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Demo

sustainediasustainedia Posts: 112
edited April 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
For those of you who have recorded a demo, what tips can you give for someone who is a week from recording? anything you should/would have done in hindsight?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • BogoENBogoEN Posts: 65
    sustainedia wrote:
    For those of you who have recorded a demo, what tips can you give for someone who is a week from recording? anything you should/would have done in hindsight?
    How and with what are you recording your demo? In a studio? Your own equipment?
    "Winded is the sailor, drifting by the storm, wounded is the organ he left all bloodied on the shore...the smallest oceans still get Big Big waves..."

    Postive thinking is the key, Postive doing is the door...
  • KillerIsMeKillerIsMe Posts: 208
    make sure you know everything you are going to do to perfection to save time. get a good nights rest. RELAX in the studio. Have your singer practice singing by himself, if he is uncomfortable doing this during the recording session then your tracks will reflect that.

    all in all have fun and dont get stressed out. if anyone in your band starts to feel stressed take a break i assure you the engineer wont mind.

    oh yea and any other band rituals you guys might have.
    http://www.myspace.com/cannedanimal
  • sustainediasustainedia Posts: 112
    BogoEN wrote:
    How and with what are you recording your demo? In a studio? Your own equipment?

    studio, own equip. sorry.
  • BogoENBogoEN Posts: 65
    Yeah, basicly Killer' got the major points. Singing is the hardest bit, because unless you are doing something like punk, its usually overdubbed and that makes alot of singers nervous because you feel isolated (I was one) the first time around. Who ever sings, they should relax, forget about trying to sound good and just feel it, for lack of a better word. Getting alot of practice is key, make it perfect when you get in there, then relax when you record. It will save you time, and time is money, especially in the studio. And I would add that whoever has a strong idea of what the songs should "sound" like, or more accurately put, how they want them produced to give it that edge that makes it YOUR sound rather than sounding flat, they shouldn't be afraid to really push the engineer to capture that by letting them know how you want it produced, don't be afraid to make em work for it, its their job. Its really easy to get caught up in all that excitement of being there, and thinking you hear that in the music. The reality is its still gotta sound solid and really stand out, so make sure the mix down and mastering is just how you want it. And ofcourse, have fun! That's the most important thing.
    "Winded is the sailor, drifting by the storm, wounded is the organ he left all bloodied on the shore...the smallest oceans still get Big Big waves..."

    Postive thinking is the key, Postive doing is the door...
  • KillerIsMeKillerIsMe Posts: 208
    oh also forgot. bring albums of bands that have a similar TONE that you guys have or an album that you think has a production quality that you think your band might sound good with. any engineer worth anything will be able to get a mix fairly close to theirs. If not they will probably just halfassly mix it.
    http://www.myspace.com/cannedanimal
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    1. Have your material as rehearsed and worked out as possible before you get into the studio. Otherwise, you're just paying for a high-tech rehearsal space.
    2. Get your instruments set up by a good tech prior to going in. Don't wait until the day of the session to change your strings, and for god sakes...don't put new strings on your guitars/basses IN the studio...unless they break. Same goes for drum heads...they should be put on and played in a bit so the heads are seated properly before the session.
    3. USE THE SAME TUNER IN THE STUDIO...this is very important. All guitarists/bassists should be tuning from the same box. There are subtle variations between boxes that can make things funky in a bad way.
    4. Get plenty of rest. If this is your first time in, you will need it.
    5. Have a set idea of what you want to accomplish. As a rule of thumb, I factor 2 hours of studio time for every minute of recorded music when I am on a tight budget.
    6. DON'T TRY TO DO TOO MUCH - 3 great songs are better than 5 ok songs...5 ok songs are better than 7 shitty songs...anything less than your best performance is not worth it in the studio. You will have to listen to these recordings for a very long time...make 'em the best you can...even if it means you cut a song or two from your plans.
    7. Know your engineer. Hopefully, this will not be the first time you have ever met your engineer, or your engineer has ever heard your music.
    8. Take everything you have learned about playing live, and leave it at the door. Aside from the interaction between you and your bandmates, the studio environment is its own animal with it's own idiosyncrasies. Just relax and be ready to take direction from the engineer...it will pay off in the form of a better recording...unless your engineer sucks.
    9. Leave your friends/family/girlfriends/boyfriends/scenester buddies at home...this aint the time to be playing baby rock star...you're in the studio to work, not throw a party. Party when your record is done and it kicks ass :)
    10. Don't overthink it...just relax...be yourself...and let the music do what it is supposed to do. The studio is your friend...it is there to serve your creative ideas, and to improve yur musicianship. You will become a better musician through recording if you are attentive and focused on the process. It's a natural bi-product of the environment...the level of critical listening you will do over the next few days will change your life.
    11. Your drummer or your engineer better know how to tune a kit...a shitty drum sound will kill your recording INSTANTLY.

    Good luck...there are few things in the world that I enjoy more than recording.
    new music: http://www.myspace.com/blackbirdsymphonique

    old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
  • DieasGreyDieasGrey Posts: 124
    well are you doing a demo for producers and contracts or a "sell it yourself" cd type thing

    if its a demo:
    Keep it very raw..that is the most important thing for a DEMO!
    dont over produce it..and never make a demo that will put your live stuff to shame. If you cant recreate what you give to someone on tape..or perform it better ..than youll have less chances of sucess.

    i know a few bands that had a demo praised and they went in to play for the people and they turned them down because they couldnt produce the music like they did on the demo...

    a producer would rather hear a great performance with a little less production than a shitty song with ove the top production


    hope i made sense lol...play good music and be in tune and youll be fine
    No one is Righteous.......
  • sustainediasustainedia Posts: 112
    enharmonic wrote:
    As a rule of thumb, I factor 2 hours of studio time for every minute of recorded music when I am on a tight budget.
    quote]


    great advice. did you really mean 2 hours for each minute? i don't get it. are you saying 60 hours for one hour of recorded music?
  • KillerIsMeKillerIsMe Posts: 208
    well i dont know how your engineer is going to do things. for most 5 song demos its basically going to take 8-12 hours or recording and touching up. it can be done faster or slower based on how prepared you guys are. just remember you are going to have to play and listen to each song around 20 or more times.
    http://www.myspace.com/cannedanimal
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    sustainedia wrote:
    great advice. did you really mean 2 hours for each minute? i don't get it. are you saying 60 hours for one hour of recorded music?


    For a decent album, yes. For every minute on a CD, expect at least one hour of recording. Big albums are a hell of a lot more than that, too. Hell, the last album I recorded, I spent one hour on just mixing for every minute of song.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • MetalGod75MetalGod75 Posts: 262
    My advice would be never let anyone do the mixing without u being there
    Cornell pwns u
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    sustainedia wrote:
    enharmonic wrote:
    As a rule of thumb, I factor 2 hours of studio time for every minute of recorded music when I am on a tight budget.
    quote]


    great advice. did you really mean 2 hours for each minute? i don't get it. are you saying 60 hours for one hour of recorded music?

    No, I am saying 120 hours for 60 minutes of music. That is a tight budget schedule for certain.

    Remember, a lot of setup goes into it before a single note of music is recorded...unless you're running fast and loose. That rate could also include some mixing time depending on how quickly the band works, and how well they have their music together.
    new music: http://www.myspace.com/blackbirdsymphonique

    old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Time schedules really vary a lot...

    Are you multitracking, or just going straight to stereo?

    If multitracking, are you layering, or just recording live and then mixing?

    The level of perfection, overdubs, etc. will greatly affect the process as well. You could do a loose live-tracked demo straight to stereo in a day, or you could do a many-layered overdubbed recording that can take a month or more.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    mccreadyisgod wrote:
    Time schedules really vary a lot...

    Are you multitracking, or just going straight to stereo?

    If multitracking, are you layering, or just recording live and then mixing?

    The level of perfection, overdubs, etc. will greatly affect the process as well. You could do a loose live-tracked demo straight to stereo in a day, or you could do a many-layered overdubbed recording that can take a month or more.

    That is a good point. I've made stereo recordings from front of house that have killed studio stuff that I spent weeks on...if it's there...it's there.
    new music: http://www.myspace.com/blackbirdsymphonique

    old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    I'm in the middle of a three-month album recording for a band right now... we did demo's in one evening, with about 8 hours of mixing afterward, that yielded results that aren't really much worse. It depends on the band, though...

    I've always wondered how long the actual tracking for Neil Young's "Mirrorball" took... it sounds great, but it also feels like it was recorded over a three-day weekend...
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • KillerIsMeKillerIsMe Posts: 208
    neil young also doesnt seem to be the type to slave over a record either. i cant really think of too much stuff he has done that has a bunch of overdubs outside of touch ups.
    http://www.myspace.com/cannedanimal
  • TyTy Posts: 1,007
    OK, I didn't really read the other replies, but...

    Rehearse with the band as much as you can before the studio time starts ticking! Also, have the structure and tempo and tracks (2 guitars, drums, 2 vox, etc) of each song written out.

    If you have time, read "Shaky", the Neil Young biography and that will tell you to not over think things and over play with them. Just record them, mix it how you would if you were playing live, don't do too many over-dubs (simpler is better, especially with the whole 60's/70's rock come-back of Jet, etc.), and move on!

    Trust your instinct more so than the producer's, unless he is Brendan O'Brien, Ross Robinson, Rick Rubin, or another such luminary. Again, trust your band's collective opinion over everyone else. We made this mistake, and it came out sounding too "clean" and thin. But still check them out at:

    http://www.headofstate.net.au

    ...under the "Downloads" section! Let us know, share them, pass them on!

    And mastering is important if you want the chance of a radio producer giving it a spin. They very rarely play something that isn't mastered, especially a new band!

    Good luck! Let us know when we can download the final product!

    Cheers!

    Ty
    HEAD OF STATE
    PJ - Sydney 1998; Sydney 2003; Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle 2006; Melbourne, Sydney 2009; Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney 2014.
    EV - Canberra, Newcastle, Sydney 2011; Sydney 2014.
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    .HEAD.OF.STATE. wrote:
    Trust your instinct more so than the producer's, unless he is Brendan O'Brien, Ross Robinson, Rick Rubin, or another such luminary.

    Yo man...fuck Rick Rubin. fuck that hack in the ass with a splintered old broomstick. That guy is a talentless whore who parlayed a career of making early hip hop records into a career as an alleged producer. Fuck him. He has no right to be considered in the same vein as a Brendan Obrien or a Ross Robinson...REAL producers with engineering and musical chops.

    Sorry man...had to get that one out. I have stories about that fuck...that if you gave even half a shit about music, would make your head spin.
    new music: http://www.myspace.com/blackbirdsymphonique

    old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
  • TyTy Posts: 1,007
    But he did do good work with Johnny Cash's American Recordings and RHCP's BSSM & By The Way... you must admit. Again though, Not sure how much he was involved with how good the songs came out.

    I think I'll start a Best Producers list!
    PJ - Sydney 1998; Sydney 2003; Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle 2006; Melbourne, Sydney 2009; Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney 2014.
    EV - Canberra, Newcastle, Sydney 2011; Sydney 2014.
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