By Kim Copeland
We live in a wonderful age for creativity. We also live in a time that can be
overwhelming for the creative soul.
Should you buy your own home recording gear and save studio costs? Should you play all of the instruments on
your recordings and save musicians costs?
You could also sing all of the background and harmony parts and save on
the expense of extra vocalists, and do your own mixing and mastering. Think of the money you could save.
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| Kim Copeland Music Producer |
Now think of the time you would have to spend to: become really good
at the technical side of engineering, learn the skill set for mastering,
develop the chops for playing multi instruments at the level you want for your
album, develop the ear and range for elaborate vocal parts. Oh, yes, and also act as your own project
manager -keeping the time and costs in balance while creating a project that
you are sure you can market.
It is not impossible, but it is very rarely the most fun, logical or
professional way to approach recording. You
can do anything; but can you do everything well?
I work with so many indie artists and singer/songwriters who express
such relief at having me to think about and handle parts of the project that
they were not aware of or equipped to handle.
Usually, there are some elements of recording a project that they
did not want to deal with and others that they did not know how to deal
with. But during the process of
recording together, they also become aware of aspects of singing, playing, interacting
with musicians, exploring and arranging the songs, or even dealing with the coordination
and marketing of finished product, that they had not given a thought to going
in; Things that make a huge difference on the recording experience and the quality
of the final product.
Unless you particularly enjoy creating in a vacuum, my advice is to
do what you love to do and hire someone else to do what you are less passionate
about and/or less qualified at.
If you enjoy exploring and experimenting in the studio, spend some
money on gear. It’s a great time to get
high quality gear at affordable prices. But
don’t get so focused on becoming an engineer that you set yourself back on being
an artist.
If you have a limited amount of time and money to spend on your
music, recording in a studio would be more efficient, though you can still use
your home recording gear for working out parts, writing songs, experimenting
with arrangements and sounds, etc. This
can save you money when you are on the clock in an outside studio.
Here are some things to ponder as you mull over your options for
recording your next project.
Recording music at home:
Pros:
>Experimenting without watching the clock.
>Learning about ProTools or similar equipment.
>Developing songwriting instincts.
>Removing performance anxiety.
Cons:
>Working in a vacuum.
>Spending your creative time and energy reading technical books
and playing with a mouse instead of your guitar.
>Limited to your own skill set and experience level.
>No creative interaction to grow your skills, expand your
knowledge or discover new elements of your songs and artistry.
Recording vocals at home:
Pros:
>Time to explore arrangements and techniques without watching
clock.
>Time to arrange and perfect bgv’s.
> Experimenting with EQ and effects to see what you like on your
voice and what you are capable of with and without digital help.
Cons:
>Working in a vacuum. No one’s voice sounds the same to their own
ear and is does to others. Assuming you
want others to buy your album, it is good to have someone other than yourself
pointing out your strengths and weaknesses and help you discover your
uniqueness and commercial potential.
Mixing at home:
(Even if you choose to record at home, mix elsewhere. Get a new set of ears on it, perhaps some
with more experience, different gear options, an ear for the current market;
etc.)
Pros:
>Trial and error. You can
spend as much time as you want playing with effects and dialing in that sound
you hear in your head.
Cons:
>You can spend as much time as you like….and NEVER finish!
>That sound you hear in your head may not be viable in the
commercial marketplace.
>It may take you 10 times longer to find that sound than an
experienced engineer with 10 times the plug ins and outboard gear you have at
home.
Mastering at home:
(Don’t do it! Master elsewhere.
Again, another set of ears will pick up on things you may miss and also
offer new insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your work.)
Pros:
>The experience.
Cons:
>Sound and quality. Use a
different set of ears for mastering than for mixing. Otherwise you have no feel for whether what
you are doing resonates with anyone else or competes with other albums your
audience is buying.
If you are recording purely for pleasure, home recording is great
fun. However, if you are investing in
expensive gear and spending copious amounts of time to achieve commercial
success, you may be handicapping yourself.
Ninety nine percent of successful artists have a recording team to
help them capture their vision and leave them free to focus on what they do
best. Why? Maybe it’s because there are
very few creative geniuses that are good at every aspect of creating and
recording a music project. And even those who are know that stretching
themselves to thin makes their creativity and productivity suffer.
My advice is to do that thing you do so well and let others help you
look good by allowing them to do what they do well. Perhaps the real genius is in bringing out
the best in those around you so that you look your best.
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