Dave's Top Eight

1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars)
2. Sounds Like Sunday by Janet Paschal (reviewed 5/07) (5 Stars)
3. True To The Call by Kingdom Heirs (reviewed 3/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
4. Revival by Gold City (reviewed 10/06) (4 1/2 Stars)
5. Get Away Jordan by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (reviewed 2/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
6. Breakin' Chains by Three Bridges (reviewed 5/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
7. Big Sky by The Isaacs (reviewed 4/07)
8. Skywriting by Mercy's Well (reviewed 7/07)

Click title to purchase at CBD.com...click artist name to read Dave's Review. A CD will automatically fall out of the Top Eight after twelve months if no CD surpasses it before then.

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November 18, 2004

Recording Guide For Amateurs

Here's a step by step procedure for amateur groups that are considering recording a CD. I came up with this a few days ago when responding to one of my customers. I've since refined it some. If you are new to the recording process, this guide should help "idiot proof" the process. Avoid the mistakes commonly made by amateurs and save money in the process.

This guide assumes you can afford three days of studio time, but adjustments can be made to suit your own situation. The main point is to record more songs than you need if at all possible, and don't schedule all the recording time at once.

RECORDING GUIDE FOR AMATEURS

1. Decide on a basic concept or other unifying characteristic that the new CD will have. Consider graphic design at this point and the specific musical styles you want to include.
2. Begin soliciting and selecting songs that suit your chosen concept.
3. When you get a hefty selection (20 or more), narrow them down to the best 13-14.
4. Generate a vocal arrangement for each of the songs you've chosen.
5. Have basic rhythm tracks recorded at this point, based on the vocal arrangements . . . drums, bass, and any instrument that's "chording along."
6. Rehearse vocal arrangements with the rhythm tracks.
7. Once the vocals are solid, schedule session time and record your vocals. Have the studio do a basic mix for you at the end of the session.
8. Now it's time for final choices and evaluation. Take a hard objective look at the recording at this point. This would be a great time to send your recording to someone like Musicscribe.com (hint, hint) who can give an unbiased opinion . . . before final mixing/packaging/etc. If you brought 14 songs this far, you have the luxury of weeding out the weakest songs at this point. It's nice if you can have 11 or 12 songs on the final CD, but better to have 10 great cuts. 10 is generally viewed as the minimum.
9. Once the final song list has been determined, go back into the studio to have musical fills added to the project. Flashy instrumental parts can now be added in a way that doesn't detract from the vocals or cause you to waste money. You can also tweak vocals at this point.
10. Complete the project . . . final mixdown, master, finalize graphic design, duplicate, package, etc.

The big drawback to this process is that it takes some time. The biggest mistake made by most amateur groups is doing all the expensive studio work at once. There's no reason you can't do three days of studio time on three different days, each a month apart. The product will be better in the long run with this type of approach.

Another trap is pressue to rush product to market too quickly. Great hit songs might be recorded in one day, but great albums rarely are. Some groups wait until they get to the studio before arranging their vocals . . . a big mistake. Some even wait until then to choose the songs they're going to record . . . a HUGE mistake. The key is knowing what you want and knowing you can pull it off before setting foot in the studio . . . then, if your budget allows, reviewing and weeding out the weaker songs before completing the process. That takes time. Look at it this way . . . if a song is great right now, it will still be great in 60 days . . . and if the song is really that great, it deserves your best effort in the studio.

posted by David Bruce Murray @ 5:22:00 PM


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