Limited Gear Challenge
There are many hidden costs in music, from gear and gear maintenance to recording hardware and software to web and releasing fees and more. But I want to address the fear of not having the right equipment and how to not let that stifle your creativity.
I started with a $40 Radio Shack mic, Audacity, a laptop, cheap earbuds, and music partners across the world helping me. I had my piano at home and blank staff paper for writing. I had no tablet, no smart phone, so no quick capture apps. But I was creating. I was recording. I was releasing very basic scratch tracks. It was not ideal of course given the kind of music I would eventually create. There’s a song on a collab site that was released in 2012 that sits comfortably at number 1 in their chart at the time of me writing this. So what’s the point of this story? I made do with what I had at the time and didn’t let it stop me from writing, recording, collaborating, and releasing.
My next step involved some gear and software upgrades but my “studio” was still pretty bare bones. I owned one halfway decent mic and a small interface. I still recorded. I still released. I got a couple small mics to record my piano. I later got a midi keyboard and better, but still introductory (limited), software.
At every stage, every upgrade I could do a little more. Every day I worked, wrote, recorded, and learned. Throughout every upgrade I was releasing music. While I found a remarkable improvement in the quality of my work over the years, I don't attribute much of that to the gear itself. Yes there are times that a piece of gear is a real game changer, but you also need to know how to use it. First you need to keep your writing and performing skills sharp. Otherwise you're just gear-collecting and hoping magic will happen.
Tips to keep working:
Don’t have a vocal booth or shield? Record in your closet. The hanging clothes act as your sound panels.
Don’t feel you have the right sound? Work on a different song or challenge yourself on a different genre.
Can’t afford the latest DAW? Audacity is free and will force you to learn the basics.
Lacking mics or other gear to transfer your sound to a computer? Remember that creating doesn't necessarily mean releasing perfect recordings, so continue to create between those rare chances to professionally (or semi-professionally) record. If you gig / perform, ask around your area for someone with the equipment, time, and means to record and maybe even mix your set. There are a lot of folks who adore that sort of work. Sometimes the venue will record your set for you. In my small circle of music friends in Peoria there are 4 of us with studios that can handle various needs and plenty of others with varying amounts of recording equipment.
Collaborate! You may have ideas you can’t bring to fruition by yourself given your gear. Team up with like-minded musicians who can.
And finally, make the best of the gear you have. If you search forever for the perfect sound, tone, effect, etc... and you allow your search to stop you from creating or recording, you’ll spend a lot of money and maybe never be satisfied. What good is all the gear in the world if you don’t use it?
Most days now I make use of a setup more suited to my style of creating, but I refuse to let a lack of a certain instrument or gear keeping me from recording and releasing. Sometimes you have to put a certain song or version on the backburner, but don't put your creativity on the shelf. Yes gear is delightful. Gear shopping is incredibly fun, and finding a new piece and having that aha moment with a new sound is beyond satisfying. It’s energizing. But my wishlist is miles long.
Keep creating!
Sarah
I started with a $40 Radio Shack mic, Audacity, a laptop, cheap earbuds, and music partners across the world helping me. I had my piano at home and blank staff paper for writing. I had no tablet, no smart phone, so no quick capture apps. But I was creating. I was recording. I was releasing very basic scratch tracks. It was not ideal of course given the kind of music I would eventually create. There’s a song on a collab site that was released in 2012 that sits comfortably at number 1 in their chart at the time of me writing this. So what’s the point of this story? I made do with what I had at the time and didn’t let it stop me from writing, recording, collaborating, and releasing.
My next step involved some gear and software upgrades but my “studio” was still pretty bare bones. I owned one halfway decent mic and a small interface. I still recorded. I still released. I got a couple small mics to record my piano. I later got a midi keyboard and better, but still introductory (limited), software.
At every stage, every upgrade I could do a little more. Every day I worked, wrote, recorded, and learned. Throughout every upgrade I was releasing music. While I found a remarkable improvement in the quality of my work over the years, I don't attribute much of that to the gear itself. Yes there are times that a piece of gear is a real game changer, but you also need to know how to use it. First you need to keep your writing and performing skills sharp. Otherwise you're just gear-collecting and hoping magic will happen.
Tips to keep working:
Don’t have a vocal booth or shield? Record in your closet. The hanging clothes act as your sound panels.
Don’t feel you have the right sound? Work on a different song or challenge yourself on a different genre.
Can’t afford the latest DAW? Audacity is free and will force you to learn the basics.
Lacking mics or other gear to transfer your sound to a computer? Remember that creating doesn't necessarily mean releasing perfect recordings, so continue to create between those rare chances to professionally (or semi-professionally) record. If you gig / perform, ask around your area for someone with the equipment, time, and means to record and maybe even mix your set. There are a lot of folks who adore that sort of work. Sometimes the venue will record your set for you. In my small circle of music friends in Peoria there are 4 of us with studios that can handle various needs and plenty of others with varying amounts of recording equipment.
Collaborate! You may have ideas you can’t bring to fruition by yourself given your gear. Team up with like-minded musicians who can.
And finally, make the best of the gear you have. If you search forever for the perfect sound, tone, effect, etc... and you allow your search to stop you from creating or recording, you’ll spend a lot of money and maybe never be satisfied. What good is all the gear in the world if you don’t use it?
Most days now I make use of a setup more suited to my style of creating, but I refuse to let a lack of a certain instrument or gear keeping me from recording and releasing. Sometimes you have to put a certain song or version on the backburner, but don't put your creativity on the shelf. Yes gear is delightful. Gear shopping is incredibly fun, and finding a new piece and having that aha moment with a new sound is beyond satisfying. It’s energizing. But my wishlist is miles long.
Keep creating!
Sarah
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