Just Like YOu, I'VE BEEN A SELF-RECORDING ARTIST MYSELF!
(If only I had a clue back then...)
Maybe you can relate to this:
Starting out in 2007, I've been recording my own bands out of necessity and soon discovered my passion for it. I wanted to make creative decisions on my own, work on my own schedule and have as much time as I needed to get the takes that felt right. I wanted to be a self-sufficient DIY producer.
Also, growing up within the hardcore/punk scene, we were part of a very strong DIY-culture and learned early on how to figure stuff out, build something from nothing and make things work.
So me and my bands recorded all of our early material completely on our own. And... it sucked. Not the process or the experience, but the results.
To be honest, my first attempts sounded really terrible and listening to those records now hurts a bit.
I didn't have a clue what I was doing! But it was fun, I loved the freedom and just decided to keep going and learn along the way.
It was hard. Very hard. I was in the middle of nowhere with no professional studios or mentors around and despite putting in all waking hours every day, reading books, practicing, watching videos, etc. it took me a looong time to get decent results.
I've experienced first hand why 99% of all people just quit at some point if they decide to learn a skill like that on their own without professional guidance.
But then, after years of doing this, my band Bridges Left Burning got signed to Assault Records, an amazing record label that was working with some of our favourite bands! And we did that with our self-recorded album! It felt incredible.
Although this was still early in my career and the record definitely didn’t sound all too great, it was enough to get a record deal! I repeated this with a couple of other bands and my records were getting better and better, to the point where I could compete with the best producers and mixers in the world!
It slowly dawned on me that I had figured out what it takes to make amazing sounding recordings on a budget in your practice room. Without fancy gear and on your own terms. It just worked, over and over again, and led me to become a full time producer and mixing engineer.
I’ve now documented the process and all the steps involved to help you get there so much faster, without the painful failures, the embarrassing releases, the struggle and the years of trial and error that I had to go through.
My team and I have helped countless bands make incredible sounding records and the artists we work with, our podcast listeners, readers and especially our students are finally achieving their goals with their music.
If you have any question about DIY recording and want to know how you can make that record you’ve always wanted to make, just apply for coaching and book a free clarity call or send us a message and I’ll be happy to chat with you.
Benedikt Hain
Mixing Engineer / Producer