GarageBand upgrades to Sounds Labs

All amateur singers have the same humble beginnings, but not the same opportunities. Like millions of other singers, I can credit my humble beginnings to Apple’s GarageBand. From the time I was eleven up until now, GarageBand has served as somewhat of a “starter kit,” a personal studio for me to record in the privacy of my own bedroom.

With GarageBand catalyzing my passion for singing, I began vocal lessons at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in West Hollywood when I was twelve. My vocal abilities have been nurtured by my vocal team of Michael “Miles” Lanvitch and Brian Mieher for the past four years, through weekly lessons. Mieher and Lanvitch never fail to stretch my abilities, push my voice a bit farther than I thought it could go, and cultivate my personal singing style and really mold it into my own.

My experiences at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute have been nothing but positive, especially in the sense that my team has pushed me into a deeper understanding of my art. “I think that we’ve succeeded into really tapping into your potential,” Lanvitch told recently told me. “Your vocal range has expanded and I think that your progress from twelve years old until now has been amazing to watch.”

Many other amatuer singers have enhanced their singing talents over the years. According to the official X Factor Website, over a 150,000 people auditioned for the final season of X Factor in 2013. Victoria McCaffery, a contestant who auditioned for the X Factor, attends the Lee Strasberg school, and she told me that the competitive nature of the contest made this one one of the most nervewrecking experiences of her entire life.

“It was fulfilling to see how much I had improved over the years, but unfortunately I only made it to the third round of auditions not making the live shows,” McCaffery said. She also said that competition among the artists was fierce.  “Every contestant trying out has their own sound and are determined to win the show,” McCaffery said. “Each artist works hard to pursue their dreams and will do anything to make that happen.”

However, not all singers like McCaffery and myself wish to expand their opportunities. Alyssa Peralta, an ambitious singer I met at a vocal lesson, said that she would never record a song in an actual studio. “That would be too difficult and interfere with my regular schoolwork,” she said. “I enjoy singing as a hobby it is not something I’d like to pursue in the future.”

But with my team’s confidence in my abilities, I had decided to invest more time, effort and money into singing. Last month, I made the decision with Lanvitch and Mieher to record in a private recording studio rather than Lee Strasberg’s public studio. Lee Strasberg’s public studio is just that — public, and therefore open to all students. The recording studio at Lee Strasberg suits the amateur artist just fine, but I’ve sat on the same wooden stool to sing into the same microphone with worn out headphones more times than I could ever count.

Recording isn’t just singing into a microphone and playing it back, it’s a grueling process that can take hours upon hours for a single song, if that. And having to share the space with a multitude of other students can be annoying as best and unworkable at worst. So with the support of Lanvitch  and Mieher, and a little bit of help from Yelp, I had researched a few private recording studios in my area.

Lanvitch and Mieher had personally recommended Kingsize Soundlabs in Los Angeles, thinking that it would be a good fit for a first time experience with hands-on producers. Upcoming giants on the music scene were listed on their site, from FKA Twigs to Bassnectar, and just the idea of working in a studio that they came up with hit songs in was the stuff of any musician’s dreams. So I scheduled six hours to work in Kingsize Soundlabs for the following month with sound engineer named Eva Reistad.

The factor of money is by far the biggest roadblock for amateur singers. Having the opportunity to work with experienced professionals doesn’t come cheap. Formal vocal training is notoriously expensive, especially when compared to athletic hobbies. Many parents are hesitant to invest so much money into a hobby that their children could easily disregard as another swimming lesson or track season. The tuition for the One Year Conservatory Program at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute is about $16,500, whereas a year of any given athletic program is a fraction of that cost.

Peralta also said money has been a factor for pursuing her singing. “I definitely think that I would’ve pursued singing if it weren’t for the price that comes with it,” Peralta said. “Singing is definitely a passion of mine, but there’s no way that I’d be able to swing that much money for something that isn’t really a necessity. I love it and I wish there was more I could do, but with college coming up, I can’t make my parents pay that much money for it.”

So why exactly are vocal lessons so notoriously expensive? In fact, the price tag seems to be the main attraction when it comes to lessons in performing arts such as theater or dancing. “Vocal lessons are expensive because music is so subjective, most of all singing,” Mieher said. “Dozens of different techniques are available, which makes finding a student’s exact niche to be challenging and time consuming. So teachers want to invest their time and expertise into people that are worth it.”

Just going into Kingsize Soundlabs was nerve-wracking, but at the same time the most gratifying experience that I’ve ever had. In fact, I brought along my close friend Prenny Zadoorian to try and ease my nerves a bit. On Nov. 11, I walked into the Kingsize Soundlabs with uncontrollable nerves and high expectations.

We were greeted by Eva Reistad, and Zadoorian was welcome to observe while I was instructed to warm up. I tried to go through the motions of a usual warm up but my nerves were definitely palpable, with Reistad encouraging me to loosen up and Zadoorian smiling at me with her most sincere confidence.

After half an hour of warm ups, I was less wrapped up in the fear of bombing this session and disappointment and more focused on the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a song, whether I was in a public or private studio. I had decided to do a cover of “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson to test the waters, and Reistad smiled with approval for the classic song.

However, Reistad’s approval hadn’t lasted very long. I was interrupted between verses to “try that again, instead with…” and to use techniques that my vocal coaches at Lee Strasberg had barely grazed upon.

Many artists are rewarded with the incredible opportunity of recording  music in an actual studio.  Full-time Strasberg student Hannah Koch remembers her first experience at the studio. “I remember the first time I stepped into the studio, it was one of the most surreal moments in my entire life,” Koch said. “Being able to actually live your dream is an amazing feeling. You feel like you’re on top of the world. The pride you feel when you start recording is unimaginable. You reminisce on all your hard work and how you got here today.”

My recording session felt the same way. The entire session totaled to be six hours, and as tedious as parts of it were, I learned during every minute of it. I walked out with digital files of my recording and a smile that seemed to be permanently plastered on my face.