The Source
Last summer I read Outliers (The Story Of Success) by Malcolm Gladwell. Don’t get nervous, Outliers isn’t a self-help book nor is this a self-help essay. Gladwell’s book is an engaging dissertation on success outcomes and the mechanics of ambition vs. the notion of destiny. You see, in anything we do, there are different failures and successes in the designs and eventual outcome of our intent. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about music, painting, construction, love or investment banking.
What stuck out to me the most from Outliers was the concept of “good enough.” Yeah, that concept is often viewed as the harbinger of mediocrity in the studio or during the creative process. Our heroes inspire us to not only shoot for the moon. So much of music is the cinematic impression that the whole gives - all the parts purring like an engine, creating that hum of power and movement. Simple or complex, happy or sad; what we aim for is emotional weather. But sometimes we get caught up in details that have nothing to do with the overall feel of a song or track. We start twiddling knobs and messing with effects and inserting reverbs and on and on and on. These travels into the unknown can be useful adventures leading to discovery. Or, they can be diversions because somewhere in there you know that at some point you lost or obscured The Source. But the concept of “good enough” offers a freedom that I’ve found indespensible in the studio. It’s not a cop-out but an important sensory philosophy when recording because is there really a difference between a “good guitar track” and a “great one” when the performance is directly informed by the source?
What’s the source? The source is that thing, the lightening strike or sudden inspiration that leads you from an idea to something as real as a song or hook or chorus or beat or sonic emotionalism. We live in a time where technology affords most of us the ability to capture the source on “tape” the moment it arrives. Once the source is captured, more often than not it can be tweaked to be sonically “good enough.” How amazing then that our music can be infused with and by the initial excitement. It’s something we should be protective of, and it’s important to understand that that initial excitement is fundamental to the character of what we create and how listeners experience it.
Last May I hunkered down to record a fully realized record at home alone. What inspired me to do this wasn’t an ego trip or final push for absolute control. This is my 12th record, and I was motivated by the notion of the source. I can’t even begin to express how rewarding it’s been to work this way. Personally, I love the work of Brian Eno and the mixes of Tchad Blake and Flood (and so many musicians, producers and engineers). It can be daunting to be inspired by such experts and icons. But it’s been this philosophy of honoring The Source and presenting it to the best of my abilities that’s allowed me a real freedom to create.
September 6th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Just listening to the first submission in your series has helped me. I don’t k ow what’s coming next, but can’t wait to find out as I’ve been a victim of ” not good enough”. Write on! I’ll be listening.
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