Recording the Prelude LP
On December 16th and 17th of 2023, I had the privilege (and stress) of FINALLY recording the tracks for my debut album, Prelude LP. After years of “waiting until I get around to it” to record it myself in my home studio, I knew I needed a different approach. So I said, screw it, and booked two dates in a professional studio knowing I’d have no choice but to prepare to succeed or doom myself to failure.
Up to this point, I have released a few home recordings as singles on streaming platforms (“Spanish Romance,” “Morning of Carnaval,” and “Over the Rainbow”), but, despite my best self-taught efforts at sound engineering and post-production, the recordings did not live up to the professional expectations I had hoped to chance upon. It occurred to me that if I want professional results, I may have to hire a….professional.
So I called up The Hideout Recording Studio in my hometown of Henderson, Nevada, and booked some time with one of their lead engineers, Tristan Hardin. Having done a lot of photography myself, I can say that trying to record yourself is a bit like trying to photograph yourself. It’s just too jarring and inefficient to constantly move between artist and technician. (I’ve also just finished a photoshoot where I actually hired a photographer to take my photos for the album). It was nice being able to just sit in the artist’s seat and let something else worry about screens, knobs and buttons. Tristan was great to work with and really understood what I was going for musically.
That said, despite all my preparations, and booking 2 days, I still overestimated how long it would actually take to record a whole album. The first hour was just setting up the equipment and instruments plus another 30 minutes of dialing in a good guitar tone. Foolishly, I started with the most difficult piece and spent two obsessive hours trying to get every phrase and section of music to sound just right. Time is free when I’m recording myself at home, but quite dear when paying a pro by the hour, so I had to whip out my favorite day-job phrase, “good enough is good enough for me,” and move on.
I was able to finish recording two or three more tracks in that first day. Going into day two, however, I knew I had to be much more efficient if I wanted to finish the album. So, I whipped out a quote from Elon Musk:
"If you give yourself 30 days to clean your home, it will take you 30 days.
But if you give yourself 3 hours, it will take 3 hours.
The same applies to your goals, ambitions, and potential."
I now had five hours to finish the remaining seven or so pieces. I dialed up my focus and turned down my tension and finished the last of the tracks just before my time was up.
I know what you’re thinking: “Wow! Amazing! When do I get to hear this masterpiece that’s finally finished after hearing you talk about it for the last 6 years!?” The answer is sometime this year. I now have to wait for Tristan to finish all the mixing, editing and other post-production work. While he’s doing that, I have to finish designing the layout and packaging for my streaming, CD and vinyl releases, and place the orders for the physical releases.
They say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time to plant a tree is today. Honestly, I could have recorded this album years ago. I would have played it better and could have moved on to new and better recordings by now. I’m glad I’ve finally done it though. This is the biggest creative project of my life so far and I’m already pumped and rejuvenated to make the next one even better. Until then, I hope you enjoy Prelude LP…when it finally comes out!
