My editor is going to have
either a huge laugh or a tiny scream upon reading this column. This is going to
happen due the fact that I'm going to emphasize the importance of not just
finishing your commitments, but doing so on budget and in a timely manner. I am
not a professional writer. I am a professional record producer. Suffice it to
say that my columns have rarely, if ever, been delivered in a manner even
remotely resembling "timely." So once again I'm hoping the sheer magnitude of
irony that wraps itself around this month's entry folds it into some sort of
huge karmic burrito that someone will find fulfilling. My commitment to this
magazine is a monthly column comprised of between 800 to 1000 words. Most professional
writers can dispense with that quantity of language by simply blowing their
nose. I take between four hours and um . . . forever.
I
recently had the opportunity to have a Tarot card reading. Now I'm not really
one who travels heavily within the mysteries of the occult, but I thought it
would be a cool experience regardless. So I watched in amusement as the lovely
gypsy girl laid out my past and destiny on the ground between us, in cardboard
and ink.
"This
girl's project is really weighing on you," she said almost immediately,
scrunching her eyes, nose and forehead into the very picture of consternation.
"I'm
not sure I understand what you mean," I said cautiously.
"Well,
it's just been taking such a long time, and it appears to be a heavy burden for
you."
Well ding, ding, ding, ding
. . . jackpot! She had me there.
Almost
exactly a year ago I started an album for a female artist with whom I had
worked on three previous album projects. Our working relationship is a solid
and streamlined one, so things progressed very quickly at the start. With this
particular project, the idea was to record the artist's scratch vocal and
guitar first (to a click track) at what we both agreed to be the desired tempo
for each song. I then worked to build each song's arrangements, performing some
parts myself and recording guest musicians on other parts.
Drums,
bass, and guitars were all laid down in about two weeks, and the next two were
devoted to solo overdubs, editing, pre-mixing, various layers of sweetening,
etc. So far so good, we're right on schedule.
We
gave ourselves another week for her vocals, with the sixth and final week to be
dedicated to mixing and mastering the entire 11 song album.
Those
last two weeks have yet to transpire. Why? Because sometimes life just sort of
lays a big ol' butt biscuit over the best laid plans.
A
small army of construction workers descended upon her home for several weeks of
renovations, leaving her no quiet time during nearly all of her waking hours.
At the same time, her day job had its own stress level ratcheted up a few
notches. To add grave insult injury, her mother became very ill nearly 2,000
miles away, and she would have to fly there for extended periods to help care
for her.
Obviously,
all of these factors compromised her mental and physical state to the point
where she was not able to return for several more weeks. By the time she was
able to come in, my recording schedule was prohibitively hectic; this month we
will finally be able to finish what we started all that time ago.
That
tarot card reader was right on the money about one thing: this lack of
completion was a heavy burden indeed, and I didn't even have the hard part.
Obviously,
things outside of our control worked against us, but experience gives you a
pretty good idea of what you can accomplish within a certain period of time. It
is a producer's paramount responsibility to correctly gauge the amount of time
it will take to complete a project. Not only so that you can most accurately
quote prices for your clients, but also be able to schedule future projects and
meet those deadlines as well.
Next
month, we'll take a look at a few different types of projects and the time you
can expect them to take based upon some key parameters. This will hopefully keep
you out of trouble, as well as help to build in a bit of buffer time between
big projects.
Hopefully,
fortune will smile upon my journalistic promptness as well.
Sven-Erik Seaholm types
three words a minute. When he's not making records, he's playing somewhere near
you. Go to www.svensongs.com for more info on where and when.