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[Fibes]

I'm sure some of you work on projects for months on end without much interruption, others may work on projects in little bits and pieces. What advantages do you find holing up in a studio and focusing on one goal? The disadvantages?

Lately my workflow has been a crazy mixture of genres, personalities and approaches. I find it stimulating yet at times completely comical. In the last two weeks alone the range has gone from: Punk quickie demos, a fingerstyle guitar/chamber music trio, ballsout Screamo album tracking and mixing, baking up a country song rearranged for cello, violin, oboe and operatic voice, voice overs, sequencing a children's album, garage rock mixing, Christian R&B tracking, Nu metal pre-pro, and traditional bluegrass tracking.

How many of you work in these mixed up worlds? Does it work for you? Is it a problem getting the beer empties completely eradictaed before the VO and Xtian dudes show up? Why is it just as bad to wear a Circle Jerks shirt to a VO session than it is to wear a tucked in button down oxford to a screamo session?  

[slicraider]

Kevin,

I have one client that comes in about once a month to work for about 5 hours on what currently is 6 songs. I find it very hard to get plugged into the project emotionally and bring ideas to the table because of the lack of flow. I don't mind working for several days or a week at a stretch and then taking time away because that gives you perspective IMO.

As for dress, I do try to wear the "uniform" of the day.

Rick Slater

[Ross Hogarth]

Here is one of most favorite quotes, for some reason I found this appropriate right now , not only for this question but for my life right now.........

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy,the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness,
concerning all acts of initiative and creation.
There is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself , then providence moves too.
All things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius ,power, and magic in it.
Begin it now. "

Goethe

[natpub]

Ross Hogarth wrote on Thu, 20 May 2004 23:15

Here is one of most favorite quotes, for some reason I found this appropriate right now , not only for this question but for my life right now......... "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy,the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness, concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself , then providence moves too. All things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius ,power, and magic in it. Begin it now. " Goethe

CTRL + PRINT
<proceeds to hang on wall>
CTRL + C, V <copy, paste>
<proceed to email it to friends>

That is one of the most true and inspiring things I have read in a long time!  Reminds me of some of the great stuff in Casteneda also. Thanks Ross!

[otek]

As for changing between a wide variety of sessions, sometimes several in a day, I generally don't have much of a problem with that. The wardrobe issues are easy because I generally dress similarly for all sessions - jeans and a plain t-shirt works well with the religious vocal groups and the death metal alike. For some gigs, I will wear something a tad more formal.

The only problem can be some of the stuff the bands leave behind - I had one guitarist who was always making, ahem, evocative graphic art on the desktop of my side computer. One day I entered the studio after his band left, in the company of a couple of christian artists who were coming over to look at the studio for a potential project. When I fired up that computer, there was a large pentagram emblazoned across the desktop!    

I also had a band in who consumed UNGODLY amounts of beer during recording. And of course there were beer cans sitting around EVERYWHERE. I found new cans each day for a week after they left. This does not look very impressive to some of my clients. Some of them, on the other hand, are impressed no end....  

As for leaving a project sitting around for a long time - that's the real killer. It's very hard for me to gather up the momentum to mix a song that's been sitting around for months. I like it when projects are at least reasonably consistent in terms of time frame.

[Fibes]

otek wrote on Fri, 21 May 2004 07:23

The only problem can be some of the stuff the bands leave behind - I also had a band in who consumed UNGODLY amounts of beer during recording. And of course there were beer cans sitting around EVERYWHERE. I found new cans each day for a week after they left.

Ross, yeah the G man is prone to inspiration. It's been a part of my lexicon for some time now. Nike summed it up- "Just do it."



Stuff left behind--- Pornography (including a closeup polaroid of a vocalists balls which was left on the artist side of the room, i caught it before the next client came in, yech), a headshot of an artist i worked with whose forehead was subtly blessed by the scrawlings of a rival band staing "goat fucker." I never look at the photo, it's been there forever, one day a Xtian dude says: "uh, is this a tattoo on his forehead or his real name?" Talk about emabarrassing. ....and the beer cans, i flushed the toilet last night and one fell out from behind it. HHHMMM?

Yeah, Jeans and a t-shirt, except for the Beyonce sessions.