If you are anything like me, you are a songwriter who prefers to spend your precious time honing your art. You'd rather save your money and pay someone to record your songs - someone who does that craft well. You are the "artist." Why bother learning all that complicated technical stuff when you can pay someone to do it for you? There are several answers to that question.
First - Economics. If I add up all the costs for recording over the years, the total is well into the thousands. Back in the day, it was more economical to pay an engineer. Buying equipment was a luxury the average musician just could not afford. But, thankfully, technology has advanced dramatically. It is now feasible for anyone with a little cash, and the desire to learn, to produce their own radio-ready CD's.
Second - Freedom. I don't want to take up space reiterating my many unpleasant recording experiences. Even when entering a session with the utmost confidence and certainty of what I wanted, I have been bullied and challenged by engineers WITH my bandmates and producer present ("Are you SURE you want that guitar sound??"). I don't want to fight that hard for what I want, so having a way to record my own music has eliminated the need to hire anyone and has given me freedom I have never had in a time crunching studio session.
Third - No Pressure. Personally, for me, recording is not a pleasant experience to begin with. I'm already apprehensive about what will end up on tape forever. The added expectation of having to create on a time constraint is nerve wracking, and until I started producing my own music, I always ended up with a finished product that I wanted to change or add something to. Not anymore. I can take my time recording with no one breathing down my neck. I'm empowered. I'm in control. I am much more comfortable to create. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely some effort involved in learning to "man" the controls. Thanks to my fiance, recording classes and many hours spent in the studio, I'm able to record what is in my head at this point. It is well worth the time learning to work the gear. Each hour spent toying with your equipment is an investment towards complete artistic freedom.
Those three reasons are why I chose to go the extra mile and finally learn what I thought was beyond me. An artist CAN get technical if they choose not to be paralyzed by technology.
Back to economics, an average session to record a full length CD (ten songs) from set up to mix-down is roughly 60 hours (average 4 hours for levels and basic tracks and two hours
mix-down for EACH song). At the average cost of $50 an hour, you will be spending about $2000.00 for that session. Throw in the mastering and that's another $500. That is a $2500 investment, at minimum. For much less than that amount of cash, you could OWN all the recording equipment needed to do it yourself. In addition, you will be able to record future sessions for no additional cost.
I'm going explain in layman's terms the minimum amount of equipment you will need to obtain quality recordings. I'll be referring to my own no-frills studio where I just finished recording "Kitchen Sink," a 12 song CD for my Master's Thesis in Commercial Music at Cal State Los Angeles.
THE COMPUTER. Your computer could be a MAC or PC. Having worked with both, I can say I prefer a PC (I am going to be hated by MAC users for this!). It is more versatile, has more software available, and, most importantly, is less expensive. If you don't own a computer yet, a PC would be my choice. If you already own a computer, great! That is one less expense. The bare bones minimum of what your computer must have is 64 MB of RAM (memory) and 300 - 500 MHz (speed). Price - expect to spend at least $800. "Fry's" has the best prices for computers and other electronics.
THE SOFTWARE. There are many to choose from. I've worked extensively with Performer (for MAC) and Cakewalk (for MAC and PC). Both of these products are excellent (Danny Elfman uses Performer). Personally, I like Cakewalk which is less expensive than Performer and a little more user friendly. Their tutorial is very good for self-instruction. Cakewalk prices range from $129.00 (for the basic "Home Studio") to $479 ("Sonar") and up, and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer at cakewalk.com. Performer lists at $795 and must be purchased through various retail stores (Guitar Center, etc.). Both kinds of software can be downloaded for free on a trial basis from their main websites. For those for whom money is no object, Pro Tools is the top of the line industry software and is available for both MAC and PC. You can download a trial copy for free (8 tracks of audio, 48 tracks of MIDI) at www.digidesign.com.
THE INTERFACE (or "sound card"). This is a necessary piece of gear which makes it possible to record MIDI and audio data onto a computer. For a PC, the interface is a card that can be installed into the computer (approx. $100). These vary wildly in quality according to sampling rate (the higher, the better). A couple of good brands to choose from are Turtle Beach (what I have) and Sound Blaster. Look for at least 18-bit sampling rate, 92dB signal to noise ratio and Full-duplex hardware. For the MAC user with Performer software, separate rack mount units must be purchased to use the software (one for MIDI and one for audio - around $450 EACH. Another reason for using Cakewalk).
THE "PLUG-INS." This is a fancy word for effects. Most digital software already comes with plug-ins though the more expensive versions have better quality effects. I have used the built in plug ins on many recordings with great results. There is plug in software that can be purchased separately (Time Works, ad naseum…) Many plug-ins are available online in share ware form to try out before purchasing. These are simple to download and a great way to try out the product before putting up the cash. Prices are around $100 for software if desired.
THE SYNTHISIZER/CONTROLLER (optional). This is not an essential part of recording, but is useful if you want to record instruments other than the usual bass, drums and guitar. I use an Alesis QS8 synth which has great keyboard sounds as well as strings, drums and hundreds of other MIDI sounds. Price - $1295.00. The are many other lower priced options
THE BOARD. This is what makes it possible to record vocals, guitar, bass or other audio sounds onto the software. The microphone or cord from an instrument goes through the board into the computer. I use a Behringer 8 input board priced at $100. I don't use live drums, so for me this is perfect. For those of you planning to record live drums, you will need more inputs. Behringer is a great product and reasonably priced.
THE DRUM LOOPS. Since I don't record live drums due to living in an apartment and owning only three microphones, everything I record uses drum loops. A fabulous product that has saved me many hours of programming is ACID Drum Loops. These handy CD's come complete with dozens of drum samples which can be pieced together to create your songs. If you are a band with a drummer and limited space like me, please don't be insulted! Mic-ing drums is an art too involved to include in this small article (this IS "Recording On A BUDGET," by the way!). Your REAL drummer can make use of these loops as well to lay down the basic tracks to your tunes with out the headache of lugging drums around, or he/she can use MIDI drum pads. ACID discs are priced at approx. $69 at Guitar Center.
THE MICROPHONE. I only use one microphone for vocals. The best all around mic I have found for recording (AND for live gigs) is the AKG C1000. It is very reasonably priced at about $250 new. Musician's Friend online is a good source for picking up gear if you don't want to head for Guitar Center. If your budget does not allow for this expense, my second choice is the good 'ole Shure 58, another all purpose mic which is good for vocals and acoustic instruments.
THE AUDIO EDITING AND MASTERING SOFTWARE. The audio editing software allows you to edit your songs to fade in and out, "Normalize" (increase the output signal - useful for getting the "biggest" sound out of your recordings) and other useful options. Sonic Foundry makes great software for this and includes plug ins as well. Mastering is not that mysterious. Basically, you are adding EQ to get a crisp sound so your CD sounds professional and can meet specs to be played on the radio. The software I use for mastering is "T-Racks" priced at ($750), though the Sonic Foundy 5.0 has various EQ's for mastering. Price is around $399.
These are the basics you will need for setting up your own home studio. With some time invested, you will be successful at putting your ideas on tape in a musical fashion. As I mentioned, the time invested will reap priceless rewards when you are able to record on your own terms and create a quality product. The gear I mentioned above ranges in price from $1797 for the least expensive set up to roughly $3800 for the most expensive (including the optional keyboard). Both scenarios will result in a quality recording. The better you know your gear, of course, the better results will be. With the very basic studio I have, I am able to create professional recordings, better than I have ever paid for. If you decide that it is worth your time to learn this craft, these tips will help get you started. Also, find people whose work you like and ask as many questions as you can regarding recording techniques, etc. Take the first step to a beautiful journey to artistic freedom.
