As a singer and songwriter with over 15 years in the “biz,” I’ve spent my career outsourcing work to recording engineers. Whether for my original songs or tunes I was hired to lay down vocals on, a huge chunk of my budget has usually gone to studio fees. This conundrum is all because I never learned how to record myself—until I discovered Roland Zenbeats.
A Song to Share
Then came the pandemic. I had a song that I was aching to record but, like the rest of the world, I didn’t know how long it would be before I could return to a studio. Determined to give it my best shot, I dusted off my equipment. These were items I’d had the foresight to purchase for a rainy day but never actually used. Finally, I downloaded the latest version of Roland Zenbeats.
My first impression was absolute terror. Imposter thoughts came flooding into my head as I assessed the screen that opened after selecting the option to start a new song. I felt like a kid who’d wandered onto the wrong playground, and this playground felt like it belonged to producers.
"I had a song that I was aching to record, but I didn’t know how long it would be before I could return to a studio."
Getting Ready
Then, I reminded myself how many people I knew who’d taught themselves how to record. Why couldn’t I? So, with newfound time on my hands, I dove headfirst into Zenbeats tutorial videos. I even signed up for their weekly classes to get the lay of the land. For my next try, I switched to the timeline view, and that’s when the clouds parted. Here was the layout I’d seen for so many years while peering over engineers’ shoulders.
Diving In
The first track queued up was a drum track by default. However, since I was recording to a beat, I imported a WAV file and labeled it “Instrumental.” Engineers always told me how much they love labeled stems, so I became meticulous about labeling each audio track. And I had plenty of them. I love how rich my vocals can sound when I overdub them.
"I switched to the timeline view and the clouds parted. Here was the layout I’d seen for years peering over engineers’ shoulders."
Complete Control
I’m also a huge fan of harmonies, which I didn’t skimp on. Any takes that I thought could be better, I was in complete control of. What a feeling. No embarrassment about pitchy notes or funky vocal breaks because it was just me, in my home, recording by myself.
Before I knew it, a song idea that had only lived in a voice memo finally came to life. I trimmed up each track to try and eliminate any breaths or practice runs and hit “Export.” Exporting the session gives the choice of bouncing either the stems or a single audio file. I did both, just because I could, and sent it off to the producer of the beat.
Step by Step: Creating “Crumbs”
Releasing “Crumbs” to the World
After mixing and mastering, I was able to release the first song I’d ever recorded myself. The track is called “Crumbs,” and it’s available on all platforms. Even better, I’ve been able to record so much music since. This process even gave me the confidence to start dabbling in production. I finally get to have autonomy over my recordings, and Roland Zenbeats made that possible.
