Making a Folk CD UK

Subject: Making a Folk CD UK
From: Cllr
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 03:08 PM

I have the opportunity to get some funding to record a folk CD but I need some approx costs very very quickly IE how much for a studio by day/hour and how much to get a CD printed quanty say 5 hundred PLease PM me HELP Cllr

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 03:16 PM

Studio: £20-35 an hour. Rememeber to include time for mixing.
Manufacturing: About £700-£800 for a 500 batch, including everything (design, 4-page booklet, CD with on-body print and jewel case)

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 12:25 AM

I'm doing the same thing here in the states. It'll be my first disc, I'm doing it with an eight track digital recorder with CD built in - to burn after mixdown. I don't really do any Trad. stuff so it'll probably be all original. Just me, guitar, and some percussion...

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: treewind
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 03:45 AM

George, is that production price for CDR duplication or pressing?

BTW Sounds Good have been recommended on another forum recently. You could try getting a quote from them.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: Cllr
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 04:26 AM

thanks ANahata I have done that thanks everyone Cllr

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 04:33 AM

The price I quoted is between the two (CDR and pressing), as of 6 months ago - so by now with falling prices it should be closer to pressing.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 04:59 AM

Chris,

I did precisely what you are doing now for my first four albums. I have a Zoom 1044MR 10-track digital recorder with built-in CD burner. I recorded, multitracked and mixed the albums on it, then produced a master which I gave to a manufacturing firm for CDR copying or pressing. And I like to think that I did a very decent job of it, mixing up to 6 or 7 tracks in some cases.

In fact I have just recorded and produced Les Sullivan's first album using the same kit, which (the album) is receiving such acclaim, so I am a little smug about it. However...

It has to be said that I did have recording studio and recording kit experience from the past, so my learning curve was an easy one. And I used 2-3 more experienced artists than me for their views on the mixing. It is important to get second opinions on this, even if you choose to ignore them in the end - the end product will be more "rounded".

Then, for my fifth album, I went into a studio. The engineer was Martin Atckinson, he is the sound consultant for luminaries such as the soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and in the folk world for Dave Webber/Anni Fentiman, Grant Baynham and Hilary Spencer, Mike Nicholson, Johnny Collins, Graeme Knights etc. Martin is a professional with an excellent pedigree and loads of experience, and I am sure that I could not have matched his product with my kit and knowledge. It's not only the recording kit (I think the new ones like yours and mine are brilliant), but the knowledge that you "buy" in a studio, that makes the difference.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: Chris Green
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 05:51 AM

Erm, dunno where you're based but Blue Moon Studio in Banbury is excellent! We recorded our album there, and so have Little Johnny England, Maartin Allcock, Kieran Halpin and a few other well-known acts. They charge £12 per hour, which is cheaper than anywhere else I've encountered, and the results are superb. You'll find their site here

Good luck with the CD!

Chris

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: GUEST,Frogette
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 07:42 AM

El Greco recorded and mixed Les Sullivan's cd "Echoes of Mingulay" and he did a superb job of it.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: Maryrrf
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 08:38 AM

I would like to know more about the recorders with burner built in - models that are recommended, etc. I've done some recording on my PC but I wonder if the 8 tracks are a better alternative? A studio is best but you have more time for playing around, experimenting, etc. if you have your own equipment.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 09:03 AM

Shop around, Maryrrf - for example, my Zoom 1044MRS is a cracker, it can do all I want it to and then some. 10 concurrent tracks, each with 10 "virtual" tracks making it 100, plus separate drum and bass tracks. Built in drum machine, two concurrent inputs, phantom power for mics that need it, 160 hours of recording possible on its 40MB hard disk, filters, reverb, 20 voice and 100 guitar "mode" presets, compression... It cost 800 UK pounds in June 2001. By now prices have dropped further, and there are new models around.

Search "recording equipment" in google and you will be rewarded.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 09:46 AM

Mine is a ZOOM, exactly the same, except that it's 8 tracks. Can't wait to use it! Got the thing on a bloody payment plan right now... I do have an analogue at home now, and the ZOOM will be my first digital! I'm finally entering the 21st century!!

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: rhyzla
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 10:46 AM

I 'use' a Yamaha 16 track - well, I say use, I own one, and an instruction book - nice bedtime reading!!

It will, IMO, be wonderful once I've got my head round it, but it takes a long time!!

Good luck!

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: Bernard
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 02:24 PM

A word of advice... people with these new-fangled 'Home Studio' machines tend to let the bells and whistles go to their heads (not including George P in this, his stuff is excellent!).

The art of using such a machine is to be subtle with the effects - don't overdo compression, reverb or any fancy effects, because the results sound 'muddy'.

Most important of all, record 'clean' and add your effects afterwards... you can saw a plank short, but you can't cut it long!!

Okay, when you hear it for the first time you are impressed by the trickery - but your customers are going to be more critical!!

I learned my recording skills on a four track open reel machine (Teac 3440) which had no effects whatsoever, and I still prefer the simplicity of that approach. Nowadays I use a Tascam 788 with an 80Gb HDD (I think you meant 40Gb, not Mb, George?!). It has 6 concurrent inputs, 4 mic and 2 line, and 250 virtual tracks to go at. Track bouncing is a doddle, and totally 'clean' (no losses). Loads of fancy effects, too...

Tascam (the Pro-Audio Division of Teac) made the mistake of not including phantom on the mic inputs (balanced TRS jacks, not XLRs, too!), but I have a couple of EMO mains phantom units to power my Behringer B-2 Pro microphones - these microphones are excellent quality for the money! Not quite in Neumann's league, but a tenth of the price!

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 03:04 PM

I second all Bernard says about using such kit and not overdoing the effects. And recording "clean" is VITAL, otherwise you can't go back and undo an effect you used in recording.

Yes, I meant Gb, Bernard...

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 10:31 PM

My recording technique is oh so simple: I put a mike or two in front of my guitar, put on a little reverb, and press record... Same thing for the voice. Very simple... very effective.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: open mike
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 11:13 PM

i have a unit made by marantz/super scope.
it doews not hove a bunch of mixing capability
or multiple tracks, but does have the advantage
of being portable (when used with the battery
pack) and not requiring electricity to plug in
to. I have used it to record sessions and jams
at festivals. The next model in the series has two inter-
esting features: It can speed up or slow down
the music in playback mode AND NOT CHANGE THE
PITCH, it can also change the pitch as much as
an octave above or below the krecorded note, and
NOT CHANGE THE SPEED. This can be a great tool for
learning a "riff" or modulating to a better key
top sing or play in...this one requires 110 v.
power, though.

Subject: RE: Making a Folk CD UK
From: Maryrrf
Date: 29 Oct 04 - 08:53 AM

Thanks for the info. I will keep an eye on these items and if budget permits will think of getting one. I don't go for a lot of effects, either - just a small amount of reverb usually does the trick.