Being a lone wolf in creating music definitely has its good
points. Total creative license from
inception to finished production is liberating. But, there are times that solitary creativity is an albatross. Having to be both the engineer and technician
in the studio means you set up and tear down over and over again to find the
right combinations and sounds for each piece of music. Trial and error becomes the name of the game
when choosing sounds and arrangements for each stanza and line. Hours pass while ensuring instruments are in
working order. Setting sound levels,
setting up microphones, and determining the right number of tracks all happens
before you even play or sing a note of music.
Added to that, when you have domestic duties on the side, your
creative consciousness gets interrupted regularly. Carving out chunks of time to get into the
“zone” is challenging at best. Once the
music is performed, there’s more tweaking – should the guitars be out front,
should you add effects to the vocals, and does this track need more percussion,
or less strings? It sure would be nice
on most days to have other knowledgeable musicians, engineers, and technicians
who could help with the work and decisions.
That said, it sure is nice to have complete control over the
whole process. There’s something
supremely satisfying in arriving at a finished product and knowing it is
exactly how you wanted it to be. Would I
change the process? Probably not, since
I get the satisfaction of fulfilling my own musical dream.
