Omen: Positive Career Workflow
HARLEM: There are plenty of producers out there who are decidedly not feeling the pinch. GRAMMY Award-winning producer Omen is one such emerging impresario – an in-demand man shaping hip hop. With records for artist such as Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Redman and Mya to his credit, Omen currently keeps busy at Stadiumred’s Studio B. Hear here his wisdom on instincts, teamwork and advanced career management.
Omen
Q: How did you get into music production?
A: I actually went to school for art. I originally wanted to work in the comic book field as a sketch artist, but music captured me.
I officially started producing music around 1995. We were in a bedroom studio in the Bronx, just tinkering with tracks. I was rapping, I had a crew, and I had to do beats for the crew. That’s when I started sharpening my skills until a friend of mine, DJ 7:30 who has since passed away, connected me to G. Roberson – A&R at Roc-A-Fella at the time – and I got a few placements.
Q: How would you define yourself – composer, producer, engineer?
A: I would say all of the above. I wouldn’t say I’m the best (engineer) in the field, because there are other engineers, but I can track vocals in Pro Tools or Logic. I can compose a track and melodies, but I can’t read music. I’m not skilled from a music standpoint. I just know how to get it hot. I would say I’m a hands-on producer.
Q: What have you been working on recently?
A: I’m working on a debut album for Drake, who’s killing the Internet and the music scene. Also, working on a new artist named XV from Witchita, Kansas — he’s a dope MC just starting to build buzz. And I’m submitting for Young Jeezy’s, Ludacris, The Game and 50 Cent’s latest projects .
One thing I really appreciate is that I was able to get on a couple of debut albums. I was on Memphis Bleek’s debut album, Coming of Age on Roc-A-Fella, which went gold, and Fabolous’ debut album Ghetto Fabolous which went platinum – that was a classic record.
Q: What’s the submission process like for an artist on the level of Ludacris?
A: Back in the day you just had a beat CD, and they chose the beats they wanted. These days, it’s MP3s and you have to create a track based on what they want, and adding a chorus or a full song would help. So you have to innovate what’s hot. If you give away a beat CD these days, it may be a waste of time. I suggest, give an artist three solid tracks to choose from. If they don’t like those three, submit another three. Keep it to a minimum.
Q: Can you give an example of your workflow for one of the Drake tracks?
A: There’s a record that I produced that’s on my producer’s compilation album entitled Be the Judge. I had a track called “Overdose on Life” that was pretty much a skeleton, and Drake loved it. I told him the concept, the vision of what to rap about, what the titles of the song means. Then he came to me with the finished product of the lyrics. The concept of “Overdose on Life” is to live life to the fullest. We all have our addictions and our vices, and I told him to overdose on what he loves the most. It was very classy. The collaboration was dope.
Building on the skeleton of the track that I created on my MPC 2500, I brought along a couple of friends. A young lady named Brandee Younger plays the harp on this – very subtle, very clean. Another friend of mine, Erik Torrente, is a crazy saxophone player/producer who helped me discover my ear for production. He added some piano splashes throughout the track. The vocal producer/track arranger was Noah Shebib, whose production name is 40/40. After the instruments were laid down, 40 took all the raw vocals, put effects on it, warped some of the words, put on delays, chopped the beat. He really helped bring that beat to life, as well as with the vocal tricks.
Q: That sounds like a very team-oriented approach.
A: I say it like this: I can trust my own ears and judgment to do the initial track, but I like to bring in other elements to make it greater. You can’t have all the glory, so instead of having a fake keyboard, horns or pianos, I’ll bring in a real pianist or horn player just to accent it, so it sounds a little more authentic. That makes it a lot broader, a lot stronger, a lot more organic.
Q: What does your residency at Stadiumred have to do with the way you work?
A: I wouldn’t call Stadiumred a commercial studio – I would say it’s a recording house, meaning, we can take a record and develop it, mix it, and deliver the final product. We’ll keep it all within and make it a team effort. Say a client comes in to have me produce the record. I’ll make it sound good, then I’ll pass it on to Ariel Borujow or Joseph Pedulla, the mix engineers there, and they’ll mix it. So we keep it like that. We all have positive energy, we all encourage one another, and it’s a more family-oriented feel.
Q: How do you feel the NYC production scene is evolving?
A: I would say that with the constant demise of larger studios like Sony, what’s happening is that a lot of studios are now partnering up with publishing houses, the BMI’s, the ASCAP’s, and they’re working out situations with the labels. They’ll get an artist, develop that artist, record and mix the album within one facility, so everything pumps out of that studio/situation.
Of course, there are also a lot of home studios. People are getting Pro Tools, putting out their own mix tapes, sounds, albums, and they’re getting distribution deals – situations based on what they’re creating on their own.
Q: What’s your advice for producers who want to take things to the next level?
A: If you don’t have a studio, find a studio like Stadiumred. I’m not plugging it, but Stadiumred is a facility where we help a lot of aspiring artists, and we’re doing a lot of interesting things for the future. So find a studio situation like we’ve got, or create your own situation that could better yourself.
Right now, sales of physical product are down, but a lot of things like iTunes are up. Find your own lane, your own sound, your own comfort zone for recording in. Go with the formula of how you get things done.
Lastly, don’t put out anything not mixed — if you put out any records, make them sound the best you can. The first impression is the best impression.
Tweet Omen: @producedbyomen
Hear Omen: http://www.myspace.com/emw