So, for my birthday, my parents gave me 6 hours at the recording studio of my choice. I'm now very excited because I have a lot of original tunes that I want to record. So for someone who's never recorded, tell me...can I record 13/14 tunes in 6 hours recording time? (I'm not looking for a perfect sounding recording...I just want a demo or something of the sort...and I'll probably split the hours up into two 3 hour sessions).
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13/14 Songs in 6 Hours?
- Thread starter Jewbass
- Start date
well there are a few things to consider first.
do you have a band or is it just you? if you have a band it will take a bit to set up drums & get everything mic'd & ready to go.
are your songs ready to go? can you just go in there & tear through them in a couple takes?
how good is the studio? i have been in a few places that have no clue what they are doing & it costs you a lot of time if any problems arise.
in the last demo session i did w/ my band we did 4 tunes in about 12 hours. but we have 2 drummers & 2 guitar players. so our set up time was about 1 1/2-2 hours. but we are also very tight & had all of the songs arranged & ready to go & it only took us a few takes with each tune for rythm. then we laid down lead guitar & then vocals. & that was a full 12 hours. maybe a little more & that was just for recording. no mixing or mastering.
do you have a band or is it just you? if you have a band it will take a bit to set up drums & get everything mic'd & ready to go.
are your songs ready to go? can you just go in there & tear through them in a couple takes?
how good is the studio? i have been in a few places that have no clue what they are doing & it costs you a lot of time if any problems arise.
in the last demo session i did w/ my band we did 4 tunes in about 12 hours. but we have 2 drummers & 2 guitar players. so our set up time was about 1 1/2-2 hours. but we are also very tight & had all of the songs arranged & ready to go & it only took us a few takes with each tune for rythm. then we laid down lead guitar & then vocals. & that was a full 12 hours. maybe a little more & that was just for recording. no mixing or mastering.
The easy answer is, "no." But - there's a lot more information we'd need to refine that.
Are these solo pieces? If not, what are the other instruments? Is the ensemble well-rehearsed? Are you recording to disk or to tape? Can you be more specific about, "a demo or something of the sort?" Are you looking for a good mix with edits?
The studio of your choice - how familiar are you with the engineer? And how familiar is s/he with you and your project? That can factor in just as heavily as you coming in with tight arrangements and specific goals.
Most of the sessions I do generally account for 1-2 hours per song for tracking, and another 1-2 hours for edits & mixing. The end result is something worthy of a demo. That said, in a few groups where we really had our ducks in a row coming into the studio, we've completed a full five-six song demo, with voice-overs and edits, in a single six-hour session.
Are these solo pieces? If not, what are the other instruments? Is the ensemble well-rehearsed? Are you recording to disk or to tape? Can you be more specific about, "a demo or something of the sort?" Are you looking for a good mix with edits?
The studio of your choice - how familiar are you with the engineer? And how familiar is s/he with you and your project? That can factor in just as heavily as you coming in with tight arrangements and specific goals.
Most of the sessions I do generally account for 1-2 hours per song for tracking, and another 1-2 hours for edits & mixing. The end result is something worthy of a demo. That said, in a few groups where we really had our ducks in a row coming into the studio, we've completed a full five-six song demo, with voice-overs and edits, in a single six-hour session.
how nuch money are you getting? maybe it would be a better idea to invest all of it into a personal home recording stufio where you can experiment with your music before you go into a full timed measured studio.
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I agree... specially if you are going solo.... It could be actually cheaper.
Once I had to record the bassline for a song of a friend, paying about U$80 (I am in Brazil, so prices might vary) for a two-hour recording session (he sent me the other instruments tracks over the internet - it's a remote collaboration.)
Anyway, I bought a Line6 Pod Studio GX for around U$ 100. Much better to record demos and ideas for your songs.
Now, if you need (real) drums, etc., studio is the only option.
But to answer your question, I remember recording 4 tracks with a band in about 8-10 hours - but we were vocal + 2 guitars + bass + drums.
Having said that, I must add that maybe the experience of recording in a studio might worth more than just the tapes. I don't know if you ever did that before. If not, it could really be a good thing to do.
Happy birthday, by the way.
depending if you go solo or not... but even with a band... 14 songs in six hours, is totally unrealistic... IMHO of course...
ok, sorry guys I obviously didn't give enough details.
1. I'm a solo artist, but on most of my songs I lay down a keyboard, vocal, bass and drum track, and my dad lays down guitar in like 5 of my songs.
2. I'm a teenager, so getting a recording studio is completely unrealistic. (i wish though)
3. I do record demos, but the sound quality is eh, so I really want to record some real tracks.
4. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I'm realizing its probably impossible to record all these songs in 6 hrs., so I',m thinking maybe 3/4 songs? just as like a demo CD? I don't know, maybe it'll get passed around and someone important will listen to it
1. I'm a solo artist, but on most of my songs I lay down a keyboard, vocal, bass and drum track, and my dad lays down guitar in like 5 of my songs.
2. I'm a teenager, so getting a recording studio is completely unrealistic. (i wish though)
3. I do record demos, but the sound quality is eh, so I really want to record some real tracks.
4. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I'm realizing its probably impossible to record all these songs in 6 hrs., so I',m thinking maybe 3/4 songs? just as like a demo CD? I don't know, maybe it'll get passed around and someone important will listen to it
it took us 13 hours to get down a 5 track very rough demo recording as if live, no punch ins, and only had to redo one song. you are doing each track individually it seems like. i assume your songs are around 3 minutes long, so recording a song, no screw ups will take you 12 minutes with the tape turned on, and 15 if your dad is playing guitar. that means you can do 4-5 songs per hour in a perfect world (i would shoot for more like 2 or 3 per hour. i would say you spend at least 1 hour per song mixing and editing, but if you can sacrifice quality, you can probably do less. this really seems like you should be doing 4 to 6 good quality songs IMHO. professionals (this does vary a lot) will in general spend 30+ hours in the studio recording 8 and 9 track records, only using around 8 hours for tracking, then time in editing for punch-ins. so almost double the amount of songs in 1/5th of the time just seems completely impossible.
you said you wanted to record a demo, and in all seriousness, managers and talent buyers usually will not give you the time of day if you are self promoting, and if they are interested, they are "busy" and will only listen to 1 or 2 tracks. i am doing all of our promotion for my band, and this is from experience. i used to have 10 tracks on our press kit, from both studio and live sessions, and then took all but 4 live tracks down, and this has not affected us getting gigs in any way.
that said, have fun in the studio it is a great time (your first time at least) and you will probably learn alot, about the business and your playing. this post might seem a little harsh, but you need to see how much work goes into a record, and if you went in expecting to do that many songs, you would probably be crushed when you ended up with less than half of what you expected.
you said you wanted to record a demo, and in all seriousness, managers and talent buyers usually will not give you the time of day if you are self promoting, and if they are interested, they are "busy" and will only listen to 1 or 2 tracks. i am doing all of our promotion for my band, and this is from experience. i used to have 10 tracks on our press kit, from both studio and live sessions, and then took all but 4 live tracks down, and this has not affected us getting gigs in any way.
that said, have fun in the studio it is a great time (your first time at least) and you will probably learn alot, about the business and your playing. this post might seem a little harsh, but you need to see how much work goes into a record, and if you went in expecting to do that many songs, you would probably be crushed when you ended up with less than half of what you expected.
I engineered a tracking session once at which a blues band put down band tracks, vocals, and guitar overdubs for twenty songs in eight hours. They ended up using 12 of those tracks for a regional release.
However, they were an extremely well-arranged four piece with all veteran players, and they were working in a genre that doesn't call for a lot of studio intervention. Almost all the first takes for band tracks and vocals were keepers (I don't think they used more than two or three second takes), and they only needed a handful of guitar punch-ins and overdubs.
If you can nail first takes, tracking a dozen or so songs in 6 hours is feasible. In my experience though, it's extremely rare for non-pro musicians to enter the studio so well polished that all they need is to roll tape and document their songs.
If you need the studio to record a performance, the session can move quickly. OTOH, it will be slow and painstaking work if the studio is operating like a plastic surgeon on arrangements, musicianship, tones, and performance.
However, they were an extremely well-arranged four piece with all veteran players, and they were working in a genre that doesn't call for a lot of studio intervention. Almost all the first takes for band tracks and vocals were keepers (I don't think they used more than two or three second takes), and they only needed a handful of guitar punch-ins and overdubs.
If you can nail first takes, tracking a dozen or so songs in 6 hours is feasible. In my experience though, it's extremely rare for non-pro musicians to enter the studio so well polished that all they need is to roll tape and document their songs.
If you need the studio to record a performance, the session can move quickly. OTOH, it will be slow and painstaking work if the studio is operating like a plastic surgeon on arrangements, musicianship, tones, and performance.
Dude, without being rude NO WAY. Some things to consider. If you want a cheap demo, then take that money and buy a cheap recording device and do it yourself. Get a recorder with a built in mic and go to town.
I could go on about how many things are wrong with what you are suggesting but I don't want to sound like a jerk.
Just understand that unless you don't care about performance then you will need to do some punch ins and each 5min song could take up to 30min. Also setup time, mixing,mastering. And most studios wont waste their time on a 3hour session. So plan on doing the entire 6.
You should do some research. Talk to some studios and see what they suggest. Because based on your statement you really should seek some guidance.
Best of Luck
There's a ton of options to record at home that will fit in a backpack and not break the bank. Then you can record and arrange every day and really work on the craft of writing, playing, etc. MUCH better way to go forward than the ticking clock at the studio. Plus, if you have a dig recorder, they're great for learning tunes and studying. Most of them have half speed which is KILLER if you're learning some tricky stuff.
Ok, thanks for the input guys, I knew I needed guidance, b/c I've never recorded in a studio before. Most of my songs are actually around 2 min., I don't know if that matters, and from the editing standpoint, I don't have many effects to put on my tunes, so i don't know if the editing will take all that long. I'm going to go in the studio, being completley prepared on 3/4 of my best songs, and really spend the time to record them, to make them sound professinal and mature. If any of you want to listen to my stuff (cheap demos using garage band and a guitar hero mic) here's the link
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Too many variables to tell how many songs you're going to finish in 6 hours with two musicians playing all instruments. It took the Beatles a couple of days to record an LPs worth of music, and those guys knew the material like the backs of their hands.
You and Dad had better have the material down so you could do a take in your sleep. That will help.
Also, your engineer and assistants will be a big factor. Is that 6 hours of "recording" or 6 hours total? If the engineer doesn't have his act together, that can cause you a lot of lost time. Also, if the engineer tries to play producer (god, I hate that) you could find all your plans and arrangements the subject of a dispute. Tell him to set the mics and man the board, nothing more.
If you and Dad can do keeper 1st takes, and your engineer can move you quickly from track to track, you might get the majority down. Do your best, be happy with what you get.
You and Dad had better have the material down so you could do a take in your sleep. That will help.
Also, your engineer and assistants will be a big factor. Is that 6 hours of "recording" or 6 hours total? If the engineer doesn't have his act together, that can cause you a lot of lost time. Also, if the engineer tries to play producer (god, I hate that) you could find all your plans and arrangements the subject of a dispute. Tell him to set the mics and man the board, nothing more.
If you and Dad can do keeper 1st takes, and your engineer can move you quickly from track to track, you might get the majority down. Do your best, be happy with what you get.
My band "Friction Broadcast" recorded a full album (12 songs) in 7 days.
Drums were 6 hours, bass was 6 hours, guitars were 1 1/2 days and vocals were 2 days, add mix down time and we go to 7 days.
If you are good enough to go in, and nail it... You could do a solo album like that. But I really have to say one things here...
You will make mistakes, you will have to do things over. It takes time. 50% of the time is setup depending on the instrument.
I would go in there with 3 songs you want perfect... Do those, and if you want more time, book more time. You will be surprised at the process.
Most of all, enjoy it. Get as much on tape as you can. Take pictures, video, everything. Well worth the extra headache.
If you check out the link in my sig, you can see some of the studio time we did, and hear some of the music...
Drums were 6 hours, bass was 6 hours, guitars were 1 1/2 days and vocals were 2 days, add mix down time and we go to 7 days.
If you are good enough to go in, and nail it... You could do a solo album like that. But I really have to say one things here...
You will make mistakes, you will have to do things over. It takes time. 50% of the time is setup depending on the instrument.
I would go in there with 3 songs you want perfect... Do those, and if you want more time, book more time. You will be surprised at the process.
Most of all, enjoy it. Get as much on tape as you can. Take pictures, video, everything. Well worth the extra headache.
If you check out the link in my sig, you can see some of the studio time we did, and hear some of the music...
Pick your best 3 or 4 tunes and record 'em. It's not worth going into the studio only for some rough tracks - that's what home recording gear's for. 
You should be able to knock out 3 songs at the least and get them nicely polished before your time is up. Go for quality, not quantity.
You should be able to knock out 3 songs at the least and get them nicely polished before your time is up. Go for quality, not quantity.
my band was recently in a situation similar to yours. we compared costs, after realizing that much like you, we already had the capacity to record a "crappy" demo. we came up with a plan. 5 songs to record, with a 6th in mind if it looked like we would have the time. 12 hours studio time over 2 days at $30 per hour, plus a total of 4 hours drive time (the studio is an hour away), plus gas for 2 vehicles, plus food and other expenses... all came out to (highballed estimate) $500.
so, we made a list of what equipment we would need to make better demos using what we already had, and realized the only things we couldn't record very well were the drums and guitars. we checked ebay and craigslist for mics and cables, found what we needed for about $250. with the money we saved, we would be able to take up an offer that was made to our drummer to print our demos with labels, booklets, and jewel cases for $0.50 each, minimum 500.
we decided to give it a week to think it over, and in that time a friend of mine offered to lend us his electronic kit, and record us with protools for free.
you can probably figure out what we did.
the moral of the story is, don't rush into it. give it time and seriously consider every possibility before making a decision. there's not really a right or wrong way to get your demo made, but there are better and worse. be absolutely sure the studio is the right way to go, weigh the costs, and go in with a solid plan.
so, we made a list of what equipment we would need to make better demos using what we already had, and realized the only things we couldn't record very well were the drums and guitars. we checked ebay and craigslist for mics and cables, found what we needed for about $250. with the money we saved, we would be able to take up an offer that was made to our drummer to print our demos with labels, booklets, and jewel cases for $0.50 each, minimum 500.
we decided to give it a week to think it over, and in that time a friend of mine offered to lend us his electronic kit, and record us with protools for free.
you can probably figure out what we did.
the moral of the story is, don't rush into it. give it time and seriously consider every possibility before making a decision. there's not really a right or wrong way to get your demo made, but there are better and worse. be absolutely sure the studio is the right way to go, weigh the costs, and go in with a solid plan.
Here's an alternative idea to consider...
If you had a simple 8 track recorder (they start at around $200.00 and go up;
the Korg 888 is really a sweet one, but around 4-500 bucks used on Ebay) you could record your instrument tracks and a scratch vocal at home, then carry your
recorder into a studio, quickly transfer your tracks into their system, do a final vocal with a really nice mic and do the mix down. That way, you have all the time you need to lay down great instrument tracks and get the groove tight, and just use the studio to tweak up your tracks, get a great vocal track and mix down, saving you alot of money and time in the studio. Rather than spend the money in a studio, for the same money, the personal recorder will take you light-years farther down the road creatively and for years to come, versus a short 6 hours in a studio. (I own and operate a recording studio, but I learned HUGE with personal recorders FIRST.)
Also, you really need some time fooling around with a recorder so that you learn something about the science and art of recording BEFORE you go; learning and practicing in the studio is expensive.
I often work with songwriters with very limited funds, and this kind of work-around
is very cost effective, builds the artist's recording skills and often turns out quite nice recordings. If you don't have any experience recording, you will quickly burn through six hours with little to show for it. Don't rush into it just because you're excited. The more you know exactly what you want to do and in what order, and are HIGHLY practiced, the more you will accomplish. Don't go into a studio until you're certain you're ready and know every note of what you want to lay down and in what order instrument wise.
No matter how you begin, your first recordings can only record where you are NOW
as a musician and songwriter; as you progress and evolve, so will your recordings.
Don't be too disappointed if your first efforts aren't great; making great recordings take as much time as learning to play an instrument well; you have to be prepared to make the ten thousand mistakes in any great endeavor to excell.
Good luck!
If you had a simple 8 track recorder (they start at around $200.00 and go up;
the Korg 888 is really a sweet one, but around 4-500 bucks used on Ebay) you could record your instrument tracks and a scratch vocal at home, then carry your
recorder into a studio, quickly transfer your tracks into their system, do a final vocal with a really nice mic and do the mix down. That way, you have all the time you need to lay down great instrument tracks and get the groove tight, and just use the studio to tweak up your tracks, get a great vocal track and mix down, saving you alot of money and time in the studio. Rather than spend the money in a studio, for the same money, the personal recorder will take you light-years farther down the road creatively and for years to come, versus a short 6 hours in a studio. (I own and operate a recording studio, but I learned HUGE with personal recorders FIRST.)
Also, you really need some time fooling around with a recorder so that you learn something about the science and art of recording BEFORE you go; learning and practicing in the studio is expensive.
I often work with songwriters with very limited funds, and this kind of work-around
is very cost effective, builds the artist's recording skills and often turns out quite nice recordings. If you don't have any experience recording, you will quickly burn through six hours with little to show for it. Don't rush into it just because you're excited. The more you know exactly what you want to do and in what order, and are HIGHLY practiced, the more you will accomplish. Don't go into a studio until you're certain you're ready and know every note of what you want to lay down and in what order instrument wise.
No matter how you begin, your first recordings can only record where you are NOW
as a musician and songwriter; as you progress and evolve, so will your recordings.
Don't be too disappointed if your first efforts aren't great; making great recordings take as much time as learning to play an instrument well; you have to be prepared to make the ten thousand mistakes in any great endeavor to excell.
Good luck!
Lots of good comments in this thread - this one that I've quoted sums most of these up nicely.Pick your best 3 or 4 tunes and record 'em. It's not worth going into the studio only for some rough tracks - that's what home recording gear's for.
You should be able to knock out 3 songs at the least and get them nicely polished before your time is up. Go for quality, not quantity.
Jewbass - don't rule out a decent home recording setup just because money is tight.
Do you have a reasonably decent PC? If so, there's plenty of great software out there for free that does all sorts of clever studio wizardry. A lot of million selling albums got recorded on setups WAY inferior to what you can get going in your bedroom nowadays for very little cash.
You may need to spend a few dollars here and there for cables and stuff, but you'd be amazed what you can do for a reasonably small outlay if you put the hours in, and you will learn a lot about the process whilst having fun doing it (although it takes some persistence to get good results - stick at it).
