For those that record themselves...

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curtiswyant
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For those that record themselves...

Post by curtiswyant » Sun Jan 22, 2006 3:46 pm

...what's your work method? I'm debating whether to record songs as I write them or "build up" a collection, then record all at once.

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Sun Jan 22, 2006 3:52 pm

I record them as I write them... and just today I finished one that I wrote track by track, hanging around in the studio! The nice thing about recording yourself is getting to be inspired, fuck up, try different things out, etc., without anybody sneering at you, and without wasting your money. Whereas if you're paying a studio, you better be ready to rock...

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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:07 pm

That's funny, I just listened to a KCRW interview with Elvis Costello from last year that addressed this topic. He said he thinks we are moving away from albums, or at best an album is a "suggestion" on how to listen to a set of songs. He thinks that the future is in singles that people place in their own sequences on their ipods, etc. He drew a parallel to 78s, saying that he believes the music industry is no longer in the album business but is now back in the singles business.

A few years ago I would have said that you should work them all into a cohesive grand statement that you can call an album. More and more, lately, I am thinking in favor of going song by song.

Which is what I generally do anyway, as I have an official diagnosis of ADHD (ADD, actually, diagnosed in the mid-1980s way before ADHD was in the vogue that it enjoys today)

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curtiswyant
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Post by curtiswyant » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:09 pm

The drawback I see recording one-by-one is I might get a cool pre or something that I HAVE to use on every song, whereas an album is more of a cohesive statement.

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:16 pm

Well, I am definitely trying to do an album...I mean, I like the format very much. But I think old Elvis is right, it's mostly a suggestion. And insofar as I sell my music--and I don't sell much--almost all the meager money I make is from selling individual songs on iTunes.

I kind of like the whole singles thing though...

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Post by Brett Siler » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:19 pm

I do both. Sometimes it is fun it just go in and be spontanious and just come up with things as you write. Lately I have been a little more pre meditated with some songs. Either way is good, it just comes down to what works for you.

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Mark Alan Miller
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Post by Mark Alan Miller » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:23 pm

I record them as I write them, usually. At least to the stage where everything is programmed, sounds decided upon, etc, and all of the stuff that needs linear tracks (vocals, etc) have been tracked. Then, usually I transfer all of the programmed stuff to linear tracks as well and mix the whole record en masse.
However, the two records I'm releasing this year were recorded and mixed as they were written...
Bear in mind, too, that I work solo, and do a lot of sequencing. And as I don't typically compose like many do (on a guitar or piano) recording and writing are kinda part-and-parcel.
curtiswyant wrote:The drawback I see recording one-by-one is I might get a cool pre or something that I HAVE to use on every song, whereas an album is more of a cohesive statement.
The danger in that is, if you're always waiting because you might get "the" piece of gear, you'll never record anything! :)
And to that I say, don't wait! Record! Mix! Keep moving! And if you find yourself wanting to go back and retrack some stuff 'cause you got a piece you're really hot on, so be it - go back and retrack... and remix if needed.

Edited for clarity, I think.
Last edited by Mark Alan Miller on Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Jeremy Garber
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Post by Jeremy Garber » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:23 pm

There are songs that I have written in the past, still play on my guitar, and just haven't gotten around to recording them yet. Usually though, I'll get an idea, sit down and work it out, and start to record pieces of it, going back to it and adding more. Usually I'll "sit" on them for a while, so I can think about it with new ears. I have one song now, that only really needs a little lead in the bridge, and would be done. I have another one with most of the arrangement worked out and recorded, has a vocal melody but lacks lyrics, and another one that was just a few measures layered up (really needs to be expanded).

I agree that music tends to be leaning more towards singles. Well, major label releases have been doing it for a while, but they used the singles to sell their padded albums. There are still some bands out there who believe in the album concept, and continue to put out great records. I like both approaches.

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Mark Alan Miller
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Post by Mark Alan Miller » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:30 pm

SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ wrote:I agree that music tends to be leaning more towards singles. Well, major label releases have been doing it for a while, but they used the singles to sell their padded albums. There are still some bands out there who believe in the album concept, and continue to put out great records. I like both approaches.
Me too. I really miss the singles culture days when 45s were "it". I used to go to this one local shop and pick up a fistfull of 7" singles once or twice a week. They were $1.57 plus tax for domestic issues, and that's simply a bargain. (Less than a buck a song... if you count for inflation, $.99 per song on iTunes and the like is about the same! Yay!) I also love albums, but don't like buying albums simply 'cause I like one song, or two.
My wife and I now have this cool policy at home. If there's a song we like, we nose around on iTunes (or wherever we can find previews - all artists/labels should provide legal previews somehow, IMO, but that's another thread...) to see if the rest of the record might appeal to us. If it does, we buy the whole CD (or LP!). If it doesn't, we just buy the one song as a download. I love it this way.
he took a duck in the face at two and hundred fifty knots.

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Post by mjau » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:42 pm

I'm a little of both...instrumental stuff I do is usually made up on the spot, and I don't like to labor over that very much. I'm just starting a project with a friend that's much more pre-meditated, and this one will certainly be done in huge chunks all at once.

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Post by joelpatterson » Sun Jan 22, 2006 5:15 pm

inverseroom wrote:.... without anybody sneering at you....

I try to live my life this way too, and it ain't easy!
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the velour fog
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Post by the velour fog » Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:27 pm

Mark Alan Miller wrote:The danger in that is, if you're always waiting because you might get "the" piece of gear, you'll never record anything! :)
so true! i've spent the last year or so upgrading and recording 'audio tidbits' finally i got sick of it and have just been recording, which is far more enjoyable then dreaming of 'better' equipment in a dusty museum of your current setup.
"Set Phasers to Extra Slow."

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:18 pm

joelpatterson wrote:
inverseroom wrote:.... without anybody sneering at you....
I try to live my life this way too, and it ain't easy!
Tell me about it

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Mark Alan Miller
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Post by Mark Alan Miller » Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:24 pm

thegunshyboy wrote:
Mark Alan Miller wrote:The danger in that is, if you're always waiting because you might get "the" piece of gear, you'll never record anything! :)
so true! i've spent the last year or so upgrading and recording 'audio tidbits' finally i got sick of it and have just been recording, which is far more enjoyable then dreaming of 'better' equipment in a dusty museum of your current setup.
I'm going through something kinda similar... the wait until my new studio is completed... just can't bring myself to do anything at the old one, even though (for a while more at least) it's still wired up and usable. I'm just already moved out and moved on, in my mind. So I'm not doing much at all for clients, and no new recording for myself (although this time has allowed me to work on the cover, mastering and videos for me new record. Yay!)
he took a duck in the face at two and hundred fifty knots.

http://www.radio-valkyrie.com/ao/aoindex.htm - download the new record (free is an option!) or get it on CD.

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workshed
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Post by workshed » Tue Jan 24, 2006 9:57 am

I tend to do the write as I record technique. I don't have enough of an attention span (or memory!) to sit down and work out an entire song in one sitting. I usually come up with an idea while driving somewhere or doing chores, then will sit down and just record the basic guitar track and maybe sequence a scratch drum track with it. Then I come back to it from time to time and try to figure out what I don't like about it and make some fundamental changes, eventually adding other instrumentation, effects, and whatever else I feel like it needs. Sometimes the process is fast, like a matter of days, and other times the song requires more time to get down, as in weeks or months. Just depends on how much free time and inspiration I have.

Re: albums versus singles, I think that Elvis is probably right... I mean I have a goal to release an album of my own stuff by my 35th birthday in August, but at the same time I am releasing my songs on MySpace as I complete them. I'm trying to keep a cohesive sound or feel between the songs, but at the same time, my sound is also evolving as I discover what I'm good at and what I really, really stink at. So,maybe I shouldn't refer to it as an album, but more of a singles collection.

-Bret

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