The Backstory:

This friendship started as a co-plab-eration.

Brittany liked what I (Kimberly Shires) was producing and sent me a worktape of a song she wrote to fully produce for her.

I used P.LAB skills such as organizing my session, keeping things interesting by adding/dropping layers every four bars, and using transitions and ear candy.

Another skill applied was to sit back and listen and try to sing the part that I hear. I keep hearing Kris in my ear saying "sing it first".

That was a game changer in finding just the right part.

This was my first production client job and also what gave me the confidence to commit to a business mindset.

I'm trying to Boss out of my day job over the next 5 years and I have P.LAB and co-plab-erations to thank for that!

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The Backstory:

I used Module 2 to get the tightest guitar performances that I could and EQ’d the electric guitars to allow for only the frequencies I wanted to cut through the mix (learned in Module 4).

Next, I added some Eventide Shimmerverb to make the vocals larger (learned in Module 4).

I actually used the vocals from the original cell phone recording in the final mix!

The meaning of this song by the way is that slavery cannot (or should not) be held sacred by any society, no matter what 'type' it is, and no matter what you are being forced into as an individual.

It is a song about freedom and the human soul.

-Ben McCraw

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The Backstory:

I brought my overdubbing app stems into logic and built out the basics of the song from what I had.

I treated my vocal licks as though they were guitars and made L's and R's of them, and second and third parts to build with each bar - texturing them all uniquely.

I found a dope beaa loop and chopped it up a bit for variation.

I added a beefy bassline.

I LISTENED.. and every part that came to my ears, I recorded and made a space for it. I color coded. And labeled.

I took things away to create dynamic and interest.

I added lots of ear candy :D

And risers. And made effects with my vocal tracks.

I ended the song with a punctuation !

I did a nice songwriters mix on it, cleaned up all the regions with 5 degree fades, named everything so that my mixer could easily work with what I gave him, and bounced all the stems into groups.

I hired out the thing I'm not great at - a fantastic djembe player whom I had add a couple layers of real drum and percussion.

I found some good reference tracks and hired a mixer, and showed him what I wanted to hear differently:)

Thanks! haha! 

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The Backstory:

I used to have a phone full of voice memo ideas that never got used…

Taking “From Voice Memo 2 Demo” opened my eyes (and ears) to the concept of importing raw voice memo tracks into my DAW, which I could then use as a template to structure and recreate my song!

"Watch Me" started as a rough acoustic guitar jam idea that was initially captured on my phone and randomly chosen out of my voice memo “boneyard” for this P.LAB contest

This was also the first track that I've ever written, performed and produced 100% on my own!

Stepping out with this experiment also gave me the courage to repeat this process with other tracks since, "Watch Me" may not be my best work but it definitely marks a HUGE milestone in my personal musical journey!!

Thanks P.LAB for the knowledge and motivation!

-Jon Smith (aka Mr.Jon)

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The Backstory:

Since retirement from a career in science, I’ve been interested in seeking instruction from great teachers, and why I follow Kris.

What I get from P.LAB is Kris’s great communication skills, inspiration and education to keep motivation going for my music production.

All her classes seem to be about how to integrate the various music technologies and skills in music production, and how to make a possible living at it in todays’ market of music industries.

-Tom Kwake

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The Backstory:

This was a big jump up for me with cool transitions, being adventurous with sound selection, using Splice for the first time for the shovel sounding percussion, and really going for it with F'ing up sounds!! Haha

-Michael Averill

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The Backstory:

The magic behind "Back to You" sparked at an open mic night where Karl caught the vibe of a mesmerizing chord progression from the house band.

"Late that night, I pieced together the chords and 'voice memo’d' myself playing them, adding a spontaneous melody," he shares.

As the song took shape, Karl delved into its lyrical theme, drawing inspiration from Paul McCartney's "Long and Winding Road." "I loved how he conveyed that all roads lead back to the one he loves," Karl explained ❤️.

A true bass enthusiast, Karl's music leans toward the funky and jazzy side, a vibe distinctly present in the transformation of "Back To You."

Having been part of the P.LAB universe for a few years now, Karl stumbled upon P.LAB through YouTube, captivated by Kris's straightforward and practical explanations on DAW techniques.

Now a proud member of P.LAB, he particularly cherishes the sense of community within P.LAB All Access Pass, connecting with fellow songwriters.

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The Backstory:

This sweet collaboration began in the creative land of the P.LAB collab lab, where Gail Gallagher and Mandy Green's paths converged. Mandy shared her quirky song idea, and the duo worked to finalize the BPM and lyrics.

Gail explains: “For the arrangement I took the concept of having ear candy / new changes every few bars and decided that each monster would have it's own hero instrument" so you'll hear the main piano part and then assorted instruments providing some melodic ear candy.”

Gail pulled several sound effects from Splice for the monster sounds. She took some time to "sample mine" for assorted cackles and then ran those sounds by Mandy and together, they selected what to take. Then GailI played around with reverb and pitching to help make them her own.

In the realm of mixing and mastering, Gail experimented with panning and strategically placed elements in different frequency spectrums. Notable examples include the dynamic thunder roll sample that pans back and forth and the ghostly "ooo" during the ghost bridge.

A creative spark ignited the idea of a "monster dance party" within the bridge. Gail crafted a dance beat with samples and a midi synth, passing the baton to Mandy, who added the delightful monster dialogue, bringing the party to life.

The collaborative journey involved meticulous drafts and fine-tuning, resulting in the final product, "Misfit Monsters."

Doesn’t that all sound so much FUN!?

Without further ado, let's immerse ourselves in the unique transformation of “Misfit Monsters”! 🎧👾

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The Backstory:

We’ve got a holiday treat for your ears this Transformation Tuesday! 🎄🎵

Get ready to feel the festive cheer with "A Little Christmas In My Heart," expertly produced by P.LAB VIP Alumni Producer, Ralph Ogunbiyi, for the talented Pamela Bedwell.

Embracing the unexpected, Ralph steered towards the genre of Bluegrass for this track, infusing a unique flair into this holiday tune!

Not being too versed in Bluegrass himself, Ralph - who is based in the UK - tracked down a session musician in remote Nebraska to contribute authentic instrumentation for the song!

Of course, no Christmas song would work without some sparkle! So Ralph included the unconventional yet beautiful tones of the Glockenspiel, completing the holiday ambiance. ✨

And "A Little Christmas In My Heart” is beautifully brought together with the gorgeous voice of Pamela Bedwell.

So let’s listen!! Time to embrace the holiday spirit as we tune in to "A Little Christmas in My Heart," produced by our Transformation Tuesday champion, Ralph Ogunbiyi, for Pamela Bedwell. 🌟🎶

Here’s to your success and creativity this holiday season! 🎄

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The Backstory:

The transformation of the song “Not Sorry” by Ashley Kister (otherwise known as Necrodoll) all dates back to a moment when Ashley found herself serenading her lemon balm plant to make amends for a bit of neglect! Lo and behold, "Not Sorry" materialized as a divine download straight from the muses! 🌟

Ashley explains that her creative journey itself had already undergone a transformation after immersing herself in "From Voice Memo to Demo". She said, "I watched through the whole course, and it reallyyyy helped me with my workflow." 

Kris's quick decision-making in instrument selection inspired Ashley to prioritize capturing ideas over obsessing about perfect sounds during the foundational stages of her songs.

Ashley delved into the basics of gain staging, quantizing, EQ, and compression and learned how to create demos that now boast a pristine quality without artifacts or volume inconsistencies, a triumph over past struggles for Ashley!

She also embraced using a metronome and says that her workflow now accelerates with each lesson from P.LAB All Access Pass. 🥳

Ashley applied all of this knowledge in the creation of “Not Sorry” - and wait till you hear the difference from her voice memo to her demo!

This song is amazing, and you are going to love it. So, without further ado, let's dive into the transformation of "Not Sorry"! 🎧✨

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The Backstory:

Maya credits everything she learned at P.LAB with helping her take her "work tape" of Magnetic Northpole - several short voice memos on her phone - into a full production. 

She took Rag n Bone Man's song "Human" as a very rough reference, which inspired her to use percussion from Damage, a synth bass and some other synths. Then she added extra drums, a gritty electric guitar, risers and BGVs. 

Before P.LAB, Maya says that it wouldn't have occurred to her to use ad libs, ear candy or transitions at all, nor to layer percussion and drums over each other. 

She says that another big thing she learned from P.LAB was to keep adding new elements to keep her production interesting - or to take elements away again, and she did this in the bridge. 

Last but not least, Maya used vocal effects and a mastering plugin recommended by Kris, and says it was an easy and fast way to make everything sound better. 

“I'm kinda proud of my first "dark pop" production and so grateful to be able to take this song to this level, though I still have loads more to learn!” Maya says.

Well, we LOVE this and we know that you will too! 

So let’s have a listen to the before and after transformation of “Magnetic Northpole” by Maya Steinmann! 🥳

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The Backstory:

Today's beautiful and sweet transformation is the song Lexie by Angela Soffe, a custom song that Angela wrote for a child, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!!🌟

Angela is a skilled singer and songwriter, but says that production was never in her wheelhouse until she joined P.LAB. 

“ I have P.LAB to thank entirely for the production of this song! Thank you PLAB and Kris!” Angela said.

As part of her process for Lexie, Angela structured the song visually in her DAW and, bit by bit, brought in what she was hearing in her head for the track. 

She says that it's been so exciting to hear her song come to life this way, and we’ve been loving watching her production getting better and better all the time! 🎧

Angela’s daughter sang on Lexie too, and really enjoyed watching the production process too!

We know that you will absolutely love this! Congratulations, Angela, for being this week’s Transformation Tuesday winner and for creating such a gorgeous song! 🥳

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The Backstory:

Today we’re diving into the track transformation of "I Slay The Day" by Jacalyn DesJarlais. This is the winner of our recent Track Transformation Before and After Contest ! 🎉🏆

The submissions to the Track Transformation Before and After Contest were incredible, but Jacalyn’s song had that slight edge because of the nuance in her production that really took her song to another level.

So let’s talk about how Jacalyn created “I Slay The Day”...

She started out with a demo version of "I Slay The Day" that featured horn loops and vocal effects that were fine, but didn’t quite hit the mark for her vision. Then came a pivotal moment when Kris gave her some feedback during a listening session. Kris’s advice was a game-changer: she recommended hiring a real musician for the horns, adding distortion to the vocals to energize the track, and bringing in a guitarist to lay down some killer licks.

Jacalyn took this feedback to heart, and the results speak for themselves. With the addition of real horns, fresh vocal effects, and a professional mix and master, "I Slay The Day" transformed into an electrifying, dynamic track that fulfills Jacalyn original vision and also went on to win the Track Transformation Before and After Contest. 🏆 

Without further ado, let’s dive into the award-winning transformation of "I Slay The Day". See if you can hear the details we’re talking about in the transformation!

Congratulations, Jacalyn, on this outstanding track transformation! 🥳

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The Backstory:

Today, we’re thrilled to feature the song “Say It Now” by the incredibly talented John Uhlig! This track is so amazing that it made our shortlist for the recent Track Transformation Before and After Contest! 🎉

John's journey with "Say It Now" began with the original version created in Garageband a few months before he signed up for "From Voice Memo 2 Demo" in June 2022. As John continued to create more demos, learn from the All Access Pass content, and gain experience from vocal session work and toplining, he noticed significant improvements in his vocal abilities, tuning skills, and his expertise in Logic. This led to much higher quality productions and mixes!

Feeling confident and inspired, John decided to re-record “Say It Now” and give it a complete facelift. The “after” or “current” version of "Say It Now" is a testament to John's dedication and growth, and we can’t wait for you to hear it!

Without further ado, let’s dive into the fantastic transformation of "Say It Now"!

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The Backstory:

Today, we’re excited to highlight the fantastic work of Eddie Lehwald with his song "The Beautiful Game". This track is so awesome it made it to the shortlist of our recent Track Transformation Before and After Contest! 🎉

Eddie's transformation journey began when he offered his production skills to his songwriting group, and found himself committing to transform the demo of "The Beautiful Game" into a full production for his friend Dan. 

Dan had started work on the song already, but then recorded guitar and vocals, then Eddie took it from there. He flexed all his vocal production, music production and arranging skills, and transformed the demo into a polished and lively song.

"The Beautiful Game" was inspired by a Michael Jordan documentary so Eddie's creative vision included incorporating "sporty" elements to match the documentary theme. He used pump-up stick drums at the beginning and an organ in the chorus as nods to classic sports tropes, adding a distinctive and energetic vibe to the track.

The result is outstanding!! 👏 So let's listen to the transformation of "The Beautiful Game"!

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The Backstory:

We’re so excited to share the heartfelt work of Angela Soffe with her song "Jenna", and this song is so amazing it was shortlisted at our recent Track Transformation Before and After Contest! 🎉

Angela's creative journey on this song was a special one, as it was crafted as a custom order for a girl named Jenna McCoy, who was graduating from high school. 🎓

Angela received information about Jenna’s amazing achievements and qualities from her parents, and having known Jenna since she was little, it was a joy for Angela to create this personalized song because writing about people and their unique stories is what truly lights her up!

The sonic direction provided by Jenna’s parents presented an interesting challenge, as they referenced both a pop country song and a children's choir. Angela masterfully blended these styles, including a bridge featuring her own daughter to add an innocent, childlike vibe. The result is a beautiful and touching song that Jenna’s parents absolutely loved, and they gifted it to Jenna with much joy!

I think it’s time we have a listen to the heartwarming transformation of "Jenna"!

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The Backstory:

 
We’re excited to feature the amazing work of Jacqueline Daniels with her song "People In The Park", which made it to the shortlist of our recent Track Transformation Before and After Contest! 🎉

Jacqueline's creative journey began with the idea of producing this song in a 50s style big band arrangement, perfectly fitting the story of a local park from its establishment during Queen Elizabeth II's early reign to the present day. 🎺🎷

To capture the essence of the 50s, Jacqueline listened to classic tracks from that era, like "You Belong to Me" by Jo Stafford, to guide her instrumentation and arrangement choices. She started with brush style drums and brass in the intro and first verse, adding strings in the first chorus and harmonies in the second chorus. To keep things interesting, Jacqueline introduced a drum fill in the last verse and included clock chimes to match the lyrics.

For the poignant line "The passing of the queen," Jacqueline replaced the brass and strings with a piano, bringing the brass and strings back for the final chord to create a beautiful, nostalgic feel. She also adjusted the vocals by reducing the higher frequencies for a retro 50s vibe.

It’s fabulous! Without further ado, let's dive into the captivating transformation of "People In The Park"!

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The Backstory:

 
Today, we’re stoked to feature Eugene Ruff-Wagner and his song "Toothpaste In My Suitcase", which made it to the shortlist of our recent Track Transformation Before And After Contest! 🏆

This song began with a collaborative effort on the song's title and lyrics, and the decision that it should have a swing feel. 🎶

Eugene felt a ukulele would be the perfect choice to suit the vibe of the song, he chose the chords and then he added more vocals and additional instruments, meticulously editing the tracks to achieve the desired sound.

"Toothpaste In My Suitcase" is full of character and such a fun song… so let’s have a listen to this delightful transformation!

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The Backstory:

Today, we’re featuring the song “I Choose You” by Annette Summersett, a beautiful love ballad that was custom-written for a bride-to-be to gift to her fiancé!

Annette started by approaching the songwriting process like a true Nashville songwriter, armed with an acoustic guitar and a solid country song structure. With a few reference tracks from the bride, she created a work tape demo using her iPhone’s voice memo app.

From there, Annette took the song to the next level, producing it with a pop-country flair. She layered acoustic guitars, used Logic drummer, added bass, and sprinkled in some light synths. (Though she wished she had a pedal steel guitar!) Her goal was to craft a love ballad that builds in emotion, and she achieved this by layering background vocals and mixing the track to perfection.

The final step was mixing the song with care to ensure the perfect build and balance. 😊

Are you excited to hear the transformation of “I Choose You”?!

Let’s listen…!

Congratulations, Annette, on this heartfelt and beautiful transformation! 🥳

Stay tuned for more amazing Transformation Tuesday tracks coming your way!!

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