Some Tunes


Thursday, February 4, 2010

Don't Blame the Tools

Well, I can no longer blame the tools. I think I've got all I really need to get some good tracks down. I am still on a steep learning curve though. The last major piece to the puzzle for me was a studio channel tube preamp with compression, parametric EQ and phantom power for my condenser mic. Hell, I never new I needed most of this stuff and am now slowly learning how to use it along with the new software, etc.

My "work" day basically consist of reading/learning, trying some hands on, playing with some new tracks, rerecording and sometimes I forget to get in there and write some too. I'm trying to keep all the balls in the air and not lose any one leg of the songwriter table. Did I mix my metaphors? Gotta work on that too I guess.

I've gotten pretty good at remembering to write down things that come to mind and at least throw them on the idea pile for later, if not right away. For the first time in my writing career, I feel like I have a ton of ideas, so that shouldn't slow me down - I'll have to find another excuse. No, I love that part of it. I remember years ago thinking that I had no idea how to keep coming up with more song thoughts, but as it turns out, that couldn't be further from the truth. I've got a thick file that appears to be like the energizer bunny of directions.

Today I worked through a number of ideas for a song I'm working on. Trashed a bunch of takes, went back to the drawing board, did some more, undid some and on and on. I find that after a few hours I've got to remember to escape and do something else for a while and come back again with some fresh ears. I've heard and read more than one place that your ears really do hit the ceiling - and already knew that happened mentally, but I didn't realize there was a physical thing going on with the ears also. Makes sense - like in anything else fatigue sets in, even if you love what your doing.

More to come.

3 comments:

  1. After about eight takes, my ears hit the wall, and then I toss the file into the "sketch" folder, and then I'll listen to the takes after a few days, when the brain has cleared.

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  2. Amen. Yeah, you can even burn out on stuff you love doing. Interesting read - again.

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  3. So, between Feb. 4 and now did you get some good tracks down? Inquiring minds want to know, even if they are jet-lagged.

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