Would you share a less than perfect recording?

[woodgazer 71]

Hi everypony. This is my first post in this section. And the first time I've ever considered sharing something musical on the web (except for sharing a few clips with friends). It's just I'm feeling a little hesitant. And I'd love to hear stories on how you overcame the barrier, when you shared your first song online?

So, in my case, I have at a few occasions sung in front of crowds of ~30 people, some of the times alone with my guitar (at which I am by nooo means an expert playing). I even performed a song I made myself. Been a bit nervous, but it's worked out fine, and the audiences have always appreciated my songs.

In any case, since I joined the fandom a bit more than a year ago, I've known that I want to contribute to it, not just consume other fan works. My strength is writing (I guess lyrics in this case, I've not seen a lot of brony poetry, please prove me wrong), and I have an ok voice.

As time has gone by, I've developed a notion or headcanon on Applejack's childhood. And now I do have a seven-verse, rhymed song, chords and all, of singer-songwriter kind or something of that ilk, but only my clumsy guitar skills and even lack of a proper microphone to accompany it.

Listening to songs at pony.fm , not everyone seem to be professional, or even take it that seriously, but I've worked hard on this song and want an uploaded version to do it at least some justice.

Now. What would you do? Would you keep it to yourselves in wait for a guitarist (throw in a banjo player too, maybe?) with a home studio to have mercy on me and record it, which may never happen, or would you let go of the notion that it has to be really good and hope the lyrics speak enough for themselves?

[eragaedrhaerh 64]

Try it. The briny community especially is known for its kindness and love. I doubt you'll get any hate. Just praise and constructive criticism. I'm sure it'll be great, and in a few years, if you continue, you'll most likely look back on it, see how far you've come, and thank yourself for starting such an amazing journey. Good luck!

 

Oh, and if you do decide to post it, be sure to give us a link, or just PM it to me if you don't want everyone to here it, I'm sure it'll be great! You can always post an updated version with backing, this can just be the a capella if you want.

[S.F. 1,560]

I shared my first because a YouTuber wanted to use it in a video, so I uploaded it so he could link back to it - that's about it really XD.

 

My advice is, look at your current situation and try to work out if/when it will change. By that I mean, you say you don't have a proper mic - is there a chance you will be able to buy one soon (not even an expensive one, something like a Blue Snowball would do for now) - in which case you will be able to get a potentially better quality recording and use that instead.

 

If it doesn't look like things will change any time soon, you might as well upload it now, and maybe think about re-uploading in the future once you get a chance to use a better mic, or guitarist.

 

Hope this helps

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Go ahead. It's always best to share things so that way you can receive feedback from others like me! This way, you can prepare for the real thing and make it shine!

[woodgazer 71]

Try it. The briny community especially is known for its kindness and love. I doubt you'll get any hate. Just praise and constructive criticism. I'm sure it'll be great, and in a few years, if you continue, you'll most likely look back on it, see how far you've come, and thank yourself for starting such an amazing journey. Good luck!

 

Oh, and if you do decide to post it, be sure to give us a link, or just PM it to me if you don't want everyone to here it, I'm sure it'll be great! You can always post an updated version with backing, this can just be the a capella if you want.

Thanks for your encouragement! I'll be sure to post a link in this thread, whenever it's done!

 

I shared my first because a YouTuber wanted to use it in a video, so I uploaded it so he could link back to it - that's about it really XD.

 

My advice is, look at your current situation and try to work out if/when it will change. By that I mean, you say you don't have a proper mic - is there a chance you will be able to buy one soon (not even an expensive one, something like a Blue Snowball would do for now) - in which case you will be able to get a potentially better quality recording and use that instead.

 

If it doesn't look like things will change any time soon, you might as well upload it now, and maybe think about re-uploading in the future once you get a chance to use a better mic, or guitarist.

 

Hope this helps

It does help! While I'm not opposed to spending some money on equipment, I'm currently checking with some friends and acquaintances to see if they have a mic to lend, and now I know what kind to look for. I'm not entirely sure that this is the first brony song of many. But if it is, it surely would help to be able to record them somewhat properly. Thank you

[woodgazer 71]

Right, so big news for me. The father of one of my former students is a sound technician, and gifted me an external sound card/mini studio (Zoom R8) for having taken so good care of his kid. How lucky am I! He was also kind enough to lend me a microphone, and to give me an introduction on how to work these things that to me are very new! It's user friendly enough and I've apparently learnt enough to find myself with a few tracks of "I'll keep asking". None of which I'll keep, but it's getting there!

 

So, fellow musicians. When you record a track with a physical instrument, that doesn't stop playing at any point during the song, do you have to get it all right in one take? The song is, preliminarily, 4:58 long, and while I guess I'm bound to get it right eventually - is this what people do? Drilling until it's just right?

The singing track is a bit easier. I think I know how to "overwrite" part of the old track, and while it's not entirely a piece of cake to jump in between verses, I think it's still easier than just start all over, if the first verse/s already came out good. Or do I need to rethink this for some reason?

Even though the song, I'm starting to realize, will not have a feeling of being whole (or whatever word) with just guitar sounds and my voice. Wish I knew a banjo player Anyway, it's going forward, and I'm having fun, and at some point I will be able to share this song with this lovely fandom, so there's that

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Right, so big news for me. The father of one of my former students is a sound technician, and gifted me an external sound card/mini studio (Zoom R8) for having taken so good care of his kid. How lucky am I! He was also kind enough to lend me a microphone, and to give me an introduction on how to work these things that to me are very new! It's user friendly enough and I've apparently learnt enough to find myself with a few tracks of "I'll keep asking". None of which I'll keep, but it's getting there!

 

So, fellow musicians. When you record a track with a physical instrument, that doesn't stop playing at any point during the song, do you have to get it all right in one take? The song is, preliminarily, 4:58 long, and while I guess I'm bound to get it right eventually - is this what people do? Drilling until it's just right?

 

The singing track is a bit easier. I think I know how to "overwrite" part of the old track, and while it's not entirely a piece of cake to jump in between verses, I think it's still easier than just start all over, if the first verse/s already came out good. Or do I need to rethink this for some reason?

 

Even though the song, I'm starting to realize, will not have a feeling of being whole (or whatever word) with just guitar sounds and my voice. Wish I knew a banjo player Anyway, it's going forward, and I'm having fun, and at some point I will be able to share this song with this lovely fandom, so there's that

Yes, you have to get it right in one take. But, if you make a mistake, but choose to keep going, you can have a friend help you punch in and punch out at the spot where the mistake is located so you can overwrite with the correct way it's played. 

[S.F. 1,560]

It depends on what you are comfortable with, some people like it in one take, others don't. While I can't speak for singer songwriters, I have played in several recording bands (from death metal to indie), and often playing each section separately then mixing them together worked best.

 

By all means try to get it in one take, but if you are struggling there is no harm in giving the segmented approach a shot. Several DAW's (digital audio workstations, which handle recording) nowadays let you loop a section and record each take, letting you choose the best one for that section before moving onto the next.

[woodgazer 71]

Yes, you have to get it right in one take. But, if you make a mistake, but choose to keep going, you can have a friend help you punch in and punch out at the spot where the mistake is located so you can overwrite with the correct way it's played. 

Thanks! That's a good idea and may prove useful

 

It depends on what you are comfortable with, some people like it in one take, others don't. While I can't speak for singer songwriters, I have played in several recording bands (from death metal to indie), and often playing each section separately then mixing them together worked best.

 

By all means try to get it in one take, but if you are struggling there is no harm in giving the segmented approach a shot. Several DAW's (digital audio workstations, which handle recording) nowadays let you loop a section and record each take, letting you choose the best one for that section before moving onto the next.

Cool! I think this loop thing may be out of my league for now. I would like to be abel to mix the parts, but I don't know how I might border two sections without the guitar sounding offset (don't know the correct lingo, sorry!). since there are no parts (in the original plan, anyway) that the guitar doesn't sound. To me it seems I would have to bridge the sections EXACTLY right?

[S.F. 1,560]

 

 

Cool! I think this loop thing may be out of my league for now. I would like to be abel to mix the parts, but I don't know how I might border two sections without the guitar sounding offset (don't know the correct lingo, sorry!). since there are no parts (in the original plan, anyway) that the guitar doesn't sound. To me it seems I would have to bridge the sections EXACTLY right?

Yeah, you'd have to get the bridge to sound as natural as possible, if you do decide to go down that route - a metronome (or simple programmed drum beat) makes it easier. That's another reason why several takes are needed, sometimes the 'most perfect' take doesn't necessarily flow as well as some of the slightly less perfect ones.

 

But at the end if the day, you have to do what is most comfortable for you - with this sort of thing (like music recording), there is not always a 'correct' way to do it, what works for some doesn't always work for others and vice versa.

[woodgazer 71]

Yeah, you'd have to get the bridge to sound as natural as possible, if you do decide to go down that route - a metronome (or simple programmed drum beat) makes it easier. That's another reason why several takes are needed, sometimes the 'most perfect' take doesn't necessarily flow as well as some of the slightly less perfect ones.

 

But at the end if the day, you have to do what is most comfortable for you - with this sort of thing (like music recording), there is not always a 'correct' way to do it, what works for some doesn't always work for others and vice versa.

It would seem obvious, I guess, that different people have different approaches. I figure at some point I might even be able to decide what suits me best. But until then, it's good to know of some of the possibilities. I really do appreciate your help. Thank you!

[S.F. 1,560]

It would seem obvious, I guess, that different people have different approaches. I figure at some point I might even be able to decide what suits me best. But until then, it's good to know of some of the possibilities. I really do appreciate your help. Thank you!

No worries, and finding what works for you can be fun - basically you get to mess around with recording equipment

 

So, yeah - enjoy

[woodgazer 71]

It's with quite some effort I've come up with a "finished" product. And I decided to go with the notion that you can always do it all over later. It's not like the editing and mixing skills appear overnight. Anyway, thanks again for tips and cheers, here's "I'll keep asking"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cjPChdVfTg&feature=youtu.be

[El Duderino 879]

I have no problem performing or sharing recordings of myself online. I've performed enough times that I am used to other people hearing me play. I've been playing music for almost a decade now, so I am fairly confident in my skills as a musician. The trouble is that I am not confident in my skills as a writer. It took me a few years until I wrote some lyrics that I was comfortable enough with to share. I've gotten a lot more confident since then. 

 

If you would like to hear some of my songs, I have a soundcloud with a bunch of them. None of them are perfect recordings. In fact, these are really just demos and I plan on going back and re-writing most of them. This is one of my favorite songs I wrote https://soundcloud.com/colton-paul-crawford/you-and-me-original

Edited September 13, 2016 by El Duderino

[S.F. 1,560]

The track sounds good, as does your voice - I'm glad you managed to get there in the end. You're right in that editing and mixing skills  don't appear overnight, and tbh - you never stop developing them, but the more you do it the better you get (and the easier it gets ), and for a first attempt it actually sounds pretty good.

[Pulse Wave 44]

Guess it depends on the situation.

 

Maybe you've given yourself a deadline that you cannot push. Then you may have to make do what you can get made up to that point. Just try to make it not too shoddy.

 

On the other hoof, if time isn't so much of an issue, take yourself enough time to iron out the imperfections that bug you before you release a piece of music. Do not, however, fall into the perfectionism trap and try to take your music somewhere you'll never get it quality-wise.

[pinkiepiebabe 87]

I do it all the time. I make music for fun and for the type of music I've been making lately, that low q sound is kind of desirable.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

I do it all the time. I make music for fun and for the type of music I've been making lately, that low q sound is kind of desirable.

The problem with that is...when a musician is used to high quality...they tend to denounce the lower quality music...

[pinkiepiebabe 87]

The problem with that is...when a musician is used to high quality...they tend to denounce the lower quality music...

yeah I don't really care about that. I'm a classical/folk musician at school and I take that very seriously. But recording is a little more loose for me, since I am not a singer, and it is just a fun thing. I agree though, we get used to high quality.

[Pulse Wave 44]

A wee bit more insight now that I've actually released something:

If I wanted every last one of my songs to be perfect, I'd have to spend months on one single song and go into pain-staking detail. I mean, I could sit down now and spend the next five months on a song that's due for GalaCon.

I'd also have to spend crazy amounts of money to get the vintage machines that I'd need for an authentic 1970s/1980s sound. Not to mention the spacious studio all this stuff would require. Alternatively, I'd have to go into crazy details trying to emulate every last bit of sound character of authentic 1970s or 1980s equipment until nobody can tell whether this music was recorded in 2020 or 1983 or 1976, and yes, that includes contemporary mixing desks and contemporary recording devices. All this for listeners most of whom believe synthwave is authentic 1980s music except that it was made in the 21st century.

There's only so much one can do, and there's only so much effort that makes sense.

I'm not a proponent of "winging it" and thereby being able to churn out one new mediocre-at-best piece of music per day. But one has to find a point at which a piece of music is good enough to be released, even though it isn't absolutely perfect.

[Jesse Terrence 2,968]

Interesting.

I myself am sooooo shy I never release anything under my known name. You can call kt Hannah Montana-ish dumbness xD (I hate Hannah Montana, but it seemed to fit the idea).

I guess releasing music that's not polished andcomplete is valid as a showcase and to not just leave a piece rot in the dust of history. I mean, maybe an initial idea seems awesome for your audience though you feel unsure or even think it's crap and just can it. Your best feedback will push you to complete it and appreciate the piece in ways you didn't even think of.

So yeah, guess we should upload more wips than we already do so others can help us develop further and complete them.

[Splashee 28,560]

I try to always only release products when they are considered prefect. That is a limit however, since you can never make something absolutely perfect. If it turns out you must release something that is not done, using the WIP (work in progress) in the name, or even keeping a version or revision number, can be the way to go. Letting people know you are working on it, and wanting to make it better.