Indie band has $6 Gs from theri label

[fossiltooth]

my issue is the same as it was in the ill-fated 15 grand thread: that some of these people come across like The Only Valid Music is stuff that's recorded by professionals in big studios and released on major labels. and that anything else isn't really serious, or doesn't really count. to me, that's the same as saying that Hollywood Blockbusters are the only legit kind of films.

and personally, those aren't the sort of folks i'd want working on my record.

Touch?.

On another note, as someone who records and mixes music for a living, If I was given the choice between $6k of gear, and working on a really cool indie record I could be proud of the for the rest of my life, I'd take the record any day of the week.

I hope I'm not wrong to think that bands should feel this way as well.

[trodden]

It's a tough call. I like the hybrid idea the most. Track basics at a studio and overdub at home, maybe even vox at home if you have the gear, mix at the studio (after getting mixes mostly together at home), and then mastering. The other thing that bothers me is the limited budget of $6K. What can you actually get for $6K without a) buying *minimal* great sounding gear (provided that you already have a computer to record with, or b) not having enough time with a rate of $600/day? Coupled with minimal experience as an engineer and learning as you go along, it's going to be tough.

Is it possible for a band to spend 1-3 days in the studio after working out all pre-production / arrangements because they are actively recording rehearsals and know what they sound like? These days in the studio would involve mostly live full-band tracking and working with an engineer who is simply awesome. 10 songs. 3 days. It's been done, right?

Again, not the answer that the band is hoping for. I wonder if they can add their own money into this budget. It's going to be tight.

Jeff

Exactly what we did on our last record with Billy Anderson, "live full-band tracking and working with an engineer who is simply awesome." Tracked basics at a real studio in town in three days. did the rest at my house/studio (vox, remaining keys/samples/synths, overdubs, additional bass tracks, etc) then went back to the studio we tracked in for 3 LONG days of mixing. We could have used another day actually.

Not including the API pres i bought for my studio to also use specifically for the tracking we did at my house, we were in the $6,000 range after tape costs, studio costs, engineers rate and mastering.

along with the API everything was done through a digi 001, sm 58, re20, 421, 4047, and an ART PRO VLA which i already had as part of my studio set up.

[darjama]

I've got a guess as to which band this is...

[grahamed]

I've got a guess as to which band this is...

come on then...?

[MoreSpaceEcho]

bitch slap.

[GooberNumber9]

I'm very curious also since I live in the area. I'm a decent engineer and my drummer has a master's in audio technology (wait, maybe it's MY band?!!?) and I wouldn't dream of us trying to engineer it ourselves for 6 Grand, and we already have TONS of gear, maybe like more than $30,000 worth, all told.

I would find a good engineer (I know some better than me) and hire them, find a good drum room and hire that, find a good vocal booth and hire that, and then DI the rest. I would probably record guitars and bass myself, I'd let a pro do drums and vocals, and then DEFINITELY let pros mix and master it. In fact, I would carve the mastering budget out first, then the mixing budget, and then see what kind of tracks I can lay down for the rest.

I might try to buy a really nice vocal mic, after renting several and seeing which one our lead singer sounds best through. Or I would take Joly up on his offer! I'd love to blog about making a record with a bunch of OctavaMods on the cheap!

I guess we may never know what happens in this situation.

Todd Wilcox

Edit: just added it up and we have about $25,000 worth of gear not including instruments (guitars, keyboards, drums, etc.). Point I'm making is that it's not the gear, it's the people. Spend 6 G's on the right people and you can make a great record on a 4-track with 4 SM-57s.

[A-Barr]

Hey, I think Tad Donnely charges $45 an hour!

[JGriffin]

It's a tough call. I like the hybrid idea the most. Track basics at a studio and overdub at home, maybe even vox at home if you have the gear, mix at the studio (after getting mixes mostly together at home), and then mastering. The other thing that bothers me is the limited budget of $6K. What can you actually get for $6K without a) buying *minimal* great sounding gear (provided that you already have a computer to record with, or b) not having enough time with a rate of $600/day? Coupled with minimal experience as an engineer and learning as you go along, it's going to be tough.

Is it possible for a band to spend 1-3 days in the studio after working out all pre-production / arrangements because they are actively recording rehearsals and know what they sound like? These days in the studio would involve mostly live full-band tracking and working with an engineer who is simply awesome. 10 songs. 3 days. It's been done, right?

Again, not the answer that the band is hoping for. I wonder if they can add their own money into this budget. It's going to be tight.

Jeff

Exactly what we did on our last record with Billy Anderson, "live full-band tracking and working with an engineer who is simply awesome." Tracked basics at a real studio in town in three days. did the rest at my house/studio (vox, remaining keys/samples/synths, overdubs, additional bass tracks, etc) then went back to the studio we tracked in for 3 LONG days of mixing. We could have used another day actually.

Not including the API pres i bought for my studio to also use specifically for the tracking we did at my house, we were in the $6,000 range after tape costs, studio costs, engineers rate and mastering.

along with the API everything was done through a digi 001, sm 58, re20, 421, 4047, and an ART PRO VLA which i already had as part of my studio set up.

And that record sounds really good, too.

[trodden]

I would find a good engineer (I know some better than me) and hire them, find a good drum room and hire that, find a good vocal booth and hire that, and then DI the rest. I would probably record guitars and bass myself, I'd let a pro do drums and vocals, and then DEFINITELY let pros mix and master it. In fact, I would carve the mastering budget out first, then the mixing budget, and then see what kind of tracks I can lay down for the rest..

DI the rest? huh?, no, track it all together like rock music should be tracked.

[trodden]

It's a tough call. I like the hybrid idea the most. Track basics at a studio and overdub at home, maybe even vox at home if you have the gear, mix at the studio (after getting mixes mostly together at home), and then mastering. The other thing that bothers me is the limited budget of $6K. What can you actually get for $6K without a) buying *minimal* great sounding gear (provided that you already have a computer to record with, or b) not having enough time with a rate of $600/day? Coupled with minimal experience as an engineer and learning as you go along, it's going to be tough.

Is it possible for a band to spend 1-3 days in the studio after working out all pre-production / arrangements because they are actively recording rehearsals and know what they sound like? These days in the studio would involve mostly live full-band tracking and working with an engineer who is simply awesome. 10 songs. 3 days. It's been done, right?

Again, not the answer that the band is hoping for. I wonder if they can add their own money into this budget. It's going to be tight.

Jeff

Exactly what we did on our last record with Billy Anderson, "live full-band tracking and working with an engineer who is simply awesome." Tracked basics at a real studio in town in three days. did the rest at my house/studio (vox, remaining keys/samples/synths, overdubs, additional bass tracks, etc) then went back to the studio we tracked in for 3 LONG days of mixing. We could have used another day actually.

Not including the API pres i bought for my studio to also use specifically for the tracking we did at my house, we were in the $6,000 range after tape costs, studio costs, engineers rate and mastering.

along with the API everything was done through a digi 001, sm 58, re20, 421, 4047, and an ART PRO VLA which i already had as part of my studio set up.

And that record sounds really good, too.

Thanks!

[Jeff White]

DI the rest? huh?, no, track it all together like rock music should be tracked.

Do you mean rock music like Elvis or rock music like NIN???

[kayagum]

Fast, cheap, good, pick any two rule in effect?

And not to say that any particular combo is bad. I mean, Land Speed Record (Husker Du) falls under "fast & cheap" - the sound quality is not Steely Dan, but it's memorable.

The better DIY stuff would probably fall under the "cheap & good" category. Definitely a case whether you have more time than money.

Good live bands who can bang it out in 2 days flat would probably benefit from the "fast and good" approach. It may not be cheap per hour or per day, but you're not racking up the hours.

In the end, it's the performance, and how you get there. Whether you cut your teeth on the road, in your bedroom or you have the moolah to do it on the clock in a studio, it's gotta be good for any of us to care and buy your record so you can recoup the $6K.

[Meriphew]

I don't have any doubts that you could make a great record on your own with $6k... IF you know what you're doing. The guy who asked the $6k question didn't really elaborate on how experienced they were at recording themselves. If they've never really done it before, they could be in for a real train wreck, and a really pissed off label.

[inverseroom]

I don't have any doubts that you could make a great record on your own with $6k... IF you know what you're doing. The guy who asked the $6k question didn't really elaborate on how experienced they were at recording themselves. If they've never really done it before, they could be in for a real train wreck, and a really pissed off label.

+1

I tried posting something like this but couldn't put it into words...

[Danly]

he's got a macbook pro and 002 plus a beta52 and a couple of 57s already.

Lynx Aurora 8 channel ad/da = $2000
Sytek 4 channel pres (x2) = $1600
Beyer m160 (x2) = $1000
Shure sm7 = $300

+1