FANCY LAYING DOWN SOME TRACKS IN THE PRIVACY OF YOUR OWN BEDROOM? GRAEME GREEN FINDS OUT HOW
Making a record isn't cheap or easy Just ask Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose - so far, an estimated £6.5million has been spent on making the band's sixth album, Chinese Democracy, and it still hasn't been released. But even if you don't spend that, you're still likely to need an expensive studio filled with producers, sound engineers, top-of-the-range microphones, a massive mixing desk and a bank of computers - aren't you?Increasingly, that's not the case. From Mercury-nominated folkie Seth Lakeman to Mobo-winning rapper Sway, many successful musicians are now taking a DIY approach to music-making, recording in a home studio at a fraction of the cost. That's because technology is more accessible. 'There are plenty of free software applications now that musicians can easily find, download and try out,' savs Nicola Slade, author of How To Make Music In Your Bedroom. There are benefits beyond cost, too. 'It suits a lot of musicians to be able to record in their bedrooms,' says Slade. 'They can get on with doing things any time they want, on their own, without being judged by other people.' Musicians can also be much more independent. 'Ten years from now, a record label could be more like a production company, supplying the cash and marketing or distribution, she says. 'But more people will be making studio-quality albums at home.
- How To Make Music In Your Bedroom is out now (Virgin, £7.99).
Nicola Slade gives her top tips on turning pro in the living room.
Home studio: The acoustics are the most important thing. You want
a room as empty as possible - ideally, your equipment, your computer, you
and nothing else. And it needs to be soundproofed.
Computer: You can have quite a basic computer. As long as it has Windows
98SE or later, 400MHz (Pentium III minimum), at least 10Gb of free hard disk
space and at least 256Mb of Ram, it should be enough to run recording software
applications and sequencers, with enough capacity to edit, add effects, save
and store. The more memory the better, though - especially if you're
multi-tracking and using lots of effects. With a new Macintosh - computer
of choice of many musicians - GarageBand software comes free.
Software: GarageBand is a starter program but it's the perfect entry-level
software. For dance music, people lean towards Cubase, which was designed
for sequencing and has lots of editing tools. Pro Tools and Logic are more
for bands and there is a lot of debate over which is better, especially for
editing. I tried them as a novice and I found Pro Tools really easy. Another
program, FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops), has lots of samples and effects,
many of which are great. I think spending £200 to £300 on software
is adequate but it's always worth using a free trial download to get your
head around it first.
Audioboards/sound cards: You can't just plug your instrument into
a computer and record it. You need an
exte
rnal box or card to do this. You can get a card for
as little as £30 or you can get a mid-range box for around £70
to £200. A basic sound card isn't going to give you the best quality
but you'll get a very good sound out of some of the boxes.
Microphones: The best advice is to buy at least one good microphone.
Often the type of microphone you need changes depending on the kind of music
you want to make - if it's vocal-led, you want one specially for vocals.
You can pick up good second-hand mics so it's well worth shopping around.
Budget: To get the kind of song quality you'd be proud about releasing,
including buying a good computer and software, I'd say you need to spend
between £600 and £1,000.
Edited by RONA MACDONALD atmetro@ukmetro.co.uk
Once you've made your album at home, you'll need to find the best way to listen to it on the move. |
||
|
||
Apple iPod nano, 4Gb, £99 |
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 6, £400 |
Sony NWZ-A81 6, £99 |
Mark Harris
![Compatible: An iPod [Metro March 5,2008]](Podcast_files/IPOD.gif)