Synth, recording, and effects set-ups and tips

[BobM]

So how do you guys protect your songs if you publish them on Bandcamp or such? I'm not talking about a hugely commercial release here with publishing and copyright protection and such, just a hobbiest who want's to put something out? Is there any other way?

[battema]

I'd start here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMus..._and_bandcamp/

I've done the Library of Congress route before ( https://www.copyright.gov/registrati...rts/index.html ) but to be honest, I've never felt terribly at risk of being ripped off. Hard enough finding listeners who want to hear my stuff in the first place

[Gizmotron]

I'd start here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMus..._and_bandcamp/

I've done the Library of Congress route before ( https://www.copyright.gov/registrati...rts/index.html ) but to be honest, I've never felt terribly at risk of being ripped off. Hard enough finding listeners who want to hear my stuff in the first place

Now don’t say that, John! Real fans of real music will always seek out artists like you.
I wish I had 10% of your talent.

[hFx]

Hard enough finding listeners who want to hear my stuff in the first place

Sad but true - even truer today to be "found" outside any established personal network! Music is a form of communication but could also just be a personal indulgence. After I gave up my business (and an extended hiatus after) I decided I would focus only on creating music that I wanted to hear myself but I yet hadn't - themes, composition, arrangement, production, all just I wanted them. Maybe not a very good choice as 1) you easily get isolated and there's such a joy to interact with others, and 2) when/if you do create something that is satisfying, often you find you do want to share it with others

[battema]

Now don’t say that, John! Real fans of real music will always seek out artists like you.
I wish I had 10% of your talent.

I'm not really complaining It's never quantity, it's quality and my fans (it actually still feels weird to say that!) are top quality all around

Anyway...point being, BobM if you're concerned about getting ripped off then go ahead and do the $65 registration with the Library of Congress. I've done it, it works, it's legit. If you're indeed just a hobbyist who wants to spend minimum $$ then roll the dice with trusting that Bandcamp's metadata would be sufficient in a minor legal challenge. It's probably a safe bet.

Fun fact, I went on Bandcamp and there are tags for "copyright free" for folks who apparently DON'T mind having their stuff used for unlimited/uncompensated purposes. So again...even if someone came in looking for a new creative source for library music...there appears to be a subcategory for that.

[Distance of Man 1]

So how do you guys protect your songs if you publish them on Bandcamp or such? I'm not talking about a hugely commercial release here with publishing and copyright protection and such, just a hobbiest who want's to put something out? Is there any other way?

I recommend copyrighting your music if you put it up for sale, but I will second the others who have said that stealing music is not a big concern.
I don't think most artists who want to be recognized for their original music are real interested in stealing someone else's music.

But copyrighting your music isn't difficult and it's not tremendously expensive if you copyright an entire album rather than individual songs. It's no longer necessary to mail in a printed application and a recording on physical media. It can all be done online now.
https://www.copyright.gov/registration/performing-arts/

[Distance of Man 1]

Here is a recording heads up: I was trying for decades to figure out how Chris Squire got the growl and the grunt in his bass tone on classic albums like Fragile and Close to the Edge. I got a Rickenbacker 4001 in 1985 and it has that signature growl through most bass amps, but I never was able to nail Squire's tone.
Listening to Fragile and Close to the Edge on a better system with high quality headphones, I realized that what I heard in Squire's tone that was missing in mine was overdrive. Chris Squire wasn't playing through a clean bass amp. When he hits a note harder, it distorts.
I've tried plugging into BOSS and other bass overdrives. They just sound buzzy. Squire's tone has more crunch to it.

One day while visiting Chicago Music Exchange, I plugged a 4003 bass into a Tech 21 Ultra Bass 1000 amp. I was able to dial in a tone that nailed Chris Squire's classic tones!
Later Tech 21 came out with the dp3x pedal, which is a lot more economical. I have found the dp3x sounds amazing not just with Rickenbacker basses but with my Jackson Concert EX bass with P and J bass pickups, and with my Hamer USA Cruise bass with active Jazz bass pickups.

I recorded a bass shootout last week. The first clip is from a couple of years ago, with my 4001 through a bass amp which I miked. The clips after that are all through the dp3x preamp/EQ/compressor/overdrive.