2020 has been a strange year to say the very least. Among the lockdowns, boredom, and sheer will power of so many incredible people to carry on, making the best of a bad situation, we've now come to a climax at the year’s end and it's time to look back on the strongest points (from my perspective of course).
Release the BB29!!!
As I'm sure you’re aware, the coveted BB29 Microphone was released in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. This has been welcomed with open arms by some incredible producers, engineers, dear friends and colleagues who have been eager to get their hands on one!
Other than delivering the pristine clarity and quality all of our mics are known for, The BB29 is designed to do one thing - to make you stand out. We paired our Golden Drop Technology with a Transformer Coupled Output that are designed to work in perfect synergy to bring any recording to life.
Personally, I’m incredibly excited to get my hands on one of these mics and the reaction has been outstanding thus far from producers and influencers alike, who’ve been kind enough to give an honest, direct, and informative opinion, cutting no corners and holding nothing back about this brilliant new addition to the JZ Mic family.
The Bedroom Revolution
Producers like our friends Thom Russo (Michael Jackson, System Of A Down, Jay-Z), and Sean Genockey (The Who, Manic Street Preachers, Roger Daltrey) had to work their way up the ranks with nothing but a strong passion for music, and a keen taste for good coffee back in the day, spending every waking moment to craft their ability and painstakingly work towards their career,learning from their mentors to become the renowned names they are today. But this year, the age of change really did show.
Phineas, and Billie Eilish won 8 Grammys between them and showed the world, and indeed the industry, that the bedroom producer can completely take the world by storm. It also showed a growth towards this type of mixing and production and foreshadowed a drastic increase in people thinking - If they can do it, why can’t I? …And it’s so true, it’s one of the reasons I love writing this blog, because I was once like you, reading another blog (I still am, I read Sound Of Sound every month!) - but now, instead of feeling as I did far too commonly, that unless I secured that internship like the greats once did, that something like a Grammy was unobtainable, I am filled with aspiration… How wrong I was to believe that! So here’s to joining in that revolution, and if you ever feel like I once did, just remember 2020, the year the bedroom producer was able to walk away with 4 Grammys.
The Flourish of Producer Communities
My personal favourite aspect of this year has been watching educational forums and communities grow and, here’s the key part - stay informative, helpful and non-toxic. I’m part of several communities, but the standouts this year, which I implore you to join are URM/Nail the mix, The Control Room, and Make Pop Music: Producers Community. All of these offer something slightly different of course, with some crossover, but never identical.
URM/Nail The Mix offers enhanced membership to fast track learning at your own pace, one on one sessions with extremely successful producers, access to limited time courses from the likes of Will Putney, and access to raw stems from songs we know and love from all genres to allow you to take your hand at mixing the track, with the producer showing you at the end of the month just how they did it. The community has flourished into many success stories, with all members working towards a common goal, sharing loyalty to the rules and keeping the community exclusive.
Control Room is similar, but has a much larger access to talking to the producers of bands like Periphery, The 1975 and so many others on the fly, far more regularly and costs about the same as 2 coffee’s a month. It is Run by Grammy nominated producer, and dear friend Romesh Dodangoda, who has inspired so many to have the courage to take on first clients, and I have never seen so much generosity within one group with everything from software and hardware, to actual studio racks and furniture from BBC studios just given away to people in need to kick start their journeys.
Lastly, Make Pop Music’s community is the most closed group, with no membership as far as I’m aware, but with the largest amount of bedroom producers sharing ideas and innovation to the next generation of producers - the sheer energy of this group, let alone the countless stream of content from their YouTube account, is enough to warrant your attention. Don’t sleep on joining this blossoming group of young minds!