Recording Artist Advocate: Making the most of the time you have.

You need to make hay while the sun shines, or is it cut hay – Well, you know what it means.

There are only so many hours in the day and you still need to take time to practice and write and sleep somewhere in there.

How do you make the most of your time?

One thing I found was that we were taking too long to get the mix right. Everything down to 200Hz or so was right, but the very low stuff was still hit-or-miss. The kick drum and bass relationship is critical.

It meant seeking out professional help. It also meant admitting I needed the help – and being willing to pay for it.

Are you willing to accept that you may need help?

For me it was admitting that the things I had built just weren’t enough to handle those low frequencies. I put a lot of work in and it was hard to tear out and start over.

Are you hanging on to something?

I’m glad to say mixing goes much faster now and everyone in the room hears the same thing. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t cheap to get here.

There will always be one more thing – that’s the nature of things. When you reach a new level you see the next level to achieve.

Another thing I’m realizing is that there’s just too much going on to keep posting weekly. It feels like I’m starting to repeat myself and there just isn’t enough time. I've been holding onto the idea that quantity is important when it's really quality that matters more.

Here at Rough Wood “good enough” isn’t good enough. It’s worth it to dig in and find that better vocal phrase - move those late bass notes or drum hits – or the other small things that would eventually drive clients crazy. Our work still depends on the artistry and craftsmanship of the writers and musicians, but we have a part to play too.

Look at your life and career and see if you're holding onto something you could get rid of to focus on more important things.

I decided to start my own studio after hearing several artist tell horror stories about the shady studios they had to record in. Vibe killing engineers - never delivered projects – missed opportunities. I set out to build Rough Wood with those artist experiences in mind.

So, less blogging for me means more time working on your project.

I'll still add posts, but much less frequently.

Come see us at Rough Wood Recording Studio. Lets make something great together.