Am I stuck in the dark ages

[christhammer666]

Hi all 

I’m 41 years old and have been round the block band wise. I don’t have a pc at home and have no deride to buy as I can do all my computing in work and just use my phone for home use. More and more band opportunities are all talking about file sharing,wav files etc. Even before COVID bands were  asking for me to send videos of me playing their songs before even entertaining getting a room. If someone sends me files I can access on my phone and always learn what’s needed on time

am I stuck on the dark ages ? 

[pbasspecial]

I'm a massive Luddite but basic things like Facebook, WhatsApp and messenger are very useful for communication and sending videos, etc

[Frank Blank]

1 minute ago, christhammer666 said:

...am I stuck on the dark ages ? 

Not necessarily, if you can manage with your phone then great. However, the very fact that you thought it necessary to post this question might suggest you aren’t 100% sure that is the case. If I were in your situation I would think about getting a computer of some sort just in case you do get asked for something the phone isn’t capable of you’ll be prepared.

[christhammer666]

16 minutes ago, pbasspecial said:

I'm a massive Luddite but basic things like Facebook, WhatsApp and messenger are very useful for communication and sending videos, etc

Yeah I’m pretty up with those and am happy to record stuff with phones mic to send etc. It’s just the whole home studio type thing I have no interest in. Just don’t want it to hold me back 

[Nail Soup]

Looking at it another way round: I consider somebody to be hi-tech if they do all their apps on the phone rather than PC.

I'm pretty slow to move the the phone versions of stuff.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Get a mid-range laptop. There are things you can't do properly on the phone, no matter how advanced the website's portable interface may be. And I'm not talking about video or audio editing, but things like simple uploads, opening downloads properly, full use of most social media, typing long messages on WharsApp or in reply to other types of posts, or even simply filling online forms. A laptop will still be portable enough, but far more powerful and stable than a phone.

[Bassfinger]

2 hours ago, christhammer666 said:

Hi all 

I’m 41 years old and have been round the block band wise. I don’t have a pc at home and have no deride to buy as I can do all my computing in work and just use my phone for home use. More and more band opportunities are all talking about file sharing,wav files etc. Even before COVID bands were  asking for me to send videos of me playing their songs before even entertaining getting a room. If someone sends me files I can access on my phone and always learn what’s needed on time

am I stuck on the dark ages ? 

Im the opposite. Computer at home, but no smartphone - people show horrified disbelief when they ask me to scan the doobrey for check and trace and I tell them I can't.

[StickyDBRmf]

I have a smartphone. That I hate. I picked up a refurbished laptop for about $250 US. And I have Audacity installed,  though I might go for Reaper. Tiny screens are tiny.

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, christhammer666 said:

am I stuck on the dark ages ? 

As other said, quite the opposite. I have had a computer at home for over 40 years. Only had a smartphone for the last decade. Only really been in the last few years that you could do all that recording and stuff on a smartphone, so you seem pretty much at the bleeding edge.

[peteb]

3 hours ago, christhammer666 said:

Hi all 

I’m 41 years old and have been round the block band wise. I don’t have a pc at home and have no deride to buy as I can do all my computing in work and just use my phone for home use. More and more band opportunities are all talking about file sharing,wav files etc. Even before COVID bands were  asking for me to send videos of me playing their songs before even entertaining getting a room. If someone sends me files I can access on my phone and always learn what’s needed on time

am I stuck on the dark ages ? 

I'm afraid that you are! 

To be a working musician now (even at a semi-pro level), you need to have a social media presence, be able to receive files etc and preferably be able to record tracks at home. I speak as someone older than you and a bit of a semi-technophobe myself. The COVID situation has really brought this home to me. I've seen guys who are my peers appear on all sort of Facebook collaborations and keeping a visible profile, while I can't use a DAW properly and have been left behind a bit (not to mention missing out on recording an album and having to decline the offer of an internet session for a client of a guitar player that I used to play with). This is something I need to sort out as soon as I can. 

If I was you, I would get a mid level laptop, open a Facebook account (even if you only use it for musical purposes) and install Reaper, which seems to be the easiest DAW to learn. Good luck... 

[Maude]

I took great pleasure in taking my computer to the tip after it sat there, taking up space, for three years without even being switched on. I'm not a ludite,  I gig with a Variax, into a digital multi pedal, DI'd into an X Air virtual desk and control my mix with a tablet, but if it does nothing to make my life easier/simpler then I'm not interested. 

[StickyDBRmf]

21 minutes ago, peteb said:

I'm afraid that you are! 

To be a working musician now (even at a semi-pro level), you need to have a social media presence, be able to receive files etc and preferably be able to record tracks at home. I speak as someone older than you and a bit of a semi-technophobe myself. The COVID situation has really brought this home to me. I've seen guys who are my peers appear on all sort of Facebook collaborations and keeping a visible profile, while I can't use a DAW properly and have been left behind a bit (not to mention missing out on recording an album and having to decline the offer of an internet session for a client of a guitar player that I used to play with). This is something I need to sort out as soon as I can. 

If I was you, I would get a mid level laptop, open a Facebook account (even if you only use it for musical purposes) and install Reaper, which seems to be the easiest DAW to learn. Good luck... 

Same here Bro., and from what I've read and heard on YouTube the guys@ Reaper made a ton of $ on another project they sold and offer Reaper really afffordable as a give-back to us blokes. All we need to to do is make the leap to learn it. 62 and can't catch a WAV...

[christhammer666]

thank you for all the comments, a lot to take on board, thank you

[DaytonaRik]

Embrace the tech!

I've had so much fun during lock down learning about home recording, studio tips/tricks/techniques and enjoyed it so much that I've enrolled at my local college for recording and music production evening courses starting in 2021.

Maybe it helps that I also sing and play guitar so don't have a need for any external musicians with the exception of the odd guitar solo if I want something really special beyond my capabilities, but getting the home studio setup has been so good for my mental health during recent months, giving me something to focus on and expand my knowledge.

Edited November 17, 2020 by DaytonaRik

[BadHands]

I studied music tech at college/Sixth form (I'm now 30), so I'm in a different-yet-similar position to you as I focused more on playing and performing than recording and producing since then, unlike my friends who have stayed up-to-date, and the technology has changed quite a bit in 14 years. I'm currently dipping my toes back in to do some youtube stuff. I would say this though:

I can't speak for Reaper as never used it, but Protools, Cubase, Logic, and even Garageband all fundamentally act like real hardware and are logical in the way they're laid out - so aside from new features that have been developed  - recording a few different takes and editing them together is still as simple now as it was then, and takes really minimal time to learn. Ever heard of the Pareto principle? You'll only need to learn 0.001% of how this software works to be able to record bass and send it to someone else. 

 

2 tips for you that my friends swear by:

When you've discovered how to do so, save a template so you can open it and you're ready to hit record and go. 

Learn keyboard shortcuts. 

Both of these things speed your workflow up dramatically and means you don't need to keep repeating yourself. 

 

If people you're competing with for the gig can record files and send them, don't make it harder for the band to find you if you're the right guy for the job. As has already been said, it sounds like you're asking this because you feel like you're missing out, so there is your answer. I disagree with comments that you need to create a facebook page as you didn't say the bands want you to have it, and with any new venture you want to be reducing barriers to getting it done, not creating more. 

 

If I can offer any help with navigating this stuff, just shout.

 

[christhammer666]

5 hours ago, DaytonaRik said:

Embrace the tech!

I've had so much fun during lock down learning about home recording, studio tips/tricks/techniques and enjoyed it so much that I've enrolled at my local college for recording and music production evening courses starting in 2021.

Maybe it helps that I also sing and play guitar so don't have a need for any external musicians with the exception of the odd guitar solo if I want something really special beyond my capabilities, but getting the home studio setup has been so good for my mental health during recent months, giving me something to focus on and expand my knowledge.

ive never been so scared of 3 pictures in my entire life :-)

[John Cribbin]

Stop emptying your chamber pot out the bedroom window, we have toilets in this day and age!!

Think of it this way, that file you submit is your CV. As an employer, which will impress me more, a well presented document or something scribbled on a piece of paper?

A laptop running Reaper will bring you into the modern age. At the moment those nice Reaper people are giving away free temporary licence's due to Covid. Is there a learning curve? Naturally, but on You Tube there are complete courses you can watch on how to use your DAW. Get stuck with some function or other, Google will find the solution. No need to wade through a 500 page manual these days.

I've recently bought a Focusrite 2i2 interface, it really is plug and play.

Technology isn't going away, jump on board you won't regret it.

[BadHands]

34 minutes ago, John Cribbin said:

I've recently bought a Focusrite 2i2 interface, it really is plug and play.

I've just got the same one. Would recommend. 

[DaytonaRik]

18 hours ago, christhammer666 said:

ive never been so scared of 3 pictures in my entire life 🙂

I work in IT so I've usually been keen to adopt technology when I can see a benefit for it...things like the XR18 mixer which I use an an interface, DAW control running on the iPad as a Mackie control surface to control faders in Reaper etc.  Any DAW is very logical if you've had any exposure to a recording studio or even a live mixer in some aspects.

Edited November 18, 2020 by DaytonaRik

[Phil Starr]

On 16/11/2020 at 18:23, christhammer666 said:

Hi all 

I’m 41 years old and have been round the block band wise. I don’t have a pc at home and have no deride to buy as I can do all my computing in work and just use my phone for home use. More and more band opportunities are all talking about file sharing,wav files etc. Even before COVID bands were  asking for me to send videos of me playing their songs before even entertaining getting a room. If someone sends me files I can access on my phone and always learn what’s needed on time

am I stuck on the dark ages ? 

I think we all might be stuck in the dark ages. I belong to a political lobbying organisation and at a recent meeting we had a discussion on which system we should use to communicate and found that with 12 of us in the room there were 12 preferences for communication. With my current band we have some who use email others texts or messenger and none of the others use all three. Given we are a four piece and I prefer direct phone calls communication isn't great. My daughter considers it 'rude' to use a phone because she is usually with others and relies on what's app most of the time which I won't use because of their attitude to privacy. Each app has a learning curve which means they all feel unsatisfactory at first and you get swamped if you don't. I've seen people with 3000+ unopened emails, why don't they use the filters?

I don't use my phone much, I can only read it with glasses which I only need for reading and are often not to hand. Even with glasses I struggle with some of the apps which are all designed by somebody with the eyesight I had 40 years ago.

We're stuck here until someone comes up with a killer bit of software that sweeps away the problems or we all decide collectively on a universal system. The tech giants all want us to use only their ecosystems and have no vested interest in making it too easy.

With any band you've probably got to go along with whatever they are using, though most bandleaders often seem to be unaware nobody is reading their emails,messenger,What's App etc,etc

Thinking about it I prefer actually talking to people over a cup of tea or a pint. Would that those days returned

 

[Woodinblack]

7 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

With any band you've probably got to go along with whatever they are using, though most bandleaders often seem to be unaware nobody is reading their emails,messenger,What's App etc,etc

Even if they are reading it, noone is doing anything!

[Doddy]

I've had this conversation with quite a few people relatively recently. I think it's interesting how things have changed in the last few years. Even up until 2 or 3 years ago, I'd never been asked for a showreel before being offered a gig. A couple of years ago I'd got a Macbook with Logic and Final Cut and all the stuff, and I pretty much never used it. When that died, I never replaced it because I never needed it. But, since the lockdown has started, I've had to turn down a few things because so many people now expect you to be able to record and film a decent quality video.

It seems to be a thing that is now expected from universities, as most of the requests for showreels seem to come from people who have graduated relatively recently. Most of the musicians that I know who are mid 30s and up, still seem to go off reputation, recommendation, and experience.