CHECK OUT @BoloDaProducer who did an excellent follow up to this video. He always coming with the gems!: ua-cam.com/video/zg93h2OKgI4/v-deo.htmlsi=JhX8Ok2lv0dnbhwp
Load of equipment I couldn't afford in the 90's. Me and my brother are starting a studio in a room I have available with a closet for a booth, vocals, drums.....any input on how to make a side hustle home studio NOWADAYS, would be appreciated. Make some of those videos on how to navigate the new recording environment if you will, Bolo☝️
Do a post on navigating as a production studio as a side hustle if you will. I bought everything I couldn't in the 90's. Speak on hustling with a small production/recording studio brother, for a check.
I own a small studio in NYC, I remember when I was looking for a location I wanted a bigger spot but ended up settling for a small room at a multi purpose use building. I got it back in 2017 and it was the best decision ever because the cost to have it open is so low I am able to make money from it and while things got difficult during 2020 with the shutdown of business I was still able to pay rent on the spot using income from the studio and other side hustles. Over the past years a lot of studios have closed down in the city due to increasing rent prices. Looking back at it I was ahead of the curve getting a small room because like you mentioned, a lot of things are done in the box.
I appreciate your opinion. A lot of what you're saying is correct. What we need to sell today is the "Hospitality" the "vibe" of a recording studio. Clients come to our studio because of the feeling they get when they are here. A lot of my clients say "Wow, this place feels like home" - We are surviving well. It's all about the love.
I own a studio but learned years ago that for it to survive it gotta be my second job. Get my salary from my day job to survive and make my extra cash from the studio. Hard to fail this way. All my friends who had it as their main way of living have closed down
I think even if you can “do it yourself” being in the presence of a real engineer atleast once a month can really help you progress as an artist, you’re paying for the feedback, the direction and the trained ear of the engineer, working alone is a great alternative to shelling out thousands of pounds a year in studio time but you eventually get exhausted and start to spiral chasing your tail…. You get less work done when you have all the time in the world to do it imo
I got started making beats/recording back in 2002, working at a small studio. At the time, that was the turning point of transitioning from studios to the rise of the bedroom producer. I know you say cakewalk, but once Digidesign put out that first Mbox with Pro Tools LE, I knew then that it was over. Prosumer gear was getting cheaper, which was a good thing, but it also ruined song quality because anyone with a lil money can buy the equipment needed, but no one wants to learn how to engineer, or play instruments anymore. The music today is largely lifeless because it’s lacking the soul from it, we used to put our literal soul into learning how to play keys and guitars and properly engineering. Don’t get me wrong there are still many talented musicians out there who have made the transition to laptop producing, but most of what you hear on the radio sounds very copy paste. No originality, negative, it’s time for a shift. That’s why I appreciate Kendrick Lamar so much.
I think you hit the nail on the head. People see a specialist do something. They don't recognize why that person is a specialist and assume that they can do it themselves without being vetted or educated. Technology, while the progression has made things simpler, has also given people the false idea that they can do it themselves and be better at it. I'm a DJ who started in the 80's with turntables and vinyl. If you know equipment then I'm sure you have seen an influx of bedroom DJs take center stage because technology gave them a workaround from being vetted or educated. Now, every other person is a DJ or producer. Most don't have talent or understand what they are doing. They don't have the ear or knowledge to pay attention to detail. Honestly, sampling, while that is a DJs dessert so to speak, is what really started the infection of the industry. I love and hate this new tech because it makes true talent obsolete.
People can afford a lot of high qua;ity gear these days, what they don't have is the expertise to properly use it, These plugins have a huge learning curve. What you pay for now is a capable engineer.
@@Ishnala717 Yes i agree the average person find it hard to get the experience to be a great FOH Engineer it take time to develop a ear and putting up with unprofessional people is have the problem.
As a producer/audio engineer. I had started using VSTs reluctantly back in 2007/2008. Once everyone was able to afford a $500 laptop and crack the plugins around 2009/2010, I knew everybody and their mother, brother, sister and uncle was going to start making music at home. Even rappers/singers can record themselves with remote control devices and they'll pay somebody like me, $150-$250 to mix their track. Look now and everyone is doing it, whether professionally or hobby.
I wish more people would go to recording studios. The clock used to be the law. You dont have the money for time you gotta go. Now you could just ask a cousin or your friend brother down the street. People play too much...its harder to find people who take their craft seriously. You have some that do, but the home studio environment is too comfortable. Smoke 8 blunts...go in the booth do like 300 punch ins. Stop halfway through the song. Roll up again like...oh damn what was saying before? Oh I never write ish down. Then once you get to the adlibs somebody come with food. Of course people would go with what they're more comfortable with...but its just keeping the focus.
sounds like thats what you do. You have some serious people in their comfortable studios who see it as a business. You out of the loop. Time moves on people still have equipment.
@shan5445 Why is there always someone on UA-cam who needs to go sifting through comments to find a objection to what someone says? No that's not what I do. I'm speaking from a engineer perspective who appreciates a professional environment. I for damn sure don't refer to myself as people. I also didn't generalize and say everyone. I said "You have some that do". What I'm saying has nothing to do with being in the loop. It's a blanket way of saying hey lots of people don't take their music and time seriously and I wish more would. A better atmosphere and environment often helps people stay on track and focus. Not shitting on people who have a home studio or nothing. It's more to do with the people who are let in.
@@Siul96 Freedom of speech is one thing. Logic and critical listening is another thing we should start picking up on in early childhood. No jabs to you sir. Being soft is your opinion 🤷🏽♂️
I agree man 😅the discipline is not as much anymore especially if you're an engineer with a home stuido. Nobody really takes it too seriously. It's just harder to get someone to make something cool
Once I seen Al B Sure record vocals in Dj Eddie F basement on a AKAI 12 TRACK RECORDER, and used it on the album / song, I knew things was gonna change fast. This was the around 1985/ 86
Good Day my Friens, greetings from France. I can share my experience: I am 49; 50 next months, and started making music back in 1988 when I could buy my first synth (Roland D-20). Today my home studio is full of gear, including dj'ing stuff (controler, laptop, sound system etc). I produced a lot of tracks at home and eventually published them via cdbaby. And now what? No views or very little, no contacts, and ridiculous royalties. On the "Live" side of things, I must admit it's pretty dead... I'll be lucky if I can secure 2/3 gigs next year. Regarding the Clubbing scene, I know for sure no less than 2 venues closed their doors in my area in 2024. And yes you are right, I am doing it for the fun, certainly not for the fame or the money. Thanks for sharing.
Full Sail told us this… 8 to 10 years later it became a full reality. They said to understand in a few years our laptops and later tablets would be the new studios. They knew.
I opened my first Studio in 1994 Did well until technology took off. Sold out in 2015. Never looked back. Kids recording on their smartphones now......... Times have changed.
I've been playing and recording since 1982. I've gone from recording in studios that had 4 track tape (in cheaper studios, for demo tapes) to 8 track tape to 16 track tape, then when digital first came along there was ADAT everywhere and systems like RADAR and SaDIE in bigger high-end studios. Most of my playing was in touring bands but I did regular studio sessions as well including in some great studios like Metropolis in London. I have been doing this stuff a long long time although stopped playing professionally quite a while back now. These days I can do almost everything my bands needed from a studio back in the day purely in the box, especially with UAD interfaces and plugins (which absolutely match what hardware outboard can do IMO). But there are two big things missing in my own setup. First, I don't have a live room with great mics, so tracking anything beyond a vocalist/solo instrumentalist or bass/guitar isn't cutting it. Second, nothing beats an engineer who works with multiple bands every week and who can listen objectively and give advice and suggestions. Same with a producer. Being your own engineer and producer takes away those 'fresh ears'. That's where a studio still has value IMO.... but probably not enough for most people to make the business model work these days.
Everything you said was facts, cakewalk/Bandlabs put a lotta studios out of business, even the un experienced can record themselves and send it to a pro engineer
The music industry has been taking advantage of artists from the beginning. Now the artist can focus on the rhythm that is owned by no one. Rhythm comes from good feeling that sits in the hearts of people that have positivity in their minds. Even though the Dark-side of making harmful music to mislead children from the rap community has made it the only downfall for rhythm.
In olden times you weren’t considered legitimate if you didn’t have a record deal. Then people realized the deal was a bad loan. Being independent changes the power dynamics, but the dream of fame probably won’t come true, though at least your music is produced. Big studios generally need a media, sales person, and manager. It can be pretty expensive just to keep the doors open.
You are absolutely right about everything you said on here and I’ll just add that the other reason is that Music has completely be devalued over the past few decades. Nobody cares about quality nobody really even cares about the music. Songs come and go without any real lasting impact. Back in the day when I was younger growing up in the 70s 80s we were defined by songs. I don’t see that anymore. I just hear a lot of thumping coming out of cars I just don’t think people really give a shit ultimately about anything anymore. Attention spans are pretty much zero. It’s the TikTok generation. How can anything seriously good come out of that?
I come from the time when I brought my first drum machine in 86. I brought the MPC 60 and S950 and SP1200 when they all came out. I remember buying the tascam 688 and etc and having outboard gear then too.
D*mn bruh u came into the game strong. I bought a boss Dr rhythm in 96 /a casio concertmate keyboard & a reel to reel that I never really learned how to use lol.
I Started on Cakewalk sonar.That program changed my audio world.Ive been in my recording studio for 8 years and going strong.Mainly hip hop and R&B sessions.
First time I went in a recording studio was in 1986. Price was 25 dollars an hour. Project sounded good on their system but wack on my boombox or car stereo. So I built my own home studio to find my own sound. But nowadays ain't no way I'd mess with a commercial studio when I have Tascam, FL and Akai Professional. By investing in myself I save myself thousands in recording cost over the long term which helps me sidestep those against your Royalty charges labels love to impose.
We still alive in the industry. No matter how much money people spend on equipment they don’t have the expertise to get professional sounding quality. Which takes years to learn and master
@@GodlyWork-p3qthat wouldn’t be a concern because if AI takes over it pretty much takes over any other industry. We’ll all be homeless and own nothing and be happy.
Na UA-cam teaches everything . I learned to mix and master professionally in 5 months just on UA-cam. If u have patience and consistency it' becomes easy and fun!
Very good topic! We are singer/songwriter with around 100 songs already written for our band.11 years ago we recorded our first song in a popular professional recording studio in Manhattan (NYC) and it cost us $700. Imagine us recording all of our songs, it would "break the bank." Anyway, after recording 6 or 7 songs with this particular recording studio we decided to find an alternative and that was exactly what we did. The alternative of course is our home studio. Building the home studio does not come cheap especially since we used both digital software and analog gear to create our own unique sound. There is no doubt a traditional recording studio is better equipped than a home studio for a more professional sound. However, with advanced technology nowadays, only an audio engineer can notice the difference between a home studio recording and a professional/traditional recording studio recording. One!
Back in the 90s.....it was nothing like getting your boys together taking a trip up to the studio to create musical magic. You, the studio engineer, the producer, the artist in the booth, & your crew for skits or vocal adlibs. It's sad that hear the change of times killing the recording studios. Nowadays they had Google & Apple Play stores got apps where you can do beats at the convenience while you on the toilet. Which you no longer need 100 to 300 hundred a hour to record.....I remember pro tools, SP 1200's, Gemini 808's, the Casio keyboards, the 24 track mixing boards & high quality mics. What an era !!!!! 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
I agree with everything you said. It's super sad how music isn't as important anymore. Obviously, it's not since no one is going to care if it's AI or not, only if they like it.
You know the answer already. It's because DAW's are getting better every year. That's recording software to beat exact and now there's a whole lot of them and there's a lot of good ones. There will always be a need for the big studios if it's a big company or Media house but artists can do it at home for a fraction of the cost. Also UA-cam helps
It's already happening, one cannot live on music production alone, even well known producers are having a hard time surviving on music only. Most have started doing other things for steady income
We prepared a lot before going into the studio.Cause that clock is running. That two inch twenty four track tape is expensive. Gotta mix it down 2 tracks that's another tape . Then there's that magic word mastering. I still don't know what mastering is 🤣😆🤣. Yeah we mixed it down but then they came up With this word mastering and it sounded exactly like the mix But took more studio time 🤣
@@envisagefilmshouston Im sure Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, SHania Twain, Dolly Parton, and a host of others would beg to differ because singers are musicians.
The successful studios are the ones that offer additional packages. In addition to recording, mixing, and mastering studios are offering photo shoots, music videos, Podcasting, and training services. Good luck.
I do believe the reason for the recording studios closing out of business is that computer technology has penetrated into the music and motion picture business the same way it has gone into all other business aspects. The methods of creating live recordings and storing the works have changed since the late 1980s decade. The microcomputer has advanced to become improved with more software applications added for individual computer users to do many things, as in one person for one computer, instead of several people in the studio and the control room. This fact means there are fewer musical instruments, less audio equipment, more synthesizers, fewer musicians to play the keyboards with the sound effects of many musical instruments, smaller studio space, even though the work means consuming lots of electricity. Synthesizer keyboards are capable of storing and playing back many tones that were played naturally from musical instruments. Like the business office, the ways video and music were done have solely changed to be done easily. Also, radio and television broadcasts are not what they used to be.
I own a higher and commercial recording studio. My building that I own is just over 3000 ft.² not the biggest but certainly not terrible. One of the reason Studios close is because they are leveraged. They have to pay for their gear, pay for the construction and most of them are renting the space that they are in these days. If they lose their lease, they have to return the building back to where it was that is another cost also, if the overhead is high, it’s very difficult to take the salary out of it much less for more than one person a lot of studios that are holding on by their fingernails are also holding onto the Way that the world used to be. Having just a flat out recording studio doesn’t make much sense from a construction standpoint. I could have built from the ground up three fully complete rental houses for what I invested in the construction of my studio. Those rental properties today would probably be returning me almost $10,000 per month. But my Studio returns more than that. Because it is booked seven days a week. My overhead is low. I only have to work one day a month to cover all of my overhead. Everything else is profit well except for new gear purchases and maintenance. The definition of a studio has certainly changed. It’s also not considered a big large live room with a massive analog desk anymore. It can be a laptop in a closet with a cheap microphones and cheap speakers, and they can also be called a studio and some people are OK with that. Most of my clients are other producers and engineers, who bring in their projects that want live drums, or want to record a band, live or shoot a music video my studio has expanded and I was kind of design from the beginning to be a full-service production facility, so we do music videos and recording, as well as pre-tour productions for national touring acts. For studios to survive today they have to own the real estate, and they have to have purchased it at a great time and carry very little overhead. For people that do it as a hobby I just keep the music production as a second job you’re just a hobbyist and those guys are a dime a dozen, even if you’re really good at what you do.
Maybe because you don’t need a fancy studio to record beats/noise (tick, tick, tick) inferior quality nonsensical noise. And, perhaps more important, why invest THOUSANDS of dollars into a product /song/recording that you almost are guaranteed to not make ANY money selling it because of the streaming platforms raping creators of royalties. There are no more stores that sell tangible music products. There goes your MECHANICAL royalties. Your music streams globally for not even Pennie’s on the dollar. There goes your potential for SUB PUBLISHING and PERFORMING RIGHTS royalties in foreign territories (which by these monies were always difficult to monitor even before streaming became a distribution medium). And, unless you are on one of the few major labels that has mastered the art of not paying artists fairly, it is unlikely that your song will be played on the radio in the US to ever by surveyed by ASCAP or BMI to get domestic performing rights publishing or songwriter royalties. And, you can almost forget about publishing a song. Major label artists are not interested in recording your song (EVEN IF IT IS A HIT) unless they can hustle you out of a writer’s share. That is why you see eight peoples’ names on one song as the writer. It does not take eight people to write 3:00 worth of music. These artists and producers would rather their entire project FAIL than to except a HIT from a new/outside writer. Lastly, why marry the cow when you can’t get the milk for free? People are not conditioned to think that music should be free…STREAMING. The only people REALLY PROSPERING from your music are the streaming platforms. Hope that offers some insight into your question. It is hard to invest in your craft in studio time, talent, and manufacturing when you are not making income from your product to reinvest into your product/business. FIDELITY IS OPTIONAL.
Dating my age. My first recording was on ADAT right after the reels back in the late 90s and I used MIDI too. I told him I was making a demo to send to record labels. He said why? Just make music and forget the demo. After that, my attitude totally shifted about independent recording and eventually Self Recording. Downside today, some actually buy beats and loop it which IMO is really not making music. But hey, whatever floats people's boats.
Supply in demand. Years ago record companies supplied to need for recording artists. Now the demand for new technologies by the consumer have relieved the need for recording studios. Even distribution is gone for mp3 music and cloud storage services. Consumers mostly download albums now. Even promotion can be done by mobile applications that allow recording, editing, and distribution to your market.
To answer your comment about why studios are closing, Is a combination of technology and high expensive overhead. I currently own a medium midside studio with multiple rooms and I have been doing it for over 20 years In the NY/NJ region, And the real reason is simple: The entry point of starting A new studio is SO low that the major studios can't compete with It turns of space, Sound quality, And most importantly price. Most people nowadays don't want to spend little to no money for a studio because the music that you putting out doesn't sell or they doing it for show. Everything is streaming for the most part, But where studio owners win at is The new generation is trying to "wing it" And "figure it out" On how to properly engineer and do quality recordings for themselves . And that's something that experienced studio wins and gets to business. Nowadays you're not selling the studio you're selling expertise, Comfort and vibes. But rest assure things are about to change in the coming future with recording studios for the better. To all new people who have studios: Just because you have a Ferrari or Lamborghini don't mean you know how to drive a stick shift.
Quality doesn't count anymore. Nobody cares about quality, tape and CD time is over. As much as your song sounds fun and makes people smile or laugh, they don't care about quality. nobody cares about quality. All those distorted amapiano sound coming from south Africa are taking over
I remember Cakewalk. It was pretty much my first taste of a DAW. Personally, after recording and mixing for the last 30+ years as a hobby, I have grown rather tired of it. It has become so much about companies pushing their plug-ins or newest DAW, and less about just enjoying making music. These days I spend more time just playing guitar and singing with friends, even though I have thousands invested in recording equipment sitting there in the room with us. It seems there's more joy in simply enjoying good company and good music together. I still continue to do some recording occasionally; however, making music in the moment over a pot of coffee and conversation is where it is. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)
Funny you should say that. When I stopped caring, that's when I started enjoying it again. In my 20's, I was so focused on "making it," it became a job....and a stressful one at that. Calling people, pitching radio stations for new music Tuesdays, driving around on the weekends to my mom-and-pop stores to try and get my CD on the shelves, etc.
Pre-internet, i used to be able to "talk music" with ANYONE. " hey, did you hear the new Gin Blossoms or whatever". Now, when you try to talk to music with common folk, they have no idea. They say " i dont follow music, or older folk say i dont follow music anymore". I can talk music with my inner circle, but even they only have a little more knowledge, than common folk USED to have. I saw this coming with Napster in 2000. I thought " once everyone has stolen all the songs, whats next ". I feared the lackluster enthusiasm about music, that pervades everyone now. The only one selling records is Taylor Swift, and she's more on the fashionshow side of the business, than solely music. If it werent for War On Drugs, my interest in music would have waned too. They changed everything for me. Now, the good artists are obscure, and you have to actively seek them out. Radio is a useless wasteland. I wouldnt spend big bucks in a studio, either, when nobodys gonna appreciate the difference between good studio production versus what you can do on your own. Music was always a calling, but now its a calling to be homeless, unless you have another job. I long for the days, when i could say "have you heard Bernard Butlers Stay? Have you heard Elton's Tumbleweed Connection? Have you heard Michiganders song BETTER? No one cares anymore
Music row in Nashville is still surviving. However, your video is correct, but I am waiting to see how Nashville responds to the tech shift. Music row, etc supports their economy.
what do you think about the evolution of emulation plugins like plugin alliance and u.a.d ?...are the emulations impressive enough that it drives recording studios down further?
Hey brother, I'm 62 yrs old and I remember going to a studio for the first time. I was prepared because the keyboard i owned had a track machine built in. So I had the song already produced. I was wondering why I was even there. I realized I didn't have a multitrack machine with cassette capability . Cds weren't out yet so they were either using reel to reel or tape cassette, which was on the rise. Then I visited another studio closer to home where the guy had a reel to reel process. I had to buy my own reel which was 120.00. After the visited, I thought for a long time as why am I giving my money when I can buy the stuff and do it myself...Fastfwd to todays world, I have a few analog synths as well as digital synths and drum machines. I'm just doing it for fun. I still like to be in a band but I can't find anybody these days. We got computer instrument software out of the woodwork now. I get it. Less equipment hauling. It's cheating for people who just wanna push the button. Quicker for the composers on software as you were stating. I always have to remind myself that I am doing it for fun. Now I can do all of the recording and do my videos as well. Then I gotta copyright my material . I'm not a corporation , so nobody's really calling me. I can just post it online just for entertainment. Just wanted to share the life experience since I was in my early 20"s. This was something I got enjoyment out of and still do. Thing is my family has no interest in it so I guess I can sell off some stuff as I get older and older..lol Peace, in Jesus's name, take care.
Thanks for that insight! I agree with everything you said. I appreciate the technology that’s out there. It does make the whole process more efficient. But at the same time, I miss the relationship building. I once recorded an artist from Laos, A songwriter from Nashville that wrote for Johnny Cash and various other people from different walks of life ( over 20 years ago). For me those experiences were invaluable.
Tascam 4-track Portastudio...anyone? That was my and many of my buddies save back in the day. It was tape...sounded better than early digital stuff too.
@@RobertFairweatherLuvMachine and Top ten hit were produced Its the story told by the song . Look at artists like Carol King.98% of the Masters of the blues and Country had a story to paint with notes and melody.
The pivotal point for me came when I moved to Los Angeles and noticed studio sessions without an engineer. Basically just a booth with equipment or byob. If all your offering is an empty space sometimes without ANY equipment YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF USELESS. It’s better to INVEST 500 into yourself and have no restrictions. And Let’s not even discuss bitter engineers that are washed up artists that’ll leak your music to anyone for clout
Yes, technology has greatly improved and the need for larger spaces has decreased, and so has the need for technically qualified individuals as the process of recording music has become more and more automated, allowing for the novice to be a top-notch sound engineer
For better or worse, things are changing fast in the music industry. You have to wear a lot hats to make a dime in the music game. Like in the bad old days, there are many things competing to make artists broke. From bad deals in the beginning to low streaming revenues.
Some fair statments made but the thing is the standard of music has dropped therefore making trash mixes more acceptable in the mainstream. That being said many clients who come to my studio from other ones is because the engineers has not kept up with the times, new sonic techniques, etc. Most of the big studios struggle with this. A new artist aint gonna care too much about ur valve LA-2A or Fairchild compressor if u cant innovate in the mix. Every 5/6 months im updating new ways of workflow, effects and styles of sounds with an industry standard finish. That has kept me in business for many years with artist who mostly all already have home setups
Because most engineers aren't even engaged in your session. They aren't producers who take your time seriously and most feel like they are doing the client a favor.
I saw the downfall coming in slow motion...i did some studio work back in 2003, and i remember having a conversation at SIR in Hollywood with Jack Blades from Night Ranger...he told me that day, hey man get yourself a mac laptop and pro tools digi002, and youre set...start building up your mics and gear after that...greatest advice ive ever gotten because it was clear to me then the whole idea of the studio was on the way out as i was able to buy the same, or similar gear as SIR on a budget of abour 12k over a few years and have been making studio quality music for 15 years...essentially for free after the intial investment...just owning a studio space is becoming untenable anymore due to prices in LA and NYC
Digi002! Yes... I actually still have a Digi003 and a Command 8 sitting in a box. Once Mbox came out, it made ProTools accessible to anyone, all you had to do was advertise you had ProTools. Artists knew ProTools was the gold standard, but didn't know enough to understand there were levels to it.
As an experienced artist, I figured that with less than the cash for hiring a medium/small studio a few days to a week and track/mix our stuff, I could just buy about everything I needed to track my band - computer, mics, etc- I did. So yeah, being 50 years old now, I truly saw everything heading this way, and frankly I also happy that somehow musicians learn to have some control over at least parts of the process other than just writing and performing, stuff that was exclusively available to bigger names. There was always very bad actors in the industry that limited the opportunities out for anybody else, plus all the labels crap. I would still gladly pay for experienced engineers for some or every part of the process if/when I can afford it, (as most musicians would probably), but with the impossibility of making good and stable enough money from even performing, also no real way to sell any physical copies of our own music (in a sustainable way), I guess it's only natural and a healthy thing to do - not to spend money you don't have nor create any dept. Music changed too much in an incredibly short time period. It's hard to keep up and it's natural to try and avoid unnecessary risks- that alone explains a lot of what's going on in the industry from several points of views..even creatively.
It's not technology. Its affordability and way too many people using entry level gear thinking their sound is professional. Recording studios and mastering houses are still open for serious professional artists.
Man I recorded my entire last album at home free of cost …i have seen first hand in some cases artist I know go to a major studio and their sound is not up to par ….sometimes less is more if you know what you doing
CHECK OUT @BoloDaProducer who did an excellent follow up to this video. He always coming with the gems!: ua-cam.com/video/zg93h2OKgI4/v-deo.htmlsi=JhX8Ok2lv0dnbhwp
Load of equipment I couldn't afford in the 90's. Me and my brother are starting a studio in a room I have available with a closet for a booth, vocals, drums.....any input on how to make a side hustle home studio NOWADAYS, would be appreciated. Make some of those videos on how to navigate the new recording environment if you will, Bolo☝️
Do a post on navigating as a production studio as a side hustle if you will. I bought everything I couldn't in the 90's. Speak on hustling with a small production/recording studio brother, for a check.
I own a small studio in NYC, I remember when I was looking for a location I wanted a bigger spot but ended up settling for a small room at a multi purpose use building. I got it back in 2017 and it was the best decision ever because the cost to have it open is so low I am able to make money from it and while things got difficult during 2020 with the shutdown of business I was still able to pay rent on the spot using income from the studio and other side hustles. Over the past years a lot of studios have closed down in the city due to increasing rent prices. Looking back at it I was ahead of the curve getting a small room because like you mentioned, a lot of things are done in the box.
What's your studio name?
In the music building ?👀
@@ojay6675 Yea its one of those old warehouse buildings that got repurposed for new businesses.
Salute plays that was an Excellent move and Business decision
If a song is crap, the best equipment on the planet won’t save it.
But today listeners don't seem to be worried about quality--of sound or song! 😔
I appreciate your opinion. A lot of what you're saying is correct. What we need to sell today is the "Hospitality" the "vibe" of a recording studio. Clients come to our studio because of the feeling they get when they are here. A lot of my clients say "Wow, this place feels like home" - We are surviving well. It's all about the love.
Bless your hustle bro
@@Saasori Thanks. After 21 years as a commercial recording studio in Los Angeles, CA. I'm not giving up just yet.
I own a studio but learned years ago that for it to survive it gotta be my second job. Get my salary from my day job to survive and make my extra cash from the studio. Hard to fail this way. All my friends who had it as their main way of living have closed down
@@JohnWuMastermind Keep up with all it take is one Gold Record .
The whole biz is changing.
Why pay $300 an hour for something you can do your self.
Right
300 an hour? Where are you going
Most aren't charging that much and most artists aren't good enough at recording to do it themselves, straight up.
300 a hour? 😳 Since the 90s the most I seen was 50 a hour and the studio looked like a space ship!
I think even if you can “do it yourself” being in the presence of a real engineer atleast once a month can really help you progress as an artist, you’re paying for the feedback, the direction and the trained ear of the engineer, working alone is a great alternative to shelling out thousands of pounds a year in studio time but you eventually get exhausted and start to spiral chasing your tail…. You get less work done when you have all the time in the world to do it imo
Sampling is what did the studios in . Very few artist couldn't play anythig.
I got started making beats/recording back in 2002, working at a small studio. At the time, that was the turning point of transitioning from studios to the rise of the bedroom producer. I know you say cakewalk, but once Digidesign put out that first Mbox with Pro Tools LE, I knew then that it was over. Prosumer gear was getting cheaper, which was a good thing, but it also ruined song quality because anyone with a lil money can buy the equipment needed, but no one wants to learn how to engineer, or play instruments anymore. The music today is largely lifeless because it’s lacking the soul from it, we used to put our literal soul into learning how to play keys and guitars and properly engineering. Don’t get me wrong there are still many talented musicians out there who have made the transition to laptop producing, but most of what you hear on the radio sounds very copy paste. No originality, negative, it’s time for a shift. That’s why I appreciate Kendrick Lamar so much.
I think you hit the nail on the head. People see a specialist do something. They don't recognize why that person is a specialist and assume that they can do it themselves without being vetted or educated. Technology, while the progression has made things simpler, has also given people the false idea that they can do it themselves and be better at it. I'm a DJ who started in the 80's with turntables and vinyl. If you know equipment then I'm sure you have seen an influx of bedroom DJs take center stage because technology gave them a workaround from being vetted or educated. Now, every other person is a DJ or producer. Most don't have talent or understand what they are doing. They don't have the ear or knowledge to pay attention to detail. Honestly, sampling, while that is a DJs dessert so to speak, is what really started the infection of the industry. I love and hate this new tech because it makes true talent obsolete.
People can afford a lot of high qua;ity gear these days, what they don't have is the expertise to properly use it, These plugins have a huge learning curve. What you pay for now is a capable engineer.
@@Ishnala717 Yes i agree the average person find it hard to get the experience to be a great FOH Engineer it take time to develop a ear and putting up with unprofessional people is have the problem.
soon Ai will take that job
Bolo The Producer sent me
As a producer/audio engineer. I had started using VSTs reluctantly back in 2007/2008. Once everyone was able to afford a $500 laptop and crack the plugins around 2009/2010, I knew everybody and their mother, brother, sister and uncle was going to start making music at home. Even rappers/singers can record themselves with remote control devices and they'll pay somebody like me, $150-$250 to mix their track. Look now and everyone is doing it, whether professionally or hobby.
Man... I completely forgot about the cracked software! That opened a whole new pandora's box!!
I wish more people would go to recording studios. The clock used to be the law. You dont have the money for time you gotta go. Now you could just ask a cousin or your friend brother down the street. People play too much...its harder to find people who take their craft seriously. You have some that do, but the home studio environment is too comfortable. Smoke 8 blunts...go in the booth do like 300 punch ins. Stop halfway through the song. Roll up again like...oh damn what was saying before? Oh I never write ish down. Then once you get to the adlibs somebody come with food. Of course people would go with what they're more comfortable with...but its just keeping the focus.
sounds like thats what you do. You have some serious people in their comfortable studios who see it as a business. You out of the loop. Time moves on people still have equipment.
@shan5445 Why is there always someone on UA-cam who needs to go sifting through comments to find a objection to what someone says? No that's not what I do. I'm speaking from a engineer perspective who appreciates a professional environment. I for damn sure don't refer to myself as people. I also didn't generalize and say everyone. I said "You have some that do". What I'm saying has nothing to do with being in the loop. It's a blanket way of saying hey lots of people don't take their music and time seriously and I wish more would. A better atmosphere and environment often helps people stay on track and focus. Not shitting on people who have a home studio or nothing. It's more to do with the people who are let in.
@@THA-REAPERbecause of freedom of speech lol...stop being soft, you can still express yourself.
@@Siul96 Freedom of speech is one thing. Logic and critical listening is another thing we should start picking up on in early childhood. No jabs to you sir. Being soft is your opinion 🤷🏽♂️
I agree man 😅the discipline is not as much anymore especially if you're an engineer with a home stuido. Nobody really takes it too seriously. It's just harder to get someone to make something cool
Been recording for years. you are 100% right .I have seen many changes.
Once I seen Al B Sure record vocals in Dj Eddie F basement on a AKAI 12 TRACK RECORDER, and used it on the album / song, I knew things was gonna change fast. This was the around 1985/ 86
Good Day my Friens, greetings from France. I can share my experience: I am 49; 50 next months, and started making music back in 1988 when I could buy my first synth (Roland D-20). Today my home studio is full of gear, including dj'ing stuff (controler, laptop, sound system etc). I produced a lot of tracks at home and eventually published them via cdbaby. And now what? No views or very little, no contacts, and ridiculous royalties. On the "Live" side of things, I must admit it's pretty dead... I'll be lucky if I can secure 2/3 gigs next year. Regarding the Clubbing scene, I know for sure no less than 2 venues closed their doors in my area in 2024. And yes you are right, I am doing it for the fun, certainly not for the fame or the money. Thanks for sharing.
Budget is a big factor. $100 plus an hour can add up fast. Back in the seventies we spent 700 week for a 8 hour block.
Full Sail told us this… 8 to 10 years later it became a full reality. They said to understand in a few years our laptops and later tablets would be the new studios. They knew.
The Steven Slate Raven would actually fit the tablet prediction
@ yup, it’s a big ass tablet.
I appreciate your video you are so very right and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane
MAN! If you didn't just take every word out of my mouth. You said exactly what I have been wanting to say about this topic.
Too expensive but if I had a label backing me I'd want a proper studio environment.
I built my own recording studio from our large closet. Im now recording my new album. I used foam wall tiles for eraticating sound reflection.
Bolo Da Producer sent me. - Subscribed - I appreciate the information you shared.
Thanks for subscribing!
I opened my first Studio in 1994 Did well until technology took off. Sold out in 2015. Never looked back. Kids recording on their smartphones now......... Times have changed.
I've been playing and recording since 1982. I've gone from recording in studios that had 4 track tape (in cheaper studios, for demo tapes) to 8 track tape to 16 track tape, then when digital first came along there was ADAT everywhere and systems like RADAR and SaDIE in bigger high-end studios. Most of my playing was in touring bands but I did regular studio sessions as well including in some great studios like Metropolis in London. I have been doing this stuff a long long time although stopped playing professionally quite a while back now.
These days I can do almost everything my bands needed from a studio back in the day purely in the box, especially with UAD interfaces and plugins (which absolutely match what hardware outboard can do IMO). But there are two big things missing in my own setup. First, I don't have a live room with great mics, so tracking anything beyond a vocalist/solo instrumentalist or bass/guitar isn't cutting it. Second, nothing beats an engineer who works with multiple bands every week and who can listen objectively and give advice and suggestions. Same with a producer. Being your own engineer and producer takes away those 'fresh ears'. That's where a studio still has value IMO.... but probably not enough for most people to make the business model work these days.
Very good points!
You're right, artists are making their own music and cutting out the producer
Everything you said was facts, cakewalk/Bandlabs put a lotta studios out of business, even the un experienced can record themselves and send it to a pro engineer
The music industry has been taking advantage of artists from the beginning. Now the artist can focus on the rhythm that is owned by no one. Rhythm comes from good feeling that sits in the hearts of people that have positivity in their minds. Even though the Dark-side of making harmful music to mislead children from the rap community has made it the only downfall for rhythm.
Great history lesson! Thanks!
In olden times you weren’t considered legitimate if you didn’t have a record deal. Then people realized the deal was a bad loan. Being independent changes the power dynamics, but the dream of fame probably won’t come true, though at least your music is produced.
Big studios generally need a media, sales person, and manager. It can be pretty expensive just to keep the doors open.
Times changing fast, i lived all that too …
You are absolutely right about everything you said on here and I’ll just add that the other reason is that Music has completely be devalued over the past few decades. Nobody cares about quality nobody really even cares about the music. Songs come and go without any real lasting impact. Back in the day when I was younger growing up in the 70s 80s we were defined by songs. I don’t see that anymore. I just hear a lot of thumping coming out of cars I just don’t think people really give a shit ultimately about anything anymore. Attention spans are pretty much zero. It’s the TikTok generation. How can anything seriously good come out of that?
@@AllenLind Some of the lyrics sounds like a 6 year made them and a heavy Bass line no thing called a Melody
Thank lord im still making it work here in Michigan. 2002-2024
I come from the time when I brought my first drum machine in 86. I brought the MPC 60 and S950 and SP1200 when they all came out. I remember buying the tascam 688 and etc and having outboard gear then too.
D*mn bruh u came into the game strong. I bought a boss Dr rhythm in 96 /a casio concertmate keyboard & a reel to reel that I never really learned how to use lol.
Nice! Korg M1 and ASR10 were my main tools of choice.
I Started on Cakewalk sonar.That program changed my audio world.Ive been in my recording studio for 8 years and going strong.Mainly hip hop and R&B sessions.
First time I went in a recording studio was in 1986. Price was 25 dollars an hour. Project sounded good on their system but wack on my boombox or car stereo. So I built my own home studio to find my own sound. But nowadays ain't no way I'd mess with a commercial studio when I have Tascam, FL and Akai Professional. By investing in myself I save myself thousands in recording cost over the long term which helps me sidestep those against your Royalty charges labels love to impose.
We still alive in the industry. No matter how much money people spend on equipment they don’t have the expertise to get professional sounding quality. Which takes years to learn and master
Until ai does it and it's over
@@worldsyoursent.1635 It does take ear training.Have to know your Equipment front and Back.
@@GodlyWork-p3qthat wouldn’t be a concern because if AI takes over it pretty much takes over any other industry. We’ll all be homeless and own nothing and be happy.
Na UA-cam teaches everything .
I learned to mix and master professionally in 5 months just on UA-cam.
If u have patience and consistency it' becomes easy and fun!
@@stgtakeover9489 you’re one in a thousand homie. Have fun
Technology has improved with vst & plugins and daw. You can make a song in your own bedroom nowadays
Very good topic! We are singer/songwriter with around 100 songs already written for our band.11 years ago we recorded our first song in a popular professional recording studio in Manhattan (NYC) and it cost us $700. Imagine us recording all of our songs, it would "break the bank." Anyway, after recording 6 or 7 songs with this particular recording studio we decided to find an alternative and that was exactly what we did. The alternative of course is our home studio. Building the home studio does not come cheap especially since we used both digital software and analog gear to create our own unique sound. There is no doubt a traditional recording studio is better equipped than a home studio for a more professional sound. However, with advanced technology nowadays, only an audio engineer can notice the difference between a home studio recording and a professional/traditional recording studio recording. One!
Back in the 90s.....it was nothing like getting your boys together taking a trip up to the studio to create musical magic. You, the studio engineer, the producer, the artist in the booth, & your crew for skits or vocal adlibs. It's sad that hear the change of times killing the recording studios. Nowadays they had Google & Apple Play stores got apps where you can do beats at the convenience while you on the toilet. Which you no longer need 100 to 300 hundred a hour to record.....I remember pro tools, SP 1200's, Gemini 808's, the Casio keyboards, the 24 track mixing boards & high quality mics. What an era !!!!!
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
I agree with everything you said. It's super sad how music isn't as important anymore. Obviously, it's not since no one is going to care if it's AI or not, only if they like it.
Right but one thing that remains for the true artist is originally. Songs that come from the heart.
Amen!
You know the answer already. It's because DAW's are getting better every year. That's recording software to beat exact and now there's a whole lot of them and there's a lot of good ones. There will always be a need for the big studios if it's a big company or Media house but artists can do it at home for a fraction of the cost. Also UA-cam helps
I would imagine recording studios are closing because of the amount of people who now have the ability to record at home.
It's already happening, one cannot live on music production alone, even well known producers are having a hard time surviving on music only. Most have started doing other things for steady income
Someone with a channel that has something interesting to say.
Bolo The Producer sent me to check out your channel!
It's off the hook! Great video! Excellent points! Thank you sir!
Thanks for coming
We prepared a lot before going into the studio.Cause that clock is running. That two inch twenty four track tape is expensive. Gotta mix it down 2 tracks that's another tape . Then there's that magic word mastering. I still don't know what mastering is 🤣😆🤣. Yeah we mixed it down but then they came up With this word mastering and it sounded exactly like the mix But took more studio time 🤣
the problem today is these artists all sound alike, no body is unique anymore.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂Yuppp
Cause everybody making music and not everybody a musician
@@envisagefilmshoustonfacts
@@envisagefilmshouston Im sure Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, SHania Twain, Dolly Parton, and a host of others would beg to differ because singers are musicians.
Bolo sent me.❇Great video.
Because everybody has their own studio now, and the results are just as good.
Good video. I agree with your points.
The successful studios are the ones that offer additional packages. In addition to recording, mixing, and mastering studios are offering photo shoots, music videos, Podcasting, and training services. Good luck.
I do believe the reason for the recording studios closing out of business is that computer technology has penetrated into the music and motion picture business the same way it has gone into all other business aspects. The methods of creating live recordings and storing the works have changed since the late 1980s decade. The microcomputer has advanced to become improved with more software applications added for individual computer users to do many things, as in one person for one computer, instead of several people in the studio and the control room. This fact means there are fewer musical instruments, less audio equipment, more synthesizers, fewer musicians to play the keyboards with the sound effects of many musical instruments, smaller studio space, even though the work means consuming lots of electricity. Synthesizer keyboards are capable of storing and playing back many tones that were played naturally from musical instruments. Like the business office, the ways video and music were done have solely changed to be done easily. Also, radio and television broadcasts are not what they used to be.
I own a higher and commercial recording studio. My building that I own is just over 3000 ft.² not the biggest but certainly not terrible. One of the reason Studios close is because they are leveraged. They have to pay for their gear, pay for the construction and most of them are renting the space that they are in these days. If they lose their lease, they have to return the building back to where it was that is another cost also, if the overhead is high, it’s very difficult to take the salary out of it much less for more than one person a lot of studios that are holding on by their fingernails are also holding onto the Way that the world used to be. Having just a flat out recording studio doesn’t make much sense from a construction standpoint. I could have built from the ground up three fully complete rental houses for what I invested in the construction of my studio. Those rental properties today would probably be returning me almost $10,000 per month. But my Studio returns more than that. Because it is booked seven days a week. My overhead is low. I only have to work one day a month to cover all of my overhead. Everything else is profit well except for new gear purchases and maintenance. The definition of a studio has certainly changed. It’s also not considered a big large live room with a massive analog desk anymore. It can be a laptop in a closet with a cheap microphones and cheap speakers, and they can also be called a studio and some people are OK with that. Most of my clients are other producers and engineers, who bring in their projects that want live drums, or want to record a band, live or shoot a music video my studio has expanded and I was kind of design from the beginning to be a full-service production facility, so we do music videos and recording, as well as pre-tour productions for national touring acts. For studios to survive today they have to own the real estate, and they have to have purchased it at a great time and carry very little overhead. For people that do it as a hobby I just keep the music production as a second job you’re just a hobbyist and those guys are a dime a dozen, even if you’re really good at what you do.
The main reason is Producers and engineers reveal too much of their skills and dats like giving out all ur secrets
Maybe because you don’t need a fancy studio to record beats/noise (tick, tick, tick) inferior quality nonsensical noise. And, perhaps more important, why invest THOUSANDS of dollars into a product /song/recording that you almost are guaranteed to not make ANY money selling it because of the streaming platforms raping creators of royalties. There are no more stores that sell tangible music products. There goes your MECHANICAL royalties. Your music streams globally for not even Pennie’s on the dollar. There goes your potential for SUB PUBLISHING and PERFORMING RIGHTS royalties in foreign territories (which by these monies were always difficult to monitor even before streaming became a distribution medium). And, unless you are on one of the few major labels that has mastered the art of not paying artists fairly, it is unlikely that your song will be played on the radio in the US to ever by surveyed by ASCAP or BMI to get domestic performing rights publishing or songwriter royalties. And, you can almost forget about publishing a song. Major label artists are not interested in recording your song (EVEN IF IT IS A HIT) unless they can hustle you out of a writer’s share. That is why you see eight peoples’ names on one song as the writer. It does not take eight people to write 3:00 worth of music. These artists and producers would rather their entire project FAIL than to except a HIT from a new/outside writer. Lastly, why marry the cow when you can’t get the milk for free? People are not conditioned to think that music should be free…STREAMING. The only people REALLY PROSPERING from your music are the streaming platforms. Hope that offers some insight into your question. It is hard to invest in your craft in studio time, talent, and manufacturing when you are not making income from your product to reinvest into your product/business. FIDELITY IS OPTIONAL.
Dating my age. My first recording was on ADAT right after the reels back in the late 90s and I used MIDI too. I told him I was making a demo to send to record labels. He said why? Just make music and forget the demo. After that, my attitude totally shifted about independent recording and eventually Self Recording. Downside today, some actually buy beats and loop it which IMO is really not making music. But hey, whatever floats people's boats.
Bolo sent me and cakewalk was my first DAW
Bolo sent me here.
Supply in demand. Years ago record companies supplied to need for recording artists.
Now the demand for new technologies by the consumer have relieved the need for recording studios.
Even distribution is gone for mp3 music and cloud storage services. Consumers mostly download albums now.
Even promotion can be done by mobile applications that allow recording, editing, and distribution to your market.
To answer your comment about why studios are closing, Is a combination of technology and high expensive overhead. I currently own a medium midside studio with multiple rooms and I have been doing it for over 20 years In the NY/NJ region, And the real reason is simple: The entry point of starting A new studio is SO low that the major studios can't compete with It turns of space, Sound quality, And most importantly price. Most people nowadays don't want to spend little to no money for a studio because the music that you putting out doesn't sell or they doing it for show. Everything is streaming for the most part, But where studio owners win at is The new generation is trying to "wing it" And "figure it out" On how to properly engineer and do quality recordings for themselves . And that's something that experienced studio wins and gets to business. Nowadays you're not selling the studio you're selling expertise, Comfort and vibes. But rest assure things are about to change in the coming future with recording studios for the better.
To all new people who have studios: Just because you have a Ferrari or Lamborghini don't mean you know how to drive a stick shift.
Very well said! Mad respect for anyone still running their own facility!!
Quality doesn't count anymore. Nobody cares about quality, tape and CD time is over. As much as your song sounds fun and makes people smile or laugh, they don't care about quality. nobody cares about quality. All those distorted amapiano sound coming from south Africa are taking over
I remember Cakewalk. It was pretty much my first taste of a DAW. Personally, after recording and mixing for the last 30+ years as a hobby, I have grown rather tired of it. It has become so much about companies pushing their plug-ins or newest DAW, and less about just enjoying making music. These days I spend more time just playing guitar and singing with friends, even though I have thousands invested in recording equipment sitting there in the room with us. It seems there's more joy in simply enjoying good company and good music together.
I still continue to do some recording occasionally; however, making music in the moment over a pot of coffee and conversation is where it is. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)
Funny you should say that. When I stopped caring, that's when I started enjoying it again. In my 20's, I was so focused on "making it," it became a job....and a stressful one at that. Calling people, pitching radio stations for new music Tuesdays, driving around on the weekends to my mom-and-pop stores to try and get my CD on the shelves, etc.
I've always been a bedroom producer, it's the new norm now though
Pre-internet, i used to be able to "talk music" with ANYONE. " hey, did you hear the new Gin Blossoms or whatever". Now, when you try to talk to music with common folk, they have no idea. They say " i dont follow music, or older folk say i dont follow music anymore". I can talk music with my inner circle, but even they only have a little more knowledge, than common folk USED to have. I saw this coming with Napster in 2000. I thought " once everyone has stolen all the songs, whats next ". I feared the lackluster enthusiasm about music, that pervades everyone now. The only one selling records is Taylor Swift, and she's more on the fashionshow side of the business, than solely music. If it werent for War On Drugs, my interest in music would have waned too. They changed everything for me. Now, the good artists are obscure, and you have to actively seek them out. Radio is a useless wasteland. I wouldnt spend big bucks in a studio, either, when nobodys gonna appreciate the difference between good studio production versus what you can do on your own. Music was always a calling, but now its a calling to be homeless, unless you have another job. I long for the days, when i could say "have you heard Bernard Butlers Stay? Have you heard Elton's Tumbleweed Connection? Have you heard Michiganders song BETTER? No one cares anymore
Mac computer controller plug in and software studio is good for post and finalizing your final mixes or creating a sound
Music row in Nashville is still surviving. However, your video is correct, but I am waiting to see how Nashville responds to the tech shift. Music row, etc supports their economy.
Excellent video 👍😎💯
Thanks for the visit
Bolo The Producer sent me!
what do you think about the evolution of emulation plugins like plugin alliance and u.a.d ?...are the emulations impressive enough that it drives recording studios down further?
Nothing wrong with plugins. Do people actually buy them rather than download cracks?
Hey brother, I'm 62 yrs old and I remember going to a studio for the first time.
I was prepared because the keyboard i owned had a track machine built in. So I had the song already produced. I was wondering why I was even there.
I realized I didn't have a multitrack machine with cassette capability . Cds weren't out yet so they were either using reel to reel or tape cassette, which was on the rise. Then I visited another studio closer to home where the guy had a reel to reel process. I had to buy my own reel which was 120.00. After the visited, I thought for a long time as why am I giving my money when I can buy the stuff and do it myself...Fastfwd to todays world, I have a few analog synths as well as digital synths and drum machines.
I'm just doing it for fun. I still like to be in a band but I can't find anybody these days. We got computer instrument software out of the woodwork now.
I get it. Less equipment hauling.
It's cheating for people who just wanna push the button.
Quicker for the composers on software as you were stating.
I always have to remind myself that I am doing it for fun.
Now I can do all of the recording and do my videos as well.
Then I gotta copyright my material . I'm not a corporation , so nobody's really calling me. I can just post it online just for entertainment.
Just wanted to share the life experience since I was in my early 20"s.
This was something I got enjoyment out of and still do.
Thing is my family has no interest in it so I guess I can sell off some stuff as I get older and older..lol
Peace, in Jesus's name, take care.
Thanks for that insight! I agree with everything you said. I appreciate the technology that’s out there. It does make the whole process more efficient. But at the same time, I miss the relationship building. I once recorded an artist from Laos, A songwriter from Nashville that wrote for Johnny Cash and various other people from different walks of life ( over 20 years ago). For me those experiences were invaluable.
100% in agreement with you. I love making music but have to treat it as a hobby. It costs so much for software and we make partial pennies on streams
Same here... I just do it for fun... nothing more... nothing less.
You speaking facts 💯, it use to be mandatory and it's a lost feel, respect
i have great set up at home cost me under 5 grand..bought that in 2016..learned how to track / mix /master /make beats... haven't paid a man since
Bolo sent me here,nuff respec
Bolo sent me here🔥
big up brother!
U said it cha self King! Ai in control
Tascam 4-track Portastudio...anyone? That was my and many of my buddies save back in the day. It was tape...sounded better than early digital stuff too.
had one in college. It was an art to bouncing tracks in the right order. 😆
@@RobertFairweatherLuvMachine and Top ten hit were produced Its the story told by the song . Look at artists like Carol King.98% of the Masters of the blues and Country had a story to paint with notes and melody.
The pivotal point for me came when I moved to Los Angeles and noticed studio sessions without an engineer. Basically just a booth with equipment or byob. If all your offering is an empty space sometimes without ANY equipment YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF USELESS. It’s better to INVEST 500 into yourself and have no restrictions. And Let’s not even discuss bitter engineers that are washed up artists that’ll leak your music to anyone for clout
@BoloDaProducer sent me to your page and I subscribed. Great video!
Awesome! Thank you!
Yes, technology has greatly improved and the need for larger spaces has decreased, and so has the need for technically qualified individuals as the process of recording music has become more and more automated, allowing for the novice to be a top-notch sound engineer
For better or worse, things are changing fast in the music industry. You have to wear a lot hats to make a dime in the music game. Like in the bad old days, there are many things competing to make artists broke. From bad deals in the beginning to low streaming revenues.
Music is so fun 5:33 when you’re doing it for fun for sure
Some fair statments made but the thing is the standard of music has dropped therefore making trash mixes more acceptable in the mainstream.
That being said many clients who come to my studio from other ones is because the engineers has not kept up with the times, new sonic techniques, etc. Most of the big studios struggle with this. A new artist aint gonna care too much about ur valve LA-2A or Fairchild compressor if u cant innovate in the mix. Every 5/6 months im updating new ways of workflow, effects and styles of sounds with an industry standard finish.
That has kept me in business for many years with artist who mostly all already have home setups
I was sent by Bolo!
Bolo sent me!
Because most engineers aren't even engaged in your session. They aren't producers who take your time seriously and most feel like they are doing the client a favor.
Facts Nickel and diming for everything. It make it hard for someone trying to start only to pay and have somebody asleep at the boards
@@Fawrahyz like damn I know my track isn't that bad, cmon now.
@ 💯💯
There's a whole lot of fun when youre just doing it for fun. I thought i was the only one.
Bolo sent me here you got my sub ...
thx!
Bolo sent me here !
Subbed… BOLO sent me!🤜🏽🤛🏽
I saw the downfall coming in slow motion...i did some studio work back in 2003, and i remember having a conversation at SIR in Hollywood with Jack Blades from Night Ranger...he told me that day, hey man get yourself a mac laptop and pro tools digi002, and youre set...start building up your mics and gear after that...greatest advice ive ever gotten because it was clear to me then the whole idea of the studio was on the way out as i was able to buy the same, or similar gear as SIR on a budget of abour 12k over a few years and have been making studio quality music for 15 years...essentially for free after the intial investment...just owning a studio space is becoming untenable anymore due to prices in LA and NYC
Digi002! Yes... I actually still have a Digi003 and a Command 8 sitting in a box. Once Mbox came out, it made ProTools accessible to anyone, all you had to do was advertise you had ProTools. Artists knew ProTools was the gold standard, but didn't know enough to understand there were levels to it.
Excellent Assessment no Argument here
The tick tick tick started when Pro Tools and Cool Edit Pro came out.
Ahhhh Cool Edit Pro!! You guys are bringing up Sofware, I completely forgot about. lol I remember Cool Edit Pro.
Bolo touched on this
As an experienced artist, I figured that with less than the cash for hiring a medium/small studio a few days to a week and track/mix our stuff, I could just buy about everything I needed to track my band - computer, mics, etc- I did.
So yeah, being 50 years old now, I truly saw everything heading this way, and frankly I also happy that somehow musicians learn to have some control over at least parts of the process other than just writing and performing, stuff that was exclusively available to bigger names. There was always very bad actors in the industry that limited the opportunities out for anybody else, plus all the labels crap.
I would still gladly pay for experienced engineers for some or every part of the process if/when I can afford it, (as most musicians would probably), but with the impossibility of making good and stable enough money from even performing, also no real way to sell any physical copies of our own music (in a sustainable way), I guess it's only natural and a healthy thing to do - not to spend money you don't have nor create any dept.
Music changed too much in an incredibly short time period. It's hard to keep up and it's natural to try and avoid unnecessary risks- that alone explains a lot of what's going on in the industry from several points of views..even creatively.
It's not technology. Its affordability and way too many people using entry level gear thinking their sound is professional. Recording studios and mastering houses are still open for serious professional artists.
Man I recorded my entire last album at home free of cost …i have seen first hand in some cases artist I know go to a major studio and their sound is not up to par ….sometimes less is more if you know what you doing