What up yall. Leslo in the building. I hadn't been on in a while but the posting below is a direct response to some youngster in the game that tried to disrespect me. You'll see his lame comments first, then you'll see how i RANKED him!

BRYAN'S LAME COMMENTS:
Plies and Chris J Mixed ITB

I just mixed this record completely in the box with waves and UAD 1 plugs.
No summing box or outboard reverbs. Im not saying its the best mix in the world because it was done so fast and not meant to be a final for me but it does give hope to people like me and some others on here that cant afford a 9000j but are trying to compete with that sound.. Ive been recording Plies for three years but it looks like now IM gona record , mix and make beats for his records. Wish me luck!
They put this song on blast today.

Ozone Magazine » Audio Randy's Playlist » Chris J. feat. Plies - “Don’t Need No Man”

The distortion happened in mastering. Plies first album was distorted as hell from mastering. That mastering job sucked. The volumes where uneven and the tracks were distorted. I believe this guy Glen did a good job. yeah its clipping a little but I think these days they do that on purpose. And I agree about his vocals being loud on his other records. I personally hate the mixes on the other records. Some of them are good but most of them are thin and bright as hell with the vocals loud as shit and the kick real loud. Plies mixes sound so different coming out of patch works than the other artists. I almost felt like they had something against him. I was in a strip club the other day and 2 plies songs came on and it sounded like shit. The volume dropped, shit got thin and all you could hear was his voice kik and clap. To me the feeling and life is in the Instruments not drums. Of course the drums have to hit but theres gotta be a balance. Outstanding mixes come out of patchworks and even some of Plies singles sound great but the album fillers seem to get the album fillers mix. Of course that drives me nuts because Ive not had a single yet but 8 album fillers!
This mix was done in less than a hour. They had them send the session so I could put breaks in the beat before we sent it to patch....and I was like shiiiiiit if I got the seperated files IM gona do a quick mix and hopefully win them over. Sure enough they picked this mix over the ones from patchworks, Plies said B how can I get this record to sound just like your mix and I was like.....umm.... send my mix to mastering! and thats what they did. Theres a few things I dont like about this mix. Plies fears me touching anything that he feels already works so I left it just how he liked it. The consummer will NEVER hear this stuff so who cares! lol Im an engineer that never went to school or was taught by anyone but studied and practiced endlessly. This site gearslutz played a BIG part of my development over the years so I felt it was appropriate to come post a industry mix they helped happen. . Add me on my space guys!
Deep Productions on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos
__________________
Thank You,

Bryan Tyson

www.myspace.com/deepproductionsinc
www.hallucination.com
www.pliesworld.com

THIS WAS MY RESPONSE TO HIS IGNORANCE:

Ok, first off. I’m no young buck in the game. I’m 15 years deep on this mix sh*t. RESPECT MUST BE SHOWN TO THOSE THAT PAVED THE WAY. I usually don’t address comments on the internet, but this sh*t was brought to my attention. I mixed a lot of the PLIES records referred to at patchwerk studios. So let’s get things clear.

1) I give PLIES the same quality and attention that I give EVERY other artist I mix.

2) EVERY group of files I received to mix was POORLY recorded. Vocals, Basslines, and Drums were usually somewhat distorted. Before anyone accuses mastering engineers or mix engineers of distorting things, they should check their OWN files first. (HINT: if your waveforms are squared off at the top, you are most likely distorting. Do I need to post screen shots of how the sessions looked before I mixed them ?????? hmmmmmm????)

3) EVERY ruff mix that I received along with the session files sounded HORRIBLE. When I’m in a room full of people and EVERYONE agrees that the ruff mix sounds horrible, then guess what……. You’re a long way from being me.

4) Even the most amateur of engineers know to use PROTOOLS (even LE if they can’t afford the HD system) and a MAC. Using NUENDO and a PC is pretty lame and gives us PROFESSIONALS a hard time mixing anything that comes from that setup.

5) BEGGING someone to mix their sh*t is not only tacky, but it’s a career killer. The fact that you have to “WIN SOMEONE OVER” means you got a lotta work to do homie. I’ve NEVER asked someone to mix ANYTHING in my entire career. Even when I was first starting out, THEY CAME TO ME. My work speaks for itself. When Cher asked me to mix her stuff because she really liked my mix on TLC, or when MARY J. asked me to mix her album because she heard OUTKAST, or when LUDA asked me to mix his ALBUMS because he heard 10 banging mixes in a row in the club, all of which I mixed – THAT’S REAL PLAYA SH*T. Begging for mixes is weak. The LAW OF ATTRACTION is a powerful thing. Read up on it.

6) If you have album fillers but no single, that simply means you gotta do better work. When you get to a place where you FEEL LIKE you should be further along than you REALLY ARE, then you head down a really destructive path. The universe unfolds as it should. When you start producing single worthy material, then you’ll get a single. SIMPLE.

7) the FEELING and LIFE of urban music, is in the DRUMS, BASSLINE, and VOCALS (all of which I previously stated are usually distorted when those sessions get to me). If you think the “FEELING and LIFE” are in the instruments, then that might explain why you have to BEG for mixes or haven’t had a single yet.

8) When an artist is stuck on a ruff mix its USUALLY because it’s the first version of the song that they got used to. It doesn’t mean that it sounds great. More often than not, its quite the opposite. Most artists just get accustomed to what they’ve been listening to since they recorded the record, which is usually a VERY SUB PAR mix. When the files are sent to a PROFESSIONAL, it comes back sounding so different to them that they often want to revert back to the ruff mix, NOT because the ruff is better, but because its FAMILIAR. When you’ve been mixing for more than a WEEK, you’ll learn this quite well.

9) I have absolutely nothing against PLIES. I admire the guy, and I often speak very highly of him. and as his engineer, you can’t just disrespect another fellow engineer and think its cool, there’s rules to this sh*t. To suggest that I would treat a PLIES mix any different from any other mix is straight up DISRESPECTFUL. If you gotta DIS my work and the work of others, just so YOU can get a mix on an album, then that means YOUR work doesn’t speak for itself. BOSS UP MAN. Instead of tearing someone else down, just BUILD YOURSELF UP. But first you need SOMETHING to build on. YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED. VAMOOSE.

LESLIE BRATHWAITE HAS SPOKEN.

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In The Mix

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HOW I GOT STARTED AND CHASED MY DREAM........

In response to quite a few emails and posts asking the same GENERAL question, here goes.....

I left St.Thomas when I was 18 years old in 1991. ….I enjoyed growing up in St.Thomas….BUT I was so ready to leave.
Immediately after graduation I was on a plane to Orlando where I attended FULL SAIL CENTER FOR THE RECORDING ARTS. My dad got me started by paying my rent for a few months, paying for school, and helping me get my first BUCKET of a car….(I am VERY thankful though). – I was determined not to ask him for ANY more help. During the year I spent at FULL SAIL, I worked in a blockbuster video store part time to pay for my apt and car.

I decided that I was going to move to Atlanta the day I graduated and I did just that. I chose Atlanta because at the time New York and Los Angeles seemed too saturated with people looking for similar work. I had read an article while living in Orlando, about a young up and coming producer named DALLAS AUSTIN, and how he was opening a new studio in Atlanta. I made it my mission in life to find him and work at his studio.
2 weeks after graduation…….MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

In august 1992, I started out at the lowest possible level in the music industry. I was an intern at the studio. I didn’t make ANY money. I went on food runs, I cleaned the bathrooms, I made coffee, I packed up equipment and just about anything else they needed done at the studio.....FOR FREE. .....IN EXCHANGE, I got the opportunity to be around, observe, learn, and every now and then ask questions. It was an awesome exchange. Besides my part time job (to pay for my car and rent), I would spend every waking hour at the studio. Eventually I moved my way up the ranks and by summertime, 1993, I had became an ASSISTANT ENGINEER. I hadn’t quite started working with Dallas directly. Instead I was working with a handful of engineers and some producers he had signed to him in production deals. I would also work steadily with a host of outside clients that would book studio time there.

As things rolled on, more and more producers noticed that I was pretty good and had potential. Eventually Dallas himself started to take notice and that’s when things really got rolling. I would go on to record and mix my first hit record…Monica’s “DON’T TAKE IT PERSONAL” in 1995.

After that, I continued to work with Dallas closely and consistently as a RECORDING and MIX ENGINEER for the next 6 years. My career REALLY blossomed in that time period because my discography started to get full with names like MADONNA, BOYS II MEN, MICHAEL JACKSON, ARETHA FRANKLIN, TLC, DEBORAH COX, TONI BRAXTON, OUTKAST, BUSTA RHYMES, NOTORIUS B.I.G., 2 PAC, WILL SMITH, and many more big names.

During that time I also started producing records as well. I managed to produce records for 112, ICE CUBE, MACK 10, MONICA, SHANICE, SCARFACE, NIVEA and a few others. Production wasn’t really my focus though. I did it because It was fun, I was good at it, and I made some good money…………..BUT I was PASSIONATE about MIXING records.

In 2001, it was time for me to grow into my own and focus on becoming a MIX ENGINEER. I parted ways with Dallas and made my home over at PATCHWERK STUDIOS (right down the street) where I continue to work to this day. Patchwerk had (and still HAS in my opinion) the best mix room in Atlanta, so it was an easy choice for me……….I ONLY mess with the best.
Since then, I’ve mixed records for so many including JEEZY, CASH MONEY MILLIONAIRES, LIL WAYNE, JAY-Z, EMINEM, 2 PAC, RICK ROSS, LUDACRIS, CHER, SANTANA, MARY J. BLIGE, P. DIDDY, and so on.

I worked VERY hard to get to where I am. I stayed very focused all these years. I HARDLY EVER go out. I don’t goto nightclubs, stripclubs, etc. I don’t smoke or do ANY types of drugs. I rarely drink, AND ONLY when I’m not working. I’m never in the streets chasing women or attention. I take vacations, We goto Disney, Aspen, and Lake Lanier REGULARLY. Other than that…………..I wake up EVERY day goto the studio, work, have fun…………… and EVERY NIGHT, I go home to DORIS (and my unborn child).

This WAS……IS…..AND CONTINUES TO BE…….the story of my success.

I'm glad my story has inspired some in the past and hope it continues to do so for others in the future.

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I'm goin in !!!!!!!!!!!

What up everyone, my name is Leslie Brathwaite.

i mix records
i snowboard
i play madden, halo 3, and grand theft auto
i'm about to be a father.

Jeremy invited me to contribute every now and then to the bloggernomics, so here i am......

I'M GOIN IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ............................
.............the other day i got all pissed off at the MUSIC INDUSTRY and went on a rant.... here it its:


First of all, the internet DID NOT ruin the MUSIC industry. That would be like saying ATM machines ruined the banking industry. ATM machines make accessing your money easier and more convenient. Instead of making a trip to the bank to withdraw or deposit money, you can do it from a grocery store (where you can instantly use it). Same concept can be applied to music. The internet is simply a tool thru which you can access, distribute, audition, discover, and conveniently purchase music.

THE PROBLEM is, the music industry was (and in some cases still is) so focused on doing things the old way and destroying internet-music activity, that they didn’t focus any resources on harnessing the power of the internet to ENHANCE music sales. Instead of spending time trying to destroy the kid that came up with NAPSTER, record labels should have found that kid, put him on a payroll and charge him with figuring out a way to come up with a workable, and hacker-free solution to embrace the internet and its power of connectivity to effectively sell music.

APPLE beat them to the punch. They figured out what the record labels should have – if you come up with the coolest gadget to play music on (iPOD), then you come up with a cool interface for the gadget where you can arrange playlists, and PURCHASE your content (iTUNES), you can corner the market. SONY had the same relative game plan in the 80s when they gave us cassettes, but also gave us the cool gadget (the walkman) in which to play the cassettes.

Simply put, the music industry has not evolved enough to keep up with technology and the changes in the world. So…….of course not only do I present the PROBLEM, but here are some ideas for thought that could lead to a SOLUTION.

1. MAKE BETTER MUSIC
Seems like this would be obvious, but for some reason the music keeps getting worse. Now let me clarify something – good music does not ONLY mean live instruments and “taking it back” to live instrumentation with bands, etc. the problem with that is people who want live music or instruments usually tend to sound too old school or dated, especially in the R&B. They tend to focus to much on how things “sounded” before, instead of being PROGRESSIVE and visionary. I think alternative and electronic music is probably best representation of good, progressive, music these days. Hip-Hop is horrible. R&B is boring, Dancehall is pretty stagnant, everyone is either getting lazy, doing the same thing or trying to re-create an era that isn’t coming back.

2. REWORK THE MODEL FOR SELLING MUSIC
Sell the artist not the music. Give away the music and sell everything else. Rick Rubin had an extremely brilliant concept by suggesting iTUNES and other major internet retailers adopt a subscription based service. Pay a fixed amount monthly and download at your convenience. When people aren’t buying what you’re selling, change what you’re selling. When everyone stops buying music, sell the convenience – and everything else you can think of – merchandise, special edition artist based iPods, shows, etc. I touched on this in one of my previous notes when I described how Apple and AT&T re-shaped the wireless cell phone industry by focusing on offering the best PHONE instead of focusing on the SERVICE and the PLANS like everyone else who are all still struggling to catch up.


3. RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB
If you took a door, cut it in half, and retro-fit it to be used in a window opening, it would do a horrible job of being a window. Same concept applies to certain people and their jobs in the music industry. Too often, people in this industry want to do too much. Producers and writers want to be artists, A&Rs want to be producers and mixers, Artists want to be writers and producers. Its really f*ckin things up!!!!!!!!! Now I’m not saying that people can’t expand and broaden their horizons, BUT it is becoming ridiculous. I constantly have A&Rs calling me telling me to make a mix sound like an AWFUL ruff mix they’ve been listening to for 4 months. (which is the equivalent of hiring a professional photographer and asking them to use a disposable camera) I’M A PROFESSIONAL MIX ENGINEER, when I mix a record, its going to come out sounding “CLEAN” and professional - if you want your record to sound like a trashy ruff mix, call someone else to do it. Let the MIXERS mix. The fact that you would choose an awful mix (because its what you are accustomed to) over a clean sound means that you are NOT the right person for that job. Same applies to writers who have NO star power but want to be artists. When you have a really great song performed by a terrible artist, you are destroying the industry as a whole. The true stars can’t SHINE because all the very good writers are keeping the hits for themselves. They do the REAL stars, the song, and the music industry a horrible dis-service. USHER would’ve had an awesome album last time around if he'd gotten real hit records from the writers. Instead everyone was just looking out for themselves and not giving him the real hits he deserved. Imagine how much bigger of a record “BED” would have been if that was Usher’s record. (no disrespect intended to J. Holiday, just stating the facts) ............Lets put all the windows back in the window openings PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!

4. ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
The best way to promote healthy growth of the music industry, is to promote its stars in a positive light. Usher and Beyonce’, two of our brightest stars, are often the targets of negative feedback. The urban stations, DJ’s, and websites tend to always promote all the NEGATIVITY, COONERY and BEEF that makes Hip Hop and R&B in particular look stupid. When CNN and other networks spend years promoting bad news, violence, and controversy – it ultimately lead many people to support the now currently ignorant war, which is largely responsible for our financial demise. Negativity promotes more negativity. Urban DJ’s and Gossip sites should realize this. BET should be cancelled. Its awful. The NFL and NBA have been so successful because they promote their BEST players constantly. The WNBA and the Music Industry could learn a lesson from that. IN THE SAME LIGHT, we should NOT continue to “celebrate” people who continue to use drugs, or make poor decisions. Whitney Houston at this year's GRAMMYs was pitiful, embarrassing, and hard to watch.

5. QUINCY JONES HAS A POINT
The story of music is important. The history, the craft, the passion. Most young artists coming into the game right now have no idea who Rick Rubin is, or how a rock producer was responsible for a huge portion of today’s hip hop. They have no respect for the game, or for those that paved the way. As a result, they don’t give it their heart and soul. They want fame and money and they think the game owes them something. I think it was very important for P. Diddy to make the season one crew of “Making The Band” walk to JUNIOR’S to get him some cheesecake, or when he made them learn all the lyrics to “Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G. – he wanted them to respect the come up, the grind, and all that came before them to pave the way. VERY IMPORTANT.

6. CHANGE YOUR VIEW OF SUCCESS
There’s a really annoying trend that breeds negativity in the industry. When an artist doesn’t go gold or platinum…OR if they don’t sell a million copies in their first week, they automatically feel like a failure. The labels help this ignorance by putting so much focus on record breaking sales. The math is simple. If you spend $300,000.00 making an album, and you sell 200,000 copies@ $8 per copy, then you just grossed $1,600,000.00 – That’s a success. You spent 300k and made 1.6 million! If the money were spent better, distributed more fairly, and accounted for more accurately, everyone would be happy. The greed by the labels cause them to try to spend less to make the album, which results in poor product, which results in poor sales. Its not complicated.

7. STOP OVERTHINKING
I sit in sessions all the time where label execs, artists, and producers spend too much time overthinking everything. They sit there trying to make records for the CLUB or for the GIRLS or for the STREETS!!!!!!!!!! JUST MAKE GOOD RECORDS. The records will find their own way to the appropriate place. Everyone rushes to do a record with someone just based on if they are hot at the moment and totally forgetting about chemistry and vibe. I’ve seen people destroy their careers because they were overthinking what single should be first and founding their decision on all the wrong things.

yep, ......... i'm mad.

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