Associating with Flakes.

[Rakie]

WELL... some of my good friends are kinda flakey... Im studying Studio Engineering, I've almost graduated.

I planned on tracking my friends band, and already had the drum tracks down, mixed them well with some of my piers on a nice SSL board with some GREAT Compressors outboard gear. Got everything sounding really nice and warm.

SO, then I have to wait 4 weeks for them to be back in the area to finish up, now they are back, but the singer and drummer are in a play with a theater now (they do that a lot) and they won't have a free weekend till after I should be graduating...

Now... if I don't get this tracked, mixed / mastered I will not graduate. My friends may keep me from graduation... They knew to not do ANYTHING on the weekends.

I only had 10 weeks for this assignment, and it would have taken the whole time, now I have 5 weeks to start from scratch, with a new band.... (I found a new band, but thats not what im upset about)



Whats worse is they don't even really care, and they seem to be mad at me, I think they feel bad but don't want to admit they messed up so they are acting like it's my fault.

I can probably do it, but it'll be hard, hard work to get this accomplished, it has to be TOP quality too, no garage junkie recording, something you'd expect a major recording studio to produce, because we have Major recording studio's at my school.

Stanley Clarke and Victor wooten have recorded at my school. Chuch Rainey used to be head of the Bass program at my school. Steve Vai has recorded there, my instructors have been a part of some of the largest albums of all time, some of my teachers have worked with Eddy Kramer for Christ's sake. They expect a pretty darn nice song... And now I have 5 weeks to do it.




And yes... those friends are no longer a part of my life, this is too big to let go, I may not graduate because of this, and my project will NOT be as good as It could... Im very worried. I need a drink.

[Bassist4Life]

Is it possible to restart the project with something smaller? I'm thinking of maybe a duo... Are there requirements that say it has to be a band? Could it be a soloist? Maybe a vocalist with piano accompaniment? Perhaps a cello and violin duet?

I'm just throwing things out there... It's crunch time. I'm sure there are bands in your area that would love to have a professional sounding recording. It wouldn't cost them anything and you would be able to complete your project.

It doesn't seem like your current project is going to work out. If you're getting that vibe, then you should move on. Make your decision soon. Start making phone calls. Talk with musicians that you know, trust, and respect. You'll find someone that wants to be recorded.

Best of luck to you.

Joe

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Rakie

WELL... some of my good friends are kinda flakey... Im studying Studio Engineering, I've almost graduated.

I planned on tracking my friends band, and already had the drum tracks down, mixed them well with some of my piers on a nice SSL board with some GREAT Compressors outboard gear. Got everything sounding really nice and warm.

SO, then I have to wait 4 weeks for them to be back in the area to finish up, now they are back, but the singer and drummer are in a play with a theater now (they do that a lot) and they won't have a free weekend till after I should be graduating...

Now... if I don't get this tracked, mixed / mastered I will not graduate. My friends may keep me from graduation... They knew to not do ANYTHING on the weekends.

I only had 10 weeks for this assignment, and it would have taken the whole time, now I have 5 weeks to start from scratch, with a new band.... (I found a new band, but thats not what im upset about)



Whats worse is they don't even really care, and they seem to be mad at me, I think they feel bad but don't want to admit they messed up so they are acting like it's my fault.

I can probably do it, but it'll be hard, hard work to get this accomplished, it has to be TOP quality too, no garage junkie recording, something you'd expect a major recording studio to produce, because we have Major recording studio's at my school.

Stanley Clarke and Victor wooten have recorded at my school. Chuch Rainey used to be head of the Bass program at my school. Steve Vai has recorded there, my instructors have been a part of some of the largest albums of all time, some of my teachers have worked with Eddy Kramer for Christ's sake. They expect a pretty darn nice song... And now I have 5 weeks to do it.




And yes... those friends are no longer a part of my life, this is too big to let go, I may not graduate because of this, and my project will NOT be as good as It could... Im very worried. I need a drink.

How about recording some dub tracks with a drums, bass, and a DJ. I know a great reggae rhythm section in your local area.

[casualmadness]

Originally Posted by Rakie

WELL... some of my good friends are kinda flakey... Im studying Studio Engineering, I've almost graduated.

I planned on tracking my friends band, and already had the drum tracks down, mixed them well with some of my piers on a nice SSL board with some GREAT Compressors outboard gear. Got everything sounding really nice and warm.

SO, then I have to wait 4 weeks for them to be back in the area to finish up, now they are back, but the singer and drummer are in a play with a theater now (they do that a lot) and they won't have a free weekend till after I should be graduating...

Now... if I don't get this tracked, mixed / mastered I will not graduate. My friends may keep me from graduation... They knew to not do ANYTHING on the weekends.

I only had 10 weeks for this assignment, and it would have taken the whole time, now I have 5 weeks to start from scratch, with a new band.... (I found a new band, but thats not what im upset about)



Whats worse is they don't even really care, and they seem to be mad at me, I think they feel bad but don't want to admit they messed up so they are acting like it's my fault.

I can probably do it, but it'll be hard, hard work to get this accomplished, it has to be TOP quality too, no garage junkie recording, something you'd expect a major recording studio to produce, because we have Major recording studio's at my school.

Stanley Clarke and Victor wooten have recorded at my school. Chuch Rainey used to be head of the Bass program at my school. Steve Vai has recorded there, my instructors have been a part of some of the largest albums of all time, some of my teachers have worked with Eddy Kramer for Christ's sake. They expect a pretty darn nice song... And now I have 5 weeks to do it.




And yes... those friends are no longer a part of my life, this is too big to let go, I may not graduate because of this, and my project will NOT be as good as It could... Im very worried. I need a drink.

Welcome to the wonderful world of music business. I have two undergraduate degrees; one in sound engineering and one in music business. I have about a million stories just like yours. Thing is though, if you know what you're doing (and I mean really know what you're doing) you can pull it off in five weeks.
First thing you should do is not have that drink. Save that for after you hand in your project. You're in SoCal. I used to live there and I know even back in the 90's when I lived there, there was never less than eight billion wanna be stars squeezed right in between San Diego and Hollywood. Every kinda wierdo with some discernable talent who grew up in some fly-over state and did "real well" at the state fair, made their way to SoCal thinking they would be the next big thing. So finding a band, a duo, a soloist, a one man band, a pianist, etc. etc. etc. should be something that you could accomplish in about a day. Back when I lvied there; pre-internet, I never had trouble finding bands to play with. So finding someone should be simple enough.
If your school is like the one I went to, the studio can be booked anytime. Naturally, the good slots will go fast. So you may have to book some 3:00am slots. Not a big deal. I've done tons of those and done them on both sides of the glass. The only suck part of that is making the band understand that they can't go out drinking that night and then show up drunk at your studio, ready to pass out.
Anyway, it sounds like you're getting your first real taste of what it's like to work in the music business. FWIW, I changed careers after too many instances like that. I can't work with flakes. And while flakes are everywhere, there is an abundance of them in the music business.
Worst case scenario; you fail your class and epeat it next semester and get your degree one semester later. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't a big deal.

Good luck!

[Rakie]

Thanks Casual, Yeah I expect this but with it being my friends, I was hoping it would be different.

The requirements for this are set by our teacher. Must be live instruments (Guitars / bass / drums / Vocals) complete with solo's, effects, automation. Can't be rap without at least a sung chorus, no screamers without some singing, etc etc.

They want us to focus on what well be doing the most in this business. Luckily one of the guys in the recording program with me is in a successful band, named Purity. They are all amazing musicians and don't mess around, their drummer can get a solid keeper in 2-3 takes, guitarists can nail it (Graduates from Musicians Institute, where I attend RIT) and the bassist can Nail it. Vox will take a few passes to get different takes to comp.

Mostly I'm just upset about my friends, and that I have half the time to complete this.

[Rakie]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

How about recording some dub tracks with a drums, bass, and a DJ. I know a great reggae rhythm section in your local area.

Thanks Maki! But that doesn't fit the criteria. Our instructor gave us some guidelines that require work on crucial things, such as vocals, guitar solo's and Live drums.

Probably the three hardest things to dial in.