Recording Tips - Part 1
Some of my clients are relatively new to the recording process. Its exciting to watch people’s eyes light up as their musical fantasy becomes a reality!
I combine the role of the session musician, the engineer and the producer. This saves my clients studio time, typically cutting production costs by half or more.
Still, if you are unprepared, the costs can add up. I've written this to help you get the most out of your recording experience and your recording budget.
I’ve read that for ANY kind of project, one should estimate the time needed and then double or triple it. Musical projects are no exception. Here are tips to help you get the best results in the shortest time:
-If you sing and play guitar or keyboard, practice your tunes with a metronome or drum machine. Write down the song tempos. Ideally, pre-record them at a home – even on a cheap tape recorder. Critique your playing and then record it again! Come in with new strings/drum heads and tuned up, or use one of my high – end musical instruments!
Try to pre-book sessions (Typically, call 1-2 weeks ahead) so that you have long enough blocks of time. 5 hours is a good stretch for a solo artist, depending on the work at hand and the person. Some people prefer longer or shorter. Find your work groove.
If you are a singer who doesn’t play an instrument or are relying on me to help develop your music, remember that there will be some time spent interpreting and arranging your songs. Bring your lyrics, melodies and any pre-recorded ideas. Give us an hour or so to decide how tune should go, then take an hour to make a simple demo and listen at home for improvements to make.
Think of what you want for the arrangement (intro, breaks, instrumentation, harmonies, etc). If you are going for something very specific, bring in example music to give us something to work towards.
When recording, get it right, now – depending on the track, we can probably loop your guitar, tune your vocals, or try fix whatever it was in the mix, but its usually quickest to do another take and nail it now, live! So, practice those parts!
“So, How long does it take?????”
Ahhh… the ultimate question…
This really depends the tune, what its for (commercial radio mix or your Mom) – and on YOU!!! Ulitmately, you can contact me for an estimate...but to give you some idea...
For a typical demo, once a song is in finished form, we'll work fast -- figure a half hour to an hour per track to get a sound, set up the mic, create a part, listen and critique, and do it again. Some artists prefer me to jam on their tracks with maybe a simple direction ("play something jazzy"). They love it and its quick. Some artists have something more specific in mind. If that’s you, the better you can explain what you want (with sheet music or demo recordings or just singing parts to me), the quicker this will go. This process of creating the demo or sheet music will make you confront and edit your own ideas before we attempt them. Singing the idea to me will work almost as quickly as long as you really know what you want and where.
Note: while simple loops can come together quickly, programming elaborate MIDI drum tracks or creating tracks made of loops can take longer - set aside a few hours for those perfect and modern sounding parts!
Mixing:
A typical major label song mix might take 12 hours. Some bands spend much longer on a mix! However, to get it done quickly, give yourself a minimum of 2 hours for a fully produced song for a demo. Expect to spend 3-4 hours to get a pretty good mix depending on the tune. If you want to compete with the big boys for commercial radio, etc, we'll want to bring a mix engineer into the studio as a second pair if ears.
Note: A simple arrangement (i.e. just acoustic guitar and vocal) can be recorded AND mixed much quicker!!!
Recording Tips - Part 2
More Recording tips:
Book a session to record and mix an acoustic demo of your songs!! Then critique them!! A good song should stand on its own with just an acoustic guitar and vocal. You might do something with the "unplugged" version later.
Remember that making changes during the process – changing the tempo, adding or subtracting a measure here and there, etc takes time! Try to make these decisions ahead of time or after doing the acoustic demo. Then again, as long as its within your budget, don't be afraid to make those changes - they might be needed!
If you are on a fixed budget, tell me what it is, The more time we have, the more open we can be to experimenting and trying creative ideas.
I was a music teacher long before I got into recording. If you need help setting tempos, working up guitar parts, making sure lyrics flow and grooves are pumpin' - hit me up for a few music lessons before the project begins. In the long run, it will save you time and money in the studio and you'll feel more confident going in!
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Real life successful example:
Average 4 hours / song – (5 song demo/EP in 20 hours.)
Jared wanted to return to London with a demo/EP. He planned to use the disc to start booking pub gigs around the college scene, attract musicians to play his material and to sell at live shows.
Jared came in alone for 5 hour blocks of time so that we could work efficiently. Using a home recorder and metronome, he had worked out his acoustic guitar and vocal parts ahead of time, and usually nailed them in a few takes. His guitar was tuned, w/ new strings, and he sang well. He didn’t have musical charts for me but the songs were pretty simple in structure. One song was solo acoustic and went quickly. On the rest, I added simple MIDI drums, bass and a lead guitar or dulcimer part. We mixed fast for a good overall sound without trying to be absolutely perfect. I burned the tracks to CD so Jared can have someone do a more intensive re-mix in the future, if needed.
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If you can, pre-produce on your home computer system or multi-track recorder. What is pre-production? Actually, THIS is probably pre-production. On a major label, an artist will go through a process like we've been describing to get his tune ready, and then re-do it, better! Most independent artists don’t have this luxury, so save your tracks for future re-mixing and realize that this is a part of the process! If you sign a deal, you will likely re-record all this with the advantage of having already been through the process!
Most artists come in here pretty relaxed, and are great to work with. We go as fast as we can while staying creative and lucid. Music is an art and it works best when you chill! The multi-tasking involved in wearing multiple hats (Session musician/Producer/Engineer) can be intense!
Typically, I might be tuning up the guitar for the upcoming track while we’re evaluating to the bass track we just did and watching the levels simultaneously!
So, if my client is tweaking out because they didn’t do their homework and are running out of time, (or can’t really afford to be working in the studio in the first place) it’s counterproductive. This document should help you avoid that situation!
Remember to budget for your project going overtime and stay focused on doing what you can (practice, pre-production) before you walk into the studio. Please don’t bring up money during the session. Everything should be pre-paid and worked out before the session and if necessary, afterwards. I will do my upmost to keep things moving quickly.
I try to walk and/or work out physically before long recording days and I recommend you do the same, if possible. Come in with positive energy to share and the results will always be better!!!!
Finally, have fun! This is your opportunity to experience what it feels like to do music in the studio. Enjoy it and look at it as a growing and learning experience.
Recording - Part 3 (Checklists)
As a final note, it is totally ok and even encouraged to use me as a session musician who happens to have a studio, and then take your tracks elsewhere to track vocals, etc. I can interface with any kind of studio and burn and import .wav files, etc.
TO BRING
(Some of these may not apply or be possible for you, but do what you can!):
-Lyric sheets - ideally with with chord changes, tempo
-Exact chord charts or sheet music
(i.e.: //: Am7 / D9 G13 / Cmaj7 / % :// )
-CD/mp3 of any rough recordings of your song(s), ideally with keyboard or guitar.
-Your instrument with new strings/heads, tuned.
-CD/mp3s of music you want to emulate either musically or sonically (optional)
-Realistic budget in mind – roughly map out the project
-A healthy, fun, relaxed attitude.
What NOT to bring
- Your friends (Play it for them afterwards!)
- Drugs/Alcohol
- Stress
Want to discuss your project?
Feel Free to contact me:
Bradley Fish
Recording/Production/Coaching
02-623-6925 (Israel)
1-877-471-1378 (Toll Free USA)
bradleyfishmusic@yahoo.com
www.bradleyfish.com
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EVENTS
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Karmiel, Israel
Thurs, Feb. 7 9pm
Karmiel Folk Club
w/Ron Squires & Triad