mwthompson
Croisaandwich
I'm on a classical musicians salary. You are probably Bill Gates compared to me. Hold me.
Well, I do work at a university, so at least the view isn't always too bad.
Do you freelance or are you in an orchestra?
Well, I do work at a university, so at least the view isn't always too bad.
Do you freelance or are you in an orchestra?
DavidK
New member
Well, I do work at a university, so at least the view isn't always too bad.
Do you freelance or are you in an orchestra?
I do both, I do a lot of Opera and Ballet.
mwthompson
Croisaandwich
That's pretty cool. It's nice to do what you enjoy for a living.
Not that I complain that much, I work with disabled people so I at least get some satisfaction and a feeling that I'm not wasting my life away at a dead end job. (This may be a dead end, but its nice and quiet and there's plenty of cake.)
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Obi-Wan zenabI
Active member
My wife's a Mezzo-- she gave up opera to raise a family with me, but when she first told me what she would live on as yearly income, I was floored. And I'm a schoolteacher, so it's not like I'm used to the high life.
And you know what? She's never recorded a single note in my studio! I suppose that shows me how close I am to "pro."
mshilarious
Banned
I would pay good money to see an opera company and ballet company trade places for one night
Except that AI is on in less than an hour, and that's pretty close!
Except that AI is on in less than an hour, and that's pretty close!
B
Bob's Mods
New member
In the context of this forum, I consider "home recording" to mean "hobbyist." I didn't sign up to find out which $3000 microphone was the best, I signed up to learn how I can make the best out of my modest equipment, and to learn about what other modestly priced equipment was out there to play with. I'm never going to be a rockstar, and I definitely do not want to run a commercial studio. I just want to have a good time and write some music and fool the average person into thinking I paid someone else to record it.
MW-you were precisely the kind of person I had in mind when I conjured up this poll. It's common for newbies to be overwhelmed. You listen to your favorite artist and say to yourself "I'd like to record myself. What can be hard about it?". You buy some basic stuff and discover very quickly its not as easy as it "sounds". But you know, thats part of the fun of learning it. Yes, you'll have your moments of sadness, fustration, depression, anger, violent outbursts, the smashing of instruments/gear, feelings of "I am not worthy" and thoughts of suicide. Its just part of the learning phase. We've all been there. You'll get through it. Just keep at it. (I was only kidding about the smashing of gear and instruments. You'll need them to resell when your ready to move up.)
Do not waste your money on Autotune. This is a newbie mistake. If you have a problem voice, it will not help much. You've got to practice your vocals daily to fix that one. Try not be too dependant on a crutch like that. Its not meant to fix a bad voice that only practice will correct.
Bob
B
Beck
Guest
Interesting. My wife was in opera when I met her when she was finishing her masters in vocal performance. She went to school with and was good friends with Dawn Upshaw... a name that should ring a bell with DavidK and Obi-Wan. My wife has a beautiful coloratura voice and could have gone far in that field, but she chose a career in sacred music (church music ministry).
Her voice is a big part of my music as well, which I guess I would call progressive new age rock for lack of a better term. Ah, the joys of mutitracking… one wife = a whole choir of angels.
Her voice is a big part of my music as well, which I guess I would call progressive new age rock for lack of a better term. Ah, the joys of mutitracking… one wife = a whole choir of angels.
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SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Let's not forget the pioneers of analog multitrack synth recording "at home" either, such as Walter Carlos, Isao Tomita and Larry Fast.
But when the dust settles, here is the way I find myself drawing the line since joining this forum: Anytime someone comes on here and asks, "How can I make my mix(es) sound like the pros?", they are crossing the line into pro recording, whether they realize it or not, and regardless of their final intent.
After thinking it over, I think it's this simple; if your goal is to make a recording that is pro quality, then your goal is in fact to make a pro recording. Period. Whether it winds up as a CD under your bed, as a meSpace stream, or with a Sony Records label on a CD that winds up winning a Grammy is irrelevant. Whether it's done on a Porastudio in a porta potty or coal burning SSL desk in a NASA clean room is irrelevant.
If you are striving for commercial standards you are striving to make a commercial recording. No "this is only home recording" labels or excuses any more.
G.
B
Beck
Guest
Yeah, and I think the name of the bbs is a problem too. There are a lot of people here with diverse backgrounds... the full range. I always get a kick out of folks that think they have to go to prosoundweb or something to talk to "pros."
I've actually seen people say that.I also think you may have hit on some reasons why members sometimes misunderstand each other in a forum called "Home Recording." For example, my studio, or I should say studios over the years, have been professional project studios, but since it's in my home and not a rented space I call it a home studio.
The association of the term home studio to “amateur” is very foreign to me, since I have known so many artists over the years with elaborate home setups that rival commercial studios... but maybe Dragon should change the name because some people just can't seem to get over it.
mshilarious
Banned
Meh. When I'm getting paid, I work to a commercial standard. For my own stuff, that's way too much work. Work is a dirty word!
Seriously, I am an amateur musician, always have been, always will be. Sure, I know how to punch and edit every note until it's perfect (not even AT can help my vocals though). But why bother? I'm not fooling myself.
Instead, I'm having a blast. I make my living sitting in a studio (well, OK, really the workshop, but humor me here) I designed, with a lot of gear I designed and/or built, or at least modded. And whenever I feel like recording something, it's not too different than my Porta days . . . I'm from DC, home of DIY hardcore, I gotta represent . . .
OK, the UAD-1s make it a little different than my Porta days
As for PSW vs. HR, sure, there are a few pros here. Not too many stay for long, which I can understand. Brad Blackwood is in and out here, but he's a mod there. Same with Harvey, except he likes us a little better so he stops by more often Mixerman stopped by once to drop a mix that caused the average Homereccer to crap his pants (me included!) Bruce Miller was here for maybe a week. And he helped a lot of people when he was here, but guys like that just will get overwhelmed with questions. Even some regional guys like dearly departed Blue Bear get to the point they can't take the 57 vs. 58 arguments anymore.
You have to be a twisted sort of freak to survive here for any length of time
Seriously, I am an amateur musician, always have been, always will be. Sure, I know how to punch and edit every note until it's perfect (not even AT can help my vocals though). But why bother? I'm not fooling myself.
Instead, I'm having a blast. I make my living sitting in a studio (well, OK, really the workshop, but humor me here) I designed, with a lot of gear I designed and/or built, or at least modded. And whenever I feel like recording something, it's not too different than my Porta days . . . I'm from DC, home of DIY hardcore, I gotta represent . . .
OK, the UAD-1s make it a little different than my Porta days
As for PSW vs. HR, sure, there are a few pros here. Not too many stay for long, which I can understand. Brad Blackwood is in and out here, but he's a mod there. Same with Harvey, except he likes us a little better so he stops by more often
Mixerman stopped by once to drop a mix that caused the average Homereccer to crap his pants (me included!) Bruce Miller was here for maybe a week. And he helped a lot of people when he was here, but guys like that just will get overwhelmed with questions. Even some regional guys like dearly departed Blue Bear get to the point they can't take the 57 vs. 58 arguments anymore.You have to be a twisted sort of freak to survive here for any length of time
mwthompson
Croisaandwich
Luckily, I can't afford that crutch anyway. I'll have to learn to walk on my own. And I have a lot of takes that end abruptly with lots of expletives and screaming. I think one day, I'll use them in a song or something.
B
Beck
Guest
As for PSW vs. HR, sure, there are a few pros here. Not too many stay for long, which I can understand. You have to be a twisted sort of freak to survive here for any length of time
I stay because I stopped answering certain kinds of questions. But my point is really that there are many people that frequent this bbs with extensive backgrounds that still are recording as a day job, or like in my case at one time did this for a living and never stopped recording even after changing careers... or just serious hobbyists that have been recording for decades. There’s a wealth of knowledge.
I know several that have been recording as long or longer than I have (1978) mostly hanging out in the analog section.
On the other hand, there have been a few that I see a lot of people looking up to, yet they don’t know what they’re talking about… even one or two pretenders that just want attention.
I check in at other forums now and then, but I’ve found friends here with things in common. They make the trolls, phonies and wannabees at least tolerable.
I’ve found most music/recording forums to be pretty much the same as far as veteran to newb ratio… you just kinda land someplace and stick. Several people, including me are actually orphans from the old Tascam sponsored bbs that shut down in 2003 (no relation to tascamforums). We could have found a home on any number of forums, but enough of us ended up here that it’s a home away from home of sorts.
DavidK
New member
Tomita was my biggest influence musically in high school.
Do you have any clips online? I would love to hear it. Thats something I want to do in the future, add some opera-esque singing to my stuff. Did she go to Illinois Wesleyan? I think thats where Dawn went for undergrad. I do instrumental music mainly for convenience, I cant sing.
The violin is the most expressive instrument, but nothing can compete with a trained human voice.
B
Beck
Guest
Do you have any clips online? I would love to hear it. Thats something I want to do in the future, add some opera-esque singing to my stuff. Did she go to Illinois Wesleyan? I think thats where Dawn went for undergrad. I do instrumental music mainly for convenience, I cant sing.
Yes, she was at Wesleyan with Dawn at Bloomington-Normal. As for MP3s… don't laugh but I look at things a lot differently than most people here in that regard (no surprise, eh?
). I’m a bit old school when it comes to copyright and protecting my work. It’s pretty unique stuff and I don’t want it out there for people to grab and claim as their own. I’m sure I’ll put something out there sooner or later, but anyone in the world will have access to it, which can be good or bad, depending on one’s aspirations. I’m still pondering that fine line between exposure and giving it all away, so I want to have all my bases covered and do it right. I’m a little behind on copyright registrations, which I still think are crucial, though the law has changed quite a bit.I used to get local airplay years ago, which was fun. The web is something else though and since I’ve had songs and ideas stolen in the past, I’m a little once-bitten about it I guess.
I sing, but I do a lot of instrumental stuff too. If I had to do it all again I would probably have gotten into scoring for film.
As it was I got into the recording/production side when people heard what I was doing and wanted me to record them. I got into recording in the first place for my own music, which is what I’m trying to get back to now. I ain’t 20-somethin’ anymore, but I’m trying to reclaim some of those dreams.
R
robin watson
New member
I’m a bit old school when it comes to copyright and protecting my work. It’s pretty unique stuff and I don’t want it out there for people to grab and claim as their own.
I thought the good old sealed envelope with your songs, addressed to yourself, with date stamp (not opened until you're in the court room) worked just fine.
D
danny.guitar
Guest
J
jaysicksix6
New member
"proffesional" sounding recordings
first of all,if you aint already rich enough to afford thousands of dollars ,fuck that HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars worth the equipment,dont bother trying.you just wont get that sound like them with 2 or 3 k in equipment.all you cand do is make the best with what you can afford and hope your music does the rest.if your stuff is good and its heared by the right person they will put you somewhere you can make your music sound proffessional.you cant actually make your music SOUND proffessional unless you are atleast SEMI professional with what you have.if you master the programs you use ,any body can sound good.issts all about getting the maximum preformace from what you have.and trust me you have to have the basics.a decent pc ,the right cords,the right sound card,a decent ,mic,a key board and mixer.i have 2 behringer truth 203 1 a monitors ,a jx 305 roland groove synth(that i use only for certain jobs)a small behringer mixer,a behringer b-1 condenser,a m-audio trigger finger,a bgeringer v-amp guitar preamp,a behringer(yes mostly behringer because i can afford to replace it if it breaks) v tone half stack guitar cab and head, an esp ltd ec-500 guitar.and im getting ready to replace my small mixer with a 24 channel or a 20 channel powered.my comuter is agateway with like 1.6 pentium 4 with one gig of ram.2 flat screens.software :i HAVE everything from nuendo to fruity loops.i use fruity loops tho run my pads,i also have over 45 gigs of loops and samples,all downloaded,t-racks,murcury bundle diamond budles, bbesonic maximizer, the waves ultra maximizer,too many to say.i use sony acid pro 6 to sequence cuz its what i learned on.i also use adobe soundbooth to master and adobe audition 3 to record and master with.it takes all the pludins.dx mostly.im learning cubase 3 right now.all of this was probably $3000 not counting software which was all free.and ive had minimal problems with any of it.its really all about youre ears(and the art of paying attention to detail) ,software & hardware then it comes down with your talent as far as musical skills.any body can learn to sequence somebody elses shit,but composing it to sound proffesional takes hardware and live skill.the difference between us and the pros is they were taught all the tricks,and usually over a period of time.school or what not.i mean ,i dont do too bad with what i got.you need a decent low latency sound card (like m-audio or emu)a small mixer,a decent condenser,and some decent monitors(i use Behringer TRUTH B 2031A's)maybe a midi keyboard,and some good cords.and of course amps and various mics.all you need is a quiet ,clean and clear sound.and mastering software and sequencing software does the rest.people are spending 8-12 k for the mercury bundle from waves,i downloaded it for free.they all work.i downloaded the bbe sonic maximizer for free.theres all kinds of plug ins that will tighten your sound adnd doent kill your pocket.the $250 bbe sonic maximizer .truth be known if youre just a home recording person with minimal amounts of cash youre obviosly not famous.so do like i do,i get what i need off the internet as far as software goes to make a very nice demo that i can showcase to a lable.if you believe in youre music that much then you should be worrying about signing on with aomebody and if its good it will sell.use their shit.dont break yourself trying to get famous.if youre musics good it will show.it dont have to "sound" proffesional.there would be no need for lables and their cold blooded studios if everyone could afford it.so if anybody wants any particular peice of software.hit me up on here and i'll see about uploading it to you.i got lots of loops and samples too.
first of all,if you aint already rich enough to afford thousands of dollars ,fuck that HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars worth the equipment,dont bother trying.you just wont get that sound like them with 2 or 3 k in equipment.all you cand do is make the best with what you can afford and hope your music does the rest.if your stuff is good and its heared by the right person they will put you somewhere you can make your music sound proffessional.you cant actually make your music SOUND proffessional unless you are atleast SEMI professional with what you have.if you master the programs you use ,any body can sound good.issts all about getting the maximum preformace from what you have.and trust me you have to have the basics.a decent pc ,the right cords,the right sound card,a decent ,mic,a key board and mixer.i have 2 behringer truth 203 1 a monitors ,a jx 305 roland groove synth(that i use only for certain jobs)a small behringer mixer,a behringer b-1 condenser,a m-audio trigger finger,a bgeringer v-amp guitar preamp,a behringer(yes mostly behringer because i can afford to replace it if it breaks) v tone half stack guitar cab and head, an esp ltd ec-500 guitar.and im getting ready to replace my small mixer with a 24 channel or a 20 channel powered.my comuter is agateway with like 1.6 pentium 4 with one gig of ram.2 flat screens.software :i HAVE everything from nuendo to fruity loops.i use fruity loops tho run my pads,i also have over 45 gigs of loops and samples,all downloaded,t-racks,murcury bundle diamond budles, bbesonic maximizer, the waves ultra maximizer,too many to say.i use sony acid pro 6 to sequence cuz its what i learned on.i also use adobe soundbooth to master and adobe audition 3 to record and master with.it takes all the pludins.dx mostly.im learning cubase 3 right now.all of this was probably $3000 not counting software which was all free.and ive had minimal problems with any of it.its really all about youre ears(and the art of paying attention to detail) ,software & hardware then it comes down with your talent as far as musical skills.any body can learn to sequence somebody elses shit,but composing it to sound proffesional takes hardware and live skill.the difference between us and the pros is they were taught all the tricks,and usually over a period of time.school or what not.i mean ,i dont do too bad with what i got.you need a decent low latency sound card (like m-audio or emu)a small mixer,a decent condenser,and some decent monitors(i use Behringer TRUTH B 2031A's)maybe a midi keyboard,and some good cords.and of course amps and various mics.all you need is a quiet ,clean and clear sound.and mastering software and sequencing software does the rest.people are spending 8-12 k for the mercury bundle from waves,i downloaded it for free.they all work.i downloaded the bbe sonic maximizer for free.theres all kinds of plug ins that will tighten your sound adnd doent kill your pocket.the $250 bbe sonic maximizer .truth be known if youre just a home recording person with minimal amounts of cash youre obviosly not famous.so do like i do,i get what i need off the internet as far as software goes to make a very nice demo that i can showcase to a lable.if you believe in youre music that much then you should be worrying about signing on with aomebody and if its good it will sell.use their shit.dont break yourself trying to get famous.if youre musics good it will show.it dont have to "sound" proffesional.there would be no need for lables and their cold blooded studios if everyone could afford it.so if anybody wants any particular peice of software.hit me up on here and i'll see about uploading it to you.i got lots of loops and samples too.
J
jaysicksix6
New member
"proffesional" sounding recordings
sorry that was hella long.
sorry that was hella long.
TerraMortim
New member
"This stereo record cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it into the nearest police station."
LOL!
mshilarious
Banned
You might as well hit the road, as piracy is frowned upon here.