Where are my pipe & slippers?

I tell you, you kids have it easy these days. If you are under 25 and recording music, you don’t know how lucky you are, in terms of production possibilities at least. At the grand old age of 37, I have seen and experienced a massive shift in recording techniques and technology in the 20+ years I have been involved with music.

But, if you are a young person reading this, you might think I am exaggerating. Although  production and mastering has generally improved since 80s/90s, there will be many albums recorded then that still sound better than current artists.  So surely quality hasn’t risen that much? Some might even argue it has lost a ‘warmth’ in the last few decades.

Well, we have to be clear on what we are measuring, be sure we are comparing like-to-like. With near-limitless budgets and the world's best recording studios, you may not even be able to tell what era a recording is from, if you are unfamiliar with the material. But the huge shift I have witnessed firsthand is in the amateur or home-enthusiast market. Though synthesisers and samplers have been around for decades or even a generation, THEY WERE SO EXPENSIVE. In the 90s, a reasonable sampler would cost you over a £1000, decent synths into multiples of that figure. Before the advent of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations – PCs/Macs/porta  studios), it was basically impossible to create a professional sounding song on a budget. Even in local studios-for-hire, your delicately crafted ‘masterpieces’ were only ever called Demos for a reason. But now, many hit-singles are written, played and produced in someone’s bedroom studio.

The MT4x tape recorder was top of the range and retailed at £500+ in the mid-90s.

Although pro studios still have the edge and a definite advantage, the gap is closing all the time. So amidst all the doom of the economy, the lowering of standards for discipline in schools and almost weekly deadlines for Armageddon, there is real opportunity for people who have both the imagination and the dedication to make music in the digital age. It is a maze and a minefield, that is for sure, but never has it been so possible to compete with the big boys. Now, for the hard part of actually getting there (I’ll let you know if I ever do)…