Making an album - timeframe

[[email protected]]

Hi, I wonder if someone can help me. I'm working on a novel in which a
subsidiary character has a basement recording studio. He records an
album's worth of songs, playing all the instruments himself, then
takes it elsewhere for mixing, etc. It then gets commercially released
by a major label.

My question is around time frames. How long would the above take? The
recording? The mixing/editing? How long after the mixing is finished
until it would/could be released?

Any help would be gratefully received. :)

[David Morgan \(MAMS\)]

> wrote in message oups.com...
> Hi, I wonder if someone can help me. I'm working on a novel in which a
> subsidiary character has a basement recording studio. He records an
> album's worth of songs, playing all the instruments himself, then
> takes it elsewhere for mixing, etc. It then gets commercially released
> by a major label.
>
> My question is around time frames. How long would the above take? The
> recording? The mixing/editing? How long after the mixing is finished
> until it would/could be released?
>
> Any help would be gratefully received. :)


One week to 20 years.... plan on a sequel. ;-)

[[email protected]]

On Apr 12, 12:01 am, "David Morgan \(MAMS\)" /Odm>
wrote:

> > My question is around time frames. How long would the above take? The
> > recording? The mixing/editing? How long after the mixing is finished
> > until it would/could be released?
>
> > Any help would be gratefully received. :)

It really depends on the budget - anywhere from several days to
years. Most album projects I work on clock in from one to four
weeks. That's from initial tracking to mixdown. Mastering usually
happens in one day. The time to release is highly variable.
Sometimes the album never comes out.
Ben

[Richard Crowley]

> wrote ...
> Hi, I wonder if someone can help me. I'm working on a novel in which a
> subsidiary character has a basement recording studio. He records an
> album's worth of songs, playing all the instruments himself,

The time to do that has likely ranged from a few days
to several years depending on the motivation, talent,
budget, etc. of the character.

> then takes it elsewhere for mixing, etc.

Taking it elsewhere for mixing would tend to put the
project on more of a defined schedule and could range
from days to a week or two?

> It then gets commercially released by a major label.

That is a political/financial/marketing decision that
has nothing really to do with technology. They could
get millions of copies out in less than a week if they
really wanted to, and as others have observerd many
projects never get released for whatever reason. If one
had to guess it likely takes several (6-12?) months at
least.

[Mike Rivers]

On Apr 11, 11:48 pm, wrote:
> I'm working on a novel in which a
> subsidiary character has a basement recording studio. He records an
> album's worth of songs, playing all the instruments himself, then
> takes it elsewhere for mixing, etc. It then gets commercially released
> by a major label.
>
> My question is around time frames. How long would the above take?

You can make it as long or short as you want, depending on your
character, what length of time the book spans, and how this recording
fits in with the book. He could record it in a week if he already has
all the songs written, he's well rehearsed, he's a good player, he
knows how to operate his equipment, and puts his mind to it. It might
take him months, or years, to get it commercially relased by a major
label, however, unless he's already a well established artist on that
label.

Or it could drag on for years. These projects often do, for amateur
musicians with great expectations but a day job and a family.

[Fletch]

On Apr 11, 8:48 pm, wrote:
> Hi, I wonder if someone can help me. I'm working on a novel in which a
> subsidiary character has a basement recording studio. He records an
> album's worth of songs, playing all the instruments himself, then
> takes it elsewhere for mixing, etc. It then gets commercially released
> by a major label.
>
> My question is around time frames. How long would the above take? The
> recording? The mixing/editing? How long after the mixing is finished
> until it would/could be released?
>
> Any help would be gratefully received. :)


Just to chime in here...

Recording sessions can take one week up to about a month -- IF the
music is together and the parts are arranged beforehand and whomever
is playing the parts learns quickly and lays down a keeper take within
3 to five passes.

Mixdown can take anywhere from a few days (motivated), a few weeks
(detailed) to a couple months (anally detailed or lazy or something in
between).

Mastering usually can be done in one day, less shipping time if mailed
to the Mastering house.

Release can be accomplished in as little as two weeks or take as long
as never. Realistic release after album delivery is about six months
-- depending on what 'season' the label wants to release the album
into (Summer or Fall/Christmas).

--Fletch

[Allen Corneau]

And don't forget about the haggling and back-and-forth over the CD artwork.

That's a week to a month right there!

:-P


Allen
--
Allen Corneau
Mastering Engineer
Essential Sound Mastering
www.esmastering.com

[Chris[_2_]]

Thanks very much to all who answered - you have helped immensely.

[David Morgan \(MAMS\)]

"Chris" > wrote in message ups.com...

> Thanks very much to all who answered - you have helped immensely.


Let us know when you start book three of the trilogy. ;-)

DM

[Willie K. Yee, MD[_3_]]

On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:48:33 GMT, Allen Corneau
> wrote:

>
>And don't forget about the haggling and back-and-forth over the CD artwork.
>
>That's a week to a month right there!
>
That's been nearly a year on a project that I recorded.