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Post by GuitarZ on Jan 30, 2016 15:57:45 GMT -7
I figured I would pass this recording tip along that I am trying real hard to learn. Perfectionism is overrated.
I just uploaded a tune to CDBaby today. I was so tempted to send another version down to Sage Audio for another mastering, but my bass player said "Wow! This tune rocks!", the drummer said it sounded great, and my wife was incredulous that I couldn't hear how the 'done' version's vocal sounded better than my potential remix. And, (oh my, I shouldn't have looked) I have over 50 versions of the tune stretching from December of 2014 to this week. The tune isn't perfect, but it does sound pretty good.
Unless you're really just doing something for yourself, music is meant to be heard. I suggest you push to get music out. If you're like me and get caught up in 'perfectionism', step out of your comfort zone, release the music, and put your potential improvements into the next song. The funny thing is that the first time I took a personality test and it said I was a perfectionist, I simply said to myself "Not True. I just want things to be right.". Now I keep telling myself "I should just want things to be released!". Rock & Roll!
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 30, 2016 16:27:34 GMT -7
A friend of mine used to say "Perfect is the enemy of good". He's since passed on , but that saying has stuck with me. Great post , thanks for sharing.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 7:39:13 GMT -7
A friend of mine used to say "Perfect is the enemy of good". He's since passed on , but that saying has stuck with me. Great post , thanks for sharing. This is actually very similar to my recording philosophy, which is essentially "Done is better than perfect". Because "perfect" is never done. I don't mind having little signs that a human played on my recordings (finger squeaks, ghost notes, the occasional imperfection). It makes things sound a bit more human, especially since I use programmed drums. Its really easy to go down the "perfect" rabbit hole - "Just a little more ? and I'm done". Well, change that one thing, and now something else needs changing. I have (very) limited time with which to record, so "done" is always the goal.
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Post by simpleton on Feb 3, 2016 10:38:24 GMT -7
In the end, for most of us, it seems to be more about getting the music out of us ..... Since most of us are not perfect it makes sense to allow for our own humanness. If I haven't got it the first three takes then I don't have it to get yet. The paralysis of analysis.
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Post by heynewguy (Ol’ Bill) on Feb 3, 2016 11:17:41 GMT -7
I had recorded a tune that I had three versions of. I like a little of each version. I told myself, just pick one and don't look back. I erased the other two versions, so I can't look back. Not being a perfectionist really. It's just that I liked some of each version. As always, YMMV.
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Post by The Bad Poodle Experience on Mar 1, 2016 17:08:28 GMT -7
as the french say.... "le mieux est l'ennemi du bien". (The Best is the enemy of the good... OR.... Perfect is the enemy of good). OR... as Kenny Rogers sang "you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"....
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Post by headshrinker (Marc) on Mar 1, 2016 17:53:49 GMT -7
My father in law used to say "you have to leave well enough alone and more importantly, you have to know when it's well enough." I try to remember that when doing a lot of things, recording included.
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Post by soundchaser59 on Jul 4, 2016 17:52:36 GMT -7
I gave up on perfect. Instead I try to mix with the goal being "Sounds good enough to be on a live concert stage." That's a standard that is somewhere below perfect but quite a bit better than average hometown bar band.
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