Good Idea
For the past year, I have attempted to record my songs using two different platforms- Studio One and Protools. You can read more about this journey on “Use What You Got And Just Start” and “Hardest Things To Do”.
But I need to be honest. It has been a struggle and a fun-sucker trying to produce my songs. While I’ve never admitted it’s been easy, and have fully expressed my struggles, I got to a point where I didn’t even want to try anymore. I’ve felt like a major roadblock has been in my way, preventing me from bringing my songs to life. I’m a songwriter and a singer who has a few years of practice on the guitar. I started this journey, never believing I would ever be a producer of any kind. But I also want to so desperately bring my songs to life.
If I had to choose a genre, I would say I fit in with country, singer-songwriter, and maybe even folk. I’m not trying to add some trap-style drums or ambience. When I hear my songs, I hear simple classic drums, vocal layering, guitars, and maybe even a piano. In my mind, I thought that I would be building out fairly, dare I say, “simple” production?! But no. Trying to learn a complex DAW has brought me to major discouragement, frustration, anger, and disappointment. I know I’m a beginner. I know that the songs I produce right now are not going to be Apple Music quality. It’s a long-term goal, yes, but right now, my focus is on improving my songwriting, becoming a better singer, and practicing my guitar. I feel like those are my strengths, and I’m leaning into those. Production has been the next step in actually creating the songs, and hopefully sharing them. But oh, how I’ve hated the production process up to this point.
ProTools is an industry-standard software. It has capabilities beyond what I even know is possible. Through this journey, I’ve felt like I have failed at learning the basics. The basics are vital to creating the simple production I long for. Trying to learn and even figure out and find the basic functions within a complicated software has taken hours of Google searches and YouTube tutorials. But, to give myself credit, I’ve learned a lot, and discovered this basic knowledge that I need to learn a whole lot more about.
I have a coworker who’s in band and has a bit more experience with music production. One day, I decided to bring up my struggles to him. After kindly listening and agreeing with the things I told him, he asked me if I had tried GarageBand. I hadn’t. Instead, I was paying for software that was annoying the hell out of me. I went home that day and stopped my subscription.
Because of the frustrating experiences previously, I was hesitant to try GarageBand. I waited a few weeks after that conversation. One day, when I was on Instagram, Qveen Herby shared a video where she was putting together a song. I zoomed into the video, and sure enough, she was using GarageBand. This gave me the reassurance that this is the route I needed to go. I now had just the right amount of courage to try.
The moment I opened up the app, relief flooded over me. I easily created a new project, my little old audio box had no issue connecting (which was a MAJOR struggle previously), and within a minute, I was up and running. The software was intuitive and simple, with the focus on the basics. I could easily adjust the EQ, add reverb or ambience, and stack all the vocals and guitar to my heart's desire. I was empowered by how intuitive the software was and how easily I could tinker around on my own. Within a few hours, my song came to life. The spark and joy filled up my body again. I felt like I could do it, I could bring a song to life. The roadblock had been shattered.
I wrote and recorded “Good Ideas” within the same week. My struggles with producing coincided with a creative block and burnout. I hadn’t written anything in a few weeks at that time, and I started to feel discouraged, as one does. Then, I started to ponder ideas. I’ve read Emily Gilbert’s “Big Magic,” where she brings up the theory that ideas are “living entities that seek to be manifested”. I’m not necessarily on that bandwagon, but it’s an interesting thought. Will we ever know where or how ideas come about? Probably not. But I decided to write a song about it, cuz I was out of ideas anyway up until that point. Then, “Good Ideas” flowed out of me so easily. The song is questioning the ideas themselves, wondering where they come from, and how they get to someone like me.
I’m really proud of my first recordings in GarageBand. It gave me that spark back to record and bring my songs to life. To analyze, I would love to get the vocals a little clearer. I’m working on getting better at sticking to a beat, but practice is definitely needed. I also think I need to work on melodies- I always feel way more confident in melodies, until I hear them back and they don’t align the way I think they should. The artist always knows the flaws, but I have to remind myself- it’s about trying and finishing , not perfection.
Good Ideas
Written By: Katie Grass
Do you float on by in life,
Looking for one to come by
That’s got a mind bright and light
Knowing enough for your Good Idea.
Or are you deeply hidden inside
Nestled in my unconscious mind
Just hoping for a reason to shine,
And swoop in with your Good Idea
Aren’t we both just waiting
Hoping today is the day.
Your good idea is patient
And chooses me for its fate
Or are you beyond the sky?
Godly and testing the time.
Grasping to energy that aligns
To bless one with your Great Idea.
Aren’t we both just waiting
Hoping today is the day.
Your good idea is patient
And chooses me for its fate
