Everything was fairly on course for the record. I knew who was going to help me record drums and mix and master the tracks, and the original drummer of the band agreed to step in on percussion. Both dudes fell through this past week.
I did not trust my gut instincts with the drummer. I won’t name names, but let’s suffice it to say that the typical drummer ego holds true 9 times out of 10. They know they are needed, and they have no problem acting like their time is more valuable than anyone elses. He was always more trouble than he was worth and I just kept my eye on the big picture, hoping that he would actually come through for once. Instincts never lie.
As for the engineer/producer, I really had no facts to base my opinion on his level of work and professionalism. Considering that I am on a tight budget for the project overall, I put too much initial trust in him to see that we would have secured studio time for a whole weekend and that we would have usage of his mac g-5 to track everything over to Pro-Tools. Again, didn’t go with my gut. He let me down the first time, and when we rescheduled for another weekend to record drums, I received an e-mail response that his computer needs a new motherboard (in essence, no computer to use).
If I have any lucky stars whatsoever, I owe them to Craig’s list. I found another engineer who just moved to Tampa from Chicago and is looking for projects and work. We got together last week to listen to a few tracks and transfer the project over to his mac. I have a feeling that I came across a likeminded guy who not only has way more experience in producing, but has been a musician for 20 years himself. I will have to bounce all of the tracks individually to disc from garageband but I’m in no hurry (since once again, I need to find a fucking drummer).
I did, however, come across a Craig’s list ad for a studio drummer. I handed him a copy of the record (or what the record comprises thus far) on Sunday, and am just waiting to hear back and see if he will be the right fit. Keep your fingers crossed because I don’t think my own crossed fingers will do the trick at this point. I’ve had them crossed for well over half a year now and anything that does not directly involve me doing something (aside from my cellist adding to the mix here and there) does not get accomplished.
In any case, if you know of someone who is a drummer ( and by drummer I mean someone who has chops and intuition when hitting a kit) and this project seems like it could be up his or her alley, get in touch! Distance is not an issue because I’m willing to e-mail large files back and forth if I can find someone who seems to truly grasp the songs musically. Ideally, I would like to oversee the recording of drum files, but I’m keeping all available options open.
I was majorly bummed and depressed these past few days, but I strongly believe what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Things always work out for the best, and I believe that will be the case for this project….eventually. The frustration lies in the fact that I don’t know when exactly it will all come together. But with how much work and time I’ve already invested, I’m not giving up now.
