There is a saying that often comes up when there is conflict among engineers.
“Machines don’t lie.”
Even pomade, carefully curled upwards and tightly bound with spray, does not lie.
Sometimes the parting is misplaced, the curled-up bangs lack sufficient hold, or the side hair, held straight down, sticks out. Like automated conveyor equipment assembled with a significant discrepancy between the servo and the actual measurements, one ends up spending a day wishing it were a lie. Therefore, one must take ample time to refine each part and achieve harmony. Like the collaborative performance a university club band presented at a jazz bar in the capital of Thailand after sufficient rehearsal,
the rehearsal lasted for nearly two hours.
Slightly tipsy from the gin and tonic, I nodded along to the rhythm, and one of the musicians came over to tell me they were still practicing. To my ears, it was certainly polished enough to be considered an actual performance. However, the performance I heard after such a long wait likely explained the reason. It means that we took ample time and practiced diligently to determine the placement of each other’s beats, adjust the power of our respective sounds, and ensure that the notes did not stand out during the collaboration.
