Song Craft - Random Musings
April 25, 2008 Filed in: Songwriting
Thoughts on criticism,
4-tracking, and song craft.
The best criticism I’ve
ever received about my songwriting was given to me
about four years ago. I was just about to release my
new EP, Gravity Affects
Me. It had
just gotten out of mastering, slick, primed, and
ready for replication. I let a few of my friends
listen to it, just to see what people thought. One of
my friend’s friends, Lex, (not someone in my circle,
but someone in the degree-of-separation) didn’t like
it. He said, “it’s OK, but it sounds like he needs to
spend some time with a 4-track.”
A 4-track is a primitive recording platform that, up until about ten years ago, used to run on cassette tapes. The recording head reversed the B-side of a cassette and recorded to all four available tracks on a standard “tape.” In the late 90’s, digital four, eight, and sixteen track digital recorders generally replaced the “4 track” as a song demonstration recorder.
I used to shun negative criticism. I remember carrying that critique around with me for a while. It was hard to shake-off. I mean, who did this guy think he was? “I’m Mike Garrigan. I’ve had a publishing deal and a record deal. I failed in those accolades, but I know what I’m doing,” I’d say to myself. The arrogance of my own self-talk is astounding, sometimes.
It wasn’t until recently that I fully understood what Lex was getting at. I never really followed up with Lex, so I don’t know what the aim of his comment truly was. But, what I can take away from it is that, sometimes, gems in the rough reveal more than they do when they are polished.
To my credit, I made at least one, if not two or three, “rough” demos of all of the songs on Gravity Affects Me. “Another Day in Paradise” was built in Pro Tools with a loop and piano riff—that loop and piano riff was later abandoned. “Walk in Circles” was recorded in three different keys and tempos before deciding on the final version. “Gravity Affects Me” was recorded on a 1-track, 4-track, with Collapsis, and then finally in the way Athenaeum had been performing it throughout 2003. “Run from Thunder” had two or three incarnations, including a live-board tape from a 2002 acoustic show.
I recently purchased a Zoom H4 for a podcasting interface. Included in the H4 is a multi-track recorder. It behaves just like a primitive, early digital four-track. It’s a about an eighth of the size of one of those things, but it harkens back to an earlier time. What I noticed immediately about working with the H4 is that, in order to get a song sounding good, it has to be good to begin with. There’s very little to dress it up with. No auto-tune. No deciding on effects during mixdown. It’s a “just go for it and see what you have” kind of platform. As a result, it leaves very little room for what we call “turd polishing.”
To credit Lex, there is certainly something magical about working with a 4-track. It limits the quantity of ideas that can be present in an initial idea. It forces the melody to the front. It requires the song to carry itself before any kind of “riff,” “tone,” or “groove” can be mistaken as what matters. It’s always the melody and the lyric. Always.
It’s a little funny to me to work with primitive pre-amps, a little stereo mic, and pre-made guitar effects. I’m used to the pristine quality of Pro Tools, class A pre’s, and slick microphones. What’s nice is when I record a song into this little, handheld thing and the song works. When it does, I know I can build on the idea in Pro Tools and it won’t be a “turd fest.” When the idea doesn’t work on the 4-track, it’s a sign. One of two options is available: change course or abandon ship.
In addition to 4-track recording, I also think pure live recordings are a great way to test out the strength of a song. If it works live, it will work in the studio. So many times, I’ve gotten in over my head in a recording situation to the point where recreating the song live would be a real challenge, even if a band is present for the show. That’s not to say getting in over your head in the studio is a bad thing; it can be fun. I think the next decade of relevant recordings will be based in some kind of realism. What will make the next generation of artists great is an ability to perform in a live setting. So, why not make recordings that are believable?
So, before you begin your next elaborate recording session (either in your own home setting or in a professional studio), I’d encourage you to do two things. First, play the material in a “live” setting. Even if you are bringing in session musicians for a “band style” recording, it’s always good to have a real comprehension of the material you are recording. If you don’t play out live, record the song into your cell phone. Get a Zoom recorder and hear what the song sounds like when you play it. Second, work with a 4-track. The Zoom H4 is a great tool. Or, if you have a digital program, record your song with limited tracks. Allow yourself only 4, for example. Ask yourself, “Does this work?”
I’ve been applying the 4-track treatment retroactively to some new songs that had gotten out of control. The problem with digital recording is that, more often than not, one uses too many tracks. The 4-track helped me boil some new ideas to their essences.
So, if you can enjoy a song with just a 4-track representation, you have a song you can develop. I think that was what Lex was getting at all those years ago. That, or, he was just being a jerk. All criticism is valid. Criticism that makes us angry should be heeded with the utmost care. After all, if a critique makes us upset, there must be something to it.
A 4-track is a primitive recording platform that, up until about ten years ago, used to run on cassette tapes. The recording head reversed the B-side of a cassette and recorded to all four available tracks on a standard “tape.” In the late 90’s, digital four, eight, and sixteen track digital recorders generally replaced the “4 track” as a song demonstration recorder.
I used to shun negative criticism. I remember carrying that critique around with me for a while. It was hard to shake-off. I mean, who did this guy think he was? “I’m Mike Garrigan. I’ve had a publishing deal and a record deal. I failed in those accolades, but I know what I’m doing,” I’d say to myself. The arrogance of my own self-talk is astounding, sometimes.
It wasn’t until recently that I fully understood what Lex was getting at. I never really followed up with Lex, so I don’t know what the aim of his comment truly was. But, what I can take away from it is that, sometimes, gems in the rough reveal more than they do when they are polished.
To my credit, I made at least one, if not two or three, “rough” demos of all of the songs on Gravity Affects Me. “Another Day in Paradise” was built in Pro Tools with a loop and piano riff—that loop and piano riff was later abandoned. “Walk in Circles” was recorded in three different keys and tempos before deciding on the final version. “Gravity Affects Me” was recorded on a 1-track, 4-track, with Collapsis, and then finally in the way Athenaeum had been performing it throughout 2003. “Run from Thunder” had two or three incarnations, including a live-board tape from a 2002 acoustic show.
I recently purchased a Zoom H4 for a podcasting interface. Included in the H4 is a multi-track recorder. It behaves just like a primitive, early digital four-track. It’s a about an eighth of the size of one of those things, but it harkens back to an earlier time. What I noticed immediately about working with the H4 is that, in order to get a song sounding good, it has to be good to begin with. There’s very little to dress it up with. No auto-tune. No deciding on effects during mixdown. It’s a “just go for it and see what you have” kind of platform. As a result, it leaves very little room for what we call “turd polishing.”
To credit Lex, there is certainly something magical about working with a 4-track. It limits the quantity of ideas that can be present in an initial idea. It forces the melody to the front. It requires the song to carry itself before any kind of “riff,” “tone,” or “groove” can be mistaken as what matters. It’s always the melody and the lyric. Always.
It’s a little funny to me to work with primitive pre-amps, a little stereo mic, and pre-made guitar effects. I’m used to the pristine quality of Pro Tools, class A pre’s, and slick microphones. What’s nice is when I record a song into this little, handheld thing and the song works. When it does, I know I can build on the idea in Pro Tools and it won’t be a “turd fest.” When the idea doesn’t work on the 4-track, it’s a sign. One of two options is available: change course or abandon ship.
In addition to 4-track recording, I also think pure live recordings are a great way to test out the strength of a song. If it works live, it will work in the studio. So many times, I’ve gotten in over my head in a recording situation to the point where recreating the song live would be a real challenge, even if a band is present for the show. That’s not to say getting in over your head in the studio is a bad thing; it can be fun. I think the next decade of relevant recordings will be based in some kind of realism. What will make the next generation of artists great is an ability to perform in a live setting. So, why not make recordings that are believable?
So, before you begin your next elaborate recording session (either in your own home setting or in a professional studio), I’d encourage you to do two things. First, play the material in a “live” setting. Even if you are bringing in session musicians for a “band style” recording, it’s always good to have a real comprehension of the material you are recording. If you don’t play out live, record the song into your cell phone. Get a Zoom recorder and hear what the song sounds like when you play it. Second, work with a 4-track. The Zoom H4 is a great tool. Or, if you have a digital program, record your song with limited tracks. Allow yourself only 4, for example. Ask yourself, “Does this work?”
I’ve been applying the 4-track treatment retroactively to some new songs that had gotten out of control. The problem with digital recording is that, more often than not, one uses too many tracks. The 4-track helped me boil some new ideas to their essences.
So, if you can enjoy a song with just a 4-track representation, you have a song you can develop. I think that was what Lex was getting at all those years ago. That, or, he was just being a jerk. All criticism is valid. Criticism that makes us angry should be heeded with the utmost care. After all, if a critique makes us upset, there must be something to it.