Hi guys , I've been recording quite a couple of local bands recently and been noticing a trend in the things i get asked about so I felt it would be beneficial to share the experiences and pitfalls to avoid when thinking about doing your 1st recording / EP / Album. Also, coming from spending so much time in Australia recording bands to being in sunny Singapore there was a bit of culture shock so I hope some of the pointers i put out will help local bands be better prepared for their future recordings.
I would like to stress that these are my personal opinions and that what I say is not the "be all-end all " of recording but rather a guide and I hope those who have a lot of experience with recording can share their inputs so that the we can improve the standard in Singapore.
1: We just need 1 ,2 hours to do a 'demo quality' recording ? how ?
This is one of the most common questions i get.Personally i feel the term demo quality should be put to dead with today's recording technology.Also i get calls from bands who spend 1 to 2 hours at a recording studio , unhappy with the results and want to spend another 1- 2 hours with me to " polish " up the mix. Sad to say , I can't work Magic in 1 to 2 hours myself.
A good guide to record a song decently would be a MINIMUM of between 5 - 8 hours ( multitracked ) . Ur average australian to USA bands spend about 1 -2 months in a studio doing an album and about 3 -4 days recording one song so there u go.
Also,there is no point settling for 'demo quality ' and budget recordings when for between $300 to $600plus u can get a solid recording per song.Moreover radio/ record companies / management / A&R / magazines/ compilations have zero patience for crappy recordings so bands are effectively throwing away $$$ by doing " demo recordings in an hour or two ". Most importantly with so many bands emerging these days for your band to stand out their recordings must have the production quality that stands out amongst the " demos pile ". Remember you only get about 20 - 30 secs of "playtime" by the Radio jockey/A & R blah blah before they decided they want to hear more or it's delete.
To quote Scott Atkins , a producer in the UK :
"In this competitive climate all bands need releasable CD's that will work hard for them, a typical DIY bedroom demo with programmed drums will only cheapen your band and lump you in with the 1000's of other struggling wannabe's. A strong production job will make your band stand out from the pack - if you are lucky to get a 20 second spin in any key players office, you'd better make it count. A great CD is this only thing that will gain your band quality gigs, professional recognition and the ability for potential fans to buy and appreciate your music."
Quite simply put : If u don't invest a lot in yourselves , why should you expect others to invest in you ?
2: The state of your Equipment.
It's important for your equipment to be in tip top condition when it hits the studio. Fairly new strings , GOOD pickups....stuff that doens't make noise... GUITAR INTONATION....drummers to have their own kick pedals and sticks that they're comfortable with. Remember ....if you're uncomfortable your performances will suffer.
3: YOUR PLAYING/SKILLS
Please ensure that your playing and your whole band is super well rehearsed before entering the studio. Yes this sounds like the obvious fortune teller doing the talking but in my experience it 's a common sight to see one or 2 members unprepared and letting the whole band down. The recording suffers and even with L337 Haxx0r editing skills your engineer or producer can only SAVE you, not make u sound like a million bucks.
4:SONG arrangement
It's important for bands to experiment and come up with extra melodies/harmonies idea etc but it is also important for them to know exactly how they want to record the basics of the song.That way all the basics can be recorded quickly to leave time for EXPERIMENTATION and implementation of new ideas that I personally feel will separate the bands from the pack. Drummers need to know the tempos of the song/ singers need to know their lyrics by heart etc etc.
That's a start , i'm busy mixing a band's EP atm so I will add more info and topics when I have the time.
Regards
Roland Lim
MySpace.com - Roland Lim - 22 - Male - - www.myspace.com/rolandlim
I would like to stress that these are my personal opinions and that what I say is not the "be all-end all " of recording but rather a guide and I hope those who have a lot of experience with recording can share their inputs so that the we can improve the standard in Singapore.
1: We just need 1 ,2 hours to do a 'demo quality' recording ? how ?
This is one of the most common questions i get.Personally i feel the term demo quality should be put to dead with today's recording technology.Also i get calls from bands who spend 1 to 2 hours at a recording studio , unhappy with the results and want to spend another 1- 2 hours with me to " polish " up the mix. Sad to say , I can't work Magic in 1 to 2 hours myself.
A good guide to record a song decently would be a MINIMUM of between 5 - 8 hours ( multitracked ) . Ur average australian to USA bands spend about 1 -2 months in a studio doing an album and about 3 -4 days recording one song so there u go.
Also,there is no point settling for 'demo quality ' and budget recordings when for between $300 to $600plus u can get a solid recording per song.Moreover radio/ record companies / management / A&R / magazines/ compilations have zero patience for crappy recordings so bands are effectively throwing away $$$ by doing " demo recordings in an hour or two ". Most importantly with so many bands emerging these days for your band to stand out their recordings must have the production quality that stands out amongst the " demos pile ". Remember you only get about 20 - 30 secs of "playtime" by the Radio jockey/A & R blah blah before they decided they want to hear more or it's delete.
To quote Scott Atkins , a producer in the UK :
"In this competitive climate all bands need releasable CD's that will work hard for them, a typical DIY bedroom demo with programmed drums will only cheapen your band and lump you in with the 1000's of other struggling wannabe's. A strong production job will make your band stand out from the pack - if you are lucky to get a 20 second spin in any key players office, you'd better make it count. A great CD is this only thing that will gain your band quality gigs, professional recognition and the ability for potential fans to buy and appreciate your music."
Quite simply put : If u don't invest a lot in yourselves , why should you expect others to invest in you ?
2: The state of your Equipment.
It's important for your equipment to be in tip top condition when it hits the studio. Fairly new strings , GOOD pickups....stuff that doens't make noise... GUITAR INTONATION....drummers to have their own kick pedals and sticks that they're comfortable with. Remember ....if you're uncomfortable your performances will suffer.
3: YOUR PLAYING/SKILLS
Please ensure that your playing and your whole band is super well rehearsed before entering the studio. Yes this sounds like the obvious fortune teller doing the talking but in my experience it 's a common sight to see one or 2 members unprepared and letting the whole band down. The recording suffers and even with L337 Haxx0r editing skills your engineer or producer can only SAVE you, not make u sound like a million bucks.
4:SONG arrangement
It's important for bands to experiment and come up with extra melodies/harmonies idea etc but it is also important for them to know exactly how they want to record the basics of the song.That way all the basics can be recorded quickly to leave time for EXPERIMENTATION and implementation of new ideas that I personally feel will separate the bands from the pack. Drummers need to know the tempos of the song/ singers need to know their lyrics by heart etc etc.
That's a start , i'm busy mixing a band's EP atm so I will add more info and topics when I have the time.
Regards
Roland Lim
MySpace.com - Roland Lim - 22 - Male - - www.myspace.com/rolandlim
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