Interesting article about the history of home recording

[Middleman]

The home market did indeed expand, as well as project and medium size studios, during the 70s because of the availability of low cost 4 & 8 track machines. This expanded the market dramatically but with it came a lot of studios that brought in clients and could never deliver on commercial sound quality due to lack of experience and in some cases lack of gear. I recorded in a lot of these studios and you rarely walked out with something other than a project sounding tape. No one knew how to mix was the problem. However, a lot of people rose out of these type studios and went on to work in pro level studios and over time the pro studios grew and expanded. The middle level studios became a feeder system of sort. All of this has disappeared over time and we are now in the age of pro home studios, the number of large stand alone studios has vastly been reduced.

There were a lot of home studios and recording going on prior to Springsteen's Nebraska, those compact 4 tracks, came much later. Tascam, Teac, Otari, all had 4 and 8 track affordable reel to reel systems in the mid 70s. I bought an early made model by Pioneer, RT2044. The compact Fostex and Tascam units came in at the end of the 70s.

The missing element however for a lot of people was the quality of the preamps and mics and compressors/limiters. The early home mixing boards were not that good nor their preamps more than early solid state could provide. Most musicians and home recording types did not have exposure to the gear that was used for making albums and thought the purchase of a little Tascam mixer and tape deck was their ticket to success. Not so much.

Today, up and coming engineers and musicians have access, at a reasonable cost, with technology that, if you study the internet enough, can yield some amazing productions. It's a good time to make your art. The destiny of a person or band is more in their hands and less in the hands of institutions. However, the chances of making consistent money is a bit more challenging given the relegation of music to supporting movies and commercials versus being something people will sit and listen to.

 

[Nola]

That's a great comment, middleman.

 

[miroslav]

The home market did indeed expand, as well as project and medium size studios, during the 70s because of the availability of low cost 4 & 8 track machines. This expanded the market dramatically but with it came a lot of studios that brought in clients and could never deliver on commercial sound quality due to lack of experience and in some cases lack of gear. I recorded in a lot of these studios and you rarely walked out with something other than a project sounding tape. No one knew how to mix was the problem.

Yeah...I had some friends who went to some 16-track "pro" studios back in the late '70s/early '80s...and that's what they came out with.
I was happily recording at home on my 4-track R2R and little 8-channel mixer.

The destiny of a person or band is more in their hands and less in the hands of institutions. However, the chances of making consistent money is a bit more challenging given the relegation of music to supporting movies and commercials versus being something people will sit and listen to.

Maybe it feels like it's more in the artist's hands...but as you noted, not many come out with any thing more in their hands than their finished music. Not to mention...the over-saturated home recording world makes it harder...so the easier it is for everyone to make recordings, the harder it becomes for anyone to really break through the saturated competition.

IMO...if you're really going to chase the money....you still need to pitch your music to established publishers and record companies, which ain't no easy thing to do, but if you can get that foot in the door, you then have more of a shot at some $$$ getting in your hands than you ever will counting views on YouTube...etc.

 

[Greg_L]

Maybe it feels like it's more in the artist's hands...but as you noted, not many come out with any thing more in their hands than their finished music. Not to mention...the over-saturated home recording world makes it harder...so the easier it is for everyone to make recordings, the harder it becomes for anyone to really break through the saturated competition.

IMO...if you're really going to chase the money....you still need to pitch your music to established publishers and record companies, which ain't no easy thing to do, but if you can get that foot in the door, you then have more of a shot at some $$$ getting in your hands than you ever will counting views on YouTube...etc.

It's funny how the internet and social media was gonna revolutionize promotion and marketing. Yeah, it did, for Taylor Swift and Rihanna. The little guy has a harder time than ever. The whole world is one click away and not one single motherfucker cares.

 

[Middleman]

It's funny how the internet and social media was gonna revolutionize promotion and marketing. Yeah, it did, for Taylor Swift and Rihanna. The little guy has a harder time than ever. The whole world is one click away and not one single motherfucker cares.

Like all trends, you have to get there first to make the money. I would say, if you are going to get there today, you have to get on the road and play all over with the support of social media but it's not going to drive a career. Unless you look like Taylor Swift and Rihanna.

 

[Greg_L]

Like all trends, you have to get there first to make the money. I would say, if you are going to get there today, you have to get on the road and play all over with the support of social media but it's not going to drive a career. Unless you look like Taylor Swift and Rihanna.

Touring won't even do it. I'm out there in the trenches - it's bleak. In this musical climate, it seems that touring is financially the stupidest thing a band can do. All you do is hemorrhage money. Unless of course you have some kind of backing or get on some festival tour thing, but even that's a long shot.

 

[Middleman]

Touring won't even do it. I'm out there in the trenches - it's bleak. In this musical climate, it seems that touring is financially the stupidest thing a band can do. All you do is hemorrhage money. Unless of course you have some kind of backing or get on some festival tour thing, but even that's a long shot.

Yeah, if you're doing it without a manager and backing, it's going to be difficult. Also if you are in a tertiary city and not a hub, even more so.

 

[Nola]

It was always really hard to make a living in music.
It's probably harder now since it's saturated, but also I think people have a lot of ADD now because of all the stimulus. So while they might click around a lot online and maybe even hear one of our songs, they won't stay on it more than 10 or 20 seconds because they have ADD and are on to the next thing. I guess song intros are more important than ever for people who want to make it.

 

[miroslav]

I guess song intros are more important than ever for people who want to make it.

If your target is those ADD people...then yeah.
You need to immediately hit them with the ear candy.

Of course...that ends up being also the downfall, because you're always going have to repeat that same thing to keep the ADD bunch happy. They aren't looking for the breed apart...they just want something disposable.

I say write/record how you want...and let them find you.
If they don't, at least you still did what you wanted to do.

 

[Greg_L]

It was always really hard to make a living in music.

It's hard to make a living with original music. You can be in a cover/tribute band and play-for-pay every day if you want to.

 

[Nola]

It's hard to make a living with original music. You can be in a cover/tribute band and play-for-pay every day if you want to.

Yeah agreed.

Miroslav, I don't think of the audience when writing. I know that 95 out of 100 people will hate my songs. 5 out of 100 might be intrigued, and out of those 5 maybe 1 or 2 like it enough to listen a few times but probably never again. I interpret it as meaning I'm not good enough and my options are to get better, quit, or accept what I am. I have fun doing what I do so I haven't had to make that decision yet. But I don't blame the audience. I mean I do think they have ADD, but even that's not really anyones' fault. It's hard not to have it when we have so much stimulus and multitasking.

I kind of force myself to hang out in the clinic and on soundcloud and seek out/comment on peoples' songs and listen all the way through as an exercise in trying to maintain attention span. It's cool b/c I can help someone make a better mix in the process so that's win win.

 

[miroslav]

I was talking in general...we should all just write for ourselves...unless it's about chasing the money, and then you have to refocus your production goals to match what the money wants in a given style.

I don't really think of it in terms of "am I good enough"...because I've heard so much pure shit that has a huge following...so I think it comes down to trends. You either catch the right train...or you wait for the next one...or there may never be another one for you, if you're like doing stuff that's totally off the map.

As an example...you get a lot of these modern bands doing what they call "roots Rock"...which is just a modern term for "classic Rock", the only twist is that it's being done by a younger generation.
So you get a guy who is 65 playing some of that music...and everyone call it "geezer Rock"...but you get some 19-year old kid with one of those stupid sideways, smeared across the face haircuts playing the same shit...and they call it "roots Rock", and everyone gets all excited about it.
Like I said...iit's more about trends than anything else, and you have to find a way to fit in that trend...not so much about "am I good enough".

That said...I think if you really are good enough to do pretty decent Pop/Rock music...and no one pays any attention to it...you just have to kinda keep at it and do it for yourself. You can certainly try to promote it and keep putting it out there, and you might get lucky, etc....but again, if you're over the age of 25, it's hard to break out as a performing artists, so your only option is to push the songs, as a songwriter, for someone else to do them...or for those commercials and ads.