International Musician And Recording World, October 1984

On Keyboards
By T Lavitz

Get Your "Keys" In The Door

When it comes to getting hired for a job, we all know that the opportunity itself isn't enough; when it knocks, you must be prepared to answer. In addition, a congenial personality is often almost as important as your playing ability.

In various cities, I've seen different types of recording facilities, some good and some not so good. Some studios own a good keyboard rig themselves, while others expect the player to provide his own instrument. Both approaches seem fair enough to me. It's nice to walk in and have the instruments right there, but on the other hand, a violinist or a sax player is expected to bring his own, so...

With the help of producer Chris Barbosa, I'd like to give you some thoughts on your duties as a player from the other side.

Unique Recording is a New York City studio that has the most extensive keyboard setup I've ever encountered. While a look into one of their two rooms may make you feel like Captain Kirk at the helm of the Enterprise, an abundance of earthly sounds are at your fingertips. At Unique you can choose between a Korg Polysix, an Oberheim, a PPG and an approximate total of 30 electronic keyboards.

Barbosa, who with partner Mark Liggett produced or coproduced Shannon and Robin Gibb, does a lot of his work out of this keyboard mecca and has plenty advice for aspiring studio keyboard players.

Working in Unique, where the keyboards are supplied, how much programming knowledge do you expect of the player?

Most players have their own equipment; therefore they have digital information on a cassette or a memory chip, so the sounds are there. However, most players, like us, are knowledgeable in getting sounds.

Do most players get a cassette of the music for advance preparation, or must you rely on their ears?

Never, no advance warning. We start fresh with the player, who gets ideas from us on the type of sound needed, and then we go to work.

How do you experiment with getting more complex sounds?

A lot of MIDI is being used, and we use up to five keyboards at a time. We go along individually and compare each new sound with the prior sound until we reach the final desired effect.

On pop records, how much of the actual track is sequenced?

Usually the drums, bass lines and sometimes more. So, in turn, a player must have exceptional timing to keep up with the machines.

What-besides the obvious good timing and developed ears-do you look for in a keyboard player?

A good example is Rob Kilgore because he is good at coming up with sounds. In his case, programming sounds is a big plus. Another player we use frequently is Charlie Roth. He is very creative, and both he and Robbie can keep coming up with musical ideas.

What annoys you most when working with a keyboard player in the studio?

For example, a line that is given to them should be played my way first. Then, if suggestions are desired, they may be given later. Sometimes getting a keyboard player to play a line he doesn't like can be like pulling teeth. But as a producer, I must hear the line the way I want to, to know whether or not it will work. If it doesn't work, then I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks to Chris for sharing his thoughts. The one thing I can add to this is that like anything else, the more experience you chalk up, the more you'll know what to do and when to do it.