First things first...
This guy is awesome.
Second things right now.
So I talked last night about songwriting that sucks... I'll use that as my segue to talk about home made music.
Home made recordings are easy as hell to do. I'm really surprised by the amount of musicians who are, not necessarily afraid of recording, but intimidated by it. I can't pretend that I'm good at recording, I'd like to be an Audio Engineer (as one of many post-Air Force careers), but I know the basics. I know HOW to make a recording better; boosting the gains, adjusting EQ, multi-tracking, redubbing, etc. I just get lazy when I'm working on my own music, because it's only me in a downstairs bedroom, trying to put multiple instruments together to form a coherent
piece of music; even then I get lazy. Jack of all instruments, master of none.
But that's just it, I'm not very good at recording or writing songs necessarily, but I can throw something together, record it, and be proud of it. It's a skill that not many people have; not because they can't, but because they don't know how.
The first recordings I ever made were on Acid Pro 3.0, and the microphone I used was a crappy 5 dollar computer mic from the BX. On my Ibanez Acoustic-Electric, I put together covers and some original stuff, and it sounded like shit. My dorm room at the time was horribly insulated, and the reverb was terrible. Add that to my fish tank in the background with Habanero, my badass Oscar. Every once in awhile I'll catch one of those early recordings, and although there are some cool musical phrases, the quality is nigh unbearable.
There was a reason I used my acoustic alot in those early recordings though, as easy as it was to record using that cheap mic, it didn't pick up live electric guitar and distortion that well. I listened to a cover of Hotel California... ugh, I listened to the whole thing and it sounded awful (and my singing... I don't try singing in songs all that much anymore). But it was something, a look back at my life when I was sitting in a dorm room drinking "non-alcoholic" beverages all the time.
Plus, it was totally easy.
Here's the process in a nutshell:
1. Figure out what you're going to record first - guitar, bass, drums, vocals (drums and bass are usually the first things, as they're your rhythm) (I don't use a metronome, because I'm horrible at it)
2. Record 1 track of music - Example: Guitar
3. Record another track - Example: Vocals
BAM! You've got yourself a recording. That's literally how easy it is. Improving the quality is a completely separate topic (and one I'm not really in a position to elaborate on, haha).
If you want to record, the best suggestion I have is just dive in. Don't let all those knobs and menu options intimidate you. You'll learn it as you go. You don't have to be a master of recording to make something that you'll feel accomplished with afterwards.
Anyway, I bring this up because first things first guy up there and I always wanted to have a famous band together. More Ballz Than Most or Impatient Cow were our chosen names. Then I moved away, and it became a pipe dream... it still is, really. But the beauty of recording, especially, digitally, allows us to collaborate and make music together again. It's as simple as finding the same recording software and emailing the tracks/projects to each other for editing.
The prospect has always been an exciting one for me, so I just have to wait for him to buy some guitar cords, he already has a good mic (for his broadcasting), and hopefully we'll put something together!
For beginner and intermediate audio technicians there's a really great recording program out there called Reaper. It has a ton of functionality in it that rivals some of the higher end software (see: ProTools, Ableton Live, etc). The best part about it is it's free to download the evaluation version of the software that doesn't expire. Check them out here: Reaper
Finally, if you want to hear some of the crappy songs I've written/recorded, check them out here: Text-based Misconception
I'm especially proud of Senorita Girl, if for anything, the line that goes "her eyes spoke to me like white peoples do."
I'm out, yo!
This guy is awesome.
Second things right now.
So I talked last night about songwriting that sucks... I'll use that as my segue to talk about home made music.
Home made recordings are easy as hell to do. I'm really surprised by the amount of musicians who are, not necessarily afraid of recording, but intimidated by it. I can't pretend that I'm good at recording, I'd like to be an Audio Engineer (as one of many post-Air Force careers), but I know the basics. I know HOW to make a recording better; boosting the gains, adjusting EQ, multi-tracking, redubbing, etc. I just get lazy when I'm working on my own music, because it's only me in a downstairs bedroom, trying to put multiple instruments together to form a coherent
piece of music; even then I get lazy. Jack of all instruments, master of none.
But that's just it, I'm not very good at recording or writing songs necessarily, but I can throw something together, record it, and be proud of it. It's a skill that not many people have; not because they can't, but because they don't know how.
The first recordings I ever made were on Acid Pro 3.0, and the microphone I used was a crappy 5 dollar computer mic from the BX. On my Ibanez Acoustic-Electric, I put together covers and some original stuff, and it sounded like shit. My dorm room at the time was horribly insulated, and the reverb was terrible. Add that to my fish tank in the background with Habanero, my badass Oscar. Every once in awhile I'll catch one of those early recordings, and although there are some cool musical phrases, the quality is nigh unbearable.
There was a reason I used my acoustic alot in those early recordings though, as easy as it was to record using that cheap mic, it didn't pick up live electric guitar and distortion that well. I listened to a cover of Hotel California... ugh, I listened to the whole thing and it sounded awful (and my singing... I don't try singing in songs all that much anymore). But it was something, a look back at my life when I was sitting in a dorm room drinking "non-alcoholic" beverages all the time.
Plus, it was totally easy.
Here's the process in a nutshell:
1. Figure out what you're going to record first - guitar, bass, drums, vocals (drums and bass are usually the first things, as they're your rhythm) (I don't use a metronome, because I'm horrible at it)
2. Record 1 track of music - Example: Guitar
3. Record another track - Example: Vocals
BAM! You've got yourself a recording. That's literally how easy it is. Improving the quality is a completely separate topic (and one I'm not really in a position to elaborate on, haha).
If you want to record, the best suggestion I have is just dive in. Don't let all those knobs and menu options intimidate you. You'll learn it as you go. You don't have to be a master of recording to make something that you'll feel accomplished with afterwards.
Anyway, I bring this up because first things first guy up there and I always wanted to have a famous band together. More Ballz Than Most or Impatient Cow were our chosen names. Then I moved away, and it became a pipe dream... it still is, really. But the beauty of recording, especially, digitally, allows us to collaborate and make music together again. It's as simple as finding the same recording software and emailing the tracks/projects to each other for editing.
The prospect has always been an exciting one for me, so I just have to wait for him to buy some guitar cords, he already has a good mic (for his broadcasting), and hopefully we'll put something together!
For beginner and intermediate audio technicians there's a really great recording program out there called Reaper. It has a ton of functionality in it that rivals some of the higher end software (see: ProTools, Ableton Live, etc). The best part about it is it's free to download the evaluation version of the software that doesn't expire. Check them out here: Reaper
Finally, if you want to hear some of the crappy songs I've written/recorded, check them out here: Text-based Misconception
I'm especially proud of Senorita Girl, if for anything, the line that goes "her eyes spoke to me like white peoples do."
I'm out, yo!
Holy crap that was an awesome post. I'm sharing this. You need to add some sharing buttons at the bottom. Twitter/Facebook. I really did enjoy reading this. I wish we had taken the time to record more when we were living close to one another.
ReplyDeletehey thanks man, I appreciate the support.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of digital recording, like I mentioned in the post is that you can easily send projects/tracks through teh interwebbernetz for long distance collaboration. So on one hand, yeah, I really wish we could've recorded more while we were in the same state, but the capability exists and is a feasible solution.
Another side point about that process is by trading tracks, individuals can work on additional tracks at their own pace. Say you send me a rythm guitar portion... I can listen to it over and over again on my own time and add additional instruments, mix them and send them back to you. If you wanted to, you could take those same tracks and mix them a different way.
That method has the potential to eliminate alot of that pressure in a live jamming environment to be creative. I'm much more likely to be able to add to your song if I'm not worried about how horrible my initial efforts sound, haha.
Anyway... send me tracks if you want. Every now and then I beat the drums to some of your songs. Thought about adding to it, but it would be easier if the tracks were separated.
That is a really good point. I actually just recorded something the other day. Still not sure how I feel about it. I do like the idea of long distance collaboration and the thought had crossed my mind before. We are going to have to do that.
ReplyDeleteI'm absolutely down, moreso than you know (that sounds creepy)
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you put together some tracks and you want them mixed better, send them my way. I could always use practice on recorings that I'm emotionally detached from, haha