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Ebonie Smith

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Ebonie Smith, Atlantic Records Producer/Engineer, Gives An All-Access Tour Of Made In Memphis' 4U Recording Studios

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In a clip from the latest episode of "Pensado's Place," the award-winning record maker comes home to walk us through the studio belonging to her "music industry godfather," Stax songwriting legend David Porter
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 2, 2020 - 4:31 pm

Normally, you'd find Ebonie Smith behind the console in the New York City, where she works as a producer/engineer for Atlantic Records. But on the latest episode of audio mainstay "Pensado's Place," Smith gives us an all-access tour of Made In Memphis and 4U Studio, the home base of legendary songwriter/producer David Porter.

Smith was the feautured guest on "Pensado's Place #470" earlier this summer, a must-watch episode. Now, she returns for the special "Shoptalk" segment (2 minutes 45 seconds into the video above), where Smith takes us through the prestigious facility belonging to the man she calls her "music industry godfather," appropriately lauding his legacy by saying, "He's probably one of the smartest, most amazing, most energetic, living legends that you'll ever get an opportunity to be around and to see, so I'm actually grateful that he lets me in here when I come home." 

But Smith is well on her way to building a legacy of her own. As a multi-talented producer/engineer and singer/songwriter, Smith has worked a wide variety of projects, including Janelle Monáe, Sturgill Simpson, Cardi B and the "Hamilton" Original Broadway Cast Recording. She won the Mad Skills Award at the 2020 She Rocks Award, and was nominated for a Pensado Award in the category of "Best Break Thru Mixing Engineer" as well as for Forbes' 30 Under 30.

She's also extremely active in the music community. Smith is the founder and president of Gender Amplified, Inc., an organization that celebrates and supports women and girls in music production and audio engineering, and in fact she serves as an elected governor of the Recording Academy New York Chapter and member of the Producers & Engineers Wing.

Starting her tour in the Studio A control room, she highlights the API AXS Legacy console, noting the smaller-format API 1608 holds it down at her studio in New York, so she's instantly comfortable with the board and the room. Then she heads out to the live room to talk about how centering the energy in a studio is her first order of business.

"For me, I love to come into a studio and the first thing I find is the piano, because that's how I cleanse the space. That's also how I purify my mind and prepare myself to be of service in the space," she says, just before sitting down to 4U's Baldwin piano and playing beatifully.

Smith also points out some of her favorite pieces of outboard gear, includng the famous Tube-Tech CL 1B compressor, which is always in her vocal chain. She also professes her love for the Neve 1073: "I'm a Neve girl. If I could just have everything runing through a 1073, that would just make my day."

Over in Studio B, Smith shows off the API lunchboxes, especially the 560 graphic EQs, and the Neve 33609 stereo compressor and notes that every detail matters, down to how electricity of a space will affect your gear.

"A lot of folks say, 'Why do you need all this stuff in 2020, especially when you have the software emulators?' In my opinion, I like to say all the time, 'Electronics have a story to tell, and electrons have a story " she says pointing to her favorite API hardware EQs. "These four units sound different, all of them, because electrons have a story to tell."

Read More: Dave Pensado & Herb Trawick On "Pensado's Place," Expanding Audio's Scope & Being Inducted Into The TEC Hall Of Fame

Smith shoots some rather impressive hoops at the court outside the studio before concluding the tour in Studio C, where she likes to jump on the drum kit to let her energy out. Maybe next time you'll catch her in the Big Apple, but for now Smith seemed right at home at Made In Memphis Entertainment's state-of-the-art complex. 

The rest of this "Pensado's Place" episode features an inspiring interview with GRAMMY winner Fantastic Negrito, who shares some serious music motivation. Show creators and co-hosts Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick go deep with its guests from across the vast landscape of the audio world for over 450 episodes and couniting. 

To learn more about Ebonie Smith, you can check out her website, and be sure to follow the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing on Instagram to stay connected and informed. 

David Porter & Made In Memphis Host Recording Academy Rap, R&B & Latin Writers Retreat

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Behind The Record

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Behind The Record Returns To #GiveCredit To The Behind-The-Scenes Music Creators

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The Recording Academy's global social media initiative to celebrate the music makers behind the records you love is back to give credit where credit is due
GRAMMYs
Oct 14, 2020 - 10:11 am

On Oct. 15, join the Recording Academy for Behind The Record, a global social media initiative celebrating the producers, mixers, engineers, songwriters, composers and all the creators across all music genres who work tirelessly to make the songs and albums you love. This year's launch is marked by a new animated film narrated by spoken word artist and Recording Academy Chicago Chapter President J. Ivy highlighting 33 album titles to help tell the story about everyone who works Behind the Record.

Behind the Record’s mission is to inspire a conversation around the importance of credits, while giving credit where credit is due, especially during a time when the music community needs it the most.

Launched in 2019, Behind the Record returns this year to honor the work of all music creators by highlighting their contributions through album credits. Last year’s campaign featured more than 3,000 credit covers created and shared by artists, reaching hundreds of millions of fans around the world.

To participate, artists can create a custom Credit Cover to post on Instagram and other social networks, using the hashtags #BehindTheRecord and #GiveCredit, on Oct. 15 where they can tag all the creators who worked on their record and invite other artists to do the same. The Credit Covers, which can be created for a single track or a full album, will live in a gallery on the Behind the Record website where music fans can view and discover the roles of creatives behind some of their favorite records.

New for this year, artists participating in Behind the Record can sign the #GiveCredit petition, an official artist petition urging all digital music streaming services to display complete credits for songwriters, producers, engineers and non-featured performers on albums and tracks, the same way lyrics are available to those seeking them. Sadly, liner notes were largely left behind in the evolution of digital streaming. As a result, artists haven’t had a platform to publicly recognize the incredibly talented musicians and creators behind the music we love. By signing this petition, we hope to change that for future music-makers.

Behind the Record is supported by the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing®. Jaxsta, the world's largest public-facing, dedicated database of official music credits, provided credits for Warner Music, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Merlin releases.

Look for your favorite artists' Credit Covers on Oct. 15, and be sure to follow and join the global conversation on social media using the hashtags #BehindTheRecord #GiveCredit and #WeAreMusic. Together, we can ensure that all creators are recognized for their work and contributions Behind the Record.

Learn More About The Recording Academy's Behind The Record

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2020 New Member Class Roundtable

 
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Recording Academy Invites & Celebrates Its 2020 New Member Class

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Academy President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. says, "We'll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community"
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 9, 2020 - 6:30 am

Today the Recording Academy invited more than 2,300 music professionals the join as its 2020 new member class. The invitees come from wide-ranging backgrounds, genres and disciplines. They have made important contributions to music and posess the potential to influence progressive changes within the music industry.

By the numbers, the 2020 class of invitees is 48 percent female, 21 percent African American/African descent, 8 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent Asian American and Pacific Islander. The representation of this class also spans ages, genre and region. The Recording Academy's current membership is 26 percent female and 25 percent from traditionally underrepresented communities.

"We are proud of the strides we've made toward ensuring our membership is diverse and inclusive, which is reflected within this new pool of invitees,” said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "While this progress signifies meaningful impact, there's still more work to be done. We'll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community. Furthermore, we’re excited to see how the contributions of the incoming new member class will help inspire meaningful change within the music industry."

Ensuring that the Recording Academy's membership is fully representative of the music community has been a longstanding goal of Recording Academy Trustees. In December 2019, the Recording Academy pledged to implement 17 of 18 reforms set forth by the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, including increasing outreach to diverse communities and doubling the number of women voters by 2025. Specifically, this means 2,500 new women voters by the year 2025. 

To celebrate the incoming new member class, GRAMMY.com Editor-In-Chief Justin Joseph hosted a roundtable discussion on June 24 titled "Your Academy: Welcoming the 2020 New Member Class." Featuring new invitees and existing members, the conversation showcased an authentic look into what it means to be a member of the Academy, the important initiatives worked on year-round, progress members hope to see within the Academy, and diversity and inclusion in the music industry at large.

“As part of the Membership Committee for the last year for the LA Chapter… this is what I tell everyone when we’re talking about Membership in the Recording Academy," GRAMMY winner John Legend explained. "As much as we all complain about who won the GRAMMY this year for this or that, and how we’re not being represented in the right way, we literally can change it by being there—by showing up, by telling or collaborators to show up and be there…We can literally be the change that we want to see in the Academy.”

Coming from the opposite coast, GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar also weighed in on the importance of the duty and value of being an active Recording Academy member during the roundtable.

“I became a governor in my local Chapter in New York, and the second I engaged on that level, everything really changed for me as far as understanding what the Academy had for me and what I could bring to the Academy," she said. "That give-and-take was very important to me, personally.”

This message of service resonated with the new members, such as Ozuna, the Latin trap/pop hitmaker who has been hailed as the "New King of Reggaeton."

“I’m entering the Recording Academy as a new member—even though I thankfully have had success early on and throughout my career—but I am still new to experiences in the music industry," Ozuna said. "On this zoom call, I’ve learned that I can influence in the music industry by doing more than just producing and making songs.”

 “At first I had the idea that the Academy was more of over 40, non-black men who would base all action on popularity and stats," admitted versatile singer/songwriter Victoria Monet during the roundtable. "Now learning more about what is actually happening, I think that’s important to communicate to my peers, because I think they also have no idea—they just want the GRAMMY—if they don’t get it, they complain and have no idea about the process.”

With this diverse new class enriching the landscape of the Academy, showcasing more talents from more areas of the music community than ever before, the view for many incoming members feels more like home, somewhere anyone can see themselves making a meaningful difference.

 “I had a realization one day," said rising artist Kiana Ledé. "Why can’t I be the girl that represents all the other girls that feel like me? I think that coincides with how I felt about the GRAMMYs and the Recording Academy. I have definitely been the person to sit back and complain, and cry, and be upset when I haven’t seen myself being represented. And then I realized I have so much power within myself—to put myself in that position—to represent people like me. I can be that person to step out and do that.”

Seconding Lede's empowering words, GRAMMY-winning gospel legend and ardent advocate for music creators' rights Yolanda Adams talked about the education and opportunities Academy membership can help unlock.

 “It is up to us as artists to educate ourselves," Adams said. "We need to get ourselves informed, and the great place to do that is start with the Recording Academy’s websites, their webinars, all of those things are there just for you to make sure that your transition from non-member to member is worth it, because there’s so many things that are afforded to you through the Academy.”

Ultimately, the power is in the hands of the members, which underscores the importance of this year's class becoming involved in the process.

“As much change as you want to see, you can be the voice that makes it happen," said Legend. "If you want to get involved, if you want to make difference, you really have the ability to do so right away. You don’t have to wait until you have more seniority... You can come into these meetings right away, have your voice heard, and folks really want to be responsive to what you have to say.”

Tammy Hurt, Vice Chair of the Academy's Board of Trustees, backed up Legend's powerful words with some insight on what's keeps her passionately involved in the process. "One of my favorite things about the Academy is that everything we do is 100 percent peer-driven," she shared. "The process is driven specifically by the Members who serve the Academy. If there’s something that you love, that you want to get involved with, you’re passionate about, by all means. If there’s something you want to change, by all means. It’s rolling up your sleeves, showing up, engaging and being part of the process.”

In fact, the more than 2,300 new invitations extended today represent the continuation of the Academy's community-driven and peer-reviewed membership model, which was implemented in 2018 in an ongoing effort to be more representative and relevant.

"Building out our membership body is a process that encourages inclusivity from start to finish, and it's a privilege to extend invitations to the 2020 class of invitees that represent the wide-ranging backgrounds and crafts that makes the music industry so unique," said Kelley Purcell, Senior Director of Member Outreach at the Recording Academy. "These individuals will become the driving force behind the Recording Academy, and it's encouraging to see how our membership continues to evolve each year as we take steps toward building a more inclusive and vibrant community."

For more information on the Recording Academy's membership process and requirements, visit here. For full information and details surrounding the new class visit here.

The Recording Academy & Color Of Change Team Up To Promote Positive Change In The Music Industry

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Hero The Band perform at the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter Annual Membership Celebration
Photo: Marcus Ingram/WireImage

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Report: Music & Culture Infrastructure Can Create Better "Future Cities"

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How sound planning for a creative future in our urban areas makes all the difference for artists and musicians
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 23, 2019 - 2:27 pm

The future, as they say, is now. And for music makers around the world, building a future for themselves often starts at home, in their local creative community and in the city where they live. While technology has expanded communication and made the world smaller, cities continue to grow, making planning for the future a critical cultural mission of the present.

To that end, a new report by global organization Sound Diplomacy titled "This Must Be The Place" examines, "The role of music and cultural infrastructure in creating better future cities for all of us." The 37-page deep dive into community planning and development highlights the importance of creative culture in what it calls "Future Cities."

"The government defines ‘Future Cities’ as 'a term used to imagine what cities themselves will be like," the report states, "how they will operate, what systems will orchestrate them and how they will relate to their stakeholders (citizens, governments, businesses, investors, and others),'"

According to the report, only three global cities or states currently have cultural infrastructure plans: London, Amsterdam and New South Wales. This fact may be surprising considering how city planning and sustainability have become part of the discussion on development of urban areas, where the UN estimates 68 percent of people will live by 2050.

"Our future places must look at music and culture ecologically. Much like the way a building is an ecosystem, so is a community of creators, makers, consumers and disseminators," the report says. "The manner in which we understand how to maintain a building is not translated to protecting, preserving and promoting music and culture in communities."

The comparison and interaction between the intangibility of culture and the presence of physical space is an ongoing theme throughout the report. For instance, one section of the report outlines how buildings can and should be designed to fit the cultural needs of the neighborhoods they populate, as too often, use of a commercial space is considered during the leasing process, not the construction process, leading to costly renovations.

"All future cities are creative cities. All future cities are music cities."

On the residential side, as cities grow denser, the need increases for thoughtful acoustic design and sufficient sound isolation. Future cities can and should be places where people congregate

"If we don’t design and build our future cities to facilitate and welcome music and experience, we lose what makes them worth living in."

For musicians and artists of all mediums, the answer to making—and keeping—their cities worth living in boils down to considering their needs, impact and value more carefully and sooner in the planning process.

"The report argues that property is no longer an asset business, but one built on facilitating platforms for congregation, community and cohesion," it says. "By using music and culture at the beginning of the development process and incorporating it across the value chain from bid to design, meanwhile to construction, activation to commercialisation, this thinking and practice will result in better places."

The report offers examples of how planners and leaders are handling this from around the world. For instance, the Mayor Of London Night Czar, who helps ensure safety and nighttime infrastructure for venues toward the Mayor's Vision for London as a 24-hour city. Stateside, Pittsburgh, Penn., also has a Night Mayor in place to support and inform the growth of its creative class.

Diversity, inclusion, health and well-being also factor into the reports comprehensive look at how music and culture are every bit as important as conventional business, ergonomic and environmental considerations in Future Cites. Using the Queensland Chamber of Arts and Culture as a reference, it declared, "A Chamber of Culture is as important as a Chamber of Commerce."

In the end, the report serves as a beacon of light for governments, organizations, businesses and individuals involved in planning and developing future cities. Its core principals lay out guideposts for building friendly places to music and culture and are backed with case studies and recommendations. But perhaps the key to this progress is in changing how we approach the use of space itself, as the answer to supporting music may be found in how we look at the spaces we inhabit.

"To develop better cities, towns and places, we must alter the way we think about development, and place music and culture alongside design, viability, construction and customer experience," it says. "Buildings must be treated as platforms, not assets. We must explore mixed‑use within mixed‑use, so a floor of a building, or a lesser‑value ground floor unit can have multiple solutions for multiple communities."

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Be Like Björk: Iceland Unveils New 'Record In Iceland' Initiative

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Gena Johnson

 

Photo: Courtesy of Gena Johnson

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Producer & Engineer Gena Johnson: How To Create Total Harmony In A Recording Session

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"To care for someone in a recording situation is to ensure their comfort and anticipate their needs. Get out of your own head and tune into the signs around you"
GRAMMYs
Nov 12, 2020 - 4:22 am

In a brand-new editorial series, the Recording Academy has asked its membership to reflect on their their career journey, the current state of the music industry and what we can do to collectively and positively move forward in the current social climate. Below, producer and engineer and Nashville chapter member Gena Johnson shares her open letter with GRAMMY.com readers.

Moving to Nashville not knowing a soul (like most young engineers), I discovered it takes a while to find your footing. It takes even longer to feel a part of a true community, to build your tribe and to carve out a slice of the pie that tastes best to you. For me, it happened in waves. The community I love and connect with continues to grow more lush and empathetic as the years go by.

When artists and I collaborate, we strive to create music that represents them—not to just get songs on the radio. Before we even begin working on music, the focus and energy has to be right. Whatever it takes to get there, I’m in. When the energy is right, the music will be right. Every record or side I’m a part of is unique, and in turn moves the needle toward my internal growth as a human and as an engineer.

I feel exorbitantly fortunate to have been in the rooms that I have. Sometimes I have to pinch myself even dreaming up what that would be like to my younger self. Starting off as an intern, then assistant engineer, to production assistant and then making the transition to head engineer and producer, there are so many things to consider.

Each one of these roles, at the most basic level, is a customer service job. The most important thing to remember is: the artist must feel heard and respected in all ways. If you care about each person in the room, whether you are at the bottom or at the top of the "hierarchy," you will go far. I’m not saying that you must care about every intimate detail of everyone’s lives. But to care for someone in a recording situation is to ensure their comfort and anticipate their needs. Get out of your own head and tune into the signs around you. Perspective is a blessing. Give your complete self every time, or you could miss something really important. Even simple things like getting hot tea for the artist instead of having them get it themselves contributes to keeping the artist in the moment. It is their day. Customer service. Kindness, caring, positive energy, vibe.

With each new project, endeavor, new producer or new artist, be sure to keep an open mind. If you don’t know how to do something, even technically, show up as your absolute best self—no one can fault you for that. Leave all personal drama at the door. Be honest with yourself and others. If there is something going on in your personal life that will affect your role, express that prior to beginning of the session and, in advance, find a substitute that has greater or equal skill to you. It happens. Be a pro and handle it professionally.

As an engineer, the way something sounds is your opinion. If the producer isn’t digging what the engineer is providing as a soundscape for the record, the producer will let the engineer know. The producer’s job is to be the "adult" in the room—the person who is responsible for bringing the artist’s vision to life. It’s a team effort. It has to be a team effort, a “we” effort. As a “we” effort, ego goes out the window and coziness is allowed to settle in. Creativity and vulnerability become tangible. The vibe is set, the candles are lit, the fragrance of palo santo is in the room, the lighting is on point and we’re ready to begin.

Every session is different. You don't always have the time to set the scene quite as described, but it’s essential to find ways that will be special to each individual client. What is best for the situation at hand? Think about it and find a way to make it happen. Maybe it’s making sure the drummer has the right kind of creamer for his coffee or that the artist feels a part of the old inside jokes the musicians are telling. Create unity and keep the artist as the central focus.

Once a project is finished, all that the world hears is the music. The artist leaves with the experience, a combination of all the small details and how you and others made them feel, in addition to the music. I believe that if the experience is special, the music will be that much better—maybe even next-level magic. The little things ARE the big things.

Attorney Shay Lawson Talks #TheShowMustBePaused & Feeling Inspired By Industry Changemakers

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