After graduation I moved to California with nothing but a dream that sounded ridiculous to everyone but me. My employer offered me an unused office, and in 2005 The OC Recording Company opened its doors — minimal gear, few contacts, and an engineer who was still learning on the job. My first client was a rapper from Boston who had just moved to Orange County. Together we produced records featuring AZ and Royce da 5’9″, he landed a deal, and word started to spread. Within two years I was booked weeks out, reinvesting every dollar back into the studio.

Every studio you have ever admired started as an empty room with one person who refused to quit.

The People in the Room

A recording session is a collaboration between four core roles, and understanding how they interact will define your career more than any piece of gear.

The Artist needs an environment that brings out their best performance. I have seen a vocalist with no formal training walk into the booth and deliver a take so raw that every person in the control room stopped talking. I have also seen classically trained singers freeze up because the headphone mix was wrong. Your job as an engineer is to create the conditions for greatness — the right monitoring level, zero latency, a comfortable room temperature, and honest feedback when a take is not working.

One tip that took me years to learn: if a singer is pitchy, do not reach for Auto-Tune first. Adjust the headphone volume. If they sing flat, reduce the volume and cut bass frequencies in their mix. If they sing sharp, increase the volume and add more low end. The headphone mix is one of the most powerful performance tools you have, and most engineers ignore it.

The Producer hears the finished record before it exists. The first time a producer told me to scrap an entire day’s work and start the beat over from scratch, I thought he was out of his mind. By the end of the session, the new version was ten times better. A great producer evaluates six things in every take: songwriting, emotion, energy, enunciation, rhythm, and pitch. If you are both the engineer and the producer — which is increasingly common — you need to wear both hats without letting one dominate the other.

The Engineer is the technical backbone. I once watched an experienced engineer fix a mix that three other people had given up on. He did not add a single plugin. He adjusted the gain staging, fixed a phase issue on the bass, and high-passed three tracks that were cluttering the low end. Fifteen minutes. That is the difference between knowing the tools and understanding what they do.

The Songwriter is often the quietest person in the industry and frequently the wealthiest. Some of the biggest names in music are writers you have never heard of. Their words and melodies drive every radio station, streaming playlist, and sync placement. If you contribute to a song’s composition, get a split sheet signed before the session ends. Not after. Not when it blows up. Before anyone leaves the studio. I cannot stress this enough.

How Money Actually Works

This is the part they do not teach in most audio programs. There are two copyrights in every song: the composition (PA) and the sound recording (SR). They generate different revenue streams, they are owned by different people, and confusing them will cost you money.

The composition generates mechanical royalties (paid when the song is reproduced), performance royalties (paid when it is broadcast or performed live), synchronization royalties (paid when it is used in film, TV, or ads), and digital royalties from streaming platforms. These are typically split between the songwriter and the publisher.

The sound recording generates sales revenue and is usually owned by whoever financed the recording — often a label, but increasingly the artist themselves. Producer royalties typically range from 1–5% of the retail or wholesale price.

The engineer is usually paid per project or per hour as work for hire and does not receive royalties. This is safer but less lucrative. Hopefully, one day the engineer royalty will be as common as the artist and producer royalty.

The single most important financial decision you will make in your career is whether to retain your publishing. A major publishing company can offer a tempting advance, but signing over your PA copyright means giving up a perpetual revenue stream for a one-time payment. Think very carefully before doing this.

The Traits That Matter

The traits that separate successful audio professionals from everyone else are not technical — they are personal. Show up early. Finish on time. Keep your word. Protect your client’s confidentiality. Be upfront about costs. Never release work you are not proud of. And above all, maintain your integrity — your reputation is the most valuable thing you own in this business.

Talent gets you in the door. Character keeps you in the room.

This post is adapted from Chapter 1 of In the Studio: Audio Engineering & Music Production Techniques — a 468-page textbook covering the complete recording, mixing, mastering, and business workflow. Coming soon from The Forum Press.

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Wassup y’all! Been a busy but beautiful beginning to 2019. Doing well in my second year of law school and staying steady with Torah study. Made major upgrades at The OC Recording Company and produced fresh sounds with amazing new artists. Excited for what’s to come. Baruch Hashem!

#kirasart #sound #business #musicindustry #ocrecording #recordingstudio #musicianslife #studiolife

A new look and fresh sound for 2019! All wired up and ready to continue crankin’ out classics. Thank you @kirafulks for the beautiful artwork and @esteo.carlo @guitarcenter for the toys. It’s goin’ down for REEL at OC Recording. Tu-be or not tu-be, that is the question. Let’s get it!

#ocrecording #asaffulks #kirasart#recordingstudio #studiolife #recording#mixing #mastering #audioengineering

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12/17/18 #inthestudio with @raygorenofficial makin’ errrry mic sound like a mil! Tremendous talent, be on the lkout!
#raygoren #asaffulks #kirasart #ocrecording

1/20/19 #rayday Ray Goren and Asaf David Fulks in the studio creating classics  Be on the lkout..#raygoren #asaffulks #kirasart #ocrecording Yakira Shimoni Fulks Art

2/12/18 #inthestudio with the talented Ray Goren, Drew Ryn and Asaf David Fulks cookin’ up a classic at #ocrecording  Also got a chance to catch up with our graduate Rand Studios who handles filming for their tour! Good times, great people and timeless music  Be on the lout! #raygoren #drewryn #asaffulks #kirasart #studiolife

 #newmusicalert  Proud to be a part of the legendary Ray Goren single NEW BEGINNING  #nowplaying at all major digital music outlets  Co-produced and engineered by Asaf Fulks at The OC Recording Company  Special guest feature by Kira Shimoni Fulks  More classics droppin’ sn

#newmusic #raygoren #asaffulks #ocrecording #kirasart

Original Yakira Shimoni Fulks Art created for Ray Goren‘s #newsingleNightmares  Music co-produced and engineered by Asaf Fulks at The OC Recording Company  #np at #spotify 

#kirasart #yakirashimonifulks #nightmares #raygoren #asaffulks #ocrecording

Check Check Check! Just in case you missed it–the amazing singer/songwriter Ray Goren performance on the new TV show #Songland. OH LORD was co-produced and engineered by Asaf FulksThe OC Recording Company 

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The Stars are shinin’ bright  #inthestudio with Habib Qaderi Aryana Sayeed Asaf David Fulks Yakira Shimoni Fulks Art  Recording uni-verses for a major #afghan national anthem project  Be on the lkout 

#ocrecording #habibqaderi #asaffulks #kirasart #oc #afghanmusic#studiolife

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#ocrecording #asaffulks #vertexmedia #visiting #redcamera #kirasart #art

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#drums #drummer #kirasart

Words are the language of the mind. Music is the language of the soul.

Recording soulful expressions with Melissa Sweet and company at #ocrecording  Best Recording Studio in Orange County, California!

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The homie RaverRapper aka Corrupted Mind’s debut solo album is almost a wrap  Been a mind altering trip engineering it with Asaf Fulks at #ocrecording  Follow for the latest and be on the lkout! Yakira Shimoni Fulks Art  Orange County Hip Hop Recording Studio and Audio Engineering. Recording, Mixing and Mastering engineer Asaf Fulks

#ocmusic #studiolife #hiphop #corruptedmind #kirasart

#Hustle doesn’t mean just doing the things you like, but doing the things you don’t enjoy so you can do the things you love.

Paid my dues to do what I love. Many thanks for all the #love this week fam  Y’all keep me goin’ strong  Shabbat Shalom  Have wonderful weekend 

#audioengineer #recordingstudio #ocrecording #asaffulks

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