With ever-expanding means of digital distribution, tools to create and release a record are more accessible than ever.
Jackson Gafford, Opelika musician under the moniker Captain Kudzu, is putting together his first album.
Gafford's entire recording process is based in his bedroom using a laptop and a single microphone.
Gafford records various instruments and sounds onto his laptop, often one at a time, and uses editing software to move all the pieces into place.
"I have this little audio box," Gafford said. "It just came with the software. I have, literally, a $2 keyboard that I use. I have just one mic."
Gafford's bedroom contains a drum set, an array of guitars and effects pedals he feeds sounds through. Using a sample board, he then loops the audio to create a beat.
"I hit the record button, put it on a continuous loop, and put whatever I want on top of that," Gafford said.
When Gafford has a sound or melody he has not found a purpose for, he said he uses the sample board to create the basic outline of a song or record.
"I have an idea, I don't know what to do with it, but I want to catalog it, so I'll put it on there," Gafford said.
Gafford said he believes he has enough ideas for two albums at this point.
"I have so much material," Gafford said. "I counted the other day how many loops I have and I have about 40 different songs. I want to be able to surprise people every time I put something out."
One of Gafford's finished songs contains 28 different instrument tracks, all performed by a handful of his friends.
Most of his work has been done with one or two other musicians he knows he can rely on.
"People have their set way of doing things and they think that's how it should be done across the board," Gafford said. "It's a compromise. Some people are good at that, and some people are terrible."
Gafford also believes too many egos in a room can lead to creative stagnation, so he started working alone because he said he was frustrated with all the conflicting mindsets.
"I had a really specific idea for how it sounds and other people would have ideas for how it should sound," Gafford said.
Although he's been playing live music for several years now, mostly at bars and open-mic nights, Gafford started recording in the past several months when he decided he was wasting his time not recording.
Tom O'Shea, owner of The Auburn Guitar Shoppe, said using a professional studio is an option for musicians trying to polish their sound.
Converted from a doctor's office, The Guitar Shoppe's studio opened approximately one year ago. O' Shea rents this studio out to various artists, from bluegrass to hip-hop.
Experienced studio professional Wade Allen oversees the studio and works directly with artists.
"It's $35 an hour for all the kinds of work we do," O'Shea said. "We don't do the mastering here. The philosophy in the industry generally is you don't have the same person doing the mastering as you do the mixing."
But for the artist on a budget, recording from home may still be the best option.
Seth Brown, friend of Gafford, fills in on recordings when an extra hand is needed.
"I started playing music with Jackson in about the 10th grade," Brown said.
Gafford said one of the first albums he wants to put together will feature himself and Brown.
Gafford plans to release his music digitally to keep costs down, though he does plan to have his work mastered before release.
"It's going to be on Sound Cloud, Reverb Nation and Grooveshark," Gafford said. "I'm going to just upload it everywhere I can."
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