Services Overview Welcome to the Whirling Dervish Productions website!! Whirling Dervish Productions is a music production company owned and operated by Mr. Kelly J. Seager, and is located in the town of Shirley, Massachusetts. Whirling Dervish Productions produces and records singer-songwriters, bands, musicians and other various musical ensembles. Services include: Audio Production and Recording Music Composition and Arrangement Audio Mixing Audio Voice Over Work and Soundtrack Composition Artist Development CD Design, Creation and Duplication Specialization I specialize in producing and recording original solo singer-songwriters who write in the rock, pop and folk veins. However, I am always interested in connecting with any artists who are interested in taking their music to the next level - regardless of style. Production Philosophy Music Producer: In my view, a music producer is much more than someone who will merely record your songs and make them sound great. That is a recording - and is something that a recording engineer alone can do. A producer's role is a step beyond the recording process. A producer should be a creative visionary, and one who can take your music from a mere recording to a full-fledged work of art. A producer should have a vision as to where the creative and sonic experience of your music can go, and should have the drive and tenacity to not stop until it gets there. Sometimes, this might mean telling you that it's not yet where it needs to be, and offer suggestions as to how to get it there. This might include performance suggestions, vocal effects, unexpected instrumentation, special audio effects, and a world of other possibilities. Music Production: Most songs you currently hear on the radio aren't simply recordings... they are sophisticated productions, done by experienced and creative professionals. It is a common mistake to think that if you book yourself into an expensive recording studio that you will come out with a polished production. This most often is NOT the case - unless it involves an insightful producer. It is vital that you work with a producer who has the talent and capability to transform a recording to a full-scale production. That's not an easy find. I can help take your songs from faint ideas to fully-produced recordings that radiate professionalism. Musical Accompaniment I can provide convincing and creative instrumental parts and arrangements for almost any kind of musical project. Thus, if you are a solo singer-songwriter or instrumentalist, we can create a musical landscape that features full musical accompaniment, or a full band for your songs. I can contribute the following instruments: Acoustic & Electric Guitars Drums and Percussion Bass Piano or Keyboards Samples and Computer Programming, i.e. beats. If I have it, I can take almost any instrument, and within a short period of time, come up with a catchy part that will fit well with a piece of music. Test me on it! If I cannot fulfill the task at hand, I can invite one of the many talented people we have in the region to help make it work. I know tons of them! Artist Development My main goal as a producer is to help you extract the music you have in your head and in your heart and to help bring that music to life in the form of a finished and final product - a slick and polished CD - from start to finish. But that's not likely all... Our musical collaboration will likely go much further beyond the recording process, and if things go well, you might find yourself with an advocate that could come in very handy: I can assist in putting together an impressive CD package, complete w. graphics, pressing, distribution, etc.; getting high-profile gigs (I am well connected and know the lay of the land); and perhaps even help you shop your CD to record labels. If your CD is classy and well conceived, we both flourish! Audio Mixing Mixing audio tracks is the process of taking the individually recorded tracks of a recording session and assembling and processing them in a manner that results in a pleasing musical experience. It is the summit of the recording process, and can literally make or break your music. It takes a special ear, creative vision, and tons of experience to be good at mixing audio. I believe that I am bizarrely exceptional at all of these things. I can take your tracks, regardless of their form, and make them sound impressive and professional. I work predominantly with Protools Digital Audio Workstation software, with plenty of high-end outboard gadgets to help create magic in almost any mix. I can learn and work quickly in almost any digital audio domain. Mastering I am a strong advocate of musicians using professional mastering engineers and dedicated mastering houses to master their final song collections. Mastering professionals offer objective perspectives, high-end equipment that is designed for this specific task, and experience doing nothing but mastering. Mastering is a skill that is often highly misunderstood and underrated. I highly recommend using a professional mastering engineer to put the invaluable finishing touches on your work. The cost of this service is not cheap, but is well worth it. That being said, if budget and scheduling are prohibitive, I can produce a convincing master of your collection of tracks for your listening pleasure, or for CD reproduction. Recording Environment I record and work in a designated recording room in our house out in the woods of the northern part of Shirley, Massachusetts. It is a relaxing and inspiring space that overlooks a woody natural environment outside, and it is equipped with well-thought-out state-of-the-art recording devices. I built this space in consultation with an acoustics and studio design expert so the results that I achieve often sonically equal or surpass the work that is being released by many of the recording studios in the region. After all, any recording and production professional worth their salt will tell you that a great production or recording is very little about location or equipment, but much more about the talent of the people that you're working with. On the other hand, if you should prefer to do your recording in another local studio, we can easily transfer any part of your project to most other facilities. Additional fees would apply, relative to the rates of the studio in mind. Equipment For the equipment geeks out there... here's a partial rundown of the equipment that gets put to good use: Mics: Oliver Archut-made Neumann M49 replica - exact copy of the vintage powerhouse, made by the recently-departed world's foremost authority of microphone design and engineering. Microtech Gefell (former Neumann) M71S - w. M7 capsule (same capsule as used in the legendary Neumann U47 and others) Peluso 22 47 LE - tube microphone Rode NT-2 x2 Sennheiser MD 441 x2 AKG D112 Shure SM-57 x 4 Outboard Gear: Great River MP2-NV - stereo mic preamp Lynx Aurora - AD/DA converters Focusrite 18i20 - digital audio interface DBX 386 & 586 - stereo tube preamps Urei 1176LN - limiting amplifier Regular John Recording - mix bus EQ/Compressor Lexicon PCM 96 - multi-effects processor Lexicon LX1 - digital reverb Digitech TSR-24 - multi-effects processor Aphex 104 Type C.2 - Aural Exciter More Stuff: Pro Tools 10 Digital Audio Workstation Waves Native Power Pack plug ins Native Instruments Kontakt sampling software Fender American Standard Stratocaster Fender American Standard Telecaster Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Custom Edition Tube Amplifier Gibson Les Paul Custom Epiphone Alley Kat semi-hollowbody electric guitar Fender Precision Bass - MIM Alvarez acoustic guitar Ludwig drum set w. Zildjian cymbals Hammond A-102 organ - same keyboard/mechanical/electronics as the sought-after B-3, w. different furniture Yamaha 88-key Digital Piano