Did you have any guardrails in place to avoid getting lost in endless tweaks, or was that part of the process?
Guardrails are great when it comes to limiting the tools you have to choose from, or the time you give yourself to finish a work. At the start, we picked about three main instruments to pick from when recording the bones of each song.
We would do one instrument track, and then do the final vocal rather than waiting until the end to do vocals, which is typical for me. This way, we knew we had to stay out of the way early on.
The main guitar or piano was doing whatever its purpose was, then the vocal, and then allowing enough space for the song to breathe. What was left over was what we could fill with other textures or rhythms. This kept the end product very clean and simple, as well as cohesive.
I love my studio, but as I’ve built it out, I’ve tried to be intentional in the gear or instruments I’ve collected so as to not become paralyzed by choice.
The key is to have a smooth workflow so you don’t waste valuable time when you’re trying to chase an idea. I’m a dad, so my time in the studio is limited. I think this a double win since I get to be with my family, and also not spin out endlessly while trying to make creative decisions. So it really came down to picking a small handful of colors to paint with, and limiting the time I had to do it.
Pro tip from SYML: Perfection only exists after something is done imperfectly.
