system

Living on the Edge by Giant Ginkgo

If you are suddenly charged with landing a plane after the pilot collapses, and you are talked through the process by air traffic control, I’ll bet those fast-learned skills will be permanently burned into your psyche.  Not to mention, a successful landing would give you a tremendous confidence.  Well, alright, maybe you’d have to throw out your pants and never fly again.  (Boy, extreme metaphors can get you into trouble!)  At any rate, this would be an example of learning on ‘the Edge’, where you learn by doing, jumping in, getting your feet (and probably most of your body) wet.

Step a little closer… closer…

‘The Edge’ is a situation where you barely know enough to make it by.  It’s where you are trying to keep up and learn from those vastly better, faster, smarter, and more advanced than you.  The Edge is jumping in the deep end of the pool, sink or swim.  These can be situations find yourself in, but even better, situations you cultivate and covet.

In some ways, you are requiring yourself to move faster than thought.  You don’t have time for self-doubt – roadblocks and restrictions have to be lifted by necessity, and sometimes, you just have to drive right through them.  You take chances without over-thinking outcomes – there is no choice, and you ignore fears which might hold you back because fear is not a luxury you can entertain.  Your brain can operate in some surprising ways when forced to, where no other option exists.

Okay, brain. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you, but let’s get through this thing and …

I have a story of my own that illustrates this idea.  I’m a guitar player, and as the cliche goes, a horrible sight reader (I’m in a 12 step program).  I was invited, last minute, to sit in on a recording session where the bass player was suddenly unavailable.  I figured they knew me and my shortcomings (and this was on bass, not my main instrument!) and I thought it would be a session with simple charts and improvisation – no problem.  The “charts” turned out to be quick grand-staff print off’s from a sequencer, and required me to sight-read in the bass clef (WHAT?).   I was surrounded by some incredible musicians, true veteran session players – it was a nightmare situation!   Because it was on a tight deadline for a TV show, there was no time to ‘figure it out’…  it just had to get done, now!  I tried to stay calm, but I felt like a dump truck had parked on my chest.  At some point, I realized I was either going to play, or run out of the studio screaming, wreck any reputation I had, and forget a career in music.  The choice was not really a choice after all – I grimly focused on the sheet music sitting on the stand before me and accepted my fate.  It was pretty embarrassing, but something quite remarkable happened after a few cues – I just ’started’ reading in the bass clef.  It was as if by accepting and letting go, my brain said ‘Ok, let’s just learn this bloody fast then!’.  It was by no means a heroic turn, but once I was able to think back on the event without cringing so hard I’d hurt myself, I marveled at this sudden ‘ability’.

I’m sure we’ve all been in situations where we were on the Edge.  We committed to doing something that we perhaps weren’t quite ready for, where you had to learn on your feet, where you got by just by the skin of your teeth.

And now for a contradiction…

Sometimes, you want to avoid the Edge.  There are times when you have to perform perfectly, and where a mistep could result in disaster.  However, the one thing the Edge makes you prepare for is – anything.  You get good at being agile, flexible, adaptable.  Thinking creatively on your feet, making hard decisions fast.  It also makes you build and maintain your ‘lifelines’ – those you can call on when you know you are up against the wall and you need saving.

This is perhaps the best lesson you can get from the Edge – that you need to prepare for the Moment.  If you arrive somewhere and your big chance arrives unexpectedly, and you aren’t ready, that might be the last chance you get.  Imagine yourself at the place you want to be, and that place being the Edge – will you survive?  Succeed?

Late July Session at Q Music

Producing. One of the least understood gigs in the music world.  Just what is a producer, and what is their role in the making of music?

Definitely, maybe…

First, let’s get some definitions out of the way.  Although they share the same title, a Film Producer has very little in common with a Music Producer.  A Film Producer “is someone who creates the scenes and conditions for making movies.. [he/she]  initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors.”  Film producers rarely have a whole lot of creative control – this is the realm of the Film Director.

A Music Producer has a lot more creative influence on a project, but the amount that a producer can affect the end result of a musical product can vary a lot.  Simply put, a producers job is to take the raw materials rendered by the artist to the point before recording begins, and help guide the shape of how those are turned into a final, coherent, artistic form.  Their role is generally collaborative, working alongside the artist (and sometimes the label) to best represent their vision.  A producer might also serve as an intermediary/advocate between the artist and the label, attempting to move a project to a point where both parties are happy with the results.  Producers should see the project from both perspectives – the artists vision, and the requirements of producing something that will be accessible and ultimately critically and fiscally successful.  The producer aims for balance.

So, what exactly does a producer DO?

Here is a shortlist of some of the hands-on work a producer might engage in.  I’ve kept this to the confines of a producer working with an artist on a record, but it can be more or less applied to other situations as well.

Mentor/coach the artist – help them maintain a healthy and productive mental state, improve on weaknesses while maintaining their confidence and the morale of the team.  Push for more when needed, know when to back off.  See the threshold of an artist or situation – what is the best that can be achieved?  How much is too much, when does pressure becomes detrimental?

Help select the best material from the artists long-list of work, suggest collaborators and/or other material to fill in any holes.  Artists may bring a massive collection of songs and sketches to the table, and that needs to be mined for those rough diamonds.  Sometimes, there might be a shortfall, and they need to be encouraged to write more, or find alternatives such as covers.  In some cases, the artist may benefit from working with an additional collaborator – another songwriter or lyricist.  This is a very delicate situation, where the artists confidence is in jeopardy.   A producer is like a doctor – what is their bedside manner?

Help develop the material/artist, improve arrangements, define a direction.  Some songs might still be sketches, need a chorus, a bridge, a hook, or some other X factor – a sound effect, or production style.  The material may be in a very simple sketch form, and the producer will help arrange it for band, and suggest instrumental parts that enhance and define – a brass section or string quartet for instance, or even decide it should be for voice and guitar only.

Help determine (and then maintain the consistency of) the sound of a project – what instruments, styles, materials and methods are going to be used to achieve a specific result?  A Death Metal band will require vastly different production styles and materials than a Bluegrass band.  The producer has to have a big-picture, overarching view of the project as a whole.  A producer’s mind is an encyclopedia of techniques and technical knowledge, as well as an idea factory that can problem solve quickly and effectively under pressure.

Guide performances – create a situation that brings out the best in an artist.  This involves more coaching – knowing the psychology of your artist – knowing what they’ll need and providing it before they ask.  This might involve creative problem solving to make them feel more comfortable in the sterile studio environment, or finding an amazing instrument that helps their playing.  It also means saying “don’t worry – it’s all taken care of”, and putting out fires, handling problems, and generally making it seem smooth, seamless, and fun.

Bring it together -  Select the appropriate studio(s), players, collaborators, equipment and instruments, engineers, which will help to contribute to that final sound.  Great producers are very well connected, and have a vast network of musicians, engineers, and resources to select from.  Once you have great material, and great people to perform and record it, very little can go wrong.  On the other hand, the wrong person for a gig can sap time, creative energy, morale, and money from a project.

Perform on the record – many producers are also excellent artists and musicians in their own right and can leave their mark on a record in a very tangible way by contributing musical material.

Oversee the entire record production process from tracking to mastering, and make hard decisions when something isn’t working to toss out, move on, re-invent, overhaul, start-over, salvage, etc., while maintaining high morale and creative effectiveness.  If something isn’t working or can’t be saved, the producer’s ‘bedside manner’ is incredibly important – the artist and the team must never feel that all is lost or that something horrible has happened – it has to feel like a positive part of the process, and that progress is being made.

Stay out of the way when necessary – sometimes, a producer’s job is to shut up and stand back – let the process happen on it’s own and only gently course correct as necessary.  To much messing around can destroy natural organic performances, and too much control can crush the creative process, and the ‘happy mistakes’ that you want to occur.  The producer must also be able to see those for what they are, and jump on little opportunities that others might miss.  They have to know what take has magic in it, and not overtax the artist with too many options or extra work that doesn’t need to be done.

That’s a take!

There are so many variables in the making of a musical recording.  What I’ve talked about here is based on some of my experiences, and many conversations with those much more experienced then I.  What do you think the role of the producer is/should be, and what are your experiences in producing or being produced?

"Converse"

Photo by haydnseek

Producing music and sound design for live theatre presents some of the most unique challenges you can face as a creative composer, especially if you are used to working in the linear medium of film or TV.  There are some similarities, but also a number of important differences, which offer surprising opportunities and rewards.

Won’t Get Fooled Again

As a composer for media, you can get seduced into thinking your music is better than it actually is, if you compose while running picture.  Just as music can lift a scene, in turn the film (acting, dialogue, and the cinematography) can very much lift the music, giving it importance and meaning that may not be inherent!  This is one of the big lessons of working in theatre, where you are forced to work away from the scene – you can’t take it with you, and it’s going to change anyways!  In order to work ‘away from picture’, you must absorb the scene and have a complete handle on it, both in terms of the emotion/mood/story/meaning/etc, and the exact timings for ‘hits’ and changes.  Once you have those nailed down, you can focus on writing strong music.  When you bring back your work and line it up, you can then make any necessary adjustments, but your mind will no longer be seduced or divided – you’ll be confident knowing that you focused on writing great music, and now can focus on making sure it works to picture.

Equal and Opposite Reactions

One of the first things that is apparent before you even begin working on any production is that things are always in a state of flux – as the show moves towards opening night, it becomes more and more polished, tight, and predictable; however, even during a run it can still change and evolve in subtle ways.  The actors find new motivations, hook onto some energy of a particular night, and develop their characters and relationships as they grow through the show.  In film, the composer will usually score a ‘locked’ picture (or something like it) – the scenes are static – a performance is frozen in time and will never change.  On the stage, a scene will never be repeated exactly the same way.  The actors respond and react, they find inspiration, they expand and contract.  In film, when you put your music against a picture, you can have a powerful impact on the reading of that scene.  In theatre, there is an additional layer – once you bring music into the ‘picture’, they respond and react to it, changing the impact even further and more deeply.  One of the most rewarding aspects of working in theatre as a composer is that you become involved early, and are truly one of the team – a group that becomes very close as the show progresses.  You create in response to them, and they in turn to you – it’s a very organic and multi-layered process.  There is a great thrill in watching an actor ‘hit’ their mark, and use your music to leverage their performance, in turn making your music work in new, different, and often better ways.

Tick-tock tick-tock

One of the advantages of a locked picture, a static and unchanging scene, is that you can write cues with to-the-frame accuracy.  Trying to ’spot’ a scene in a play is kind of like trying to hit a moving target – an amorphous mass that congeals as rehearsals progress.  It starts loose and improvisational, and slowly becomes more polished and exact.  When you begin the process, it’s nearly impossible and pretty much useless to try and time out scenes and ‘hit’ any points.  As the rehearsal process progresses, you then can sit in the dark with a stop watch (bring a flashlight!) and scribble notes furiously.  Create a cue sheet, much like the one you would use for a film, which includes Act and Scene, page number, line cues, length, and notes on the music itself.  You will need to be very integrated in the team, and have an ongoing communication with the Director and the Stage Manager, and whoever is ‘running’ the show in terms of audio.  As things develop and change, everyone needs to be on the same page – the chain of command is important here as well – you will not be approaching an actor with a request that they speed up their monologue because your cue is running out.

Designing Sound Environments

Another aspect to working in theatre is that you may also be the sound designer for the show, depending on the budget.  This means you will need to have at your disposal the means to create sound environments and cues.  This may range from extremely ‘natural’ (trying to create a sense of time/place/space) to very abstract.  Sounds may come from a production library, or from field recordings you capture and manipulate yourself – everything from a doorbell ring to the sound of a dog barking in the distance, a crowded bar or a street scene, music playing on a radio or waves lapping on a shore.

Test Drive

Once you have assembled your cues and applied the necessary treatments, they will be tested and adjusted for the space itself during ‘tech week ‘  – when the show is run in the theatre space, with complimenting lights and sound (aka ‘wet cue-to-cue’).  All technical adjustments are made here – crunch time!  Whereas in film you ship off the final mix for dub and don’t have to worry about how it will sound in the theatre, it is your job to make sure everything sounds as it should in the space and on the system the space uses .  From the very beginning, you should make yourself familiar with the sound system and how the sound will be run – samples triggered via midi?  Run off of a laptop using a cuing program like Q-Lab?  Via a two-deck CD player?  These things become extremely important once you hand over the sound to the sound tech running the show – you want to make it reliable, fail-safe, easy, and effective.  During cue-to-cue, you’ll be calling out changes – volume up/down by how many dB?  Cross-fade longer/shorter?  And so on…

This is just a very introductory overview on designing sound and music for theatre – there is a lot more to know and learn!  If you are intereseted, a great resource  is Sound and Music for the Theatre: The Art and Technique of Design, Second Edition by Deena Kaye and James LeBrecht.  It covers every aspect in great detail, and is a good reference for someone familiar with audio and music looking to get into theatre.

What are some ways that you branch out and expand your artistic and technical horizons?