For the engineers

[dobro]

What effect has the digital home recording boom had on engineers and pro studios big and small? Has it cut into revenues because people are tracking and mixing at home, has it generated new custom from people who want their tracks mixed and mastered, or has it left you doing the same amount and kind of work as before?

 

[bvaleria]

When clients come to me for mixdown work - I get a lot of poorly recorded tracks captured on high-bandwidth media so that all the noise and artifacts come shining thru. So I guess I'd say there's more "fixup" work involved, than if they'd tracked it properly to begin with. It's great that very affordable, very high-fidelity recording is possible due to digital technology - except that there are more and more people out there who don't really know how to use it!

Just 'cos it's a digital recording doesn't mean it's a GOOD digital recording - and too many DIY'ers don't take the time to learn even the basics of good recording practices.
"Yeah dude, this mix sounds really muddy and dull - can't you run it thru a Finalizer or something to clean it up???" or my personal fav - "...but it's not as LOUD as Destiny Child's CD - what do you mean you didn't compress it!!!"

Now my facility would be considered small-scale - I do this part-time, so I imagine the big places take a heavier hit 'cos of budgets and the availablity of inexpensive gear.

Also - I hope no one gets defensive - I'm all for home-recording DIYers - it's how I started -- I'm just saying take the trouble and time to learn at least the basics of getting a good sound (ask questions, check this and other forums, *oops* Dragon's looking at me - OK DON'T CHECK OTHER FORUMS CHECK ONLY THIS ONE, learn as much as you can before (and while!) you're slapping a mic down and pressing record.)

Rants-over (for now!)

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

 

[sonusman]

Been there....

This question, almost exactly worded, was asked before somewhere on this board before.

Thanks bvelaria for answering for me so I didn't have to again.....

When you consider that amount of time, practice, and price total for decent enough gear to make a quality sounding recording, where would one find time to actually practice their art, and to work on perfecting their art? Recording is my art now. Pursuing it leaves me with little time for creating and playing music.

As a general rule, i think DIY recording is more for getting the idea on tape (or, CD nowadays) for the artist to hear the idea and work towards improvements.

But when you really need it to sound good, nothing can replace a competent engineer with decent tools at his disposal.

I think home recording is a good idea for the artist because once they do go to a real studio and work with a competent engineer, they will really know the challenges that the engineer faces, and can hopefully make the necessary adjustments to make the recordings happen.

Remember at the big time level, artists are called Recording Artists...... Making it happen on tape, just performance wise, is a major undertaking all in it's own.

Ed

 

[Shailat]

To specificly answer your queation,
From were I come from, The semi pro studios are taking a big hit and the pro ones are feeling it a bit.

The majority of people who are serious about their work, won't do it at home.
They may track a bit at home some parts like synth parts etc...

Mastering is defenitly a "pro only" issue. With all respect to all home recording, As of today the only way to get pro results would be to take it to a pro mastering house.

I know of all the story's of guys who did it at home blah blah but the truth is it sounds ameturish or... they own enough quality gear and have the know how to actully NOT be called a home recording. These guys go out and spend thousands of $$$$ and then call it home recording

 

[Brahmb]

Actually Ed, I've been perfecting my art for almost 30 years now and enjoy tackling the recording end of things now. I have sooo much material I find it hard to start (I'm also intimidated because I know I have a nice system, but am not finding the work as easy as the music). So the time factor is the only problem because I have a full time job elsewhere now (if you can consider having summers off and all vacations long full time...)

 

[dobro]

Shailat - so, does this sound right?

* The people who want top sound quality go into a studio at all stages of the process.

* Not many homereccers are taking their tracks to pro studios for mastering, and when they do, their material is often low quality by studio standards.

* The quality of the playing and singing is probably better on a lot of homerecorded stuff, compared to the garage band who save up enough money and book a few hours in a studio, because they've had more time to work on it.

* The overall effect of the digital homerecording boom on pro studios has been one of challenge, not increased business.

 

[John Sayers]

Dobro - over here it did have an initial impact where Major studios closed all over the place and top bands were getting sets of ADATs and finding a nice house in the country and recording themselves. But lately I feel the pro studios are winning back as the artists realise that their last album was fun to make but really didn't cut it audio wise. The engineers don't want to work in a thrown together studio chasing hum loops and a mess of cables, they want a properly wired, technically and acoustically OK recording environment, and I don't blame them!! - but I do think that the amount of top line recordings has dropped over the past ten years.

I was at a guitarists place the other day (excellent guitarist!!) who had built himself a home studio and I realised he really had no idea of how to work all his gear. After showing him a few things he said hey shit - there's alot to learn here - to which I replied "How long have you been playing guitar - 25 years? while you were learning to be a great guitarisr I was learning all that shit.

Cheers
John

 

[Shailat]

Shailat - so, does this sound right?

* The people who want top sound quality go into a studio at all stages of the process.

I'd say all or almost all stages.

[

* Not many homereccers are taking their tracks to pro studios for mastering, and when they do, their material is often low quality by studio standards.

Yes. Altough I might think I know how to master, I NEVER do so. I always put aside money for mastering at a suite I TRUST (some are crooks). They have always bought the music up one more level.

[[B)

[
* The quality of the playing and singing is probably better on a lot of homerecorded stuff, compared to the garage band who save up enough money and book a few hours in a studio, because they've had more time to work on it.

Not always. If a band is very well rehearssd and after hours of practice sound tight,and every body knows his part well then you can get exselent results even recording live to DAT.[/B]

[
* The overall effect of the digital homerecording boom on pro studios has been one of challenge, not increased business.

Here the real big pro studios didn't feel it as much becuase anybody who can afford their prices has continued to go there. These same studios own editing
computers and HERE I have seen some pros use their home system if it's up to pro notch. Why spend $60 an hour to edit at the studio.

As to what John had said about other musicians building good studios....
What I have seen is people hiring engineers to come to their home studios and work with them. This way you get the know how and save a lot of money on renting the pro studio. how do you compensate for the equipment?... You cant totaly but you CAN rent today a lot of goodies for fair prices and still save mega bucks.
To up hold a pro studio can cost an arm and a leg exspecialy if your working with record companies. They cut deals with the studio and twist their arms to work for a low price.
I have heard some owners tell me they are fed up with working with them, but they don't have a choice. They actully love the simple home recording artist who will pay on time (not 3-4 months later) and won't bargin to the dirt.

 

[dobro]

Thanks. I was looking for a general picture of the working relationship between homerecordists and pro studios these days. I'm off to the mp3 clinic now to ask the posters there a similar question.