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Home Studio Recording - How To Record An Album For Under $5000

Any composer's dream is to have their own, extensive back catalogue of albums they've recorded over a lifetime. Something that when they're 60 years of age, they will be able to look back on and ponder the recording days of their youth with grandchildren. I know this is something I hope to be able to do when the time comes! Always though, something gets in the way; whether it's time, songs, ideas, but most of all, money! Really though, is money such an issue these days given the expansive and ever growing recording industry? Much to the detestation of studio owners, recording these days has become a whole lot more affordable!

"Record an album for under $5000?", you say - how can this be? So you've made some enquiries with various facilities in your surrounding areas and have found that most studios start at $750 a day! But that's only 6 days! Looks like you'll be recording a very rushed album then! Then again, maybe not? The reason most of these 'expensive' studios cost so much is either rent or the amount of gear they have. Depending on your visions of how the album is to be recorded, there are many different ways to cut costs, but not necessarily on the quality of the recordings. Many smaller studios cater more towards recording the smaller parts to the puzzle. They offer tremendous savings with no real drawbacks!

Do you really need to spend 6 days in a $750 or more per day studio? Is all that extra gear and space really necessary to record vocals? Given that most recordings only use one microphone to record vocals, why pay all that extra money to have all that gear sitting around doing nothing? The same rule applies to bass guitar, acoustic guitar, cello... you name it! Besides recording drums, an orchestra or choir, who really needs copious amount of gear at all times in the studio? I think you get it now: you don't have to pay big bucks to make a great sounding record!

You may not need to enter an expensive studio at all. If recording real drums is proving to be too difficult (or expensive!), why not use a Drum Workstation such as BFD or Digidesign's strike? Sure it may not have the presence of a real drummer, but given your funding restrictions, it can be a great way to compose a really interesting and creative drum part without all the hassles of using a real drummer and drum kit. Due to the great sounds and realism of such programmes, programming drums is not only for dance music in this day and age!

As there are pro and cons on both sides when it comes to using sampled drums verses real drums, it's a great idea to consider which option is best for you and your budget. Some questions you may ask yourself are: "Do I actually have a good drummer to use for the recording sessions?", "Will using sampled drums affect the feel and vibe of the recording in an adverse fashion?", "Can I afford a session drummer during rehearsals in the lead up to the recording?"

Drum Workstations aren't the only digital instruments available within the studio. There are realistic workstations for Orchestra, Piano, Electric Pianos, Bass, Synths...the list goes on. Again, the real thing is always better, but many Workstations do a great job of emulating instruments of which they set out to do. Adding these sounds to recorded instruments often blend well and no one will be any the wiser! These are ideas to consider when recording your next project!

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