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• Reputation: 42 Q&A: 1 0 0 24 2 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Music Panel Follow Following 0 Ben London

  1 0 There is no "best" answer. As the other have said, it depends on the type of music, budget etc. If you have access to a basic home computer / Pro Tools/ DAW / kid of situation then you have a place to start. One thing I would recommend though is think about how much time you spent learning how to play your instrument, if your trying to record yourself and you don’t have much experience, you may drive yourself crazy trying to realize what you hear in your head. What many bands are doing these days is go into a studio for a day to record your basic tracks. This way hopefully they have a good room (very important for drums), MIcs, board, outboard, etc. Get your basic tracks done and then go home and do your overdubs at home. It's like building a house. The better the foundation, the better the building. Great rooms that won’t kill your budget include London Bridge, Sound House, Avast, Electro Kitty just to name a few. Before you decide on a place, have a good conversation with the engineer/producer you are going to work with. Make sure they understand your aesthetic. You don’t want a guy whose idea of good music is Nickleback recording your Vaseline’s influenced pop record. Making records should be fun. You should try to create an environment where you feel safe experimenting and where a pair of outside ears can gently nudge your band mates into their best performance (You know the drummer hates it when the bass player tells him he is rushing). After you’re done with all the overdubs, perhaps you go back and have it mixed at the studio where you did basics or have the engineer you worked with do it in the box. My last bit of advice is it is much better to have a well realized 3 song demo that truly represents what you are trying to accomplish rather than a hastily recorded 12 song CD. Just because a CD can hold 74 minutes of music doesn’t mean it should. Good luck! Ben Ben London answered in Music Panel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Megan Seling… 0 0 This is my new favorite thing: "Just because a CD can hold 74 minutes of music doesn't mean it should." Thank you. Megan Seling commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 14 Q&A: 0 0 0 14 0 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Music Panel Follow Following 0

  0 0 If possible...at home is a good option to consider. Doesn't work for everyone but it is a way to ensure that you have all the time / creative freedom (ugh, hate that expression) to do what you want to do. And I think sonically it is a pretty acceptable option by today's standards. And cheap! That said, I have had a couple of good experiences with Egg Studios lately and their rates are quite reasonable. Also, Greg Ashley in Oakland seems to have very reasonable rates and certainly seems know what he is doing. As for promo CDs -- a handful of songs (3-6) is a nice first taste and home recordings are generally adequate for getting a good idea of what a band is about and what is possible. Nicolas Heliotis answered in Music Panel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 1166 Q&A: 17 0 21 464 58 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 3 topics Music Panel Questionland Redesign Baking Week Moderator Megan Seling is a moderator on Questionland Seattle Follow Following 0 Megan Seling

  0 0 Hopefully some of the other panelists, with more experience in the recording process, can offer you more insight, but for what it's worth, I've heard good things about the Old Fire House's Media Lab. It's especially good for younger bands, and their rates are really low (under $30 an hour, and they have discounts for teens). Joe Hadlock of Bear Creek helped design it, and they also offer recording sound engineering classes/workshops throughout the year, then you can be even more hands on in the recording process. Rates and info can be found here: http://www.theoldfirehouse.org/mediarecordband.htm The Vera project also has a recording studio with low rates and an in-house engineer: http://theveraproject.org/audioprogram/rates/ And I'm a big fan of the EP length promo CD--4-5 songs is ideal and no less than three.  Megan Seling answered in Music Panel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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