FEATURE:
Keeping It Lo-Fi
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Will Recording Move from the Studio to the Home After Lockdown?
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AS we are still in lockdown and…
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places like recording studios have not reopened yet, more and more artists are putting out songs and albums from home. The idea of a home studio is not particularly new. It provides a more cost-effective option for artists; there is convenience and the fact that one can set up their studio how they want. I guess it can be more solitary working at home, and artists do not often have access to the best equipment and producers around. This lockdown period has seen big artists record tracks from home, and some less popular acts bring out material because they have more time to record. This article from The Guardian shines a light on home studios and some of the major artists who have/had their own.
“Home studios, from Prince’s Paisley Park to Lee Scratch Perry’s Black Ark, have long played pivotal roles in musical history, with the likes of Joe Meek, Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney also favouring them. More recently, Billie Eilish recorded her multimillion-selling debut in her family home, while Grimes’ breakthrough LP, Visions, was made in her apartment. Kevin Parker records all Tame Impala’s albums at home. Grime flourished from kids making beats on PlayStations or cheap software, and dance tracks are rattled out in bedrooms constantly; Grammy-nominated LA artist Steve Lacy even produces beats on his iPhone.
Calvin Johnson, of K Records and the indie-pop band Beat Happening, set up Dub Narcotic studios in his basement in 1993. Miranda July, Built to Spill and Beck all recorded there. “It was to demystify that it’s hard to record,” he says. “If you want to record, just hit record. It’s not about equipment. For the Beck record we had nothing, just inspiration.” Years later, Greta Kline of Frankie Cosmos, often labelled bedroom pop, took influence. “Calvin’s approach made me feel like I could make music too,” she says, “to connect to a song without it being produced in an unachievable way”.
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I am interested in the different varieties of home studios: from the hugely decked-out to the more modest, every artist is able to lay down tracks from their homes. There is a concern at the moment when the music industry will be able to get back to how it was. The live music scene looks set to be on hold until later this year/next year, and there are fears the sector will collapse if there is not enough financial support. Studios do not have quite the same problem, but they are quite close spaces that do not necessarily allow for huge social distancing. I think a lot of artists at the moment have lost money that would have been earned through touring and merchandise. Maybe the big artists can return to studios soon, but many will not have the money to spend cutting their new single/album at a studio. That is not to say most studios will struggle, but I think the home-made, D.I.Y. approach will provide a safer and more cost-effective route for many artists. I do think the benefit of a professional studio is working with other producers and engineers, and the fact the sound quality is superior. I do feel like there’s going to be a bit of a shift from studio to home; where artists are putting out tracks from home, rather than going into an outside studio.
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I think it is good that there have been more recordings done at home, and it is good seeing artists setting up their own studio and making the most of this time. I feel studios will need support during this difficult time. The biggest studios will be okay, but there are so many smaller studios that will suffer and might not be able to welcome back artists until much later in the year. In the same way live gigs from home will become a new normal until next year, big and small artists writing and recording in lockdown will start to record and release music more in isolation. In the piece from The Guardian, musicians explained the appeal of working from a home studio:
“Aside from these practical benefits, what is the deeper appeal of home recording now? “I’m a cheap bastard,” jokes DeMarco. “Also, I’m a control freak, I don’t like to be on the clock and I don’t play well with others.” Creative autonomy is another factor. “When small new indie bands bring in producers, it’s weird to me,” he says. “It’s like being a painter and having someone else go to the store and choose your palette for you.”
My studio feels like having an extra limb right now
Marie Ulven
Home recording can bolster confidence. “It’s less pressured,” says Ulven. “I can fool around and have nothing come out of it but in a studio there’s expectations. There’s also something intimate about recording in your own space; that’s where you’re your most authentic self.”
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Singer-songwriter Kurt Vile echoes this. “At home I’m completely relaxed, but every time I go into the studio my heart jumps out of my chest. I feel exposed and it’s a totally different energy.” Vile’s first two albums were home recordings and he’s now, like Pink, returning to these origins”.
Depending on tour budget depends how sophisticated your studio will be, but I can understand how there are fewer time and money pressures recording at home; you can be autonomous, and that doesn’t mean you have to work alone – producers and artists can hook up online; artists can collaborate with their peers on songs too. I do feel like we’ll see more and more homemade music from everyone in music in months to come. Some have said how, in this day and age, studios are becoming obsolete, but I have a lot of love for them. Not only do you get to work with amazing people in studios; they offer the space, equipment and atmosphere to create music you would not be able to at home. The rest of the year will be a challenge for everyone in the music industry, and I do wonder, like live music, the way songs are recorded and released will alter drastically when we come out lockdown. If anything, we are seeing more artists setting up their little studio space at home, which gives them a chance to record music on their timetable. With regards the popularity of studios, after lockdown, it will be…
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INTERESTING to see what happens.