Sarah Mari explores music production from the perspective of a beginner, starting with the art and evolution of home studios.

I have always dreamt of being invited to a studio. To make music in a studio. The huge soundboard. The endless amounts of equipment at your fingertips. The big comfy couches. Being able to have the experience of working in a studio feels like a fantasy. But to someone with very shallow knowledge of the music industry, it has always seemed inaccessible. Then I learned a bit about Steve Lacy and the accessibility and evolution of bedroom studios.

I have always known him as the lead guitarist for The Internet but had no idea how talented Steve Lacy is in the realm of production. And here’s the thing: he has needed little equipment to do it. Up until this point I was mildly aware of the concept of bedroom studios but what I have learned from Steve Lacy is that it doesn’t take an exponential amount of equipment and money to be a successful music producer. As I began digging, I learned that he didn’t have formal training with production. He spent some time in a studio with a band he would later join and the rest is history. Lacy would go on to become a member of The Internet and help produce the grammy nominated album, Ego Death; he would work with artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Vampire Weekend, Blood Orange, Mac Miller, and Solange before eventually evolving into a solo artist.

With more research, I came to realize how common it was to work in a home studio, going all the way back to Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend and Brian Wilson in the 1960’s. Back then it was quite expensive to build a home studio, with equipment starting at a whopping $10,000 just for a four track reel machine in the early 1970’s,  plus the cost of mics, stands, instruments and soundproofing equipment. Establishing a professional-level studio at home on the low was no easy task back then. As technology has evolved, however, the equipment needed to record studio quality music consists of fewer and smaller pieces.

Now, just a laptop (or even an iPad or iPhone!) is enough to get started. MacBooks come with GarageBand, a DAW where countless artists have made their start and continue to use to this day (artists that began on Garageband include Clairo, Gus Dapperton, mxmtoon and many more). There are also endless amounts of free resources, so music making can cost you nothing extra as long as you have computer access - a great, no pressure way to explore whatever’s going on in your head.

At first, I spent a lot of time just recording vocals. Nothing complex, just a main vocal, maybe a harmony and some clapping/snapping if I was feeling adventurous. Then I began to get a feel for what I like and the sounds I gravitate towards. I could play around with synthesizer plug-ins forever on GarageBand.

I have since wanted to expand my abilities and technology; to see what else is out there. I eventually got a USB mic which made my sound…slightly better! What really worked was eventually upgrading to Logic Pro (one of the cheapest DAW options out there and an easy to use interface like GarageBand), a decent Audio Technica microphone, and an Arturia keyboard (that I will admit, I haven’t completely figured out yet). These upgrades have made me feel like I am really investing in this process. My music has become a bit more involved since then, and I have learned how to record simple guitar riffs and piano chords. Nothing too adventurous though - don't ask me to start naming off keys based off of sounds.

Then, I encountered a real game changer; Splice. Now that I have Splice, I can search to find a loop or sample that encapsulates what I am envisioning; sounds that I, myself, can’t create. I have finally been able to create a more complex song. Listening to artists who are also using loops that I had been playing around with has made things really real for me. People are putting music out and making hits based primarily off of loops from Splice. Which is inspiring - like what I am making could be something that could actually reach people.

I’m still not ready to start releasing music but I want to keep growing and increasing my abilities. The tools are there whether the money is or not but even with a low budget and few resources, I can make music that I’m proud of. At this point, I’m dedicated to making music in a low-cost, accessible manner and want to explore resources and knowledge that I have yet to expose myself to.

I am beginning a new series via Building Beats, The Beginner’s Perspective, where I will be interviewing Building Beats workshop leaders about everything from making music to marketing and releasing music. Through this process, I hope to expand my abilities and become confident in my music making skills, showing that although it is intimidating to be a beginner in such an expansive field, it’s not so scary. I hope that by taking myself out of my comfort zone, others can feel comfortable pushing their own musical boundaries and creating the music they have always wanted to. Stay tuned!