“We record and film the Playing For Change music videos and albums live outside with a mobile recording studio. We’ve been using equipment from Sweetwater for years to bring the sounds of musicians around the world to life.” — Mark Johnson, Founder and Producer of Playing For Change.
Playing for Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music. Playing For Change was born from a shared belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome differences that divide us. The primary focus is to record and film musicians performing in their natural environments and combine their talents and cultural power in innovative videos we call Songs Around the World.
The founder of Playing For Change, Mark Johnson, shared the in-depth process of using a mobile recording studio to produce the most recent new hit album and music video series, Listen to the Music:
“It’s always an adventure to record and film music live outside. The biggest obstacles to making these songs are weather, rain, and dealing with things you could never plan for. Every day, we have to find a new place to record and film somewhere outside. There are external sounds ranging from farm animals to street cars, natural lighting, temperature, and unpredictable storms or extreme heat. That’s what makes this so exciting. As opposed to going to the same studio in Los Angeles every day, our process brings the studio to the world, which we then share with audiences anywhere.
The equipment we can get from Sweetwater has played a big role, giving us the best tools we need to record and film at a high quality no matter what environment we’re in. We’ve recorded and filmed music in over 50 countries from the streets to villages and everywhere the music plays. We care about getting to know the authentic voices of the people and musicians, bringing our mobile recording studio to each of these local places. That’s the sort of sincerity and authenticity that lives inside the songs.
The way we record and film music is based on interacting with and connecting artists around the world. Each of their stories lives within the music. On the most recent Listen to the Music album and series, we’ve been able to take our music recording and film production to a whole new level thanks to instrument and equipment providers like Sweetwater Sound.”