DAW killed the rock star!?

[greenascanbe]

I get the point of musicans are missing out by trying to learn the art of recording and stressing over gear, techquine and technology. I've wasted countless hours on this boards reading about what gear is good, why Baringher stinks or why I should save for an American Strat instead of buying a Mexican.

but when you get down to it, don't a lot of bands that play live have to cater to indifferent audiences who judge them by their covers in hopes that they can sneak in 4 or 5 orginal tunes a night? I mean what is wasting more time, learning, playing, and polishing "Brown Sugar" or the latest top 40 pysdo rock anthem or educating yourself on how to present your music better?

To me the two go hand in hand. You won't go anywhere if you don't have great music to present and you won't present it if you don't get out in public.

Even George Martin has come out and said home recording is going to kill the buisness. If it is the business as we know it then yes, and the death can't come quickly enough for most of us. The innovaters are going to make great music until the bean counters figure out a way to kill it. Music, TV, movies have always worked this way.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Anyhow, I think it's a large assumption that musicians with home studios will spend all their time learing their gear rather than writing music and gigging. There are plenty of hours in the day and I doubt the majority of them are used for song writing & gigging. Insert any other interest in place of "home studio" and you can make his argument - but that it to say unless your one dimentional as a human being your taking away from your artistry. I don't buy it.

Let me see if it can be sold this way then. ...

There ARE plenty of hours in the day, but most home recordists spend them on their day jobs; most of them are not full-time musicians who can compose and practice during the day and then hit the studio in the evening. The only time they have for their craft is the time that any other working stiff has for any other hobby or moonlighting work.

In that way it can be compared to other hobbies, yes. But one big difference is that musicianship and audio engineering are really *two* distinct (though related) disciplines, either alone of which could easily fill up one's time...even if they didn't have a day job.

If you want solid evidence of this, just read these forums for a while and pay attention to the questions from otherwise creative, intelligent artists who are just breaking in to the home recording thing. They know their stuff when it comes to music, but they understandably are just learining about the extremely basic but important things like signal chains and gain staging, the importance and techniques of room acoustics, just what a compressor actually does, and microphone selection. They haven't even scratched the surface of things like A/D conversion, DAW track automation, pre-mastering technique, etc. all of which are extremely important to get the sound they expect and/or want. They have a long learning curve ahead of them. And in the meantime they still have to practice their craft of musicianship, which while they may be more experienced at it, is no easier to execute than even moderate home recording technique.

They're two different jobs with two different but equally sophisticated skillsets, that until recently, were always performed by two (or more) different people. For one person to acheive proficiency and productivity - let alone anything close to excellence - in both of them is twice as hard and takes twice as long as doing so in either one alone. That fact is no different in the home studio than it is in the flagship studios.

The grand illusion these days is that because project studios have become affordable, that the *task* has become easier as well. It hasn't, as these forums prove every day.

G.

 

[Mr songwriter]

One problem with recording in a professional studio is that you're very aware that it is costing you $XX/hour to do it, which kind of discourages you from experimenting too much, I'm not expecting to get professional quality results out of my (fairly basic) home recording setup, but I do see it as a way of getting a clearer idea of what I want to do with my songs for when I do go into a proper studio.

 

[Projbalance]

There is a difference between putting together a working studio and being a gear slut. It doesnt take all that much to put together a studio that works well enough to get the job done. If you're spending that much time, money, and energy trying to put in your home a studio that can "compete" with studios that are much larger and more expensive then you are probably unaware that you are wasting your time.

As far as home studios reducing the gigging output of musicians, i look at it this way; I think about the number of CD's I own by bands I've never seen play and I think about how important it really is to me. Then I think about the shows I've been to and reflect upon my feelings toward them.

Most of the bands I like I have not, nor will I ever, see them live. Does that stop me from enjoying their music? No. For the bans I like that are still together, has that stopped me from continuing to support their music? No. At that point, it really doesnt matter whether the bands ever tour or gig or not. You think about the number of bands that play thousands of gigs that are no better off than the guy who sits at home recording his own stuff. If the home guy is motivated enough, he can get his exposure through other means. Conversly, the gigging band can get stuck in the rut of playing the same venues for mostly the same audience again and again. What does that get them? How many great live bands have gotten signed only to find themselves crushed by the overwhelming weight of the machine? Now the home guy may not get the big contract, but with self release or an indie that gives him some outlet, he can accomplish the goal of sharing music with people. Then he always HAS the option the play shows if and when he can to get that gig feeling. It all depends on what you're goals are and what your definition of success is.

You can gig forever and get nowhere or you can sit in your studio and record forever, and get nowhere, it all depends on what you're willing to do and, in the end, how good the music is.

 

[PhiloBeddoe]

Just want to enter my vote as a staunch supporter of recording technology. I would have killed for this technology when I was a teenager playing gigs every weekend. In addition to playing all the time, we spent plenty of time recording on a 4 track and wasted just as much time fiddling with that thing as we would have with a computer.

I never thought I would be able to afford a studio that has the capabilities of the one I have now. The DAW does everything I want and I'm not giving it up. I don't care how many other musicians it kills.

 

[Robert D]

Anyhow, I think it's a large assumption that musicians with home studios will spend all their time learing their gear rather than writing music and gigging. There are plenty of hours in the day........
YMMV

There are precious few hours in my day, and so I've strived to make my home studio as capable, but as simple as possible. I know people who's home studios have become a three headed monster that eats up their creativity rather than facilitates it. When I'm recording at home, I want it to sound nearly as good as when I go out to record, but I need the gear and the process to stay out of the way of my creative flow as much as possible.
If money were no object, or I had major label backing, then I think there's no question I would have created more music concentrating solely on the music, not on the recording aspects. But I also would have missed out on the very rewarding experience of learning how to make good recordings, and the equally rewarding experience of handing someone a good recording of their music. So the time spent has been well worth it for me. Did it kill the rock star in me? Naw, I had my time in the spotlight on stage, but always preferred being in the studio. Honestly....being famous would suck!

-RD

 

[beezelbubba]

Others are doing what a few short years ago only I and select others could do and I feel threatened!

 

[Ronan]

beezelbubba, why did you do this? That is not a quote from me.

I am fine with it if you have a contradictory view than the one stated in my article, I am fine with you speculating about my motivations for writing it. I am even fine if you want to post comments about what kind of person you think I am, or comment on the quality of my work or knowledge,

If you want to post "quotes" from me that make me look like a jack ass, I am sure there are plenty of real ones out there that could do the job just fine, but it is really uncool for you to post fake quotes attributed to me in this community. I have no idea who you are, but if I have done something to you in the past that would make you want to fuck with me like this I am sorry, otherwise please do not do stupid shit like this to me in the future.

 

[mshilarious]

If you want to post "quotes" from me that make me look like a jack ass, I am sure there are plenty of real ones out there that could do the job just fine, but it is really uncool for you to post fake quotes attributed to me in this community. I have no idea who you are, but if I have done something to you in the past that would make you want to fuck with me like this I am sorry, otherwise please do not do stupid shit like this to me in the future.

Beez is our official resident ayehole, but he means it in a jesting way. Note the half-dozen smilies. He has a sick sense of humor, but I have to admit, check out his stuff in the Cave, he is a funny bastard.

 

[beezelbubba]

beezelbubba, why did you do this? That is not a quote from me.

I am fine with it if you have a contradictory view than the one stated in my article, I am fine with you speculating about my motivations for writing it. I am even fine if you want to post comments about what kind of person you think I am, or comment on the quality of my work or knowledge,

If you want to post "quotes" from me that make me look like a jack ass, I am sure there are plenty of real ones out there that could do the job just fine, but it is really uncool for you to post fake quotes attributed to me in this community. I have no idea who you are, but if I have done something to you in the past that would make you want to fuck with me like this I am sorry, otherwise please do not do stupid shit like this to me in the future.

My bad!I thought the smiley guys would show my intentions!I cannot however promise that it wont happen again,cause,well,I'm a jackass!I'll try though!It's nothing personal!I'm sure you're a fine man and engineer!
I disagree mildly with your points you make,but you're probably more right than me!
Dammit!I should never leave the cave!

 

[ccrider]

You bring up interesting points, and your argument is well-worded.

But honestly, I've been hearing this since the first portastudio came out. And I think we're all still waiting for it to happen.

Engineering and performing are still two very different skills that require different, and often conflicting, areas of your brain. A few people might be able to do it, but it's just not happening on any sort of mass level. If anything, what I see are people realizing they don't enjoy the engineering aspect, or they just don't have the patience for it, and would rather just make music. Maybe they'll use their DAW for basic things like cutting demos, or for certain tracks, so there is at least a certain degree of integration occuring right now, but for the most part good recordings are being made by musicians working with a dedicated engineer.

Great post. Actually, thanks for writing that, as it sums up exactly where I am as far as technology vs. writing and creating and performing.

I was messing around with the Tracktion Demo, which is actually pretty easy and straightforward. Well, they include a well-done and fairly complicated and busy song completed and submitted by a Tracktion user.

Cool song, catchy, busy arrangement, several MIDI files, 3 different convoluted snares, some kind of guitar amp sim, several different backing vocal hooks, etc...I mean you can obviously tell a lot of time and effort went into this recording, at a level of expertise way beyond mine in the software and recording world that caught the ear of Mackie who included it in the demo. And I listened to the main vocal and thought this:

Man, he could have done better with the lyrics and should work on his singing.


Chuck