john

A big part of the cost is the studio itself. All that gear is expensive. So is acoustically treating and soundproofing the studio. All that gear also means a fairly large power draw. Then there is using studio downtime to learn new tech, the latest bit of gear. Buying new gear, planning stydio changes etc. Just like rehearsal time, gear, transport and a bunch of other costs are hidden costs to fans, bands still have to pay them. Dek is right about costs not going up. High end studios are more expensive... and the further up the ladder you go the more people sit in the control room. One of the studios I worked with would sometimes see 3 or 4 people (Head Sound Engineer, Assistant Sound Engineer, GoFer, and a Producer, though the GoFer was usually free, working for experience) in demo studios it is more common to have a single sound engineer who is often the studio owner. Changing tech has made the assistant sound engineer role almost redundant in many studios. Even more so in this period of lower musical income. Pre-automation, in large desk studios, more hands were needed to manage faders and mutes on the desk, during mix down, with the engineers and even producer having to rehearse a mix, just like another performance. Not needed in 99.9% of studios now.. As a sound engineer, there is a more steady income from television and film. Freelancing Engineers (not bound to a specific studio) often get a mix of live, studio and film and TV? Whatever is the paying gig. Touring gives good rates, but there are periods without work and of course the inconvenience of touring. Many studios have closed their doors and many sound engineers and producers have left the industry. Piracy and the Google and streaming/sharing site's war on the music industry has resulted in the loss of so much talent, and a lot of full-time people going part-time. Sad. It has had an impact right across all aspects of the music industry. @richard you know I am very cautious about you using a producer, especially before choosing your songs for the project. Afterall, you have the technical and creative capability to finish songs, but you lack focus. You are too easily distracted by what is new. That new patch. Effect. Chord change or discovered melody.. You are always impatient to move forward, and possibly find the detail stage of editing less engaging and less stimulating than the exciting brainstorming stage. Combine that with not being sufficiently motivated to get across the finishing line. Largely I think you lack confidence in what you do. You question it (which is healthy) but your lack of confidence means you are plagued by self-doubt. I think it is for this more than anything that you are looking for someone else to contribute, yes, but equally important I think you need the verification and validation that someone you believe in can give you. Very I mportantly, it not an issue with your music. You have strong opinions about music, but when it comes to your own music, doubt robs you of self-belief. I am sure you know all this. Part of this, in my experience, is often a degree of fear. Fear of making a statement and being judged. Fear of settling for what you have when 5 minutes more experimenting might yield that one bit that really makes that song work. Fear of carving it in stone. Sadly, in experimenting, shiny paper syndrome gets you as you discover something new and exciting and... off you go, a new song evolves, while the current song languishes, unfinished, pushed aside, cast off. After all, if you never finish, your music cannot be judged, because whatever people hear, it is not the finished article. It is a very, very common issue for songwriters. For creatives in general. Carved in stone? We'll sort of. Songs are re-written, rearranged, re-recorded, remixed, all the time! Mistakes? So what. As long as you learn from them, all will be well. You share songs here, where it is safe to make mistakes and learn, where issues are not perceived as "permanent". That threshold you cope with well. That said, if you have budget and view it as chance to learn, asking for explanations, watching what is done, it could be a great (though expensive) way to learn. That will only work if you are open to learning, and can gain enough confidence from the process, the producer and the result, to overcome your fear of possibly missing that vital ingredient that will make your song perfect. Still, it remains, that for you, working with a producer might just be enough to help boost your confidence that your music, that your song, really is good enough. Certainly a good producer will help you cross that finishing line. If nothing else, it is a huge part of their job! So for you, perhaps it is the answer. At least for one song. You seem willing to learn from others on the boards and elsewhere, and your songs do evolve and improve. However, I can't help thinking that if you could only complete a couple of songs largely on your own, even with bits of guidance on specific issues from people you respect, the confidence you would gain would be massive. There would be no stopping you. You work at your music. You grow. You enjoy hat you do. Completing a song is an important psychological step. Whatever you do, I am sure you will create some great finished songs (unless you choose not to finish them!) and some day soon, this dilemma will be in the rear view mirror. We will still support you and cheer you on.

Hi Dan, welcome to Songstuff Good to have you aboard.

Yep all working. It'll be interesting to see how it evolves

Welcome! I'll be trying to use this area to discuss the art of the singer songwriter. The aim is to exchange ideas on everyting from song recording, making releases, playing gigs etc, all with a singer songwriter focus. Dive in.

https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206536837-Is-my-site-live- but I don't see your site, or captcha. Just a prompt to log in or create a square space site

Nope. Still getting the register / log in screen

According to their help, sites are live by default. I.e. It must be a change you made

A mac user then, or are you on iPad? what comes with depends largely on what level you get. Some have free sound sets, others you have to buy. Same with plug ins. what sort of budget? Sub $100?

Hi Richard, it prompts for a square space login. Maybe a setting? Development mode access or similar?

Sit back, relax, enjoy a wee song. Sings... "Happy noob-day to you, happy noob-day to you, happy noob-day dear Wonderdrywall...... happy noob-day to you! Woot woot hooray!" Welcome to Songstuff! Dont worry, we've all been noobs. We aren't that scary. ok, now you can dive right in and enjoy yourself

Ok, I'm going to close the thread. Feedback for the OP can broadly be summarised as "yes, you can improve". There are tips, suggestions, observations and a whole bunch of off topic stuff. If someone wants to reply on topic to the OP, or the OP wants to reply, I will reopen it.

Thanks. I try! Keep your humor coming. In general I think your posts are light and fun... but there's no harm getting used to a quick read through to try and make sure you are coming over as intended before hitting submit. Out of interest, I have even seen posts unintentionally come over as flirting and a come on. Not by me of course! Could land you in a heap of trouble though! Lol

I see absolutely nothing wrong with Mike's assertion regarding the length of an intro, either specifically or in general. Having the opinion neither makes him right or wrong. Indeed, within the pop song market especially, it is a commonly held practice to get to the singing as quickly as possible. By all means disagree with the opinion, but it is a valid opinion. As to Iron Maiden, big rock hit or not... who is to say it might not have been a bigger hit had the intro been shorter? Equally that suggestion could well have ruined the song and made it not a hit, as I suspect Rob and other rockers might assert, rock does love a longer intro than pop. Apples and oranges. By all means debate. We put forth our best rationale and we try to work out our differences, or make our case.... but it is the OP that decides what to apply to their song or performance, and what they consider right for it or not. Of course we all form an opinion, and have a degree of conviction as to what we would have done... but it is not our song, or our performance. In this we are all advisors offering opinions. Should you find you disagree with Mike's perspective you can of course disagree with that opinion at any point. Even have a general discussion about the pros and cons of intro lengths. As for how that opinion is expressed, that is a different matter, though it is still subjective... I do really appreciate that we all try to police ourselves and to effect change. Sometimes saying "You were a bit harsh" or "that came over as really dismissive" etc can go a long way. If you really think someone is way over the line, ask for a mod to review the offending post. That's what we are there for. We are all adults and I do want all members to feel they can express their opinions (with the exception of personal attacks and other rule breaking stuff) but staying on topic in review threads is important too. Arguments happen, but mutual respect is also needed. Balance in all things. I am not sitting in judgement of anyone here. No one has asked for a moderator but I can see the thread is a bit heated at points and all I would suggest is that you shake hands and remember we are here for our love of music, take a deep breath, have a hug, whatever and put the thread behind you. In addition, if you want to discuss suggestions and points further, let's start a new topic away from the OP post where we can discuss the way we express our opinions constructively. That would certainly be a constructive, healthy way to effect change with a minimum of pissedoffness (another word invention). If it means a rules or guidelines update, so be it. At least we then all have more clarity on something that is a bit woolly. I would point out that text communication can be misconstrued, especially humor. Text lacks many social cues that face to face conversation already has built in. Brevity can come across as short, like a put down, flippant. Humor can come across as insulting, or even cruel. That doesn't mean you cannot be brief or use humor, simply that awareness is your friend and a little more care than usual is a good idea. Members reading this thread, and this reply, will have varying degrees of experience. To that end I have to cover as many bases as my sleep deprived brain can muster. So please forgive me if I have misunderstood, missed a point, a detail or have proceeded to make a mountain out of a molehill. This thread has definitely wandered off topic. Peace, hugs and stuff

Hi and welcome to Songstuff PFF

Ok, that's the video updated... let me know what you think. Mainly voice over changes, but a few other changes as well

Yep on the recording and mix... also rework compression and test with Youtube compression for best results. PS That was me easing up on my Scottish brogue lmao. It can get much, much worse... for example, add another Glaswegian to the conversation, or let me have a couple of pints. They could have used Glaswegians as code talkers during the war lol