Sometimes It's Best to Slow Down
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton (Scoobert Doobert) · Solo episode
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Topics discussed
Host note
"There's a really fine line between being fast and being sloppy, and I don't always hit it." I lean toward fast, it's a bias that serves me most of the time and buries me in specific moments that are very hard to fix later.
I go through the places in a mix where speed costs you: vocal breaths that get printed into a track, the accidental space-bar click that ends up sounding like a rim shot, quantization decisions you can't undo. The moments that require you to sit with the detail rather than push through it. The frame is mixing, but the principle applies anywhere precision and momentum pull in opposite directions.
You come away with a more calibrated sense of where in your workflow to downshift, not as a general virtue, but as a specific, targeted habit.
Selected moments
- The need to slow down in music production 0:01 I discuss the necessity of slowing down and finding balance in music production.
- Clear recording practices 2:16 I highlight common mistakes in recording, such as accidental noise.
- Vocal editing intricacies 3:47 The importance of careful editing of vocal breaths and sounds.
- Quantization choices 6:45 I share my approach to quantizing music, preferring hands-on methods.
- Finding your creative rhythm 9:41 I encourage a balance between speed and attention to detail in music making.
- Emphasizing importance of vocal tracks 10:33 The significance of preparing vocal tracks before handing them over to mixing engineers.
Selected excerpts
There are moments in the creative process that you do need to slow down.
You get that sound in the background, it's like, oh, is that a rim click on a snare drum? Nope, space bar.
It would have been a real bummer, and there's a chance, probably I would have caught it, but there's a chance that I wouldn't have caught it until after it was released.
There's a really fine line between being fast and being sloppy, and I don't always hit it.
FAQ
What are the benefits of slowing down in music production?
Slowing down allows for more thoughtful decision-making and can prevent mistakes that happen when rushing, ultimately leading to a better final product.
How can I improve my vocal editing skills?
Focus on the entrances and exits of your vocal tracks, and be mindful of breath sounds that can become amplified during mixing.
What does quantizing mean in music production?
Quantizing is the process of adjusting the timing of notes or beats in a recorded performance to fit a grid, but doing it by hand can create a more personalized feel.
Curated notes only — no public transcript. Listen on the links above.