How Many Tracks Should be on a Demo?

By Clare Knight

Making music demos is probably the number one way that bands seek to get themselves a record contract. Unfortunately, as is the case with unsolicited manuscripts sent to publishers by aspiring writers, most of these demos will go unnoticed.

The fact is that record company A&R people have a ton of material thrown their way every day and there simply isn’t enough time in the day for them to listen to all of it. When they do listen to demo CD’s sent in by artists, however, there are definite limits to how much time they can be expected to invest.

Demos should essentially give a broad overview of a band, their style and their flexibility in writing and performing music. Each of the CD tracks should be well-produced and have a professional feel. While there is certainly some charm in material that isn’t overly-produced, A&R people need to hear the band unencumbered by poor recording techniques to make a decision as to whether to call the artist or simply toss the CD into the rubbish bin where, sadly, a great many demo CD’s do end up. Read more »

The Art of Microphone Placement When Recording Guitar

By Richard Marples

The biggest problem with many amateur guitarists is poor tone, and that’s the first thing you might want to correct before you start placing a microphone for recording. Get down and listen to your amp and guitar combination on microphone level – that is where the microphone would be placed when recording.

Adjust your tone so that you’re happy with it, but remember one thing: the low-end will be increased with a microphone placed close to the source, which is known as proximity effect.

Like any other piece of kit, the same microphone can give tremendously different results depending on how it is used. To get the sound you are looking for takes a bit of expertise and a lot of experimenting. Even the best microphones available can sound “boomy” and unusable if not used correctly. Read more »

How To Get the Best Performance From Your Artist During Recording

By Richard Dolmat

So now you’ve decided to record your songs. Good for you, except that you will need people to play the instruments for which your music calls for. If you can play all the instruments on your own, then all the better. You will have less people to argue with!

Other wise, you will have to hire (read: bribe with beer/food/hockey tickets) session musicians and vocalists to play and sing for you, putting you in the producer’s chair.

Your songs are only as emotional as the performers who play them. It goes without saying that you should hire the best performers your budget will allow. But if $100/hour for a professional vocalist is a little steep, here are a few ways to help encourage the best from your session players.

1.) Always praise, never criticize. Read more »

Establish Your Mix For A Successful Recording

Now that you’ve spent hours and days and weeks and months recording your musical masterpieces, you have arrived at my favorite time in the studio; The Mixdown.

But don’t think your job is done yet! The mixdown is just as important as recording. As an artist, you have to approach the mixdown from an artist’s point of view and stay on the ‘creative’ side of the fence where it’s still possible to shape and mold your songs throughout the mixdown process.

Remember the old “Yin-Yang” principle which states, “whenever you turn something up, something else disappears. Furthermore; whenever you turn something down, something else gets louder.” This applies to EQ, levels and almost anywhere you have two or more tracks.

The Beginning Of The End

STOP!! Don’t even think about starting your mixdown on the same day you finish tracking. Take a day off, have a break and then come back refreshed with a new perspective. Read more »

Creating Backing Tracks For Your Song

By Seth Lutnick

Congratulations! Your singing has become amazing, and it’s time the world knew. You’ve also written some songs that are just kick you-know-what. They need to be recorded, MP3ed and put on the net ASAP. But you’ve got two problems. First, you can’t afford a studio, let alone a band for all this stuff. Second, you don’t play all, or any, of the instruments.

Well there is good news. With a deft combination of the internet and today’s software, you can do wonders. While it’s never going to be the same as a true band in a real studio, which you had better hire for that big record company showcase, you can still create great backing tracks.

First, repeat after me. “I love MIDI.” Thank you.

MIDI, to refresh your memory, is like sheet music for a pianist. The paper itself makes no noises, but the pianist gets all the information he needs from it to let us hear Beethoven (especially if the music is also Beethoven!). In your computer set up, the MIDI file is the sheet music, the MIDI sequencer or playback program is the pianist, and your computer’s sound card and synthesizer are the piano. That’s all you need!

Before we get started, I’ll mention the ultimate cover song shortcut – the internet! There are tons of great MIDI files of almost every piece of popular music out there. All you have to do is find them. If you can’t, or you’ve got your own material, read on. Be legal, though! Read more »