Free/Cheap Recording Concepts

I have been doing a Music Program, cohorts for small groups of those behind bars who for the most part even if/when they get released have nothing and especially in terms of finances. I cover a -lot- of ground in these classes and one aspect is recording song ideas, demos and perhaps if one is willing to work with "lo-fi" methods and recording, even sharing songs with folks via the internet is possible.

There are doable, workable alternatives to spending loot on a pro studio to create and record songs and that's what this post is about.

I recently asked in social media "I'm wondering if anybody out there would read a longer post on free-to-cheap down and dirty recording techniques... at least for demo-ing song ideas? If so I'll cook one up." -and got far more positive replies than I expected.

As always several things must be said and remembered with what I say and do (I guess same for most anybody regarding any area of life):

1. there's always a workaround (more than one way to accomplish a goal)

2. your mileage may vary (you may not dig my chili, like the results)

3. when I say "free, cheap, down and dirty" I mean it (not pristine or optimum but it works IF you'll be patient and committed to figuring out how to do X, Y and/or Z)

4. there's always a learning curve when attempting something new -that's true about you and me alike!

See, one of my gripes about capitali$m and "only ONE way to do it... spend more". The only absolute "one way" I'm sure of is eternal life with salvation in Christ alone.

Lastly, what I'm about to write will cause plenty pro engineers and producers to freak out, disagree and consider me blasphemous regarding techniques. To be clear, I've recorded in several pro studios with killer gear, acoustics, engineers and producers for more than 35 full-length records and plenty more singles and all this for more than 50 years, record regularly in pro settings with pros that way now. This is NOT about all that.

Also, I'm going to mention a number of easily available free apps ("programs" for you old schoolers) that I use for Android phones and my fave operating system Linux- but you can go online and find the same apps or matching apps for whatever phone or computer operating system you use. Know also, you can buy super-cheap laptops or pcs via Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other sites (plenty of 'em in large cities) and also via Goodwill and Salvation Army online or in their local stores.

In this post I'll list a number of apps but A. I don't make a penny from mentioning them here and that's not why I do so, rather it's because I routinely -use- them in personal songwriting and demoing. B. I'm not going to include app's web addresses because it's simple enough for you to web search and find them and C. there are a ton of helps files that come with most of these programs plus You Tube and other video clips demonstrating how to download, install and use them, often comments of various people's pros and cons regarding each app and etc.- so please -do your homework- as I cannot answer the zillion questions related to such a large number of apps nor even about the Linux operating system, the -many- distributions ("distros") in the Linux universe nor how to burn a Linux distro onto a boot-able usb drive so you can boot a computer right into Linux and if you like it and so does your machine, then installing it on your hard drive (sometimes called thumb drive) but again, web search!!

Be patient with yourself and the process! Know that one of the best bits of advice I ever got from my computing bros was "Don't worry, you can't destroy your computer by trying this stuff out. Worst-case scenario, just re-read and carefully follow all the steps again when loading a new operating system or program into your pc or laptop. I found that to be fully true so became rather fearless about trying and trying again if failing or I didn't like the results. This is especially true using older pc's or laptops.

God has me doing a lot of other things so I simply cannot respond to all the techie questions, please understand that- and thanks!

Here we go!

SIMPLE RECORDING METHOD: 2 SMARTPHONES

-2 smart phones with the same basic recording app on both of them

-there are many free ones but I regularly use ASR. Simple to record an idea but you must do it all in one pass or "take", then also using ASR or like recording app on the second phone, record track two and go back and forth between phones adding tracks until you've got them all on one phone, then upload to computer via usb cable transfer or even emailing the final to your email address

-regardless of operating system, 1 usb connection wire to allow uploading sound file to laptop or pc

HOW?

-simply using the built-in phone mic on each phone, use a quiet room, perhaps set a cardboard box on it's side lined with with empty egg cartons (eat the eggs first) or towels taped/held in place with sticks (!) - place phone #1 inside box or somewhat of a quiet (perhaps curtained off) corner of a table. Record beats OR bass OR guitar, then add each instrument by plugging in the best sounding computer speakers or small amp and while playing track one through them/it, place phone #2 in the same space phone #1 was in and from start-to-finish record track one -and- two on the second phone. Repeat until all parts of the song are recorded by going back and forth between both phones. It is SUPER important to use the best quality headphones or at least earbuds to listen to the first track and each succeeding track for noise... "hiss" and the tone of the track as well. As you add tracks each time you'll be adding noise... keeping that low as possible as well as considering the overall volume level on the first and each added track as you go.

Listening for all this as you go back-and-forth on each phone by playing back as you stack the tracks up by plugging in both headphones and computer speakers or an amp will help you hear what you've got, keep the noise levels down as well as give you different perspectives needed so you get both the tracks and at least a shot at somewhat decent sound in the end.

Note, this is about as simple as possible, not pro-recording!!

After getting your song idea finished, upload to your pc or laptop and you will either have an Mp3 or .wav file of a song you can email to people or if the file is too large to allow that, you can use We Transfer (free) or some other online free service to do so.

If you choose free Sound Cloud or Band Camp sites (there are plenty more free options if you search online) you can put individual songs or entire albums online for free or even add a donation option.

PC OR LAPTOP RECORDING

Perhaps the most simple recording option is to get an Apple-based laptop or pc with Garage Band already on the system loaded in the computer.

I have a Mac Mini (older model) on which I downloaded a free Linux audio recording operating system (from now I'll use the term "os") and after wiping the Apple drive clean, I installed Linux and now use this little machine for simple demos in one corner of my office.

I've installed various versions of the Linux os on so many old and more modern pc's and laptops it'd make your head spin... but hey, learning curve and then "Ah-HA!!!" and then you're rockin' regardless.

Windows and Mac offer a load of free recording apps as well, here I'm simply sharing what I use.

I settled on AV Linux last year after trying a load of Linux-based recording os's using both mainstream and several very obscure distros that included recording suites. I won't go into all the reasons but the reality is for me, AV Linux handshook well with the little Mac Mini I have been given and for me, Audacity is the most simple go-to recording app with (frankly) far more "bells and whistles" than I use or ever plan to use.

I found Audacity easiest to understand and work with, rather intuitive. HOW I use Audacity is a bit more complex.

I have an old HP laptop that is fast enough to play nice with Audacity alongside (literally) the Mac Mini. It so happens I use Linux Mint on the lappy and have Audacity installed on both machines.

Here comes the unorthodox: I have a couple of cheap but decent-sounding mics and so far have just recorded with headphones (good quality) along with a basic drum track into Audacity3 which is one of the programs in the Mac.

I often begin by choosing the drum track and program a basic beat with very few extras beyond kick, snare and high-hat, then use that as a loop. What drum machine you ask? It's -online- and called Drumbit. I choose my fave tones on those 3 elements, create a loop and play it -from my laptop via a small custom amp (Zeppelin Design Labs Percolator) while recording on the Mac by mic'ing the computer speakers via cheap outboard monitor speakers, not the actual laptop speakers or via my little Z.D. Percolator amp.

I find the low-end (bass and mid-range tones) cook nice in my Percolator so often use it simply by wire from the laptop speaker output and using a converter plug right into the 1/4 inch input of the amp, then mic the amp and thus record into the Mac. Once the drum track is done I move on to either bass, guitar, cigarbox guitar, uke, lute, whatever I wish to use to fill out the rhythm tracks of the song adding each instrument one track at a time in Audacity.

If I want to use an effects pedal on the instrument I plug it in to the amp. If I want an acoustic sound I simply put a mic on whatever the instrument is and record it directly into the Mac.

I either close-mic the amp each time or close-mic the instrument/s until I get the tones I want.

Note- I don't use headphones until I'm actually going to record, I then record a bit of each instrument and give it a good listening for tone and volume level BEFORE I work to record a keeper track. I do this each time I add another track. WHEN I record the track I use headphones and Audacity has a specific way to record each new added track (studio vernacular is "overdub") where you can then hear both the original track/s to then record a new one live at the same time. I'll let you study and work out how to hear both original track and live recording track at the same time. There are tutorials online explaining how to do this and it's the only "Huh?" factor for most new users of Audacity.

Many moons ago I used 4 track cassette recorders -noisy (hiss, etc.) but simple. Now I simply do what I'm writing here with the gear I'm writing about.

When done with all the instruments I want to hear on a song I add the vocals and very last, overdub whatever "lead" parts on whatever instrument (guitar, harmonica, dulcimer, whatever) I want to hear in the song, so the melody licks and solos come AFTER the vocals are done. I'm convinced that's the best way to record the extra stuff, let the vocal track and lyrical meaning influence what little or solo riffs you play, not the other way around.

Then I mix the tracks of the completed song down to Mp3 or .wav files and can thus post online or send to my pro-recording bandmates, friends, burn a cd or whatever. Usually I just pile these ideas up on my laptop and of course ALWAYS SAVE THE FILE before you log out or turn the machine off!!!

Better still, immediately when finished, copy it to another computer or a second hard drive, then you're good if either one gets trashed, stolen or the drive crashes and you end up not being able to revive it.

WANT BETTER TONES AND OVERALL SOUND?

Learn by online study and by actually trying things by recording and critically listen, then consider what mics sound best on your amp(s), vocals, acoustic instruments and so forth. Different mics can make a serious difference on vocals and any instrument.

Check out variations of mic'ing amp speakers a couple inches from the center of the speaker cone, move it to say, 6 inches. Do it again but now aim the mic halfway between center and the outside rim of speaker (so "off center"), then out X number of inches and so on. You'll find all that affects the tone of whatever you're recording.

If you want to get fancy and more elaborate -only IF you can get a small and QUIET/LOWWWWW NOISE mixer you can play with various tones on your instruments/amps and so forth, even keeping notes on what sounds most full including low, mid and high frequencies on the various instruments and vocals. If you've at least 4 channels and better still, 8 you can leave them set and labeled for the various instruments and vocals and run each track into your recording computer so not having to always mess with settings if you're inspired to write or record a song. If you've two good sounding mics and a mixer you can record a track by close mic'ing plus adding a second track with a second mic place farther away from the amp out in the room getting a "room sound". Then before recording a track, record a little of it using both mics into 2 different tracks. Stop the machine, listen hard with headphones and again via speakers and play around with adjusting how much of which sound works best or if both of them can work by adjusting the mix of both tracks in mix-down with the other instruments. Look, there's a TON more you can learn and try, I'm only scratching the surface but audio engineering and discovering various techniques for recording is all part of the fun.

Trial and error, reading up on all this stuff that audio engineers deal with all the time can be a big help. Collaborating with people who have truly good hearing and experience is massive for the learning experience as in all other areas of life.

TRACK PLACEMENT IN MIXING DOWN

I play a lot of different instruments and am often inspired when I build a simple one or three-string guitar, play slide or mostly use my fingers or change to a pick or back-and-forth for a particular part of a song. I mean, I'm all over the map so to hear everything where you place all the tracked instruments and vocals in terms of both tones and volume levels as well as the left-center-right placement of each track in the stereo spectrum in mix-down all makes a huge different as well.

We haven't even talked about effects pedals ("stomp boxes") or using Audacity's several on-board effects, etc., but all that's for you to discover, consider and try out as you record.

So- literally volumes of amazing pro-level and writings, videos from seasoned pros can teach you a TON more than I can about this massive and deep subject but hopefully you will take a risk and try! The pleasure of using old computers and phones to create fresh songs and to learn recording arts is in itself a blast as a hobby.

Music therapy is real and I've been swimming in it myself most of my life, largely by writing and recording with whatever I had at hand. Learning it could be done with relatively simple gear has been fun even when challenging to understand how to do what I wanted to do in writing a tune.

Don't be put off by the learning curve, do be humble enough to study, the internet is fully fabulous for that -and free os's and apps sure enough help!

As always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn