Now here's a topic that's near and dear to my heart! What a thrill it's been to release my own music on CD! If you've got the desire to release your own CD, I say absolutely GO FOR IT!

Don't do it 'cause you want to sell a million copies and don't do it to impress your friends.

Do it for yourself!

Do it because you can listen to yourself play anytime you want on a professionally produced medium that will stay with you the rest of your life! Believe me, it's worth it!

Now, obviously there are certain factors involved in this undertaking. I'm sure you're thinking right now about all of the reasons why you CAN'T release your own CD and I'll bet some of those reasons are:

• I don't even know how to get started.
• I don't play well enough.
• I haven't written any songs.
• The songs I have are not good enough.
• I don't have a band.
• I don't have good enough recording gear.
• I don't have ANY recording gear.
• I don't have enough money.
• I don't have ANY money because I live in a van down by the river!

But, If you've been playing for one year and singing great for five years, you may be closer to doing a record than you think! Let's say you like folk music. If you can play the chord changes and strum or finger pick in time, you're half way there in making a folk record!

Continuing with the folk music idea, you're ability is there, but you have no material. Now is the time to start writing songs! Just think, all you need is thirty to forty minutes worth of tunes and you're way ahead of the game! Can you write ten, four minute songs? You never know until you try!

A note on the term "write" a song. This doesn't necessarily mean to actually write the song down on paper in musical notation. It's a common term for the act of creating a new tune. For example, I do a lot of writing in my head. Thinking of a melody or chord progression and saying to yourself "that's it!", is one of many ways to write a song.

Ok, if you're a wide-eyed rocker playing for one year and want to do a guitar instrumental CD, you have your work cut out for you. You CAN do it, but you'll need to realize how long it will take to get to the level of playing that you want and NOT be discouraged by it!

Everything takes time.

We're all guilty of wanting to have results NOW! I'm probably "king of the castle" in that area! You just need to keep moving forward day by day, step by step toward your ultimate goal.

Here's a general list of issues involved with releasing your own CD.

- Ideally, you should have around 40 minutes worth of music. Start writing tunes! Use a tape recorder to capture your ideas so you can refine them objectively. Heck, even pros will write and record all in the same process!

- You need to be able to perform that music at a competent level. You'll be amazed at how good you get by recording. I'm talking at home where you have all the time you need to get it the way you want. So the recording process itself can and will make you a better player.

- You'll need other players to do the bass guitar, drums, keyboard, singing etc. If you already have a band, GREAT! If you don't, you can do what I did and play all the parts yourself.

If you decide to do it yourself,

- You'll need instruments. Bass guitar, keyboard, drum machine and whatever else suits your project.

- You will need a multitrack recorder; not necessarily for doing the final recording, but to help you during the process of songwriting and arranging. Again, this process can be condensed by using a quality multitrack recorder at home and basically record the tunes as you write them. You can get a stand-alone recorder or you can use software on your PC. I'm using CoolEdit Pro software. It provides over 64 tracks of digital audio and has various effects built in for doing final mixes. I'm very happy with the recording quality of CoolEdit Pro.

- If you're not inclined to do the recording yourself, you'll need to reserve time at a recording studio. 24 tracks minimum. Going this route can be costly. Obviously, the best thing you can do is be totally rehearsed before you go in. You'll be THAT much better of a player and spend less money on studio time. On the positive side, all you have to do is think about playing. All of the technical work will be done by a professional recording engineer.

- Once you've recorded the individual tracks, you will need to do a "final mix" of each tune. This involves adjusting the volume levels of each track and using effects to enhance certain aspects of your instruments. When all of these adjustments are made, each song gets converted down to a two track stereo recording. This stereo recording is the final mix.

- Once the final mixes are finished, you'll need to get them mastered. Mastering involves applying tone and equalization adjustments to the final mixes, balancing the left and right side of the stereo channels and making sure that the overall volume of each tune is consistent and up to standards. Mastering also entails putting the songs in listening order and creating the spaces between them. The final result of mastering is a "Master CD" that the manufacturer will use for duplication.

- You'll need to hire a graphic artist to create the artwork for your disc package. Don't try to do this yourself on your computer. This is an art form totally separate from your music. Let a graphic designer do it. Also when shopping for a graphic artist, make sure that they have experience with CD design and always ask to see some CDs that they have designed in the past.

- You'll need to shop around for a manufacturer to duplicate and package your CDs into a saleable product. Saleable in this case means a professionally designed, shrink wrapped product. Beware! Look into this carefully because there a lot of different options, prices and reputations out there. I was recommended to use Oasis (http://www.oasiscd.com) and am very happy with their service.

Just remember, EVERYTHING takes time!

The key is to keep moving forward each day.