Perfectionist Friends

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I take there must be a few music makers as well as listeners on here. I need some advice. What do you do when you've got friends who demand a far higher level of perfectionism for you music than you do? I've been chipping away at some new material for a while now which I'm very, very happy with, but some of my friends are refusing to let me do anything with it until the vocals have been done "properly". Since I don't have the facilities / can't afford the facilities to achieve their required standard, I've now gone stale, unable to do anything new for fear of creating a "backlog", unable to finish off what I've got. Help!

― Lynskey, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Read this:

http://www.theonionavclub.com/avclub3817/avfeature_3817.html

"This music is freedom. It allows anyone else the freedom to do whatever they want, and it accepts that unconditionally. And it continues to just want to make you happy."

I think this man would make a good cult leader.

― 1 1 2 3 5, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But perfectionism will make you stale. Why not keep doing that which makes you happy?

― 1 1 2 3 5, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I suppose I will keep doing what make me happy, but these people really are sowing seeds of doubt. Maybe I'm just not very good at telling people where to go.

― Lynskey, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh well, to hear what it's going like at the mo - http//lynskey.scumperson.eu.org/mp3/07 Slow Travail.mp3 (i apologise for the shameless self promotion, but at the mo no-one but me and a few friends have heard any of this stuff)

― Lynskey, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

some of my friends are refusing to let me do anything with it until the vocals have been done "properly".

Unless your friends = the producers of your pending major label debut, why does this really matter? Actually, I wish my friends were more critical of my stuff, but even so, their opinions aren't going to stop me from making or releasing it.

― dleone, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The real problem I guess is I've got a heap of stoner friends who consider themselves musicians who realistically just sit around getting caned talking about making music rather than actually making it. Being the only one who actually produces anything, they exercise their vast knowledge of compression ratios etc on my stuff because thats what they'd do if they were in my position. At the end of the day, they're the ones go on about "getting signed" and "making it" and I'm the one who's happy pissing about making music.

― Lynskey, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

lynskey, that's a rough situation to be in. i think some of the most beautiful, honest music ever comes off as lo-fi, impromptu, or greater than the sum of its parts. i don't think you should be afraid to imbue your music with spontaneous energy! (and don't let jealous friends get to you ... who the fuck cares about compression ratios). what type of music do you make?

don't let lack of facilities let you down ... what do you record with? in the right hands even a cassette 4-track can do wonderful things ... there are some online resources to help you do the most on a tight budget.

do you have any .mp3s available?

― fields of salmon, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My website is lynskey.scumperson.eu.org Thanks for the interest. For the record the stuff on there is a mix of a bit sequencing with Fruity loops, then the guitars and vox recorded straight into an eight track with a little reverb and nowt else. To me they don't sound perfect, but they sound like something.

― Lynskey, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

if this is what your friends are saying, think about what someone who doesn't know you would say about it. unless they're jerks, you should really consider what they have to say. i tend to go alot with my friends redcomendations, but they know a hell of a lot more about production than i do.

― dyson, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

lynskey: this is pretty, well-arranged, and tasteful music. you've done a great production job! however, i do understand what your friends are saying about compression. your vocals do tend to "sit on top" of the mix a bit too much, which is kind of the hazard of using diffent "platforms" for your production. i think you could make them a bit more wet (ie. add a bit more reverb and bring them down in the mix just slightly). consider doing away with fruityloops also (if you can).

all in all i say go for it! put a package together and try to get yourself a contract. any label would be remarkably impressed at the quality of your demo.

― fields of salmon, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If I had speakers, I'd love to hear your stuff at work too! In any case, I didn't mean to suggest you should toss off all criticism -- just don't let it stifle you.

― dleone, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think my dog just told me to kill Satan or something.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Personally I would kill something and ask Satan for help.

― cuba libre (nathalie), Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In that order?

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"when i ROCK! get up...git down...my backlog weighs a ton"

― Paul, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what those people said upthread. its basically how i go about making music: making music that I like. however i have been very lucky in that my friends happen to like some of the music i make (or at least they say they do), and that helps spur me on. the "proper vocals" thing: my best vocals are totally improper!

― di, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

although it's a possibility that your friends respect you enough to critique your work, in all probability they are being too overzealous about it: a little jealousy that you are making music, not them perhaps? its so easy to be an armchair critic.

― di, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"all in all i say go for it! put a package together and try to get yourself a contract. any label would be remarkably impressed at the quality of your demo". Maybe this is the problem> I don't give a shit about getting the mythical "record deal" or "making it" like they do. I'm just interested in what I do next.

― Lynskey, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"fear of creating a 'backlog'" My own idea is to not care about this, it's ok to have tons of unfinished songs lying around, just keep making new ones, not concidering "Oh, maybe I should finish these other songs first" And don't be afraird to reuse things from "unfinished" songs in new songs. I also agree about the impromptu method. But you decide.

― A Nairn, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Lynskey, have you contemplated that your friends might have a point?

― cuba libre (nathalie), Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh yes, they have got a point. The issue is about other people telling me what to do vis a vis something that's essentially mine.

― Lynskey, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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