Kristen from Newport Beach California, does her first recording ever at Nashville Trax!
Posted: August 31, 2020 Filed under: Client News, Now Tracking Leave a comment
Mother Kim (left) and Kristen at Nashville Trax
August 29th, 2020 was a big day for Kristen, her first time recording on pro equipment!
And that happened right here at Nashville Trax!
“It went very well, Kristen displayed great tone and range,” said producer Bill Watson as the the session unfolded. “She also has great personality, and to top it off, she dances and has awesome stage presence right in the vocal booth,” he chuckled. “With a little direction, focus and work she’ll be the whole package that’s required to build a career on.”
And Kristin’s mother Kim later e-mailed:
” Wow Bill!
What an amazing day we had with you !!
Kristin was so nervous coming in and came out so excited with the experience!!!
Until next time…😊 God Bless !! -Kim
If you would like to do a similar session- a couple of cover tunes for a few hours as a test before diving into a larger original song project- or maybe you’re ready to dive in on recording a full album? Contact us (text is best) as to your interest at 615-319-8616 or e-mail nashtrax@bellsouth.net.
Welcome! To The Nashville Music Production Blog!
Posted: June 21, 2019 Filed under: Studio Services | Tags: Bill Watson, christian demo recording studios in nashville, music producer, nashville trax, play it again demos, session quality Nashville musicians, song demo 1 Comment
Do you need a music producer?
Someone to take the helm and guide you through the process of producing your music?
You’re definitely at the right place!
Welcome to the Nashville Songwriter’s Blog sponsored by the song demo service, Play It Again Demos and the recording studio, Nashville Trax.
Nashville Trax is our physical recording studio , Play It Again Demos is our online demo service. Bill Watson produces our music here and he is well qualified to be your music producer! We offer high profile Nashville session musicians such as four time, currently reigning CMA Musician of the Year, Jenee Fleenor and 14 time winner of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Guitarist of the Year Award, Brent Mason, to play on your music projects.
We can help you with recording your demo, your album, your EP or your single, starting from scratch.
We can add specific instruments to your already-started project or produce your demos, singles and albums.
Interested? Text or call us: 615-319-8616 or e-mail us at nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Here are some MP# samples of our work. We produce Country, Christian, Blues, Americana, Bluegrass, Pop, Rock… you name it.
If you haven’t had much success with your music in the past using other studios and producers, hop on board and hold on. Things are about to change!
We have been in business producing demos, master recordings and instrument tracks for songwriters and producers since 1991.
This blog contains numerous posts about songwriting technique,. music theory, artists seeking songs, song publishers seeking songs and more!
Text or call us: 615-319-8616 or e-mail us at nashtrax@bellsouth.net or at piademos@bellsouth.net to inquire about:
- Having a demo, master quality single or album produced
- Adding instrument tracks played by Nashville session musicians to your self-produced project.
- Live stage performance tracks made of a cover song or original
Here are indie and major label song pitch opportunities
Not computer savvy? No time? No connections? You’d rather focus on song writing than on song promo? Here’s how we can promote your song for you. What a great time to be a songwriter!
Play It Again Demos is a service for songwriters who need high quality demos made of their work using Nashville session quality musicians and singers.
Nashville Trax is a project recording studio for singers and songwriters who live in the area, those who wish to come to the Nashville area from other locations to record Or we can also work with you remotely without you ever having to leave your hometown. we have successfully worked remotely with songwriters and singers from every state in the U.S. and countries such as Norway, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Czechoslovakia and more.
. Nashville may be known for country and bluegrass but these guys can play anything.
This blog is about songwriting, producing, recording and life. If we think it will help you out in some way, we post it. It’s free of charge and access is unrestricted, stop by anytime. Subscribe if you like, that’s free too.
Enjoy!
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project?
E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Text or phone:
615-319-8616
The Greatest Gift Wins NCMAI Gospel Album of the Year, Produced at Nashville Trax
Posted: April 3, 2019 Filed under: Client News, Music Industry News Leave a comment
3-3-23 Update: It’s been a few years but The Greatest Gift is back in recording mode and sent Nashville Trax Producer, Bill Watson, the first two songs to start a new album.
Gospel music trio, The Greatest Gift. won the Gospel Album of the Year at the North American Country Music Association International 2019 competition on March 19th, with Bill Watson of Nashville Trax, who produced their “Closer than Ever” album music and sound tracks.
“We give all of the glory to God for giving us our talents and opportunities to praise Him,” they proclaimed.
Watson, who traveled from Nashville to Pigeon Forge, TN to witness the fruits of his labor, was impressed, “It made sense for the Greatest Gift projects to work remotely,” he explained. “Wayne e-mailed me piano/vocal roughs, I created the charts and arrangements, cut the music tracks, then they added their vocals and mixed on their end with me overseeing the final product.”
“After producing several albums,” Watson continued, “not only did we finally meet for the first time, I got to see them perform as well, utilizing some of the tracks we cut in Nashville. It was a kick!”
The Greatest Gift landed several other awards as well:
New Gospel Adult Vocal Group of the Year
Gospel Video of the Year
Wayne Patterson:
New Gospel Songwriter of the year for “Walk with Me”
New Gospel Male Adult Vocalist of the year
Most Promising New Gospel Male Adult Entertainer
Mike Biasin:
Traditional Gospel Adult Instrumentalist of the Year
Krys Smith:
Traditional Gospel Female Adult Vocalist Horizon Award
Traditional Gospel Female Adult Entertainer Horizon Award
Vocals and mixing for their album were done by Bob Catalano of Bobcat Studios.
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project? E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Music Production Client, Sean Morton Cashes $4,900 + Royalty Check, “Thank you Nashville Trax!”
Posted: December 8, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Home Music Production, Songwriting and Career Promotion, Songwriting Tips, Testimonials, Tracks Online | Tags: how to obtain radio airplay, Royalty Check, royalty cheque, song msrketing Leave a comment
Our music producer, Bill Watson, has been cutting tracks for various clients to add to their already-started projects for many years now. Most order repeatedly..
Sean Morton is one of those clients who hails from Canada, Nashville Trax has been supplying specific tracks for his projects for about two years now.
We have added drums, bass guitar, fiddle, guitar and more to his projects, whatever he thinks it needs, or he’ll send our producer, Bill Watson, a stereo mix and ask for Watson’s input on what might be beneficial.
When Sean started mentioning that he was receiving royalty checks for these projects, enough to fund additional track work on multiple songs, we became curious, thinking it might benefit our other clients and potential clients to know how he achieved this.
Sean gladly and unselfishly obliged.
We didn’t ask for it, we really just wanted to know the facts of how he went from recording at home to getting substantial airplay, but we received a bonus, it reads like a testimonial of our work:
“When I finished my EP (using a blend of my own work and tracks by the world class Nashville Trax musicians) I published it through CD baby which enabled me to get it onto all professional download and streaming services. The last step I took was to release it to country radio in Canada through DBDS service.
They picked it up and started playing it on satellite. That picture is the very first royalty cheque I received and I have received even more cheques since then.”
Songwriter Sean Morton. He can now preview the word “songwriter” with “Successful!”
Sean continues, “Utilizing Nashville Trax and getting the privilege of having some of the greatest studio players in the world play on my material ( I’m a country player “hack” up in Northern Alberta ) they inspired me to start writing again and more. They gave me the gift of recording and writing professional sounding music that was only made possible by having a cadre of professional artists readily accessible at a reasonable cost.
They gave me the confidence to risk pushing and exposing my music to the world because of the level to which they elevated things.
Even if I didn’t get those royalty cheques, Nashville Trax was worth the investment into myself. They allowed me to achieve a goal that was always on my bucket list for life. Release some quality sounding songs that I could be proud of.
I look forward to continue making great music together with Nashville Trax!”- Sean Morton, Northern Alberta, Canada
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project? E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Nashville Trax’ A Team Heads to Las Vegas to open Producer’s Choice Awards with The Swansons
Posted: November 8, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Music Industry News | Tags: Las Vegas NV, Nashville Trax A Team, Producer's Choice Awards 2018, The Swansons Leave a commentThe four core musicians comprising the Nashville Trax A Team will perform live at the prestigious Producer’s Choice Awards in Las Vegas on November 7th, 2018. They will open the show with five Swanson’s originals from the duo’s first country album, Country This, they played on.
Update! Pics from the show:
L to Rt: Jenee Fleenor of NBC’s The Voice & Blake Shelton’s Band, fiddle; Bandleader and Nashville Trax Producer, Bill Watson, on bass guitar; Joe and Angie Finley of The Swansons; Jim Riley of Rascal Flatts; 12 xs Academy of Country Music’s Guitar Player of the Year, Brent Mason. Opening the Hollywood Fame/Producer’s Choice Awards Show at Hard Rock Live on the Vegas strip 11-7-18
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project? E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Nashville Trax Produced Jingle Airing to Millions Daily!
Posted: October 31, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Music Industry News, Nashville Session Musicians, Testimonials Leave a commentTune in to the nationally syndicated Ellen K Show on KOST 103.5, Los Angeles, CA to hear The Swansons’ jingle opener for Rllen’s Thought of the Day segment. It was produced here at Nashville Trax and will play every morning moving forward until it wears out.
“I finished getting Jenee’s tracks on the project about 2 p.m. on Sept. 25th,” explains producer, Bill Watson.
“I wanted The Swansons songwriter, Joe, to hear how well it turned out. They had already supplied me with their vocal tracks so I did a quick mix, applied a little mastering, and Dropboxed it,” Watson continues, “As luck would have it Joe and Angie were still in a meeting at the radio station when they downloaded. The Program Director flipped over it and scheduled it daily starting the next morning, on the 26th.”
Jenee Fleenor of Blake Shelton’s band, a regular on NBC’s, The Voice, and fiddlist on several Billboard #1 country hits, figuring out her part on “Thought of the Day”.
“No way would I have thought the tracks we were cutting Tuesday would be heard on radio by millions of people within less than 24 hours, it’s crazy. God is good.”
“Thought of the Day”
Written by Joe Finley of The Swansons
Vocals: Joe and Angie of The Swansons
Fiddle and mando: Jenee Fleenor (NBC’s The Voice/Blake Shelton’s band)
Guitars: 12 xs ACM’s Guitar Player of the Year, Brent Mason
Drums and percussion: Rascal Flatts drummer, Jim Riley
Bass Guitar: Nashville Trax producer, Bill Watson
Produced, engineered and mixed by Bill Watson, Nashville Trax
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project? E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Professional Mastering That’s Affordable
Posted: October 29, 2018 Filed under: Studio Services | Tags: Affordable music mastering, Mastering Affordable Leave a commentMastering, the step in the recording process during which the stereo mix file is processed to increase the dynamic range as well as even out the frequencies to create a more professional “radio ready” sound, is necessary to prepare a mix for commercial release, these days many demo mixes are enhanced with mastering.
Other things can occur in this stage such as bringing out more vocal or adding effects such as reverb to the entire mix.
But it can be costly- up to $5,000- to have a ten or twelve song CD custom mastered.
But how about a price as low as $75 per song? Yeah, you can afford that!
Welcome to:
Affordable Music Mastering by Nashville Trax.
No, it won’t be a custom job slaved over for hours BUT it WILL be 90% as good!
At this price you can try one and see for yourself!
Independent songwriters and artists price:
$75 per song for one or two songs.
$70 per for three or more.
Send your best stereo mix(es) to nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Send payment to nashtrax@bellsouth.net via PayPal.com
mp3 files can be mastered here. but for higher quality we can master .wav files
16/44.1 or higher.
Most projects turned around within 24 to 72 hours.
Additional details available at the above link.
Still have questions after checking out the link?
Text 615-319-8616 or e-mail us at nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Top Nashville Music Producers
Posted: October 18, 2018 Filed under: Studio Services | Tags: Nashville Music Producer Leave a commentIf you’re searching for a list of top Nashville producers to record and produce your album project you should consider Bill Watson of Nashville Trax. For your an independent country, bluegrass, blues, folk or rock project, he is almost surely the right fit.
His experience encompasses decades and his numerous repeat clients testify to his skills. Don’t miss the testimonials.
For his credits, visit this site as well as this very blog
You can contact Mr. Watson via text: 615-319-8616 or e-mail: nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Songwriter Kerry McFate (left) and producer Bill Watson (right) take a break from mixing songs for Kerry’s Clarence Lowden album.
“Bill, From the moment we met at the studio to begin the project, all my concerns were put to ease. Your notes and charts before hand made 3 similar sounding acoustic songs become unique, each in their own way. All my musician friends that I have been playing these songs with here in New York are impressed. I E-mailed the songs to them, check out their comments:
“Really nice man, I’m proud of you! Wonder Wheel is my favorite. Decent equipment and good musicians make a huge difference. Overall, two thumbs up from me dude!” (this is the guy who found the Nashville Trax blog and recommended that I record at your studio).
“Wow Kerry! The songs sound amazing! Good job man, they sound killer. Now that your ears have been sullied by the lofty heights of pro musicians it’s time to get back down into the mud”- Ian
Thank you everyone worked on the Clarence Lowden project!” Kerry McFate , NY, New York
Affordable Mastering
Posted: August 23, 2018 Filed under: Studio Services | Tags: Affordable music mastering Leave a commentOnce your recording is mixed there is one additional step available that virtually all recordings intended for a CD release or radio airplay receive. That step is known as “mastering”. Mastering demos is also a recent trend.
What is it?
The stereo mix file is processed to increase the dynamic range as well as even out the frequencies to create a more professional “radio ready” sound. Other things can occur in this stage such as bringing out more vocal or adding effects such as reverb to the entire mix.
While the original purpose of mastering was to prepare a mix for commercial release, these days many demo mixes are enhanced with mastering.
But at $250 to $500 per song the major studios charge for custom mastering it can be costly to have a ten or twelve song CD mastered.
But how about a price as low as $55 per song?
Welcome to:
Affordable Music Mastering by Nashville Trax
Independent songwriters and artists price:
$75 per song for one or two songs.
$55 for three or more.
Send your best stereo mix(es) to nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Send payment to nashtrax@bellsouth.net via PayPal.com
mp3 files can be mastered here. but for higher quality we can master .wav files 16/44.1 or higher.
Most projects turned around within 24 to 72 hours.
Additional details available at the above link.
How To Make Your Self-Produced Album Sound A Lot More Professional
Posted: August 17, 2018 Filed under: Studio Services, Uncategorized | Tags: help making CD, help prodicg album Leave a comment
The four CDs above were released this year and Nashville Trax helped make them happen. Yet the we helped was different for each project.
Planning your next album? Interfacing with Nashville Trax can help make it more professional than any music you’ve created before.
Here are four different ways artists chose to work with us to achieve a better result than they could muster on their own:
The upper left CD by The Greatest Gift was an eight song album, one of many we’ve done for this Christian, three-piece vocal group. The group’s songwriter sent us his rough originals recorded with just piano and vocal.
We charted his songs and cut all new music tracks. The group then added their vocals to those tracks in a local studio near them in the New England area and mixed the project there.
As we’ve worked with them on several CD projects, they’ve gone from playing on Sunday’s at their local church to appearing on television, winning awards and scoring hits on the Gospel charts.
Lower Left: The Swansons first album: We cut all the music tracks using our Nashville Trax A Team. Based in the Los Angeles area, the Swansons came to Nashville and cut their vocals here at Nashville Trax then we mixed here in Nashville using three different mix and mastering studios, including here at Nashville Trax.
Country This has garnered considerable radio airplay in the United States and birthed two charting singles. We are now (1-31-23) about half way through producing their 3rd followup album. In between we produced their “Bam” and “Amazing Love” albums.
Upper Right: Rootstock was an album project we added individual instrument tracks as needed, steel on several songs, fiddle on a few songs, etc. providing musical muscle.
Lower Right: This group is based in Norway. We cut every instrument track, they added their vocals at a studio in Norway, sent them back to us where we mixed and mastered. This Christian group reports that CD sales are going extremely well with many hundreds sold the first few days, nearly recouping their investment within hours of release.
In each case the group or artist mentioned above possessed a high degree of talent, but no one is an expert at everything. We were able to provide top notch equipment, world class musicians, professional engineering and guidance in a symbiotic fashion, to make their projects superior to what they could have accomplished alone.
We can help you too! e-mail nashtrax@bellsouth.net with a description of your project, what you wish to achieve and how you believe we might help out. Or text/call producer Bill Watson at 615-319-8616.
Cost to Hire A Nashville Music Producer, Nashville Session Musicians and Recording Studio Rates
Posted: July 4, 2018 Filed under: Studio Services | Tags: Recording Studio Rates Nashville Leave a commentHow much does it cost to record your music with a Nashville Music Producer/Studio?
To have a project produced you’ll pay for some or all of the following:
- Studio Time: $75 to $150 per hour (this may or may not include the engineer and producer frees)
- Studio Session Musicians: $50 to $300 per song (the lower end usually covers one part by an experienced session musician but who does not necessarily qualify as a “name” player, guitar by a “name’ player encompassing several parts (acoustic, electric, etc.) may land at the higher end of that scale.
- Studio Session Singers: $100 to $450 per song, most sing their own harmony or bgvs (background vocals) included.
- Backup vocals only start at $75 per song.
- An Audio Engineer: $50 to $150 per hour
- Music Producer: Set fee per project, negotiable according to number of songs and scope of work.
- Our studio, Nashville Trax, does follow these rates, mostly toward the lower end, as affordable as we can make it for you, and engineer/producer fees are included:Nashville TraxThese Recording studio rates in Nashville reflect prices that are are current as we write this.
Figures are ballpark and may not be accurate for every studio or musician, but most do fall within the listed parameters..
Nashville Trax Engineer Mixing
Nashville Area Record Your Songs, Boat, Tour Travel Package!
Posted: May 17, 2018 Filed under: Music Industry News, Nashville Session Musicians, Studio Services Leave a commentNEW! Nashville Trax, and Play it Again Demos is now offering this exciting package deal this summer, starting May 1st through October 30th!
- Have your songs recorded professional or record your vocals professionally
- Meet your music producer and one or more of the Nashville Trax A Team session musicians… watch them play on your project! Get pics and autographs!
- After sessions enjoy a relaxing boat ride or rides on one or both of the two large Nashville area lakes Old Hickory Lake and/or Percy Priest Lake)! Choose pontoon, wake, fish and ski all beautiful, new, high power boats, Water toys such as tubes, skis, Lilly pad, Big Mable) included!
- Enjoy a tour of the area’s most significant sites: Broadway where bands play almost 24/7 year ’round! See Music Row where the real music biz happens! Experience the world famous Opryland Hotel! More!
- Options are available with or without a rental vehicle and hotel.
If you’ve never been to the greater Nashville area and want to experience a slice of what it’s all about, this is the way to do it! Everything from finding a great hotel to locating the iconic Nashville area sights is handled for you!
Interested? e-mail nashtrax@bellsouth.net NOW for your package quote!
A Songwriting & Recording Blog 