rzdz@fluke.UUCP (Rick Chinn) (09/24/84)
ark @ rabbit asked for more info about Windham Hill Records. This article
appeared in Recording Engineer/Producer. I don't have their address here at
the voltmeter factory, but it's in Hollywood (Ca). If someone wants it and
can't get it, email me and I will post.
Rick Chinn
John Fluke Mfg. Co MS 232E
PO Box C9090 Everett WA 98206
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(206) 356-5232
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Reprinted without permission from Recording Engineer/Producer
This article originally appeared in the August 1984 issue
WINDHAM HILL RECORDS
A Specialist Label that places a Specific Emphasis on Musical
Performances and Recording Quality.
by
Denis Degher
Occasionally, one embarks upon a dream-like sojourn where the
expectations of the dreamer meld with the finely knit fabric of reality. As
the dream unfolds from the ether, the dreamer awakens to find that the dream
state has been transformed into reality -- so the dreamer seizes the vision
in an attempt to capture the essence of the concept and integrate it with
the pragmatism of daily life. The dreamer is Will Ackerman; the dream,
Windham Hill Records.
While attending Stanford University during the late Sixties and early
Seventies, Ackerman began experimenting with finger-picking open tunings on
the steel-stringed guitar, and in 1975, he was cajoled by friends to record
and release an album. "The project was almost scrapped," Ackerman recalls,
"because I didn't have enough money for the minimum amount of pressings. But
a friend lent me the balance, and Windham Hill Records was born."
The Palo Alto based label originally was formed by Will and Anne
Ackerman Robinson as a grass roots company without the distribution or
marketing operation normally associated with a "conventional" record label.
As a result, they instituted what can only be referred to as an
"alternative" marketing strategy. "It was less a matter of brilliant
marketing than just trying to get the records to our audience," Will
Ackerman recalls. "Our early audience was into alternate life styles, so we
began marketing our records in health food stores, book stores, and eclectic
record stores in college towns."
The first offerings were acoustic guitar albums recorded live without
the aid of overdubs, a trend that continues with the addition of acoustic
pianists to the label. Although it is still an instrumental-based label,
Windham Hill offers a wide variety of music, ranging from acoustic to
electronic.
The Ackerman's approach to their label is somewhat unusual, in that
both the artists and employees are considered part of an extended family;
Will Ackerman signs the kind of artists that he likes to the label, while
Anne, as financial and personnel manager, does the same for the company's
infrastructure.
And it seems to be a formula that has brought a great deal of Windham
Hill artists. For example, artist George Winston's solo piano album,
"December", has now attained Gold status; many of the label's other artists
have also enjoyed significant sales success. What is even more surprising is
that many catalog albums, such as Ackerman's "Search for the Turtle's Navel",
which was released in 1976 is still selling close to 1000 albums a week.
The alternative marketing approach seems to have paid off handsomely
for Windham Hill -- its loyal cadre of fans are known to purchase new
releases simply on the strength of the label's name and reputation for
quality performances. Ackerman is attempting to parlay this loyalty by what
he refers to as "cross marketing."
"Anything that is important to me will be marketed under the Windham Hill
name," he says. "We have an intelligent and discerning audience, and feel
that many will be interested in other Windham Hill products. We are about to
release our first book on Windham Hill Press; we are marketing small amounts
of California wine under the Windham Hill name; and we have the Windham Hill
Inn in Vermont." To Ackerman, Windham Hill is synonymous with his various
loves in life.
QUALITY PRODUCTIONS
As Windham Hill's founder and first artist, Ackerman's duties keep him
constantly moving from recording sessions to concerts to executive board
meetings. It came as quite a relief when the chief executive officer crossed
paths with up and coming producer-engineer Steven Miller. Since that first
meeting, Miller has become the label's chief engineer, producer, quality
control expert, and vice president.
Following his arrival at the label, Miller has attempted to bring
Windham Hill's recordings into a more "popular" realm. The label is
considered by some as an audiophile company, because of its use of premium
vinyl, and former use of half-speed mastering. The indefatigable Miller
scoffs at this purist notion: "There is no way that you can get a pure sound
from just two microphones and going direct to two-track. I've always laughed
at the audiophile or direct-to-disk approach, because much of it sounds
terrible. But I think it's fine that the press thinks we record this way,
because it means that I have done my job."
A catchword that keeps re-appearing in conversations with Miller is:
"Vision." The vision is usually conjured up during pre-production and
Miller will go to almost any length to capture it during the recording
session.
"I'll use whatever is necessary to create the illusion and get the
magic on record, as long as it doesn't impinge on the artist's creativity,"
the producer states. "I *don't* want a perfect sounding record that has had
all the life taken from it in the search for technical perfection."
A recording artist himself, it is perhaps not surprising that Miller
identifies heavily with an artist, and that his sensitivity permeates his
production philosophy. "I had to learn engineering to enable myself to
accomplish my vision," he says of his holistic approach to production. He
prefers to be a jack-of-all-trades, a direct contradiction to the "theory
of specialization" that seems so predominant in today's recording industry.
This attitude is reflected by Miller's unwillingness to work solely as an
engineer, and function merely as a technician. "I'm a producer that
engineers," he says, "because it is easier to do it myself than explain to
someone else what I'm looking for."
Miller works very hard, he says, to avoid the stale recordings found on
so many of today's releases. An example of staying "closer to the initial
inspiration" can be found on Mark Isham's "Vapor Drawings" album. although
the album has extensive overdubbing and layering, spontaneity was at a
premium, since all of Isham's instruments remained miked and assigned
throughout the session, enabling the musician to move from instrument to
instrument in search for the desired sound or emotion. Miller preferred to
stay close to the spirit of the original demo that Isham had recorded,
because the creative process is more direct and attuned to the original
vision.
DIGITAL RECORDINGS
Staying closer to the vision of an artist's rendition is accomplished
on some Windham Hill releases through the use of the label's modified Sony
PCM-1600 digital two-track processor, an example of which is a new Michael
Hedges album. Although the album was recorded live at the Windham Hill Inn,
Vermont, according to Miller it was still a fairly complex session, and
utilized many studio-style techniques.
"The listening audience has become very sophisticated, and is not
satisfied with dull, boring sounding recordings," he offers. "I'll take a
solo guitar or piano and try to make it sound like it's 50 feet tall, or
coming from the clouds."
On the Hedges album Miller achieved such effects by combining stereo
miking techniques with several direct sources. As can be seen from the
accompanying diagram (note from rzdz: sorry, you'll have to get the magazine
to see the diagrams), Hedges' acoustic guitar was miked with a pair of
Neumann U87s and received a mono and stereo pickup; a stereo chorus helped
fatten out the stereo pickup sound.
Signals were run from the Inn to the Fedco Audio Labs' remote truck
parked outside in the grounds, where Miller mixed the session direct to
digital two-track.
Miller, who uses no limiting or compression, and just small touches of
equalization when recording acoustic sources is not adverse to adding
digital or plate reverb to achieve the degree of required space or ambience
on a recording. He employs very little ambience miking in his live
recording, since the delay times provided in a typical recording venue are
not enough for the type of sound he's seeking.
Both Ackerman and Miller are highly committed to digital technology,
evidenced by the label's recent ordering of one of the new Sony PCM-3102
DASH-format digital two-track, which should be available around the end of
the year.
"I don't deny for a minute that digital has its own coloration,"
Ackerman concedes, "But I don't have a problem with it. Every mike, every
amplifier and every ear has its own coloration and distortion. The question
is: Do you like it or not?"
Miller's feeling about digital are equally strong: "There is no
question to me that digital sounds better than analog on first generation.
For the type of music I'm recording, with its wide dynamics, digital is
*the* way to go. For pop and rock recordings, analog and digital are not
that much different."
Although the label prefers to record digitally, analog is still used
when the situation demands it. An example of this was a gathering of 10
Windham Hill artists for the "An Evening with Windham Hill Live" album,
recorded live to 16-track two-inch at the Berklee Performance Center in
Boston. This recent concert album represents a good example of how the label
use the Windham Hill "umbrella" to market its artists; by having 10 artists
on one album, the label can expose many different artists to one audience.
Recalling the Windham Hill Live sessions, Miller says the quality of
the mix was outstanding. "The multitrack tapes were quieter than any studio
tapes I had ever worked on," he recalls, "plus the fact that the isolation
between the instruments was great, despite the fact that the musicians were
quite close to each other. The quietness of the tape was due mainly to the
fact that I used 16-track heads, and Bill Straus (Fedco crew chief) really
tweeked the (MCI JH114) machines to perfection; and when you are running
tape continuously with two machines, it's important to have them sounding
identical."
"In terms of tape noise, it is hypercritical to get the optimum from
both the machine and the tape. To fully capture the dynamics of Windham Hill
artists without limiting or compression, the majority of the music is
[recorded] between -20 and -15 on the meters, so we can catch the peaks
without distortion. Down there, you can *really* appreciate the difference
between 16- and 24-track; as a result, I use only Scotch 250 tape."
"The isolation of instruments, despite their closeness on stage and the
high monitor volume -- at least for acoustic music -- is due mainly to the
design of the hall. The music projected out into the hall, without sending a
bunch of reflections back to the stage. And on some instruments [violin, and
saxophone] I used ribbon mikes, which are "tighter [offer better off-axis
rejection] than any condenser I would have used."
The "Windham Hill Sound" has been variously described as acoustic
instrumental folk music, classical-jazz, and laid-back Hippy music. While
these descriptions have some basis in reality, the Windham Hill sound is
much harder to pinpoint, and can be defined more as an ethos or a life style
than a musical style, and is further enhanced by the label's creative
album-cover designs.
The once grass root company has been so successful that it now has
opened offices on the A&M Records lot in Los Angeles, a move that was
preceded by a recently inked distribution pact between the two companies.
(Windham Hill's product is now distributed with the rest of A&M's inventory
through the massive RCA distribution network.)
With the strength of a major label behind it, Windham Hill is rapidly
moving to the forefront of technology. With 10 releases currently available
on Compact Disc, the label is reported to have a higher percentage of CD
releases, in its admittedly small inventory than any other label. Miller's
recent appointment to the quality control board of the New York-based
Compact Disc Group -- a recently established trade organization that hopes
to increase the public and professional interest in CD technology -- should
ensure an active rather than passive role in the future of the Compact Disc.
"I have a vested interest in the future of the CD," Miller states.
"Eight albums that I have produced are available on Compact Disc, and I want
these and all CD releases to live up to the full potential of the medium."
"The manufacturers have a great responsibility in making the changeover
from vinyl albums to Compact Disc," adds Will Ackerman, "and we must take
care to ensure that the final product is as good as it can be."
With such emphasis on care and perfection, it can come as little
surprise that the label's future is strong. Windham Hill is introducing two
new labels to enable the organization to expand its musical horizons. One
label will specialize in mainstream jazz, and the other -- on vocal
recordings.
"I've opened up the doors to a wider definition," Ackerman explains.
"it could be anything from Cyndi Lauper to whatever, as long as it's
*good*."
The little label that started as a dream is now a reality, with all the
accoutrements of a major label, and the Windham Hill sound has reached a
segment of the record-buying public that until now has not been recognized.
But the question remains: "How many other musical styles and tastes go
unanswered by the major labels in their search for the "Mega Artist"? How
many other potential Gold and Platinum status artists wait in the wings
while the majors try to clone "the next big thing?" The answers will be
found in the tape libraries of other small and independent labels that are
willing to walk the tightrope over the abyss to greatness or oblivion.
Windham Hill is one such organization that took the chance.
kek@mgweed.UUCP (Kit Kimes) (10/16/84)
[] I want to thank everyone for pointers to the Windham Hill Records. I had an opportunity to pick up the "Sampler '84" record this weekend and I really enjoy the various cuts that are presented on it. I hope they are representative of the type of music on the other records. The quality of the records are indeed first rate, especially considering the price (list was $9.95, I paid $8.95). Another thing I like is their low keyed approach to discourage pirate taping of their music. I quote: "Recently there has been a great deal of controversy regarding the widespread practice of home taping of phonograph records. Without reciting the pros and cons, or entering the debate in any way, I would like to point out the following. Windham Hill is a community of artists who depend upon the income from the sale of their records and concert appearances for their livelihood. I ask only that everyone weigh the possible economic impact on Windham Hill and the artists represented by the label in the taping of our records. This record label, though wishing to be profitable and thereby viable, was not born of greed, but rather to produce music of the highest quality. In all respects we count on you people to support our efforts, and for your help we are all sincerely grateful. William Ackerman" They have a card enclosed that can be sent in to add your name to their mailing list. This keeps you informed of not only of all new records but also when the Windham Hill artists will be performing in concert in your area. It isn't clear that you have to buy a record or not to be added to the list. If anyone wants to write, their address is: Windham Hill Records P.O. Box 9388 Stanford, Ca. 94305-0265 Hope this helps... Kit Kimes AT&T Consumer Products Montgomery Works Montgomery, Il. 60538-0305 ..!ihnp4!mgweed!kek