Anyone here ever made a whole album alone?

[JP11]

Originally Posted by blim

Todd Rundgren did everything on three of the four sides of his Something/Anything? double album back in 1972, including the mixing, but probably not the mastering.

Hmmm, I was all ready to say "I stand corrected!" but I went surfing around to find out more about the album (gotta get that, never heard it!)...but I found an article that says he went into a studio with an engineer named James Lowe.

[JP11]

Originally Posted by digibird

"Prince" (self-titled from '79) says "All songs written by Prince" and "Produced, Arranged, Composed and Performed by Prince". Other credits include Gary Brandt - Engineer and Bernie Grundman - Mastering. So, you're right, he's not doing everything, but an impressive amount of things very well, nonetheless.

Absolutely...guys like him and Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (and Todd Rundgren) don't need to be frikkin' engineers to impress anybody. The only people who care about engineering are engineers!

[theblue1]

I have to say that the fact Prince was credited with all the instruments was the big draw when I first read about him. I don't know why, but the notion always struck me as really cool.

In fact, that was what drew me to Harry Nilsson, who was heavily involved with his first album production and arranging, singing all the parts (as I understand it), writing most of the material (of course) and pushing the limits of bouncing. I'd done my first overdub project a few years earlier when I was in junior high and I was fascinated by the idea of one person layering up a bunch of vocals. Since I couldn't sing a lick [at the time and some would say, ever ] that seemed especially exotic.

[Saudade]

Originally Posted by bogeyeater

once you've done it, poured everything into something to completion, someone can open that bottle many many years hence and feel it again.

Wow, that sentence is so beautifully written....

Yeah capturing what is abstract and converting it (as soon as possible preferably) into a finished piece is what is exciting for me. THe boring part starts when you put on the producer/A&R/realist/egoist hat and start analysing the parts and notice all the flaws and the long and painful process starts where you try too hard to make it "complete" when too often it doesn't need to be

And I am noticing I am getting better at it as I age, somehow being able to get inspired by l I just get these "flashes" (like how they illustrate people with amnesia in movies) of melodic ideas more and more often now, even in my sleep. So the kind of gear that turns me on are those that help people capture and develop ideas fast at any place and time, and those that are musically euphonic enough to inspire you further as you build the song. One day someone must invent gear that can record those amazing long music pieces I come up with in my dreams, hope that doesn't involve the use of any electrodes stuck to my skull

Great thread I enjoyed reading almost every post so far

[blim]

Originally Posted by Saudade

One day someone must invent gear that can record those amazing long music pieces I come up with in my dreams

For years, I would dream some of the most spectacularly beautiful pieces of music while sleeping. I started keeping a tiny cassette recorder under my bed so that I could capture these dream-state masterpieces upon waking up from the dream. (I would hum or sing them into the recorder, go back to sleep, and then play them back on the recorder once I had fully woken up in the morning.)

I can say that, without exception, listening to them in the light of day, everyone of these seemingly gorgeous and complex pieces of music totally sucked.

Eventually, I stopped keeping the recorder underneath my bed at night.

[AllAboutTone]

i have started a few but never finished.

[dbbubba]

Well, I guess that if I collected everything I have ever recorded of myself and by myself into compilations I would have quite a few "whole albums."
As I think for a minute I would guess I could build about six, seven or more "albums."

I have just never been so vain as to think that anyone really wanted to have these pieces as "album" collections.

I'm not selling the stuff.

They are just ridiculously involved exercises for ME.
They are a place for me to try techniques and concepts that might not fit the artists I would be normally recording.

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by Johnny Favorite

composed, arranged, played, mixed and mastered all by yourself?

Care to share any tips or thoughts about the process?

And, most important, was it worth it?

My last album "ghosts"
I'm pleased, decent sales (considering I released it myself) and no returns yet!!!

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by theblue1

Don't know if that's directed at me (I had just pointed out a link to my own music in my sig line in a post immediately above yours) and it's okay if it is...

But, frankly, I was a little disappointed more people weren't putting links to their music. (Though no one, I don't think, should feel like they have to.)


Me, I enjoy it if people hear my music and like it -- but I know it's not something all that many like and that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Like I said somewhere lately (maybe much earlier in this thread), I make music for myself, first. Because that is the only person I know, for sure, will hear it. And I'm perfectly cool with that.

Why would you think it was directed towards you? I actuall like your songs
I admit I wouldn't buy it but I though the few tunes I've heard from you that were quailty and were in a very small way actually original.

Every band I was ever in has gotten beaten down by the critics. Why do you think Im so insecure? keep up the good work blue man you have a decent voice too.

[kafka]

Originally Posted by allencollins

I admit I wouldn't buy it but I though the few tunes I've heard from you that were quailty and were in a very small way actually original.

Dude, you have one silver tongue there. Way to pour on the flattery!

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by allencollins

Why would you think it was directed towards you? I actuall like your songs
I admit I wouldn't buy it but I though the few tunes I've heard from you that were quailty and were in a very small way actually original.

Every band I was ever in has gotten beaten down by the critics. Why do you think Im so insecure? keep up the good work blue man you have a decent voice too.

Only 'cause yours was right below mine. So it was assumed guilt by proximity.

But, really, it would have been OK, anyhow. I mean, I really like having a guy around whose personality is at least a little spikier than mine.

It's all completely good. You and me are fine.

You keep the rest of us on our toes. Every tribe needs a Jerehmiah -- but that can be tough, exhausting work... I just hope you're enjoying life.



A little story for all you youngsters like Allen... (Heck, we've all got time for a little story from the old guy, eh? ;^)


I've always been a kind of spiky guy, for sure. I was quick to find fault and blame growing up. I looked down on my fellow teenagers (at least until I realized I was going to have to socialize with them to get a girl). I came alive in college but then I found myself four years later in a dead end job, my 3 year ex-GF in Europe with one of my college drinkin' buddies who was one of her teachers.

It was the dreary years toward what would prove to be the end of the Vietnam war. I became involved in a hopeless love affair. (We needn't go into the details. Suffice it to say there were secrets and betrayal and the living of lies.)

After that impossible to fulfill desire turned inevitably to emotional defeat and emptiness, I grew ever more dark and cynical... I was always saying that I hated this or that. And it was sincere, I felt it. I was defining an ever-larger slice of the world -- the world I live in / the world I carry around inside my head -- as ugly, evil, vapid, greedy, stupid, just plain bad.

I felt like that ugliness was growing every day and the little bit of light and right in which I stood was shrinking.

And it was destroying me.

I hit a kind of rock bottom. I got physically ill, first a cold, then bronchitis, then pneumonia, ran high fevers, wouldn't let my friends tell my folks, who I was alienated from at the time. I remember being in a delirium and hearing my friends whisper about calling an ambulance. I pulled myself deeper into my sweaty blankets and just hoped everyone would go away. Somehow I sweated it out and started getting better.


I spent a while recuperating and did a lot of reading. I read everything from mysticism to self-help books... and one of the things that really started taking shape for me was that by reacting to the world as I had, by pulling away in revulsion and anger, I was relinquishing dominion over a big part of my world to darkness and fear. It was the world as it existed in my head that was poisoning me -- not the real world which was/is what it is.

I started looking at those around me who had driven me repeatedly to anger and realized that, at any given moment, their actions were simply growing out of their experience. That, perverse as they might at times seem on the surface, they were acting out the product of their experience and their reaction to it.

But then I realized that my angry response to whatever the supposed provocation was, was what was poisoning me. It wasn't the event/action/provocation -- there was nothing I could do about that once whatever it was had trasnpired -- but the one thing I could have some kind of influence on was my reaction.

As an exercise, I looked at the world as though I was the only one that had free will. Even as I wrestled with the notion that free will seems so incredibly improbable...

But imagining that others were simply acting out what for them was a natural reaction to the sum of their experience up to that moment was immensely freeing... all of a sudden, the world was still a dangerous place, perhaps, but it was no longer one of ever-increasing malevolence for me, either. It was just as it is...

But...

I still found myself frustrated and angry... with myself. I found myself reacting with anger and allowing myself to contract in negative abreaction instead of expanding in an attempt to embrace and understand. I was frustrated and angry with myself -- almost out of habit.

And I finally realized, wait, I have to extend to myself the same sort of cosmic, value-neutral 'forgiveness' that I've been extending to others... I have to forgive myself for my anger even as I'm forgiving whatever jagoff I'm angry at.

I'm kidding. But I'm not kidding.

It's oft-repeated and one doesn't get it until one gets it... but, ultimately, the way we change the world around us is by changing the way we react to it. Call it an acceptance of the microcosm within the macrocosm, call it mysticism, call it the Tao, call it Christian love, or any of another thousand names, but there's this way...

I dunno... it probably just sounds like hippie happy talk.

[cennay]

I am doing it right now. It is like masturbation, way more funny than adult sex with real other people. and it is a hobby too...
And i moved between two continent. with my studio and som of the gear... And will do again in one year, the second album is already in my head...


it is like 8 songs for now, but it will be a 12 song album, only two are on myspace, (wich is lame anyway) and i like a lot more than playing in bands. Recording guys might not like how it sounds tho.


The hard part is to incorporate the thing that you are alone, and not trying to fool people about that...

this one here is more of a esquisse, the problem would be that i would sit somewhere, play something and record it just to see what to add, and then realize, since i played it just for fun, that i didn t use a click, and i was often really out of the tempo, but i coulnd't do it again, me being a stupid drummer.

so here you go, fisrt take on bass, drums and vocals... not the final version tho.


sorry, not uploading... i don't know why, maybe later


y

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by theblue1

A little story for all you youngsters like Allen...

How old are you? Or is that a cheap shot....... cuz I act immature?

[theblue1]

Let's just say I'm qualified for the sunset senior discount down at the Denny's.

So you're pretty much all kids to me.


That's all I was saying...

[Johnny Favorite]

The blue, thanks for the story, I appreciate it.

[bulls hit]

Originally Posted by theblue1

But then I realized that my angry response to whatever the supposed provocation was, was what was poisoning me. It wasn't the event/action/provocation -- there was nothing I could do about that once whatever it was had trasnpired -- but the one thing I could have some kind of influence on was my reaction.

Good post.

I remember reading a book back in the 90s called Your Erroneous Zones (or something). The whole point of the book was that saying things like 'He really made me angry' is actually bullshit. He can't make me be or feel anything. I choose to be angry all by myself.

It was that idea of personal choice over one's emotions that stuck with me

[larrykane]

Yes have done that.
The A #1 shortcoming in my opinion is that the groove, no matter how good, is played from one man's perspective. There is something valuable about how everybody has a different "internal clock" which can widen the groove of a project. I remember one song where I tried to layer multiple hand claps-it was pretty much a joke because it didn't sound like a bunch of people because the time was all in the same spot. Similarly, having a different person play bass than the one who plays drums can really help the human feel of a project. If you are using all sequences, having more than one guy program the seqences helps as well. It's a great feeling to know you can do the whole deal alone, for sure, but there really is strength in numbers. IMHO

[theblue1]

Thanks for the kind words, Bulls and Johnny.

Of course, I don't mean to suggest for an instant that I've achieved any sort of steady state enlightenment... let's just say that gaining some control of how I react to things really helped me deal with my innate moodiness and more than occasional temper issues. (I was pretty much a terror when I was a kid.) When I ended up in the hospital for two months after a nasty wreckabout 5 years later when I was 29 (a car t-boned me on my motorcycle; their fault, not mine), a lot of my old friends seemed surprised that I was able to handle things with what some kind of equanimity. (Of course, it didn't hurt that I was tanked on morphine the first 3 or 4 weeks. )


I'll just say, if I hadn't got some control of my reactions to things around me, I don't think I'd be here to be boring and long winded...




And back on topic...

larrykane -- I've been kicked off handclap detail in my own productions more than a couple timies. (The only thing that saved me the last time it came up was that someone showed me the 'trick' of leaving your 'subordinate' hand in one place and only moving your 'dominant' hand... which did seem to tighten up my timing considerably... but there's no way my handclap overdubs would ever be too on the money... that's something to aspire to, for me.

[Anaon]

Hi!

Fantastic thread! I'm doing the same for years now but I believe that the end is near

Well I admit that even if I play the drums, I thought it would be a better idea to let a friend, far better than myself, plays the drums.

But I play all the other instruments (guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals) and have to deal with a "low cost" environment.

It's not really a choice even if I love so many different instruments, and I love recording and trying stuffs during mixing, but I never really found the right musicians to play with me... And as a Mike Oldfield fan, I've probably been influenced...

The bad thing is that there's no one to tell me that I'm spending too much time on something, or that it sounds probably enough good (or just really bad). One judgement is probably never enough...

But it remains a fantastic experiment! (even if I can't wait to finish this album!!)

[cennay]

it is not for now, because i am moving, but to all the guys who did an album all alone, and had problems with the drums, when my studio is settle down, i am on the market for a gretsch, but in one month or so...


I WILL RECORD YOUR DRUM PARTS!
as long as it is simple beats, and the music interrests me. it will be a three mics recording, and you edit after that if need so.
i play drum for 10 years, started at 8.

yeeep

[BudgetMC]

Originally Posted by theblue1

I became involved in a hopeless love affair. (We needn't go into the details. Suffice it to say there were secrets and betrayal and the living of lies.)

Hey... I was in that same love affair! But I did it in the 90's. Spanned three continents, it did.

Did get some songs out of it, at least...

[theblue1]

Living and feeling can be a great source of inspiration.

[Old Goat]

Originally Posted by theblue1

Living and feeling can be a great source of inspiration.

Yeah, most of my CD came from a doomed love affair, and the one after it.

Nice story, blue. I've got a couple years to go for the discount, though.

[DONNX]

Originally Posted by digibird

...and I knew you would hate to miss the album cover from the '79 Prince release I mentioned, so here ya go...

NICE!!!

[thelordhastits]

Originally Posted by bogeyeater

• me vs me locked in a room with a bunch of machines for 3 of those years didn't do fabulous things for my mental health. i've had to come to terms with the fact that some of that damage is permanent.
• seven years is epic stupid. been seriously lost up my own ass a good few times. taken some major blind alleys.
• it's frustrating and limiting and above all else irritating. making music mainly annoys the s*hit out of me until i've cracked the code to a track. then i think i'm Lord Muck for about 24hrs before reality hits that no one will get to hear it and even if they do.... so what???

Oh man, did you EVER nail it. I know the feeling all too well. I am really critical and a control freak, so naturally I want to record everything myself. I released my first album in 2004, to some mixed acclaim. If interested, it can be checked out here.

Warning: It's not your typical rock songwriting!

But, a few years down the road, I am finding I am doing it again. The first album was done on a more than modest budget, and time and experience have allowed me to learn much more and make some great gear choices while honing my skills. At the end of the day, it is tremendously satisfying to have a set of songs and smile and say "Yep, I did that".

I'll probably start recording a follow up to this record (after 4 years and people telling me they liked it, even when reviewers said they didn't). I had to stop chasing fans and get out of that headspace, realize I enjoyed creating the music, and THAT'S WHAT MATTERS. thumbsup

[Stevedresser83]

Done it many times but never sing. However, I did start a 12 song project last year and gave up on it half way through. I'll start it over again but probably just do drum samples cause drums in my room suck. Or maybe play the v-drums triggering BFD or superior which I've had good success with lately.

[malawk]

I did this a few years ago using one Art DPS II preamp (drums were done through a Soundcraft I think) and I monitored through a Behringer desk throughout.

Contrary to some of your experiences I thoroughly enjoyed the process, from the initial writing process and song selection right through to the end result. The satisfation fo finding and perfecting(hey its all relative!) every single little part I found particularly rewarding, as just when the songs starts getting old, it gets revived.

I am all for collaboration and the "magic" that a band can create, but after stuggling to find like minded musos for the 2nd album, im thinking of going the same route again.

You can hear the result at MySpace.com - MALAWK - London, UK - Rock / Alternative / Emo - www.myspace.com/malawk

Disclaimer: I did not drum on the album(arguably the best bits on the album!) and I did not master.

Took 3 months overall using my little studios down time.

Malawk

[rolo]

yup, sure have. 11 cd's worth. it's a joint effort between myself and a friend, but every step was done in house with no outside help. i developed a small indie label so that i could also sell my cd's without being *****'d out by a typical label. i also did my own websites and set up distribution. everything's on my site... www.seventythreerecords.com

it's a ton of work, but i'm very satisfied. being able to have total control of every aspect makes up for the extended amount of time it takes to finish the projects. i've been lucky to have built a substantial fan base to cover the costs of my endeavours.

[taturana]

I've done many cd's and soundtracks that way... it's cool but i'd rather be playing with a good band any day.... the sex/masturbation analogy is pretty much right on. And also i miss the talking and joking around too... e

The first record i did like this "Onomatopea" was recorded and mixed/mastered by myself in 2001 and it was quick.. I was at a band at that time and delays and frustrations made me record it. I wanted it to finish quickly (unlike my band's cd which was taking a lot of time.) just to prove that it could happen. And it sounded fine and i got a lot of work from it.

Now, most of the times i choose to have at least one musical partner to bounce ideas back and forth... most of the times it's a drummer or percussionist and sometimes a lyrics writer/singer...

I am currently recording a Jimi Hendrix tribute cd and while i am originally playing all instruments and singing, i get a real drummer to overdub my original drum programming... It's been great so far and we have had a great band feel to the recording... I am also taking it to another engineer for mastering to guarantee the quality ( i am much too involved in it to master it...)

I am also making a cd with clarinet maestro/virtuoso Paulo Moura where i play all instruments in the backing track, correct them with the help of mr.moura and then overdub them with other musicians. While that takes a bit of time and effort, i've gotten the exact results i want as a producer and it's a lot easier to convince a musician to do something when he knows you can do it too.

[Johnny Favorite]

Taturana, Paulo Moura? Love his work, very nice to know a fellow gearslut is producing him, I`ll make sure to check the final result.

I`m in Rio de Janeiro, where are you recording it? I`ll check the Hendrix tribute CD also, I can`t resist...