Articles
10 tips for making great recordings on a budget
© Al Paton 2008
This article is for independent musicians and bands looking to make the best possible recording on a tight budget. I have learned so much from working with other producers, I thought I'd share some things that helped along the way.
- The essence of making a great recording is having something interesting to say. Above all the complications and costs of recording, as an artist you must believe in your message. This is why guys like David Gray and Bruce Springsteen had their big breaks on home-recorded albums that cost about what Britney's wardrobe manager makes in a week. They did it because their desire to say something was bigger than their dreams of a fancy studio production.
- Have an idea of what you want to accomplish with the recording and have an idea of your budget. Obviously you want the best possible recording, but its kinda open ended - You can spend anything from hundreds of rands to tens of thousands per song and how much you spend can make a big difference in how well you come across. Luckily there's lots you can do for free that helps too.
- Consider using a producer. Producers are the creative and administrative overseers of recording. They're often musicians and song writers themselves, but they can also be just good coordinators of talent. Many artists self-produce their music, but most established artists use one or more producers at some point because a great producer can make you very glad you found them.
- Pre-production can be anything from humming in your car on the way to the studio to literally years of taking voice and instrument lessons, song writing clinics, rehearsing, playing concerts, working with producers, session musicians and having large pre-recording parties. All these will help your performance in the studio - except maybe the last one!
- Open mic nights are a great way to keep musically fit, get feedback on your music and meet other musicians. They're also a great way to prepare for the studio. Live music venues often have a unplugged/song writers/acoustic night once a week. If you live in a large enough city you can play at a different venue every night of the week.
- If you're a song writer, consider "workshopping" your songs with another accomplished song writer. It could be a producer, professional song writer or an established original artist - someone who can be objective and honest and let you know how to improve your music.
On a side note: I heard that M. Night Shaymalan re-wrote the film "The Sixth Sense" six times before he came up with the idea that Bruce Willis' character is actually... well, I won't spoil it, but if you've seen it, you'll know its the best part of the whole movie. Anyway, the point is be flexible - re-writing can give you more options and maybe some of your best work. - If you play an instrument, practice the song to a click track (metronome). You don't necessarily have to record using a click track, but using some form of time keeping unlocks a LOT of the magic of digital recording. (Add beats or samples, rearrange parts, fix mistakes, stay in time, even change the tempo or key.) Playing to a click or beat is not as easy as it sounds, so spend some time getting used to it.
- If you usually play an instrument and sing at the same time, practice doing each separately. Play just the guitar or piano and record it on a tape deck or summin and then sing over your recording. The instruments and the voice are often recorded separately so it helps if you're comfortable singing without your instrument.
- Don't be intimidated by the technical side of recording or working with musicians who are better than you are. You don't need to be an expert in every area of the process, you just need to work with people who are.
- If you're feeling nervous about singing or playing in the studio, just remember that you're trying to capture a feeling perfectly, not a perfect performance. Try to forget about technique for the moment and really concentrate on what you're saying. It's not easy, and it really is a learning curve, but remember that people want you to succeed and they love it when you clearly believe what you're saying.
Well that's all for now. Hope it helps!
All the best
Al Paton.
