it's a demo, it's a master, it's a ?

[Stan Williams]

Ok ! Let me put my pants around my ankles, ok i'm ready! All over this forum you hear, it's just demo quality, it's not pro quality, bla, bla. All i have is a md8, at3525, nt1, nano comp. nano verb. art mp, pod. I will keep adding to it when i can afford it, but i refuse to think DEMO while i'm recording. It just seems that when someone is complaining about their sound, alot of the advice is like sell everything, give up on that low price junk. My nanocomp. has the potential of sounding like shit just like any misused comp.
I hear below average bands recorded in million dollar studios, they still sound bellow average to me. I guess i would just like to think it's possible to do homestudio thing good enough to get rid of those record company weasles !
Does any of this make any sense, or have i had my headphones on too loud, too long !
Thats it !

 

[bvaleria]

Stan... Stan... Stan... *shakes head*

OF COURSE you can get decent recordings with home gear... IF you know the limitations of your equipment and take steps to compensate... it takes persistence, patience and really discerning, honest ears...

If it sounds crappy going to tape it's going to sound crappy (or worse with multiple-tracks) coming out.

Cheap reverbs and processors sound, well... cheap - if you have to make due, then minimize where and how you use them... (does that bass line *really* need that chorus???)

At the very least, splurge on a decent monitoring system - how can you decide if it sounds crappy if the monitors sound crappy anyways!!!

Never use headphones only to A) track with, B) mix with - headphones sound WAY different than monitors and unless you intend your music to be played ONLY on phones, most people listen on speakers.

Cheaper gear tends to be noisier, minimize noise by minimizing the signal path going to tape...

Analog cassette multi-track is *always* going to be noisy and prone to poor sonic characteristics - if you have to go budget, you really would be better off with the small-format digital system (MD or hard-disk).

Don't record to get back at the "record company weasels", do it 'cos you love spending hours on getting that sound only to find the next day you don't like that tone after all...

And most importantly HAVE FUN!

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

 

[sonusman]

Agreed....also...

Usually those "below average" bands have very "below average" budgets for recording in those million dollar studios. I point this out because those kinds of bands usually have cheaper gear, don't know how to get the best sound out of their gear, and usually start telling the engineer how to do their job about getting sound to tape. Those are the reasons why there recordings sound crappy out of the million dollar studio's. Just think what their stuff would sound like out of the typical home studio!

The point is that great gear = much better potential sound. Also, experienced engineer with a good cross section of credits = you getting just the right sound for your music.

The problem with many home engineers is that they get something stuck in their head about what they think is the right sound, and run with it without the benefit of a different, experienced opinion from a professional engineer how has heard it ALL before, or a great producer who truely has a vision for the music.

By the way. Your nanocomp will never have the ability to sound anywhere as good as a Manley, Crainsong, GML, or DBX Blue series comp.

Peace

Ed