Quitting

  • Thread starter Thread starter brendandwyer
  • Start date Start date

Have you ever wanted to sell all your gear and quit recording

  • Yes

    Votes: 165 39.1%

  • No

    Votes: 257 60.9%
  • Total voters
    422
TL, i agree, i sometimes get too into recording and the trickery of it that i find 2 months gone by and i haven't written a song. It's definately a balance.
 
brendandwyer said:
But sometimes "mistakes" end up being more interesting than the plan.
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IV-I

I did a lot of work with a producer named "Jimmy Miller" in the mid-late 80's/early 90's. Jimmy was best known for some of his earlier work with the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Motorhead, and a few others. I first met him when working on the Johnny Thunders "In Cold Blood" record.

One of the many things I learned from "Mr. Jimmy" [besides that you can't always get what you want] is that there are two parallel universes in recorded music. Greatness, and Perfection. Greatness occurs. The bitch being that you have to recognize it when it does.

Perfection is well... easier to attain than greatness. Sometimes these two parallel universes may touch and you get "greatness and perfection" at the same time... but given the choice, aim for greatness.

Of course, Your Mileage May Vary.


It's folks who never finish a single project because they keep retracking everything over and over again because it's not *perfect.
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I have a friend who has recorded the same song I don't know how many times. I know I've engineered at least 4 attempts. Did basics for yet another try at it just a couple of weeks ago. Same song, same arrangement, slightly different feels [from different days, and different players with varying degrees of boredom/frustration of tracking the same damn song over and over and over again].

It's almost a source of comedy at this point to many of the people who've been on more than 3 rounds of it [I know of at least 2 tries beside the one's I've worked on... and I'm sure there are more than that].

At some point the brother will find what he's looking for in the song. He definitely has a vision of the song as he has never released any of the versions he's recorded to this point [and has released quite a bit of product over the years]... but so far, he's the only one who is "hearing" what he's "hearing" for/from the song... and I have to say that he's a good enough songwriter, arranger, player and singer that we all respect his vision for the song no matter how much we roll our eyes whenever he says it's time to cut yet another version of it. [FWIW, I don't think the last time we cut it was the definitive version as there have been better drummers on other versions... but who the hell knows for sure... I know I don't].
 
I spend 8-12 hours a day wishing cetain people would quit the business. Depends on what tracks Im editing, drums, guitars or vocals...sometimes taken as a whole, I wish the producer would quit, or the engineer

oh ME quit?

In a second, if I could get a meaningful job, like the guy that cleans up trash at national parks, I'd go for that in a second!

Barring that though, cant quit till the current project is done, and the current project renews again before the last one is up
 
Quit? It's too late to stop now.

I just wanna finish something. The most difficult thing for me is deciding on a project. I see it as a huge commitment of time and effort. So far I've gone through probably 20-30 "projects". Working up arrangements, figuring out parts, tracking a bit here and there and then deciding it's not worth completing. I've literally got a pile of really nice gear here, to the point it's almost overwhelming. I'm a self-taught guitarist/ general tinkerer/ 25-year IBEW Inside Wireman by trade. Never kept a dollar past sunset. ;) This is my "hobby". I told the wife I was never gonna be able to afford a Corvette or a girlfriend in an apartment but I can (barely :D ) afford my little bit of heaven here in the living room.

I was also hoping this studio thing would get my kids involved in music, and my 12-year-old is showing interest. But guitar is harder to learn than video-game cheats! Both my boys are really into FLASH cartoons and claymation so I bought them the stuff to do that. I bet I have the only 5th-grader in town learning ActionScript2! Now they want a greenscreen and a 3CCD digital video camera.

Little gearsluts!
 
I think that there are a lot of people around here that are more "bedroom" recorders (like me). And I think that it's easy to get caught up in sonics for home recordings (or what the next good thing would be to buy, needed or not...), and get a bit overwhelmed or discouraged. I've done that plenty of times.

Home recording, to me, isn't about sonics. Well, okay, it is about sonics - but it's more about being able to document a really inspiring idea at any time. Or about being able to explore an idea for as long as you like with different arrangements, etc.

But yeah, I listen to old Dylan records and think, "why should I bother to write music...everyone should just listen to this..."
 
brendandwyer said:
haha, no! I'm posing a question for the sake of asking it. Sometimes, people who are artistically driven feel disenchanted with their art. It's a valid question!

And just because i ask the question doesn't mean that i'm exposing my answer to the poll.
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Sure, I've thought about hanging it up.

My problem is finding local musicians who are into what I'm into.

The thing is, I'm in my late 30's, and most of the guys in my age range just aren't playing anymore - a fact of life. I mean, most of my friends got married, had kids, etc. I did neither. I continued to play music.

I like a type of music that has never really been popular to begin with - I like what could best be described as "Epic" or "Orchestral" Power Metal - bands like Kamelot, Lost Horizon, Nightwish, Blind Guardian, etc.
My bass player and I went through tons of guitarists trying to find a player locally, and it just never happened. This town has no Metal scene - well let me take that back - the Deathmetal bands have a scene but if you're into any kind of "old school" 80's metal, forget it.
So, yeah, I've thought about it numerous times. I haven't even played in the last 3 years. It's just me, a pair of drumsticks, and a drumpad to keep my chops up.

Then I had a change of plans; I started seriously working on my voice, and lifting weights. Once I have myself in the shape I want to be in, I'm going to build a band of younger guys to back me up. :D

And just for shits and grins, I've auditioned for two major (well, signed and with multiple releases in my preferred genre) bands who needed singers - so far I got good responses, but didn't make the cut because I didn't "have the look" (cut my hair off and I'm still carrying a little extra weight) but as soon as the weight is gone, and my hair is back out, you're going to see me doing my thing. :p


Tim
 
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c7sus said:
Quit? It's too late to stop now.

I just wanna finish something. The most difficult thing for me is deciding on a project. I see it as a huge commitment of time and effort. So far I've gone through probably 20-30 "projects". Working up arrangements, figuring out parts, tracking a bit here and there and then deciding it's not worth completing. I've literally got a pile of really nice gear here, to the point it's almost overwhelming. I'm a self-taught guitarist/ general tinkerer/ 25-year IBEW Inside Wireman by trade. Never kept a dollar past sunset. ;) This is my "hobby". I told the wife I was never gonna be able to afford a Corvette or a girlfriend in an apartment but I can (barely :D ) afford my little bit of heaven here in the living room.

I was also hoping this studio thing would get my kids involved in music, and my 12-year-old is showing interest. But guitar is harder to learn than video-game cheats! Both my boys are really into FLASH cartoons and claymation so I bought them the stuff to do that. I bet I have the only 5th-grader in town learning ActionScript2! Now they want a greenscreen and a 3CCD digital video camera.

Little gearsluts!
Click to expand...


I know exactly how you feel about finishing something! We rehearsed 6 months to make a CD, booked studio time at a studio owned by one of Frank Zappa's former engineers, and 2 days before going into record - our guitarist quit. I lost my deposit on the studio time, and at that point, my bass player and I threw in the towel for the time being. That was in 1999, and we never were able to finish that project (and he and I worked on that from 1994 on - it seemed that everyone who ever came in contact with us flaked out over it.) Our old lead singer died in 1998, and he was going to play keys on it, and that set us back emotionally big time - When you're 30, you don't expect one of your closest friends and songwriting partner of 15 years to drop dead from cancer.


Tim
 
I'm sure glad that with all my distractions when I record, I don't have any type of deadlines to work under. For the most part when I get frustrated I just put everything away for a few days and think it over. I would never give it all up. Funny thing is....most of the tunes I've either written or have in my head I've never recorded yet! Once everything gets plugged in and I'm ready to hit "Rec" Something new and fresh hits me, a melody, or beat that I really like, so I just go with it. The older stuff I've written and have been thinking about for months or more, I've way over-thought them or haven't become good enough at recording to even attempt them. I think that is why I have never felt that recording has become futile and worth giving up. I don't want to record anything that is such a stretch that it turns up horrible. I have recorded stuff that when finished, didn't turn out at all like I had "heard" it in my head, but over analyzing can ruin a song too. Not sure if that makes any sense....but the sky in my world is always blue.
 
There are many reasons why someone might want to chuck recording in and sell their gear.

One is the one that started this thread: you become so frustrated at not being able to create what you can hear in your head (or what you hear others doing) that you realise either you just haven't got it, or it's taking so long to get it, that you decide it's better to opt out.

The other is that the political dimension may be contaminating your enjoyment; i.e. you want to record as good as you can, but are plagued by band factions, others' (non-musical) preferences and so on that again you decide life is easier if you opt out.

Another reason (that I don't think anyone's mentioned yet) is that the spark may just die. I started playing and performing when I was sixteen. I never amounted to much, but I enjoyed it immensely. It was only a few years ago when I was not able to imagine a life without performing. In the last few years, though, the appeal of performing has faded, and the idea of not traipsing around the countryside at all hours of the night has a huge attraction.

I have had a long interest in recording, and in recent years have exploited that interest, spending now more time behind a desk than in fornt of it. For the moment, this gives me immense satisfaction. But I can imagine now a time when even the thrill of that will pall.

There doesn't need to be a triggering reason for it. Who knows when the passion goes? An acquaintance was a keen and competent golfer (handicap of around 12). One day she took up bowls, and has not played golf since. These midstream direction changes can take place at any time. Go figure.
 
well said. Change is inevitable, sometimes your interests change and that's ok.
 
i get frustrated and it makes me want to learn more about what I'm doing, hence my reason for being on this board
 
I do music-for-picture work, and I have got extremely p*ssed off with clients wanting me to change/rewrite whole tracks on a nightly basis. I suppose that's what comes with having a day-job and doing music work on the side.

But no, I've never wanted to ditch it all. At the end of the day I could just ditch my clients and write music for my pleasure again...
 
agent you think Man U will catch Chelsea? Yeah, probably not... :(
 
I actually did quit for about 15 years, to pursue an athletic "career"....I really wish I wouldn't have. I suck now more than I did way back when. But, I am having way more fun now, as an old fart, and many musical friends. Now, if I get tired, I just take a break for a week or 2, then I want to play again. Now, instead of selling stuff, I always want to buy more... :D
 
I've only felt like quitting for a moment... kind of like suicidal thoughts -- they don't last (hopefully).

But it wasn’t over recording per se, because I’ve always had a knack for it from the beginning. Usually, my friends felt like quitting when they heard what I was doing with inexpensive semi-pro stuff. They would go out and buy similar stuff and would only produce shit. In fact, everyone that I know with a home studio over the last 20 or so years has quit, except me. (That’s why I’m here talking with you).

What got to me was my own perfectionism and on occasion too many wires, which would drive me crazy. (I did take a hiatus for a few months just to get away from wires and cabling for a while). I found that late at night when I was sleeping all the wires in my studio would come to life like serpents and tangle around each other, so I kept having to untangle these huge masses of wires (picture Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation).

I have smashed things to bits in my younger teen and 20-something days, which is kind of a temporary sort of quitting. I smashed my guitar over a chair once because it kept slipping ever so slightly out of tune. The guitar and the wooden chair became one tangled mass of wood and strings in the process, so I put a nail in the wall and hung it there from one of the strings for a few weeks. People asked, “Hey, what the hell is that on the wall?” I answered, “Art… I’m an artist, you know.” :)

It can be trying at times, but I couldn't quit making/recording music anymore than I could quit laughing or crying... it's just something that's inside.
 
it's cool :) Trying to make a football friend in a recording forum is like, um, well, it's like some sort of analogy that i can't come up with because it's too early and i haven't had my coffee yet.
 
No way. That's not to say I don't get frustrated or discouraged - but I've never wanted to quit. I just want to get better!
 
But what if your in a situation where your not happy with your abilities, and your pretty positive it aint gonna get much better. Like if you have a good reason to substantiate that your not getting any better...not just poor self esteem.
 
Only when I have hassles with getting my gear to function without the mic tube failures, monitor distortion, effects box malfunctions, etc..

Otherwise, no.
 
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