Recording - August 2017 - 4

publisher:

FadeIn
Perfection?
Back in the 1980s, I visited a friend who was engineering in a nice little
two-room facility in a friend's basement. The day I visited, he was working with
a group that was trying to finish its first cassette, a pop release with an equal
measure of guitars and synthesizers (hey, this was the 1980s, right?), and most
of the tracks were played and sung live in the tracking room because that's how
it had to be done at the time.
The band was tight and well rehearsed, the lead singer had acceptable if not
perfect intonation, the instruments were in tune and set up properly... but most
importantly, there was enthusiasm and energy for the material. The lead guitarist,
bassist/second keyboardist, drummer, and rhythm guitarist/lead singer were
primed and ready for action, and it looked at first glance like this was going to
be a blast of a session.... and that's when Mr. Perfect weighed in.
Mr. Perfect was the band's main songwriter, backing vocalist, and keyboardist.
He had a large stack of keyboards, a solid playing style, a good ear, and a
perfectionist streak a mile wide. He was also immovable when he decided
something wasn't good enough. He didn't raise his voice or yell or threaten. He
just shook his head and said that things needed to be fixed.
The first take of the day was rough, and everyone agreed it was rough. The
second take was much better, and everyone agreed that they were getting there.
The third take was truly fantastic, and everyone smiled and nodded. Mr. Perfect
said he wasn't sure about the bridge. Everyone agreed to a fourth take, which
was really good. Mr. Perfect said he wasn't sure about the second verse. The
fifth take was okay. The sixth take was not okay. The seventh take was bad. Mr.
Perfect suggested that the band take a break. Afterward, the eighth, ninth, tenth,
and eleventh takes were no better. Mr. Perfect shrugged and said, "Let's get to
work." That's when the razor blade and splicing tape came out. Punches,
overdubs, comps, edits, with Mr. Perfect standing over the engineer and insisting
on perfection, down to the note.
At the end of it all, the song was played back. Mr. Perfect nodded and left.
The rest of the band looked like they'd been in a car crash. Whatever love there
was for that beautiful song at the start of the day... it was gone. After they'd gone
home, my friend played back the rest of the finished takes. Every single one had
been given the same treatment. They were all perfect. They all stank.
I don't know what happened to the band after that, but I do have a mental image of Mr. Perfect that pops up now and again. In my mind's eye, he's discovered
computers and DAWs, and he has a home studio where instruments can be played
track by track, edited, time-aligned, pitch-corrected, and snapped to grids until
they're perfect. On one level, he's happy as a lark. On another level, he wonders
why no one's deep-down thrilled by his music. What happened?
As you read about how Chris Stapleton nailed his latest hit record while singing
and playing in front of a full band in one room, or how Bruce Kaphan kept the
energy of his latest session from dissipating in a haze of micromanaging, or how
to take the right steps to turn a joyous live concert into a joyous live recording,
remember this: perfection is the enemy of excellence. Strive to be excellent, not
perfect, and the music will reward you tenfold.
Enjoy the issue.

EDITORIAL
Mike Metlay
special projects editor: Lorenz Rychner
technical editor: Paul Vnuk Jr.
editor at large: Beto Hale
copy editor: Diana Smethurst
músico pro editor: Fernando Curiel
editor:

CONTRIBUTORS
Marc Urselli, Paul Vnuk Jr., Bruce Kaphan,
Justin Perkins, Allen Goodman,
Scott Dorsey, Marty Peters
SOCIAL MEDIA
Brent Heintz, Paul Vnuk Jr.
ART & PRODUCTION
Joseph Hawley
production manager: Colin Courtney
web goalie: Colin Courtney
creative director:

PLAYBACK PLATINUM SERIES
Lorenz Rychner

editor/producer:

CIRCULATION
Tiffany Sepe

circulation manager:

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING
director: Brent Heintz
classifieds manager: Colin Courtney
ADMINISTRATION
Thomas Hawley

accounts receivable:

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Thomas Hawley
vice president: Brent Heintz
president:

SUBSCRIPTIONS/ADDRESS CHANGES:
1-800-783-4903
ADVERTISING/CLASSIFIEDS/MAIN OFFICE:
(303) 516-9118
RECORDING MAGAZINE
(ISSN 1078-8352; USPS 002-298)
is published monthly, 12 times per year, by
Music Maker Publications, Inc.,
5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301-3523
Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119
Email: info@recordingmag.com
Los Angeles Editorial Office:
beto@recordingmag.com
Periodicals Postage is paid at Boulder, CO and at additional mailing
offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RECORDING,
Subscriber Services, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834-3000.
Tel: 1-800-783-4903, Fax: 1-973-627-5872. Subscription rate:
$23.97 per year. Distributed to the music trade by Hal Leonard
Corporation. All material is subject to worldwide copyright protection,
and reproduction or imitation in whole or in part is expressly
forbidden without written consent from the publishers. All reasonable
care is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of the magazine,
but Music Maker Publications, Inc. cannot be held legally responsible
for its contents. The publishers cannot assume responsibility for the
return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or materials. All
trademarked names, whether indicated as such or not, are owned
by their respective companies.
Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #41491032. Canada
Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542,
London, ON N6C 6B2

RECORDING August 2017

Thomas Hawley
Brent Heintz

associate publisher:

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2017