What’s More Important To You Recording Or Writing?

If you’re not a musician, recording is obviously the most important to you. You are also at a disadvantage. You are at the mercy of other musicians to record. When you’re just starting out, it will be hard to find a really good band willing to have you record them. But if you’re not a musician, you have no other choice. You have to start out charging people lower than anyone else.

If writing is the most important and you can record, being able to go from idea to physical product is powerful.

I’m one of those who’s songwriting is more important. I’m glad I’m able to record and mix. Not only do I get to make a record quickly with my music, I can also make a record of any other musician’s songs. That ability has improved my recording experience several times over. So I’m able to record better quality recordings. For myself as well as other musicians.

If you’re a musician, not being able to record is a disadvantage. YOu’re at the mercy of the people like me recording you and you’re not always in a position to be able to record things as quickly. It’s not like you get an idea at 2 in the morning and immediately record it.

The best possible thing then is being able to record. With computer recording the way it is, you can learn quickly without much money.

Even if you’re just beginning and have trouble mixing, you’re still way ahead of musicians who can’t record. In the end, your mixes are going to suck just starting out. Having a bad mix is a hell of a lot better than having no mix at all.

So if you’re just thinking about getting into recording, the rewards far outweigh the problems of learning how to do it. So, I would say, just get started.

Would You Record In A Strange Place To Get Mood For Your Record?

I’ve been doing work with the Nine Inch Nails multitracks lately and it got me to thinking about how Trent Reznor from NIN recorded “The Downward Spiral”. He said he tried out a lot of different places and he liked the house that Sharon Tate was murdered in. He ultimately recorded the record there as well as a few others.

I know that sounds odd. And it got me to thinking if he hadn’t recorded it there, the record would’ve ended up completely different than it turned out. I know it made the mood of that record different from the earlier releases as well as the later ones. It was dark, scarry. But what can’t be denied is how good it sounded.

Whether you like rock/electronic music or not, it was recorded, mixed, mastered, and remastered really well.

This got me to thinking if room acoustics weren’t an issue, would you think about going to a location that would inspire a specific tone or mood for your record?

If I was making a childrens record, I might like to be in a day care’s off hours to set a mood. Or if I wanted something dark or somewhat spooky, I might do it at a house that was claimed to be haunted.

It can even go further than that. If you were doing a record that appealed to teens, would you record in a highschool at night? Maybe set up your gear around the desks?

Is There Ever A Right Time To Write?

I’ve questioned this for many years now, and I believe there is. You have to be in the right frame of mind to write. And the time of day plays a part in it. When is your optimal time to write?

I find that it’s either early in the morning Like 4-6 am if I’m sleepy. There’s something about being sleepy that puts me in the mood to write. Especially if I take something to help me sleep. It puts me in a highly creative state. That’s well and good, but the problem with that is beating the clock. At some point you can’t go on anymore.

For me, it’s around two hours when pills take their toll. I must stop then. But between that time, I can put out a lot of work for me to work on.

Another time for me is very late at night. Around 1 to 2 am.

There have been times when I’d try to force something when I wasn’t ready. And that has “ok” results, but when you’re in the right frame of mind, you can get a whole lot more done in less time as you would if your forced it.

Now, saying that, I know a bunch of people who can sit and write at any time and they can write something good most of the time. Sad to say, I’m not like that. Music has to “make it’s way to me” to be any good.

Do you have an optimum time when you write best?