I'm a huge techno-buff. Particularly when it comes to music. I find it all so fascinating. The idea that there are these tools to help refocus my creativity and my overall creative process is just so cool a concept.
On the other hand, technology as a crutch drives me crazy. Balancing these two used to be a considerable challenge for me. But over time I have found that if I start with that basic idea, "serve the song," and actually follow that as a kinda of unbreakable rule - ironic in that I also firmly believe there should be no rules to creativity, *sigh* - I can pretty much move into any area that catches my creative fancy.
Let me give you a more concrete example. I am also a big fan of Dave Grohl. (Aren't we all?) The guy is truly an inspiration for so many reasons. Recently he made this incredible film called "Sound City," and I really encourage you all to see it. Repeatedly. It is quite astonishing, and has so much on so many levels that I found myself having to watch it a couple of times recently to ensure I felt I had gotten all that I could from the experience. Anyway...
The film is part history lesson about a particular studio (Sound City), part recording industry rant, part technology rant...you get the idea. On the surface there is this sense of a "technology has killed music" notion floated by a lot of the artists in the film - and there are a LOT of them in the film. So many heroes of mine that I kinda lost count. There are all these example stories of technology killing the musical process in favor a the quick and easy route to "success." Dave went so far as to by the Neve console from the studio for his own studio and he's since produced several amazing LPs with it.
I've heard lots of musicians respond to this film - and similar- by saying that they are going back to analog. No more computers. No more artificial elements. It's all gotta be "real." Ok, but the notion of "real" is not so clear these days. As if the analog tape machine is any less of a technology than digital. Different certainly, but technology all the same. It's as though they skipped the scenes in the film with Trent Reznor. Folks, it's not the technology. It's you.
"No, man. You don't get it. Dave, he went all 'old school.' All analog. No computers. It's all real." Come on. Really? You gotta see past that. What Dave did is nothing short of brilliant. But, to me at least, it has nothing to do with pro-analog or anti-computers/anti-Pro Tools. It's about how you get musically inspired.
Think about it. Stripping things down and removing the computer really was just a way to facilitate a different approach to music making. Opening up previously unexplored creative paths. But the analog versus digital element is just a superficial bit on the surface. Go deeper and they are both irrelevant.
All that matters is the song. That's it. Are you letting the music make the decisions or are you forcing yourself onto it? Your song doesn't suck because you used computers. And it's not brilliant because you went analog. It sucks because you got in the way. It sucks because you let your ego get to the point of arrogance and the music took a back seat in some way. Maybe it was 'cuz you rushed something. Or didn't practice the line enough to make it really shine. Or didn't let things be gloriously out of sync and/or tune. If your song sucks, it's not the music. It's because you did not let the music rule the decisions. Your song sucks because you did not get out of the music's way.
And your song is not amazing because you went analog, and threw off the "shackles of technology." It's amazing because you got out of the music's way. Maybe going analog gave you the needed perspective to let the music take control, preventing your ego from turning to arrogance and letting the music flow. But that is about you, not technology. And if that's what it takes to allow you to serve the song, then do it. Go analog. But don't for a moment think that it's the technology that is making the music "happen, " or not. That's all you. It's why all the over processed crap might at first seem really cool, but then over time all fades away. In the same way, though, if the computer inspires you in some way to harness the magic of the music, why turn away from it? That's just as bad as using it as a crutch. Maybe even worse. How can you possibly justify turning your back on the music right in front of you just because you wanna throw those shackles off I mentioned earlier? That's not musical. That's just, forgive me, stupid.
Serve the song. Serve the song. SERVE THE SONG! How you serve it is not the point, so long as you do.
This all has absolutely NOTHING to do with technology, by the way. It's something far more pure. Technology is only a tool. Or a crutch. Your choice. Serve the song and you will always know what to do. Ok. End of rant. For now...
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