Sufjan Stevens Quotes

People are making their own records in their houses. It's an exciting time.

I grew up writing songs in my room on GarageBand, and I would make the beats just out of layering my vocals over and over again. Very Imogen Heap-inspired.

I started trying to do my own music at home, and I was like, 'You know what, I can play the guitar, sort of. And I can do these things, sort of. And I can make these crazy noises on my computer, sort of. But I need a ridiculously good drummer. I need someone to help me with string arrangements.'

I had this fascination with four-track recorders when I was in high school.

I'm not the kind of guy who sits around at home and writes songs. Once in a while I'll pick up a guitar and noodle around, but it's rare.

When I started working on my own music, I didn't have the chance to record in a big music studio, so I had to record everything myself.

Yeah, anybody can go in with two turntables and a microphone or a home studio sampler and a little cassette deck or whatever and make records in their bedrooms.

I don't mind sitting at home playing the guitar for a year as long as I'm making good films.

I've been making demos at home for many albums now. So over those years, I've learned how to record music, and I love being at home. I excel when I can make things at home.

I'm always working on new songs. With the technology these days, any idiot can record on Pro Tools on your laptop. All you have to do is plug a microphone into the input jack and anybody can have their own recording studio. So I'm always down in my basement, singing along to riffs or whoever I'm collaborating with.

I'm a recording studio guy, an engineer, a songwriter and a guitar player, in that order.

I've always recorded at home. That's been part of what it's about to me. I've never been the kind of guy who rents a studio.

Some people ask me what instruments I play, but usually I'll just say I'm more of a producer or a composer or songwriter - those are my strongest suits: arranging and composing.

I started making beats when I was 13.

I made a lot of the first album on a laptop in my bedroom after college and after work.

I record everything myself, I engineer everything myself.

I had been using a 4-track and a digital 8-track in the '90s, and it was this huge complicated thing. But GarageBand is right there.

I'm a guitar player. Actually, I think of myself as a songwriter/rhythm-guitar player.

My main objective with a home studio - I could get into doing full band demos - but my first objective is to cut things like guitar tracks and solos at home.

I didn't want to make a record that was just guitar and voice, that was just the technology available to me. At the time, I remember thinking, "I am making a Faust album." That didn't translate.

When I first started recording music, we would record in the closet with socks on the mic.

This is the most fun thing in the world to me, making music. Sitting down, I can make songs and not leave the booth, ever, and I love it.

It is quite normal these days to record a song in the absence of the composer.

When I wrote the first album I had never played live before, and I'd never been on tour. So that was really just me and my guitar.

Almost everything I've ever recorded, I recorded myself at the desk, in my house.