age+experience

[wesley tanner]

Hey all, I'm just curious about how long we've all been in the game... myself, it's been about 2 years of complete obsession, with a lot of music theory and the like behind that(about 8 years total or so). I'm just a youngun, 22 and happy as hell that I get to run a studio... course, with no car and nothing to spend the money on but rent, I can get by pretty cheap! well, here's to hopin' it lasts...

 

[noisedude]

I'm 21 in a matter of days ... been playing music since I was six, I am a 'concert standard' pianist and flautist, and nowadays I also play the kit and have played mediocre guitar and bass since I was 12. My background comes from that and from a number of years of doing live sound. I got into recording when I was 15 but only really started to take it seriously in Summer 2002.

I'm hoping to fairly soon be running a studio as part of a community music teaching/youthwork project I have set up in my area. Until then, I sit surrounded by the gear but only tend to record myself and with friends.

 

[Pughbert]

Im only 17 and fairly new , been recording seriously for about a year, my first real project was a solo 4 track e.p last spring, i still love it even thou ive come a long way since then. Ive played guitar seriously for about 3 years now - currently working on grade 7, and have reacently taken up keyboards (grade 2!) - when i got into the MIDI sequencing side of things. Im now at collage doing a music tech corse, and have learnt nothing really - im nearly done with my first year, and it all been stuff i learned during that 1st project, i find all i learn is my own doing, but i guess its better that way, at least i get my hads on some nice studios and mics to borrow!
James.

 

[Track Rat]

47 years old. I've been in one band or another since was 15, recording in a serious way for the last 15 years or so.

 

[A Reel Person]

...

I've been multitrack home recording for 23 years, since 1982 @ the age of 21. That's over half my life, as I'm now 43.

The previous 2 years, @ age 19-21, (1980-82) I was doing cassette tape-to-tape sound-on-sound overdubs on the cheesiest equipment you'd ever care to see.

I started playing guitar at age 13, (1974), but didn't play seriously until age 17, (1978). I've picked up playing bass, piano & drums along the way, since then.

So,... I've been home recording since before most of you guys were born!!!
Heh.

I've never been very good player, & I'm totally amatuerish, but my productions are pretty good & I have a lot of fun!

========================================================

http://www.nowhereradio.com/davemania
(click DISCOGRAPHY/SINGLES)

http://www.nowhereradio.com/davemania/singles
(links directly to Singles page)

http://www.soundclick.com/davemania
(click on MUSIC)

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/4/davemaniamusic.htm
(links directly to music page)

 

[AGCurry]

I'm 53. Been playing and singing music since I was 8, joined my first band in 1966.

When I was around 8, my father found an Ediphone machine. My sister and I made voice recordings on its wax cylinders. Although I've been in studios with various bands, my own career as an amateur recordist has spanned about 30 years, but I only got serious about it in the last 10.

 

[artCROSS]

I'm 21, been playing piano since I was 3, saxaphone since 12, flute and guitar since 13, bass and drums since 16, and I've just started to learn violin, cello, and accordian...I can't get enough! Started a band when i was 17 and have been gigging since.

I guess you could say I got into recording when I was 14, recording myself with a pocket recorder, then "dumping" it onto my computer, then playing to my computer while I recorded it. I upgraded to a tascam 4-track 8 years ago, and got serious this year w/ a firepod, AT, SP, MXL mics, etc. Hope to start a studio soon and maybe run it for a living...but who knows

 

[XLR]

Been recording for 10 yrs. First five with just a DAT machine and no editing or processing, then in the box. Played around w/rec before that but not with any seriousness. Main thing I've learned is that source/musical arrangement & room are what make or break it. Mic's next, then converters, then other stuff. Also think that good quality mostly depends on just being sensitive, creative and resourceful.

Tim

 

[Outlaws]

The previous 2 years, @ age 19-21, (1980-82) I was doing cassette tape-to-tape sound-on-sound overdubs on the cheesiest equipment you'd ever care to see.

I had a voice recorder walkman (that used full sized cassettes) that I would mic my guitar amp with, then stick the cassette in the stereo and set the speaker next to my guitar amp and "overdub" to a new cassette with the recorder capturing both the amp and the original.



That stuff was just classic and I somehow miss it in a way. I think its becuase I figured it out for myself...which is just utterly cool IMO. I am still very proud of that.

 

[CanopuS]

I'm 17, and have been playing piano since roughly the age of 4-5. I've pretty much always had lessons, but even at the age of about 6-7 I was composing with my teacher as opposed to learning by the musical curriculum as such. In a way I'm grateful as composition is my strength, but I'm now slightly stunted technically, and trying to cram up to grades 7-8 before university. I also play guitar and sing, and I like to experiment.
Anyway I got into recording because I've always loved composing, and at the age of about 12-13 I realised that it was the way I wanted to go in life. I used to record things as a kid on the tape player, and began experimenting with recording and using MIDI etc around 5-6 years ago. About 3 years ago I recorded an album using a computer microphone and ever since then I've been working towards building up a reasonable chain, but haven't reached it. I also record with my friend who does have some nice equipment. Musically, I'm now interested in general songwriting and jazz, although I try to enjoy bits of everything, and certain styles (Klezmer for example) I find genuinely stunning to listen to.

So all in all, I don't have too much experience recording, although I've done a couple of CD's worth, and have read quite a lot. I still think despite my knowledge through reading books and magazines, I have a lot to learn just by actually recording.

 

[earworm]

guess some people dont like revealing their age, but hell, look at my profile

22 and i've been recording stuff since i was a kid, the obsession started when my older brother got this tiny, shitty cassette-recorder when he was like 8, i was 5, we spent years recording our voices on it, pressing the pauze button half so it would speed up or slow down the tape, give it lots of wow en flutter,
we thought we sounded like mice, and yeah, i think we did sound like mice on that lill thing,

it all got worse when i got my first cassete-player-recorder,
was alot better than my brother's, of course also had a built in mic,
tried to copy music cassetes by playing one in my brothers machine, and putting mine right in front of it, using the built in mic,
héhéhé, so since i was 8 i started wondering:

HOW CAN I MAKE THIS SOUND BETTER ?!!

i played little organs , my brother played guitar, i always experimented with pluggin in my (20 cm long) casio into my brothers shitty peavy amp, putting distortion on cheap drumbeats and stuff

i got my first hifi (still using that nice technics, but the lights of the cd are dead now, and i blew the mid-speakers on both sides......) when i was 12...
recorded on that cassette for a few years untill my brother got a minidisc,
(was working with a real old made-in-belgium-12-channel JB mixing desk then)
so at the age of 13 i started wondering

WHAT IS THIS CRACKING NOISE AND HOW CAN I AVOID IT ?!!

8 years later i found out that this thing is called "clipping",
i know i couldn't record anything above 0db, eventhough i found it un-understandable that 0db is loud, zero is nothing, right?

after minidisc i messed with my brothers computer,
and when did i build my first pc? maybe when i was 17 or so...and i emediately upgraded from onboard soundcard to a 'creative sblive 5.1 value" card ... when i was 20 i upgraded to dman 2044, still got this card but only works on win98 ..too bad

and last year when i was 21 i got my Motu 828 and i'm rocking

i recorded some little demo cds over the years, always for free,
with the worst equipment you can imagine, we don't have radioshak, but WORSE....that kinda stuff, in 2005 i finally started earning little money by recording demo's for bands...

did a few songs for a hiphopband, did a cheapass punkband and today i spent over 14 hours with a deathmetalband , i'm tired now

i already got a few new bands booked this year, and i'm getting better every single month, so life is good at the moment, full with challenges....

when i'll be 40 i'll have a 6-room-studio for sure

 

[DJL]

I built/owned my first 4/8 track studio with my dad in 1983.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot to include my age... 36. As far as playing goes, I play bass... and I've been playing all my life... or at least I can't remember a time when I didn't play.

 

[noisedude]

I built/owned my first 4/8 track studio with my dad in 1973.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot to include my age... 36. As far as playing goes, I play bass... and I've been playing all my life... or at least I can't remember a time when I didn't play.

You were four years old when you built and owned your first studio?

 

[noisedude]

I'm now slightly stunted technically, and trying to cram up to grades 7-8 before university.

Don't rush it man, I tried to rush my Grade 8 to get it in before my AS Levels started getting hectic and failed the exam by two marks (0.66%)! When I took my time and re-sat three months later I got a Merit despite only practicing for 20 leisurely minutes a day. So what I'm saying is - there's too much luck involved in the Associated Board exams for you to try to force yourself through too fast.

 

[DJL]

You were four years old when you built and owned your first studio?

No... I was 14.

 

[DJL]

Ok... I see what I did wrong... I fixed the typo. Thanks

 

[xfinsterx]

I started playing cello and drums in the 5th grade (10yrsold?) in my grade schools music class.

Played Jazz drums and sang in choir through high school.
Oh i picked up the guitar at 14yrs old, and just learned by ear.
Im now in 4 bands locally.

When i was 12 i started making boom box recordings.
Then at 21 i got a 414 tascam and ran that into the ground.
Now ive been doing this project studio thing for two years now.

I also work for the largest and oldest studio in my town.
Which is where i garner most of my knowledge, my boss at the big studio is a 30 year vet, with alot of big names on his roster, so i got lucky with that.
Nowadays he just refers rock bands to me ( he likes doing Blues and Jazz) if his schedule's full, they cant afford his rates, or he just dosent want to record a rock band that week.

His recordings crush the ones i do at Geomana, but when you got Neves, badd ass converters, old analog goodies, and WAYY more exp. thats what happens....But someday ill be there.

Talk about a class A endorsement for my little home studio though eh?
I couldnt have asked for a better reference.

 

[tdukex]

My first musical experience occurred when I was six. I was in my new bedroom (we were in the process of moving to a new house and my new room was bare floor and walls). Standing there alone, in the middle of my room, I had a musical epiphany that would both startle my senses and thrill my developing ego.

As I stood there, still...and small, a wave silence and aloneness washed over me and filled the room with a delicate intensity. I acted--not with thought or conscience--but with instinct born of man's 200,000 year-old fear of nothingness. I braced myself--both feet planted wide--and displaced the silence with a vociferous fart that resonated between 730-750 Hz for the duration of a dotted half-note, and I instinctively knew that it was an F# and that it was a single beat short of a 4/4 measure. Before silence could again claim that small room--and the small boy in it--I opened the door and exited, knowing that farts were music and the master of silence--knowing that I was home.

I also learned about reverberation that day.

 

[Track Rat]

Well said.

 

[Bartman]

Brief Bio

44 years old, married 4 kids, a dog and a cat.

Primarily a guitarist since age 7. Also sing play bass and a bit of piano, sax, trumpet and drums.

Worked in the recording studio at college, recorded recitals, hung mics from the catwalk in the auditorium (dropped a very expensive mic from the catwalk once)....played in lots of bands in college and afterwards. Took a very long hiatus (14 years) from organized playing/recording to devote time to family. Got back into writing/performing and recording about two years ago.

My recordings sound like ass but they were less than ass a year ago. Hopefully within the next year I will improve to "bad"....which is an improvement over ass, right?). I learn alot from this forum and appreciate both the substantive posts and the drivel.

Bart