The Benefits Of Working With A Record Producer

My sister once said that no one in his/her right mind would ever admit that he/she is ugly (or at least to that effect). I suppose this is true. I mean who would want to be ugly? Do you? More so admitting it. Would you?

So one day my curiosity lead me to a little fun-filled, less scientific yet empirical experiment hoping to satiate my sister’s theory. True enough, those that were relatively “unattractive” – well, to me at least (and I have this insecurity too), compensate beauty on confidence – a great deal of it in fact.

But what does this have to do with music and bands?

Because many bands don’t agree that their music sucks. Many bands don’t agree that their quality of recording isn’t good enough (yet). Many bands don’t agree that the song and musical arrangement needs polishing. That the vocal tracks were badly laid in. That the guitars are louder than everything else. That the lyrics was poorly written. That the band’s album in general sounded like an Urbandub wannabe.

Many bands don’t want to hear these comments.

Why is that?

Because it most often hurts to know the truth… and my theory is that most band members have egos bigger than their heads. You probably won’t feel that in normal situations but trust me, it blows out of proportions in the studio (and on stage).

The point of what I’m driving at is that, recording a song isn’t just about putting the tracks in. It isn’t just about being part of the current band wagon and in that “popularity spectrum”. Recording is an art. It’s about putting a musical concept in print.

Recording is also about the continuous and never ending learning of your songs and your creative songwriting as well. Surely you can do this on your own. But optimizing a song’s potential is another story. Every serious band needs a record producer…

Brain Eno did U2’s breakthrough on Joshua Tree. Ric Ocasek shaped Weezer’s dorky debut album Blue. Desmond Child magically moved the world in Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. And so on… so...

Every immortal hit song involved a record producer’s creative input.

Record producers are somewhat like music consultants and project managers for an album. They work closely with the band manager (presuming your band has one), recording engineer, the songwriters, and of course the band. If a band is about to sign a record deal, then record executives and producers transact a lot. They also keep track of logistics on time, cost, and quality.

They define and redefine the sound of a band… enhance it, reduce some, add some, reinvent some, and other creative out-of-the-box ideas they could think of. All for a good cause. It’s always for a good cause.

Ultimately, the goal is always to bring a musician’s new creation into the mainstream - or at least acceptable enough for an average listening person - hopefully to convert one purist into an avid fan. All for a good cause. It’s always for a good cause.

Another good reason why a record producer is essential in the studio is because when conflicts of ideas come, which happens inevitably by the way, he/she levels things up, stands on a neutral ground, and leads everything back on track.

Not many bands see this benefit I suppose. In my experience, conflicts in the studio can be emotionally exhausting.

But it’s all for a good cause. It’s always for a good cause.

Anyhow…

Unlike people, recorded songs cannot be equally compensated with confidence. A band may be able to pull off its act in live performances but not the record…

Never.

Why?

Because sound recordings are audio prints of concepts, ideas, philosophies, whatever intellectual field you may classify it with. That record will be played over and over again… perhaps forever if the song’s powerful enough to last that long. The best defense to everlasting enjoyment of the record is by doing things right the first time. Record producers are one of those right-things-for-you in the list. I must say there are still so many great and exciting things a record producer can do for your band or your songs. As I said if you’re serious about your music, look for that guy who can help you.

Get a record producer.

Cut a deal with him (and it doesn’t have to be monetary all the time).

Next time you do a record, work things through with someone who knows more in this field and discover what you both can do and improve on.

Lastly, when someone tells you again that your song sucks, trust that remark and be grateful someone was honest enough to tell you. In the process, this may hurt a bit but it’s actually a good sign.

The Basics In Recording A Demo

So you have a band and somebody in your band wrote a fantastic song. You rehearsed it, stitching all the parts together – drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, maybe a little bit of saxophone on the solo part. After a few weeks of collaboration, you know that it’s time to book a schedule in the studio and record a demo. Great! All of a sudden your band doesn’t have the slightest idea how it’s done. I hope this article can help you and your band in getting the tracks right.

• Rehearse your song until you can play it with your eyes closed. Although digital recording are now cheaper than 10 years back and unless you have your own home recording studio, studio hours can still be expensive if you end up spending more time there cramming and figuring out the notes for the song. Lay out the details as best as you can.

• Get a producer to help you out. I noticed that local bands still don’t understand the role of record producers and usually they do the demos on their own. Some of the demos I heard have either loud guitars, out-of-tune vocals, and sometimes the phrasing of the words is not in sync. It really helps to have a producer by your side. They maximize the artist’s talent and properly direct the song to good quality.

Apart from these two items I mentioned above, there are also three important tools or equipment in the studio that you need to check before recording your demo. These are (1) good room (very low reverb response); (2) good microphones (sensitive to specific frequencies); and (3) good monitor speakers (flat response).

Low Reverb Response

Recording studios have padded walls of acoustic insulation. This is to practically kill the reverb in the room. You will understand later on that if a recorded track captures natural reverb, it can be very difficult to remove it. Lay in the tracks as bare sounding as possible. You don’t want to have unwanted reverb coming in to your raw tracks.

Microphones

Recording isn’t just about putting a song together. It’s about capturing the right sound and this concept alone can be very challenging if you ask me. The microphone is your best friend in the studio as it can do the task for you.

Science will tell you that there are specific areas in a room that sound waves theoretically cannot penetrate. This means that if you place your ears in that space of the room, you cannot hear a thing (as sound waves naturally are blocked off and I’m not kidding).

On the other hand, there are spaces in the same room where the sound waves are most clear and receptive. Knowing this principle, you will know where to place the microphones, how to place them, and why. It’s also important to know which microphones to use for which instrument.

Flat Speakers

Commercial speakers (those that are used in car stereos, home entertainment sound system, headphones, and PC monitor speakers to name a few) are pre-mixed. Never use these types when recording a song even in your home studio. Flat response speakers have zero equalization and that means all the frequencies coming from it are at neutral state.

Notice that the common denominator of all 3 items above is to capture a “flat” sound. The general rule of thumb is to record the barest sound. It is better to add effects or manipulate the frequencies later than to attempt in reducing unwanted frequencies as it is almost impossible to do that.