Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary D. Edwards.
Gary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Creating music has always been in my blood. Even as a six-year-old, I would create melodies in my head, beatboxing, or take random objects and use them as drums. Fast-forwarding to high school, I used to download instrumentals from Soundclick and write lyrics to them, but I couldn’t afford any recording equipment, so the best I could do was to record from the microphone that was built into the top of the computer monitor. I knew after graduating high school in 2003, I was going to either do something in music or computers, while also trying to continue my football playing career. I had initially chosen computers and attended North Carolina A&T State University. After the fall semester of my junior year, I’d come to the conclusion that I didn’t like majoring in computer science anymore, so I took a year and a half off.
During that time, I thought I wanted to pursue a singing career and it just so happened that the next season of American Idol was holding auditions in my area (Fantasia won for that season). My nerves were so shot that I forgot the lyrics to the song I wanted to sing, my voice cracked, it was just a horrible experience and a brutal wake-up call that a singing career wasn’t the right path. I still knew I wanted to be involved in music and also songwriting, so I started to look into music production. While I was still taking time away from school, I was working at a liquor store and one of my co-workers who knew I was making beats, told me about a music program being held only 20 mins away from me. That’s when I made the leap back into school for audio engineering. As I was getting closer to finishing my Associate’s Degree in the program, I started to look into recording studio internships in Atlanta. After the first interview, I didn’t want to keep driving back and forth for each new studio interview, so once my degree came in the mail, I packed everything up and moved to Atlanta in 2009. I didn’t have a set plan at all but my next internship interview would be with Icon Studios and luckily within the first two weeks of moving down, they hired me and I worked there for a year and a half.
Since then, I’ve bounced around from a variety of recording studios and on October 18th, 2018, I created Beats By G to host my collection of beats for leasing. Also, from this past November, I’ve finally decided to start layering the foundation for my own recording studio. At this moment, I’m renting studio space in Norcross and I’m solely bringing in new and regular clients I’ve worked with at previous studios. My goal is to eventually find my own space, be able to provide internship opportunities for up and coming engineers and it would be called Creative Vibez Studios.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been challenges. When I moved down, there were a lot of things my music program wasn’t able to teach me at the time and it didn’t take long for me to be “thrown in the fire!”. It’s extremely important to know the basics of “signal flow” in recording, being highly proficient in Pro Tools and recording at a fast pace, how to work a room and create a vibe with the client and to troubleshoot through any equipment/software issues. When working with different artists, you’ll be exposed to a wide range of attitudes, so your patience will definitely be tested at times. Time is money, so I take pride in displaying the importance of being prepared for any client that chooses to spend their hard-earned money for my services.
In addition, while operating a recording studio along with being a music producer, it will turn you into a jack of all trades. Having separate files for invoices, recording studio and music software expenses, and each client’s session files is a must. All the while still finding the time to create the music, so it’s all about finding the right balance. I also have OCD, so being organized is very important to me.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
Beats By G provides music production, recording and mixing services. I specialize in music production but I’m more known for recording and mixing. I have worked with artists such as Bobby V, Mase, Sonny Digital, Jacob Latimore, DJ Scream, Cashout, F.L.Y. and even earned credits for Bobby V’s, ‘From Dusk Til Dawn’ album. I’m proud to have my company cater to the up and coming artists. Every new artist deserves a fair shot and to be able to help that artist reach their goals will always be a win for me. I think what sets my company apart from others is that I’m more than just pressing the record button and letting you, do you. I treat each session as a producer role as well, so I’m always going to give my opinion on what I would think would be a great addition to your song or something that could be taken away. I also have experience recording in other languages such as, Spanish, Vietnamese and Punjabi.
Pricing:
- A recording session is $45/hr with a 2 hr minimum.
- Beat licensing options start at $25 for a Basic License (MP3).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getbeatsbyg.com
- Phone: (828) 290-2878
- Email: info.beatsbyg33@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/beats_by_g
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