Neil Mason 💡✍️

Clearly layout short-term objectives in a sequence that explains your big picture goals. There is less room for differing opinions when a vision is set. Leave room for adaptations, but be clear in a planned path and you’ll have increased alignment.

Be curious. - read to learn - write to test your understanding - ask to gain perspective - study to explore - listen to discover There are answers to almost every question you can conjure. Be interested and you will be interesting.

Mental and physical focus combined with a love for the job help when you’re juggling different sides of being an artist. Try to let them feed one another creatively. If you’re excited and inspired by the studio, you can carry that energy over into the context shift of a tour. Maybe you are recording something stylistically different than your catalog and that is an opportunity for reimagining songs in your live show to hint to the audience where your sound is going. Context switching is easiest to manage by the love you have for the job. Let the live show inform your studio work and let the studio create for the live show. If you can find where they help each other to better your career you’ll feel motivated and find the stamina.

Every artist’s process differs, but a few things are typically true - • Setting aside enough time before the artist arrives is important to being respectful of everyone and also is important in keeping moral and the overall vibe in a great place. • Having a set amount of time to record creates a real and subconscious expectation for the artist to show up prepared. • Leaving undiscussed time at the end of the session for experimentation is a great trick once you have what you need to explore if there are any ways to improve your track. Once everyone is comfortable and you have momentum on your side, you have a great opportunity to capture the unexpected.

Recording, whether it is with one artist or multiple artists is about creating the conditions for an inspired performance. Technically speaking, this means ensuring that all the instruments are setup properly, running through the proper channels, ready to hit record and that headphone mixes are labeled clearly and dialed in for the best listening experience. Vibe wise, this means setting the right ambiance in the room (lighting, temperature, etc.) and then running an organized, fun, creative session where anything is possible because you’ve prepared the conditions for maximum exploration and optionality.

For the traveling musician, a great pair of smaller speakers is ideal. The iLouds have been great for dropping in a suitcase to record on the go.