Members Axegrinder009 Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 I do a lot of home recording, so I thought I'd mention a factor that hasn't been brought up yet. When you are recording yourself, alone, you are actually multitasking. You are artist, but also recording engineer, gaffer, and general roady. I find this somewhat daunting, and I do require multiple takes every time. Note that I am playing 4, 5, or more parts for overdubbing many times also. But even with just you, a guitar, and a mic, you still have to be aware of mic placement and levels, etc. After that, if you get a really good take, comes the mixing and mastering. These are both science and artistry, so a lot of practice is required. I'm getting better, but there is so much to learn...you just keep trying and learning. It doesn't end. You can get an inkjet printer that will print a nice full color CD on a non-smear CD for a modest price. Or you can buy a Lightscribe CD/DVD burner which will burn a monochrome permanent label on the CD using the same burner. That tech part is really the easy part, IMO. The hardest part for me is having to divide my modest skills between the performing and the sound engineering. I find that tough. Kunaki will replicate your entire CD for a buck per copy if you only need 5 copies. $1.75 each for any quantity above that. Again, not too hard to do. I think you should go for doing it all yourself. Not only will you save a bunch of money, but you will develop a new and high respect for sound engineers and mixing masters. It's a lot of hard work, but it is very satisfying and great fun also. Best of luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted October 3, 2012 Members Share Posted October 3, 2012 Originally Posted by daddymack Cost wise, you should try it yourself first, and see how it goes....but there is a bit more to it than just two microphones...and actually, you could do it with just one. If, as you say, you don't like the idea of being pressured for a good take, studio time will kill your budget. That said, if you can't nail the song in two takes, you are not ready to record it. I agree with this. I intend (once my songs are more "polished") to make an album / CD, and I don't need to spend anything to do it, in my opinion. I already have the equipment. I have ONE microphone only and this is enough for me at this level in my song production. Studio time, to me, only really comes into the picture if you're either rich or have been already signed to a label and they pay for you to go into a studio to record "properly". I would love to record in a professional studio, and I have no hesitation about recording my songs in ONE take, let alone two, but I just can't afford it so I'm not even contemplating that route at this point. But at least if I ever DO find myself in a studio, I know I can record quickly at a level I'd be happy with. That's one thing about having hardly any technical engineering knowledge - you make everything extra difficult for yourself when recording in your home studio (I don't know how to "splice" different takes easily and all that, so I just record my songs all in one single take, as if "live" pretty much) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 3, 2012 Members Share Posted October 3, 2012 I do it for you for $68.000, all included, also play you all the song and arrange them to hits. Do it now, tomorrow it costs the double. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted October 4, 2012 Members Share Posted October 4, 2012 LMAO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 4, 2012 Members Share Posted October 4, 2012 Originally Posted by grace_slick LMAO For you I do it for free,well, actually I would pay the 68.000 to you that you let me produce your album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted October 4, 2012 Members Share Posted October 4, 2012 Oooh, thank you kindly stiletto! Can I wear you on my feet while we record my fabulous songs? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Matximus Posted October 4, 2012 Members Share Posted October 4, 2012 Original Guy that asked the question: You are not thinking about it right. There are songs. There are recordings. If you want to make recordings - get all that gear and make recordings. Learn how to do that. Recording is an artform and pursuit of its own - in some ways its a lot more intersting and difficult than making up songs. There are very, very particular rules you have to follow with recording. And there is a barrier to entry in terms of money and skills acquired - it is difficult. For songwriting you can get a {censored}ty guitarand make up good songs. With recording - it's a whole other thing involved in making good recordings. It's much more difficult than making up a good song. But if you just want to be good at songs and don't have the time or inclination to learn another craft - go on Craigslist, find some {censored}ing guy with a home studio, and tell him you want to cut some simple songs. This {censored} shouldn't cost you more than $100. People can record simple {censored} real good these days - $100 bucks is $100 bucks in their pocket. If you are in an urban area finding someone to record your songs cheaply and effectively should not be a difficult or pricey endeavor. If you are paying a lot of money for simple recordings - you are being fleeced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 4, 2012 Members Share Posted October 4, 2012 Originally Posted by grace_slick Can I wear you on my feet while we record my fabulous songs? lol We can add this paragraph to the production agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 5, 2012 Moderators Share Posted October 5, 2012 Originally Posted by grace_slick Oooh, thank you kindly stiletto! Can I wear you on my feet while we record my fabulous songs? lol Originally Posted by Napoli Stiletto We can add this paragraph to the production agreement. we will need pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 I don't need to see images of your ankle. I know they are beautiful. And if not, we simply turn off the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 LOL it's a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 Originally Posted by sventvkg Anywhere from Zero to infinity..What an open ended question... Yep.The cost in time is the biggest factor, assuming you want to release something that is...listenable. It took me five years of constant tracking and mixing, putting out a CD each year, to finally get to a place where I was comfortable with the quality of my release.....kind of.It has been another five years since then and, well, you get the point. You need to love the process if you intend to do this yourself. If not...get thee to a real studio and spend your money up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 .... assuming you want to release something that is...listenable. It took me five years of constant tracking and mixing... Can I offer you the job of a chief executive producer?that's exactly the the tempo we work too, and that way I produced over 300 albums since 1712 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 Originally Posted by Napoli Stiletto Can I offer you the job of a chief executive producer? Excellent!!A real gig......finally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 Originally Posted by grace_slick LOL it's a deal. i like your music and your voice is very charmingsign that music to us !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 Even better!I get to produce Grace.......my lifelong dream come true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Napoli Stiletto Posted October 5, 2012 Members Share Posted October 5, 2012 Originally Posted by LeonardScaper Even better!I get to produce Grace.......my lifelong dream come true. you can produce whatever you like as chief execitive producer,as long it sells millions, otherwise you fired faster then we where acquainted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members g6120 Posted October 9, 2012 Members Share Posted October 9, 2012 For singer songwriter material with just a vocal and acoustic guitar it can be done very cheaply at home. Just find a quiet room (and I mean silent). Get a Zoom H4 recorder or something similar capable of recording in 24 bit/96 kHz WAV (huge files but necessary for good audio). Record flat and dry with no effects. Now you have two options: Master the recording yourself (but always keep the original dry recording archived) OR hire a professional mastering engineer. I have done both ways and my mastering engineer charged me $75 per song solo acoustic but double that if I had multiple instrument and vocal tracks to mix and master. I was real pleased with the result and developed an ear for mastering. So I learned on my own to do the rest of the songs myself. Very time consuming but satisfying sense of accomplishment. For my own mastering I use the free Audacity software combined with the purchased Nero Wave Editor. Between those two softwares I can do a decent job of mastering a home recording. Most important thing though is record at high resolution and in a quiet room. Don't waste your music on thin sounding compressed mp3 Examples of what I have done are up on BandCamp. Disclaimer: I am not a professional musician, just a home recording hobbyist who self produces. While my results are adequate they certainly are no match for having the proper equipment and studio with mastering pros doing the audio. Take my advice with a grain of salt as it is meant for somebody with very little resources. Yes, I would love to book studio time and record properly but justifying the expense whilst trying to raise two kids.....well, it aint gonna happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted October 10, 2012 Members Share Posted October 10, 2012 My songs produced by Mr Scaper will surely sell in the billions. Trillions even. *preening* lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 10, 2012 Moderators Share Posted October 10, 2012 can I haz you ottograf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted November 18, 2012 Members Share Posted November 18, 2012 Originally Posted by LeonardScaper You need to love the process if you intend to do this yourself. If not...get thee to a real studio and spend your money up front. Yes. If home recording is something that interests you, go for it. It's probably cheaper in the long run, and if you put enough time into it, you can get surprisingly solid results. However, if you've never recorded anything before, there is a learning curve. If all the technical stuff sounds like kind of a drag to you, and you'd just as rather have fun making up songs and let someone else polish them up, then you'll probably get better results either booking a studio, or parterning with a friend who knows their stuff on the recording end. I record my own songs, because the process fascinates me just as much as songwriting does. I think I'd feel like I was giving something up if I only did one. But even with being genuinely into it, I admit, it can be a real pain in the a**, and takes forever doing it all myself. It might be easier for you, since you're only doing acoustic guitar/vocal recordings. However, you'll still likely be doing a lot of editing, and experimenting with mic positioning, and learning how to work the software, which can take considerable time. So yeah, you really have to want to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zedong Mao Posted November 19, 2012 Members Share Posted November 19, 2012 When you are really good, lets say like Norah Jones, then it doesn't cost you a cent to produce the album. Otherwise better book holiday in Acapulco or Rio for the cash and drink 50 Caipirinhas [phonetic: kajpiˈrĩjɐ]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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