Q-Rosh
home - recording - records
Q-Rosh
home - recording - records
I make my own records
I want to describe the way I found a solution for making music, recording at home, developing the ability to mix and master the tracks and finally cutting them onto a polycarbonate sheet of plastic. All efforts have been worth the troubles, when I hold the imprinted record-lathe product in my hand.
But the best thing about doing it all by myself is the fact, I do not have any hassle with record labels and the music-industry in general.
Now I can do what I want and always wanted.
a dream came true
yes, it is a
wilcox-gay
recordio
from 1935
for
embossing...
for
embossing...
polycarbonate
records
that is how it began:
anolog to digital and back again.
In the beginning, there was the record-cutter. It was the first portable device for consumers, to record their music or voice on blank records, being able to send it around the world and spread their message. It was a simple but revolutionary machine that came up in the 30ies. Later on, the tape-machine took over, because of better handling purposes, higher sound-quality and cheaper materials. It took about 60 more years, until the tape-recording was nearly replaced by the digital technology.
I worked with all kind of analog and digital devices and came to the conclusion, that there is no perfect method to achieve an interesting sound-texture. Every technology has it`s own characteristic and individual pros and cons.
Today I try to use all kind of recording devices and mix them together in my music.
But it is perfectly logic to bring my songs back onto a disc with a record-cutter from 1935.
now check this out:
now check this out:
OK?
Of course it makes no sense for a normal person to duplicate the music he likes onto a piece of lo-fi sounding plastic, when he does not even own a record-player, or uses spotify at home, or gives a damn about older technologies. You need to be a little bit nerdy to understand this.
let`s rewind:
in my
childhood
I have been recording everything. It started in the 70ies with a cheap tape-recorder beside the radio, so I could directly press the record-button, when I heard something cool on the air. Most songs on my mixtapes had a missing intro and a sudden cut when the DJ voice was coming in.
When not making mixtapes, I recorded myself making multi-track recordings with two taperecorders, playing violin, guitar, piano or made audiobooks with funny topics, to give them away.
Later on, I was maybe 10 years old, I discovered a DIN-5 pole cable and could make better recordings from my older brothers record collection, straight onto the cassettes, which I was listening in non-stop rotation on my walkman .
Yes, I loved touching and smelling the vinyl and studying the covers. I could not afford records or a stereo myself . It was always magic to experience such items from adorable artists and feeling the crackles around the record-needle, while listening on gigantic stereos with quadral titan speakers in vinyl-collector- nerds houses.
in my
childhood
I have been recording everything. It started in the 70ies with a cheap tape-recorder beside the radio, so I could directly press the record-button, when I heard something cool on the air. Most songs on my mixtapes had a missing intro and a sudden cut when the DJ voice was coming in.
When not making mixtapes, I recorded myself making multi-track recordings with two tape-recorders, playing violin, guitar, piano or made audiobooks with funny topics, to give them away.
Later on, I was maybe 10 years old, I discovered a DIN-5 pole cable and could make better recordings from my older brothers record collection, straight onto the cassettes, which I was listening in non-stop rotation on my walkman .
Yes, I loved touching and smelling the vinyl and studying the covers. I could not afford records or a stereo myself . It was always magic to experience such items from adorable artists and feeling the crackles around the record-needle, while listening on gigantic stereos with quadral “titan” speakers in vinyl-collector-nerds houses.
good old mixtape times
In the 9oies I had a lot of fun playing guitar in a grunge band. We were the “cosmic cells”. Although we went to a music studio, to be recorded professionally, we never managed to release a record. I documented many rehearsals and live shows on cassette. There came the time after Kurts death, that grunge music passed away and electronic music was getting bigger.
I was lucky to live in a central spot of intelligent electronic music, with a super active scene of international active artists. I was taking part at their performances, parties and locations, where the music had its origin. This was inspiring and brought me to the decision, to do something creative at home as well. I was still in love with my guitar, but it was my plan to combine it with electronic sounds. I felt so free among so many other musicians in the local scene, doing the same, sharing mixtapes and collaborate in many projects.
challenge weeklybeats
In 1996, when I recorded my first songs with a 4-track recorder, I had to concentrate hard, while playing through the tracks, until the song finished. I was forced to complete a track and did not play unlimited versions without an end, as I can do on the computer.
The next step was to record on a 8-track Fostex reel to reel machine. I was able to finish a lot of songs again. I just had to master them a little bit and copy them onto a mixtape, like we all used to in the 90ies.
But my workflow changed. I was recording more and more on harddisc recorders and later, into the computer. I piled up terrabites of music during the years, but never finalized a song again.
Until week 20, 2014. I heard about the challenge weeklybeats in the internet. This site is for musicians, who make experimental stuff or classic songs in all kind of genres. They upload one new song every week. It was inspiring and awesome what I heard from those weeklybeat musicians. Immediately I wanted to take part .
The beginning was a hard. I took unfinished old songs and tried to make the best out of it. And rapidly I improved my skills, that I could finally accomplish songs again.
The next challenge started in 2016. 2018 and again 2020. More often I made new songs, the more it became a daily routine. I am glad I could make this experience and have this great output of songs.
You can listen to all the 160 tracks and even download them for free.
In the 9oies I had a lot of fun playing guitar in a grunge band. We were the “cosmic cells”. Although we went to a music studio, to be recorded professionally, we never managed to release a record. I documented many rehearsals and live shows on cassette. There came the time after Kurts death, that grunge music passed away and electronic music was getting bigger.
I was lucky to live in a central spot of intelligent electronic music, with a super active scene of international active artists. I was taking part at their performances, parties and locations, where the music had its origin. This was inspiring and brought me to the decision, to do something creative at home as well. I was still in love with my guitar, but it was my plan to combine it with electronic sounds. I felt so free among so many other musicians in the local scene, doing the same, sharing mixtapes and collaborate in many projects.
good old
mixtape
times
challenge
weeklybeats
In 1996, when I recorded my first songs with a 4-track recorder, I had to concentrate hard, while playing through the tracks, until the song finished. I was forced to complete a track and did not play unlimited versions without an end, as I can do on the computer.
The next step was to record on a 8-track Fostex reel to reel machine. I was able to finish a lot of songs again. I just had to master them a little bit and copy them onto a mixtape, like we all used to in the 90ies.
But my workflow changed. I was recording more and more on harddisc recorders and later, into the computer. I piled up terrabites of music during the years, but never finalized a song again.
Until week 20, 2014. I heard about the challenge weeklybeats in the internet. This site is for musicians, who make experimental stuff or classic songs in all kind of genres. They upload one new song every week. It was inspiring and awesome what I heard from those weeklybeat musicians. Immediately I wanted to take part .
The beginning was a hard. I took unfinished old songs and tried to make the best out of it. And rapidly I improved my skills, that I could finally accomplish songs again.
The next challenge started in 2016. 2018 and again 2020. More often I made new songs, the more it became a daily routine. I am glad I could make this experience and have this great output of songs.
You can listen to all the 160 tracks and even download them for free.
do you want to know more???
go here
Q-Rosh
Q-Rosh