Am I making music or software?
It’s a question I’ve asked twice.
First I create a documentation site for my studio. (I’m surprised I didn’t use a Wiki. Huh. Wiki …) Now I’ve launched a Bugzilla site to track the tasks for my demos.
Hell, I was actually looking at revision control systems — Trac, in particular — to manage the different versions of my demos. Take a peek into my hard drive, and you’ll see I’ve named my output audio with version numbers.
Am I making music or software?
The reality is my days are filled with technical terms. I use Perforce at work everyday. I’m involved with projects where bug reports are filed and feature requests are flagged as red, yellow or green.
Version control and bug tracking have their uses, and with the number of songs I’m working on — around 70 or so — I need something better than a fracking long list.
The eerie part was just how well Bugzilla fits into a recording studio model. I’ve equated "products" with albums, "components" with tracks. Each bug report is a task, and the comment system is a great way to make notes.
I wonder if a bug tracking system could be adapted for a general organizer. I doubt it — this system deals with details, and a lot of tasks don’t require it.
But keeping track of the nuances of a recording? Especially 70 of them? I’m wondering why I didn’t explore this sooner. (Answer: I knew it would take too much time to research and execute, which it has.)