Studio Biz future...and the good ol' days...

[JS]

Do any of you studio owners/engineers remember when we used to make OK$ I never got rich, but we had some good seasons. Now that the average group has access to some kind of home recording system,I either encounter feast or famine. (My saving grace has been my indie label accounts that send me work.)

I'd like to know what directions you other studio owners gravitate toward to make up $ other than just bands & groups. Like commercial work of any kind...

I am trying to change with the times so I can still do what I love for a living, and build for the future!

Thanks for your thoughts,
JS

[beetlefan]

According to a lot of industry pros the home recording revolution is slowly killing the need for the big studios and mastering. A lot of hit records are being made in small homeproject studios now because of the lower cost and the relaxed atmosphere of a living room with no clock on the wall or unsavory individuals around. And, the wives are happier!

In other words, any fool with a PC and some software cam record, master and mix on the toilet.

[kcrusher]

Believe it or not, game sound and cheesy commercials and corporate work (sound for their videos, presentations, etc.)

Bloody boring ass work, but it pay$!! Ok -it's not boring ALL the time - sometimes you can sneak some subliminal stuff in there without them catching it! ha ha ha ha haaaa!

[JC]

I'm with you kcrusher. I am doing a lot of vocal demos and songwriting collaborations, and audio restoration. And I still get local bands in, but only because I can work cheap! There are still some technological hurdles that a "band" has to overcome, it's not all just a PC. Those of us working on Mackie boards, in a small room, with DAW's or ADAT'S, we'll be OK. The guys that are getting killed right now are the ones that put in $50,000 worth of Class A pre, maybe they have a MCI console in good shape or even a baby-SSL... maybe rent is pretty high... these guys are absolutely getting creamed in market here since the locals and private projects don't feel like scraping up even $100/hour to work.

[Sonic Valley]

Good Thread Guys! I'm an old timer I suppose. Been traveling accross Canada and down thru the States last 10 years going from record to record.

Last year my wife and I started our own production company and now we are producing commercials, radio shows and custom audio for the web. Luckily I'm able to keep doing music through editing , demos and mastering.

Ya times are a change'n and if you want to be in I guess you gotta keep in. Gotta play the game I guess.I'm some damn glad to be doing this outta my house full time. Operating costs dropped like a brick and doing stuff on the corporate side sure makes it all worth while. Well that's my take on it. Cheers !

Sonic Valley Productions (http://www.sonicvalley.com)

[Paul M Maxwell]

Hi all.
Im still of the mind that the home setup is almost like just another dangling carrot.Sure some great music is coming out of homes all over the world and some of it sounds O.K. but if you are looking at this from an audio side of things and not the actual "music" 99% of the time it is quite substandard sounding. All of the more "budget"
priced gear that is called "Pro" seems to be very far from pro, to my ears . Its just unfortunate that all of this silicone and bit depth bullsh*t doesnt say anything about what the piece of gear "sounds" like. The computer has brought substandard "pro" gear within almost every industry to the hands of the non pro. The problem here, is that none of these non pros have used real "Pro" gear and therefore have no way of knowing if their gear is worthy of being called "pro". The home recording market used to be a fraction of the size it is now and even most of the old faithful names in audio have prostituted their good name by making a crappy mic pre or FX unit via some sweatshop in thailand and knowing that their legacy of classic gear will sell trilions of these glorified mobile phones. Sorry guys this has been p*ssing me off for quite some time. The most overlooked thing in all of this is the lack of good rooms in home studios. You just cant make up for it. No matter what you upgrade in your system it will only make the problem more audible. The cleaner the signal the more information you will be receivng from the room. When setting up a studio I would generally budget to spend equal amounts on gear and accoustic treatments or building. No point in having an SSL in the loungeroom is there? Alot of the time it is almost difficult to answer questions in here. On one hand the guy wondering why he cant get that "Sound or this sound" .Where do you start? It is probably everything in the chain and then some. If I was to be honest with him I should tell him that he will never get it at home. Im sure you guys that have used real "Pro" gear will totally get what I am trying to say. If it is just a hobby then it doesnt really matter in the end but if they are wanting to progress and work in this area they should get familiar with top end gear either by hiring a mix suite and working in a "pro" equipped studio. I like to take the bull by the horns, start at the top and work back, get familiar with what good gear sounds like and then you can make an informed judgement on weather something is pro or not. Once again sorry for the rant its been a while.

[JC]

I agree with you to some degree, Paul. But I also disagree, that you can't get "THAT SOUND" at home. The sound comes less from equipment- i don't care what you're using- and more from the guy running it. Also, i'd have to say honestly that for all the bad gear that is falling into the hands of amateurs under the label "pro", there's also quite a lot of good stuff in there as well. Take for example computer gear: My Autotune is the same as anyone's Autotune, as is my RenComp. Or the RNC, a budget piece of gear that is finding it's way into the "pro" scene. Lots of examples like this. Of course then there's the Digi001 playing at Pro Tools... the ADAT LX20... examples of good names selling out to the bottom dollar. But the problem isn't with studio owners or gear, its' with the consumer that can't tell if an album was cut in a "pro" studio or not, and it's with the current state of recording, where "lo-fi" can be cool and a horribly clipped or overcompressed track sounds good. Big studios are struggling at least in part with that, too. And as far as rooms go, yeah, you could make decent rooms at home just like you could in a pro studio, although i's agree that most home studio's budgets don't allow for much in the way of room tuning. I've been in "pro" studios that had room problems, too.. I also agree wholeheartedly that one should not attempt the "pro" route at home unless one has actually used "pro" gear. It does help to know the rules before you attempt to break them!!

So I am saying that I agree with you on some points, but that the rooms and the gear count for a small portion of your sound if you know how to use what you have. Knowing how to use what you have counts for more than any one piece of gear alone, and the worse an engineer is, the more he will rely on the gear to help him along. Good gear doesn't really guarantee you a great sound, it just makes it a lot easier to make things sound good. I'd rather work on substandard gear at home with no schedule and noone looking over my shoulder than work on the best "pro" stuff and be on a limited schedule or deal with creeping budget syndrome. That's just me, I know, but I also know alot of other folks are doing this as well.

And the race for the bottom will continue, have no fear! It always does...

[kcrusher]

I'm with JC on this one, too - my opinion is that it's 90% the engineer and 10% the gear.

Average gear in the hands of someone that knows how to use it will ultimately sound better than 'pro' gear in the hands of someone that doesn't...

[Sonic Valley]

I just had another idiot come in today looking for Pro-Tools.....lol

Will this whole stigma that Pro Tools is so damned fantastic ever end?

[beetlefan]

As long as pro engineers use it in the studio, not for a long time!

Most pros are not known for being exactly technologically cutting edge, excluding those who do try to keep up.

[JS]

If a guy were to try to expand into the commercial side of the studio gig, do you guys have any suggestions as to what software/hardware to look into for web audio & web page making, or any other tools you guys rely on when doing commercial work? Video?
My studio is basically based on a DAW & 16 channels of Adat, and a nice Soundtracs console.
Thanks ,
JS

[Paul M Maxwell]

I agree as well. I didnt mean that the gear was more important than the operator, no way. Maybe I should have been a little clearer , it seems like you understood what I was getting at though. I use all sorts of weird little pieces of gear for jobs that they werent designed for but I must admit that I am almost anal about capturing clean, quiet signals.

[JC]

Paul (and everyone), what's the weirdest thing you use that you simply can't do without, that you think no one else uses?

I'll start:

I occasionally use an old Tama analog drum module which I trigger from the console insert to beef up kicks! You guys probably remember this museum piece from the '80's- came with the hexagonal-shaped pad triggers, can make that retro-'80's new wave "Beooo" sound...

this oughta be interesting!

[kcrusher]

For doing commercial work, the tools I've been using are:

Photoshop
Illustrator
Flash
Dreamweaver
BBEdit
Graphic Convertor
Final Cut Pro
(There's lots of other stuff, but you get the idea...)

You should also know how to use Avid gear, as you'll probably be asked to do something on it at some point if you're doing anything with video.

[DJ Taos]

well I wasn't around in the "good ol' days" but about 5 years ago I was going to art school in chicago taking alot of sound classes, I quickly decided to change my major and left for a difrent school to major in audio. It wasn't but about 3 weeks in that I decided that first I could learn more on my owen by reading and with expierience. I also decided that I might be headed for a shrinking field, all that money spent so I could learn to do something that wasn't going to be in demand because of the advent of cheap home studios, so I droped out.
I do however see a more and more media matierial like more cable stations more web sites more video game companies and games, all of these need someone to do the sound at a profesional level. Apparently the Gameing industry is growing larger then the movie industry and just keeps growing. So perhaps the work is just diffrent now and in the future possibly even a growing field... anyways just a few thoughts that crossed my mind when reading this thread.


Oh yeah and a piece of equipment I use that I don't think anyone else uses is my old Kawia K4 synthasizer, it has a real dirty warm sound for an older digital synth, I'm not sure what I would do if it broke I've had it for 10 years and it was my first synth I ever got...


toas

[DJ Taos]

well I wasn't around in the "good ol' days" but about 5 years ago I was going to art school in chicago taking alot of sound classes, I quickly decided to change my major and left for a difrent school to major in audio. It wasn't but about 3 weeks in that I decided that first I could learn more on my owen by reading and with expierience. I also decided that I might be headed for a shrinking field, all that money spent so I could learn to do something that wasn't going to be in demand because of the advent of cheap home studios, so I droped out.
I do however see a more and more media matierial like more cable stations more web sites more video game companies and games, all of these need someone to do the sound at a profesional level. Apparently the Gameing industry is growing larger then the movie industry and just keeps growing. So perhaps the work is just diffrent now and in the future possibly even a growing field... anyways just a few thoughts that crossed my mind when reading this thread.


Oh yeah and a piece of equipment I use that I don't think anyone else uses is my old Kawia K4 synthasizer, it has a real dirty warm sound for an older digital synth, I'm not sure what I would do if it broke I've had it for 10 years and it was my first synth I ever got...


toas

[DJ Taos]

oops sorry about posting twice that was an accedent...DOH

[huxtable jones]

hmmm...this is something I've thought about a lot...I agree, the guys who have thousands tied up in equipment and high rent to pay are probly gonna get wiped out. I think the survivors of the home studio trend are going to be those who compliment the process, as opposed to those who oppose it. If you listen real close to MP3 files, you know that they don't sound great as far as sound quality, but as evidenced by the success of napster, the vast majority of consumer level music fans don't really mind the loss. I think this is at the root of the home studio "revolution"...

<spam>
I'd like to invite you all to my new web site..
http://www.artistcollaboration.com

which is very relevant to this topic...some of the more traditional studios could offer mastering services or some such in the forum...I'm not trying to sell anything...heh..

take a look, I welcome yer ideas.

</spam>

[Rv-Sound]

Interesting thread....
I want to ask your opinion about something that's been troubling my mind. Is it still worth to take a degree in sound engineering/audio producing?
I've been thinking about this pretty much lately... I want to know more of this, and maybe I'm even thiking to take this on as a profession. I know its hard, but I also have a great passion for this that I don't feel like ignoring it anymore.
I know i lack a lot of knowledge on the science, that's why I'm thiking of studying first.
A friend of mine told me about the Conservatory of Recording Art and Sciences in Arizona. Does anybody knows or have references of this place? I've had browse their website the last weeks. Seems great. And the master I'm planning to apply to has an internship program too...
I want to know your most sincere opinions..
thanks in advance...

BTW...the URL for the site is http://www.audiorecordingschool.com
in case u r curious

[This message has been edited by Rv-Sound (edited 01-24-2001).]

[Bruckner]

You CAN get pro sound on your $500 soundcard with good coverters. You CAN get pro sound with your $300 editing package. The question is...do you know how to get pro sound with your tools .... and well. (And do you have the right $500 card and the right $300 editing software :-])Additionally, the bigger hurdle for project studios is the lack of an experienced and talented producer and writer. Fact is, engineering is something that can be mastered if you have sensitive ears. Writing, arranging and producing at the professional level requires truckloads of talent and experience and just about every song I have heard on mp3.com and the million random band websites out there has lacked much more in original writing than in sound quality. Understanding what is cliche, what trends in music are played out what kind of transition works in what part of the song for what kind of emotion is something that will always be in limited supply. Much more so than the masses' access to decent quality gear. Thats not to say that great engineers arent artists in their own right but when I hear guys touting the million dollar gear they work on and then I hear the actual music they worked on I have a hard time taking them seriously. Not bec they are bad engineers but bec the writing and performance level of the music is substandard. It seems to me...many engineers out there are like great chefs who put all their energy into cooking the most amazing appetizer.....and then the main course is a couple of peanut butter sandwiches. Theres nothing like a great engineer working with a great artist but given the tradeoff between great writing or great mics, cables, and converters....Id go with great writing any day of the week.

[rosespappy]

Here! Here!

As soon as you guys figure out that an awful lot of folks are doing home recording simply to be heard, you'll figure out a way to sell your artistry to them.We just picked up Roses first serious demo. 8 pieces on a disc.I've got to tell you I was blown away by the production work of this very talented young engineer.I've known him since he was born and gave him his first guitar lessons. He's in his mid thirties, Rose is sixteen. I have no problem with the guality of the sound. It is simply awesome. My problem is that this young engineer allowed his own musical tastes and abilities to overshadow his ability to capture the artists intent.Yeah, I know in lots of cases thats a favor. But not this time. The work is absolutely marketable as produced, it just lacks the intensity of purpose that was imbedded in the original artists stylings. If I was you guys, I'd examine my abilities and focus on my forte. Find the young writers in your genre via their recordings in the digital realm and draw them into your stable. The worlds greatest works have always been and will always be collaborations of like minded people with a purpose for the piece...No? If I could find an engineer who feels what Rose feels, money would never enter into the equation. Find that artist and invest!!!

[goosebump]

passion and emotion in music far outway the quality of the recording.look at all this interest in vintage gear, a technological answer to get that something special into our music.. which of course it can't do. people derive a great deal of pleasure from listening to older,old and even antique recordings. if the song touches you at an emotional level,who cares on what piece of wiz bang eqipment it was recorded, we're all just glad it was recorded. if the song is worthwhile, it's a tradgity not to record it.the general public is quite capable of telling the difference between quality and rubbish, sadly,they're not given many oppourtunities to discern the difference.the music biz is money driven not talent driven, this screwed up ethic has far reaching implications which know doubt are being discussed on forums like this everywhere.every musician and songwriter has been waiting along time to give the selfserving greed that is 'the business' a middle fingered salute.we can only hope that some great songs will rise to the surface as the tide of individually produced music grows ever stronger.

[goosebump]

apologies for my tragic spelling of tragedy.i'll slope off now and beat myself senseless with a hardcover version of websters dictionary.

[Justice]

Long Live The DAW!

[Bob Booth]

Another tack some of you may want to look into is what kcrusher and I are doing. (I'm assuming from his list he is, too.) I have pretty much the same setup, running Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, etc. on a Mac G4/500. This allows me to provide more than just audio recording services. I can create, burn, label, and provide artwork for limited runs of CD's. If a band or artist is looking for 50 or so demo CD's, I can do it all. I can also go out to a gig and record two camera video with high quality sound using two Rode NT1000's into a Sound Devices MixPre into a Canon GL-1 camcorder, run the audio through Digital Performer, and give the client a really nice sounding, high quality music video.
Bottom line, I've tried to eliminate as many stops and personalities and costs an artist(s) have to deal with. Whether this will be a successful business concept or not remains to be seen. I still have a day job, so I'm not making a killing, yet. But the other upside to all this is the video, graphics, and imaging editing capabilities allow me to take on work in those areas, too.
I know a lot of you are saying, sounds like Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None, and perhaps you're right. But I try to tap into my network of associates and friends when I need help in a given area of a project, and like some of you have said here already, there's a large market out there for that 90 to 95% as good as Pro Quality, for 50% of the price. http://www.audioforums.com/forums/wink.gif
FWIW,

Bob Booth
Turner Valley Studios

[Neo$budfresh]

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[This message has been edited by Neo$budfresh (edited 06-29-2001).]

[JS]

Well, I am not trying to perpetuate this thread, but I thought I would share with you all, what just happened AGAIN at my studio, which is the reason for this original post.
I get alot of Indie labels in my studio. One in particular showed up for their latest compilation session. Their staff producer asks me about the programs our daw runs, and then tells me that he and his label have every cracked version of what I'm running & more.
(This was the first step to pissing me off)
He continues on by telling me that they(the label) won't be bringing as many of their projects anymore, because now they can do the work themselves. I hear this more and more every month. Now we all know what it will most likely sound like(crap), but the point is, this bonehead way of thinking is becoming sooooo common, that it is strangling my business. Music catalogs with all their fancy pictures of gear seem to promise musicians that their music will effortlessly sound as good as the picture of the piece of gear, and any monkey can make audio easy. He also handed me a project of one of his bands that just recorded their debut at home with their help, and wanted me to "master" it, and spruce it up. After hearing it, I handed the discs back to him and said he can do it himself- he's got all the cracked software at the office, so what do you need me for. (it sounded horrible) A few days latter the owner contacted me about booking the band to redo the whole project.
(I hope he loses his job)
The point is, this is just a taste of whats to come for us small project studio owners who have or had the dream of actually making money. We are now changing our business plan and gravitating toward doing mostly commercial accounts, audio books, post work,and only some musical groups.I'm making a gamble, because of the investment in the change of direction too. I can't blame people for wanting to save money or have fun at home, but mostly they expect 2 months of home recording to counter weigh 16 years of working experience. This was just one of countless times I or my engineer have dealt with this frame of mind. Since this boat seems to be slowly sinking, I'm abandoning ship, and looking for the life raft.
Time to change with the times or get left behind.
JS

[RobinH]

I'm with you there JS. Over the last year I have watched my business loose money and slowly crumble into the ground. Not that the work wasn't there but the money is getting less and less , people only using studios for the final production ... whilst the rents for commercial property have been spiralling up and up.

It has come to the point where what we can charge won't pay for the maintenance costs of the studio. So what do I do ? Watch all my equipment be worn into the ground while I loose money , or jump on the band wagon and start producing my music at home ( with your better than average home studio.) I choose the latter ... it seems the only way to go and the noble proffesion of engineering is uttering its last gasping sigh.

Generally speaking the music industry is such a state that if you wish to still remain in its supproting roles then you have to diversify into other areas.

[Razz]

I do not work in the industry, but i tend to be a bit of an optimist, and what im am hearing is that the industry is changing, offering people the time and opportunity, to continue doing what they love while spending more time with thier family and loved ones, as well as relieve them of the stresses involved in running an outside operation, for those with the entrepenurial spirit I wish you the best =) it sounds like it could be a better world =)

[RayB2]

Hi!

For the sake of being contravershal (can't spell it). I think you should all stop whining and create some groovy music.

I know it's hard these days but who ever said it was going to be easy? Not everyone's going to make it but the ones that do tend to try something new and different. Get some young blood in and svengali them if you're an old goat. That's what George Martin did. That's what Malcolm McClaren did. Madonna reinvents herself with the help of the latest sounds. Why can't you?

Money is where the consumers are and they tend to be youngsters who want the next big thing. They are also impressionable and fickle as fashion. Use it or lose it as the big guys say.

Regards,

Ray

[euphonic]

it seems every aspect of the industry has changed dramaticlly. the ones making all the $$$$$$ control the whole process, booking, production, band makeup, etc. It has been just as changable in the performance end. Perhaps each studio should experiment with 'the whole hog gets the $$$$$' that the big boys use, but on a smaller economical scale. pick one group or sololist, book them, produce them, promote them and keep half (at least) the $$$$$$ along with your other recording biz if you can find the time.

[FrancodeLeon88]

Peace All,

I see that this post is a bit old, but I found all the posts to be really inciteful and interesting. As a student who is studying recording audio at Columbia College in Chicago, its obviously been a point of concern amongst my peers and myself as to what kind of job market we'll be entering into upon graduation.

Ironically, the majority of my fellow students are similar to me, and seemingly many of you, in the sense that we're becoming engineers because we want to create quality recordings of our own music. Because the market has allowed, most of us own our own project studios - the quality of which varies from student to student, credit limit to credit limit. I think we want the best of both worlds - the know how to make our home studios sound as good as the prohibitively expensive rooms we try to emulate in our homes. While I hate to read that the smaller studios are being put out of business because of this home studio trend, I can't help but also feel incredibly lucky to be able to do any recording and producing at my house at all.

I'd like to pose a couple of questions, and I'll appreciate any insights that you folks could give me...

How will today's DAW effect the sound of music: will the mainstream audience's taste affect how we record, or will how we record affect the mainstream audiences taste?

For example, a lot of electronic music producers like the old beat sequencer's sounds, over the real sounds...its a preference that is now really starting to appear with the Top 40 hits...a real digital sound. The audience is beginning to spend their money on a new sound...is this a product of how we produce and record, or vice versa?

What will the future DAW based studio look like, in two, five, and ten years - both home and studio?

Well, thanks for reading this lengthy post....

Thanks for letting me contribute.

Cheers,

Franco de Leon

[Enlightend]

Man some of these comments are motivating! I am still very new to all of this, but i do believe that in many areas of life it truly is the skill that matters the most. Like in golf, if you give Jack Nicholson some old, ancient 5-iron, he will probably smack the ball right in the sweet spot and send it out there, whoopin everyone's ass. That doesn't mean that he won't prefer his ultra-space age club, and he may perform better with it too. I don't have the experience or knowledge with recording to know how well this type of analogy applies in modern times(with respect to music), but i like what i've been hearing.

If the room is so vital, then what does this mean for recording of live concerts. Also, what about when people go out in nature and record everything, to make some kind of relaxation/meditation tape, how does the ambience play into that.

If there are studios that have previously been making a good living and are going down with the times, i must say that i sincerely sympathize with you, at the same time that i feel great inspiration and satisfaction that the power and means is more and more being placed where it belongs, in the hands of the artists. As far as studios that make millions and millions and drive around in luxury cars, lets hope you put some of it in savings.

I will always love listening to record players, no matter how silent and polished the technology gets. The noise, the crackle, a soprano, ahhhhhhh yes.....

[Bops2000]

Remember when Walter (Wendy) carlos released 'switched on bach' ?,
or Emerson, Lake, Palmer did 'Lucky man'?
Talented folks at the cutting edge...
In contrast, look at U-2's digital album, I forget which one but it was sucky..
To beat a dead horse, I definately think the engineer can make you or break you.
I also think, from a business stand point, that there will always be 'lowballers' in any business. The folks who win are the ones who maintain the client, even if it means breakin even or or sometimes losing a buck;
(as long as there is movement of money, your at least moving money...sounds whacked).Go the 110 percent and they will return and will recommend you to others.
I believe word of mouth is the best business tool you got in most scenerios.
J, as far as producer having 'cracked this or that'.. right there his 'client' should be a bit wary, so why mess with dumbass clients?
They are the type that would rip you off anyway...
You all sound pretty level headed, I suggest 'hang in there', economy is weird so don't blame it all on the expenses, just look forward, or as a Bowie tune states; 'don't look down, theres always somthing there on the ground'.
By the wayI am just a 'hobbiest' here and I for one would not 'engineer' myself if there was money to be made.
This thread is too neat.
Boppers

[terrorbeat]

Enlightened wrote:

"If there are studios that ... are going down with the times, i must say that i sincerely sympathize with you, at the same time that i feel great inspiration and satisfaction that the power and means is more and more being placed where it belongs, in the hands of the artists."

I have to disgree with you here, bud. I have many friends who are very talented musicians. That doesn't mean they know anything about engineering or would have the first clue what to do with 32 tracks, a slew of compressors, gates, reverbs, etc etc etc to choose from. Just because they can play an instrument well doesn't mean they're not going to make a muddy mix with too much bottom and clip on all their tracking sessions.

Engineers ARE artists, and they bring a lot to the table in the capturing of a performance as well. Certainly the performers are where credit is first given, but contrary to popular belief, we really CAN polish a turd. If you need proof, crack open a CD by Britney, Backstreet Boys, or any of the "Autotune Kids".

"As far as studios that make millions and millions and drive around in luxury cars, lets hope you put some of it in savings."

Hrm, I'd like to know where those studios are. I know people who've engineered at the big places, the Larrabee's and the Hit Factory type places, and other than maybe a few owners (and I doubt that too), there's not many engineers or studio owners making "millions and millions"n that I'm aware of. Boy, I wish that were true, would make my career path even more attractive to me than it already is.

At any rate, my point is this. The control of recording music, in my opinion, most definitely does NOT belong in the hands of the musician. They spend their lives learning their instrument, they shouldn't be wasting the same time I have to learn how to run a studio as well. One of the largest ATTRACTIONS of studios to recording artists is that ALL they have to think about in there is their music. They don't have to make sure the tape is rolling, they don't have to make sure they're not clipping, they don't have to do ANY of it. They just have to play, and allow us, the people who dedicate our lives to the art of recording sound, to capture the best performance they can deliver.

[jecahn]

As long as we're resurrecting old posts, I'll make my restatement of the NPR article, "Triumph of the Amateurs."

That's my argument.

[toorglick]

Funny I happened upon this thread. I have a project studio in my attic and have been recording a very good band this past week.

I do this on the side, as a hobby really; started recording my own stuff before I was ten years old. I'm thirty now and have learned an awful lot since then by reading and experimenting, trying out old methods and new ones I read about or dream up. My wife would love it if I could take the leap from hobby to professional, and I mean "professional" in the sense that I make a decent wage about equal to what I make now with my "day job." I would love it, too. I could be home with my family more often and doing my own thing. I'd have no overhead except for the mortgage payments on my house, some CDs, and various gear purchases now and then.

My perspective is this: it's obvious the record industry paradigm is changing thanks to modern technology and also the recording industries' greed. I think that if in the late 70s - 80s the record industry didn't entirely give up musical and artistic integrity for money, our culture now would be less inclined to download MP3s, copy CDs, and accept ****** recording quality.

As the record industry goes, so does the recording industry. Of course now there's less money to throw around. The golden goose is dead. Now, as the record industry scrambles to adjust to modern times, so must the recording industry. People will eventually grow weary of ****** audio quality, just like they grew weary spandex and mullets. People can already recognize when something is well recorded. But, well recorded crap is just that. If a band is good, like this band I'm recording now, then it will come through. People know.

Anyway, when the dust settles and the paradigm for the recording industy stabilizes, at least for a little bit, whomever has the talent to make a good band sound great, and a great band sound amazing, will continue to work. A knowledgable and talented producer/engineer already knows the equation for making a great sounding recording: first you need good musicians; second the room needs to sound good or at least you must be able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their environment and take advantage of that; you need to know how to use your equipment, which means it doesn't need to be all Neve and Neumanns to get great sounding tracks, you just need to know how to use gear; finally, you need to listen.

Bands and labels aren't stupid. They'll figure out eventually that just like not everyone is a great drummer, not everyone is a great recordist.

[This message has been edited by toorglick (edited 07-01-2003).]