You Record Where?

“Where ya ass was at when we recorded in the bathroom?” Any guess whose line that was? No? Anyone? That was Drake, the rapper most known as the rich Lil Wayne protégé who spent his childhood on a Canadian tv show. While it may be debatable whether or not Drake really started from the bottom, he very well may have recorded in a bathroom at some point. Why not record in a studio? Umm, let's see:

1. Studios are expensive. A small studio can cost as low as $30 per hour while top studios can charge over $200 per hour.

2. Studios are few and far between. Do you have one in your city? Do you know where? What are their hours? Who do you talk to to get in? If you have answers to all these questions, I'd be very impressed.

3. It's anywhere from free to cheap to record on your own. And with advancing technologies, musicians are more and more able to make their homemade music sound good.

Wherever You Go There You Are In today's society, an aspiring musician needs three things:

1. A powerful computer (preferably a Mac)

2. Recording software (preferably paid for)

3. A decent microphone/spit guard/stand

Anything else is icing on the cake. I know, some people say you need a sound-proof room with good acoustics or your music will sound like shit. I disagree. I've recorded music in band rooms and I've recorded in rooms full of windows letting all kinds of background noise in. With the capabilities of today's software, it's more important to know how to produce a good sound. Professors from music schools would scoff at that claim. But let me ask you this. Do you think every rapper and singer who got famous releasing mixtapes recorded in a studio? Sounds like a study for you aspiring sociologists. Aspiring Recorders, Expect Obstacles Recording can be a nerve-racking undertaking. It's even more nerve-racking to be the artist, producer, and engineer. So many questions race through your mind. Do I have all my equipment? Can I turn my phone off? Have I minimized background noise? Is there anyone around to interrupt me? Are my lyrics all good? Ok, *eh-hem, *click, "No input device selected". Damn it! "Honey the dryer is done." I bet just reading that gave you massive anxiety. I've recorded hundreds of songs, and on most of them I had hang-ups. Here are my top 5:

1. My dad banging around in the kitchen as loud as he can because he hates my music (I know, it is his house)

2. Birds starting to chirp as the sun comes up

3. My ex-gf coming in just as I was about to perfect a verse to tell me to come to bed

4. The tuba-player in the band room next to me

5. My horrible stuttering problem when I'm stressed

I've taken a break from recording to get my life together. But if I did record, it would be in my parents' sunroom. It's a blessing to know I have a place to go when I fall on hard times. Would I like my own place? Yes. Would I like shitloads of money? Of course. Do I want to pay to record in a professional recording studio? Fuck no.

Comment at will.