As some of you know, I was trying to have a career in music and my artist name was Riley Hawke. I’m making a significant pivot now, and I wanted to mark the moment with a look back on the past 3 years. I thought this might be interesting to watch and wanted to share! I’ll warn you that it’s pretty long and in a conversational style.
I have a couple collaboration projects to wrap up before I’m caught up on everything music-related and can start totally fresh, and look forward to hanging out here more in the near future.
It’s an Oktava MK-319, and fun fact: I just used the audio from my iPhone because it was better. I guess I was too far away for a LDC to be a good option. If I did these kind of videos more often I would probably pick up a lav mic haha.
It’s so hard to tell the difference between accepting giving up on something and just learning that the thing you wanted is not what you want anymore, or that the thing you envisioned isn’t even a thing that exists.
The idea of “making it” a funny one because it’s essentially meaningless. It does feel good to create something and see other people enjoy it, but at the end of the day, we always equate “making it” with “making money.” I guess that’s really the only quantifiable way measure whether or not we made it.
Recognition is a weird thing. We want people to recognize the things we do, but we don’t want bend the things we do just to please other people. It’s like we want to do the things we like, and we want to bend the world to recognize that it’s great, rather than changing what we do to match what the world things is great.
I would love to tour the Southland
In a traveling minstrel show
Yes I’d love to tour the Southland
In a traveling minstrel show
Yes I’m dying to be a star and make them laugh
Sound just like a record on the phonograph
Those days are gone forever
Over a long time ago, oh yeah…
A bit tongue in cheek, but by no stretch do I mean to poke fun - seriously. And the irony of these guys singing a hit song about this is not lost on me either…
But I think most of us older members who haven’t “made it”, whatever “it” is, recognize your state of mind. If it’s any consolation, know that you’re not alone.
Too funny. I figured that out half way through the video…but only from having done a lot of dialogue and knowing that’s not what the Octava was built for.
These have stunning sound, are super cheap, and don’t carry with them all the inconveniences of using a lav mic!
Hmmm does that mean I shouldn’t be using it for all of my vocals? I’m thinking of trying out my Rode NT1-A again now that I’m not as clueless about mixing. Or trying to find something new, but it’s an overwhelming endeavor so I might just not.
What??? No. Its a great mic for vocals, I was talking about the proximity effect (which i assume is why your phone mic worked better). You were sitting too far away from it. I wondered how you pulled this off at first, then realized I might be hearing a phone mic.
I hope you buy an incredibly amazing microphone some day, so that all of us may applaud your diligence and validate you with great recognition.
We’ll petition @holster to tag your handle:
Andrew - certified golden ears.
Mike - grandmaster at finding deals.
Cristina Hawke - you made it!
Hah. I’m sorry…I just had to. Couldn’t resist.
…I’m glad you’re back on the forum. We missed you!
Thanks for sharing. I could relate to many points of unrealistic self-placed expectations, goals and results.
My takeaway is it is not the end of your story; maybe for Riley, but not for Christina. The video comes across as a pause for reflection and redirection which is a healthy habit to form.
That’s nice of you to offer! I’m afraid it might just sit in a drawer though if you were to send it to me… if I end up doing more videos like this though I’ll take you up on that!
Ha. While I was watching it I thought “how in the world does her voice sound so dry with the mic that far away?” I have found that even in a decently treated room, a mic sounds super distant even 18 inches a way on an exposed voice. I’ve had to do tons of experimenting trying to get a voice to sound decent without the mic being seen.
Interesting video, thanks for sharing your journey! It occurred to me that, if you’re into rituals at all, Riley Hawke - at the appropriate time - should have a “retirement party” or some kind of send-off, with Cristina Hawke stepping in to take her place. Twin sisters separated at birth, that type of thing. Almost sounds like a sitcom or movie plot.
Haha that’s totally the kind of thing that I would be into. For me though, making this video was kind of a “farewell” in and of itself. And especially since posting it, I’ve felt the finality of the shift.
I’m thinking of trying out my Rode NT1-A again now that I’m not as clueless about mixing. Or trying to find something new, but it’s an overwhelming endeavor so I might just not.