Encouragement for an anxious beginner
Encouragement for an anxious beginner
I got an anguished email from a mentee the other day. They’re relatively new to making records, and they are stuck in a moment where they’re experiencing paralyzing anxiety about finishing a couple of first albums that they’re working on for a couple of artists.
They’re worried that their ears aren’t up to the task of catching all the final bits, despite the artists in question being really happy with how things are sounding. And so they’re feeling stuck — as though they don’t quite know how to finish.
I related to this! I have been this person. So I sent them the following encouragement; perhaps someone else here needs to hear it as well.
I too have dealt with a lot of insecurity in my life (and, now, career) around my engineering and production skills and capabilities. Here is what I would say to young Jamie if I had a chance to reparent him around some of these fears:
Your early records aren't going to be as good as the records you make later (it sounds so obvious when i phrase it like that, doesn't it?).
With that in mind, you should get your early records out of the way asap, to get more quickly to the ones you'll be better at.
Do as good a job as you can, and work rigorously, but don't overwork things and don’t obsess to the point where you lose focus; that's a stress response, not a helpful working tactic.
Make sure your EQs are good and the vocal is solid and consistent; that's 95% of what makes a mix sound right vs wrong.
REFERENCE OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK WHILE YOU'RE WORKING (I swear to god this would have saved young me SO much time).
If the artist likes how things are sounding, you’re doing great. They are after all the only person whose opinion counts; it’s their name that will be on the front of this record, not yours.
Don't worry about the records you make when you’re starting out having "staying power." It's an early record for the artists you're working with too — which is why you’re working on it — and everyone's future output is going to be much better than this early stuff. Also, the artist will love it and will look back on it with pride no matter what, because they were brave and they went for something.
Try to get as much of your personality on the records as you can. Make bold decisions; do shit that you think sounds cool. The artist picked you to work with because of your personality, not in spite of it.
The artist picked you to work on their record because of who you are right now — not because of who they hoped you would be in some future version of yourself. So be cheered! You are the right person to be making these recordings, and you know so because the artist picked YOU. So just do the best job you can, do it efficiently, and keep moving forward.
You’re doing amazing, sweetie 😘 — jamie