Getting Started
by Braden McDonald
What are we working with?
Right off the bat, you need to take a good self assessment of your band’s abilities. All of those little mistakes and noises guys and girls make in practice are only magnified in a critical recording environment. To some bands, this is a huge deal; to others, it's just part of the sound they're going for.
With most music these days, it all starts with your rhythm section. If your drummer is no good, then your band probably doesn't sound very good either, no matter how great anyone else plays. Drummers can be greatly prepared for studio work by practicing with a metronome. In fact, all the players in the band would do well to practice with a metronome at some point, as developing solid rhythm is essential to musical skill. Whether or not you decide to use a click track in the studio is perhaps up for debate, but if your drummer is at least able to play with one, you are far ahead of most of the drumming community. The other big tip for drummers, depending on their style of course, is to coach them into playing consistently dynamically, especially if the style is rock, pop, r&b, or anything else that isn't jazz, avant garde, or otherwise very dynamically varied. If you expect to hear your tracks on the radio someday, which is 99% of you, you'll want them to kick as much as the ones you hear on radio every day. And that means getting consistency out of your drummer.
Next in the rhythm section is the bass player. Hopefully, the bass player and the drummer already play in a very tight rhythmic style, but if they don't, you need to focus on that area before you get to the studio. The same goes for all of your band’s style: try to work out all of your doubts and problems before you ever set foot in a studio. In all seriousness, you can hardly rehearse too much before going in to record. And once you're in the studio, it is important to maintain momentum and focus, achieving progress and keeping the goal in sight. Getting bogged down in disagreements over style or song structure (or even single notes--yes, I've seen it happen) can really kill the creative process and should ideally be worked out before you ever start recording. Exceptions to this “rule” are (a) you own your own studio and can afford to take all the time you want or (b) you command such interest that the record label doesn't mind spending a few million while you write, rehearse, record, and live in the studio for a year. If option (b) describes you, I would love to know why you are reading this article. Onward for the rest of us.
Tape or tapeless?
There's lots of talk these days about with which format to record--analog or digital. That question is an article in itself, but my advice is that you simply go for the best package deal. Naturally, if you want lots of flexibility with editing, even on individual tracks, you had better go with digital. But if you know the analog sound and what your limitations are, and you prefer that, then go with analog. Frankly, with the right digital system and the right outboard gear, digital sounds every bit (no pun intended) as good as analog these days.
In the studio
So now you're at the studio, and the engineer is ready for you to do your thing. The drummer should show up well ahead of everyone else, like two hours or more. Hopefully, your drummer knows how to tune his or her kit properly. If not, I would recommend one of the following two options, depending on your budget. One, you could simply use the studio kit, if they have one. Chances are the engineer already knows how to make their own kit sound great. Or, second, you could simply hire someone to come and tune (and tweak) your drummer’s kit.
If your drummer’s kit is cheap and/or quirky, don't expect miracles in the studio. In fact, that goes for all the instruments. There's a real reason some guitars (and drums kits and amplifiers...) cost $3,000. The ease of playability and the tone that fine instruments get is practically unmatched. And no amount of expensive microphones, preamps, and mixing expertise can make cheap equipment sound like a platinum release. So don't go in expecting that; you'll be sadly disappointed and frustrated with your also frustrated engineer. Back to your session, once the engineer gets things happening with the drums, the rest of the band can get in on the action. So once the drums are ready, things can begin to happen pretty quickly.
Live or piece-by-piece?
This question depends largely on two things: your style and your budget. If your budget is small, then go with live and do everything you can at once. Just make sure you are well-rehearsed, or you will get take after take of unusable tracks with unacceptable mistakes in them. (Although if you use a digital system, you may be able to comp together a few bad takes into a single good one, if everyone plays consistently enough.) If your style is one in which your band and your music is all about your performance and the group dynamic, then you should also record live, so you can capture that energy. Again, with enough preparation and with good engineering, your sound should not suffer at all for recording live in a capably-equipped studio. It is a good, viable option, and it can save you loads of money and plenty of headaches in decision making. If you don't have the option of fixing something that happened with one instrument, then you can simply live with it and move on or recut. Normally, however, I would still recommend that you hold out on the lead vocal for an overdub, as it is the prime focus of every track. But if your singer is good enough, even the lead vocal could be cut live with the band.
On the other side, there are positives for recording more slowly by lots of overdubbing too, in that you can paint the canvas more slowly and carefully, assembling each part as you go. Some people prefer to work this way, and it works very well. As I said before, it really comes down to budget, style, and personal preference.
Those things on the sides of your head
A quick note on listening, something that is obviously paramount in this business of music. Make sure when you get close to finishing in the studio that you take mixes from the studio and listen to them on systems with which you are very familiar: your home, your car, wherever. Don't just let the engineer pump out your mix on the mains at 100dB and be duped into thinking that your mix is going to win the engineer a Grammy. High volume is deceptive, and so are those big studio speakers that none of your fans own. So enjoy the high-dB listens, and then get critical in a real-world listening environment. Then go back to your engineer with your thoughts for changes. If anything, your engineer should respect you, not resent you, for such input. (It must also be quickly stated that the elusive skill of “knowing when to let go” is something to be pursued with passion. Otherwise, your project may never end, and I say that in all seriousness.)
You just thought it was over
When you get all of your songs mixed and the studio is finished, it's time to master. To put it simply, mastering puts the finishing touches on your audio product by level-matching, cleaning up fades, equalizing, compressing for loudness and consistency, and so on. Trust me, you want these things for your project, so save some of your money for mastering (at least about $500).
Most studios these days offer mastering services, though they are truly not professional-level mastering services. They just kind of make themselves appear to be professional-level. Naturally, if you can afford the real thing (a dedicated mastering studio), pay for it and enjoy the results. If you can't, pay someone to master it the less professional way in their computer (or however they happen to do it), and you'll still be better off. Well, hopefully, you will be. Be sure you ask to hear some of their mastered material before you sign on. Mastering is tricky business, and you had better like the sound of what they do before deciding to pay them to mess around with all of your hard work. And when it's all finished, if they give you an option on how you want your master, choose DAT over CD-R, as DAT has a lower error rate than CD-R.
I like that package
Hopefully, you have already been toying around with graphics ideas long before you got into the studio and forgot all about the visual side of things. This isn't really my area of expertise, but I can recommend that you either find some friend who can do graphic layout work or simply pay professionals, whose work you like, to do it for you. Be sure you clear any copyrights on images you use, so you don't get sued for all the money you make on your CDs. (Same goes for audio samples, by the way.) Many design places and manufacturers have templates online (like at www.discmakers.com/music/templates), so you can easily import those files into a graphics program and work from those guides. It's extremely helpful to have all of the right sizes and measurements already taken care of as you begin to work on your graphics.
Lastly, think about what can make your disc stand out from the crowd. Is eight pages of thank-yous, photos, and credits really necessary, or is four pages more accessible to your fans? Do you want a classic jewel case or one of the newer formats like slim CD cases or even sleeves? Remember specifically where you want your CDs to end up and how long you hope they (especially the cases) will last, and make your decisions accordingly. And just for the record, a typical minimum run for professionally pressed CDs is 1,000, though manufacturers will happily stick it to you for smaller runs. A typical run of 1,000 CDs will cost you from about $1,000 to $3,000, depending on your options and manufacturer, so budget accordingly.
Meeting the public
Once you get your finished CDs, congratulations! It is very exciting to have factory-pressed CDs in your hands. You have come a very long way, but it is important to maintain your momentum and focus in order to now move the products you have worked so hard to acquire. Many record stores have local artists sections, so be sure to inquire about getting your CDs placed and sold there.
Next, playing live is very helpful in bringing you new fans and new interest and, with enough momentum, can even get you noticed at the label level. Of course, you'll want to sell your CDs at your gigs, and having someone besides band members do that for you is a real advantage. In fact, you may even want to cut them in on the profits just to have that option, as it helps so much. You should also consider promotions, such as giving away CDs or playing non-paying gigs to get good, new exposure.
In order to get gigs in clubs, bars, etc.., they will want to hear your CD, so you'll get to give one away right there. (You can always burn a CD-R of your manufactured disc if you're not into giving away the “real” ones.) More prestigious venues and labels will want to see a “press kit” from you, which contains things like a band bio, info about your style, when and where you will play and have played, pictures of the band, and so on. Think of your press kit as a chance to promote your marketability and not so much as a chance to look cool (though the two are certainly related).
Always remember the bottom line in the music business, which is just like any other business: it's about making money. Bars and clubs pay bands because people like to sit and listen to music while they sit, drink, eat, or whatever. In other words, those people are paying to be there, either through a cover charge or through the five overpriced beers they are consuming. Don't act too cool for anyone in that venue, from the sound person to the bouncer to a nagging customer, because those are your employers and your customers. You may not feel like talking to people after what you thought was a lousy set, but people that go to bars/clubs and listen to music really like to feel they have a connection with band members. It makes them feel cool connecting with the artists. So don't blow them off because you're tired or upset. What if the person you just snubbed was with A&R at a small label? Oops.
Label interest
As for really getting attention with labels these days, this is a difficult area to address. Everybody wants a record deal, but I think it's largely overrated these days. Unknown, unproven bands get awful record deals, if they get them at all. So my advice is to simply work hard and play as often as you can. That way, you always grow and improve. You improve on your instrument(s), you sell CDs, and you grow your fan base. And over time, that is exactly what a record label wants to see--your dedication to your craft, a proven string of good songs, and loyal fans. Those things get the label seeing dollar signs, and that puts you more in the driver’s seat.
And if it comes down to wheeling and dealing, save every penny (or even borrow) for an attorney, so you can evaluate your contract properly. Once it's done, it's done; and you don't want to be under contract, waiting desperately for that contract to end and hoping you don't write all your best hits while you're under that unfavorable contract. Again, always remember that this is a business. And like it or not, you have to be a business person to succeed in the music business, or at least until you are able to hire your own business person. And some might call that success in itself.
One word to remember
When an interviewer asked him why he has stayed around so long in terms of musical popularity and success, John Mellencamp said simply, “Tenacity.” Don't give up.