The Decadence Philosophy

Most bands take the usual approach to producing music. They rehearse charts until they think they’re ready. Then they record and hope to get a good take, or enough bits and pieces that they can edit together into something listenable. Then they tour to recoup their recording costs.

With Decadence, we didn’t want to take the usual approach. Why?

First off, good luck getting ten (or more) musicians to agree on which recording sounds the best; this is why many bands record multiple, separate tracks over the course of hours or days, gradually building them up to a finished recording. Sure, each musician can choose his best performance, but it can lack a certain spontaneity and the true spirit of collaboration and improvisation that is critical to genres like jazz and funk.

Second, when you get in the studio and put players on the spot, they can get nervous and mic shy, sometimes overthinking their performances.

Last, cost. Studio time is expensive, and considering the potential for less-than-ideal performances, you could end up spending a chunk of change without getting anything usable recorded.

So, how did we solve these problems?

We acquired two Zoom R16 digital recorders, joined to give us 16 tracks, plenty for our unique tentet. We added a selection of budget-friendly yet high-quality microphones. And we learned how to record in whatever spaces to which we have access. No more need for costly studio time.

At the beginning of every session, each person sets up a mic. We do a quick level set, start the recorders, and forget about them. With this approach, it didn’t take long for the players to get used to the mics and playing into them became natural. Nervousness averted.

With our mobile recording equipment dialed in, Decadence can record live on the floor, with no need for overdubbing and no studio trickery to mask the musical interactions that we are trying to capture in a recording. Spontaneity? You bet.

And now, after every session, we can make a quick edit and post the results for band members each week. Our sound becomes more cohesive each time we play, and we’re constantly churning out high-quality recordings while refining our live performance repertoire.

How decadent.