The guys here who have their own albums...

[Sid]

How did you guys get the discipline to finish it up:dunno I've been trying and all I end up doing is getting half recorded ideas...

srsly I'm at my wits end

[pickaguitar]

I had a vision/sound in my head and as it progressed the ideas flowed. Without that it would have gone no where imo

I'd recommend trying to gain some perspective and think more about it versus just slapping tracks on and hoping for the best

[chucke99]

In the old days, you had to book and pay for your studio time up front. I think three or four days of time for us in a 24-track studio cost us almost $3,000. With that kind of money on the line, you can bet we were super-rehearsed before we got there, and were all business while we were there. We had all the songs chosen and all of them worked out to the last drumbeat and overdub. Mix-down and mastering were done in one 8-hour day (for seven songs). It was all heavy concentration and eye on the prize.

Actually, one of the recording days, I got there on time and the rest of the band members were late. I told the engineer to fire up the board and we recorded two of my overdub solos before the rest of the band showed up. I'd have done the whole album without them. Time was money.

These days, with home studios and digital recording, I can see how that "Fire" isn't lit beneath you. If you have all the time in the world to do something, it often does not get done.

[harpinon]

I just blew my last one out fast because I had the sound pretty well defined, but when a rut occurs, I take some time off and listen to new music for inspiration.

[tiktok]

How did you guys get the discipline to finish it up:dunno I've been trying and all I end up doing is getting half recorded ideas...

srsly I'm at my wits end


Book a CD-release party gig. Invite all your friends.

[pickaguitar]

^ sometimes this...outside forces can motivate a band to move

[Jahn]

RPMChallenge.com

got me off my arse to set an artificial deadline. already thinking up stuff for next month.

[shredtrash]

I told my band that I would have a new song every week for 10 weeks and I did. Sometimes I had two. We also booked a gig when we had about 1/2 of our material so that motivated me to finish up.

[Sid]

Book a CD-release party gig. Invite all your friends.

that is scary!!I think I can see why this CD will never get done:worried

[kevinhifi]

:bong

[Jahn]

i actually went to the RPM NYC release party - listening to my minty fresh album in front of a buncha folks was kinda cool.

[Sid]

I guess it really is the no deadline thing....when there is no deadline, you keep thinking I can make it better.....:nono

[aliensporebomb]

I had a definite conception in my mind of what I was going for.

The problem is, since I did everything myself with minimal help from others it took five years to finish everything.

I was much faster earlier on but I wanted things to sound like a commercially produced piece of work so I worked on not just the playing but the production, engineering, and soundscaping everything out to sound as polished as I could make it.

The hardest part was the last 3 weeks. I was like "this is going to be DONE!" - but little technical snags kept coming up.

The funniest thing is: all the recordings pretty much ended when the computer I recorded it on blew up.

So I finished the mastering phase on a new computer.

[teanett]

had to finish it before my child was born.

[74vibrolux]

Honestly ... you just do it. Do you mean "half recorded ideas" as in you don't have complete songs? Or do you mean "half recorded ideas" as in you don't know what to add to the songs themselves. If its the first one, perhaps songwriting isn't your strong suit. Work with others in the band to complete them. If it's the second, simply record yourself "live." You're going to sound like what you sound like.

The key is to figure out what you sound like and figure out a way that best suits that sound. What kind of recording technique compliments it. If you're trying to construct a sound in studio ... you're going to be in there the rest of your life.

We went in with such a clear understanding of the band, the songs, where to record, etc., that the act of it was easy. The mixing is the hardest part, as there are so many ways you can take it. But, again, that's about focusing on how to best build on why your audience comes to see you.

Oh ... and set a release date. Seriously ... it helps.

[fjrabon]

Honestly ... you just do it. Do you mean "half recorded ideas" as in you don't have complete songs? Or do you mean "half recorded ideas" as in you don't know what to add to the songs themselves. If its the first one, perhaps songwriting isn't your strong suit. Work with others in the band to complete them. If it's the second, simply record yourself "live." You're going to sound like what you sound like.


eh, I wouldn't say that "perhaps songwriting isn't your suit" finishing songs takes some getting used to, that's definitely the learned part of songwriting. the "gift from god" part of songwriting is getting that original great idea that catches you.

When I first started writing I had a ton of half finished songs. Then I really sat down and studied songwriters hard for like a year. Then I talked to every songwriter I knew. The common thread was "some of it is pure genius, or inspiration or whatever, the rest is knowing how to "paint by numbers" to finish the song."

[chequepoint]

Work with a producer.

[Powerpopfan]

songwriting and recording for me, are better left separate entities. The song is done (written and arranged) before the recording. I have tried to start recording incomplete ideas and the results are always disappointing.

I will say, when I get a song going in my head that I really like, it becomes a little obsessive. I'm working on it while driving, going to sleep, or walking the dog...every waking spare moment. I may pick up a guitar during that process, but it is usually only to confirm things I "hear" in my head.

[guitarnut]

Work with a producer.

this.... or at least a partner / collaborator that can help give some perspective and push things along.

[art_z]

I went through this as well, engineering and mixing my bands last album. I set a date, a festival we were playing, that it had to be pressed by. Make the tough choices you need to or scrap it and start over. You need a completion date, or it will never happen. Thats what took me 3 months to mix 8 songs. I said "enough", pick a release date, we work towards it, put out the best product we can, and then move on to the next thing.

[Brooks]

for me, its much easier in a collaborative band.
i've done some demos where i use a drum machine and play all the other parts,
i find it tedious and uninspiring after awhile.

[Marcus71]

Recorded a full CD with my band in Austin back in 2000. Had a producer. Mixed in NYC. Used BMI services. Had a booking agent. Small tour. It was fun. Didn't make much money.

[Bobby D]

you just DO IT.

with my first one, i spent about 9 months recording at home on analog 4 track tape, then booked a "real"studio and producer for a weekend to mix it. it was kinda comical to see a $500 4-track plugged into a $100,000 console and at least $50k worth of outboard gear, but it sounded like.....a real album :phones

did a couple more, getting fancier and fancier.

then i finally did the one that got signed, LVX Nova. it's a damn good album. David Gilmour just did the exact same sort of album, but 15 years later than mine, it's a collaboration with The Orb.....cool stuff!

then i did 4 albums of pure ambient music, recorded digitally at my home project studios.

you just do it......somehow, someway, somewhen.

haven't done one in a while, but i am gonna do another ambient guitar album. :aok

[arthur rotfeld]

I booked the day in the studio to record, went in the next day to mix, off to mastering....did that M.O. twice.

I have new project now and it's going to be home recordings, overdubs, vocals. It's gonna drag if I don't set firm dates. Musical arranging to be done this month and basic tracks. Vocals by middle of next month. Done by late Feb. So I say......

[Sid]

I had a definite conception in my mind of what I was going for.

The problem is, since I did everything myself with minimal help from others it took five years to finish everything.

I was much faster earlier on but I wanted things to sound like a commercially produced piece of work so I worked on not just the playing but the production, engineering, and soundscaping everything out to sound as polished as I could make it.

The hardest part was the last 3 weeks. I was like "this is going to be DONE!" - but little technical snags kept coming up.

The funniest thing is: all the recordings pretty much ended when the computer I recorded it on blew up.

So I finished the mastering phase on a new computer.

I can totally relate to this...Im doing everything myself as well...its a complete pain but I just dont have the money to record an entire band in the studio...so drums and keys will be programmed

[Sid]

Honestly ... you just do it. Do you mean "half recorded ideas" as in you don't have complete songs? Or do you mean "half recorded ideas" as in you don't know what to add to the songs themselves. If its the first one, perhaps songwriting isn't your strong suit. Work with others in the band to complete them. If it's the second, simply record yourself "live." You're going to sound like what you sound like.

The key is to figure out what you sound like and figure out a way that best suits that sound. What kind of recording technique compliments it. If you're trying to construct a sound in studio ... you're going to be in there the rest of your life.

We went in with such a clear understanding of the band, the songs, where to record, etc., that the act of it was easy. The mixing is the hardest part, as there are so many ways you can take it. But, again, that's about focusing on how to best build on why your audience comes to see you.

Oh ... and set a release date. Seriously ... it helps.

Oh its neither actually...its the reason that Im writing and recording all the parts....and I program the drums part by part thast realy the most painful part.....so recording a verse takes a lot of time because I have to do all instruments....if it was just guitars it would have been a lot easier i guess...what i mean by half recorded ideas...i write a riff i like...and i write on the guitar....then i compose drums and keys and synths on the computer...and then compose bass and record it...doing all this takes a looong time just for a verse....

I think Im gonna have to set some sort of deadline for sure

[Sid]

songwriting and recording for me, are better left separate entities. The song is done (written and arranged) before the recording. I have tried to start recording incomplete ideas and the results are always disappointing.

I will say, when I get a song going in my head that I really like, it becomes a little obsessive. I'm working on it while driving, going to sleep, or walking the dog...every waking spare moment. I may pick up a guitar during that process, but it is usually only to confirm things I "hear" in my head.

this might be one of the main reasons...my recording and composing overlap for instruments apart from guitar

[RocksOff]

You either have to have it all together before you start, or you have to let it all go and just let it sound what it sounds like. You can't sculpt an albums sound if you don't have all the music.

[jmcerlain]

I did it live in the studio. I'd then add overdubs when needed to fill it out. Basically solo wise, what was played live is what it on the cd. I tried to do the cd and overdub the solos, never happened and I wasted a lot of time and money. For what I do, this was the best way. I also think I sound best in that situation. Too much time to think about stuff kills me as a player.

That said , I haven't had the time to think about a new record. It is very demanding. But, I am planning a blues cd, live in the studio.

I isolate the guitar so I can punch a bum note if needed, but I will often keep warts and all.

Now if you are recording Sgt. Pepper, Darkside, Darkness on the Edge of Town, OK Computer, etc. That's a different approach, but I still will always try to do the basics live and keep as much as i can.

[tweedster]

I wrote 10 songs first. I made sure that I didn't overplay my hand in any songs - I kept all the songs under 4 minutes, and generally they ran 3:05-3:20. Cut out any weak parts. Recorded it at home. It took about 1 year. At the end I sent it out for mastering and the mastering engineer said it sounds like you mixed on NS-10's in a small room sitting about 5 inches from the computer screen. The bass end was all screwed up because I was sitting in a node. He recommended I remix using sennheiser hd-600 phones. I did and I learned how to mix the frequencies below 180 Hz. I did the remix over 2 weeks, and learned how to pace myself and recognize ear fatigue. I burned myself out over the last 2 months. I was working a regular job, and mixing (and mixing and mixing) for 3-5 hours a night, sleeping about 3 hours a night. It was hell, but the results were good, and I learned how to produce, mix, and get a finshed product. I wore almost all the hats in the process. I had a friend who helped me produce. He would listen to songs, tell me where I was boring, where the vocals sucked, where the guitar was "great if I wanted a gig as a guitar teacher" but sucked to listen to. He was brutal, and his comments stung because they were true. I became a singer out of the process too. If I would have had someone with me at the console regularly, it would have cut the time down by about 1000%. Instead I'd play my friend the product in it's various stages, and he'd rip it apart. It got to the point that I wouldn't tell him "where the bodies were buried" in the mix or song, and just play the song without any introduction. If he couldn't pick up what I saw as flaws, I knew it was good. Flash forward to the second project, 2 years later. I cranked out a song a week for 5 weeks. Didn't need the friend any more. Played it for him and knocked his socks off. So to the OP, you just do it,and it takes as long as it takes. If someone is working with you, who knows what he is doing, it will be efficient. Otherwise you're going to school, and will hit blind alleys, but perseverance and discipline will see you through. Amazing how much work it takes for 3 minutes of music.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent - Calvin Coolidge

[Powerpopfan]

Are you entering in drum hits one-by-one? Maybe if you streamlined that process everything would move faster. When I'm doing my demos at home, and I have everything else kind of thought out, I sometimes use drum sample discs like Betamonkey or Drums on Demand. You can audition patterns that are at appropriate BPM's. Sometimes these companies arrange patterns in song sets by "verse" or "chorus" with fills and everything. The same thing is available in midi. What you lose in total control of the parts (and they can be edited) you may make up in time. Occasionally I find something even better than what I was thinking. Actually, loop discs can help inspire writing too. It's like jamming with a drummer that doesn't get his feelings hurt when you tell him something sucks.

[Bryan T]

How did you guys get the discipline to finish it up

For every CD I've put out, I honestly believed that people would want to hear it. If you don't have that belief, then I don't know what to tell you. :dunno

[Bluzeboy]

Work with a producer.

Best advice in this thread..

As many have pointed out in these days of home studios, free studio access and time there is no "end point" for a lot of people.

The last Cd I made the producer said "enough.. it's what it is time to release it". I on the other hand could have gone on for years with "clean up", overdubs, etc..

[tweedster]

It's like jamming with a drummer that doesn't get his feelings hurt when you tell him something sucks.

That's why you never use friends to record for free. Pay them, and then it's your's to do with what you want. Otherwise you lose the friend.

[pickaguitar]

I don't know...my friends can handle the 'you suck' stuff. They are always spreading that love around

[Stevil]

as others have said. work with someone whose ear you trust.

make a chart with all your songs tracking their level of doneness - written - arranged - recorded - mixed - mastered.
then fix what’s missing. one step @ a time.

having a theme/overall vision helps wrap things up. They stop being a pile of unfinished tracks & become a diamond in the rough work in progress to chisel away at & polish.

finally, in my experience it's never "perfect". there are always things you could go back & do better. i see records as a learning process & a buoy of frequency marking a time & where i've been. if it sounds good but not “perfect” don’t feel you have to scrap the song & start over, take that experience to the next track & exercise that knowledge there. keeps the whole thing in motion rather than stagnating on some unattainable concept of perfection.

[fjrabon]

That's why you never use friends to record for free. Pay them, and then it's your's to do with what you want. Otherwise you lose the friend.

depends on the person and the situation. We all kind of write and work together, so we all know if a guy is riding you about a part, its cool, you've done it too. We are also all kinda good at knowing how to diffuse stuff when things get tense. What happens in the studio stays in the studio, and even further than that, what happens on one take stays on that take.

I've had blow up arguments over one tune, then we switch over to another and we are totally 100% in sync and complimenting each other.

[Sid]

Are you entering in drum hits one-by-one? Maybe if you streamlined that process everything would move faster. When I'm doing my demos at home, and I have everything else kind of thought out, I sometimes use drum sample discs like Betamonkey or Drums on Demand. You can audition patterns that are at appropriate BPM's. Sometimes these companies arrange patterns in song sets by "verse" or "chorus" with fills and everything. The same thing is available in midi. What you lose in total control of the parts (and they can be edited) you may make up in time. Occasionally I find something even better than what I was thinking. Actually, loop discs can help inspire writing too. It's like jamming with a drummer that doesn't get his feelings hurt when you tell him something sucks.

Well, Im currently recording some prog metal, so lotsa odd time sigs, polyrhythms etc....so I found loops not working well for me, however I use a MIDI keyboard to lay down the kick snare patter and then lay the hat pattern...and then manually adjust things.....

I know that the guys at Odd Grooves will play a kickass custom drum track at 89$, but I just dont have the sorta money to get 10 songs recorded...

[Sid]

For every CD I've put out, I honestly believed that people would want to hear it. If you don't have that belief, then I don't know what to tell you. :dunno

Oh I definitely have that belief.....I think my music is special...because its special to me....

that being said...having never released something before...there is the need to impress....but im working on throwing that outta the window and being true to the music

[Sid]

as others have said. work with someone whose ear you trust.

make a chart with all your songs tracking their level of doneness - written - arranged - recorded - mixed - mastered.
then fix what’s missing. one step @ a time.

having a theme/overall vision helps wrap things up. They stop being a pile of unfinished tracks & become a diamond in the rough work in progress to chisel away at & polish.

finally, in my experience it's never "perfect". there are always things you could go back & do better. i see records as a learning process & a buoy of frequency marking a time & where i've been. if it sounds good but not “perfect” don’t feel you have to scrap the song & start over, take that experience to the next track & exercise that knowledge there. keeps the whole thing in motion rather than stagnating on some unattainable concept of perfection.

This seems to be exactly what I need to do .... now all i need is the ears i trust thing....Ive found that getting a friend to help can get a bit tiresome....I need someone neutral....friends tend to superimpose their own musical beliefs on an idea.....so rather than someone i trust...i need someone with similar thinking.....producer would be ideal.....

With all the advice here.....I guess this is what I will do

Create the aforementioned chart to track progress....set deadlines and work towards them....programming drums is what takes time for me...so if im running out of time, im gonna keep 2-3 songs which i can get the custom drums for to save myself time.....

Im still on the line about the producer thing....prog metal tends to get obscure....I dont want to compromise on the ideas because of this....for eg..i wrote an 11 minute track.....chances are that would get cut....whihc i dont want realy:nono

[mikefair]

Oh I definitely have that belief.....I think my music is special...because its special to me....

that being said...having never released something before...there is the need to impress....but im working on throwing that outta the window and being true to the music

You just said it! Maybe your own music doesn't speak to you. Maybe it isn't something you would listen to by choice. I hope I'm not sounding harsh. I think I was there. I knew I was going to write songs. I tried and they sucked. In the end the acid test was this: Do I like it?

I mean think about it. You probably have pretty good taste in music. You know good from bad. Write songs that knock you out and present them in a style you feel really comfortable doing.

[Stevil]

I dont want to compromise on the ideas because of this....for eg..i wrote an 11 minute track.....chances are that would get cut....whihc i dont want realy:nono

i went thru similar phases with my last batch of tracks. there were a couple rediculously long tracks i couldnt bring myself to cut, instrumental jams i couldnt write lyrics for.

i stumbled on some old Pink Floyd records (Obscured by Clouds & Animals really hit me) that would have a radio friendly track, an instrumental bit, a weird noise drone, a 15 minute long track & over the course of the album it all worked. if the song is 11 minutes long & works, let it be 11 minutes long, not an unheard of length for 'prog metal'. if you're writing an "album" they dont all have to be 3 minute radio friendly unit shifters. if it doesnt work, maybe it needs to age a bit & put that one on the back burner for a later release.

good luck!

[Sid]

You just said it! Maybe your own music doesn't speak to you. Maybe it isn't something you would listen to by choice. I hope I'm not sounding harsh. I think I was there. I knew I was going to write songs. I tried and they sucked. In the end the acid test was this: Do I like it?

I mean think about it. You probably have pretty good taste in music. You know good from bad. Write songs that knock you out and present them in a style you feel really comfortable doing.

I think there is a miscommunication somewhere...I love my songs....its my version of how music in that genre should sound like.....it speaks to me more than any artist ever has.....

its realy more of a i have all the music .... recording it is taking time and with everything else in life...my procrastination skills being foremost...i couldnt get things done

[Sid]

i went thru similar phases with my last batch of tracks. there were a couple rediculously long tracks i couldnt bring myself to cut, instrumental jams i couldnt write lyrics for.

i stumbled on some old Pink Floyd records (Obscured by Clouds & Animals really hit me) that would have a radio friendly track, an instrumental bit, a weird noise drone, a 15 minute long track & over the course of the album it all worked. if the song is 11 minutes long & works, let it be 11 minutes long, not an unheard of length for 'prog metal'. if you're writing an "album" they dont all have to be 3 minute radio friendly unit shifters. if it doesnt work, maybe it needs to age a bit & put that one on the back burner for a later release.

good luck!
my thoughts exactly....if it fits it fits... just that by the time im done recordnig 3 minutes of all instruments on an 11 minute track.....im exhausted....but like everything else in life once u get older.....i just need discipline....thats whats come out most clearly through this thread.....recording a song isnt just about having a brilliant idea or concept....its really about the execution.....

agenda for today....change strings....put down a todo for this week and a general timeline.....

[tweedster]

When I'm wearing all the hats (writer/studio tech/recording engineer/"talent"/mixer/etc.) I keep it short. There's too much going on, and too much for me to do, to keep it all tight. punchy, and interesting. It doesn't have to be clams that screw it up - lack of focus is enough to really mediocritize a performance on tape. 2 seconds of weakness in a track cancels out about 45 seconds of music. One bad clam = 1000 killer notes. I like it tight and to the point, unless there's a team (and or band) with me, so I can let go a bit and let someone else worry about getting a great tone on tape. etc.

[neville5000]

I'm pretty on top of things with my own music. Everything is written and arranged ahead of the studio date(s) and ready to roll whether my band is in there or just myself and the engineer. I take care of all the production responsibilities, which is a lot depending on what instruments you play and what instruments you want on the record. My newest record is bogged down in mixes because I'm shoestringing a budget together; then mastering, and then pressing. :jo I have a long way to go. :worried

I'm playing drums for a cat that has no idea what he'll be recording 10 minutes prior to the sessions and it's driving me crazy. Lucky for him he has someone financing his project, but a lot of money gets wasted. :facepalm

I'm also playing drums for a project that I can't wait to get into the studio; well rehearsed, great songs, good work ethic, etc. . . I'm sure my producing abilities will be tapped for it, which I like. I love doing studio work.

That was long winded. Short answer to OP: hire a producer. Your problem is why their job exists.

[larimar]

Cool thread!

[frankencat]

We are finishing up a new album right now that we have been working on for about 16 months. It's 11 songs and we had about half of them fully realized before going in. I wrote 80% of the songs, some of them still in progress when we started. We recorded those songs, overdubs etc, and then took a break to get the other songs together and went in and recorded those. We are at the end of the mix process right now. The reason it is taking so long is that we only get about two days a month to work in the studio so it's been like a year of Saturdays, lol. Realistically I think we could have had the whole thing done in 2 weeks if we were able to work straight through. We got a heck of a deal and are blessed to work with someone who is just a phenominal engineer, player and producer who is also working with some big name folks at the same time so we are glad to take what we can get. It is VERY hard to stay focused working this way and besides my part as an artist/musician, I am the producer and the guy who has to keep things moving forward. I just try to discipline myself to take notes, etc to make make sure I know where we left off, what we have to do, which versions of things we are working on etc. It's a job but it's a labor of love. :)

[aliensporebomb]

One of the things I had to temper was the fact that my music was a predominantly instrumental guitar album but I wanted it to be able to be listenable by non-musicians.

So I had to pare back the "weedlyness" and try to go for sort of soulful melodic things that you could sing as opposed to going "wow, weedly". There's one or two things that have a lot of notes but a lot of it is not "notey" like I would have been earlier on.

I also wanted it to have a cinematic soundtrack type feel as opposed to "rock and roll guitar album" and I think I succeeded.

When I employed drum loops there was also me playing fills and cymbal crashes and odd-meter counterpoint using digital pads. There's only a couple things that are pure beatbox.
If I had kit drums here I would have played them since I was originally a drummer after all.

And I had the basses and keyboards all set up for this project too. The synthesizer programming took a ton of time, lots of custom programs with layering and the bass would sometimes be doubled
with synth bass and then I would sometimes mix it so you couldn't quite tell if it was a synth bass or a real bass but a hybrid of the two.

The next one will take less than half the time.

[Dexter.Sinister]

I make lists, chart progress, reassign priorities and account for every penny spent and every hour of work performed. Keeps me focused on the final unit.

For projects in which I am at the helm, money and available time become the rate-limiting parts. In the current band, from pre-recording prep and rehearsal to duplicating CDs and arranging digital distribution took four months. That seems about average for me over the last 30 years.

DS

[mcknigs]

I wrote a sh*tload of songs for about 15 years. I recorded demos of them with half-decent analog gear that was available at the time. I wasn't thinking of making a record. I occasionally collected some songs and made cassettes of the collection for a few friends. Eventually one of my friends pulled together some money and put 45 of his favorite songs on a double CD that he sold through his (very small) record company. That's how I ended up with a solo CD. I'm not sure that there's a lesson here for the OP. Maybe "don't think full CD, think one song at a time, then when you have a bunch of songs, pick some and put out a CD."

Good luck,
-Scott

[indravayu]

When my band was going strong in the early-mid '00's, it was easy to get an album done - we just rehearsed for a couple months, recorded at home or in a studio over the course of a few weeks, and then I spent a few more weeks mixing everything myself, with occasional input from the other band members. We'd then send it off to a mastering engineer and CD duplicators and announce our release party to our fans.

Now that I am older and a "solo artist", it's a little more difficult to get an album done - I have been working on an EP for over three years now, because I have no deadlines, no bandmates bugging me about when the album will be done, and with certain changes in my life over the past several years, I find that I have less and less time to devote to recording.

If you are working on your own, without a band, it's very important to set deadlines for yourself and to not get too precious with your recordings. I know that I have a tendency to be overly critical of my playing when recording and will sometimes redo parts literally dozens of times to get it just right - but this can be a bad practice and lead to near endless delays - and to what end? Will your audience really be able to tell the difference with your perfectionism? It's easy to lose the original vibe and intent of a song/album this way. Think of Axl Rose and his disastrous Chinese Democracy album.

[nocoJack]

Producer
Lists/Charts
Manage the rest of the group (or parties involved) towards a completion date