Producer Thoughts: Why Is Finishing A Song Hard?

That Last 5%

I was at a songwriting meet up a couple of weeks ago and the old “last 5%” of finishing a project came up in conversation. 

If you’ve written and recorded music for a while you know the rub. You start writing and you’re absolutely jazzed with the song. You dive into recording and it’s an absolute charm. Then as you hear the song for the 30th time or more, the shine starts to wear off a little but you’re still excited. Now it’s crunch time, this thing needs to get finished … but you’ve written this other great song which you’re really jazzed about.

Why Is The Last 5% So Hard?

I don’t have a definitive answer but I have some thoughts:

1. This part of the project feels like “work” ; it’s not always filled with the excitement of creating the song and seeing the recording of the song take form.
2. There is doubt. The “what ifs” start to make you second guess yourself. The spectre of perfectionism starts to invade and it’s easier to do something fun instead.
3. Related to point 1, the fine tuning of a song isn’t as exciting as when it comes together. Revisions and little tweaks keep popping up leading to the “when will this be done”
4. You lose clarity about the project and struggle to like what you have. 

How To Get That Last 5% Done

Being a recovering perfectionist, I also have some thoughts that help me get projects finished:

1. Checklists: As goofy as this might sound, developing a checklist of things that need to be done is hugely helpful. When I’m finishing up a track I bounce down a mix, step out of the studio into a fresh environment and do something menial. I have something to take notes on nearby and I half listen while I’m doing something else. When something “sticks out” I write it down.
2. Take A Break: Sometimes you need to step away from the project in that last 5% phase. Take a week off, work on something else. When you come back to the project, come back with the clear goal of finishing and not getting bogged down in the minutia.
3. Phone a friend: Need perspective, show someone who has production ears and someone who is your average listener (who preferably likes/knows the style of music you’re making). Your production-eared person will look at the details, your average listener will be taking in the whole of the music. Don’t prompt them but wait until they have listened and ask questions like:
   1. Did anything stick out or distract you as you listened?
   2. Was there a point where you felt disinterested with the song?
   3. Was there anything you really liked?

Asking more general, not leading, questions helps them formulate answers that are more accurate. Be aware of personal biases and that these are personal and don’t mean you need to take someone’s advice.

4. Done is better than perfect because perfect never gets done: I don’t really need to say more do I? 
5. The head bob test: One final test I personally use is the head bob test. What is that? I was working on a mix this morning, and I knew it was ready for mastering because as I listened back my head started bobbing in time with the music. For me, I know it’s pretty much done. 

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this somewhere in another blog, but I remember Rick O’Neil from Turtle Rock Mastering commenting about finishing a mix “make it as good as you can, then stop”. If my head is bobbing, it’s good.

Seek Professional Help

At the risk of sounding like I’m self-promoting, having a professional mix and master your music can be the perfect way to get your project across the line. I write, record and mix my own music but most releases end up going to my mastering engineer because I like the different perspective it brings.

In many ways, I’m not a typical mixing and mastering guy. Because I have a background in songwriting and composition, I end up hearing arrangement tweaks and sometimes new parts to be added to a track to help round it out. Then, with my client’s permission, I’ll make those adjustments and help to get the track to the finish line.

Because I haven’t been there since the start of the project my perspective is very different. I’m a finisher. I’m not thinking about how that bassline was written or how you really like that vocal ad lib. I’m eyeing the whole song and trying to get it to a place where I feel it stands up with other commercial releases as well as appealing to your audience. 

When you’re investing in professional help the process should be transformative for your song and possibly yourself. But more about that in another post sometime.

The Takeaway: The 5% should be embraced. It’s a little tough but you’re a big boy/girl and you can do it. Learning to stay excited in that last 5% is a discipline but you can learn to love it. You have something to celebrate when you’re done! 

The other thing you should keep in mind is something I’ve written about previously, who is going to be blessed by your music? Are you going to withhold that blessing by procrastinating on the last 5%?