BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant

Subject: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 01:55 PM

There's nothing actually wrong. I'm just a bundle of raw nerves at the moment and have been bouncing off the walls like a deranged gibbon on a sugar overdose.

Explaination: After twenty-seven years as a professional performer I am about to release my first commercial recording. The official release will be on Friday (26-07-02). As happens with such undertakings, the number of seemingly small but no less annoying snafus which have occured just in the past week can best be compared to the number of angels required to dance on the head of a pin until it digs with sufficient depth into the shoulder blade of a philosopher to cause him/her/it to scream bloody murder. The result of sai snafus has been to delay the proccess to the point that the cd is being manufactured as I write this. I have been assured, time and again, that I shall have, at least, twenty-five of them ready to sell at the gig on Friday.

This doesn't require any sort of response. There's nothing that anyone can do about it. I just needed to sound off a bit. This whole thing is making me crazy(er).

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Amos
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 01:56 PM

Let it fly, Stephen. It'll do fine, I'm sure!

A

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 02:32 PM

Hi, Stephen. If it will make you feel any better... when I cut my album, Handful Of Songs, long, long ago, phonograph records were still the thing. CD players were just becoming available, but I didn't have one and no other folkie I knew did either. No one was going to accept change without putting up a fight. So, I had records and cassettes produced. I had already paid for my records and went over to pick them up because they were ready, only to find a padlock on the door. I called the guy I'd worked with and the company had gone bankrupt. There was a court order that nothing could be removed from the factory. I prevailed on the guy to open up so that I could get my records, as they had already been paid for, and even though he was actually breaking the law, he did it. We furtively snuck in to the factory and "stole" the records I'd already paid for.

Now, twelve years later, I figured maybe I'd put the album out on CD, and called my friend who'd recorded and mixed the master tapes. It was only after he couldn't find the final master tape that was used to cut the records that I realized that I had never gotten it back. I had hoped to have CDs by the time I go down to Washington in mid-September, but now I have to have a master tape re-mixed from the original tapes (which are still in my friend's studio, thank God.) Maybe I'll have them out in time for Christmas. When you're doing a record or CD, take the longest conceivable amount of time you think it will take to produce it, and then multiply by three. At least...

Good luck, though. Sometimes things go right. :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Gareth
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 03:16 PM

Historically, the C**K Up theory wins over the Conspiracy theory every time.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 04:30 PM

Kinda like jumping off a cliff, ain't it, and wondering what you'll hit! Good luck!

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Hollowfox
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 04:38 PM

Nothing to do but live through it, my friend. In the end, at some time in the future, you'll have the cd's.

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: greg stephens
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 04:53 PM

Well, if it's any cnosolation all my records came about about a year late, minimum. It would nice to blame the record company, God, the world economy, anyone: but I have to admit it was mostly me.

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 05:53 PM

Oh yes...CD production is only rivaled by wedding planning in the snafus and tensions! But the wait is worth it. You'll love it once it's finished, I am sure...just like a good marriage that follows a nightmare wedding.

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Ralphie
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 02:06 AM

Sorry to hear the tales of woe above, but...I'm literally (as soon as I can get off this damn website!!!) just about to pick up the first copies of my debut CD...!
No worries, No Fuss....the easiest birth I've ever had !!
Sometimes, things do go OK
Regards Ralphie

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Amergin
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 02:20 AM

So Ralphie....you gave birth before? that must have been a uh...narrow experience....

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 03:01 AM

Drink a 40 oncer - smoke a little weed - chill man chill

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 01:01 AM

I MADE IT!!!! I SURVIVED!!!

Everything came up just under the wire. Everyhing was finished and ready to go at three o'clock this afternoon (26-07-02). I picked them up on my way to my gig tonight. Sandy Andina and I played to a good, friendly house. we each sold a couple of CD's.

The whole experience has made me three times more nuts than I already was, but it was worth it!

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Amos
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 01:40 AM

Congratulations -- you get the survivor's Merit Badge with one stripe.

Next year, I am sure you willl meet and pass the two-stripe challenge, but you aren't allowed to know what it is until you spring it on yourself full-blown -- it's supposed to be a surprise, see! So keep it under your hat.

Well done,!

A

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: hesperis
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 03:21 AM

Hehehehe, at the beginning of May I was one month away from having my CD fully recorded. I then moved - three times. I have an estimate of two weeks now, and am a little worried about what's going to happen next! *g*

And this is self-produced, on the computer. Once it's done, I'll have to burn them all myself, too.

Glad you got them in time. Hope I do. ;)

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Bobert
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 09:33 AM

Congrates, Stephen on getting your CD out. The rest is a piece of cake, right?

But you did push one of my many hot buttons. We have entered the "Excuse Era". I don't know if any one else has noticed it or whether its just the area on the world that I live in, but folks don't do what they say they're gonna do anymore. Yep, instead of actually doing the stuff they promise, they spend the time thinking up yet another excuse for why they didn't do what they promised. Used to be that there were more folks around with "do-itis" than "gonnadoitis" but the gonnado's are now firmly in the majority. But, hey, they do have plenty of excuses.

Sorry, didn't mean to thread creep on this one but....

(Hey, that sounds like an excuse to me Bobert!) No, I stopped at "but", didn't I? (Sounds like an implied excuse then...) Okay, maybe ya got me on that one...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 01:17 PM

Congratulations, Stephen!

Hesperis, have you looked at the www.mixonic.com website? Easy as pie, just upload your music, design your label, and order only as many as you want, from one on up. No sitting there and burning each one yourself, etc. You can also sell them there and they do all of the work, including shipping etc. and they pay once per month. I just did my brother's music on there and am really happy about it.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: hesperis
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 01:58 PM

Oooh, you can mail the master... does that have to be a glass master, or would a normal homeburned CD count? Also, the "design your label" part doesn't say much about the jewel case - would they handle several pages of jewel case booklet? It's either put the info in the jewel case (hassle to make) or have an accompanying booklet (hassle for customers to keep track of).

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: GUEST,Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 02:56 PM

Stephen, my intent is not to make you worry more, but I recommend you play one of those CDs yourself ASAP. Also inspect any printed material to make sure it has been printed correctly. If there is anything wrong with the CD, it's better to discover it sooner rather than later.

My wife went through something similar when her CD was made. The manufacturer had the CDs all ready for pickup (they were right in our town) when she discovered that the printed paper insert had been printed wrong. It was supposed to be printed on both sides, but they only printed one side. The CDs looked OK from the outside. The manufacturer took them back and had them all unwrapped and had reprinted inserts re-inserted. It must have been a big money-loser for the company. While the manufacturing process is probably all automated, the un-assembly is probably done by hand. The reassembly was done just in time for the CD release concert, for which announcements and invitations had already been sent out.

Having worked in a manufacturing company myself, I know that small customers, people who order stuff in small batches, are often screwed over. Not intentionally, exactly, but the company will neglect the small customer in favor of devoting its resources to the big customer whose work might be in process at the same time. This means the workers who work on your project won't be as closely supervised, their work won't be as closely inspected, they won't be as careful about meeting your deadlines, etc. If they screw up, they will probably make good on their promises eventually, but they may not meet your deadline.

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 04:36 PM

Jim Dixon -- I've been unimaginabley anal about the quality control from the start. After all, my name is on the darned thing. Fortunately, so is my producer. Add to that the fact that he's a control freak of the first order and one has a built in b****hit filter. Everything came out fine.

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 05:12 PM

Jerry's Handful of Songs sound pretty good just off an audiocassette (or rather off the CD I burned off the audiocassette, because it's a more convenient way of listening.)

I suppose they'll sound even better on a properly remastered CD, but I can't imagine how.

Subject: RE: BS: An Almost, But Not Quite, Rant
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 04:24 AM

There are computer programs out there which can clean up and enhance cassettes wonderfully. The quality which one gets in the end is varried only by the quality of the cassette going in. Three of the cuts on my cd are older demos enhanced through Pro-Tools. It CAN be done.

Steve