Tweaking perfection: the struggles of making an album
Breaking on Through...Part 2 The Pendulum follows local musician and Elon alumnus
Mark Gould as he follows his dream of breaking into the music
industry. Stay tuned for updates on Mark’s progress and
stuggles in the local music scene and the music industry at
large. Virginia Galvez / Reporter
Breaking into the music industry is never an easy task, and
the completion of a CD is no exception. Building off years of
musical interest and accomplishment, Mark Gould has taken
steps to advance his musical career. The most recent of
progressions was made through the production of his CD
“Whispering of Public Opinion” after his journey
to Scotland.
“Many songs started coming out over there and my
desire to actually make something from my music became more
apparent with each passing day,” said Gould. “So
I started the process when I got back from Scotland. The
people over there are great friends and were great
inspiration, but the place itself sparked many newfound
issues.”
Pursuing his solo act upon his return to the United States,
Gould went to Liberty House Recording Studio in Burlington
for the recording process, which was self-funded. In addition
to having an established recognition with the engineer, Gould
was able to have him play drums on the album, cutting down
the cost and manpower for the album’s production.
While these were considered obvious benefits of the studio
location choice, Gould claims that the recording process was
by no means an uncomplicated task. “Recording was not
easy. One problem I had was simple fatigue” said Gould.
“It is a solo project CD which means I had to be there
for all the parts…even the scratch tracks for the
drums. In bands you get to take a break…not in this
case, so that was an issue.”
In addition to the general exhaustion, Gould comments on
what he feels was the most challenging portion of the
production.
“Mixing is the worst experience of the entire
process…one song took a good eight hours to mix.
…It is the final cut, so all the levels have to be
tweaked during the song in a certain patter and if you mess
up, then you have to start all over.”
The combination of all these culprits leads the inevitable
general frustration of judging the detail and perfection of
your own work. Knowing there could be more work done on your
own work is never easy, on top of the realization that
tweaking away at the album requires funding. “I look
forward to the day when someone else is footing the bill, so
I don’t have to feel the financial pressure weighting
down on me while I am trying to create something worthwhile
in the music industry,” said Gould.
As frustrating and challenging as the recording process may
have been, Gould combines creative guitar work and lyrical
originality in a contrasting selection of songs. Ranging from
slower, ballad-like tracks such as “The
Inevitable” to catchier, singable selections like
“The Na-Na-Na Song”, Gould proves he not only has
talent, but a range of it as well. Musically pleasing to
listeners, this CD provides a starting point for Gould and
the places his musical career could potentially take him.
“I would say that making this album gives you an idea
of how to move from that point. An album is simply the best a
musician can do at that particular point in their musical
development,” said Gould. “Listening to my own
album now gives me a sense of which elements I need to
expound upon and which ones need a little
digression…that has been extremely rewarding because I
feel like I have found a direction to follow.”
For further information on musician Mark Gould or his CD,
visit his website at http://www.markgouldmusic.com.
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