Hello, all! My name is Brad Tuller and I am a Recording and Mixing Engineer from Bay Shore, New York. I am currently a senior at the University of New Haven studying Music and Sound Recording. Recently, I just finished a semester in Nashville studying at the infamous Blackbird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. I thought it would be a good idea to touch on the biggest things that I’ve learned from my time in Nashville for those who were curious about the lessons Music City has to offer.
The first major thing that I learned while in Nashville is that just because we have the DIY mentality, it doesn’t mean that we have to do it alone. Everybody that I met had a drive to accomplish something in his or her career. When you meet someone with a similar drive for success, you work together and create an environment for growth. Through this, you’ll also find that networking comes naturally as these people introduce you to their friends who have potential in helping you. This chain continues until you have a whole slew of people you could contact when you want to start working on something. This brings me to the second major thing I learned in Nashville.
Take every opportunity you can to network. Exchange numbers, follow people on social media, hand out business cards, and just do about anything you can to get your name out more than it was before. When I was interning at a studio called The Record Shop in Nashville, my boss had a potential client who contacted the studio three months after they had a single conversation. Although it took three months for them to work together, they were working together nonetheless. Networking and business opportunities take time and they also come in multiple forms. You just have to be willing to put yourself out there to get them.
The last major thing I learned from my time in Nashville is there are no rules. With more regards to the to the recording and mixing side of things, there are standard methods of doing things that generally always work. However, just because they are standard methods doesn’t mean they are the only methods. One thing I will never forget was when I was watching my professor David Leonard, winner of two Grammys for Toto IV and Prince’s Purple Rain respectively; give a demonstration on how he mixes a song. He was working his magic on the console when all of a sudden I asked him why he did the same mixing move twice on one instrument. I was always told that what he did was something you should never do when mixing. But his response was simply, “Just because it’s more.” And that’s when I realized that the rules mean nothing. If you feel that what you’re doing is working for the current situation, go ahead and keep doing it. In the end, you’ll get a result that feels right and that’s all that matters.
*Follow Brad on Instagram and Twitter - @bradtuller and of course right here at coeurdecorbeau.com