IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN SO EASY - Brief history of audio recorders part 1

Only the multi-track tape recorder enabled meaningful audio editing. Multi-track tape recorders were introduced into the world (courtesy of a company called Ampex in the 1950s). Editing could be done after the recording sessions (kind of copy and paste style with tape), which was very time-consuming work.

Digitalisation started in the 60s with small experiments. However, it was 1981 when CD was introduced to the world. Still digital audio was recorded on tapes (e.g. systems like DASH by Sony and TASCAM).

Still the recording and editing were done with tapes, now as digital signal on the tapes instead of analog signal. One can imagine what kind of 'logistical nightmares' some 70s progressive productions were...

Clear advantages of digital audio (in 80s) were:

• overall noise level was lower
• when adding several tracks all together -> noise level raised less
• quality of the sound remained same (independently of how many times sound was copied & edited)
• consisted sound without classic "wows & wobblings" with analog recordings, which were caused by fluctuations of the tape's speed.

To be continued. Stay tuned!

ARE YOU REALLY REACHING THE AUDIENCE

Earlier aspiring artists and bands used to make demo tapes. In 80's it simply meant C-casette (which was recorded in garage...) to be sent record companies. Anxiously waiting for an answer. Usually "no thanks".

Recording techniques and sound quality varied lot depending on band's competence and studio/recording equipment.

Nowadays, (at least some) professional music composing tools are free. Also possibility to be heard and known is better now due to web-based distribution services like Sound Cloud, YouTube, Spotify... from idea-to-listener has never been easier.

To be frank, the main problems now are:

• to find promising talents from the overall noise
• to find new & unheard music you'd like
• composer's & band's guts to release publicly their creations

Think about that.

Music creation tools are available, music distribution channels are also available.

What is your excuse?

We need you, now.

MUSIC CREATION STEPS

Lifecycle of music creation

How to compose, create and finally ship ready-made producting music? 

That's enormous & complex subject, and i can't give direct instructions or straight-forward answer. 

However, we can try to think it as a series of various steps.

1. idea: first you may have vague vision, request, or melody in your head.
2. early draft: this is important phase, since as soon as you get your melody out of your head to something audible. When intangible materialises, it becomes easier to grasp. Thus it will be easier to continue to work on when you have something even very very early drafts in your hands.
3. composing: actual work, playing, trying, tweaking sounds, iterating and throwing lot's of ideas into trash bin. Usually self-critism can become high. Just go ahead!
4. mastering: polishing, tweaking and balancing your song to a recordable piece of art (this topic needs several posts and articles to discuss this). Let the professionals do this phase (they do usually have better pair of ears than composer itself)
5. distribution: how you do ship your song(s) to others? via record labels? using internet channels (Spotify, iTunes, YouTube)? are your songs free or are you selling them? how?

Lot's of things to do. Still doable. Later we will cover these (previous) issues little deeper.

Stay tuned!

THE LIFECYCLE OF OUR PAST MUSIC LISTENING

Music Listening Cycle

Picture on the left side depicts very traditional way of "consumer cycle" in music.

In old days (meaning now 80's & 90's), you heard and found good songs & artists from e.g. radio or friend. Then you *had* to get it somehow (LP-record, C-casette, CD...). You listened to it time after time.

 If you were real fan of music, your own room was full of CDs in no particular order and tapes everywhere. Managing of your music collection was easy; either it was (usually...) total mess or you even put that stuf in alphabetical order. I even know couple of extremists who kept disciplined book about their collections.

Sharing options were scarce; you just borrowed music (friend, library) & trying to copy your friend's music (CD, LP...) and that's pretty much it.

YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM

Phenomena known as: "writer's block"

Main symptoms are (not limited to):

-not knowing where/when/how to start

-trying (way too much) different tools and sounds

-unfinished songs in desk drawer and unfinished...

-would this sample & rhythm sound good...? or this one?

-how about that...? 

-i heard about that new tool... hmmm. 

Sounds familiar?

These are class book examples (read: excuses) why composing is not finished 

or the worst: even started.

This phenomena happens everyday, everywhere and especially in the work where primary goal is to create something new.

All these subtle 'distractions' happen under the radar and invisibly. Daily subtle distractions, sudden changes. Facebook check-ups, living in the e-mail inbox, not enough time...

This 'shadow' works between our own ears. You can't see or smell it. It only exists in your thoughts and beliefs.

Quality itself is a good thing, some ideas can be better than other. Some criticism needs to be.

But composing a song is the main work of composer.

All artists (writers, painters, actors...) confront this problem somwhow, someone even everyday. 

Nobody is perfect.

When you are in the state of "this song is crap","sounds are not yet right", ad nauseaum, it's your

inner critic ('shadow') who is prematurely judging your piece of art. A inner shadow is trying to

stop your work. It's main purpose is to distract you (from your creative work).

Steven Pressfield has written book called "War of Art". Good read.

I know, sometimes it is good to quit some project or polish/fine tune song even better sounding.

And let ideas flow, mature and then pick the best ones. Every piece of work is not going to be best-seller or classic. Some will probably hit really low...

Behind the scenes, we are mostly afraid of failure (kind of "what others will think when they hear this song". The best cure is to be aware of our inner shadow and notice when it starts to distract your work.

Just keep composing and creating your music. Give it to us, we need it!

Sound Engineer's (and musician's too) day should be structured

Most of use think that 'structure' sounds boring or restrictive, some kind of un-creative thing. "Artists should be free from discipline and structure.". Another fallacy.

I think, it's opposite. Night & day.
Structure brings freedom. The most productive days are someway structured, e.g.
sharp starting time, including refreshing breaks, lunch, time to think and stopping time. Without some kind (this varies from person to person) structure your time and day is just vanished without real results.

Keep routines. Stay in the groove.

Daily Quote

“Modern art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn’t.”

—Craig Damrauer