On the Work
I run into the occasional fan or friend who is absolutely amazed by what an artist can create. Often these are people that have tried it themselves or are very close to someone else that creates. They usually have some insight into the work it takes. They appreciate art and music in general. Then I find those that take it for granted and think that it really takes very little effort to produce a professional sounding piece. This is for those people.
Before I go any further, keep in mind that this is not an attack, this is a plea for some understanding. I have been hesitating to write this entry because I see all too often that others get attacked when trying to show what it takes to create. I've read nasty replies to other articles and blogs, and frankly I didn't want to deal with the crazies that come out of the woodwork to express that artists are all whiners and musicians aren't really producing anything of value. I'm not trying to convince you that just because I work hard that I should be paid. Hard work doesn't necessarily equal value. I'll give you that. And in this particular article I'm not trying to convince you of the value of art to society (that's for another day because I'm too chicken to touch it today). I'm trying to convince you that if you enjoy an artist's work that there is a lot more behind that song than you may be aware. And keep in mind that I'm using myself as an example here because that is what I know.
Let me jump into the background of an artist. Did you train for years, perhaps gaining a degree (or more) for your career? Sure it's easier for some people than others, but just as an athlete trains for years for what they do, so do many songwriters and performers. I took piano lessons for 10 years and taught. I played several instruments throughout childhood and adulthood as well as sang and performed on local stages, both solo and with various groups, getting paid to do this on occasion. Many of my fellow musicians had a similar experience and some continued their musical training through college. I, however, did not get a degree in music or recording. I am self-taught in production and mixing, but I am an engineer by training and degree. I have degrees in both physics and electrical engineering. I'm as comfortable with cords as I am with chords. I can fix a guitar amp, and I understand the wave forms on my screen. So any talent aside, I have a large technical background that I am able to apply to record and create. Consider that your favorite professional artists are likely even more qualified and/or seasoned or are surrounded by people with these qualifications. And we're all a little different just as every engineer is a little different. Different course loads, colleges, and real world experiences are what make the workplace so diverse just as different musical backgrounds make for diversity in music.
So I may be qualified, but how difficult is it to do what we do? Especially with so many technology enablers, some may think that any Tom, Dick, or Harry with a laptop and access to loops can create electronic dance tracks (to clarify, I do not make EDM). It is certainly easier than ever to create something.... But, believe it or not, there is a lot more finesse to creating an original piece that sounds interesting and professional. I admit that I couldn't do exactly what I do without technology. I have a small space and I make do with what I have. But I have found ways to balance organic playing with the technology
First, I need inspiration. Just as a writer does research for a book or article and an engineer studies current designs and gathers requirements for their next project, we need inspiration. Music rarely just falls out of us like a burrito on Tuesday evening (yes we have Taco Tuesdays at work). I do a lot of listening to my music and other music and a lot of reading. I do writing exercises and plenty of improvising at the piano and the guitar to come up with a new song. I get ideas from many different places, from a phrase to a visual to a feeling. Relationships, characters, moods, memories, dreams... These ideas start forming and coming together and from there they can become something concrete.
Chords, lyrics, melodies, rhythms, etc.... Some songs are still just piano and vocal. Some I've started adding other elements. And I am one of those crazy people that still enjoys writing some of her pieces out by hand on staff paper. Other pieces I record simple scratch tracks that I can work from later. I know I'm underselling this part of the process as it can be difficult to convey. Writing music is putting a feeling into a form you can communicate through more than just words.
So that's the writing side. What about the recording? Well, I'm a musician. So I play those keyboard lines you hear. If you hear a piano, a Rhodes, a Wurlitzer, a clavinet, synthesized strings, etc... that's me playing a weighted keyboard with a pedal and applying an instrument "sound" via software. It gives me freedom of instrumentation while still allowing me to bring in organic musicianship. Sometimes that's me playing several different lines on top of each other. In some cases I grab other instruments and record without my midi cable. That guitar at the end of "For Everything" is me playing a real guitar through a vintage amp. That accordion in "Hit Save" is me playing an accordion. I do not currently own a drum set and have to rely on using a synthesized drum set, but I also find that gives me a lot of freedom to mix and choose my sound. I apply arps and other interesting textural elements as ornaments. I choose sounds in my software carefully, often "interviewing" a good hundred sounds before settling on the right one. Again, be aware that when I say choosing sounds, I mean finding the right instrument sound to apply to the piano I brought in via me playing my keyboard, not choosing prerecorded loops. Most of my pieces I can easily play live at the piano.
That vocal recording? Mine too. I write my own lyrics and that vocal is me singing my heart out, without vocal correction software. I will sing a song through several times to get the right inflection, tone, mood, etc and to have a vocal without recording artifacts. I often add harmonies. And those that listen may note that I love the vocoder, which makes my instruments sound as though they are singing.
I balance all lines of sound, which sometimes equal 20 or more, against each other. I mix lines carefully and often spend hours on EQs and levels just to get it right. Beyond that I master my own stuff. I know, I know... you shouldn't master your own stuff. But... I already spend enough money on my music and at this time can't afford to pay someone for this. So I'm doing even more work. Like many independent musicians, I also manage all of my own social media, webpage, etc. I manage the song getting out there and I market it myself.
There's plenty of work in there for more than one person. That's why some people prefer to work in groups and pool their talents and resources, and sometimes I do too for other projects. And I didn't even get into some of the other recording fun that we typically do. I run around my studio with cords and position microphones, manage the space and sound, check levels, and much more. It's all part of it.
Hopefully that gives you some insight into how some of us create. There are different variations for sure! I also help record in another studio that doesn't rely on nearly as much technology as I do, and it's a different set of tasks and headaches to get the sound right. And remember that I'm not putting anyone down here or saying that this is more work than another kind of job or hobby that someone may have. I am simply defending that there is more work put into music than some may realize. And before someone tells me to get a better paying job, I also work full time.
Producers, artists, and songwriters should feel free to share anything I may have missed or your own experience creating. I know I personally do not represent the entire lot, and I'm sure I have overlooked something.
Love to you all!
Sarah Schonert, The Lyrical Physicist
Before I go any further, keep in mind that this is not an attack, this is a plea for some understanding. I have been hesitating to write this entry because I see all too often that others get attacked when trying to show what it takes to create. I've read nasty replies to other articles and blogs, and frankly I didn't want to deal with the crazies that come out of the woodwork to express that artists are all whiners and musicians aren't really producing anything of value. I'm not trying to convince you that just because I work hard that I should be paid. Hard work doesn't necessarily equal value. I'll give you that. And in this particular article I'm not trying to convince you of the value of art to society (that's for another day because I'm too chicken to touch it today). I'm trying to convince you that if you enjoy an artist's work that there is a lot more behind that song than you may be aware. And keep in mind that I'm using myself as an example here because that is what I know.
Let me jump into the background of an artist. Did you train for years, perhaps gaining a degree (or more) for your career? Sure it's easier for some people than others, but just as an athlete trains for years for what they do, so do many songwriters and performers. I took piano lessons for 10 years and taught. I played several instruments throughout childhood and adulthood as well as sang and performed on local stages, both solo and with various groups, getting paid to do this on occasion. Many of my fellow musicians had a similar experience and some continued their musical training through college. I, however, did not get a degree in music or recording. I am self-taught in production and mixing, but I am an engineer by training and degree. I have degrees in both physics and electrical engineering. I'm as comfortable with cords as I am with chords. I can fix a guitar amp, and I understand the wave forms on my screen. So any talent aside, I have a large technical background that I am able to apply to record and create. Consider that your favorite professional artists are likely even more qualified and/or seasoned or are surrounded by people with these qualifications. And we're all a little different just as every engineer is a little different. Different course loads, colleges, and real world experiences are what make the workplace so diverse just as different musical backgrounds make for diversity in music.
So I may be qualified, but how difficult is it to do what we do? Especially with so many technology enablers, some may think that any Tom, Dick, or Harry with a laptop and access to loops can create electronic dance tracks (to clarify, I do not make EDM). It is certainly easier than ever to create something.... But, believe it or not, there is a lot more finesse to creating an original piece that sounds interesting and professional. I admit that I couldn't do exactly what I do without technology. I have a small space and I make do with what I have. But I have found ways to balance organic playing with the technology
First, I need inspiration. Just as a writer does research for a book or article and an engineer studies current designs and gathers requirements for their next project, we need inspiration. Music rarely just falls out of us like a burrito on Tuesday evening (yes we have Taco Tuesdays at work). I do a lot of listening to my music and other music and a lot of reading. I do writing exercises and plenty of improvising at the piano and the guitar to come up with a new song. I get ideas from many different places, from a phrase to a visual to a feeling. Relationships, characters, moods, memories, dreams... These ideas start forming and coming together and from there they can become something concrete.
Chords, lyrics, melodies, rhythms, etc.... Some songs are still just piano and vocal. Some I've started adding other elements. And I am one of those crazy people that still enjoys writing some of her pieces out by hand on staff paper. Other pieces I record simple scratch tracks that I can work from later. I know I'm underselling this part of the process as it can be difficult to convey. Writing music is putting a feeling into a form you can communicate through more than just words.
So that's the writing side. What about the recording? Well, I'm a musician. So I play those keyboard lines you hear. If you hear a piano, a Rhodes, a Wurlitzer, a clavinet, synthesized strings, etc... that's me playing a weighted keyboard with a pedal and applying an instrument "sound" via software. It gives me freedom of instrumentation while still allowing me to bring in organic musicianship. Sometimes that's me playing several different lines on top of each other. In some cases I grab other instruments and record without my midi cable. That guitar at the end of "For Everything" is me playing a real guitar through a vintage amp. That accordion in "Hit Save" is me playing an accordion. I do not currently own a drum set and have to rely on using a synthesized drum set, but I also find that gives me a lot of freedom to mix and choose my sound. I apply arps and other interesting textural elements as ornaments. I choose sounds in my software carefully, often "interviewing" a good hundred sounds before settling on the right one. Again, be aware that when I say choosing sounds, I mean finding the right instrument sound to apply to the piano I brought in via me playing my keyboard, not choosing prerecorded loops. Most of my pieces I can easily play live at the piano.
That vocal recording? Mine too. I write my own lyrics and that vocal is me singing my heart out, without vocal correction software. I will sing a song through several times to get the right inflection, tone, mood, etc and to have a vocal without recording artifacts. I often add harmonies. And those that listen may note that I love the vocoder, which makes my instruments sound as though they are singing.
I balance all lines of sound, which sometimes equal 20 or more, against each other. I mix lines carefully and often spend hours on EQs and levels just to get it right. Beyond that I master my own stuff. I know, I know... you shouldn't master your own stuff. But... I already spend enough money on my music and at this time can't afford to pay someone for this. So I'm doing even more work. Like many independent musicians, I also manage all of my own social media, webpage, etc. I manage the song getting out there and I market it myself.
There's plenty of work in there for more than one person. That's why some people prefer to work in groups and pool their talents and resources, and sometimes I do too for other projects. And I didn't even get into some of the other recording fun that we typically do. I run around my studio with cords and position microphones, manage the space and sound, check levels, and much more. It's all part of it.
Hopefully that gives you some insight into how some of us create. There are different variations for sure! I also help record in another studio that doesn't rely on nearly as much technology as I do, and it's a different set of tasks and headaches to get the sound right. And remember that I'm not putting anyone down here or saying that this is more work than another kind of job or hobby that someone may have. I am simply defending that there is more work put into music than some may realize. And before someone tells me to get a better paying job, I also work full time.
Producers, artists, and songwriters should feel free to share anything I may have missed or your own experience creating. I know I personally do not represent the entire lot, and I'm sure I have overlooked something.
Love to you all!
Sarah Schonert, The Lyrical Physicist
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