Matt Forger. Michael C. Ross. Eddie Kramer. Elliot Scheiner. Joe Chiccarelli. Each one is a huge star in the world of recording. Scott G points out that you probably own albums with their names listed in the credits as engineer, producer, or mixer. Studio Expresso is what they all have in common.

They have worked with Christina Aguilera, Lisa Loeb, Isley Brothers, Herbie Hancock, and the Dixie Chicks (Ross); Beck, Elton John, U2, Tori Amos, and the Kronos Quartet (Chiccarelli); Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Yuming, and Eddie Van Halen (Forger); Hendrix, Kiss, Stones, Zep, Bowie, Buddy Guy, and John Williams (Kramer); Faith Hill, Steely Dan, Sting, B.B. King, and Aerosmith (Scheiner).

One thing they have in common is that they interact with giants in the music business. Another thing they have in common is Claris Sayadian-Dodge and her company called StudioExpresso (www.studioexpresso.com).

Studio What?
StudioExpresso can be your online connection to major recording studios and the professionals who shape the sounds of songs heard on commercial radio, college radio, satellite radio, film/TV soundtracks, and anywhere a tune can be played, broadcast, or streamed.

By using StudioExpresso, you can get near-instant data on the availability of producers in the studio community. Funded by a group of private investors, StudioExpresso was first launched in 2000 as a search engine for studio time. “Listening to users, we developed it as a tool for new artists and labels to find and connect to a trusted community with a valuable network and resources,” says Dodge. “When needed, we also help them with contracts and budgets,” she adds.

For the growing “by-invitation-only” community, it’s a great source to find new clients and promote their services through its monthly e-zine that reaches 20,000 worldwide. “Epxresso10 on the home page introduces new releases from our community each month,” Dodge notes. StudioExpresso services are free to users because of advertisers eager to reach the choice community.

Are You on This List?
Who uses StudioExpresso? Artists, producers, engineers, record companies, managers, and production co-coordinators. All you do is visit the site and register online, which takes perhaps thirty seconds. “We try to make it easy and very user-friendly,” states Dodge. “We wanted to make some of these professionals more accessible to labels and artists, both indie and major, who need trustworthy sources for artist development and production.”

More Names to Know
In addition to Forger, Ross, Kramer, Scheiner, and Chiccarelli, there are 90 more sonic wizards on the StudioExpresso web site, including Chris Fogel (Seal, Alanis Morissette), Ken Allardyce (Goo Goo Dolls), Rafa Sardina (Alejandro Sanz), Raphael Saadiq (Angie Stone and D’Angelo), Rogers Masson (Marilyn Manson, Teraplane), Greg Ladanyi (Don Henley, Jaguares), Arthur Baker (Paul Oakenfold, Ash), Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode), Tim Palmer (U2, Ben Harper), Shaft (Lil Kim, Loon), Al Schmitt (Diana Krall, Steely Dan), and the list goes on… Some are probably untouchable for true indie artists. But – surprise – you can actually schedule a session with some of these legendary studio masters.

For example, if Matt Forger likes your songs, he’ll work with you. This past year, he produced and engineered tracks for many new and promising artists, both in bands and in the singer/songwriter community. He also acts as a consultant for the creative recording arts, especially as it relates to the emotional content of the recording. “Remembering that music is a form of emotional communication is important,” Forger says. “Too many people view recording as a technical experience. It is important to understand technology and be able to control it, but it’s the music at center stage. It’s the song people remember, not the recording system.”

True to any purist’s heart, Forger is also recording in a classic format, calling it “reality recording.” This is a live to 2-track recording approach utilizing a single carefully-placed stereo microphone and a high-quality signal path. “The goal is to capture the moment of a great performance and put the listener there in the environment to share the experience,” Forger states.

While working primarily with stars, others at StudioExpresso also make time for indie artists, including Ross, John Wooler (Siedah, Robben Ford, Eraul Malo), and Andre Fischer (Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Rufus, Janet Jackson).

“Claar-eece”
Claris Sayadian-Dodge is the founder and president of StudioExpresso. While some of us find her last name mellifluous, others are thrown by it. No matter, since almost everyone calls her Claris (pronounced “claar-EECE”). After receiving her degree in business, she worked in the Los Angeles music industry since 1986, and has an impressive track record of positions at such firms as Frank Dileo Management, Management III, PMK, Rogers and Cowan Public Relations, Prairie Sun Studios, Ocean Way, and Record One, as well as studio bau:ton and TEC:ton engineering.

In addition to running StudioExpresso, she provides marketing, public relations, and management consulting to the recording industry, relying on the insight gained from more than twenty years of studio management, sales and PR experience.

Through an affiliated company called C Management, she represents a choice group of producers and composers to include: Ken Allardyce (Green Day, Avril Lavigne, Goo Goo Dolls); Chaz Jankel (Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Rachel Papers, I’m Sam, Making Mr Right); Lulo Perez (Alejandro Sanz, Alex Ubago, Ricky Martin); 10-time Grammy winner Rafa Sardina (Luis Miguel, Angie Stone, Stevie Wonder). Her past clients include Dr. Dre, Michael Jackson, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Ringo Starr, to name a few.

Click to Try
Cruise on over to www.studioexpresso.com and browse through recent credits of musicians, engineers and producers. You’ll see how StudioExpresso lives up to their goal of being the artists’ gateway to production services. You just might make the connection you need to take your music to the highest levels of success.

[tags]G-Man, Scott G, Music Critics Must Die, Claris Sayadian-Dodge, Studio Expresso[/tags]