Take What It Takes.

Far too many times I’ve had artists apologize to me for taking too long in the studio to record a basic track, guitar solo, or vocal performance.  “Don’t worry about it” I say, “pure nonsense, absolutely no apology required.”  It’s very hard for me to convince them otherwise because I tend to get very adamant on the subject. (Can you tell?)  Often I stop short of making my point for fear of coming off a bit patronizing – like I’m patting them on the head and saying “it’s ok- you done real good Jimmy, real good.” You know- like how the mob guys talk to the one slow, oversized cousin who tries real hard but keeps whacking the wrong guy.  It’s hard for me to articulate my point, because it’s simply what you do when you’re in the studio; you do it until it’s right.  That’s one of the reasons “outside people” usually aren’t encouraged to be in the studio while recording; they may misconstrue recording take after take as mistakes- not as a natural part of the recording process, as well as making the artist self-conscious about how long it’s taking. 

I consider working very hard to get the right performance a victory, not something that requires an apology.   I’ve been sitting here thinking about some of the records I’ve worked on recently, and I can’t even begin to count how many times each particular instrument was recorded over and over before we had “the one”, but more importantly, I don’t care- not one tiny bit.  That’s the process.  You work and you work until you get real close- then you work some more.  No one should count the number of takes, or how many times a certain part had to be punched in, let alone the artist.  You take what it takes to get it right, and nothing more should be said about it.  It would be like asking a painter how many brush strokes it took him to complete a painting- he’d probably look at you like you’re an idiot and reply “Who counts such things?”

On the flipside, I often get handed CD’s and hear the phrase “we did most of the songs in one take”.  Once I even heard a drummer boastfully add “or less”.  (Do the math and you’ll realize where all the drummer jokes come from.)   Sadly, most of these “one take wonders” sound like the band should’ve taken another take (or ten).  Which leads to the obvious question:  How many takes should it take?  In my quest for the truth, I tracked down Mr.  Owl from those old school Tootsie Pops® commercials; I figured if he could cut to the chase on the whole “how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop” debate, he could help me out with one wing behind his back.  But, even he didn’t have a clue, so I’m sure as hell not going to pretend like I have the answer.(although when I caught up with him, he was with Woodsy the “don’t pollute owl”, and they appeared to be all hopped up on X…c’mon, just look at those eyes, staying our all night “hunting”, sucking on lollipops hanging from a homemade necklace, who ya tryin’ to fool, Mr. Owl.)  All I can say is that it varies.  It varies artist to artist, song to song, and day to day.   We’ve all walked into a bowling alley and threw a strike, and not been able to throw another for the rest of the game; or cleaned up at the pool table for a few games then not be able to make a shot for what seems like forever.  There’s no rhyme or reason to it, and thinking about it only makes it worse.  If you don’t believe me- the next time you’re walking across a room, start thinking about walking for a minute- you’ll suddenly feel like a Clydesdale.  (for you non-equestrian types out there….those are the big-footed horses in the Budweiser commercials.)

The only advice I can give is to leave all that crap at the door.  If you get to the studio every morning with such questions on your mind, it’s going to be a disaster waiting to happen.  Do yourself a huge favor- don’t count your takes, don’t count each other’s takes, and be confident enough in yourself (and your band, engineer, producer, interns, etc) that it won’t be brought up outside the studio walls either.  Like the ads say “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” To help keep things on a positive note, try changing the obligatory “I’m sorry, let’s do it again” to a different catch phrase between takes, like “hit me” or “bring it!” (it sounds lame- but it really works!) Further more, no professional engineer or producer is going to get frustrated with you for wanting to get it right, and you shouldn’t get frustrated at them for asking you to do it again- that’s their job.  There’s no real badge of honor in getting it done on the first take, and no shame associated with nailing it on the one hundredth take - so focus on embracing the process by getting yourself ready to deliver a great performance, then listen for ways to improve your performances as you go.  Sure, this may lead to you performing and hearing your songs so many times it makes your ass hurt- but hey, that’s recording.  So hunker down for the long haul, take a deep breath and resolve to take what it takes.

You’ll have a better record for it.  

Chris Mara

Nashville, TN

www.chrismara.com

www.myspace.com/chrismara