C
Captain Ego
New member
Its funny that theres a "full sail" banner ad right under this.
S
satumma
New member
sure, maybe.. I am a musician first...
S
satumma
New member
but then, are they really focusing on making you proficient at the skills you need or are they still focusing on an outdated model? having been through a recording program, i can say that I was a little disappointed that the program was still in the mindset of training people for studio jobs and not realizing that part of their enrollment might be there to further their own studio prowess or be the "studio guy" within their own band working at a project studio. much of what they taught translates, especially the technical skills. but it would be nice to take a look at what the outcomes are and make sure the recording programs are really servings the needs of their students.
S
satumma
New member
having been through a recording program, i can say that much of the focus is still on working in a studio with very little to no emphasis on working for yourself or your band
S
satumma
New member
a better explanation...
If you look at certain trends it makes sense that there is rise in the number of people who are
taking on the task of self production, aka home recording. On both the hardware and the software
sides of the equation you see easier access to the tools that musicians need to record at home.
Garage Band and its windows companions are nearly free or very cost effective, a trimmed down, but
highly functional, version of pro tools can be had for $100 with a basic interface. So it makes
sense that more and more musicians are recording themselves with home equipment.
The upside to this trend is that more and more musicians will have access to getting their music
recorded, which means that there is a better chance that people will hear this music.
Statistically, the more music that is being made the greater the chance that really great songs
will be made. In the past there was a filtering mechanism in place to decide which artists and
bands could get their music recorded. The music industry, record labels, A&R people used to be the
gatekeepers to studio access. Without the green light from the industry bands would have minimal
chance of getting their songs recorded in a studio and heard by the general public. Even in this
era of limited studio access there was still more music than could be reasonably consumed by
everyone, hence the existence of radio and marketing to try to pair listeners with music.
It can be argued, and I think justifiably, that some sort of filtering mechanism needs to be in
place to bring the better quality music to the broader public. Even though there is now an
abundance of music being made, there is so much recorded music that very few of us have time to
evaluate all of it to find the gems from the coal. Many people just wait for the "good stuff" to
float to the top and be recognized before taking a chance.
So from an artist's point of view, being able to cheaply and easily record your music in your own
studio is a great opportunity. But then getting that music heard is a challenge that far exceeds
the actual songwriting and recording. Much is being written about artists promotion in the age of
"music 3.0"
While I think its important to talk about getting music out and marketed and paying for itself I
feel there is a lack of information in the area between "what gear to buy" and "how to market your
music". In particular there is very little talk about the issues that are unique to a self
production situation, information, that if available, would help raise the overall success rate
and quality of self produced recordings.
My challenge then is to try to find out what these issues are, try to gather together successful
strategies and then make them available for others so that when confronted with one of these
roadblacks there is a resource available to turn to. Much in the same way that musicians would
seek out technical resources to an issue.
From my own observation it seems that many of the tricks of the trade used by professional
producers are passed down through the work done in professional studios. Many of these techniques
can be useful to home studio producers as well. But at the same time, there are also situations
that are more specific to self production that have no clear way of being shared from one person
to the next. The obvious place to look for this information might be online forums, videos and
blogs. Is there also a need for this information in the formal educational system dedicated to
recording? I think so.
So what are these unique challenges and opportunities to self produced musicians? I have a list of
some that come from my own experience working in my home studios for years, but I believe that
there is also other ideas that people have come up with that stem from their own experiences as
well. That is what I am looking for.
If you look at certain trends it makes sense that there is rise in the number of people who are
taking on the task of self production, aka home recording. On both the hardware and the software
sides of the equation you see easier access to the tools that musicians need to record at home.
Garage Band and its windows companions are nearly free or very cost effective, a trimmed down, but
highly functional, version of pro tools can be had for $100 with a basic interface. So it makes
sense that more and more musicians are recording themselves with home equipment.
The upside to this trend is that more and more musicians will have access to getting their music
recorded, which means that there is a better chance that people will hear this music.
Statistically, the more music that is being made the greater the chance that really great songs
will be made. In the past there was a filtering mechanism in place to decide which artists and
bands could get their music recorded. The music industry, record labels, A&R people used to be the
gatekeepers to studio access. Without the green light from the industry bands would have minimal
chance of getting their songs recorded in a studio and heard by the general public. Even in this
era of limited studio access there was still more music than could be reasonably consumed by
everyone, hence the existence of radio and marketing to try to pair listeners with music.
It can be argued, and I think justifiably, that some sort of filtering mechanism needs to be in
place to bring the better quality music to the broader public. Even though there is now an
abundance of music being made, there is so much recorded music that very few of us have time to
evaluate all of it to find the gems from the coal. Many people just wait for the "good stuff" to
float to the top and be recognized before taking a chance.
So from an artist's point of view, being able to cheaply and easily record your music in your own
studio is a great opportunity. But then getting that music heard is a challenge that far exceeds
the actual songwriting and recording. Much is being written about artists promotion in the age of
"music 3.0"
While I think its important to talk about getting music out and marketed and paying for itself I
feel there is a lack of information in the area between "what gear to buy" and "how to market your
music". In particular there is very little talk about the issues that are unique to a self
production situation, information, that if available, would help raise the overall success rate
and quality of self produced recordings.
My challenge then is to try to find out what these issues are, try to gather together successful
strategies and then make them available for others so that when confronted with one of these
roadblacks there is a resource available to turn to. Much in the same way that musicians would
seek out technical resources to an issue.
From my own observation it seems that many of the tricks of the trade used by professional
producers are passed down through the work done in professional studios. Many of these techniques
can be useful to home studio producers as well. But at the same time, there are also situations
that are more specific to self production that have no clear way of being shared from one person
to the next. The obvious place to look for this information might be online forums, videos and
blogs. Is there also a need for this information in the formal educational system dedicated to
recording? I think so.
So what are these unique challenges and opportunities to self produced musicians? I have a list of
some that come from my own experience working in my home studios for years, but I believe that
there is also other ideas that people have come up with that stem from their own experiences as
well. That is what I am looking for.
Richard King
New member
One of my old customers when I lived in Minneapolis and was in the pro audio business signed to Warner Brothers records in the '70's as an artist and self producer. This guy did VERY well and became VERY famous eventually. I believe that he produced every album that he ever released on each label that he has been on since. I think he's only been on Warners and his own. It is certainly possible for an artist to do this, but not at all common. This fellow's name is Prince and he's still around and pretty much doing whatever he wants to do. Many years ago I designed and installed a 24 track recording system to install in his rehearsal warehouse. I installed a 2" Otari MTR90, large (32x24 if I recall correctly) Soundcraft console and JBL 4430 speakers and a bunch of periferals. I trained him on it, not that he needed the training, and a few months later he released "Purple Rain", portions of which was recorded on this stuff. He sold over 13 million copies of this. It can be done, but rare (especially when a major label is related).
crazydoc
Master Baiter
These would be domesticated animals that reverted to the wild state around his studio? What did he use these for - sampling?
Richard King
New member
Silly me and my spelling. 
IF I recall correctly, I installed an early digital delay and a plate reverb among other things. No pets at all though. 
IF I recall correctly, I installed an early digital delay and a plate reverb among other things. No pets at all though.