Off the Record - December Edition

Hi there! Off the Record is a newsletter that helps independent artists transform ideas into amazing records.
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I hate Christmas.

There, I said it. If you love this time of year, please, don’t try to persuade me. Save your time for your loved ones, don’t spend it on the internet troll I’m slowly becoming.

I can’t remember how it happened, but the holiday season gives me the creeps. And it’s been this way for a long time…
Why am I telling you this? What the fuck do you care?

Writing is weird. For some reason, I’m compelled to be honest with you.
I don’t mind lying every now and then in real life. Nothing big, mind you. I’ve never cheated on anyone, or sold anything by making shit up.

But I’m interested in stories. And sometimes, you can make a good story great by twisting reality just a tiny bit. I don’t see the harm in that. What matters to me is the end
But I digress.

Since I’ve wasted a lot of your time already, let’s make it short today. Something quick and actionable.

How about a little cheat code?

They say there are no shortcuts. No easy way. You just have to put in the work. The 10 000 hours and all that. (You need a hell of a lot more than that, by the way, but that’s a story for another day.)

First, you need to be great at what you do. That’s not a cheat code, that’s a given. Second, you need to be professional. That means you need all the boring stuff that you think you don’t need because you’re an artist.

You need to be reliable. You need to be punctual. You need to set expectations. You need to respect deadlines. You need to answer emails, texts and calls.

Now, if you’ve already got all of that going on, here it is:

Be the greenest person in the room.

Surround yourself with people who are more experienced than you are. Pros who’ve been doing this for a while. Build your career on their years of hard work. Be humble, and ask for help from the best.

It’s the fast-track lane to the top of the pyramid.

But then again, what do I now…

PSA:

When I’m not writing these pretty emails, I’m writing pretty music. The beginning of 2025 is looking pretty busy already, so if you want me to work on your next record, reply to this email.

Let’s make it happen!

The worst-kept secret of music production.

Everyone and their mother know about the importance of pre-production. Yet very few put it into practice.

Most pop songs today are recorded as they are written. Production and writing occur at the same time. I still believe this to be a mistake. I know, I sound like a dinosaur. But hear me out.

You need to digest the song before you hit “Record”.

If you wrote a good one, you could arrange it in numerous ways. Yet, to make the best version of the song, you need to know it inside and out. You need to know what the song is. You need to know everything it could be. But more importantly even, you need to know what it cannot be.

Only then can you make the right decisions about how to record the song. Picking your bpm and key, of course, and then your tones. This will influence the engineering, as you’ll want to track sounds as close to what you hear in your head.

That’s how we used to make records. Not browsing through hundreds of presets looking for a cool sound. We’d hear a sound in our head, and then try to recreate it.

Sometimes you’d nail it. Sometimes you’d fail miserably, only to find a cooler sound on the way.

Life and Times on the Beach

Fare Thee Well

This was the twelfth edition of Off the Record, the last of the year. Whether you signed up months ago or last week, thank you. Since you stuck around, I’m guessing you’re getting something out of my ramblings.

I want to bring more value to you in the next year, so you can expect some changes as 2025 rolls in. As always, if there’s something you want me to explore, please let me know. I reply to every email.

Till then, I wish you a lovely holiday season. And if you’re a Grinch like me, hang in there. It’s only a matter of days now. Soon, we’ll put down the decorations, bury the holiday-themed music 6 feet under, and go back to making real music.

There, there!

P.S.: if this newsletter has left you feeling inspired, do me a huge favour and forward it to a friend.