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I know Im asking the wrong place but does anybody know a way to get back into an instagram account..? I stupidly lost the password. I love any tricks you can offer me.
@Kyree Rylan I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and I'm trying it out now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Johan Gustavsson - I like how Mary said that perfection can become sterility. Once the emotion is taken is taken out of a song, it is no longer a song that will move us. And being emotionally moved is why we listen to music.
As a retired businessman, I only give praise when truly deserved. The way that your series of videos, and content, has been focused is inspirational. You've covered all bases and found a gateway to achieve a musical and creative business. Audiences will follow. Good luck GW
From someone who is unlikely ever to release a recording, this is fascinating. I would offer one piece of advice, which applies to everything you do - be open to the enjoyment. If you don't enjoy what you do you are wasting your life.
@@Weaseldog2001 I will admit i have done this when mixing bad recordings before. I mean tuning it before it hits heavy distortion doesn't really hurt things, not sure I'd do it for any other style.
@@JaxRiens I generally play acoustic, and I feel that's a place where this is shouldn't be done. And that's where my head was at when I made the comment. If you're adding heavy distortion, then being a slightly out of tune, wouldn't make much difference. And it would destroy any artifacts that might pop up in the tuning algorithm. So yeah, I see your point there.
I drop my dog on my guitar while I move the guitar around. Then I run it through auto-tune and quantize it and snap everything to grid, add some "Heys" drenched in reverb and some claps and HUGE bass drums and I've charted 12 times in the last month.
record yourself as often as possible, even if it's just with a phone or webcam. you don't need to keep what you record. but getting used to the knowledge that something is hearing your every mistake can make that anxiety that takes over get a little bit better. plus, having a permanent/semipermanent setup that makes it easier to start playing & recording without having to figure out cables and placement will make this way less stressful--makes it seem like less of a big, high stakes occasion (and it's harder to procrastinate with setup LOL). the more you get used to performing, the better you get, even if it's without an audience!
I agree. I use a little Zoom recorder to keep track of what i do. It helps to no end with tracking my progress as well as just being a repository of my work and ideas. It's not flash but it's cheap and works really well.
Yes, very much this. Even a looping pedal can be a big boon. My playing leveled up tremendously when I started using a looping pedal in my practice. Getting a backing loop to sound right when you are going to listen to it 500 times can be very motivating.
I wrote one song so far (for my wife) and released it through DistroKid (as a birthday gift to her, having her own song out there in the world). It is really simple, cheap and it's working. Even if you have never done anything in the music business: the process is like grocery shopping. Anyone can do it. And your song is literally everywhere: Amazon, Apple, Spotify, you name it. So cool! My wife is over the moon with her present and you know the saying ...
The unic problem to listen to her is to not fall in love with her. If any of you guys have the same platônic situation, only listen to her singing not talking. She is too awesome.
Thanks so much for sharing with the rest of us Mary 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. This is one of the reasons I love you and your channel....love your music of course and your voice as well....but, you have a wonderful gift of explaining things in a way that at least for me is easy to understand 👍🏻. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experience. Bill in Florida USA 🇺🇸.
I was first in the studio in 1972 at the age of 16 - over the past 45+ years I've been in everything from "big name" rooms to little one-off demo shacks. And of course these days I have a decent little facility in my home. And I'll tell ya - Every Single Word she's saying is gospel, couldn't possibly be more on point. On the occasions when I rent out my home studio I drill this stuff into the clients well before they even get to my door. Listen to her, folks, she's spot on the money. (And an aside - good god, could you possibly be any cuter?? I've chased some of your stuff - always nice work! Keep grinding away, Mary - hope your next 45 is as much fun as my last 45...)
Quite educational and it has put in some inspiration w/ perspective. Primarily getting motivated to record again. Not to mention which new house to purchase (avoid so much racket). Thanks Mary!
No matter what hobby I'm doing, the nanosecond my brain realizes, "Ok, now is the 'no take backs' moment", it just shuts down. It's always frustrating as hell.
I plan on recording original material some time in the future. One thing that I have found helpful in practicing songs is playing along with a metronome. I have found that I notice places where tend to unconsciously speed up or drag in the song when I do that. And thanks so much for the tips and advice!
Watch all four episodes of my Independent Musician Series (made possible by DistroKid) here: Ep. 1 Songwriting ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gCcsl8lblws.html Ep. 2 Recording ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4OP3XDKBHW0.html Ep. 3 Music Videos ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PI93R80fPHU.html Ep. 4 Distribution and Marketing ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eExzveEikLY.html
Thank you Mary. I've come to many of these same conclusions but it's helpful to have the thoughts organized like this. Pre-studio time can be mind scattering so I will likely watch this video again... and again.
Sage advice, Mary. I’m recording my first album presently, and am applying many of your tips. Studio time is so precious, and I feel the need to make the best use of it, so thank you 🙏
The Craziest thing about downloading music is that it suits only those who have never experienced the wonderful OWNERSHIP of a Vinyl. Mary thank you for this video as at 65 learning guitar doing ok, for the past year and already learning to write my own songs so this comes in handy cheers
....yahhh....I've said this before, go ahead and "sound like yourself"....People can pull up any original artist's song instantly on the I-Phone if they choose, so what they really want from the artist in front of them is "uniqueness & originality& genuineness"
"Perfection is the enemy of the good!", and, as someone has already written, enjoy what you are doing. That said I am looking forward to the complete, studio version of the "Ballad of the Footstool".
:) Yeah that traffic, I live under a flight path from Heathrow, those times when you're in the middle of a take and really feeling it and then you hear that soaring boom growing louder through the headphones. Great video.
I wholeheartedly agree that one of the most important aspects of recording is to capture the moment and that striving for a perfect take can rob it of its emotion. BUT...I find it really hard to achieve, especially when you're home-recording track-for-track, rather than in a live band situation. Beer helps (to a point)! The latest stuff I've recorded I'm about 30% happy with in terms of capturing that moment. It's something I will strive to improve on my next stuff. I heard John Petrucci say on an Andertons interview that he doesn't like to play with timid players and that you should give it everything. I keep that thought in my head every time I lay a track down. This is a great series, Mary, thank you. And thanks for the heads up on Distrokid. It's a new one on me and I'll look that up when our stuff is ready for release.
...i KNOW when my song is completed.& sounds good enough to upload & distribute...and i NEVER abandon ANY of my songs..especially the ones that have only 3 - 10 RU-vid , soundcloud anf all the other usual suspects....
dijon streak well, it’s not my quote but I think it is very accurate- I think the process of creating “art” is obsessive, trying to mould every little part of your piece to point towards your agenda. The idea that the artist must wrestle with themselves to let their art go even when they can have new ideas or optimise things further because the crippling weight of continuing a pernicious process for increasingly negligible optimisation is a battle. The flip side argument is- have you ever heard anything “too polished” like it sounds perfect, smooth, rounded- so in-abrasive that it barely catches the ear and a listener can merely slip past it completely. If you polish and polish and polish- you manage to buff out the individuality and makes something completely unoriginal. The idea is that you need to let things go even if they aren’t the “best” they can possibly be, because a completely refined and squishy work of art can be bland, tasteless and worst of all unoriginal. You might have heard somebody say “leave the human in” when talking about music production, because- quantising, samples, emulators should only be tools- pathways- not crutches relied upon to make cleaner, more polished songs. Of course people have conflicting philosophies- but as you spiral down the refinement path more and more it becomes difficult to keep yourself in check. Some feel comfortable with treating their music as more of a product and I believe there’s a sort of middle way, an effort for mediation between those two where the best music lies.
Great video, as someone who's been on both sides of the glass I'd say that knowing exactly what you want to play/layer is really important but be open to suggestions for changes. Sometimes that 4th guitar layer or clever vocal harmony just clutters up the mix/arrangement, no matter how cool it sounds or how long you worked on it :)
Great advice. About the restringing advice. If it's nylon strings you'll need a few days for them to set up right otherwise they'll not stay in tune at all.
Mary, your video of the carbon fiber guitar popped up in my recommended list. I watched several of your past videos and hope to watch more as time goes by. I subscribed and rang the bell.
That part about someone else shooting video (or stills) is important. I do that for my wife sometimes. After she'll ask "how did it sound." I usually can't tell her, because I was so focused on getting the video that I really didn't listen to the music.
Sound advice, Mary. Thanks! I've found that having a really low-pitched metronome click on the DAW allows me to play really quiet acoustic guitar without headphone bleed, otherwise pauses, or endnotes/endchords usually suffer. The headphones' tiny speakers will project the higher frequencies, but not the lower ones...
Good advice. Many realized to late. The opposite can be frustrating as well; while in (pre)production in the home demo lounge I found myself trying to get the bass or guitar sounds perfect only to realize, "I'm not going to use this(most likely) on the 'real' recording, I'm going to the Real Studio to track the drums to the production click, DUH! A@aaaaaaaaahhhhhggggrrrg!
Once of the coolest things I’ve recently learned and played with in Logic is called Smart Tempo. It can create a beat grid from freeform recordings, so you aren’t locked into a click with a perfect tempo. Depending on the genre of music, a more fluid approach to tempo can breathe a lot of life into the track. Of course, this would be dependent on the engineer on the session (at least the time correcting part of the mix process) be using Logic. Not sure if there’s something similar for Pro Tools.
We live in an age where artists can keep control of the entire musical process. It's amazing. However, the big caveat is that there is tremendous competition for the attention of listeners. I write songs and play my own music. I'm a member of ASAP. I never expect to make any money from it. Most people into music are there because of a love of music, and a compulsion to play it.
Taking breaks is something I struggle with. I'll be working on a song for 6 hours straight sometimes only to have a listen the next day and go, "wtf is this??"
I love recording at home, because I can goof around and experiment. Most produced music I hear from this time is way too sterile anyway, off-beats can be fun. Once I challenged myself to do a recording without tuning - take as many takes as you like, but don't tune it in the middle... I got rid of my "red light syndrome" by not taking my music too seriously, I now perform better live too. Having fun with it has made it even more fun! But I guess my career hasn't been a very serious venture for some time now, I suppose letting music be a bit annoying and unpolished is really about who I am. My friend once described me with the word 'grainy' and that's pretty accurate, I can tell you that I'm not smooth! :)
As well as the 'Practise, practise, practise' tip, I have a few guitar and vocal warm ups before I go near the mic. You can't start recording cold - it is unpossible.
If you have booked a fixed amount of studio time for a track and you nail it first time and have time left always have a second song pre-rehearsed so you can make the most of what you are paying for.
Keep it simple Stupid, or the KISS principle was first proposed by English Franciscan friar William of Ockham, so it is known as 'Occam's Razor', or paring off that which is superfluous, just sticking up for Occam there. A great video, with extremely sensible and wise advice, thank you!
Exactly, with all the tech today and fancy mic's, editing and layers the simplicity of old blues recordings from the 20's still hold weight today. KISS
Now, well into my fifties, I can look back and see what an utter mess I was until about 35. It was actually first when I passed 40 I got a grip of myself and my place in the world. The biggest mistake I held on to for dear life was to "act adult". I was told when I was young what an adult was and how an adult acted. When slowly entering adulthood I tried to project that image onto myself with horrendous results. Why horrendous? Because the result was so far from the actual me I could ever be. It took me roughly twenty years to find out who I really was and to be true to me. This translates into my music too. My 6 cents are: 1. Enjoy life and take time to appreciate the beauty around you. 2. Be aware of, and be a friend of, the child version of yourself that still lives inside you. Try to see the world in all its beauty through the eyes of that child. Let that child come out to play and don't be afraid of being silly. 3. Focus on the positive sides of people and never be afraid of giving well deserved good critique. 4. Learn to say no. 6. Ask for help when you need it and primarily surround yourself with people actually willing to be real friends.
Regarding using your own natural tempo: Lots of synth related gear has “tap tempo” so you can tap the beat you feel and have the gear tell you the bpm number.
