Piano World Home Page Forums I had an idea, could we do this?

Go for it RealPlayer. Let your recording be the first one. Have you thought about what piece of music you would like to record?
Jon

what a great idea. i'd love to submit a recording but i am clueless on the technology end. maybe those of you who know what you are doing can tell the rest of us a simple and inexpensive way we can produce a decent recording and get it online.

it will be like an electronic piano party! what fun!

I would be willing to contribute.

Pique, I don't know if MP3s would be the best way to go because of compatability with most CD players.. but of course if enough people get involved, it may be the only way to avoid having multiple CDs (or maybe multiple CDs isn't a bad thing).

I have a basic recording studio at home, and a portable hard disk recording device +2 mics. If anyone in the area wanted to cut some tracks, I could probably find a way to accomodate them.

Gives me a reason to fire up the studio again, something my wife has been nagging me to do (and myself).

But .mp3's are easily converted into .wav files which eliminates the compatibility problem.

Derick

Very gracious of you Angelino.
I considered taking you up on it.
Then I remembered when I used to record myself on guitar.
I would record a million takes.
For some reason recording makes me more nervous than playing for people; I would make a lot of mistakes.
I think this is is best done alone.
Then I am only wasting my own time.

You may want to rethink the offer.
It may eat up a lot of your time.

I want to relay my experience with another Internet community where we have put out a CD compilation containing works by community members.

It worked out like this:

• Every submission MUST have a release form stating that the submitter has the right to make the submission and that he gives the community the right to use the track "as is" for the sole purpose of including it in the CD compilation. This is to protect the community from intellectual property law suite.
• Every submission is advised to stay within 5 minutes.
• Every one submitting will send a $75 cheque along - the cheque will get cashed if the submission makes it to the CD and AFTER the CD's are pressed.
• Every submission includes the following: The name of the band/artist/composer, the title of the track, a short description/write-up about the music, and optionally a picture.
• There's a design firm designated to design the CD liner/booklet, and an audio engineering studio designated to do the "mastering" work for the CD.
• Those whose works are included (and paid $75) would get 25 copies of the CD's (including liner notes and covers, of course) for them to do as they wish. Some number of CD's are retained for sale by the community to help with fund-raising.
• There is an exception for "financially struggling artists" where by the can submit a track for free, but if their track makes it to the CD, they'll get only 1 copy of the CD.

The above just describes what another online community went through to get their first CD compilation out (500 CD's on first pressing, if I remember right). Said community is now working on the second compilation. They did not have to reject any submission because there weren't that many to begin with for their first compilation. It's not a music-centric online community, and all submissions are original works. Furthermore, a 5-minute per track restriction (not strictly followed, just a general guideline) would allow them to accommodate 15 submissions per 75-minute CD. (Their first compilation ended up with 14 tracks - longest track is 12 min. 10 sec., shortest track is 54 sec., 10 tracks are under 4 min.) It will require patience -- it took them a year to pull off the first compilation, mostly waiting for folks to complete their recordings and submit tracks, get all the release forms in line, etc. Professional CD pressing was actually the easier part for them.

Their model may or may not work for Piano World - because Piano World is music-centric, and without restricting submissions to original work, pretty much any one can play any old classical composition in public domain and submit something. Furthermore, a Beethoven sonata can easily eat up half an audio CD.

On the up side, Piano World members appear to be financially better off - so funding such a project won't be as challenging. With sufficient funding, a multi-CD compilation may be possible.

People do have the tendency to over-estimate the number of folks who would be willing to submit recordings. But, if Piano World indeed gets too many submissions to fill an audio CD, how about making MP3 CD's instead. If that's not enough, how about pressing DVD's with MP3 files on it?

That said, I also believe that this would most likely have to be a labor of love. And, yes, I would support such a project with a submission and some humble amount of green stuff (no, I'm not going to play Greensleeves).

I am not familiar with recording on a computer.
Would these musical pieces have to be played through without editing?

Or do people cut and paste together the best sections from each of their 200 takes?

Frankenmusic.

Thanks Axtremus,

Nice overview of what we might expect to run into. And good point about the release forms!

Great post Axtremus. Should we begin asking members to start posting recording now? Once we reach 25-30 recordings, then we can take a poll on which to included, or we could include all on either DVD, multiple CDs, or MP3s.
Thanks for all the great input.
Jon

I will submit something for this.

Submit your recording of the "Andante Spianato (spelling?) and Grand Polonaise Brilliante".

jdsher, I used a Korg D1200MKII Digital Recording Studio and 2 Oktava MK-012 microphones, one for bass, one for trebble. The piano is a Steinway New York B. Thanks for the compliment!


Here are some pics of the setup:

EDIT: I posted new pictures that are much better in quality!
http://www.tidbitfacts.com/piano/DSCN0546.JPG
http://www.tidbitfacts.com/piano/DSCN0547.JPG
http://www.tidbitfacts.com/piano/DSCN0545.JPG

I would be willing to contribute to this project!

I get a 404 blank page error following those links.

now try...

Wldrumstcs: Thanks for the info.
For those who haven't checked the members recording section in a while, you should go and listen to Dave's recording, it sounds great.
Jon

How about a Coffee Room guitar album?

I would buy that just to hear the adorable TomK making music!

No way!
Not today.
10 years ago maybe.

10 years ago for me, too!

kenny,

Though, I'd bet that a Piano World guitar album would outsell a Piano World piano album--2 to 1.

Great idea!

Not to put a damper on the enthusiasm, but would any of the pieces be subject to royalties? That could put a new (expensive) twist into the project. Something to think about.