Recording Studio

ThunderCat

Hello everyone,

Ive only just discovered your forum and I have a quick question for you.

Basically Ive written a few songs lately on my crappy acoustic guitar that I actually quite like and have recorded them on my laptop using the built in voice recorder in windows (no fancy recording software here!). So as you can imagine the quality isnt great and its only a one track recording of my guitar and voice. Now ive written the bass, rhythym guitar and lead guitar for these songs and would like to get a proper recording of them done.

So I was wondering is there any studio in Dublin, or anywhere in Ireland, that will let me go in and borrow their equipment to put the song together?? And also, if this is possible, how expensive will it be?

Thanks in advance for any replys.

Hi,
I dont think going to a recording studio straight away is the best option for you. Putting a song together can take some time and can cost quite a bit. I dont know what kind of rates recording studios are charging these days but I would imagine it is not cheap.

Have you looked into downloading some music software like Reaper for eg? It is inexpensive, easy to use, and it is possible to get excellent results from it.

Another option for you would be to look at a 4 track recorder. There are some really good digital 4 track recorders out there which sound to me like they would suit you. A 4 track recorder allows you to record 4 instruments/voices seperately to create one track. So you could play your rhythm guitar, thenbass, then put down your vox and add the lead guitar later. You may need to invest in some leads/decent microphone. If you have friends that have bass guitar/electric guitar you can always borrow off them and lay down your stuff. They are really easy to use and a great way to learn about the recording process. The more you record the more you will learn. The quality on these digital 4 tracks is really good, for a beginner recorder artist I cant recommend them enough. A quick search on ebay has thrown up these models that I would personally vouch for:


http://cgi.ebay.ie/BOSS-MICRO-BR-MULTI-4-TRACK-DIGITAL-RECORDER-WITH-USB_W0QQitemZ270540200742QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Recorders_Rewriters?hash=item3efd73db26 €150 including postage, Boss make, you cant go wrong with this one.

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Tascam-DP-004-4-Track-Digital-Portastudio-NEW_W0QQitemZ330405128920QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Consumer_Professional_RL?hash=item4cedae2ad8 €180 including postage, Tascam model, very reliable.

I'm sure you could get these models cheaper if you searched around, or one of a similar quality.

Hope this helps, good luck with the songs.;)

pinksoir

You'd be better off posting in the Music Production forum.

I don't think any studio would let you borrow their equipment. However, you could pay for studio time and record there. Prices range from 250 a day upwards.

Alternatively, buy a cheap soundcard like this or this and record yourself on your PC or laptop. It takes some learning but it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it for jotting down ideas, and infinitely useful.

Most sound cards come bundled with some form of recording software. If not, try Reaper. It's cheap enough (used to be free), and you can evaluate it over 30 days.

Works out cheaper than 4 track, and allows more scope for more ambitious projects in the future. You may want more than 4 tracks one day!

ThunderCat

Thanks for the replys guys. I like the idea of that 4 track recorder. Sounds like an ideal starting place for me.

Very premature I know, but do record labels have departments that deal with demos that people send in or do they basically throw your demo in the bin if you were to send it to one of them?

pinksoir

Go for the sound card. Seriously. There is an infinity of use involved with them. A whole world of choice. 4 track is insanely limited. Plus sound cards are cheaper.

As for record companies... they'll bin it. But you shouldn't even be thinking about that.