Creating music in your basement, bedroom, or dedicated home studio can often be a lonely experience—but it doesn't have to be.
Most home recording artists fly solo, and at times the solitude of this experience can seep subconsciously into one's work. Music is a social experience in many ways: performing for an audience, collaborating with band-mates, and sharing songs over the Internet are all ways that musicians invite others into their world.
Here are a few ways to shake off the cabin fever feeling of working in a home studio. A proviso: there is nothing particularly wrong with creating music in a vacuum if that is comfortable. Bon Iver might well suggest that cabin fever is a good thing.
1. Find a forum.
Web sites dedicated to independent musicians are plentiful, and finding a forum that has the right vibe can be a boon for musicians that need advice or a quick conversation. Alonetone is "a place for small label, do-it-yourself and everyday musicians and bands to upload their music and freely share" online. Artists create a profile and can post tracks for others to hear, discuss and download. The site is completely free for all, and the community is currently small but attentive. With the ability for users to comment specifically on tracks or speak generally in a chat room or forum, it is never difficult to find someone to talk to about music.
Another Web site with an active community is Looperman, which offers audio tutorials, free loops and samples, and has a fairly robust group of lively registered users. Unlike Alonetone, many users on Looperman post audio samples specifically for other to use. Musicians in need of that perfect horn hit, or perhaps just some quick inspiration, will find this site to be very rewarding.
Home recording artists looking for a serious wealth of information, discussion, and expertise should visit the Recording Review Forum. It is an incredibly active Web site with an overwhelming amount of content. Larger forums such as this can tend to develop a fair amount of melodrama and debate, so those looking for more casual conversations may find Recording Review to be too busy.
The Internet can be abrasive and abusive place at times, and certain sites are friendlier than others, so it is always a good idea to feel out the general mood of a site before dedicating a lot of time to it.
2. Take it on the road.
Web forums provide an easy access to other people, but nothing can replace time spent in "the real world". It is not uncommon to upload in-progress tracks to an iPod and go out for a walk. Getting in touch with the sights and sounds of a city can re-energize the musician who has been sitting in front of a computer for hours.
Many performers will try out new songs in front of live audiences. This helps them gain a listener's perspective, and even for home recording artists that don't perform live music, getting reactions from laypersons is beneficial. It may be surprising how easy it is to run into someone on the street or in a cafe that is interested in hearing music written by a complete stranger. Musicians who can find a place for social gathering will be able to find someone willing to listen.
3. Bring in a guest.
Perhaps the most obvious solution to breaking up extended periods of isolation is to invite another person into the studio. This individual can be a fellow musician who can provide a new take on a track, or a friend who might just be able to add some amateur flavor to a given song in the form of hand claps or ambient noise.
If a local collaborator is hard to come by, there are no shortage of them online. Sharing files with far-flung virtuosos has never been easier.
Case in point: Des Sovere, a collection of twelve different musicians from all over the United States, created an entire album via remote collaboration. On An Enemy's Friend, collaborators were sent foundation tracks on which they implemented their own additions. Some simply wrote or recorded lyrics while others chopped up the track to create a completely new sound before passing it on to another collaborator. Many of the members of Des Sovere took the opportunity to invite local musicians to their home studio as well. The end result of this collaboration is unlike anything that these musicians would have created separately, and several of these artists have gone on to collaborate on other projects.
Des Sovere's An Enemy's Friend is freely available online, care of Sidedown Audio.
As the saying goes, no man is an island. An artist sequestered is an artist that may lose touch with why they create. Collaboration comes in many forms and is an excellent and easy way to enliven the home recording experience.
Comments