Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960
There's an alternative argument to this. It may actually be cheaper in the long run to just go to a good studio and have a pro record you. When I got into this almost 20 years ago, I just wanted enough gear to record myself and have it sound halfway decent. "Halfway decent" soon gave way to "pretty good" and eventually to "very good." Over the course of two decades, I've spent $60k (probably more) on studio gear ...by the way, that number does NOT include instruments.
On top of the economic consideration, there is also a time consideration. Recording is an art. Mixing is an art. Mastering is an art. It's going to take a considerable investment in time before one has mastery of even one aspect of the process, let along mastery of all three. The time it takes to learn these skills is time you won't be playing and writing.
Alternatively, going into a studio you have the benefit of their years of experience and their tools (which are likely to be of a better quality than what most beginners start off using). You'll get music out faster and it's almost certainly going to be better than what you'd accomplish on your own for quite some time.
Not trying to discourage anyone, but going in with eyes open is better than having it sneak up on you.
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Thanks for your insights Jim! Yours is a perspective that I hadn't considered, and a much needed caveat. I personally don't know anyone doing home recording that has invested anywhere near the $60K that you mention you've spent, but if you've done it then I must concede that others have as well. As such, then going the professional studio route could prove less expensive in the long run.
My own personal experience has been that after almost 50 years of home recording I probably have yet to reach the $10K level of expenditure. I don't know the total number of songs that I've recorded in that time, but I would estimate it to be easily no less than 200, which means that each of those songs on average cost me about $50 to produce at home. If the cost of professional studio time is $35 per hour (as Winfred mentioned), then that might be less expensive than home recording depending on the efficiency of the studio and the artist involved. For myself, the pro studio would've ended up being a lot more expensive since I typically spend multiple hours of studio time for each song as I work out different arrangements and try various production techniques which would have been "on the clock". But regardless of cost, the biggest downside for me using a pro studio for all those years would have been all the countless times I would have missed the fun of playing and experimenting on the spur of the moment in my own studio.