Wildflowers, Win-Win & The Write To Wonder. 

Letter #1 From ELEV8 SOUND STUDIOS | Written by: Vanessa Tong Johnson

Hey family! 

We hope you are doing well and enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve been having in Michigan lately! We wanted to share an update with you about the recent projects we’ve been working on in the studios, the lessons we’re learning and the thoughts we’ve been musing on. 

Every year Aaron and I like to pick a word or two that we feel could be a theme for the year or a gentle reminder to return to when we’re pulled in different directions and the months continue to unravel. This years word was “Permission” - the emphasis on this word was rooted in our desire to give ourselves the “permission” to dive into the creative projects that have been on our hearts for quite some time as well as encourage our clients & team that they too have the “permission” to complete their projects and to give time and energy into creating them. Sometimes we forfeit our dreams or look to other people for a nod of approval and it’s easy to forget that we have the agency to make decisions regardless of the noise/input (or lack thereof) around us. 

It’s a rewarding experience to set your mind to a goal and see it through. We couldn’t be more encouraged by each and every client that we have been able to serve so far this year and how their work echos the sentiment of “permission” that we started the year with. 

The past couple of months our studios were used to facilitate the creation and completion of projects that will stay with us forever. We want to share the highlights with you and we hope that as you continue to read more about them below you will also be reminded that you too have the permission and the right to wonder. 

Recording The WildFlowers EP with Bekah Brudi.

Bekah Brudi! If you are reading this right now we are sending the biggest virtual hug to you! 

Bekah was connected to us through our friend & talented producer, Nate Yake. The two of them already had the privilege of working together in the past and this year they continued the work with a “Lock-in” week at the studios. 

What’s a Studio Lock-in? 

A studio lock-in is basically just a term we use that means the studio was booked for a consecutive amount of days (in this case a week) where you’re focused on tracking the project and getting as much collected as you can during that timeframe. This method is really helpful when you are working on a collection of songs or an album where there is a consistent theme or overall sound. Each day you’re able to build on the work from the day before, invite and plan for your instrumentalists to come into the studio to record & collaborate with the producer to really see the songs come to life. 

So Bekah locked in at the studios and recorded her 6 song Ep. “Wildflowers”. 

We are so excited for you Bekah, and most excited for people to listen to your healing project. Thank you for reminding us we have permission to heal and to be heard🤍

An excerpt from Bekah about “WildFlowers”: 

“For those who know my story, you know I have fought hard for my mental health and know heartache alongside many of you. I’ve learned that healing can come from the deepest, darkest struggles - for me, and for you. I wrote these songs as I pursued growth and healing in my life”

Join Her At The Live Show!

Location: 

River's Edge Brewing Co. @ 125 S Main St Suite 400, Milford, MI 48381

Time: 

Doors open at 6PM

Show starts at 7PM

*Children 5 & under free. Use FAMILY at checkout for family deal. 

Audiobook Recording with Rebecca Sposita. 

Rebecca, you have been such a pleasure to work with - if you're reading this now we hope you know how thankful we are to know you and to be trusted with the recording your audiobook. 

For those of you who don’t know Rebecca, she is an attorney and President of the Sam Bernstein Law Firm, author of “Win, Win” and just an amazing woman all around. 

We had the honor of recording her audiobook at the studios and we could not have asked for a better experience. Her book touched on some of her own personal experiences, stories of pain and perseverance along with useful and essential lessons for all businesses to gain insight from. Her vulnerability in reading her story as we recorded in the vocal booth at the studios was powerful to witness. We couldn’t help but reflect on our own moments in the past and relate to the message she shared. Thank you for reminding us we have the permission to share our stories & pursue justice. 

What’s The Process Like For Recording an Audiobook? 

Tracking an audiobook can be a tedious task, reading through each chapter and going back to fix tongue tied sections or mistakes takes time and requires a team to be detail oriented to capture each word with the listener in mind. 

We recommend breaking down your recording sessions into 3 hour blocks at a time. We have the author read for 3 hours, taking a necessary breaks to help preserve their voice. We’ve found that anything longer than 3 hours can result in more word fumbles as the reader gets more tired and their voice can lose energy. 

So, for this specific scenario we had Rebecca come by the studios for 6 individual 3 hour sessions to record her book. We then listened through and made the first round of edits while compiling a list of minor fixes for her to come back for a follow up session before diving deep into the main editing phase. 

The Editing Phase

In the editing phase we go chapter by chapter fixing any long pauses, pace, repeated phrases and removing any unwanted sounds (lip smacking, strong “s” sounds, deep breathing, etc). 

It’s important to listen and run tests in both headphones & speakers to make sure to catch edits with the focus on how this will sound from the listeners perspective. 

After editing each chapter to perfection we send one chapter audio file at a time for the Author to listen and provide feedback, making sure it’s exactly what they want before forwarding it to the publishing company. 

How long does this process usually take? 

Editing the audio takes us about 3x’s the amount of time it took to record. For “Win, Win,” it took around 20 hours to record the audio - so it will take about 60 hours to edit. 

We are nearing the very end of the editing phase for Rebecca’s book and we cannot wait to share an update and the link for you all to listen! 

In the meantime you can order a physical copy of her book online, click the button below to order now.

Finishing What We Started.

Along with helping our clients on their projects, we have taken a deep dive into our own projects as well! Aaron and I released our first 3 songs as a duo last year and we've been working diligently to continue to write and record so that we can share more this year. It was challenging at first to strike a balance between our work and time at the studios for our own projects but we have reached a point where we've hit a really nice rhythm. With us just opening the studio in October of last year, we've now had 8 months under our belts to really get more processes in place as we continue to learn how to run a business together.

A-Side & V-Side

Last year our first 3 songs we shared featured the both of us on each song but we are switching things up this year! Aaron has a collection of 5 songs he is going to share first and I have a collection of 5 songs I will share shortly after. We are calling this the "A-Side/V-Side" project because you will get to hear the perspectives and stories from each of us in our own way through our music.

Where are we at in the recording process?

Aaron just recently finished recording his songs and now they are moving into the mixing/mastering phase with the producer for the project, Nate Yake. We are having some fun filming reaction videos as we have the different instrumentalists come into the studio to record their parts on each song.

For me, I just finished recording the demos for each of my songs. "Demos," for those of you who may not know, are just the first rough recordings of the song used as a reference but not what will end of being shared. It's mostly what we have sitting in the voice-memo section of our phones! (IYKYK) Demos help with collaboration because the ideas aren't just living in your head anymore...there's now a recording!

This section of the letter is titled "Write To Wonder" because we've learned that one of the best things about creativity and creating is that it invites you into a space of wonder. Wonder invites you into a state of awe and admiration, a state of mind most commonly experienced in childhood and too often abandoned as we get older. For those who hold onto their wonder, we hope that this letter serves as a reminder to continue to grant yourself permission to do just that. Your stories, experiences and moments are uniquely yours and worth capturing.

We are so grateful that you've taken the time to read this letter and for your continued support. If you have made it to the end of this letter, leave us a comment we'd love to hear from you!