I like recording music on my own…

That’s an important differentiator to lead with. The simple fact that I want to be a solo recording artist is the biggest pro I can think of.

If you DON’T want to be a solo recording artist but have been forced into that situation, either by way of lack of musically-inclined friends (been there), or you do have a bunch of musically-inclined friends that feel the need to force their way on every creative decision (unfortunately, I’ve also been there), then we have a very different lens to view the situation you’ve found yourself in.

I’m going to (in this and coming articles) attempt to be as pragmatic as I can to explain what I think is going to be better and what is going to be worse, as the result of recording alone. My goal is to provide some useful lessons to those of you already in my camp (from my own plethora of mistakes), and for the rest of you, attempt to convince you that making music alone can be both rewarding and, viewed through appropriate perspective, better than a purely collaborative approach.

I should make a couple of disclaimers early on:

  • 1) While I do record music alone, I do have valuable outlets that allow my work to be reviewed and critiqued; and
  • 2) I’m going to shamelessly promote my own music (fozzielogic.info, for anyone who is interested)

OK, let’s get started.

I’m not an optimist at heart, so I’m going to start with the cons.

Cons

  1. There won’t be anyone around to tell you that your performance or recording stinks.

    Let’s face it, we’re all going to write some crap songs. However, that’s not what we’re here to discuss. If you want that narrative, head to my solo songwriters section. On the other side of the fence, once you have a song, rubbish or otherwise, you’re going to want to record it (I’m making that assumption based on the fact that you’re reading this).

    When you do start recording it, there are many things that will make sure that the recording doesn’t work. In order to avoid those, here are some golden rules for recording:
    1. Play in tune. Spend the extra five minutes and make sure that if you get the best take in the history of music you don’t find that it is unusable because of an out-of-tune B-string.
    2. Play in time. This one is a little less strict. However, it all depends on what you’re intending to do with the rest of the song. If your intention is to put some sampled drums, or a midi drum loop down after you’ve put your guitar down, then chances are that you’ll want to record your guitar with a click track. However, if a metronomic beat is not on your agenda, you might want to let your fingers be the irregular conductor and who knows, you might end up with the wonderfulness that is the beginning of ‘Gimme Shelter’ – good luck following that with a metronome, and it sounds brilliant! The third category of ‘I don’t know where I’m going after this’ (which is usually where I find myself), best to err on the side of caution and play along with either a click track (I hate them), or some looped drums. That way you can always change your mind down the line.
  2. There won’t be anyone around to tell you that you’re over-painting

    Any good song (and I think I’m paraphrasing someone amazing, like Paul McCartney – although it probably wasn’t him either), will work with a single instrument and a vocal. I’m talking primarily (but not limited to) piano or acoustic guitar and some singing.

    If you’re anything like me, you have a sound in your head before you start and ultimately, you’ll be disappointed with what comes out, in comparison. As a result, you’ll commit layer after layer to the effort and before long, it’ll take some amazing mixing kung-fu to hear any part of it in the mix. Just be aware that when you get to that point, you’ll be your only judge. So, it might be worth investing in a friend (or insightful partner) who will tell you to stop and wind it back. Some of the best bits of advice I’ve ever received about my music have been from my wife, telling me that my meticulously-crafted masterpiece didn’t need the last three guitar parts!
  3. There will be no-one around to time-box you.

    I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you’re reading this, you’re recording at home and not in a pay-by-the-hour studio.