Garage Recording Lands Major Label Deal

My hope is that each and every post on The Recording Revolution gets you one step closer to creating more (and better) music. There really is no other point to this website. Sometimes I’ll go over studio techniques or tips, while other times I might review a piece of gear that I find to be affordable and helpful. But all of this content is only a means to an end: making music! If we miss that point then we get a bit too bogged down in the details.

Crossfade = Homemade

That being said, I always like to bring out examples of people who are making great music in home studios and not letting their “limitations” slow them down. One such example is the band Crossfade. This Atlanta based rock group hit mainstream radio with the single “Cold” in 2004 and has been rocking ever since (with a new album due out this summer). What you might not know is that their debut album was self recorded and produced before they were signed to a major label. And guess where it was recorded…in their garage!

The songs were solid enough for Columbia reps that they had no need to re-record anything. They simply added two more tunes to the 8 that were self recorded and then released it as their debut, major label album. The rest, as they say, is history. You can listen to the track “Cold” on their music video below, but here are some main points to consider:

• The recording quality is not perfect. It’s great, but not perfect. I’ve personally heard better tones and sounds come out of home studios, but that’s not the point. These guys got their songs recorded well enough, capturing the energy and emotion of their live performance, to get radio play. Nice!
• The vocals are very prominent. Having a solid vocal performance and letting it sit prominently in the mix is very important in most popular music today. This can take an OK track a lot further than it would go on it’s own, and this shows in this song.
• Garage recordings can be good enough for major label deals and radio play. That is the biggie here. Until we can get over that fact we will be hung up on gear, nice studios, and detailed techniques. Rather we should be focused on writing better songs and capturing them with as much clarity and authenticity as possible!

What Can We Learn?

So what can we learn from these guys? Don’t get wrapped up in the details. Don’t worry if your track isn’t perfect. It never will be. Set yourself some deadlines and get your music out there. Ultimately isn’t that what all this recording stuff is all about? Sharing music! What a concept. If these guys can do it, so can you.