The Dangers of Home Recording

We all know about the wondrous conveniences modern technology has bestowed upon us, particularly here in the world of home recording. But there’s a dark side – an evil, subtle underbelly, if you will – that I’d like to warn you about so you can keep your eyes peeled for signs of disturbances in your own experience and hopefully keep them in check. Granted, my particular personality may be more prone to these than yours, but at the off-chance that we’re of kindred spirit (and we are, aren’t we?), I feel it my duty to tell you….

Health

Long hours spent in front of a computer screen wreak havoc on your eyes and posture, so be sure to take breaks often. I’ve taken the habit of doing a 2 to 3-minute dance whenever I get up to stretch. Well, it is music we’re dealing with here after all. I find the dancing invigorating to both my mind and body, so I’d highly recommend incorporating it into your workflow. It’ll give you a fresher perspective on your mix, and the increased blood circulation will benefit your ears and any body parts you might need for the next part you’re going to record.

It’s too easy to snack and absent-mindedly eat a lot of junk food during recording sessions. I become something of a Coke™ fiend when I’m recording, fueled by the sugar and caffeine, but I try to always drink at least as much water as I do soda in an attempt to balance it out until I get the cola habit under control. Unfortunately, this means an increased number of visits to the restroom, disrupting my workflow, so be sure to plan accordingly. And for heaven’s sake, eat some vegetables! A bowl of sliced cantaloupes or a plate of raw baby carrots is much better for you and less fattening than those delicious chocolate covered pretzels. Mmmm…chocolate covered pretzels.

You’ll also need to remember that your body needs sleep, so at least occasionally make it a point to shut down your gear before sunrise. It’s good to break those sessions down into smaller chunks anyway as it’ll give your ears a chance to rest from the sonic barrage, and fresh ears are key to any recording endeavor. And you are listening without headphones sometimes and at varying volumes, aren’t you? You’ve got to mix it up.

Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)

Yes, GAS can really stink up your bank account. Be careful not to spend too much money on gear you think you might need, especially if you try to rationalize it by saying, “It’ll pay for itself one day.” Uh huh. Well, it might but that’s often a risky gamble. Whenever you can, only get gear you absolutely must have and only spend money that you already have (no credit cards, Richie Rich).

Closely related to GAS, and often the direct cause of it, is Gear Lust. What’s the latest thing out there? Ooh, look at the shiny lights! Rosewood or maple, hmmm. It’s good to be on top of what’s happening in the industry, but trust me it can be a time-sucker too. Those minutes searching, comparing and planning how to implement those products into your system can really add up.

Fortunately, I think I’ve mostly broken this habit. The first step was to begin throwing those Sweetwater, Musician’s Friend, et al catalogs straight into the recycle bin as soon as they arrived. (You may even want to kindly unsubscribe to them if you can. That includes their email newsletters too, chief.) Second, I’ve decided to make the most of the existing gear I have, to work within the limits of my set-up’s abilities. There’s no way I’m using even half of what it’s capable of, and there’s no magic piece of kit that will suddenly turn me into a good singer or make my recordings sound like Dark Side of the Moon. Work with what you’ve got. It can take a long time to learn it, but probably not as long as it’ll take to pay off the debt you’ll incur if you aren’t careful.

Solo vs Group

One cool thing about using an app like Garageband is that you don’t really need a full band to flesh out your musical ideas. No more worries about the drummer’s work schedule, or your tuba player’s wife not letting him out to play! Plus, it’s purely your vision, untainted by any outside informers.

But that’s where the danger lies. It’s easy to be too self-indulgent, to not be able to recognize when you’ve gone too far (or not far enough). That second pair of ears and ideas that collaborators bring could really take your song to the next level, if that’s what you’re looking for. They can also tell you when something’s not working and point out sour notes that you may be too close to the project to hear. Not to mention the camaraderie a band provides…would the Beatles have been as charming, awesome and productive if they had only been John Lennon? I think not.

Home recording can entail long, lonely hours with little accomplished at times. Be prepared. Fortunately, there are dozens of online communities you can join where others are happy to help out with critiques and suggestions, and you may even find a collaborator there if you want one.

You Can Do Anything You Want…

…anytime you want!

That sounds awesome, and it is. However, sometimes such complete freedom can lead to an inability to get anything done!

This danger has bitten me most recently in connection with this very Truman’s Hat project. There are so many things I want to do – so many things I can do – with it that I find myself spending more time creating and arranging ideas than I do implementing them. Then, it gets overwhelming, and I end up doing nothing on it for weeks at a time. Also, the fact that I could do something on it at any time I want to makes it easy to put it off until the weekend. And then until Monday. And then until Thursday. And then…well, you get the picture.

With great freedom comes great responsibility, and one of my resolutions is to prioritize this project and return it to the shape of my original vision. And that includes finally finishing the recording and mixing of the music itself, as well as keeping this site updated with hopefully useful information. So the key is, don’t let freedom water down your goals.

And there you have it, some potential dangers you may encounter throughout your home recording journey. Can you think of any others I’ve overlooked?