Recording tape loops on a small mixer
Most of the record was tracked in the spare room with the window open. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out.
Odds and ends
I recorded the birds by accident and kept them in the mix. Small, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. For a long time I treated synthesizers as an afterthought.
A condenser microphone helps, but it is not the point. Limitations make decisions for you, and that is a gift. The small things matter less than the practice of paying attention. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. This is less a primer and more a record of what worked for me.
The trick, if there is one, is to leave plenty of room for slip-ups.
Small things
Tape adds just plenty of unpredictability to keep things alive. Between sampling and arranging, the second one taught me more. I attempted the hushed version first. It did not last.
I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Good mixing is mostly a series of small, unglamorous decisions. Mixing tired is how good songs get ruined. I like field recordings that shows the marks of how it was made. I keep coming back to piano sketches, mostly because it rewards a steady hand.
- Do less writing on piano, more mixing late at night
- Do less mixing late at night, more arranging
- Leave room for warm mistakes
It took me ten attempts to see the pattern. It is easy to overthink mixing late at night. It is harder to just start. I keep a short list of things to try next; finishing songs is near the top.