Why you should “bail on bad ideas instead of pumping them through $20,000 of outboard gear”, according to FINNEASBefore a song can shine in production, it has to stand strong on its own – such is the philosophy FINNEAS swears by as he balances his roles as a songwriter and producer.
The 27-year-old Grammy-winning producer, best known for his work with his sister Billie Eilish, released his self-produced sophomore album, For Cryin’ Out Loud! last October. Discussing his creative approach in a new Tape Op interview, FINNEAS shares a conversation he recently had with St. Vincent, who, too, produced her latest album All Born Screaming.
“She was asking the other day, ‘How do you not go down a rabbit hole while you’re writing a song if you’re also the producer?’” he recalls. “I replied, ‘Well, I know I don’t have the one right answer to this, but I do think that the song comes first.’”

READ MORE: BBC Radiophonic Workshop archive will be made available for the first time for use by musical artists and producers

The musician explains that focusing on production too soon can be a trap: “An example of a bad use of time to me would be: I start writing a little song – say I have two lines – and then I start doing some production,” he says.
“I start figuring out drums for it, because I get inspired. And then I spend seven hours on a kick drum because I’m haunted by it, I want it to be perfect, and I get the kick drum sounding so good. It sounds perfect on those two lines. Then I go back in, and I write a terrible song.”
“Of course I might write some bad songs. I’ve written many,” FINNEAS concedes. “But if I can write a bad song before devoting hours of production time into my bad idea, that is smarter. So, I try to think about it from that perspective.”
FINNEAS also notes how many producer friends of his who are “much more technically savvy” than he is about gear would often “get distracted by something that is so not making the song better.”
“I have spent many hours in studios with producers where they’re off on a tangent,” he says. “I’m saying, ‘Guys, this chorus is bad.’ [laughs] This would be a great time to bail on this idea instead of pumping it through $20,000 worth of outboard gear, and saying, ‘Hear how much it shines?’ No, the lyric’s still bad, dude. [laughs]”

The post Why you should “bail on bad ideas instead of pumping them through $20,000 of outboard gear”, according to FINNEAS appeared first on MusicTech.