Advice on Bandcamp

[glitch hiker]

Hey, my album (ha!) is nearly finished (double ha!) and I'd like to put it out on Bandcamp and become stinking rich. Or at least stinking. To that end it looks simple enough, but what format should I upload in: mp3 or WAV? That's what I can render from Reaper. Also any tips on sourcing art and making a good presentation. I could happily draw a funny picture and use that, but I'm not great at drawing and I doubt a spurting phallus would endear me to the world at large.

Thanks

 

[killer b]

Upload the tracks as WAVs, bandcamp will then be able to offer them in all the different formats to listeners.

 

[mojo pixy]

I believe you have to upload them in an uncompressed format (wav or aiff). It actually won't let you upload mp3s or flacs etc anyway.

 

[nogojones]

And go with the spunking cock. It's the worlds favourite art form.

 

[Supine]

You need to get it mastered for digital by a professional. They will do the levels etc suitable for Bandcamp.

 

[killer b]

You need to get it mastered for digital by a professional. They will do the levels etc suitable for Bandcamp.

No he doesn't.

 

[Supine]

No he doesn't.

Why? I honestly don’t think anyone can master their own music well enough and have it sound decent for commercial release. Every release on my label sounded much better after mastering, no matter which artist it was.

I’m not a fan of self releasing for the same reason

 

[killer b]

He doesn't need it is all. Stuff that isn't professionally mastered can sound fine.

 

[xenon]

Wav, 24 bit.

 

[xenon]

Master it with presets til youre rich or know more.
Check your masters on hifi, headphones, mono speaker etc.

 

[glitch hiker]

You need to get it mastered for digital by a professional. They will do the levels etc suitable for Bandcamp.

I couldn't afford that even if I wanted to. I'm sure that's not required

 

[glitch hiker]

Master it with presets til youre rich or know more.
Check your masters on hifi, headphones, mono speaker etc.

presets? I don't think I have any

 

[Saul Goodman]

Why? I honestly don’t think anyone can master their own music well enough and have it sound decent for commercial release. Every release on my label sounded much better after mastering, no matter which artist it was.

I’m not a fan of self releasing for the same reason

Mastering your own stuff is easy

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Why? I honestly don’t think anyone can master their own music well enough and have it sound decent for commercial release.

Not anyone?
I do it professionally for others so why not for my own music?
But yes, I do think mastering is rather important. I'd never let my stuff out without it. . . . Recomended, but nothing is ever essential.

 

[Supine]

There we go Glitch, get Atomic to master it for you

 

[glitch hiker]

Mastering your own stuff is easy

I've no idea. I just write. I don't think it sounds too bad

 

[glitch hiker]

thanks for the replies

 

[Saul Goodman]

I've no idea. I just write. I don't think it sounds too bad

Post some of it and let others decide.

 

[glitch hiker]

Post some of it and let others decide.

I did in the Post Your Tunes thread, check it out nad let me know. Though to be fair, that piece isn't mastered. post your rubbish tunez

 

[glitch hiker]

BTW if anyone has some advice on actually properly mastering I'd welcome it

 

[danski]

BTW if anyone has some advice on actually properly mastering I'd welcome it

Some good advice here but perhaps not entirely appropriate. You are likely to pick up some useful tips though as the guy (Voidloss) knows his stuff.

A guide to home "Mastering" of your own tunes - subsekt

www.subsekt.com

 

[rutabowa]

I prefer soundcloud personally, as it is a bit more interactive and peer-to-peer so it is a bit more like community collaboration; rather than bandcamp, which is more of a traditional record shop approach, which discourages interaction. It is easy for stuff to just vanish without trace on band camp, like a massive clearance sale CD shelf; whereas on soundcloud the odd person still find/like/comments on stuff years later, the format just encourages that.

 

[rutabowa]

Bandcamp is 100% best for labels to use for putting finished releases on tho; im just talking about if you are an individual putting stuff up mainly just to get people to hear it. Then soundcloud is better, as it is more like a workshop.

 

[rutabowa]

And re:mastering, I wouldn’t worry at this stage. I’ve literally never heard a tune and thought “I would love this IF ONLY IT WERE BETTER MASTERED”, and also never thought “well this tune is shit, But the mastering is GREAT so I kind of like it”.

 

[Nivag]

Surely mastering is just turning up the bass and the treble of coursestreettuff

 

[rutabowa]

Surely mastering is just turning up the bass and the treble of coursestreettuff

I think it is where you adjust the waveform of a song until it you have filled in all the gaps and it looks like a solid brick of noise.

 

[glitch hiker]

Bandcamp is 100% best for labels to use for putting finished releases on tho; im just talking about if you are an individual putting stuff up mainly just to get people to hear it. Then soundcloud is better, as it is more like a workshop.

I foolishly thought I could put something up there and maybe some kind souls might drop a few pennies. Nothing extravagant; pay what you want. You don't get that with soundcloud afaik. I'm not naive of course, but it's worth a punt.

 

[glitch hiker]

Surely mastering is just turning up the bass and the treble of coursestreettuff

It is when I do it

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

I think it is where you adjust the waveform of a song until it you have filled in all the gaps and it looks like a solid brick of noise.

They say digital music is all 1s and 0s but I say never settle for zero. All my music is consistent strings of 1s and anyone who settles for anything less is a looser.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

And re:mastering, I wouldn’t worry at this stage. I’ve literally never heard a tune and thought “I would love this IF ONLY IT WERE BETTER MASTERED”, and also never thought “well this tune is shit, But the mastering is GREAT so I kind of like it”.

I actually have thought this on several occasions, and in some cases it's really irked me, but I am aware that I am the exception. . . Dont hate me but I often re-master (properly released) tracks for my phone mp3 player etc. spent ages mastering and collating Japanese JR train jingles.