Making an album can be a daunting task. It's a lot of work, and it can be expensive. But with the right tools and information, you can make an album that sounds great and that you’re proud to call your own. In this month’s post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to make your album without any headaches. Let's get started!
An album is a collection of songs, usually 12 to 20 tracks. An album could have all original music, or it could consist of covers of other songs. The idea is that they are grouped together under one name or project.
Albums are usually more polished, have a theme to them, and have a cohesive sound.
Mixtapes are usually made for fun or promotion, so they don't always sound polished. Sometimes rappers will release mixtapes - then later release an album that contains the tracks from the mixtape along with additional new music.
An EP is very similar to an album, but the only difference is that it typically has less tracks. EPs typically average 7-10 songs, but can be as short as 4 songs.
The main things you will need are the right software and adequate hardware.
The software you need will depend on what kind of music you are creating. If you are doing original music, the best bet is to use some sort of DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). There are many options like Logic, Cubase, and Ableton. You can also ask other musicians about their favorite programs, or if they know of any good tutorials online that could help get you started on the right track! I’m always down to hop on a recording lesson with you if that’s something you’d find helpful!
You will need a computer with enough horsepower for your software to run smoothly. There are many different brands out there, but they have one thing in common: RAM and Processor speed. The higher these numbers are, the more you can do at once before things start to slow down or freeze up. You also want a decent amount of space on your computer. A good rule of thumb would be: if you can afford it, get more RAM and a larger hard drive. You will need these things if you want to avoid headaches and crashes when running multiple programs at once
Before we do anything, we need to check out how much it's going to cost. First and foremost: the cost of recording an album is completely dependent on your specific needs. It doesn't matter what type of music you're making or how long your songs are; if you want a simple 4-track acoustic demo, it'll be cheaper. If you want to make a super complex cinematic rock album with a full live orchestra, it’ll probably end up being quite expensive.
The actual recording of an album is very time-consuming. Assuming that you want a finished, mixed and mastered product in the end, there are two ways you can record an album: home studio or professional studio. A professional studio will typically take between 3-10 days to record, mix and master a full-length album (10 to 15 songs). For an album that consists of just drums, bass, guitar and vocals, it can be much faster. A home studio can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months to record, mix and master a full-length album.
There are a lot of factors that go into how long it takes you to record an album: number of songs, equipment, your budget and depending on where you're recording... the acoustics of the space! But... there's one type of studio in particular that can get expensive really fast: professional studio. These provide overhead, assistant engineers, studio musicians and other costs to cover. If you can record your album yourself in your own space while saving money for mixing and mastering, that may be the best option for you!
This is really up to you. You can have just one song, if that's what you want! But most albums tend to have between 10 and 20 songs, with 12 being the standard. Some bands release double-disc albums or even full-length EPs, so it's not hard to find plenty of examples about how many songs an album should include. If your question is "how long should an album be?" then that depends on how much music you want to put into one complete listening experience!
Again, this is up to you. You could release just one song if that's what you're feeling! It’s not unheard of to have just one or two songs on your first release. If your music is more "progressive" (meaning it takes a lot of turns and changes throughout the album), then make it at least three or four tracks. That way people can get a sense of the varying elements across your sound.
When considering how long your first release should be, make sure you consider how much material you already have, as well as how long or short the songs are. That way you can establish the overall flow of the record.
If you have any other questions about making an album, feel free to reach out!
As always, keep creating,
Spike
