How long does it take you to record a song?

[Farrell Jackson]

Out of curiosity, since many songcrafters are quite productive at creating, recording and posting new songs:  on average how long does it take you from conception to putting on the final touches to complete a song? I know it depends on the complexity of the song and whether it's an original or a cover but for me it could take any where from one day to several month's. On average I'd say it's about a month. I might have a couple of songs going at the same time and complete them in the same month but the process for each song would be longer than a few weeks.

I envy those that can get them completed in one or two settings but I'm just curious how long it takes on average.

Farrell

[henwrench]

I won't even start a song unless I'm pretty sure I'll be able to finish the whole process in one hit, due mainly to the fact that I'm lazy and have no short term memory and wouldn't recognise one chord from another (by ear). So, usually anywhere between an hour or two. Any longer than that and I'll begin to forget what I'm doing and then I'll lose focus and get bored and start looking out of the window.

                                                            henwrench

[T.C. Elliott]

A quick demo takes me an hour or two. Guitar/vox, including recording and mixing. Obviously, a live in the living room on the hand held recorder takes about as long to play a song.

But I think what you are asking is how long does it make a recording that you're fairly happy with, that you might share with more than just our friends at the site? Most songs takes 6-8 hours. Sometimes that is over several days. Sometimes it takes less and sometimes it takes more. Sometimes I return to a song to tweak it, too. In art you are never finished, you just decide to stop doing this and start doing something else. Getting to that point is hard and recognizing when your returns are diminishing is even harder, I find.

Tracking is the hardest for me. I tense up when I hit the record button. I start to get muscle fatigue (it doesn't help that I generally play a part many times in warm up/practice/learn mode, even if it's my own song) and that = pain and frustration. Vocals take forever or they take hardly any time at all. Seldom is it in between.

Mixing is fun because I'm trying new things and can always go back or redo or start from scratch. I think I've become adequate at mixing but I've realized that, like music in general, there is always something more to learn or to discover. I can throw a fast mix up and be okay with it. Or I can tweak for hours and be really unhappy. It's all crazy how music is so wonderful and frustrating at the same time.

[bruno]

normally 2 to 3 evenings - once I start, there is no stopping - but sometimes starting is the issue!

[SteveB]

'...starting is the issue!'

+1 to this as well! 

[Picker]

Coming up with the idea, writing the lyrics, chords and arrangement usually takes a couple months, but much of that is down time.  In man hours I would say it's probably a day, but when I try to wrap it up in a day, I usually get pretty frustrated.

As for the recording process, I would say 4 to 6 hours of solid work.  And I'm not very particular because my goal is to WRITE, and the secondary goal is to commit it to paper/memory by recording it.  My recording quality goal is to make it presentable enough to show my friends and to post here.  I figure I will save the better recording time for when I have the dreaded writers block.

[steelguitar]

Coming up with the idea, writing the lyrics, chords and arrangement usually takes a couple months, but much of that is down time.  In man hours I would say it's probably a day, but when I try to wrap it up in a day, I usually get pretty frustrated.

As for the recording process, I would say 4 to 6 hours of solid work.  And I'm not very particular because my goal is to WRITE, and the secondary goal is to commit it to paper/memory by recording it.  My recording quality goal is to make it presentable enough to show my friends and to post here.  I figure I will save the better recording time for when I have the dreaded writers block.

Agree. The most of the time for me is the writing of the song... days, month...

The recording process? from 15 mn to some hours...

As said the Master :
"Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin'
But I'll know my song well before I start singin'
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall"
Bob Dylan, 1963

Knowing well a song takes time... the recording time is not for me the longest

Jean-Sébastien

[Oldrottenhead]

Henwrench took the words right out of my mouth

[Redler]

I admire the members who are so creative that they are able to write/record several songs in one week or even in a day and their songs are even top class stuff. I can't say exact time how long it takes, depends on many factors. If I have completed lyric, it is easier to consider the structure of my tune. Very often I do collabs, so I have to think about the structure more...

Normally, I'm strumming my acoustic guitar and sometimes or quite often I switch my MBR to mp3 mode and push record button on and I save it as a sketch. The problem is that I'm not able to convert song sketches to completed songs. It is usual that I'm thinking to which direction I'd like to take my song; acoustic or with electric guitar, bass, keys... another problem or a chance

The recording. When I've selected right preset I turn metronome on and record the track. Sometimes it takes less time sometimes more and it is usual that I continue the project after days, maybe after weeks. However, just seldom everything goes fine and the song is completed within a few hours! That's rare, but not impossible. It is not important to me that I would write and record it quickly, because I like to try different ideas with my song.

One tip I've learnt by trial and error; don't master/mix your song with tired ears. Listen to it in the next morning, again

[Hilary]

'...due mainly to the fact that I...have no short term memory and wouldn't recognise one chord from another (by ear). So, usually anywhere between a...year or two. Any longer than that and I'll begin to forget what I'm doing and then I'll lose focus and get bored and start looking out of the window.

  

+1 over & over.

oh I've forgotten what I was going to say now . . .