Budget Recording Studio

Building a budget recording studio is easy. Studio equipment is getting cheaper and cheaper every year. And the stuff you can buy for relatively little money is often incredibly complex and professional.

When I list the things you could get for your budget recording studio, I make the assumption that you already own a pretty good computer. (Go to Building a Home Recording Studio to find out what kind of computer you'll need.) Even those who don't intend to record songs, often have one. If you're one of the few who don't, borrow one from a friend or family member.

Prices change, of course. The prices I write here are estimates.

$100 Budget

These days even about $100 is enough to start recording your songs. You should get these for your budget recording studio:

✓ a Shure SM58 or a Blue Snowball USB Microphone ($100)
✓ download Audacity (PC/Mac), which is a digital audio editor and recording application (free) or if you have a Mac, use GarageBand (part of the iLife package) for this purpose

$500 Budget

For this kind of money you can get some pretty advanced stuff for your budget recording studio.

✓ Shure SM58 or a Blue Snowball USB Microphone ($100)
✓ Cubase 6 (PC/Mac) or some other digital audio workstation ($400)

$1000 Budget

For $1000 you can build a home recording studio that will easily compete with the professional ones. For this budget, I recommend:

✓ Rode NT1 Condenser Microphone ($230)
✓ Cubase 6 (PC/Mac) or some other digital audio workstation ($400)
✓ Studio monitor: M-Audio Studiophile AV40 Powered Monitor Speakers($150)
✓ M-Audio Firewire Solo US35030 Firewire Audio Interface ($170) to upgrade your computer's sound card and get a more professional sounding recording
✓ MIDIMAN MIDISPORT 1x1 Multiplatform USB MIDI Interface ($40)

$2000 Budget

Wow, you must be really serious about songwriting! (And good at saving for the important things…)

✓ Rode NT2A Condenser Microphone($400)
✓ Logic Studio (Mac) and/or Pro Tools 10 (PC/Mac) digital audio workstation ($450 & $550)
✓ Propellerhead Reason 6 (PC/Mac), it's a virtual rack of instruments and effects ($300)
✓ Masterwriter (PC/Mac) creative software for writing lyrics ($200)
✓ Studio monitor: M-Audio Studiophile AV40 Powered Monitor Speakers($150)
✓ M-Audio Firewire Solo US35030 Firewire Audio Interface ($170) to upgrade your computer's sound card and get a more professional sounding recording
✓ MIDIMAN MIDISPORT 1x1 Multiplatform USB MIDI Interface ($40)
✓ Behringer PP400 Ultra-Compact Phono Preamp ($20)

If you have even more money for a home recording studio, you'll basically get the same stuff but their bigger and more expensive versions. And if you record live instruments, it's a whole new story. Buying the instrument itself, connecting it to your studio, etc. is going to be added to the expenses. If you'd like a reliable, versatile and relatively inexpensive digital piano / MIDI instrument in your studio, I recommend the Yamaha DGX640W Digital Piano ($800).

Having all of this equipment is nice. But you'll also need to figure out how to use these tools to create professional quality recordings. I recommend the Easy Home Recording Blueprint course for this purpose. It walks you through the process step by step. And with the help of the writer of the course, Owen Critchley, you might need less recording equipment than you think!

More on Building a Home Recording Studio

Beginner Songwriting

Beginner songwriting can feel overwhelming. Where do you start your journey? There is so much to learn… About the craft, the business, how to network, how to collaborate… I would like to make this task less daunting for you. And what you'll need is a guide to getting your first cut. From then on, every part will seem much easier.

While you are learning about becoming a songwriter, there will be times when you feel unsure about yourself, your abilities, your songs, etc. That's when it's the best (and absolutely necessary) to get song critique. There are several ways to get your songs reviewed, some online, some offline. It's one of the most helpful things you can do for your songwriting.

Are you dreaming of a songwriting career? A lot of people are… but most of them never get to the point to find out what it's really like. Just like every profession, it has its beauties and struggles. Some will tell you there is more struggle than beauty, others will disagree. It depends on how passionate you are about your art.

There are a lot of beginner songwriters who can't or wouldn't like to write music. If you are one of these, there is an option to become a song lyricist. But you must know that you can't pitch lyrics only. If your dream is to become a professional lyricist, you'll have to find some co-writers to create a complete song.

Writing songs is just one of your options if you want to work in the music business. To help you make an informed decision, I've written a page about different kinds of music industry careers you might consider.

Beginner songwriting is a craft that usually starts out easy and slow. However, there are some songwriting habits that you might want to start implementing from day one. These are little secrets stolen from the most successful songwriters. With the help of them, you can find a shortcut to songwriting success.

Happy songwriting career starting day!

Become a Songwriter

If you would like to find out how to become a songwriter, it's best to study how the successful ones made it. There are some actions which all of them took. There are also some optional things that may help you make the process faster and sometimes even more enjoyable.

✓ First of all, you'll need some music skills. Do you read music? Do you play an instrument (especially piano or guitar)?Although these aren't absolutely essential for becoming a songwriter but they definitely help. If you don't have these skills yet, start learning them today! If you'd like to learn an instrument seriously, consider getting Learn and Master Guitar or Learn and Master Piano. They are amazing DVD + CD + book courses from Legacy Learning Systems taught by some of the greatest, Grammy winning musicians. I own Learn & Master Piano. It takes you from the complete beginner level to pretty advanced stuff. I love this course and have gone through it three times so far. I'm not a piano-playing genius YET! but sometimes I can do stuff with my piano I would have never imagined before! :) I don't have Learn & Master Guitar yet but I heard that it's even better the the piano course.

✓ How often do you write songs? The most successful songwriters spend a little time writing each day. I've heard that some spend many hours. Lady Gaga still writes songs daily. Another example is Diane Warren, who admittedly spends 10-12 hours with songwriting every day. But you don't have to do that to become a songwriter. Write for only 30 minutes a day and you finish a song in about two weeks. The main thing is that you should get into the habit of writing each day. If you do it occasionally only, it will lead to procrastination, worries, self-doubt, etc.

✓ Do you co-write? Collaborating with another songwriter is one of the best things you can do for your songwriting. Almost all the songs at the top of the charts were written by two or more people. Co-writing is not only fun, it also increases your chances of succeeding. If you write a great song together with someone, both of you are going to pitch it. Also, the song will be much more special because the life experiences, creativity and talents of two or more people are present in the song. If you haven't collaborated with anyone, it's time to start it! There are some great songwriting forums where you can find co-writers online. You could also go to songwriting seminars and start looking there.

✓ Do you live near a major music center? If you live in the US, these are Los Angeles, New York and Nashville. If you want to become a songwriter, you'll have to network. And for that, you should live where other songwriters and music business professionals live. If you can't live in one of these cities (or other major music centers abroad), try to visit one of these places at least a couple of times a year. You could participate in seminars, writer's nights, etc. on these occasions.

✓ Have you written some songs that are ready to be pitched? If the answer is yes, there are a lot of things you can do. You can drop off your demos at music publishers, give it to some music business professionals you know, or use an independent A&R company. Obviously, the more people you get to listen to your songs, the better your chances they will get cut.

The most important thing is that you do something little for your songwriting career each and every day. That's the best way to become a songwriter. This is how all successful songwriters did it. This action doesn't always have to be actual songwriting only. You can look for co-writers, read music business articles, books, etc. These things add up pretty quickly and you'll become better and better in no time. Just imagine how far you could get in only one year!

Songwriting Career

A songwriting career is something a lot of people dream of. It's undoubtedly one of the best jobs there is. But is it really all fun and games?

What do songwriters do?
Songwriters either write songs on their own or with one or more co-writers. Since most songs are co-written, the latter is more usual. Some people write music only, others write lyrics only. In this case, collaboration is even more essential. Most songwriters schedule daily time to write, others wait for inspiration to strike (this is the less productive method…) Once a song and the demo is done, they pitch it to publishers and artists.

The good sides of the songwriting career:
• Writing with and meeting new people all the time.
• The songwriting career is so unpredictable that you never get bored.
• Hearing your songs on the radio (and making money at the same time) is an incredible feeling.

The bad sides of the songwriting career:
• Before you make it, expect a lot of rejections and heartbreak. This is something every songwriter goes through, it's part of the learning process. Without it, you will not become great.
• You can't predict which song is going to be successful, which isn't. You write a lot of them and pray that some will get recorded and make you some money. There is never a guarantee.


What skills do you need?
Playing an instrument is not a requirement but it's definitely an asset in the songwriting career. Also, reading music can make your job easier. So if your plans are serious, take up piano or guitar. You don't have to become a master player to write songs though. If you want to progress fast in your instrument learning adventures, I recommend Learn & Master Guitar and Learn & Master Piano. I have the piano version and I love it! (I heard L&M Guitar is even better….) The piano teacher is Will Barrow (a Grammy winner pianist). He explains and demonstrates everything really well. Another thing you may need for your songwriting career is good ears. If you don't have them, no worries! There are ways to improve this sense. There are some programs and software created especially for this purpose. If you are the software-fan type, check out EarMaster 5 (for PC / Mac). It's a personal ear trainer with hundreds of exercises. In EarMaster you can practice identifying intervals, chords, chord inversions, chord progressions, scales, modes, transcribing melodies, rhythms and more… I use this software for a couple of minutes almost every day. It really does work! Don't expect wonders in a week of course… The most important thing is that you practice consistently. If you'd like to have perfect pitch and relative pitch, and you have a musical instrument at home, you could also try David Lucas Burge's The Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. I use this one too. (I know… I'm such a geek…) I've finished about half of the Masterclasses and now I can recognize almost any key on the piano instantly (not by looking but by hearing of course). David Lucas Burge also has a Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. I like that one too but I have less time for that one right now.

Do you need to be able to sing?
If you write music with lyrics, someone will have to sing on your demos. If you can't sing, and you can't afford to hire a professional vocalist, you might be able to ask someone from a music school to help you. Students usually gladly do the job for you for very little money (or sometimes for free). But if you CAN sing, your job is much easier. However, you should know that not "any kind of singing" will do for a demo. These recordings should be broadcast quality so you need to be a really good vocalist to sing on a demo. If you think you could use some improvement, I highly recommend Brett Manning's Singing Success. It's an amazing and comprehensive program. I found it in about 2007. I had been going to two different singing teachers for three years. As I realized after some time, they weren't professional instructors to say the least. I lost all my self-confidence (and a lot of money) and hope that I would ever sing the way I wanted. I lost all hope. Then I found Singing Success. Since I stopped trusting singing teachers, I though it might be my last hope. One the first day I did the first couple of exercises. Then I started singing some of my favorite hits as usual. And OMG! I'd never felt such freedom in my voice before! And it was after about 20 minutes of singing exercises! And it only got better… Since then, I've been a fanatic of Singing Success. I'm able to sing songs I never thought I could. And I know that range is not everything but right now I have an almost 4-octave range. Isn't that great? :)

If you'd like some immediate singing advice, visit Singing Tips with Barbara Lewis, where you'll find expert singing tips and online singing lessons.

So all in all, becoming a songwriter is not a piece of cake. But it's one of the most rewarding careers you can have.

More about Beginner Songwriting 

Song Lyricists

Song lyricists are songwriters who don't write music. Many people are better either at writing lyrics or music. It's rare that a person is good at both. If you're one of them, congratulations! If you aren't, don't worry, you still have many opportunities to get into the songwriting business.

Since there are quite a few people who become song lyricists or composers exclusively, all you need to do is find a/some collaborators who complement your talent. Since no music publishers publish lyrics only, this is your only option. Composers are in a better position though, as many publishers and music libraries look for instrumental music.

What are the advantages and disadvantages
of becoming a song lyricist?

Advantages:

✓ The more specialized your field is, the better you become at that specialization. (This is true about any other profession too.) It means that you can become a much better lyricist than those who concentrate on words and music at the same time. If you focus on learning to write awesome lyrics only, you get so creative at it after a while that you can easily write words to a song that will awe your audience.

✓ Since you're "forced" to collaborate, you might get a chance to co-write with amazing artists that you wouldn't have met otherwise.

✓ Writing great lyrics is easier and faster to learn. Learning to write music is much more complicated for most people. It has a unique language that can take years to learn (if you haven't studied music before). However, we all learned how to write (in school) so it should be familiar. You probably even had to write some poems. Now all you need to do is learn the secrets of the best song lyricists (that are quite easy to learn) and you're good to go. You can master these secrets from books, like Writing Better Lyrics and Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting, or by analyzing hit songs. And for your work, you'll also need some tools, like a Lyricist's Notebookor my favorite songwriting software, MasterWriter, which is a comprehensive lyric writing tool for songwriters. Many famous artist use it, such as Linda Perry and Gwen Stefani.

Disadvantages:

⁃ As you can't sell your lyrics and expect others to write music to it to finish your song, you need other people to succeed. You'll need someone who writes music and is good at playing and recording.

⁃ Because you often need to write lyrics to existing music, sooner or later you'll have to learn about writing music at least a little. If you want to work with musicians, you'll have to speak "their language". And this language is music. You'll have to learn about chords, keys, tempo, etc. To learn about music theory, I recommend Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory. And if you'd like to learn 5,000 chords in less than an hour, I suggest that you read Chordmaster Chord Theory for Keyboard, which makes it ridiculously easy to understand how chords are created.

⁃ It may be more difficult to make it if you are not multi-talented. That's why you'll have to learn at least a little about each part of the songwriting process, so you can become an artist who knows what he or she (and others) are talking about.

Music or lyrics come first?

It depends. You can start either way. If you're a song lyricist who works alone, you'll probably start with the lyrics. However, when you find someone who can compose music to your lyrics, you'll probably have to make some changes so that it fits the music better. That way the audience will feel as if your lyrics were "married" to the music. And that's what we are trying to achieve. Let's take Bernie Taupin and Elton John as an example. They often separately, both where they want, when they want. Bernie Taupin's task is to write the lyrics. Then he gives them to Elton John, who writes music to it and completes the song. Their cooperation works like magic.

And sometimes you get some music to write lyrics to. In that case, first you'll have to decide about the mood of the music, then the subject matter and the title. After that you can start writing. I suggest that you listen to the music several times before you begin to write the lyrics. It's much easier if you've internalized the music, feel the beat and can follow your heart.

I'm a song lyricist. How do I find co-writers?

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to find collaborators these days. You could start looking close to you, in a music school, among your friends, in your local newspaper or among your Facebook or Twitter friends/followers. If you can't find anybody in these circles, search for co-writers on the internet. There are several forums for songwriters where you're sure to find somebody. Thanks to the internet, now you can co-write with anyone in any country. Using Skype, email and different forms of chat makes it really, really easy.

Music Industry Careers

This page is all about music industry careers. Although you've probably come to this site because you'd like to become a songwriter, I'd like you to know that you have several other options if you want to work in the music business.

You can be an artist or you can do something more practical. These are only a few of the exciting paths you can choose from.

Careers in songwriting:

• Composer / Lyricist / Songwriter for recording artists
• Composer or Songwriter for Film and TV
• Composer or Songwriter for Advertising

Songwriters write lyrics, compose music or do both. Often they share the work with a co-writer. They sometimes even need to produce the demo or final recording. In my opinion, this is one of the most fulfilling music industry careers you can have! :)

Music publishing:

• Film, TV, and Advertising Licensing
• Creative Services
• International Publishing

What a music publishing company does: it sells and acquires catalogs, discovers and signs new songwriters and producers.

The Creative Services department exploits songs, acquires catalogs, signs new writers, manages and motivates staff songwriters. They also record demos and catalog songs.

In the Licensing department they market and exploit the catalog of songs to films, trailers, TV programs, commercials and advertising.

The International Publishing department manages the company's international music publishing properties.

Record companies:

• Artist and Repertoire (A&R)
• International A&R
• Creative Services
• Promotion
• Sales
• Marketing and Artist Development
• Publicity and Media Relations

A&R Managers discover, sign, and develop musical talent for the record labels. They also oversee the recording process. When it's finished, they work with different departments of the record company to present and market the music and the artist well.

International A&R people look for foreign artists that they could break in America.

The Creative Services department is in charge of the design of CD covers, media advertising, etc.

The Promotion department deals with radio promotion campaigns.

The Sales department is responsible for the sales of music and video materials of the label.

People who work in Marketing and Artist Development manage all aspects of marketing the artists and their music. They make sure that the artist's image and their music are consistent with each other.

Professionals in Publicity manage and direct media relations for the record company and their artists. This job includes the creation of press releases, biographies, etc.

Recording:

• Producer
• Recording Engineer and Mixer
• Sound Engineer
• Mastering Engineer
• Studio Manager

A Producer is in charge of the quality of the recorded music. They are involved in both the business and the creative side of making the recording. Producers work on budgets, schedules, deadlines, selection of songs, co-writing, choosing recording personnel, etc.


The Recording Engineer is responsible for retrieving and storing musical data of everything that comes through the microphones. They select the proper tapes and work the console. Finally, they mix the music and provide it in whatever format is needed.


Sound Engineers set up and connect the equipment used in the recording sessions.


Mastering Engineers do the last part of the recording process. They transfer the recorded sounds on the master tape to a master disc. Meanwhile they set the sound, time, and volume of each song.


Studio Managers oversee the daily operations of the recording studio: booking, engineering, marketing and administration.




Management:
• Personal or Artist Manager


Managers manage the artist's career. They deal with the record company, contract negotiations, publishing, touring, marketing, publicity, business management, endorsements, etc. In my opinion, this is one of the most complex music industry careers.




Creative Services and Video:
• Creative Director
• Photographer


Creative Directors design and manage the creative process in connection with advertising, CD covers, music videos and promotion in general.


Photographers who would like to have a music industry career take photos of the artists at concerts, live performances and in pre-arranged settings.




Publicity:
• Press Agent or Publicist


These professionals design TV, radio and tour publicity campaigns and coordinate them.




Agent:
• Agent / Booking Agent / International Agent


Agents plan tours, negotiate contracts and fees for concerts and live performances.




On Tour:
• Production
• Sound Engineer
• Promoter
• Tour Manager
• Musician


Producers in this field design the artists's live performances and the stage, lighting, special effects, choreography and set list.


Sound Engineers who go on tour will help make live performances sound good to the audience.
Promoters contact artists, negotiate contracts with them. If they reach an agreement, they oversee the promotion of the concerts.


Tour manages are in charge of making sure that everything goes well on the road. They may manage travel arrangements, keep in touch with the press, manage the crew and musicians, collect the performance fees and distribute them according to the terms of the contract.


If you go on tour with an established artist as a Musician, you'll provide the background to their performance.




Newspapers, Magazines, Radio, TV:
• Journalist / Critic
• Music Director


Journalists who choose a music industry career write reviews and articles about the music business, musicians and their music.


A Music Director who works for a radio station, for example, is in charge of choosing the music that the station will broadcast.




Education:
• Instructor / Professor


Educators in this field teach how to play musical instruments and everything about the music business and the recording science.




There are many more music industry careers available for you. If you would like to read about these careers in more detail or get even more ideas about which path to choose, I recommend Tanja L. Crouch's book, 100 Careers in the Music Business. In the book, she gives a job overview, lists the fundamental skills, describes a day in the life, gives pointers for job search and shares some case studies for each profession. It's an invaluable resource of information about music industry careers.

More information for Beginner Songwriters 

How To Write A Song

There are two main ways to find out how to write a song.

1. Try something you think might work, see what happens, try something another idea, see what happens…
2. Read and learn about the techniques used by songwriters who are already successful. Then try to apply their ideas in practice and see which ones suit your style.

If I were you, I'd try the second option. Learning from the masters is the definite shortcut to making it.

How should you go about it?

✓ There are plenty of websites, schools that offer lessons on how to write a song. Find out who and where they are, and it's one of the most rewarding experiences you will have in your songwriting career.

✓ Learning or reading about songwriting is not only fun. It makes it easy for you to master the most treasured songwriting secrets.

✓ When you read about the best songmakers, you'll notice some habits they share. It's a good idea to integrate these into your life. If they work for them, they will work for you.

✓ There are some techniques which help you learn how to write a song that impresses listeners. One of the most important principles is 'your first ideas might not be the best'. There is always room for improvement in any song. The proper techniques help you take your song to the next level.

✓ You've written some songs, now what? You've probably made one of your family members or friends listen to it. They LOVED it! So far so good. But they are not professionals. They don't know what makes songs easy to digest for the listener and marketable at the same time. Your friend or family member can feel that your song is somehow different from what they hear on the radio. But they won't be able to tell you how it's different or what you should do to make it better. What you can do is either do a song evaluation yourself and/or get a detailed song critique. There are professionals and companies that review your song (usually for a fee) and give you advice on how to improve it. Beware though, some of these are scams.

✓ Another way to find out how to write a song is to read interviews with successful songwriters. There is so much you can find out from these interviews. I like to copy and paste the parts which I find the most interesting and keep the quotations together in a document. Then I re-read them every now and then.

✓ Amazing lyrics are one of the most important parts of a song. Good lyrics are usually about an everyday topic. But they tell you a story in a way nobody has. Learning how to achieve this is one of the most useful things you can do for your songwriting. It takes practice though.

✓ To be familiar with song structure is an essential part of learning how to write a song. And you should be VERY familiar with it. There aren't many types of song structure so it won't be such a daunting task. But it's important because a song with no proper structure won't convey the message you want.

✓ Using rhymes in songs is one of the most controversial topics in songwriting. What kind of rhymes should you use? How much? Where? Although you don't write poems, some of your lyrics might sound a little like one. It should sound good if you read it aloud. Just like a poem. Proper rhyme usage has a crucial role in that.

✓ What's a songwriting hook exactly? Where do you place it? How long should it be? How can you emphasize it with your melody? Since hooks are usually what make us listen to a song over and over, you'll be glad you learnt how to create them.