In need of help, regarding recording.

[ThePreamble]

Well, I don't know if this is in the right place, but I hope it is.
So, my band has two originals and we're writing a third one now. We wanna get a demo done so we can put it/them on our myspace and try to get gigs. But as we're students, we do have monitary(sp) constraits. I was wondering if anybody could tell me what's the best place to get a recording done for a good price with good quality? Also, how long roughly will it take to record one song? Thanks!

Also, I have edrums at home, is it possible to record ourselves? :/

 

[traqstyle]

possible

There are many studio's out there, a quick google will point to them, a phone call will let you know what kind of results you can achieve with your budget.

Yes! definitely you can record yourselves, but like everything else there are pit falls you have to look out for.

Do a search in the forums, you'll get an idea of what the basics are for home recording.

Good Luck!

 

[Enjaykayb]

You may wanna get in contact with the boys over at Sound Advice studio in Joo Chiat.

 

[squarehero]

Yes, you can definitely do it at home but you have to buy all your mics and learn how to use them. And you have to treat room acoustics. My advice is to do it in a proper recording studio. Practice at home.

To give you an idea how terrible room acoustic problems are, watch this video on sound absorption and diffusers.

You may also want to get yourself a friend to be a producer to give a second opinion and to be the waterboy while recording. Make sure this person understands the kind of sound and feeling your music should have.

Once you record, you may want to have someone mix and master it for that commercial sheen. I have not much experience with the mixing/mastering studios here but pick one that does your kind of music. The engineers are usually only as good as the genres they are familiar with.

Don't go for something that is too cheap. I see mixing engineers charge $5 a song at their websites and I think that's crazy. It isn't a proper mix. Either the balance is off somewhere or the singer seems to not blend with the song or the instruments are not properly EQed and tightened etc. Songs are not that easy to mix. If you have very good players, then yes, it may be easier but to achieve the correct feel and balance requires some time.

If you are game for trying something new, you can send the recorded multitrack overseas to mix/master. Try out one of the engineers at Elance. Usually they are students or new to the field so they are cheaper.