{ "schemaVersion": "v1", "slug": "sometimes-its-best-to-slow-down", "title": "Sometimes It's Best to Slow Down", "kind": "solo", "listenUrl": "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Sometimes-Its-Best-to-Slow-Down-e1vegug", "publishedAt": "2026-10-14", "source": { "provider": "whisper", "model": "faster-whisper:base", "normalizedSchema": "v1", "transcribedAt": "2026-06-09T10:10:21.261Z" }, "paragraphs": [ { "startSec": 0.53, "endSec": 22.12, "text": "Music Appreciation. Hey there, thanks for listening.This is Scoobert Doobert.Today I want to talk about kind of a contradiction to some of the things that I usually talkabout." }, { "startSec": 22.12, "endSec": 51.3, "text": "So I'm always about speed efficiency pace, getting stuff done, clearing out things thatstand in your way, work flow wise, creativity wise, writers block, getting all that stuffout of the way.But sometimes it's important to slow down.So I wanted to talk about some of the times that I pull back on the brakes a little bit,downshift into a lower gear.Think about it, just the same way as when you're driving." }, { "startSec": 51.3, "endSec": 72.3, "text": "Like yeah, you want to be getting to your destination as quickly as possible.But right now we're going through this weird like wind and rain storm in San Diego rightnow where the wind will be 60 miles an hour for a second and then it'll be bright andsunny the next.And so in those windy rainy times, you're not going to drive as fast or you shouldn't." }, { "startSec": 72.3, "endSec": 96.86, "text": "A lot of people in San Diego do, but there are consequences, very grave consequences.If you don't downshift, and that's what I'm trying to say here is that there are somemoments in the creative process that you do need to slow down.I want to highlight an example of this within mixing, cleaning up all that kind of stuff." }, { "startSec": 96.86, "endSec": 120.34, "text": "So a lot of times when I'm mixing, I start off by doing the stuff that a assistant mixingengineer normally does, where you sort everything, you get things colorful and all of your vocalsare grouped together, all your guitars, all your drums, everything is grouped togetherinto these segments.And I don't really like to think of it necessarily as ensembles, but like the woodwinds," }, { "startSec": 120.34, "endSec": 144.02, "text": "the brass, and not like that, but more in terms of the function.So the more percussive things go together, the more flowy pad-like things can go together.And sometimes that bridge is between guitars and synths, it's more about function ratherthan form.But as I'm doing that, I like to zero in on the entrances and exits of instruments, because" }, { "startSec": 144.02, "endSec": 164.94, "text": "a lot of times when you're doing stuff yourself, those DIY recorders, there are somelike weird noise that creeps in in between different things.Like say you're just running takes, you're doing it.And then at the end of your take, you slap your space bar because you're all excitedthat you got in.I can't tell you how many times I've had to clear out space bars, not just in my music" }, { "startSec": 164.94, "endSec": 194.42, "text": "and other people's, everybody's music.This is like a thing now, where if you listen, you will hear space bars in popular music.It sneaks in there, it happens.And so you get that sound in the background, it's like, oh, is that a rim click on a snaredrum?Nope, space bar.And so those are the things that I want to like caution producers to slow down on.Like when you are recording, flow, free flow, doing your thing." }, { "startSec": 194.42, "endSec": 212.74, "text": "When you're moving it into the mix, and it's going to become real, it's going from likethis quasi demo, arranging creative space, like the, you need to start cleaning yourcampus because essentially what you're going to be doing is you're putting a frame aroundthis thing.And if you got a bunch of wet paint all around where the frame is going to attach to," }, { "startSec": 212.74, "endSec": 235.34, "text": "that's going to, you know, damage the frame, it's going to look all weird.That's the kind of stuff that I'm talking about, like dig in to the entrances and exitsof your parts.And also like zoom in on this stuff, you know, I am all holistic and like, don't worryabout like the little things, all that kind of stuff, but this stuff really matters.Like zoom in on your vocals." }, { "startSec": 235.34, "endSec": 254.58, "text": "And make sure like I just gulped, like I would cut that out if this wasn't just a podcast.You know, most people are just going to be listening to this in the airpods or drivingaround.This is not an audio book.But if it was an audio book, I am going in on every little element that isn't actualspeech.And you should do the same thing for your vocals." }, { "startSec": 254.58, "endSec": 283.18, "text": "So if you have a big breath, once that stuff hits compression, that breath is goingto be huge.And so one of the stuff I do, one of the things I do for, especially for Chai's music,is they have their breaths, like their vocal technique is they have like higher breaths.You know, females just generally tend to do that not all the time.But other vocalists do that to kind of this tight little high breath." }, { "startSec": 283.18, "endSec": 302.42, "text": "And when that stuff hits compression, which is, you know, it lowers the loudest possiblesound and then you add gain so it raises the quiet as possible sound.So it creates a nice little band of sound.So it's not as dynamic.It's not getting too loud, not getting too quiet.When you add that, those breaths, boy, they sing, they come out." }, { "startSec": 302.42, "endSec": 320.86, "text": "And it can be really, really distracting for the listener and it goes from being honestto being not musical.And so by identifying those breaths, maybe pulling them down and gain a little bit to a placeor maybe saying, I don't need a breath here.I can just let it sing, like the listener doesn't need to hear me breathe here.Sometimes that's really weird." }, { "startSec": 320.86, "endSec": 342.3, "text": "If you take out every breath, then it doesn't feel human, sometimes that's cool.But like there is a give and take and those minor, minor decisions they add up, and especiallyon a voice, you know, like you can get away with some sloppiness on a room mic, on a drumkit.Something like that.It might be cool.It might be cool.Like you hear the sticks kind of like fall or something halfway through the song." }, { "startSec": 342.3, "endSec": 364.34, "text": "You know, that's a vibe.That's an interesting thing.But I don't necessarily want to hear in the vocal before it enters.You know, that's gross.You know, that's just gross.Just delete that and don't even risk it giving it to your mixing engineer because maybethey don't catch it.Maybe they're focused on the, you know, hundred other tracks that they're having todeal with them." }, { "startSec": 364.34, "endSec": 393.54, "text": "Maybe they don't catch that really important thing.I really try to.But by taking the onus of yourself, you can make those decisions and clean up the stuffso that you're not relying on someone else to, you know, essentially like fix a catastrophicerror.That's super small and super easy to do.All you have to do is pull in that clip a little bit, put on a little fade, and now yourentrance and exits of vocals are clean." }, { "startSec": 393.54, "endSec": 413.42, "text": "There's another good way to do this through gating.But I am not a firm believer, and this is the slow down rather than speed up thing.I'm not a firm believer in a few different things.Letting the computer do your quantization, which is pulling things into time.Don't always like doing that.So never just cool, but most of the time, I like to quantize by hand." }, { "startSec": 413.42, "endSec": 435.3, "text": "I like to take every little transient, which is the little pop, every word, so to speak,it can be a snare hit or a sung word or a guitar chord.I like to chop all of those up and put them exactly where I want them because the computerdoesn't know where I want them.The computer only knows to put them where the computer would do it, the most logicalplace.But the most logical place is not always the coolest place." }, { "startSec": 435.3, "endSec": 462.78, "text": "So like I do that myself, it slows me down.It might add an hour or two per song, at least, maybe even longer.But I do it myself because I know what I want.The computer doesn't.Same thing with auto tune, first of all, it doesn't matter the tool, but going in and pickingyour note editor and assigning your notes by hand rather than just having the computerdo it, totally different vibe, both good, but make the choice." }, { "startSec": 462.78, "endSec": 487.94, "text": "Don't just be like, this is the easy way, so I'm just going to do that.There's a lot of room to do those things.I know I sound like I'm talking about both sides of the mouth because I am.There are opportunities to go really, really fast and there are opportunities where you wantto get it right.Do both.And there might be though, there is a vibe in just being like, auto tune is just going toauto tune it." }, { "startSec": 487.94, "endSec": 509.14, "text": "It sounds like auto tune.That's great.But in other circumstances where you want to be really specific about a pitch, say thatyou're doing like blue notes, the sound that isn't quite the right note technically inthe scale.It's adding a note, a flat note, intentionally.Auto tune's not going to be like, oh, they wanted to do a blue note unless you specifically" }, { "startSec": 509.14, "endSec": 530.06, "text": "programming into the blue scale or something like that, but most people don't.They just slap it on a major key and they let it do its thing or it's pentatonic, whatever.By doing it by hand, now you can say, oh, no, no, I wanted to be non-diatonic.I wanted to be outside of the scale at that moment.And you don't let the computer flatten that in the same way that I don't want it to flattenmy rhythmic performance." }, { "startSec": 530.06, "endSec": 553.7, "text": "Like, if I just quantize my vocals, now where's my vocal feel?It's not me anymore.Again, opportunities to do that, that can be really cool, but most of the time, especiallymaking the music that I'm making, I want control.I want to make those decisions.And that's really what I'm trying to say here is that, like, make the decisions and sometimes" }, { "startSec": 553.7, "endSec": 576.7, "text": "it takes longer to make the decisions yourself instead of letting the computer do it, butthe net result is so much better that it's worth that time investment.You can make that up in other places, automate some of your other workflows, maybe spend somemore time looping a section and playing it in so that you get it on the frontense.You don't really have to quantize it very much.That's what I try to do." }, { "startSec": 576.7, "endSec": 604.62, "text": "It's like, oh, if I just have to play this section 30 times in order to write it forform it and record it with the right tone and all those things, I'll do that becauseit'll save me the hour of reconstructing it on the computer.I'll just play it.So I end up saving time on that end rather than just playing it once and then quantizingit and you just, you get a different result.So I'm just counseling, do both." }, { "startSec": 604.62, "endSec": 623.66, "text": "Do both when it's appropriate, reach for the right tool at the right time.And for the love of God, check out your vocal tracks because vocal tracks are so importantand most people don't.And that's okay.I get it.That's part of my job, right?It's the mixing engineer.Kind of like catch anything so it doesn't come through.I'm not final net.I'm the polished guy." }, { "startSec": 623.66, "endSec": 642.1, "text": "But might as well do it yourself so that you make those choices rather than having somebodyelse make an answer that the most important thing, your vocal sounds good.You know, record it well, export it well, trim it up, choose where you want your breathsand where you don't want your breaths and get rid of those space bars and those hums" }, { "startSec": 642.1, "endSec": 663.54, "text": "and all those things that are just, because it ends up like, okay, from my perspective,say for example, you have a guitar track and it's got a gnarly hum coming from the amplifier.I don't know if the mixing engineer, do you want that in there or not?I'm going to assume that you kind of do because you're giving it to me.But if you don't want that hum just going through the whole song because like, say that" }, { "startSec": 663.54, "endSec": 684.14, "text": "the guitar only comes in the last chorus.But you recorded the whole thing and there's a hum going out the entire song.I'm going to assume that you probably want that hum throughout the entire song and thatwasn't just a mistake so that, you know, or I'll reach out and be like, hey, do you wantthis?Is this what you're looking for?And so like clearing up some of those decisions, making those decisions so that there's" }, { "startSec": 684.14, "endSec": 709.7, "text": "less ambiguity really, really helps.It'll create a better end product and also like, another like good PSA for mixing engineerson my song can't imagine feeling better.I have a shaker track that is scooped all of like the low end is gone.So it's all just tinny little stuff up in there.It's a shaker, but it's not shaking the entire time." }, { "startSec": 709.7, "endSec": 739.82, "text": "There is a noise floor, however, on the microphone and some of the effects that I put on there.And it's all running into a phaser.So phaser is that effect that you get by putting one wave form over another one that slightlyshifted identical wave forms.It's like, think of how noise canceling headphones work.Those are perfectly phase flipped.If you just shifted it 45 instead of 90, then you would get this sound." }, { "startSec": 739.82, "endSec": 764.58, "text": "I wanted that on my noise.I wanted to have this weird noise going out through the entire song, not just when theshakers are being played.So luckily, I mixed it, that I got to make that decision and then follow through.But if I gave that song to a mixing engineer, they probably would have clipped out allof the space, where it was just dead noise and just only left that track because it was" }, { "startSec": 764.58, "endSec": 786.46, "text": "noisy, where the shakers were, and it would have totally changed the vibe of the song.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.And I've been like, oh no, one of my favorite things, an intentional arrangement choice,was chopped off.That happens all the time." }, { "startSec": 786.46, "endSec": 811.3, "text": "So yeah, it's better to slow down a little bit, add another hour or two to your workflowfor the net result being that much better.There's obviously a clear limit here, I don't go too far.You don't need to put a fade after every syllable, you know what I'm saying?But try to find that happy medium where you aren't slowing yourself down to the point" }, { "startSec": 811.3, "endSec": 833.94, "text": "where you're not creative anymore, but you are making enough decisions so you're mixingengineer knows what you're looking for, and so that you're not like being sloppy.There's a really fine line between being fast and being sloppy, and I don't alwayshit it.So that's why I'm giving the advice because I'm growing in that respect.I tend to prioritize fast even if I'm a little bit sloppy, or at least on my own music," }, { "startSec": 833.94, "endSec": 854.06, "text": "not when I'm mixing, but at least on my own music.But I think you can tell a little bit, if you've listened to my catalog, I'm gettingbetter at that, balancing the two.And so that's why I wanted to talk to you today, was to invite you on that road becauseI think music itself will improve, and then also you may, music fans, the people that" }, { "startSec": 854.06, "endSec": 871.18, "text": "are listening to this podcast that don't necessarily make music, you know, it's a fun thingto kind of listen for.And there's a charm in the DIY, like slap this space far, like that's kind of fun, andit's also fun as a music listener to catch it every once in a while.So don't shame people if they do that, you know, it's just, it's a part of the journey." }, { "startSec": 871.18, "endSec": 894.24, "text": "And that's, you know, it's part of that, like elevation from the garage to the arena,you know, so celebrate the artists as they go through that.And see if you ever catch it because it's, it's surprisingly will be in bigger recordsthan you would imagine.So with that, I am going to invite you to check out my links at www.scoobertdoobert.pizza.scoobertdoobert.pizza." }, { "startSec": 894.24, "endSec": 921.66, "text": "It's my website, or you can just search Scoobert Doobert on any of the streaming services,or buying services like Bandcamp, good stuff.And I would invite you to please rate and subscribe to this podcast.It helps other people discover it.And so I would really appreciate that too.Until next time.See you guys.Did you hear that space bar?Mm hmm.All right.How about this one?" } ], 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