Open source music?

Most by now have heard of open source software, aka GPL where in essence the software is free to obtain, edit and even redistribute, as long as you aren't profiting from some one else's work, and the actual author(s) get credit. Well, it seems other aspects of electronic media are finally catching on, and to think it only took 20 years!

Now you see an increasing assortment of either Creative Commons media, or my favorite, the pay what you want model. The musicians of today can quickly distribute their music, and a growing number of listeners can legally download music for free!

Of course if you don't like the product, don't pay for it, but if you do like it, then you really should do something to show your appreciation, and a click of a Paypal donate button to the artist is a quick way to do exactly that.

Even Hollywood is jumping onto the pay what you want model. I recently found a digital series on Youtube called "H+" and it was not at all what I was expecting. It's a full blown movie broken up into digestible 5 to 10 minute chunks. The special effects are right on par with any recent Hollywood release, not to mention it's a very well written story. Still the biggest clincher to me is, it was completely free to watch, other than the occasional intermission ad, which I could skip after a few seconds. I fully intend to donate something to the creators, it is simply "that good".

Maybe I'm turning into a socialist, or, oh my, possibly even a communist, but I think the pay what you want model will continue to become more widespread in everything from music, movies, books video games. You name it. We already have a pay what you want restaurant and a book store in my city.

As a musician, I've already found a few places someone like me with a home made recording studio can distribute their riginal music. Sites like Vibedeck make it easy to make your individual songs, or complete albums available for purchase.

I think using parts of the old school record industry model can still be applied. For example, lets say you have just recorded your master piece of an album. You might make one track available free of charge, eg; "The single". This is easily done these days with torrent software, Youtube or again sites like Vibedeck.

People that enjoy that single will be eager to find and hear more and since they already know they at least like one track, purchasing the whole album at a reasonable price is, well reasonable, maybe even likely.

Who knows, maybe the next Michael Jackson, or Metalicca will be someone recording in their basement just like I do, rather than the spit polished and groomed Barbie dolls we hear on pop radio today.

It is time to be creative !
It is time to donate to the talent directly and bypass the middleman.
It is time for open source music.

Till next time. \m/

Creating an almost free music recording studio.

If you have ever considered creating your own music recording studio at home, you might have some misconceptions about what it actually takes. One of the purposes of this blog is to dispel these myths.

As my previous posts point out, even a 10 year old computer can be turned into an audio workstation capable of producing high quality stereo audio. (hint, the secret is LINUX!). Using an open source operating system like Ubuntu Studio, not only do you get all the tools an audio engineer might need, you have access to a growing collection of music recording software, that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars.

Much of this free audio software replaces the need to purchase expensive hardware, for example, 2 programs, called guitarx and rakarrack act as virtual amplifiers and effect racks. Negating the need for actual effect racks and stomp boxes. Rakarrack alone easily replicates thousands of dollars worth of effect pedals if you were to purchase them separately.

Guitarists in particular will have a lot of fun with just those 2 programs, but it certainly doesn't end there, not by a long shot. There is really software to cover any need you might have when it comes to creating and producing your own music. Virtual synthesizers, pitch correction, mixing.. you name it.

Ok, so what about the things that you simply can't replicate on a computer. When it comes to the physical elements of your studio, there are areas that can be done cheaply, and then a few you should absolutely not skimp on.

For example, I use an old 4 track cassette recorder as a 4 channel mixer, and have it's line out plugged into the line in jack of my sound card. The recorder was destined for the junk yard, so it was free, I did however spend about $25USD on some high quality shielded audio cable and 4 adapters, the male stereo headphone to 2 mono female kind. Eg; skrimp where you can, but not where it matters. Excessive line noise is a killer.

If you'll be recording vocals or acoustic instruments like saxophones, you will need to invest in at least one recording microphone. As high quality as you can afford. If you'll be recording something like drums, or groups of acoustic instruments you may need anywhere from 3 to 12 microphones.

UPDATE: I'm going to get on e of these.. http://www.bluemic.com/snowball/

Luckily, microphone technology is such that even bottom end products from the major manufacturers will provide quality results. The choices can be a bit daunting, but it really boils down to what your specific needs are. DO be cautious of microphones that require phantom power, if you don't have powered XLR jacks, they will be useless to you.

Once the software side is handled ala Linux, and the hardware side is handled, ala re purposed hardware, quality cables, microphones and studio monitors. All that is left are some tips to ensure your recordings are as good as they can be, but I'll post all that soon. Promise :D