Health, Wealth, Wisdom & Fun

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/toiling-in-the-recording-studio-p-370.html

To an average individual, work in a recording studio is so exciting and amusing - particularly when compared to the usual office setup. Indeed, the mere idea of working with the famous music artists and producing the hits that make it to the top of the charts is so wonderful - more so when you are paid highly for this. But beware, there are a lot of things about the recording process that is unseen.

One of these unseen features are the so-called Doctor Dre/Rick Robin fallacy. Both are pioneers and maestros of recording and both seem to be people that one would either like to associate with or actually be. But the truth is, having these "artists" would leave most people missing their cubicle, particularly when you need to push them for a three hundredth take. Life isn't a party in a recording studio, and one should not treat it as such unless you really don't want to leave the comforts of your home town. It is an hard and difficult process that can leave even hardened, veteran artists looking for relief.

As an artist reserves time at a studio, one thing that they have to think about is their finances. Mind you, getting airtime at a studio is not inexpensive - especially when you need to pay per hour. If an artist can't perform under pressure, they better be getting a generous advance from their label (if they have one). Otherwise, they will be feeling the clock when they must be thinking about their work. This doesn't bode well for the fragile, particularly if the producer is serious about having the work done. Therefore, an artist should always be prepared and should always - and I mean always - be in working condition. Even if the artist already has a name for himself/herself, there's no excuse to be unprepared. Ever heard of Axl Rose?

Still, the success of the work at the recording studio is not only determined by the artist and the producer. Nobody is perfect, so people make mistakes - and in the studio, your mistakes are amplified. Bear in mind that being inside of it is like being scrutinized by a powerful microscope. There'll always be honest evaluations - positive or negative. Everybody is then accountable for the success of the recording. Copious amounts of time can be spent on a song and there can be literally no progress. As people grow tired after more takes, then the mistakes could get even worse.

The artist and producer need to think about what they want to happen versus what really happens. These are clearly two different things. Before the "preferred sound" is achieved, artists and producers spend countless hours in the studio.

But the one thing that keeps this process interesting and on track is that magic moment when the stars align and everything just falls into place for that one perfect take. The countless hours of toil and stress are overpowered when that unique perfect take is attained - and this kind of energy is recorded in a tape, forever. This is what recording studios are so proud of.

But as with anything else, that glory disappears and then it's back to reality once again. It's cyclical and circular and it is going to give both sides as much as is given to it. What remains to be given credit is the very thing that is laid down on two inch. A recording studio will show you for exactly what you are and what effort you're willing to make, and although you can hide your voice, you cannot hide your work ethic.