Rising Stars: Meet Robert Frank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Frank.

Hi Robert, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Like many people in my field, I was immersed in music as a child, not just music in general, but music gear, hi-fi, tape recorders, instruments., microphones, you name it. My grandmother and great-grandfather lived down the street from us, they were musicians, and my brother and I would be there constantly just about every day. Their home was full of instruments and audio gear, I loved being surrounded by all of that stuff. My brother, Joe, and I started playing music in our early teens, making punk rock noise, driving everyone crazy, typical teens. Granny bought my first real drum set and my brother’s Marshall stack. Music and music gear certainly occupied our time, it kept us off the streets and it’s where all of our money went.

During those years I was more and more curious about the production aspect of the records I was listening to. I would find myself reading the credits on various albums and realize there are plenty of people behind the scenes that make all of it happen, the unsung heroes of the rock world if you will. I bought my first multi-track recorder when I was about 15, I spent many years with that little 4-track recorder, bought a couple of SM57 mics and I was hooked. I bought my first reel-to-reel machine and mixer when I was 18, that’s when I first started recording bands in my parent’s garage, over 30 years ago. Since then, I kept up with the times, constantly buying and selling gear. Plus, I was self-taught right out of the gate, which is a whole other story in itself.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been plenty of challenges on my journey to where I am now. I usually mention this when asked, there was no internet during those early years. I didn’t have anyone I can ask, I was forced to find stuff out on my own, as far as the science behind sound. At first, I didn’t know why certain drums sounded horrible and others sounded great, came down to the mic’ing technique, even the location of the room changed the sound. I would dive deep into this stuff, really nerd out. My dad was a woodworker and had tons of tools, I found myself building baffles and absorbers, and I went to 3 libraries trying to find a book about proper diffusers.

So many years of trial and error at that time. During the early 1990’s I was introduced to Billy Zoom, the guitarist for X, Billy was a super cool guy and a fountain of knowledge! This is the guy that would finally answer my questions, he was my internet. Billy cleared up so many things for me, he must’ve saved me from a few more years of trial and error! Now, working with younger bands, I’m at the age Billy was when I met him, it has come full circle. These younger dudes have a blast talking to me about “the old days”, the funny thing is, the old days they talk about weren’t that long ago, just as excited as they are to hear about me talking about bands and gigs from the ’80s and ’90s, I loved hearing Billy talk about gigs from the ’60s and ’70s.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Today I run Minor Chord Studio out of our home. We specialize in audio production, engineering, and songwriting, we can take your ideas and make them come to life. We have a unique ability to make our clients very comfortable in our cozy atmosphere, our vocal coaching is something that people really love.

We can provide you with session players and/or singers should your project require it. I feel that our relaxed place puts people at ease and great things come from that. Patience and understanding is also very important to us, there is a lot of positive encouragement here. I’m proud of the fact that clients often reach out to us because they’ve heard our work on previous releases, I guess the work speaks for itself at this point, which is really cool.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think it’s surprising to some clients when they find out about my musical background, and how involved I was with the East L.A. punk scene back in the day. I was very active in the L.A. psychobilly and neo-rockabilly scene, which I still love to this day. Looking back and seeing it from another’s perspective, I can see why it would be interesting.

I try to keep a low profile in the studio around certain clientele but they’re always surprised to find out about my involvement with these genres. Also, here is something not everyone knows, and it’s a little out of the left field. I’m also the ordained minister, and I’ve performed weddings right here at our location! I think I’m up to 13 or 14 at this point!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minor_chord_studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minorchordstudio

Image Credits
Robert Frank and Dude Man Photography