1.2 - Collaboratives

Below are detailed descriptions and key Un/learnings related to the central relationships with whom I worked with and learned from in my engagement of these projects and processes. 

Augustin Roelofs

A dear friend and sonic comrade of mine since 2010, Augustin was a prime initiator and mentor within this process for me. An initiator in the sense that, though I had previously imagined one day making an album on Catalina, it was his motivation and initiation which made it a reality. Choosing the dates, creating a proposal for my family, and gathering the resources to make it happen, this was all him, all I had to do was show up. On a practical level, Augustin allowed me to utilize his equipment so that I could properly engineer and produce both Ashlyn and Hannah in their recording projects. I used his tube microphones, Apogee Audio Interface, and Equator reference monitors for two and half months on my projects. He was also my core teacher/mentor in learning to navigate and effectively utilize Logic Pro X, the primary DAW recording software I use to record and produce my own music as well as others'. He was 'on call' throughout my process with Ashlyn and for a few weeks of my project with Hannah. If I became confused during a recording or mixing session, I would go to the space where he was working and ask for his assistance. He would usually respond right away and help fix my problem while also teaching me how to avoid it for the future. He has been recording since around 2002, is knowledgeable about engineering technology, and helped me assemble the gear list for my studio equipment proposal I would present later that year. 

Un/Learnings

With Augustin's help I managed to grasp a functional understanding of the Logic recording software, better understand the function and dynamics of basic recording techniques and practices, and learn through observing his process of producing his own music. I also learned more about establishing clear agreements when establishing project relationships. This manifested because when we had initially became inspired about our recording projects on Catalina, Agustin spoke about the excitement he felt around the idea of helping me with Hannah's music and "what we could do with her voice". I held onto this idea that he would be more involved with the production of Hannah's songs but saw that it was to no avail and had eventually come to pass when he left to island to continue his project on the mainland. This culminated in a phone call that was not well communicated on either of our sides and then concluded in an email from Augustin which was harsh to say the least. All is gravy between us now but all the drama could have definitely been avoided in clear agreements around this subject were established from the beginning. I am so grateful for all that he has given me and helped me through and we continue to work together, sharing work, and giving/receiving feedback to this day.

Ashlyn Fay

Ashlyn is a great song writer who's music I felt enthusiastic about and grateful to be able to contribute to in some way. During our production sessions, we would begin by sitting down and more effectively organizing the structure of whatever song we would be working on that day. Ashlyn's pattern was to write beautiful songs that were just a little too long. So, I helped consolidate them into a format where the essence of the song could be easily communicated while still remaining (usually) under 4:00 min in length (Sidenote: Some of the most popular songs in history are only around 2:30 min long, wow! EXAMPLES). We would then record her raw guitar tracks, usually recording a double-track i.e. a recording with a mimicked recording layered on top, then move to vocals, and finally vocal harmonies. The song-reworking sessions went very well and she was very receptive to my critiques and suggestions. The recording process was mostly smooth but occasionally challenging due to the fact that I was still learning to use the Logic Software and Ashlyn's empathic sense of my own insecurity made her less trusting of my abilities. Ultimately compassionate for one another' processes we were able to cut through personal fears or doubts and move through the process with relative grace. 

Un/Learnings 

Through the song-crafting, production, and recording of Ashlyn's music, I was able to effectively 'learn by doing', receiving a much more thoughou understanding of the Logic software and how to use it, as well as skill-flex my craft of musical midwifery when helping to consolidate, re-format, and re-work elements of her songs and lyrics. On another level I learned more about establishing clear emotional/mental and professional boundaries when working and living with a client/music associate, especially when there is little to no monetary or service-oriented exchange involved. This challenge manifested in Ashlyn as a subtle attitude of entitlement during her stay on the island, wether it was in the form of me buying all of the groceries, not cleaning up after herself in the kitchen, becoming impatient or inflexible with my engineering process, or being a picky/paranoid eater during group meals, with no clear mental/emotional boundaries in place regarding our creative partnership and living situation or any exchange established for my time or her stay it wasn't totally surprising that these kinds of behaviors would manifest. Ultimately, we are both great communicators and were able to sit down and have grounded discussions on these topics as the sessions progressed and eventually came to a close. I learned a lot about overextending my energies at this time as well and am so grateful to have had the experience as a reference point of how to work with others more effectively in the future. 

Hannah Adams

Hannah was my girlfriend at the time we recorded her music, which made the process pleasant at first but ultimately draining and stagnant by the end. I enjoyed her music and held a romantic vision of recording her since the night we met in August 2013. Through the recording process I learned that Hannah's relationship to her musical expression was quite complex. I saw this mostly in patterns of mood swings between extreme confidence and extreme self-doubt and self-deprecation regarding her expression, presentation, and musical abilities. I was patient and professional in dealing with her mood swings during the first month and a half or so of the process, though by the third month was irritated and basically hopeless, accepting that I was most likely not going to witness her attitudes around her own music and the recording process bend toward a more affirmative or optimistic outlook. A kind of mutual apathy eventually ensued leaving the project in a half-complete state. 

Un/Learnings

On a technical level, during Hannah's recording process, my abilities with Logic X increased immensely as I worked for longer periods over a more extended length of time (Oct-Dec). I also began to construct more electronic beats and compositions in the collaborative songs we designed together, greatly improving my vocabulary, versatility, and creative adaptability within the software. In terms of the challenges which eventually drained our motivations to dedicate our efforts to the project, I believe they were due to a kind of combination of the aspects listed above with Augustin and Ashlyn, both unclear agreements and boundaries as well as overextending myself in both time and energy. The lines of these subjects can already become more easily blurred in a monogamous partnership for multiple reasons if both parties are not totally clear in intention or communication. On top of this, living together, also with little to no exchange financially or otherwise, recording music together, a very sensitive process for almost any artist, and reacting to emotional triggers brought about by any number of dynamics expressed in the relationship, when not handled maturely, eventually caused the project to collapse. In retrospect, a more personal perspective from my point of view is that the relationship was ultimately out of balance for both of our lives and slowly moving towards separation anyway, manifesting in this circumstance as the gradual disintegration of the mutual project we were working on. I learned a lot about myself creatively, professionally, practically, and psychologically during the recording sessions with Hannah. All is well between us at this point and these songs have still yet to be released to the world, they sound great and whenever she is ready, the world will receive the gift of her music and our collaborations together, which I am ultimately grateful to have grown through and taken part in. 

Paul Olsen

Paul has been a dear friend and sonic comrade of mine since 2010, helping me engineer and produce my first album, SunDog, in 2012, the OP detailing the process of which can be found here. During the final phases of self-engineering my second full-length album in fall 2015 at my 'Womb Studio' on Catalina, I decided to reach out to Paul in the hopes of receiving his assistance with 'mixing' the songs on the record. He was living in Seattle at the time and just happened to be preparing to move back to southern California. He came to the island for New Years, celebrated, and plotted our course of action for mixing the record. We established a clear financial agreement for his time working on the mixes, endorsed by the benevolent blessing of my mother, designed an action plan, and began to tackle the mixes in a song by song work-flow. Though we spread out our work schedule between 3 months (Jan-Mar), at the same time being a band playing shows with Paul playing drums & doing final recordings, the mixing process in total lasted about 2 full weeks. Our workflow in the studio was seamless, focusing for 3-5 hours at a time on a given song, developing patterened systems of approach while remaining flexible and open in our process, all the while keeping awareness of our bodies' needs and emotional wellbeing. Paul and I had not worked together creatively in almost two and half years so this process was very re-bonding for us. We approached challenges in the Mixes with optimism and vigor, laughing and joking most of the way. Find more of the technical design analysis of the mixing process under 'Mixing' in the project process page.

Un/Learnings

On a technical level in terms of how to mix a song from start to finish, my learning, newfound understanding, use of tools, and application regarding the process has been immense, design details of which can also be found in the 'Mixing' section of the 'Project Process' page. By learning about how to mix through participating in and observing Paul's process, I have developed a deepened understanding and appreciation for the art of mixing as a whole, listening to others' music in a more refined way, while feeling more equipped to really help fellow artists in getting the most out of a given recording which they choose to share with the world.