The Dandelion Report ([info]dandelionreport) wrote,
@ 2004-08-14 09:11:00
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How do I record a CD on a small budget? (***CURRENT POLL***)
"I've had a number of people in the filk community ask if I have a CD available for sale. I'd *love* to record a CD, but don't have a ton of money to do it. Any suggestions and advice?"

Please post your answer by using the form at the bottom of:
http://www.filking.net/columns/filkfaq/archives/002576.html
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or post your reply below.

*** Also see the related poll question: Advice for recording software?

Thanks!

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[info]cahwyguy
2004-08-14 07:30 am UTC (link)
The biggest question is whether you have a CD burner on your computer. If you do, the answer is easy. Connect your amplifier's output (the one you would normally plug into your tape deck for recording CDs) into the line in on your sound card. You can use Roxio sound editor to grab the sound (use the mic inputs on your amp). Do a search for a tool called "CD Wave" to split apart the wave file, and burn, baby, burn.

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Funny you should mention that...
[info]mdlbear
2004-08-14 08:24 am UTC (link)
I'm now starting the recording process for my first CD, which is being chronicled on [info]mdlbear_albums -- which was set up by my daughter [info]chaoswolf as a way of prodding me into action. Having a deadline also helps.

My current advice (with the disclaimer that I'm at the very beginning of the process) is to invest in (or borrow) some good microphones and a pro-quality soundcard that will record 24 bits (more dynamic range means less need to fiddle with the levels up front).

Take some time to figure out how you work best: separate guitar and voice tracks? Start with a guitar+voice guide track? Live concerts in your living room? Try them all,

I'll know more about the back end of the process (editing, mixing, mastering, and paying for the print run) when I get there.

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On the related subject of software...
[info]mdlbear
2004-08-14 08:41 am UTC (link)
There's getting to be a lot of free software for recording and editing. We're using a program called Audacity which has a very simple interface and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The downside is that it's limited to recording two tracks at a time -- that's enough for most solo projects.

If you're willing to experiment with Linux, or already hooked on it, you need to visit the following three sites:

Sound and MIDI software for Linux -- the ultimate reference site for all Linux-based audio software.

Planet CCRMA -- everything you need to turn a RedHat or Fedora distribution into a recording studio.

The AGNULA Project -- A GNU/Linux Audio distribution -- funded by the European Commission and producers of a complete distribution called DeMuDi (Debian Music Distribution), which is what I'm using currently.

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[info]musicmutt
2004-08-14 12:33 pm UTC (link)
That really starts to depend on how small your budget is. You can get the software to run on your computer, yes, but you still need a decent mic. The recording is only step one. Then there is mixing, mastering, printing and duplicating. Recording, mixing and mastering costs can be reduced considerably if you can do much of that yourself, though it does take time. The printing and such, there are small production houses that will, if you present them with a master and your cover art work, and they can do the rest for you at minimal cost and they don't make you do a large bulk run, either. Yes, you can crank them all out on your own CD burner, but that does take time. You may find you are able to make better use of your time farming that kind of work out. You will also get better quality printing and discs that way. Even so, you can still sell your CD's at $10.00 US or even a little less and still turn a profit.

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[info]randwolf
2004-08-14 07:08 pm UTC (link)
Hi, Mandelbear! By the way, much of the software you mention will also run on Mac OS X.

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