Business Magazine | BABM | Featurestory l Vox Humana by Jay Winchester

Ozona is a sleepy little town nestled close to the water between Palm Harbor and Dunedin. There, hidden within a nondescript business center is a veritable garden of sonic delights - Hurricane Pass Recording Studios, owned and operated by producer, engineer and musician Dan O’Brien. It is a fantastic place for those entrepreneurs and authors looking to record podcasts or books they’ve written. Why? As it turns out, in addition to Dan’s magic behind the engineer’s table, he also serves as an executive audio coach.

For the curious, an executive audio coach focuses on one task: Getting the best possible vocal performance from the client. “The coaching is pretty direct,” O’Brien says. “It is really all about increasing the performer’s awareness of things such as tempo and word tense, and providing them with some direction and guidance. My background as a record producer helps because I’m used to helping lyricists manage the economy of words to achieve the greatest impact. Getting too wordy can make for a complicated and hard to follow recording. Plus, I can add effects and sounds that help broaden the appeal and quality of the recording product. In the end, it is really all about finding that person’s unique ‘voice’ and then finessing it electronically and through coaching to achieve the greatest impact.”

Much of what he does involves putting people at ease because, let’s face it, the average business owner probably has not spent too much time in a studio in front of a microphone. However, the social media rage pushes entrepreneurs and others to provide new and fresh content for potential customers. Audio products make great content for social media strategies. However, they do have their pitfalls and working with a seasoned pro like O’Brien helps avoid these. “Recording is a very honest medium,” he explains. “There is no hiding. Those who master it learn early on that the key is being yourself when you are in front of the microphone. My job is to make sure you sound as professional and as natural as possible. It is all about being your best.”

Aiding O’Brien in that task of bringing out the best in clients is a stunning array of hi-tech recording equipment with names recognized by the most serious of audiophiles: Yamaha Motif, O2R96, TC 6000,(LucasFilm and Massenberg Algorithms) , Manley, Hafler, Mesa Boogie, JBL, Neuman M149 tube, and Sennheiser. O’Brien’s bevy of guitars, Joel Rosenblatt's studio drum kit, and a plethora of piano, strings and movie grade sound effects sample libraries, provide vast musical enhancements. O’Brien, a smooth jazz musician (Berklee College of Music) with rock and blues roots is no slouch musically as his guitar virtuosity reveals. The studio represents not only a sizeable investment in equipment, but also a sizeable commitment to quality and vibe. “This is comparable to what professional photographers and filmmakers go through,” O’Brien says. “To get the quality that my clients deserve requires putting time and effort into acquiring the right equipment (arguably the best vocal booth and mic you'll find anywhere) and putting it into the right environment. Both the equipment and the technology, applied correctly, allow the performer the freedom to record a section as many times as it takes, to get it right. You are no longer limited to one take and the pressure to get it right the first time disappears. Thus you can record it as many times as needed to get the desired recording. Modern recording equipment, technology and editing techniques relieve that pressure, thus, allows a relaxed and creative atmosphere.

His approach works. Hurricane’s clients include Al Dimeola, Gumbi Ortiz and Rachel Z, current keyboardist for Peter Gabriel. The roster of professionals he can call on for sessions work include Jim Keltner, Joe Rosenblatt, Dave Weckl, Scott Ambush, Eric Marienthal, Patrick Bettison, Barry Miles, Jeff Lorber, Brandon Fields, plus local talent such as Dave and Ron Reinhardt, Mark Halisky, and Dick Rivers.

It’s been a great landing for the man who started out as an art student in California in 1969. In fact, that might have been his career path if his roommate hadn’t been a guitar-playing blues master. Soon, Dan caught the bug and was working on his technique and style, practicing until his fingers bled (why is it that pianists or horn players never practice until body parts bleed?). After transferring to a northern school, he was offered a trio gig playing at a pizza joint for $20 a night and all the beer and pizza he could consume. "What a concept", he thought. Somewhere inside him began to grow the notion that playing for a living was a real possibility.

Retuning to the LA music scene in 1970, Dan began to put this notion to the test. Soon, he was earning money playing music full-time, and his band toured early on with Ike and Tina Turner’s revue, followed by years of touring, clubs and studio work. In the early 90’s, Dan’s career took a new turn, as he moved behind the engineering desk and became more of a producer and engineer. He got the chance to be mentored by Roger Nichols, an eight-time Grammy Award winning engineer, working with the likes of Steely Dan and John Denver. Now O’Brien worked behind the scenes, becoming more involved in shaping the music he was hearing from other artists. In 2006, the duo just missed the "best engineering album" nomination from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS, aka the Grammy Awards) by a few votes. This was a real affirmation from his peers: “I had then realized I had become a darn good engineer under Roger's tutelage.”

“As a producer, my role is one of presenting options,” he says. “I work with the artist on arrangements, choosing the right key and tempo for the song to be played in and helping the artist make other important decisions that ultimately define his or her sound. As an engineer, it’s about applying the technology to enhance that sound. Again, it’s all about doing what is best for the individual song and the individual artist in order to get the best performance possible. This requires me to subvert my own ego, and to coach the individual into giving it his all.”

His love for music has recently led him down two more paths, one new and the other old but familiar. The new path involves his development of a software program called Sideman-Charts, www.sideman-charts.com. With Sideman-Charts, musicians of all skill levels can sync up their sheet music, chord charts and even lyric sheets to their mp3 background tracks. All it takes is the software and a relatively inexpensive netbook or PC running Windows 7, Vista or XP. “We previewed it at this year’s National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show, and have been encouraged by the very warm reception the program has received,” says O’Brien.

The old, familiar path has Dan playing in public again. He and musical partner Dick Rivers have an ongoing Monday night gig at the Hyatt's Oystercatchers, a Courtney Campbell- Bayport drive landmark. It’s got him feeling good about getting this particular groove back. “Music and recording have been life-long experiences,” he says, “and I love them both!”

So if you are looking to invest your time and money in recording your books, producing superior podcasts, or recording your favorite song, remember to call Dan O’Brien, Executive Audio Coach. Make the sound investment.