know when to say "no!"

[dr.ona]

o.k...here's the deal.
i'm kinda new to recording/mixing songs. i'm used to doing my own stuff or maybe a quick rough draft of a song for the band i was in but now im working with an artist the im collaborating with and it is taking me weeks to do the editing and mixing and blah blah blah. my question is....when does a person stop over "anal"ysing a song and be happy with it? its getting to the point where i'll spend hours on a single little off timed note or a small noise spike that when its all done and over with...you wouldn't hear it in the mix anyways. at this rate my album will be done in 2023. i guess i subconsciously feel that i need to do this cause im spending lots of money on "new and improved" gear and if it isn't just right...well then...GUILT...or FAILURE. does this happen a lot with "up and coming" engineers/mixers/producers? is this a phase im in?

[black mariah]

I subscribe to the grandmother theory. If my grandmother wouldn't notice it, it doesn't matter. Burn some CD's of what you have and have some friends listen to it. If they think it sounds good, GET IT OUT THE DOOR! It's just music. There's no reason to spend hours tweaking something a few thousandths of a second in either direction.

[toddjal]

i do the same thing to such an extent that i don't have time to write new material. the worst is when you have this great idea for an origional sound and you keep tweeking and putting it off until some big label band does it on their new album before you even got yours out the door.


DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU LIKE IT HAS HAPPENED SO MANY TIMES TO ME!!!!

[signorMars]

deadlines. that's the only way i can finish things, especially my own work. my former band's EP was only finished and released because all of a sudden we had shows scheduled and needed some way to make back at least part of our gas money.

[inverseroom]

Getting good sounds is important--it's part of the art of making music--but I think the song is king, and you have got to move on to the next one. My own method is to do the part over until I get a "magic" take--one where I suddenly think "that's the one!"--and then I move on. Sometimes later I notice "errors," or inconsistencies, or whatever, but I try to chalk it up to the roughness of inspiration. I try to remember all the records I love in which the "mistakes" have become integral parts of the way I experience the song--particularly bands like Guided by Voices, who have a taste for this kind of thing. I generally don't edit much beyond punching in a few missed notes, and usually print effects to tape.

Then again, I don't make hit records.

John.

[bobbydj]

I subscribe to the grandmother theory. If my grandmother wouldn't notice it, it doesn't matter. Burn some CD's of what you have and have some friends listen to it. If they think it sounds good, GET IT OUT THE DOOR! It's just music. There's no reason to spend hours tweaking something a few thousandths of a second in either direction.

Fucking dude. That theory should be a rule!

[YOUR KONG]

I can do this too - I find what helps is having someone expecting this song to be done, or even more effective is if someone is waiting for the NEXT song to be done. Just keep telling yourself that your next song is where you'll learn more - you gotta keep moving!

Oh, even better - make a deal with yourself - you'll get the first song in adequate shape, then record the next one - THEN you'll come back to the first song and fix anything that still jumps out as "wrong."

That way you won't feel like you're leaving it half-finished, but at the same time, you'll gain a week's/month's perspective on the mix - and probably won't spend as much time obsessing over stuff that you (probably quite rightly!) feel aren't as important.

[justinf]

In my experience this "perfectionism" usually comes from insecurities about releasing your music into the world. It's a very personal process that takes music you pour your heart and soul into, and then your audience crunches, commodifies, stereotypes, and sometimes rejects it. This is a very real and legitimate fear.

My only advice is to reach the point where what your doing really a) sounds good to you, and b)doesn't have to be compared to some other music for relevance, etc. That way you know you have something worth doing. The minute tweaking can keep you in your bedroom forever.

And yes, every original idea has a shelf life.

[XXGABEXX]

In my experience this "perfectionism" usually comes from insecurities about releasing your music into the world. It's a very personal process that takes music you pour your heart and soul into, and then your audience crunches, commodifies, stereotypes, and sometimes rejects it. This is a very real and legitimate fear.

I admit it... I hide behind this "perfectionism" too. I've always been in bands where if the song sucks, we could blame everyone. Now I rock the house alone and I have 30-odd songs that may never see the light of day because of these fears and over-scrutinizing.

-GABE

[Brett Siler]

Usually I have my girlfriend listen to it and if she doesn't hear anything wrong with it I usually just go with it. When I first got into recording I recorded my friends band at my house. I was all proud of how it turned out. They got a review in the paper for that album a couple out months later and the bashed the recording quality. I was kinda bummed about it but it also kinda motivated me to get better. If you and the band is happy with the mix thats all that matters.

[justinf]

It took me over ten years of playing in bands and writing songs for a select few to finally get over the hump and do my own thing. It's a real challenge for some, no doubt.

Not to say that everyone needs to be doing their own material by any means, but for me it has been liberating and fulfilling.

[dennis]

When I started out, I was paranoid of how my mixes were going to sound to other engineers and producers. I soon discovered that there is so much subjectivity on mix reviews that all I could do was take my best shot on that mix on that day. I had few songs I did at home in a bedroom, over a 2 year period I had asked people to "review" my mixes and give feedback. Only 2 people said the same thing, the other comments were so varied in what was important that trying to incorporate all of then would be a contradiction. Most people won't know the differences in slight nuances and your skills and tastes will change over time. Ive had mixes I disliked actually sound better with time, become crappy and then good again... What does that tell ya


Peace,
Dennis

[Lavahead]

This can get me really frustrated sometimes.

It's music..the average asshole listening to it is so retarded that the singer could be out of key half the time and he wouldnt even know it (mainstream wise mostly, I guess).

Use the time alotted for the project to get the best sounds possible on to the tape/hard drive. If something is bothering you, fix it when you hear it.

The project isn't going to come to life and blow you when it's done, so don't get too attached to it.

[Jackson Michaels]

I just sort of ask myself "If I was listening to a mixtape while driving on the highway after having about 3 cups of coffee, and then this song came on, would I start dancing all by myself and not be thinking about what it would sound like if it had been recorded 'good' "

if the answer is "no" then there's still work to do, if the answer is "yes" then I move on to the next song.

[dr.ona]

hey thanks for all the input on this subject......i'm a musician at heart not an engineer or mixer. i really like mixing and buying new gear and all that stuff but it takes sooo much time away from my creativity....writing songs. i think my "new" game plan at this point is to get a decent sound, arrangement/mix....get some professional feedback and then probably go to a real studio to get the job done. i'll probably be the "hands on" assistant or something. it's just taking too much time at this point to do everything....

thanks!!

robert