How Much to Produce Album Independently?

[spookstrickland]

Take your money and buy and Alesis 24 track and some good mics.  Rent a nice quite remote place and record until you get what you want then take it to be mixed and mastered somewhere else.  You will save lots of money and be much happier.

The Alesis HD24?

Do you think tracking in a studio is just overpriced, or is there a legitimate concern that it's harder to get a result you're happy with?

Yep the HD24.  Problem with studios is the Pressure is always on.  For some people that is great.  For other like me it is not.  I like the freedom of just having the recorder going all the time so we can capture the magic when it happens.  If you buy yourself a good pro recorder and mics you can literally leave it on all day and it wont cost you anymore money.

[bbottom]

What I meant by goal of the album is what is it that you want to do with it? Is it something that you plan to market? How do you plan to sell it if that's the case?

Personally I wouldn't dump a ton of dough into making an album. Instead what my bands have done, and my current one is doing, is to record EP's and then give them out at shows or charge next to nothing for them.
Chances are you're never going to make your money back on an album. So the secret is to do as much of the thing yourself as you possibly can.

My band,  MASS DRIVER has really lucked out because we know a guy who used to record professionally and has a awesome gear. We also have a nice place to record. I'm doing most of the art work and the stuff that I can't do (computer stuff) we know a guy who does that stuff professionally. So the only real cost that we're going to have is for the Cd's and inserts.

So I guess the point to what I'm saying is to ask around, find a local college that has a music program. I'm sure you could find some people there that would be willing to record the stuff cheap if not for free. Yea you don't want the end product to sound like shit so I wouldn't take just anyone that offers.
Recording can get stupid expensive so I would try all of my options before plunking down a ton of dough on studio time