Michael P. McCready

Michael McCready graduated from the University of Richmond in three years with a B.A. cum laude in political science and history. He attended the T.C. Williams School of Law where he was inducted into several academic and leadership societies. A member of the Law Review and Moot Court Boards, he represented the law school in several national negotiation competitions. After graduation, Mr. McCready clerked for the Hon. Richard B. Kellam, United States District Judge in Norfolk, Virginia. He is a member of The Recording Academy, the American Bar Association’s Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He has been admitted to practice in many state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Mr. McCready’s experience in the entertainment field goes back to 1984. He has been a disc jockey, band manager, booking agent, and concert promoter. He represents clients in all areas of the entertainment industry, including music, radio, television, stage, and book publishing. His music law practice includes representing bands, record labels, production companies, recording studios, promoters, and music publishers. His work includes copyrights, analyzing and drafting contracts, trademarks, publishing, and litigation. Michael P McCready Home Page Contact Michael P McCready

Blog Posts

Author Insights

From the Studio

Too Much Reverb

Less experienced recording engineers and music producers tend to use too much reverb and to use it inappropriately. Using reverb in the wrong way can create very muddy mixes with vocals that lack punch. You have several options to help you avoid these issues.

From the Studio

Info About Reverb

You can find out about reverb here: Reverb – Reverb, Delay and Echo – Reverb (Definition)

From the Studio

Patch Bays Multiply Your Cables!

Be aware, at a minimum, for each socket you connect via your patch bay, you will use 2 cables, where it is the default connection. You will use 3 cables if you change it from a default to make a different connection.

From the Studio

Patch Bays Save your Sockets

Before I used patch bays at home, the sockets of more than one expensive item of gear were damaged. It’s an issue that no longer happens.

From the Studio

The Three Instruments

Working musicians carry three different relationships with instruments. Mostly, we never separate them out. There are the ones you play – where you’ve played an instrument long enough that we don’t need to think of technique. There are the ones you can fake – where retakes and the forgiveness of a DAW let you get a passable part down that holds up in a mix. Live, you’d be exposed inside eight bars. Lastly, are the ones you understand well enough to write for – instruments you might never play, but you understand them, the register breaks, the voicings a player would actually choose. That last category is often underrated.

Songwriter's Notebook

On Writing Chord Progressions

I find the circle of fifths useful, but also chord_files “Progressions” and “Dark Harmony”, for both piano and guitar, are very useful. Both can help take you in quite interesting directions, by opening up your available palate, no matter where you find yourself when you go down an arrangement rabbit hole.