MuddyJohnson

MuddyJohnson, you raise a great topic...I'm actually on the opposite side of the coin as you, but I wish I was more like you! Unfortunatley, because I've never been around any folks knowledgeable about recording or had any real access to a real pro set up, I really don't know JACK about recording properly or how to get the best sound, and, as a result, I basically put as little effort and money as I can into the recording aspect, and I put all my effort into the music...I play synths/keys (lately pretty much just Reason 4.0 exclusively) and just export what I've done in Reason 4.0 as a 44.1 stereo .wav, and if I'm using hardware I just run it into a Presonus Inspire 1394 (via a stereo 1/4" to RCA cable) into Cubase LE on my Mac Mini and export whatever I've done as a 44.1 stereo .wav, that's it...In both cases I use iTunes to burn the .wavs to disc. There's a TON of mastering stuff in Reason that I really don't know how to properly take advantage of, and I wouldn't even know where to start with aftermarket plug-ins!!! For me, though, as naive and ignorant and unprofessional as this sounds, I end up with crystal clear 44.1 stereo .wavs of my music and I couldn't be happier, considering I just do it for my own enjoyment and the only people that are gonna hear any of it are a few of my buddies, none of whom are musicians, though I truly do wish I had access to learn at least something about the mechanics of recording/mixing/mastering...Oh well, maybe someday! It sounds like you're doing just fine. There's an old saying that goes "be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it". Many years ago a friend and I had a home studio that basically consisted of a Fostex 4 track cassette recorder, one SM-58, a Digitech FX box, & Casio keyboard. We constantly bitched about all the limitations, but came up with ways to milk that setup that you wouldn't believe, and we made some great sounding demos. When we moved up to Protools, Roland & Korg digital workstations with plug-ins, sequencers, midi, etc, we spent more time trying to learn the equipment than working on our music. I would certainly advise any musician to learn as much as they can about the technical side of recording, but just don't let it get in the way of your primary goal, which is creating and enjoying the music.

I found that the more experience I had in recording and mixing, the harder it became for me to listen to any song without analyzing the mix and production values. Instead of just enjoying it, I listened to things like placement of instruments, panning, effects, and technical aspects. It wasn't until I put on a mix of songs I really enjoyed, got stoned, and just cranked it up that I remembered what it was like to just enjoy the music without thinking about it. Has anyone else had this experience?