Bold reinvention, in your own environment

[bjornson]

Like all of us i've come up with ways of working, conventions if you will, that always give me good results. I also like reinventing my own wheel as often as possible to keep a "paradigm breaking" mentality in my productions.
I'm interested in hearing how others weigh the risks of treading new waters while the clock is running, balancing experimentation and tangible progress

[Jules]

Thought provoking indeed!

Er.. I can get away with a lot as I charge per track and also do a lot of spec deal 'free time' projects.

With an assistant, its fun to have a co-conspirator when trying new methods.

Clients sometimes get the idea something is up but they rarely feel like 'victims of expirimentation' as they can feel our positive enthisiam for a new piece of gear or method is directed at making their project sound better.

Some expiriments at my studio this last year period

Recording all flat
External Summing / dangerous 2 bus
Mixing down to 96k, (and hardware SRC to 44.1k for mastering)
Using DAC-1 for D/A in mastering (tracking is next!)
Mixing with a guide mastering EQ shape, then doing a better, more Concidered job at mastering
3 mic 1960's drum mic set up
Triggering sub tone via kick drum

All have been positive experiences.

[littledog]

WhileI charge by the hour, if I get caught up in the artistic moment and want to try something that is both time consuming and radical, I'll usually come to an agreement with the client that they'll only pay for the time involved if they like the results.

Most of them are more than cool with that. They are usually thrilled that I'm committing myself artistically to their project to the max.

[e-cue]

My clients expect it of me, or at least aren't suprised when I do come with some left of center ish. When I first met new clients, I let them know that I pretty much do my thing, and all they gotta do is tell me to change it back if they don't like it. My feelings won't get hurt. A lot of the time my clients don't even know what I can & can't really do, so they don't ask.

Now, experementing with clients in the room. I hate that. They here something that's in progess, and either think you are crazy, or they end up liking something so much that they don't let you finish. That ish drives me nuts.

[Fletcher]

For me it depends on the speed with which the session must be completed... while I have come to expect certain results from certain tools in certain applications... it's never a "given" that they're really going to work... so even on the 'rush jobs' there is always a degree of 'experimentation' though certainly not quite as much.

It's always possible to spend as much money [and then some] as the client has... but as long as the spending of that money is truely in the interest of creating an exciting, unique product for the client... then it's not necessarily wasted time.

[BevvyB]

e-cue
Have you ever done tv commercials?
What you described is every commercials job I've ever done, but worse and with more people who know even less about music than a&r guys. Yes, it's possible. Have to spend weeks pre and post justifying everything you have done/haven't done to people who only know if it is or isn't there unless you point it out.

Quotes:

'You know like the first part of the music was INSIDE, well, you know, could you make the end bit sound more OUTSIDE?'

'Yeah, just do it, just take all the drums out....hmm, ok...where's the rhythm gone?'

'It needs to build up at the end....hmmm...needs more of a dramatic intro....hmmm...the middle bit's a bit lacklustre....hmmm...it's a bit full and now it doesn't seem to flow with the picture...what did you do?'

'Put the saxaphone back in'
'It's is in'
'Oh, well take it out'

'What's that vocal kind of sound in the background'
'It's the backing vocals'

'It's not mixed yet, it'll be less lumpy when it's mixed'
'Could you play it to me mixed now then before I leave?'

[e-cue]

Originally posted by BevvyB
e-cue
Have you ever done tv commercials?

Worst sessions ever... They make me feel like I have a "job".

My favorite quote was from the 200 year old mother of a person high on the food chain at coca-cola on speakerphone. "I took french horn lessions when I was in grade school, so I know music, and it needs to be changed from Feel the joy, CocaCola to CocaCola, Feel the joy" (a 30 voice choir had to be called back in to re sing the chord progressions)

[BevvyB]

Which is crap 'cos don't get the product name at the end ha ha

Oh well, that was the good old days when there were budgets for that kind of crap

[Jay Kahrs]

I don't really have an hourly rate. I prefer to work by the day or by the project with a time limit on the total amount of days on the flat rate. That allows me to experiment a bit and not have people freak out because we spent 1/2 an hour on a guitar sound or some goofy keyboard part that didn't work out. I also don't like having people around when I mix. There have been too many times that I'll be working on something and they shoot down whatever I'm working on because it sounds bad at that time. They can't hear the finished product in their head or hear where I'm going with it. I'd much rather mix the song and then call the client into the room to listen to it and make changes.