Musicians from Ball State University and all over the world will be working tirelessly to write and record an album's worth of material this week.
Midnight on Monday marked the beginning of Record Time IV, a project started three years ago by senior Ball State music technology majors Dan Waldkirch and Mike Weber.
The project challenges participants to record 30 minutes worth of material in one week, but students are encouraged to set realistic goals for themselves.
The challenge is not limited to musicians, though. All artists in every medium are encouraged to submit recordings.
Record Time originated during Waldkirch's and Weber's sophomore year.
"Mike and I, sophomore year, had an idea to make an album in one week," Waldkirch said. "The first time we did it we had only about four of our friends with us."
Record Time has doubled in participants every year since its conception, Waldkirch added.
The project has 63 members in its Facebook group, but Waldkirch and Weber said they expect about 20 to 30 official submissions this year.
Last year's project produced nearly four hours of audio recordings, Waldkirch said.
The final product will be available on Ball State's iWeb, but the focus of the project is not monetary gain, Waldkirch said.
"It's not for the audience," Waldkirch said. "It's more of a challenge for the artist so they can take the skills they acquire to more serious projects."
Weber said the most rewarding aspect of the project is the sense of accomplishment many feel when they have finished.
"A lot of people come in and they've never written a song before," Weber said. "They're scared but when they're finished they realize it's not as hard as it seems."
Record Time IV wraps up Sunday.
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