Meet Ben Pisano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Pisano.

Ben, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began recording, mixing, and producing in mid-2014, more out of necessity than anything else! I was still in high school at that point and was hoping to release an EP by the end of the year. I was a bit frustrated with how much money I’d have to spend to end up with a finished product in my hands, as well as how long and arduous the traditional recording process could be.

As such, armed with nothing more than a laptop, an SM57, and a barebones audio interface, I decided to learn the craft myself. Over the next two years, I made it clear to my friends that engineering was something I cared a great deal about, and dove headfirst into a flurry of releases, culminating in credits on two more EPs, six singles, and four full-lengths by the end of 2016.

While a more sluggish process than expected, it was around then that I realized that audio engineering was something that I wanted to make a living off if I could help it. But I also felt that I had to hone my skills further, and ideally upgrade to a space more presentable than a sterile basement with little more than a piano bench and fold-out table to function as my mixing desk. Gear remained elusive and expensive but was always something I slowly chiseled away at. As such, I remained rather casual about working with others but sought out opportunities when I felt the itch. My initiative led to credits on 30 releases as of now, with more on the way!

Now, in the tail end of August 2019, I finally feel as if it’s time. I have a space that I’m proud of, and unique gear that does what I need it to. I am confident in my ability to record, produce, mix, and master, and am confident in my skills as a multi-instrumentalist session player. I feel as if I’m on the offense now, and my doors are more open than they’ve ever been. I’m so excited and grateful to work with people who to trust me with something so close to them.

Has it been a smooth road?
Above all else, the biggest (and most continuous) challenge is that of self-doubt. You absolutely have to believe in yourself to some degree, especially in the world of freelance. You also have to strive to improve and find ways to challenge yourself, and riding that line between critically decimating and constructively analyzing your own work can be a challenge in and of itself.

Secondly, I have always struggled a bit with prioritizing gear and the like. I always want my thoughts to immediately materialize as results, but spending money on something and then having to set it up, learn it, and incorporate it into your workflow can sometimes feel like a diversion or waste of time to me, even though it very much isn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if I stumble upon some plugin or piece of gear in the next few weeks that I’ve overlooked before, but actually makes things easier and simpler for me in the end!

Thirdly, making this a financially successful venture is absolutely terrifying, and I think it’s important to acknowledge and grapple with that. I don’t know where I’m going to be in so much as two years, and that fear/anxiety can be absolutely crippling at times, to the point where it negatively impacts my work. I’m trying to confront the negative thoughts and actively challenge them by doing more (and better) work. If I’m staying afloat, there’s a direct correlation with those thoughts being kept at bay, and that way everyone’s happy.

Tell us more about your work.
I record, produce, mix, and master here at the Astuary! I also typically end up contributing instrumentally a bit as well. I tend to enjoy mixing the most, but really love to record and produce as well. Mastering is a bit more elusive to me, but I feel I offer a mellower, warmer alternative to the typical “just make it loud” approach that a lot of other engineers adopt at my level.

I have a lot of experience working one-on-one with musicians, and working through all of the above to craft a much fuller song around an acoustic demo. That being said, I’m adamant about not adding anything more than is necessary, and always serving the song first. Since my background as a musician and songwriter is similar (wanting to craft full songs around my acoustic sketches), I feel I end up speaking the same language as a lot of songwriters, and that makes it easier to work together and really actualize concepts.

From a production standpoint, I’m not afraid to use cheap or unconventional pieces of gear to achieve a certain sound, and love getting weird/experimental with plugins and sound manipulation. For me, producing is all about realizing the artist’s vision, as well as the ultimate perception of the song. As such, I’ll do whatever it takes to get a song to sound as it should feel. Maybe a song that is perceived as a solo piano/vocal piece actually has three buried guitar tracks and a synth run through a cassette player because it better achieves the desired mood. Still, we “trick” the listener into thinking there’s much less going on.

Mixing-wise, I think there absolutely has to be a balance between clear/tight and warm/organic. I avoid sounding overly artificial or sterile but also don’t want to sound lo-fi or muddy. Mixes from engineers like Nigel Godrich and Zach Hanson are huge influences on me, but I also love some of the poppier, cleaner work of people like Rich Costey. That being said, depending on the song and the person I’m working with, I’m happy to push a bit further in different directions. I also firmly believe that the mix starts with the recording and production, which is why I love having a hand in all three!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that the recording industry has (and will continue) to become more and more accessible. Gear has only gotten cheaper, and DAWs/apps like GarageBand are so easy to learn and work in that it actively incentivizes ditching the traditional $100 an hour studio format. Additionally, with everything moving in the direction of automation (check out mastering options like Landr), apps are only going to get better at doing a lot of the work for you. You hardly need to “mix” anything made in GarageBand, as it actually tends to sound pretty great right out of the gate.

This is terrifying in a business sense, while simultaneously heartwarming on a personal level because it means that more people are going to be able to express themselves and explore an artistic side of themselves that they may not have otherwise.

Pricing:

• I average about $200 as a flat rate for full instrumental production, recording, and mixing of a song.
• I mix for about $50 per song.
• I master for about $15 a song.

Contact Info:

• Website: corsicanamusic.com
• Phone: (720) 409-8069
• Email: ben.n.pisano@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/corsicanamusic
• Facebook: facebook.com/corsicanamusic
• Twitter: twitter.com/corsicanamusic

Image Credit:
Robert Castro
Jordan Altergott
Anna Bernard
Amanda Piela

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