Recording costs are high, no doubt. The risks can be higher, though…especially when album sales are low, and there is no guarantee of breaking even. So it’s no wonder that artists are looking toward alternative options like self-recording. But what happens when you’re working on your album at home, and you realize you need a professional? Jay Levin, co-owner of Turtle Studios, knows all about this situation. He could probably spout a slew of unique circumstances and projects that reflect his enthusiasm for collaborating with independent artists. One example is Culture Industry, the debut album from Philadelphia Slick. I heard from the Slick crew about the album’s progress once it hit Turtle Studios, and I knew then that I had to catch up with Jay.
How does Turtle accommodate independent artists?
Any way we can, basically. Our bottom line is for each artist to end up with the best record they can possibly make right now. We understand that for some artists, there’s a lot they can do in a home studio to achieve that goal; we respect that. At the same time, the best artists respect what a professional engineer can bring to the table, that working with a pro studio can elevate their sound above the home-studio fray. So for artists that want to make their home studio part of the process, we help them do it smarter. We get to know them and their music, their skills, what kind of stuff they have, what they feel confident doing. Based on that, we make a detailed plan that includes every part of the project, whether it’s going to happen at their house or here or wherever.
How has that changed your recording approach?
Well, anything an independent artist can’t reasonably do at home, we want to be unusually good at that. So we have staff engineers who are unusually gifted with microphones, who get great sounds really quickly, and we have really great-sounding rooms and instruments. At the mix stage, you don’t want someone who just knows how to twiddle knobs until it sounds okay, you want a real engineer who can hear and understand everything that’s going on, who can fix problems and avoid problems. Ironically, a visiting major-label producer is looking for the same things that an indie producer with home studio needs.
What about collaborations outside the studio?
Lots, but moreso with organizations than individuals. We helped launch Thrilladelphia a few years ago, and the Philadelphia Songwriters Project a few years before that. We’re working on launching a Philly Jazz group right now, we worked with Plain Parade on their CD compilation. We’ll support any organization that’s committed to the Philly music scene and promoting it effectively.
How have you seen independent arts in Philly change since you’ve began at Turtle?
I think artists have gotten less naive and a little more savvy. The business side, promoting yourself, it used to be viewed as a necessary evil, and now I think it’s viewed as more of a challenging chore. It’s only a shade of difference, but I think the younger emerging artists are less jaded as a result, because they never believed they could avoid the business stuff.
What do you see in the future for Turtle Studios?
I don’t know, more of the same? We are so unsatisfied, always hungry to do better, to work with more of the best musicians, to do more great projects and ambitious projects. And we have some other plans we’re working on, projects to help independent artists support themselves better. Ask me again in six months.
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