Recording an album without a record deal is a challenge, to say the least. It can put a strain on your finances, your relationships and your sanity. I am currently trying to finish my second album, and the experience has been almost as painful as my first album. However, I have learned a lot and I hope my next one will be a breeze. I am one of those “engineers” that doesn’t really think of himself as an engineer. I am first and foremost a songwriter. I play guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. I sing because I have never been able to find a singer that could sing my songs the way I wanted. I guess I live by the old adage “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” It is easy to find talented people, but it is much more difficult to find talented people who share your taste and vision. Furthermore, even if you find people that are talented and share your vision, they rarely exhibit the level of commitment required in order to bring a project to fruition. It’s a “show me the money”...

Read More »

Dumbass - noun - A stupid person; these words are used to express a low opinion of someone's intelligence.

If you’re one of the many aspiring songwriters / musicians / engineers out there that is trying to record an album independently, you have two choices: Record the album yourself at home or go to a “professional” studio. Unless you have years of audio engineering experience, the latter choice will surely yield better results. If you want a CD that will be competitive with major label CD’s, you should hire professionals. If your sole goal is to become a professional audio engineer and you have some songs of your own that you want to record, you also have two choices: Record the album yourself at home or go to a “professional” studio. At this point, you might ask “Why should I go to a studio and have someone else record it for me when I have a degree in audio engineering?” Yes, you may have a degree and you may have recorded your friend’s band for your school project...

Read More »