Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,736
P
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
P
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,736


Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
Thanks for calling attention to this Mike. (sob!) I'm heartbroken (sob!)
A song line comes to mind - "We may be fighting a losing battle but having a lot of fun trying to win!"

Cheers on a Saturday Night!


Ian
My "Original Tunes" Site
My gene pool needs more chlorine.
Off-Topic
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Tuck and Patti Andress record at home.

Their album, Love Warriors, won a San Francisco Bay Area Music Award for Best Jazz Album.



--Mac

Off-Topic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815
The authors make a perfectly good case why "Home Recordings" on the 99.9% probability will never sound as good as a major studio. I accept that, mainly because it is true.

Sound quality aside, the question is "can a home studio song win major awards?" The answer is -- "it depends". If the "song" is vastly superior, then yes. However, the quality of the "inherent" song is subject to personal opinion. Then it becomes more political. Songs recorded in major studios are more "politically correct". Cry about it all you want, but relationships, networking and "who knows you" becomes the deciding factor when song quality is comparable.

Kevin


Now at bandcamp: Crows Say Vee-Eh @ bandcamp or soundcloud: Kevin @ soundcloud
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Of course, they haven't come across RTs yet...


Follow That Dream

Sam
Karaoke King

--------------------

Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
What they don't talk about is that home recordings can make superb demos and bring rewards if the songs are good. Brings to mind Kenny R's "Buy Me A Rose" - recorded on a bedroom 4-track - which hit #1 . . . .but not the bedroom version.

Kevin your points are well-taken. Connections and exposure mean alot.

Ian


Ian
My "Original Tunes" Site
My gene pool needs more chlorine.
Off-Topic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,646
P
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
P
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,646
I know a gentleman who was given a Barry Gibbs song to record. He went back to Nashville to record it only to find out that Conway Twitty had decided to do it. That is the way the music business works. The studio is going to go 99.99999 and as many 9's as you can go with the established artist. The same thing is true with the recording engineer. The thing that is most important for a person with a home studio is can I produce a demo quality cd. Most studios, even if they use your song will have it rerecorded using their people. It is just the nature of the business. You can guarntee that there have been many grammy award winning songs sent to the studio, recorded on less than stellar equipment. In the end it is the melody and the words and the performance that make a grammy award winning song.

Listen To My Music
Read My Blog


My Tunes

Psalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Listen to PGF


Follow That Dream

Sam
Karaoke King

--------------------

Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Sorry to rain on the article but there are several flaws with the question then the method used to answer the question.

Firstly, how many songs which make loads of money each year win a Grammy? Perhaps 1/100 of 1%? I doubt it is even that high.

So in my mind, the question - can a home recorded/edited/mastered song win a Grammy is almost an irrelevant question.

I'll throw a question back - when has the Grammy awards show ever been mixed and broadcast properly? It is one of the worst examples of a live show almost every single year it is broadcast. They totally butchered the Sting/Allison Krauss duet of a few years ago.

Put the folks that engineer Austin City Limits in charge, or the Ramsey Lewis Masters of Jazz show in charge of the Grammys.

Secondly, they only interview professional studio engineers. How do you think these guys will answer such a question? If they aren't biased, I don't know who is.

They would be better to interview people who make money hand over fist with home recorded music - like Sufjan Stevens, or Elliott Smith (well he's dead now), or Beck (well his home studio can be argued to be pro).

Every issue of TapeOp magazine (free subscriptions in the US) features usually at least one band/producer, etc. that is doing work out of their home, for profit.

A Grammy would look really cool on the mantle above the fireplace - but it's not even a reasonable goal for home recordists.

The fact of the matter is that scores more people have access to technology affordable for their homes to make works of art that can be shared with others.

It's just like digital photography has brought access to the fun of photography to the masses in a way that only professionals could afford in the past. My 7th grade daughter has the concept of 'bracketing' and taking multiple shots of a subject, only to save and preserve the best, down in a self-taught way, through experimentation, with her little $100 panasonic camera I bought for her for Christmas a couple years ago.

The article's points on input, monitoring and acoustics are right on. If you study and understand these concepts, you can overcome much of the limitations of the differences between the home studio and pro studio for very little money if any.

Example: Mix quietly, audition loudly elsewhere in other rooms. This helps your nearfield monitors to behave in the near field. Take note of peaks and valleys in the spectrum (usually below 1000Hz) in the places where you audition. Teach yourself the concept of memorizing what these holes and peaks sound like by using a 31 band EQ on the output buss while listening to music you know forward and backward. Start with the vocal formant dominant frequencies of 250/500 Hz 'oooooo', 1000 Hz 'aaaaaaah' 2000 Hz 'eh', 4000 Hz 'eeeee'.

Don't have a 31 band EQ in hardware, no excuse - get a VST plugin for free to do this.

Monitoring quietly also saves the hearing system and allows for longer sessions, and preserves relationships with close-by neighbors.

Example: Properly micing guitar cabinets vs. using a good amplifier simulator.

I'll take choice 2 every time, because I know I would spend far too much time treating my recording/mixing/editing room acoustically and that I don't have a stack of Fender and Marshall and Vox amps sitting in that room like what sits in the simulator taking up only hard drive space!

Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
It can be done. And all you need is PG Music software and RTs

It just hasn't been done YET


Follow That Dream

Sam
Karaoke King

--------------------

Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 973
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 973
Hi All

When you consider the investment pro studios have in their equipment,it's not surprising
that we "Hobbyists" don't stand much chance.

$30,000 for One compressor,I would like to know what it can do that my $200 one can't?

You would need to be extremely lucky and be in the right place at the right time,or know
someone who could help for it to happen.

However it has been done,to say it's impossible is like saying we should all give up and
sell our gear,no way.

Alan

Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Hey, folks!

Remember Sun Studios? Chess Records? Are you going to dial them out because they were made with 'inferior' recording gear???

I think not

Of course it can be done.

Alan, is it worth it to spend 10 times the amount of money on a piece of kist that might get used once in a while. No!

Ultimately, its the song that sells...

lyrics and melody, rhyhm and rhyme
works for me
ALL the time


Follow That Dream

Sam
Karaoke King

--------------------

Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
Off-Topic
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Quote:



$30,000 for One compressor,I would like to know what it can do that my $200 one can't?

Alan




This is where the Law of Diminishing Returns kicks in hard.

However, that little bit of gain over the lesser offerings can be a lot when all is taken into consideration, and therin lies the difference. Things like noise are additive in nature.
Designing out that noise level can be expensive both component and assembly-wise. Then there is the Law of Supply and Demand to be considered also. The engineer who takes on design, manufacture and sale of the high end compressor must price according to projected sales possiblities in order to remain viable. They may be selling double digit unit numbers as versus the thousands of consumer sales.

Alan, the Mastering Engineer who does it for a living likely looks on the gear in the same way you view the guitar, as you recently did in a thread here about highend or brand name guitars versus the less expensive ones. There are tools and then there are the Tools of the Master.


--Mac

Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,061
W
Expert
Offline
Expert
W
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,061
Part of the issue, to me, is that one may hear a crappy song promoted to a money audience that goes platinum and a great artist, great song with great production values fall flat in the market because the time was wrong.
When we listen to Barry Gordy's wall of sound today some of it makes me cringe but back in the day, it was hot because we were all looking for "Love"
My wife and I were discussing how to bring our music to the public without selling out to the promotion of the genera. How do you write and produce a Gospel CD that gets the message you want to talk about without losing your ethics in the battle to be heard? Our thought is to do it ourselves and focus on the message not the illusive super exposure that the Gospel Music industry may have.
I have seen too many people lose themselves in the industry they thought to master. It could be Hollywood or Nashville or ...........(Fill in the blank)
I guess dangle your own carrot, Wyndham

Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Quote:

Tuck and Patti Andress record at home.

Their album, Love Warriors, won a San Francisco Bay Area Music Award for Best Jazz Album.

--Mac




Tuck and Patti also use multi-thousand dollar A/D converters, have a studio at their home, and have a professional engineer doing the mixing. Tuck always sits in on the mixing to get what he wants, but he doesn't do all the mixing himself. At least, the last time I talked to him earlier this year, anyway.

My favorite Tuck and Patti album is "I Remember You."

Gary


I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
But,
Mac, you do recording in your own home, radio ads, jingles, etc. It may not be 'Grammy' material, but it does end up on the airwaves. You record and do all the mixing, engineering at home in a home studio, correct?

As Scott said, 0.001% of all songs done in a year may be considered for a Grammy Award, so there are lots of songs out there, some that may be done in a home studio, either consumer, prosumer, or semi-pro (or, even pro quality home studios...they do exist) that don't make it, for one reason or another.

As part of this, I have to wonder how many songs are submitted to A&R, singers, bands, etc., every year that never get recorded, for one reason or another. Not questioning whether they are good enough or not, but just don't make that cut.

I don't think the original question is a 'realistic' question, but that's my two cents.

Gary


I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
Off-Topic
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Quote:

My wife and I were discussing how to bring our music to the public without selling out to the promotion of the genera. How do you write and produce a Gospel CD that gets the message you want to talk about without losing your ethics in the battle to be heard? Our thought is to do it ourselves and focus on the message not the illusive super exposure that the Gospel Music industry may have.
I have seen too many people lose themselves in the industry they thought to master.




Right, you get to have your stuff heard by exactly 9 people. Maybe 11 if you're daughter manages to give a couple of cd's away with her Girl Scout cookies.

"...Lose themselves in the industry they thought to master".
"...bring our music to the public without selling out to the promotion.."

This sounds like the eternal mantra of the consummate wannabe. We all naively talked like that in the coffeeshops across from the college while a wide eyed coed was ernestly reading her poetry.

"focus on the message and not on the illusive super exposure..."

What are you talking about??
You don't want super exposure because you're afraid of losing your ethics and/or losing yourself in the industry? That's the name of the game and you just learn to deal with it if you want your music to go anywhere.
Strictly speaking someone somewhere has produced a legitimate hit that was done using a $1000 home studio setup but it's realistically impossible. About like the odds of winning the Super Lotto. Mathematically sure, someone wins it every month but your odds? About 5 million to one. Personally, I think the odds of winning the lotto are higher than getting a hit out of your basement. Matter of fact my best advice, seriously, is to by lotto tickets then when you win you can promote yourself.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Off-Topic
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 809
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 809
My question is, is that what we are looking for? I just want to produce a great sounding recording. Which some of you here helped me do.
Everywhere I have played my cd (made with real tracks) it has been a hit and I've sold copies to all that hear it. In fact last weekend I was at a big party and they played my cd along with some other ones which where recorded in multi million dollar studios. The quality of mine sounded just as good as all the others on their system. It sure shocked me or should I say I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks to PG and all you here who helped. And yes some of the songs are being used on radio stations and on TV shows (mostly ones involving boaters cause that was my focus).
That's all the thanks I need.

Last edited by edbulmer; 09/14/09 04:41 AM.
Off-Topic
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Quote:

My question is, is that what we are looking for?




In the context of that article, yes. To me the Grammy thing is not to be taken literally like Scott did. I take it as a metaphor for producing a successful recording at home. Everybody has their own definition of success but in the context of this article it means a hit record that sells what, 50,000-100,000 copies maybe? Whatever it is, the question is can that be done using a project studio at home? Very unlikely imho. One good Sennheiser mic can cost 6K, am I going to try to use that in my bedroom? Note the part of the article talking about the quality of the input signal. Decent demo's can certainly be done, then if you sell it it gets redone in the big studio.
I read about pro's who use Pro Tools LE at home because those files can be sent to a big studio and worked on there since they all have the big $15K Pro Tools system and those home produced files can be loaded right in. A star artist who sings and maybe plays guitar can have a dedicated vocal booth set up in a spare room at home with 20K worth of mic's and preamps. That person can do a vocal track into their pc and send the file over the internet to the studio where it can be plugged into the full band recording that was just done in Studio A. That's cool but the point of this article is it's basically talking about all us semi pro amateurs using at the most a few thousand dollars worth of stuff set up in the corner of the bedroom like me, not a true pro who lives in a multimillion dollar house with a dedicated megabuck studio built into one of the guest rooms.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Bob,
I tend to agree with you that money helps buy some mighty fine equipment, and the better the input chain, the better the final sound is going to be.

Let's consider a couple of other points. Winning a Grammy, or selling half a million copies of your song/album for all intents and purposes are the same thing in this context.

1. Who are you selling to? If you're selling to a Rap/Hip Hop/Techno audience, I would assume that you could lay down most of the tracks right on the computer from using loops and synths, and then add vocals from an isolation booth, or maybe you want to capture some sort of ambient background, so you wouldn't even necessarily need the vocal booth.

2. Live album. If you were doing a Live rock band, as Bob Harvey has done with his band, he's recorded it live into PowerTracks, and then done the mixing at home. You don't need too much more than what you already have for that. So, it is possible that you could record, and then master in your home studio, for a Live album.

3. Solo piano. You might pick up a system like this one: http://www.helpinstill.com/ that will allow you to 'mic' a piano with no acoustic background noise (think of a guitar pickup for a piano). You should be able to do that with a piano, a halfway decent A/D converter and a laptop. Again, mastering in your bedroom.

4. Pop tunes, I doubt very much.

5. Orchestral music, you might be able to get away with something like GPO, if you were trying to do background sounds, but not as orchestral music.

I think the technology is fast approaching the time when you *can* produce something at home, but it largely depends on WHAT you are trying to record, and what audience you're trying to hit.

Gary


I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!

If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!

If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!

Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!

PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.

The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.

The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.

Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!

Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.

Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!

Order now!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!

Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.

Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!

Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.

If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!

Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!

We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.

Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,082
Posts799,861
Members40,031
Most Online44,367
Mar 4th, 2026
Newest Members
Airllines, roshan2121, Din, AurealiusB, sam31985
40,031 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 142
DC Ron 97
rsdean 93
WaoBand 86
DrDan 68
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5