Help me make an album

[Coffee]

I am going to be recording an album sometime in the next three months to a year. I play guitar and sing, but as it turns out, I am writing many of the songs for the album on the piano. I want to make an alternative album with elements of ambient and industrial music.

I have some questions, though. I am planning to do all the singing, guitars, and keys. I can probably do the bass well enough for my purposes. I already know I'll have to get a rhythm section of some sort.
So:

1) What instruments do I need?
2) Do I need keys and regular piano?
3) Do I really need to get a bass player instead of trying to be Lenny Kravitz/Paul McCartney and play everything?
4) Should I get a drummer, or is there a drum machine that is programmable enough/affordable enough to do the job?
5) Should I buy the instruments, or are there decent enough rentals?
5a) If I should buy the instruments, what would be the least expensive studio-worthy brands that I could buy?

[kbfc]

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1) What instruments do I need?

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I think this would be better answered if you just asked yourself, "what sounds do I want?"
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2) Do I need keys and regular piano?

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Depends on your budget, etc. Unless you have access to a great sounding piano in a great sounding room, it's probably gonna be better and easier to just use keys.
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3) Do I really need to get a bass player instead of trying to be Lenny Kravitz/Paul McCartney and play everything?

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Heh, there's no shame to trying to be Paul. He plays some of the most interesting, tasteful basslines in all of rock'n'roll music. That said, I think you can get away doing this yourself, assuming you have a decent sense of arrangement/musicality that extends past your primary instrument(s).
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4) Should I get a drummer, or is there a drum machine that is programmable enough/affordable enough to do the job?

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There are drum machines that do everything you want and more. And they can be found cheap, if not free. The problem is, in my experience, very few people who aren't drummers themselves are able to do a good job programming drums...if you're looking for more than a simple straight 4 rock beat, at least...
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5) Should I buy the instruments, or are there decent enough rentals?
5a) If I should buy the instruments, what would be the least expensive studio-worthy brands that I could buy?

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I've never gone the rental route, simply because recording always takes longer than you'd think, and I'd imagine the rental costs would add up quite fast. Of course, I also have access to a ridiculous amount of gear of all types, sharing a bad case of GAS with some bandmates, as well as a large network of musician friends.

Even lacking that, though, I'd probably suggest going used on ebay/craiglist/etc. A lot of the stuff you'll need could be fairly easily flipped when you're done with it for close to even money, if not better.

HTH

[jaffa]

If you go down the drummer and buying instruments route, remember you're going to have to hire a studio more than likely. Also good condenser mics are a must. These are obviously not needed if you go down the drum machine and keys route.

So factor in whether you want to hire some studio space or not. Good condenser mics are thousands of pounds, so i recommend against buying some unless you're a baller or want to do a lot of recording in the future after this album.

[Coffee]

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If you go down the drummer and buying instruments route, remember you're going to have to hire a studio more than likely. Also good condenser mics are a must. These are obviously not needed if you go down the drum machine and keys route.

So factor in whether you want to hire some studio space or not. Good condenser mics are thousands of pounds, so i recommend against buying some unless you're a baller or want to do a lot of recording in the future after this album.

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Well...I'm planning at least one more album beyond this one...so yes, more recording is on the horizon. I would guess that a couple of good condensers aren't a horrible idea, but I'm not sure, since you can't/shouldn't really use condensers for live performance(unless you want to get rid of your condenser mics...lol).

[James Boston]

Coffee,

It's your album dude...most of your questions can't be answered by people who don't know how you want it to sound.

"What instruments do I need?"

No clue

"Do I need keys and regular piano?"

Didn't you say you were writing on a piano? What's wrong with that one?

"Do I really need to get a bass player instead of trying to be Lenny Kravitz/Paul McCartney and play everything?"

Can you play the bass parts you're looking for? If yes, do it yourself. If no, get a bass player.

"Should I get a drummer, or is there a drum machine that is programmable enough/affordable enough to do the job?"

Industrial type stuff....you should be able to go the drum machine route.

"Should I buy the instruments, or are there decent enough rentals?"

Again, what instruments will you need, and what's wrong with the ones you're writing with?

[theblackkeys]

Do we get a super-secret special leaked copy?

[rothko]

sorry, the name piss christ is taken--pending legal review.

[NT!]

Maybe you should re-title this thread "Help me with every single aspect of forming a band or arranging recording and production."

If you're not any good at bass or writing bass lines, not having a bass player will make your bass parts pretty boring. Most people aren't any good at writing bass lines or playing bass. Paul McCartney is. Are you Paul McCartney?

Why don't you try finishing the songs you're writing, or meeting some musicians you like to play with, or learning how to use recording equipment before you decide to 'make an album'?

You don't know what instruments are good for recording or playing but you want to make a record? What are you, thirteen?