I tried making an analog record.
I have had a dream since I was in junior high school.
I wanted to be a musician like the Beatles, whom I admired.
I wanted to write wonderful songs like them.
I wanted to perform live and release my music as a work of art.
When I was a student, I would seriously fantasize about such things
while writing songs and recording them on cassette tapes for fun.
I formed a band and played a few live shows.
After I started working and got married, I stopped playing in a band for a while,
but once I had some breathing room, I started the band again,
and I was able to buy a few guitars.
I got tired of the interpersonal relationships within the band, so now I upload
cover videos to YouTube and continue my musical activities on a small scale.
The only thing I hadn't done was turn my music into a finished product.
I have never finished writing an original song to the end.
I can do acoustic performances, but I can't arrange the whole song.
I had been stuck here for a long time, but then I met "AI".
I think "Suno.AI" is a super fun toy.
At first, I was extremely resistant, but once I actually tried it,
I became addicted to how interesting it was.
There are pros and cons to composing with "AI," but I don't do this for a living,
I'm just playing around, so I jumped right in.
Creating music videos with generative AI, I am moved by the fact that I can now do things
that I couldn't have imagined when I was in junior high school.
I've accumulated a fair number of songs, and when I thought about whether I could leave something in a physical form,
I was curious about how much it would cost to make an analog record, so I looked it up online.
That's where I found a site called "CUT&REC" where you can order from just one copy.
It's very nice that you can simulate exactly how much it will cost.
I don't really know the market price, and I'm sure the unit price would be cheaper if I mass-produced it like a CD, but since I'm making it for myself, I decided to pay a little extra as an experience fee.
That said, when I got a quote, it was just over 10,000 yen including shipping for the record, label, and jacket. Isn't that not bad?
I'll start creating it right away.
It seems you can only use it on a PC, so I accessed the site on my PC and selected [Make a Record] in the top right.
First, select the size of the record.
I'm going to make a single this time, so I selected 7inch.
Enter the title of the record.
Next, upload the data (Wav.) for the song to be put on Side A.
Next is Side B.
Since it's a single, I wanted it to be 45 RPM, but I got a message like the one above, so it became 33 RPM.
The songs for both sides have been uploaded.
Next, decide on the design for the center of the record.
Upload your favorite image. I pasted an image I created with AI.
After making fine adjustments, both sides are complete.
Next, decide on the jacket.
Upload your favorite images for each as well.
Once both sides are done, you can check the finished image in 3D.
Finally, check the contents, and if there are no problems with the actual production cost, select proceed to payment.
An order completion email arrived at the registered email address.
The process is that it will be completed and shipped in about 2 weeks.
And two weeks later. The record finally arrived.
It's obvious, but it became a normal analog record, and I was extremely moved. I was surprised it could be done so easily.
I'll listen to the sound right away.
This is actually quite good.
I usually listen on my phone or iPad, so listening through the component speakers
was a fresh experience.
The side that went over 4 minutes on Side B feels like the sound is a bit distorted.
If it were 45 RPM, the sound quality might be better. In that case, I would have to go one size larger. But for this time, I'll be satisfied with this.
The only record in the world is complete.
When I have a little more money, I'd like to try making an album (LP) next.
Why don't you all try making your own records too?