What do you feel as a project draws to a close?

[GregB]

Hi.  I've just finished a project (which I'll post once the admin is done). 

 

Probably due to the increasing gap between projects as my creativity slows down, and as the prospect of new projects becomes increasingly distant, I've become more aware of the range of emotions I've been experiencing during the process.

 

The early sessions are marked by a sense of adventure and curiosity regarding the many available option and pathways.  The early and middle sections are always very industrious and productive ... big thoughts about alternative sounds/approaches, big decisions, big changes of direction, etc..   This construction and moulding is exciting and very rewarding.  And then ...

 

... and then, the finishing line suddenly appears.  But like those weird focus-pulling tricks, it keeps on remaining just out of touch due to the constant whack-a-mole of things which pop up on each re-listen.  Fix one, another reveals itself, in a seemingly never ending cycle.  However, I HAVE learned to trust myself that I WON'T get used to the problems and simply accept them ... if I'm still uneasy after a listen through, then SOMETHING is WRONG and needs fixing.  Sometimes I can't even identify it and I have to listen through multiple times, each time focusing on one specific audio element.  This repetition and concentration sometimes WITHOUT the reward of satisfaction is really energy-sapping. 

 

Perhaps professionals don't make such mistakes at the outset, or have a workflow that identifies such problems BEFORE they get buried in the arrangement/mix.  Perhaps they have better ways, experience, and listening skills, to identify problems if they've occurred.  Perhaps due to the pressures of clients, time and money, they just have to disguise some problems rather than fix them.    I suppose that is the true benefit of being an amateur ... 'unlimited' time and no commercial pressures.

 

So I bounce the track yet again and close the computer and revert to normal life.  I listen on headphones/buds/hifi and make written notes which I can apply next time I revisit the DAW.  I think this final phase between 'I think it's done' and 'yes, it's definitely done' was about 20 DAW sessions.  This last phase causes me a strange 'savouring the moment' of reaching the goal yet tinged with sadness that the project is now winding down and the impending goodbye to a friendship forged in the fires of battle.   Each of these final sessions was approx an hour and the list of required fixes progressively got smaller. The last session required just one fix. 

 

And then, suddenly, it all seems good.  I turn the self-critical dial up to 11 in case I'm fooling myself.  From a good opening to a solid close, does it keep my interest all the way through?  YES! ... amazing in itself after I've heard it SO MANY TIMES already!  True, it is music I LIKE probably because it resonates with the mind and soul from which it arose.  But, oh, the sweet relief of knowing I never have to open that damn session file again

 

What of your own mental and emotional journey through a project?

 

Greg

 

 

[Glammerocity]

I can relate. I leave a new mashup for a few days, because I know there'll be something I notice I want to fix, which also includes the video. It's easy to miss details when you're vibing on ideas but I'm pretty good at deciding it's finished, because it's something I've been aware of for years and true of every musician I've known: It's never perfect. There are still some I'd redo if I could be bothered and yet one of those I can't even listen to myself anymore received a glowing comment just yesterday. We're the worst judges of ourselves.

 

I often refer to Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Hardy wrote that Tess had the classical beauty of a Greek statue apart from her lips, which were a little too full, but this imperfection made her even more beautiful. I was listening to a track from Billy Cobham's Spectrum album on YouTube recently and a commenter pointed out Tommy Bolin breaks a string but keeps right on soloing. I've had this album since the 70s but never noticed the imperfection. How many of us would've just stopped the session to change the string?