The Labour of Love

I love it when i'm "in the zone" in the recording studio, when the music just seems to come out of me from nowhere, and when something from that moment hits a kind of sweet spot. I love that feeling of synchronicity, even if some of the bits are a bit rough, a few notes pretty jarring, and some of the playing sounded a lot better to me when i was actually playing it.

And then, there's the labour of love...or hate in some cases...when the recording has to be fine-tuned, when the sharp edges have to be carefully ground down, and when the rough diamond has to be patiently cut and polished. Every artform has this process. It can be painful and damn-right annoying. It can see me spending more time walking away from it to clear my head that actually doing the work that needs to be done to make it presentable to the world. Because, you see, i want others to experience it that way i can see it's potential, without having to see past the roughness of the first draft.

Sometimes the process can take so long, i want to throw my hands up in the air and walk away and never return to it. Sometimes i scare myself, thinking that "if this keeps up" i may never finish it, or i'll get so "over it", that i'll no longer hear any magic. I occasionally wonder how long before that labour of love becomes the thorn in my side, especially when it's only a technical problem that's holding up the birth. It's enough fear to keep me motivated to get it done whilst the motivation is there, because i can never guarantee i'll feel the same about it tomorrow.

But recently i spoke of how much i enjoy being privy to the process of others, and so i made a decision...to share some works-in-process, with their warts and all. I've given myself a challenge to spend more time in the creating and sharing of drafts than in the polishing. I'm going to put aside my desire for detail, and leave things a bit raw and "not quite right". Maybe someone else might enjoy hearing my own progress through a piece as much as i enjoy watching another artist evolve their piece of art. Who knows. Maybe there's people out there who would actually prefer to hear drafts than listen to something slick and shiny.

And you know what? it feels GOOD.

Building a New Beginning

I've never built a house. Does a cubbyhouse count? Nup...ok, then.
But after all these years, i am building my first home.

Apart from the obvious stuff associated with owner-building (the huge learning curve of unraveling the mysteries of a different industry), this is a journey like no other. Building is significant in so many ways to our life's journey. It's a commitment of  the self, the soul, and the security of life. I could draw hundreds of psychological and spiritual parallels with which building a home (and in my case, also a studio) represents, but i wont go on about it, except to say that it's an enlightening experience, and one which stimulates my need to grow immensely.

One thing that's extremely gratifying is being able to get my hands dirty and get stuck into the work. A day spent in the studio editing music is very rewarding, but physically i have little more to show for it than empty coffecups on the studio desk, along with scribbles on a whiteboard and scattered papers...but a day spent digging a trench is real and tangible. And the pile of rocks i have collected is as real as the clay in my boots and the filth in my hair. I can smell the work i've done.

So whilst today i watch the rain come down as i spend the hours amidst the intangible worlds, I'll share with you my gratitude for the new beginning i am helping create. And how humbled i feel next to those with the skills and experience who are sharing this journey with us, and who are helping me to learn how to turn these dreams into a reality.

System Meltown

my first real recordings were made on an old Teac 4-track reel-to-reel. Yep, they be those actual spinning reels with 1/4 inch tape. Ha! That was how i learned the joy of small-studio recording, learning to bounce-down tracks, cue up exactly using the play heads, and create effects using some rather cool workings of the room i was in.

Now, in the midst of an almost 2 week computer meltdown, i am beginning to look fondly back on that time. Sure, i didn't really know what i was doing, but it was simple in my head...create a pleasing sound, then press record and do it again. No fancy mics or effects racks, no software or buses or khz, mhz or gigbtz. press go. take care of tape. now or never.

i love being able to do more now. I love the time saving...when it doesn't shift into time-wasting, that is. Technology can make things so much easier, aswell as so much harder. Gone are the days...those were the days...

Now hurry up and load, you great big heap of.....