Are we loseing too much of ourself in the studio to achieve perfection?

[gecko zzed]

Without revealing clients names....do you get a lot of those kind in the project/commercial recording scene like yours?

I often wondered where the talent percentage split was generally speaking in te majority of smaller project/commercial situations. Do you get like seven lousy wannabe artists for every three really good recording projects, or do most sound at least decent with only the occasional clunker?

One of my own reservations in opening the doors, so to speak, to outside recording was not wanting to deal with twenty awful garage bands for every 2-3 decent acts. Do you have days when you wish you were somewhere else in the middle of any sessions because the "artists" suck that bad?
Or...do you just pick projects that you know will be enjoyable to do?

I am by no means a commercial studio, and most of the people who come to be recorded are those who are doing it for fun or want to make a demo, or similar reasons. Because I am not dependent on it as a business, I have some freedom to pick and choose, and I tend to pick and choose according to (a) whether I can manage the complexity of the recording and (b) whether I can cope with the music to be recorded.

For all that freedom of choice, I still get a variety of skills and abilities walking through the door. Some are exceptionally talented, some are just fine, and others have their distinctly unmusical quirks. Nevertheless, for all their diverse talents, they all deserve, and get, my full attention. I endeavour to do the best possible job I can for them. As Greg L so eloquently puts it: "If you're accepting money to record/mix a band, just STFU and do it".

But as for judging? I'm of the "It is what it is" school, and I don't really care whether they are ok or not . . . unless they ask. And if they ask, then I'll be as constructive as I can. But I'm not going to tell them lies just to make them feel good.

 

[miroslav]

It's good that you do have that freedom of choice. I wasn't sure how much outside work you did, so that's why I asked.
Since it's not a biz that you need to survive off of, that alone makes a world of difference in what projects you take on, and how you are going to feel about them.

In my area there are a couple of smaller studios, but they are full-tilt commercial...it's all about booking time and billing by the hour, so there is certainly that "STFU and just do it"...but there are also a couple of studios along the lines of how you're doing it, and it's more about choosing projects that fit a preferred style and area of interest.

I've heard some tracks that people have down in both environments...and it seems the latter always produces a more "cared for" product....at least that's how it sounded to me and how the people related their experiences in each type of studio environment, though I'm sure it's not always like that in either case.