Just recently we recorded a 10 song CD/Demo. This was our first attempt at creating a product being only a, at the time, a 7 month old band. Not only were we disappointed and very frustrated to say the least (Which I won’t go into the gory details) but we grew out of our music and sound very quickly during this process. It happens.. The thing is that we were writing music for our second album while recording our first and we invested a lot of money and time into it. We were very hell bent on trying to make it thrive when we all knew we weren’t happy with it.

Thankfully we had a change in direction. We elected to make a conscious business decision that cancelled our tour, to ceased publication of the CD. To go into a studio and record our new material with someone that understands our sound/style and the direction of the band.

My question to all of you out there is what are your experiences with recording your music. Was it a fairytale happy ending or a completely sickening nightmare?

We knocked out our first and only demo after being a band for about 6 months. It was painless, and actually fun. We recorded at Transduction Productions and Brian (the primary engineer for us) was really laid back and cool. A very relaxed and no-pressure environment makes a big difference. I think the fact that we had an Idea about the budget beforehand and how many songs we wanted to record was a big factor in how easily everything went. (Studio experience is also usually helpful) Unfortunately, we've evolved musically since then, and those songs do not really represent our musical direction* anymore. (2 of the 4 songs we don't play anymore) It was really just to get some music up on myspace. In the next few months after some more writing, we'll prob. enter the studio again to produce a proper representation of our music.



*I've also made a major life decision to take an extended break for the cheeba..I've been drumming high for about 16 years, so who knows what effect that is going to have

We have had our nightmare recording days ourselves. Back in 2003 we stepped into the studio and tried to record 27 songs in three 10-12 hour days. A mistake, a huge mistake. We went in and tried to re-record our first album at the cost of making our second album with less time. It was really really bad. The recordings are not all that bad and for what we paid for them, it wasnt all that bad. We could have just spent WAY more time on the new album and made it go the extra distance into "Coolnessville" We play a whopping zero songs off of both CDs and it cost us around $1500 to make.

Our new album, which is coming out shortly, i am extremely proud of. We have found our niche i believe and i shamelessly listen to my music all the time.

I think you have it down right. A band should really have their music down to a T and should have found their style before we/they invest a lot of money into something they love, music.

we recorded our first demo after being a band for just about 3 months. we did it on our own, only 4 songs... protools, in the practice space. sounds decent for what it is, which is a cdr demo. we still play all of those songs, sure, they have evolved a little bit, but their still the same songs. the trick is to know what you're doing... no offense Left Brain, but it just seems like you guys clearly weren't ready to make that step you were trying to make. change happens, but if you're writing songs for your second record while you're still working on your first one, then clearly your priorities aren't really focused. take the time to nail down exactly what you're doing, and your direction before jumping into anything. unless you're just planning on being a band for a few months. that way when it comes time to record and work on your album, the songs and direction are all up to the par that you want them to be at. that way you won't just get sick of them by the time the album comes out. it is good that you guys made the decision to scrap it and start over, but had you took a few more months before doing the first recording, you would've saved yourself time, money, and headaches for sure. we definately could've rushed into the studio a few months earlier and banged out a 10 song cd, and then rushed to finish mixing it... and we'd have a finished product. but we took some time, spent a LONG time mixing, paid to get it professionally mastered, and professionally pressed and printed... and now we have a finished product that we're all PROUD of.

that might've been rambly, and i apologize if any of it came across as preachy.
i guess in answer to your post title question:
taking time = possible fairytale
rushing in any way = possible nightmare

of course you could rush and bang something out that's brilliant, it's just usually not the case.

Wow, a 10 song demo – dude that is an album!! A demo is usually 3 to 4 songs. That was a lot to take on, no wonder it was not a good experience for you.

Always look around at studios before you decide. Go in and tell them to play some of their stuff for you so you can see if they have "that sound" you are looking for that fits your sound. Always take your time - do it right. Visit a few studios before you decide on one. Just because so and so went to a good studio does not mean that same studio will fit for you. Form your own opinion.

Look for professional attitude within the studio. Get prices up front - I hate the "oh, we can do this" and then you find out it only costs more on the back end. I have heard this story more than once! Ask around - word of mouth is the best advertising.

Good Luck!

This subject, as many involved in music is a touchy and “all depends on the person” type of issue.
We rushed into our EP in fact we were in another band at the time the studio dates were scheduled and we (re)formed a new band and made our dates to the studio. Sure it was rushed and could have been better if we took our time but I enjoy the cd to this day. I won’t lie no matter what you always say “damn we should have changed that part to this, or I should have done this” but even with our more current stuff that we’ve taken our time on I still find myself saying that.

No matter what, the art of music is never done and you always will feel it could be be “better” (if you will) but its not necessarily time that determines that.
Over the short five years or so I’ve been doing this I’ve found, to make music you enjoy you must:
1. Enjoy the people you are creating it with.
2. Enjoy the rehearsal space which it is created.
3. Enjoy the studio and producer where you record it.
4. Enjoy revisiting the time in your life when you started the project.

Its hard to put guidelines on art, but the above mentioned combination has always made me enjoy my music.
Time/money can’t be a factor, some of the best stuff we’ve done was done quickly and on a budget.

Recording for me personally is ALWAYS a nightmare. Everyone has their own opinions about things should sound and there are a few members that don't always listen to the person that we're paying to help us produce a good product. We've been through it several times both recording ourselves and recording with other people. And it always seems that the "squeaky wheel gets the grease"... so to speak. Merely because it's sometimes better to let someone have their way than to make the process that much harder.

I personally despise recording, but it's a necessary evil. I've never gotten a good feeling of completion after recording is complete. I'm just glad for it to be over and done with so I can hop back up onstage and play.

we record all of our stuff in our practice space with Sean McCullough and myself. The first couple of records were okay, but everything is getting much better with time. It's really all about experience and performance. The better you know your stuff and the more of yourself you can invest in it, the better it will come off on record.

this song is our most recent accomplishment. It's not mixed, and several tracks must be redone, but the idea is there and it sounds pretty good to me.
revolution DEMO

our main problem is that we are too relaxed and this often results in projects taking us months to finish...not because we're working hard, but because we lost our drive. sometimes that's good, but often not.
The Bellmont ep we last released took us a year to pull together for that very reason. It was also recorded in the same space as the WMDs stuff.
less isn't more, more is more

I've learned a lot of stuff about recording and producing over the past 6 years and I think our recordings are starting to finally sound decent. I mean, why pay someone $1000s when you're not going to tour for months on end? I just don't see the point. At least, not when you can record yourself and achieve a pretty similar end result.

I agree with Terry. Unless you have thousands of dollars to blow or someone else is footing the bill, then record somewhere with people you know, and most importantly, with an engineer who knows what you sound like and what you're aiming for.

quote:

I personally despise recording, but it's a necessary evil. I've never gotten a good feeling of completion after recording is complete. I'm just glad for it to be over and done with so I can hop back up onstage and play.

hahaha that funny J. I've never really thought about it but I think I'd much perfer to be in the studio than on stage...

Not that I despise being on stage thats not what I'm saying but if I had to choose between the two I'd personally go with the studio.

that poses another question to people... Which do you perfer Studio or Stage???

I like the studio better cause I get to create and be myself not to mention I only have to please myself. Where on stage you have to please the club owner, bar tenders, the crowd, the other band members, other bands etc, etc,,,

i've said before that being in a band is all about the 40 minutes you're on stage. everything else is just a hassle.

being in the studio is alright, but gets tedious. the reason i'm in a band is to play live as much as possible.

Stage for SURE. I'm a fuckin' ham. I love being onstage and I feel that everything is right with the world at that instant.

Studio? I feel that I'm fighting with multitudes of badly PMS-laden women who have a whole lot of "I wants" and "I needs" and threatening to do everything under the sun to get their way. Grant it this is not ALL studio experiences I've had... but enough of a majority to instill a great hatred of recording in me.

I hate the tediousness of it all. I have to play absolutely precise, over and over, and over... and over.. it grates on my nerves really badly.

I like recording because you get something to hold in your hand. Until you have a recording it might as well not be real. Unless you are playing that moment or have a disc it's all just theoretical.

What I dislike is all the sitting around. Waiting to do the next take, endless tuning, listening to the tracks over and over and over again to find that one thing that is wrong until you hate all of your songs. Not to mention the endless rehearsals beforehand and sitting on new material so you don't get distracted... by the time the disc is out I'm so sick of those songs I'm chomping at the bit.

I much prefer the stage. I find it easier to please the crowd than to please myself or my other band members.

I like both, but I have to say stage for the surge of adrenaline I get when I count off the first song (or the guitar or bass intro if I'm not starting it off).

I prefer the live show. It's just so much damn fun.
Recording is fun too. But also annoying and stressful.
Then again, shows can be like that too.
hmmm...

whatever, it's all rock and roll and I love every bit.

I like recording as much as playing live ...almost more in a way because its the tangible realization of what you and your band strive for. Yeah it can be stressfull and hell yes it can take a long time (and I think it should) to get a quality recording product but man that feeling you get when you're chillin' listening to your jams is freaking awesome.

Speaking of which Im doing that very thing right now. Another aspect I really dig about recording is that with each recording/demo/Ep/album you and your band creates over the years creates in itself a representation of musical growth and maturity.

Yeah starting out it was all about rocking out live getting sweaty onstage but anymore the writing/recording/mixing part is just as important to/fun for myself if not mroe so.

I'd go with live because I can play a little more aggressively and not worry about the most miniscule aspects of my playing.

For this upcoming LB project, I am pretty hyped and think it will be a fun experience.

We got raped on our first album, but after doing 10 (somewhat intricate) songs I dont fear the studio and that kind of made it worth it to me.

When it comes to recording, you really need to think about what purpose your recording is going to serve. Is it a demo for booking gigs? Is it for radio airplay? Is it for submittal to industry, ie management, recording, booking contracts? Is it a birthday gift for your mom?
The purpose should affect what studio you go to, how much you put into the packaging, how many and what songs you include on the recording.
I'm a firm believer in personal investment. Invest in your songs, don't just jam as many as you can in 2 12-hour blocks. Yeah, it can get expensive, but if you take your time, the end result is usually much better, in my opinion. Plus, if I wasn't spending money on my band, I don't know what to do with the extra thousands of dollars. I'd probably still be...lawd mercy...in college.

quote:

Is it a birthday gift for your mom?

Ha ha ha! "Here Mom, I got you this: it's proof you raised me wrong. Happy birthday!" I really don't think my mom wants a copy of my cd.

A mother asked her son what he wanted to be when he grew up and the boy said, "I want to be a musician when I grow up." Mom said, "sorry, son, you can't have both."

badum-tsa!