because that's not really how I do things. I think I was more or less just waiting from some things to start poppin off on my math to sucess, rather than just talk about all the failures. Believe me, after 3 solid years with this dream, there's been many ups and downs, and the road isn't even near it's end at this point. As far as what's allowing me to keep me strong and not let go of the dream, I would have to say financially (as well as the huge support from most of my family). Financially, it would be stupid for me to give up. Believe me, some days I really want to, but for the amount of money I've spent on equipment, money to move from Toronto to Florida last year to attend Full Sail, and money to once again, move to New York City where I currently reside, all for the sole purpose of making it in this music industry, it really makes it a necessity, rather than a dream at this point. If someone asked me what job I would do if I won a billion dollars and could just work for the satisfaction, I would say work in the creative side of the music biz. So I stacked all my chips on this one goal, and slowly I started reaching the point I want to be at

Tha1AndOnlyDJT said:
That great man. What studio did you record at?
I did it at my studio. Well, not MYYYY studio, but the private studio I work at. I work for Duro (Super-engineer in hip hop game if there ever is such a thing-google the discog). It's Duro's private studio in midtown Manhattan. I'm definately in the right place right now, and I work my ass off 7 days, and 80+ hours a week to make sure he doesn't find anybody better. There is also 1 other engineer there who's been working alnogside Duro for a few years now. I've been there since the new year.

If you guys on here have myspace, feel free to read my other blog posts on there. That's where I talk more about my career and things like that. Nothing against illmuzik, but as I said above, I was waitin for something official before I let everyone on here know. And even right now is a little pre-mature, cuz for all I know, the song we did could get dropped from the album later on when they get to wrapping it up. I don't think so though. The shit was FIRE! (knock knock on wood)
 

mp3

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Congrats homie, keep up the good work.

Makin it takes sacrifice, and i sometimes wonder if I have the will (and the fiancee - lol but that's another story) to take it all the way. But like you, I'm too far in to stop now.

My thing is I have a lot of wasted time and efforts over the past five years. But its cool tho, cuz I learned a lot, and now I know some of the things that are guaranteed to make you fail.

Its always good to hear some good news from the illmuzik fam.

Don't forget to bump your beats in the lab during intermission... (and feel free to bump mine - lol j/k)
 
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 1
djswivel said:
This is copied from my blog on myspace I just finished writing....

So, it's just about 5am, and I just got home from my first official recording session as an engineer. I've been assisting session for several months now with some major names, but this time I engineered it myself!! Now I can OFFICIALLY add engineer to my title on top of Producer and DJ!! (Tehcnically yesterday was my first engineering session, with a new R&B singer named Lee Carr, but I'm not counting it because I sort of took over from Duro mid-way through the song, and then Duro was in the room for part of the time just looking over making sure I have a handle on things and don't make any major screw ups. Luckily I didn't lol) Anyways, back to my first SOLO session!

It was with a new artist signed to Kanye West's record label GOOD Music. His name is Consequence. He's a Grammy-winning rapper featured on both of Kanye Wests albums. His shit is straight fire! Very lyrical, witty, and his flow is just crazy! He's actually extremely talented. He sort of reminds me of the way Jay-Z records. He didn't write anything down, just sort of got in the booth, started mumbling some lines, and when he was ready he just said hit record, and there it was!

Anyways, the session was pretty smooth, no problems at all. The track is tentatively titled "Whatever Then" so watch out for it when his album drops this summer! And by the way, this will likely be my first official credit so when the album drops, GO OUT AND BUY IT SO I CAN HANG A PLATINUM PLAQUE ON MY WALL! hehehe

Anyways, today was a pretty good day at the studio to say the least. Of course I'll be keeping you all up to date with what else is going on production-wise, and really just career-wise. Well it's really late now, so I need some sleep, another long day at the studio tomorrow I'm sure! Peace!

Swivel


u talkin about the same Duro that be with DJ Clue and Desert Storm right?

keep grindin homie
 

MarkN

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 55
yea duro who runs the desert storm label ...

i just been reading ur blog its inspiring man im a couple of years behind you with currently studying audio engineering and its nice to see sum1 come out of it and start to make it !
 

DJ Xsinna

The Big Bang-BINO
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 43
Yeah man, that's tight! Persistance is key huh? After you've been grinding for so long, it becomes a vital part of who you are. If you were to quit at the times you did, it would have been like not breathing anymore. Making beats and engineering is a necessity for you because you were born to do that. You've sacrificed time money and friends (i'm assuming) for your craft! And now starting to see the fruits of your labours. Do the darn thang Swiv!!!! That is real encouraging! Big ups to ya!
 

djswivel

Producer Extraordinaire
ill o.g.
DJ X-sinna said:
Yeah man, that's tight! Persistance is key huh? After you've been grinding for so long, it becomes a vital part of who you are. If you were to quit at the times you did, it would have been like not breathing anymore. Making beats and engineering is a necessity for you because you were born to do that. You've sacrificed time money and friends (i'm assuming) for your craft! And now starting to see the fruits of your labours. Do the darn thang Swiv!!!! That is real encouraging! Big ups to ya!


Umm, most of my friends are pretty supportive actually...There's always gonna be haters, but I got pretty lucky. The only way I would say I've sacrificed them is because living in NYC, I don't know too many ppl outsite the studio...except for the artists and other people I work with in the business, that's basically it. I spend all day and night at the studio, so even if I did know a bunch of people, I probably wouldn't be going out that often. So that's the only downside I'm really feeling right now. I'm 21, and love to go out and party, but the social life has been deaded because of my dreams. I'm not complaining, that's part of my grind, but sometimes you just need to get out and relax...
 

x-squizet

Roll Tide Roll
ill o.g.
congrats man big ups, yo don't mean to be in ya biz but whats base income for a assistant engineer? you can pm it to me if you want
 

Big Tone

You done fucked up
ill o.g.
congrats homie. keep it up
 
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