DNA PRODUCTIONS/ THE LAB INTERVIEW

1. Introduce yourself.

My name is Dave Whitelaw

2. How long have you been working in music?
My first job in the studio as a musician was in 1987. In 1990 I attended Recording Institute of Detroit and received my certification in audio engineering & music production. In 1992 I worked as a intern at The Disk located in East Detroit for 1 year. Afterward I worked at The Disk as an engineer for 2 years. I also worked multiple engineering jobs at Thunder Audio starting as a setup technician then to a monitor engineer and finally to a front of the house engineer. From there I began working as a freelance engineer at different recording studios until I was able to have my own studio.

3. What's the name of your studio and how long have you been running it?
The name of my studio is DNA Productions. I have been running it since 2005.

4. What artist have you worked with throughout your career?
I have worked in the studio with Lexi; Tisha Campbell; Vicki Winans; Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin; Shawn Harding; Deitrick Haddon; Lowell Pye; and Pam & Dodie. I have played for and toured with George Clinton; Aretha Franklin; Kirk Franklin; John P. Kee; Fred Hammond; The Clark Sisters; Deitrick Haddon; & Chris Jones just to name a few.

4a. What type of music can you record at your studio?
DNA records all styles of music but we specialize in live bands.

5. What programs do you work out of for recording purposes?
Pro-Tools; Logic Audio; Reasons; Studio One; Q-Base; Nuendos; T-Racks; Wavelab; Sound Forge and various plug-ins

5a. What programs do you see as the future?
One of the newer upcoming programs that I see is the Presonus Studio One which is a very powerful digital audio workstation.

6. Being that you are a black entrepreneur in the music game; what are some of the roadblocks that you have encountered?
The main roadblock was getting up the money to get everything needed to start DNA starting from cables to headphones to mixers and microphones. It definitely was not an easy task but I am a witness that when you put God first in everything you do; stay in his will and listen to ONLY his voice; everything else will fall into place.

7. What are your goals in life?
To be able to help people who would normally not get an opportunity to make their dreams come true in the music industry. I am also working to make DNA Productions a success so that my children can take over once they are adults.

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see DNA Productions as a record label company being able to release projects on a international scale.

9. What advice would you give to up and coming artists and engineers trying to break into this music game?
First and foremost; keep God first in ALL that you do; listen to his voice and his voice only!! I know I mentioned this in one of my other answers but I cannot stress this enough because if I had not followed this then there would not be a DNA Productions! Stay focused and never give up on your faith and your dreams. NEVER stop believing in YOU; no matter how rough it may look or what people are saying. The bible says that faith without works is dead so not only do you have to hold strong to your faith but you must put some action behind your faith. Make sure you do your homework and learn all you can about the business and the industry. The music business is 95% business & 5% music so I admonish people to take time to educate themselves.