As I mentioned yesterday, there are really only 5 steps to the recording process. If that seems overly simplistic, then perhaps you’re overcomplicating things. The best way to keep yourself from being overwhelmed is to figure out how many steps you need to take to get to the finish line. Rather than saying, “I’ve got to finish this song,” you should be able to say, I’ve got to finish recording X instruments, then edit them, then mix then, then master them.”
You get the point.
Today let’s look at Step 1 – Pre-Production.
Read more...
Just this week I started working on an EP I’m producing for an artist friend of mine named Whitney Winkler. She’s ridiculously talented, and I’m very excited about the project.
Once you’ve locked in a project, what do you do next? Schedule a recording session and start tracking guitars, drums, etc.?
Slow down, turbo. You’re getting ahead of yourself.
Don’t forget about Pre-Production.
Are you familiar with pre-production? Do you do pre-production on your projects? Do you think it’s dorky? Let me tell you why I think pre-production is just as important — if not MORE important — than the recording, editing, and mixing stages of the pre-production process.
Aside from that, pre-production is fun.
So what IS pre-production?
Read more...
If you follow me on Twitter, then you’ve seen me post about my album progress. I’ve spent the last two days recording background vocals and percussion. I’m getting ready to lay down the lead vocals, and I’ll be ready to start mixing.
I want you to be involved in the mix process. More on that in a second.
Preparing to Mix
How do I go about getting ready to mix an album? Well, a huge factor for me in how good my mixes turn out is pre-production. If I don’t spend enough time planning the album, I can’t expect the mix to be amazing.
Mixing is certainly a skill. Becoming a good mix engineer is much like becoming a good guitarist. It requires a huge investment of time and practice. That said, even the best mix engineers aren’t magicians. They can do some amazing things, but mixing is only a part of the equation.
Pre-production, arrangement, instrumentation, musical performance — these things all need to be done well before you move on to mixing. This doesn’t have to take a really long time. Not at all. But you do need to make sure you’ve spent some time focusing on the big picture, planning out the album in its entirety.
Read more...
Okay, so you’re getting ready to start recording that next hit album. You’ve got the musicians lined up, you’ve scheduled your sessions.
Now what? Do you jump right in and start recording? Easy there, Tiger. There’s an important step that needs to happen next — pre-production.
Read more...
