--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You start to think, when you're finishing…" description: "\"You start to think, when you're finishing a record, in twelve- to fourteen-minute chunks. At a certain point, you do write to the format. It's not a co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg" --- # You start to think, when you're finishing a record, in… ![“You start to think, when you're finishing a record, in twelve- to fourteen-minute chunks. At a certain point, you do write to the format. It's not a coincidence that most albums are between thirty-five and fifty minutes. It's kind of like the 98-minute film. It becomes some paradigm for human…” quote by Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg) > “You start to think, when you're finishing a record, in twelve- to fourteen-minute chunks. At a certain point, you do write to the format. It's not a coincidence that most albums are between thirty-five and fifty minutes. It's kind of like the 98-minute film. It becomes some paradigm for human attention in the media.” [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists often design albums in 12‑14 minute sections, matching typical human attention spans and media formats like film. **In simple terms:** Albums are built in chunks that fit attention limits. Key Takeaway Consider how format shapes content. Themes creativity media attention structure Mood analytical reflective Type observational practical When to use this quote - music production - film editing - podcast planning - educational design Key Concepts attention span media paradigm album length Questions to Reflect On - How does chunking affect listener engagement? - Can you apply this to other media? A Different Perspective Audience attention varies; longer formats may lose focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Coincidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidence/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Paradigm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradigm/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Most of us think we don't have enough time to exercise. What a distorted paradigm! We don't have time not to. We're talking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/most-of-us-think-we-don-t-have-enough-time-to-exercise-what-a/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [When I did my first student film, it was a ten minute film and it cost $U.S.4,000. I worked three jobs to pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/when-i-did-my-first-student-film-it-was-a-ten-minute-film-and-it-cost/) [Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/) > [There were no clippings of Ambedkar. The only thing I had was a two-and-a-half minute film which I saw countless times. Nobody knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mammootty/there-were-no-clippings-of-ambedkar-the-only-thing-i-had-was-a-two/) [Mammootty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mammootty/) > [I think the power of the short film is incredibly underrated. It is way easier to get someone to watch a 15-minute film then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ozeki/i-think-the-power-of-the-short-film-is-incredibly-underrated-it-is/) [Nicholas Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ozeki/) > [You need to be a good filmmaker to make a compelling two-minute film as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/you-need-to-be-a-good-filmmaker-to-make-a-compelling-two-minute-film/) [Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/) > [I'd love to whip back to the 20s for thirty minutes, just to have a look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/i-d-love-to-whip-back-to-the-20s-for-thirty-minutes-just-to-have-a/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > [Thirty minutes onstage for me is literally a full day's work. So I make sure I eat right and I make sure I keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarion/thirty-minutes-onstage-for-me-is-literally-a-full-day-s-work-so-i/) [Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarion/) > [“While We are out of Touch or How to Survive and Prosper during the Next Thirty Minutes by Your Friend, the Mysterious Stranger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/while-we-are-out-of-touch-or-how-to-survive-and-prosper-during-the/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“On time for us was thirty minutes before actually started, because the half hour before the first bell was the highlight of our social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/on-time-for-us-was-thirty-minutes-before-actually-started-because-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Just so you're aware,' Mor chirped from the other side, 'We do have to go soon.' ... 'We have thirty minutes,' he said with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/just-so-you-re-aware-mor-chirped-from-the-other-side-we-do-have-to-go/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful, than a lifetime of nothing special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harling/i-would-rather-have-thirty-minutes-of-wonderful-than-a-lifetime-of/) [Robert Harling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harling/) > [We always thought we wanted to do a show that you could both laugh and cry in thirty minutes, and I don't know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennon-parham/we-always-thought-we-wanted-to-do-a-show-that-you-could-both-laugh/) [Lennon Parham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennon-parham/) > [“After thirty minutes of learning and rehearsing this routine, I've decided to never show my aforementioned self-taught moves to the public. Today's dance style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecia-whitaker/after-thirty-minutes-of-learning-and-rehearsing-this-routine-i-ve/) [Alecia Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alecia-whitaker/) > [“Sharks to not eat Chinese people because they get hungry thirty minutes later".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/sharks-to-not-eat-chinese-people-because-they-get-hungry-thirty/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [“Neither one of you is going to kill, maim, attack, or even hug the other for at least thirty minutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/neither-one-of-you-is-going-to-kill-maim-attack-or-even-hug-the-other/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) ## More by Tim Hecker > [I work with digital audio, which is like sculpting, a form of chiseling down metal or wood. And I take audio and move it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-work-with-digital-audio-which-is-like-sculpting-a-form-of-chiseling/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I'm not a peak oil person. I'm not a biohazard apocalyptic kind of freak. I don't have a supply of weapons or gold bars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-m-not-a-peak-oil-person-i-m-not-a-biohazard-apocalyptic-kind-of/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [Sometimes it's a fraught, kind of laden world of performance that I think can be really dubious, but it's also super fun to almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/sometimes-it-s-a-fraught-kind-of-laden-world-of-performance-that-i/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [Because I refuse to perform my music in a traditional sense of instrumentation, I don't have an amazing live stage spectacle to provide, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/because-i-refuse-to-perform-my-music-in-a-traditional-sense-of/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I'm trying to find a way to make music work as a living. People used to make their living selling albums. Those days are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-m-trying-to-find-a-way-to-make-music-work-as-a-living-people-used/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [We should do an Adorno reading on Skrillex and vodka sales in Vegas. It's definitely interesting. What's interesting in that music for me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/we-should-do-an-adorno-reading-on-skrillex-and-vodka-sales-in-vegas/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [There's a limit of any form of representation; it's the same about writing about visual art. I still think it's useful for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/there-s-a-limit-of-any-form-of-representation-it-s-the-same-about/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [People still talk about sampling as this new, progressive problem in music. There are technologies now where you can glean the polyphonic information out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/people-still-talk-about-sampling-as-this-new-progressive-problem-in/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I really support criticism as a craft and as a vocation. People who devote as much time to thinking about sound through writing as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-really-support-criticism-as-a-craft-and-as-a-vocation-people-who/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I wouldn't say that I'm a consummate live artist. Album work is kind of just like quilt weaving or something. But live music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-wouldn-t-say-that-i-m-a-consummate-live-artist-album-work-is-kind/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I've been playing music all my life. I wasn't really fostered in a musical family, it was something I did despite the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-ve-been-playing-music-all-my-life-i-wasn-t-really-fostered-in-a/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I definitely enjoy liturgical work and choral work from the 15th century and 16th century, but I play in churches with a bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-definitely-enjoy-liturgical-work-and-choral-work-from-the-15th/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I love vinyl, but I'm not a 'vinyl person'. I still collect, but most of my stuff is digital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-love-vinyl-but-i-m-not-a-vinyl-person-i-still-collect-but-most-of/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [My peer network is international. It's people all over the place who I know, and respect their work. It's not really delineated by traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/my-peer-network-is-international-it-s-people-all-over-the-place-who-i/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) > [I try to structure albums in a pattern, like in a way where there's a motif that runs throughout or some kind of conceit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/i-try-to-structure-albums-in-a-pattern-like-in-a-way-where-there-s-a/) [Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) [Explore all 39 Tim Hecker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You start to think, when you're finishing a record, in twelve- to fourteen-minute chunks. At a certain point, you do write to the format. It's not a coincidence that most albums are between thirty-five and fifty minutes. It's kind of like the 98-minute film. It becomes some paradigm for human attention in the media.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Hecker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing-a-record-in-twelve-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing-a-record-in-twelve-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/tim-hecker-16567_attention_you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing_1353451.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You start to think, when you're finishing a record, in twelve- to fourteen-minute chunks. At a certain…” — Tim Hecker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tim Hecker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You start to think, when you're...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing-a-record-in-twelve-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/you-start-to-think-when-you-re-finishing-a-record-in-twelve-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```