Negotiations went down for me today to finish my single at Abbey Road South Studios (Progressive Music)but the producer I selected for the project was a hold out,Kenny Veenstra."Rene,I can relate to what you are doing and that you are a singles artist but I want to get into it man,I want to make a statement and have a lot of fun with it too.You can lease the studio time and I will give you my best rate but if you want me to produce it I will only do an album project,at minimum 8 tunes and you have got to commit to that.Whatever and however you want to do it I will make you sound better than you ever did right through to the mastering level."I pondered this for about ten seconds and said "you will produce it?" "Yes I will,sign here."I have been a recording artist for a few decades but have NEVER done an album project,ahh launched as such.Tom Morris came on as my producer more as a good friend bailing me out.I had already recorded the tracks,some with him but the bulk of it not so.It is a different thing to have a producer working from you all the way through the project.As an artist I would see no sense in doing a serious project without a good producer.It costs money to do this!Technically,as a recording scientist and executive producer I am aware of every detail going down and understand it or am studying it.Yet as an artist you want to be focused 100% on the art,interpretation,and expression.And here is my downfall as a producer,I have hearing loss in my high end from years onstage and in rehearsal studios.From cymbals actually.I cannot correctly mix a record because of this.I cannot hear the high frequencies well enough.So it is wise on my part to have a set of ears with perfect hearing to handle that.With an expert recording engineer to boot!So I am free to do what I love to do...CREATE!All that I have to get into is that.Which is enough believe me.I mean if you knew the real story behind a lot of things there are many fabulous live players with popular groups that are horrible to the point of useless in the studio.The producer has to bring in a session player to do their part.The regular guitar player sits in wonder as the session player knocks it out in a couple of beautiful takes.And the session player may suck onstage or be to ugly image wise but makes a good living as a guitar teacher and first call session man.This is how it goes down in the big city.This session guy brings a beat up Hagstrom guitar from 1960 whatever into the studio and makes it sound like a telecastor,strat,and a Les Paul or a 335.Blows an ice cold wind up your ass..Is totally unknown to the world yet on a session everyday with his/her playing heard all over the world.This of course would only be true in three cities in the USA,New York,Los Angeles,or Nashville.Anywhere else you would not make a living doing sessions.Don't even think about it,these type of players are musical assassins,they did not get to be major producers first call for nothing.You may fancy that you are a pretty hot guitar player but then let somebody lay down a score for you for a film and you have got three takes to get it right sight reading it.Better put your reading glasses on because that score is going to unfold before your eyes.