I'm in a young Irish band based in Cincinnati and we are looking to record our first real CD. We recorded a few tracks for our demo CD in a studio in someone's home, but that was pretty expensive. We were paying $60 an hour, so we couldn't really perfect any of our tracks, and we had to record our vocals seperately from our instruments, which really complicatied things.
So, I'm looking for any and all advice for how to record a good CD. Is in normal to record the vocals seperately from the instruments? How much would a real CD be expected to cost? (I was hoping to be spending around 1 grand to record it.) How much does it cost to make each CD with its cover etc?
Are there any studios you would recommend in/around Cincinnati?
Thanks,
Jimmy
I'm in the band called The Real McCoys. We play at Molly Malone's (formerly the Dubliner) and the Brazenhead in Mason. We have also played at the Claddagh.
We play traditional tunes and Irish/Scottish Folk songs.
You can hear some of our music at:
www.purevolume.com/therealmcoys
We've got some good stuff, but I'm still working on getting the band better. We actually will be playing a couple short slots at Tallstacks! We really haven't met much of the Cincinnati Irish trad crowd, but if you want to see us at Tallstacks, Molly Malone's, or Brazenhead, we will be posting our gigs on our website.
Jimmy
you can also consider making your CD available via downloads rather than investing in having CDs made. There is a legal folk download service at www.wovenwheatwhispers.co.uk
Nice stuff but you forgot a “C” in your link. www.purevolume.com/therealmccoys should get you there.
As to recording I would say that the isolation versus no isolation of either an instrument or vocals depends upon the sound you are after, the quality of the engineer, as well as the quality and capabilities of the recording equipment. The one clear advantage to isolating each participant is that there is no bleed through so that one can punch in a correction if necessary. This obviously saves re-recording the entire track if there are any parts of it that are not acceptable. Past this the advice of someone with greater technical knowledge than I should be followed.
As far as cost goes I would shop around a bit as I have found that studio recording and mixing costs in my area (NYC Metro) vary quite considerably. The last two tracks we recorded were at a rate of $25.00 per hour and took us three hours to record and mix such as we did. This is pretty much the lowest cost per hour I found but I have been quoted up to $110.00 per hour. These were recorded with-out isolation and only through microphones, no DI at all. We were seated in a semi-circle just as though we were performing. Now mind you we were only after demo tracks and not necessarily tracks to include on a saleable CD.
I too have done some recording work in my time. I was able to find some small studios that catered to indie artists/bands and were willing to work with you concerning rates if you could guarantee a certain minimum amount of studio time (a package deal). Before signing or committing to a studio, make sure you talk with the engineer who'll work your project; tour the studio, including the recording room(s); get an idea of the equipment there; also decide ahead of time if you're going to have that studio master your work or if that'll go to some other studio / operation.
Also...decide on the type of sound you want. If you want it to sound like you're in a session (and record as much as possible together), make sure the studio can accommodate your space requirement. Recording individual tracks will be laborious, but you'll realize a much higher-quality product in the end (the engineer can adjust each track as needed, when needed; for example, a slightly out-of-tune instrument or vocal can instantly come back into tune).
Bottom line is that you can make this as expensive as you want, depending on the time you want to put into the project and what results you're aiming for. Ask around at music stores for info on independent studios (and operations out of the home aren't a bad thing -- my daughter's boyfriend does exactly that for a living in Montgomery, AL). You may find just the right place by referral from a friend-of-a-friend.
I'm from Cincinnati and I don't remember meeting you before. Do you have any of your group recordings online that I might be able to listen to? Also, I know a good studio in Northern Kentucky run by a really helpful fellow named Bill Gwynne. I'll look up the studio information and get back to you.
Recording a CD
Recording a CD
I'm in a young Irish band based in Cincinnati and we are looking to record our first real CD. We recorded a few tracks for our demo CD in a studio in someone's home, but that was pretty expensive. We were paying $60 an hour, so we couldn't really perfect any of our tracks, and we had to record our vocals seperately from our instruments, which really complicatied things.
So, I'm looking for any and all advice for how to record a good CD. Is in normal to record the vocals seperately from the instruments? How much would a real CD be expected to cost? (I was hoping to be spending around 1 grand to record it.) How much does it cost to make each CD with its cover etc?
Are there any studios you would recommend in/around Cincinnati?
Thanks,
Jimmy
# Posted on September 5th 2006 by jimipiper
Re: Recording a CD
hey, i live in the nati too and i dont think i have once met you. what band are you in, and do you play trad or...?
# Posted on September 6th 2006 by AEisenheim
Re: Recording a CD
I'm in the band called The Real McCoys. We play at Molly Malone's (formerly the Dubliner) and the Brazenhead in Mason. We have also played at the Claddagh.
We play traditional tunes and Irish/Scottish Folk songs.
You can hear some of our music at:
www.purevolume.com/therealmcoys
We've got some good stuff, but I'm still working on getting the band better. We actually will be playing a couple short slots at Tallstacks! We really haven't met much of the Cincinnati Irish trad crowd, but if you want to see us at Tallstacks, Molly Malone's, or Brazenhead, we will be posting our gigs on our website.
Jimmy
# Posted on September 6th 2006 by jimipiper
Re: Recording a CD
you can also consider making your CD available via downloads rather than investing in having CDs made. There is a legal folk download service at www.wovenwheatwhispers.co.uk
# Posted on September 6th 2006 by patsy
Re: Recording a CD
Jimmy,
Nice stuff but you forgot a “C” in your link. www.purevolume.com/therealmccoys should get you there.
As to recording I would say that the isolation versus no isolation of either an instrument or vocals depends upon the sound you are after, the quality of the engineer, as well as the quality and capabilities of the recording equipment. The one clear advantage to isolating each participant is that there is no bleed through so that one can punch in a correction if necessary. This obviously saves re-recording the entire track if there are any parts of it that are not acceptable. Past this the advice of someone with greater technical knowledge than I should be followed.
As far as cost goes I would shop around a bit as I have found that studio recording and mixing costs in my area (NYC Metro) vary quite considerably. The last two tracks we recorded were at a rate of $25.00 per hour and took us three hours to record and mix such as we did. This is pretty much the lowest cost per hour I found but I have been quoted up to $110.00 per hour. These were recorded with-out isolation and only through microphones, no DI at all. We were seated in a semi-circle just as though we were performing. Now mind you we were only after demo tracks and not necessarily tracks to include on a saleable CD.
Good luck with the project.
Peace,
Ed
# Posted on September 6th 2006 by ejsant
Re: Recording a CD
Hi, Jimmy!
I too have done some recording work in my time. I was able to find some small studios that catered to indie artists/bands and were willing to work with you concerning rates if you could guarantee a certain minimum amount of studio time (a package deal). Before signing or committing to a studio, make sure you talk with the engineer who'll work your project; tour the studio, including the recording room(s); get an idea of the equipment there; also decide ahead of time if you're going to have that studio master your work or if that'll go to some other studio / operation.
Also...decide on the type of sound you want. If you want it to sound like you're in a session (and record as much as possible together), make sure the studio can accommodate your space requirement. Recording individual tracks will be laborious, but you'll realize a much higher-quality product in the end (the engineer can adjust each track as needed, when needed; for example, a slightly out-of-tune instrument or vocal can instantly come back into tune).
Bottom line is that you can make this as expensive as you want, depending on the time you want to put into the project and what results you're aiming for. Ask around at music stores for info on independent studios (and operations out of the home aren't a bad thing -- my daughter's boyfriend does exactly that for a living in Montgomery, AL). You may find just the right place by referral from a friend-of-a-friend.
Good luck!
Paul
# Posted on September 6th 2006 by pn5jn
Re: Recording a CD
I'm from Cincinnati and I don't remember meeting you before. Do you have any of your group recordings online that I might be able to listen to? Also, I know a good studio in Northern Kentucky run by a really helpful fellow named Bill Gwynne. I'll look up the studio information and get back to you.
# Posted on September 10th 2006 by Tipperaryharper