Recording music on your sailboat

[TheBeeRoom.com]

I just finished my recording project on my Pearson 26 and was amazed with the results. I have heard that there are other sailor/musicians that do the same and would like to hear about your techniques and results. Originally we tried to record while underway and on the hook, but ran into countless problems with power. The inverter I was using did not provide stable enough power and kept messing up the computers performance (it was also powering a bunch of audio hardware). We ended up recording at the dock connected to shorepower, which worked fine. We used acoustic instruments with no amplifiers and used a wide variety of mics placed throughout the boat, going into ProTools. We used the v-berth as the work station and the salon as the recording booth.

How have you done it?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Wow, I never would have thought of trying to sail a recording studio.

 

[TheBeeRoom.com]

In theory it makes alot of sense, especially if the boat is being used as a tour vehicle. I figure that with the length of time it takes to sail from port to port, and with the relaxation that cruising provides, recording while underway would be a great use of time for a band traveling by sailboat. I believe there are some bands island hopping in the carribean by boat, but it was a first in Texas when I took my crew of musicians on a coastal tour by sailboat over the summer. Looking back, it would have been difficult to record durring our short day trips due to constant attention to navigation and boat performance, but if we had longer passages offshore we could have probably recorded another album or two. Sounds like something fun to start planning!

 

[Witzend]

Pretty noisy environment for a recording studio?
Use sound cloud to up load so we can hear.
http://soundcloud.com

 

[dlewis812]

(not exactly recorded while sailing but.....)

http://www.fatpossum.com/artists/tennis

 

[Witzend]

So "Pigeon" was recorded on your sailboat?

 

[TheBeeRoom.com]

www.thebeeroom.com/artists/thecrew/

If you go to the link and scroll down a bit to the music player (looks like a jolly roger) you can listen to the whole album. There are pictures and the captains log from the tour on the page also.

 

[Joe]

www.thebeeroom.com/artists/thecrew/

If you go to the link and scroll down a bit to the music player (looks like a jolly roger) you can listen to the whole album. There are pictures and the captains log from the tour on the page also.

I went to your page.... had trouble reading the non highlighted print.. grey on black is very difficult for old codgers like me... just a helpful comment. I would consider enlarging the type or changing to a light background with dark print.. much much more reader friendly.

BTW.... thanks for the music. Since I'm primarily a keyboard player there might be a few restrictions.. but I have taken one of my smaller 61 key axes to the boat and jammed away all night using the head phones. My dock neighbor's a terrific guitar player and we used to jam on the dock with a small multi channel keyboard amp..... but always needed shore power.

The idea of setting up and playing on a short cruise, auto pilot on, of course... is very cool. We were thinking of just cruising around the bay under power, but neither of us has an inverter or aux generator.... However, you have inspired me .... a way to enjoy my two favorite passions at the same time.

 

[rardiH36]

pretty cool. I'm not a very good guitarist, but if I do record, the signal goes direct from my piezo/magnetic pickup guitar into my battery powered recorder with effects processor. I could be in the engine room of a large power boat and the ambient noise level wouldn't be an issue. Can't do that if acoustic and with microphone vocals.

Maybe an RV forum or a musicians' forum might other venues for getting info about mobile music recording. Traveling musicians transiting between gigs. 12v power source. Confined space.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice to meet more bad guitar players. Who woulda known you guys play, too.? Well, "playing" is something I'm told by my peers that I maybe used to have known about. I still plunk away a little bit every day or two and have an old axe on the boat.

 

[CalebD]

www.thebeeroom.com/artists/thecrew/

If you go to the link and scroll down a bit to the music player (looks like a jolly roger) you can listen to the whole album. There are pictures and the captains log from the tour on the page also.

Nice! I love the acoustic sound and use of banjo. "Issues" was lots of fun to listen to. Those songs were recorded on the boat right?
I'd imagine a Pearson 26 cabin would get a bit 'cozy' for 3 guys with instruments and recording equipment.

I don't bring my 'cello on the boat because of it's size. I might bring a fiddle instead though.

 

[TheBeeRoom.com]

Nice! I love the acoustic sound and use of banjo. "Issues" was lots of fun to listen to. Those songs were recorded on the boat right?
I'd imagine a Pearson 26 cabin would get a bit 'cozy' for 3 guys with instruments and recording equipment.

I don't bring my 'cello on the boat because of it's size. I might bring a fiddle instead though.

Thanks! Yes, it was all recorded in the Pearson 26, and it was extremely "cozy" especially since it was recorded durring the heat of June in Texas and we had to turn off the AC for noise reasons. It was a hot sweaty mess of musicians, cables, and at times, fans. Rather than complaning, everybody embraced the experience and had a blast... It was a first for all of us.