The first time I ever heard a recording of my singing voice was when I was in college. I never saw a video of myself until I was in high school. Back then we didn’t have the ability to record on our phones. Someone had to have a video camera.
When I was in college, I studied music. The recording students were in the same classes as I was, and one of them offered to show me how to use “Finale” and “ProTools.” I thought it was really cool, but I just got to look at it for a few minutes. I later used “Finale” to print out sheet music of songs I wrote, which was a very tedious task.
I started college in 1994 and took the first online college class offered in the United States in 1995. At the time, it was a doctoral project of the student teaching it. The only other class she could find online was being offered in Canada. I fully embraced technology as the wave of the future.
In 2012 I recorded some rounds using “Garage Band.” They are the recordings in my “Traditional Rounds” album. I was always trying out new free apps including trying to build an app for iPhone and getting on YouTube in its early stages. However, I never took any classes and didn’t understand the full capacity of the programs I used.
Fast forward to today. I spend very little time on new technology. I try to work on projects as quickly as possible. I recorded my “Jesus is my Rock” album with my daughter’s friend, who just graduated high school. Although I enjoyed the project, I felt that I would like to know more about the process and have more control. I don’t listen to much music because I’m either focusing on writing music, or teaching children’s songs at work. I need to learn what are the elements of popular Christian songs.
In conclusion, I have just purchased a pre-amp and some recording equipment. I always try to be transparent with the process of what I’m learning. As I continue to work on recording my own songs and finding tracks to attract listeners, I’d love your feedback on my growth as a musician. Thanks so much for your support!