Online Band Promotion
www.myspace.com – Highly recommended!
www.soundclick.com
www.unsignedbandweb.com
www.burbs.co.uk
www.meetbands.com
www.extraplay.com
Promotional/Marketing tools
www.theunsignedguide.com
www.bardscrier.com - some good articles on marketing your band!
www.google.com/search?q=band+marketing
www.myspacefriendbot.com – for use with myspace!
Merchandise Resources
www.badgesforbands.com
www.spreadshirt.net
www.vistaprint.co.uk
Sound Engineering Resources
www.record-producer.com
www.prosoundweb.com
www.homerecording.com
www.shure.com/stellent/groups/public/@gms_gmi_web_us_pro/documents/web_resource/us_pro_audiomusiceducators_ea.pdf – Excellent document by Shure on microphone selection for recording.
Music Publicists
www.the-fly.co.uk – The Fly music magazine (uk)
www.nme.com – New Musical Express (uk)
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Added Tips & Ideas for Guerilla Band Marketing
• When getting graphics done you don't have to pay a lot of money to get good design done; often there are students or similarly inexperienced graphics designers out there who are willing to do it for free in return for exposure, something to add to their resume and/or freebies in the form of merchandise.
• You can also “not have to pay” for a set of professional photographs; similarly there are inexperienced photographers out there willing to do it for free providing they get the added exposure etc. You can always mention names in demo covers or elsewhere.
• If you decide to use myspace as a promotional method online(highly recommended) invest in a “friend adder bot”. This will automate the process of adding friends for you, it will also give you increased exposure worldwide and/or locally. It is a key tool to today's modern band, I cannot emphasise that enough!
• Similarly you can also get mailer bots and event invite bots that will automate the process of telling people in a specific area or fans about your next gig etc.
• Get a programmer to make you a newsletter sign-up script for your website; it is an invaluable tool to keep your fan base informed about news within the band and future gigs etc. Just make sure that you don't send out newsletters every week for the sake of it, keep them well distanced apart(about one month) so as they don't annoy your fan base!
• Get your band listed on every single online directory as possible, do anything you can to expose yourselves to the masses; you never know what may be lurking around the corner.
• Give out promotional flyers at your gigs telling the crowd about your demo available for purchase and/or future gig dates(where and when) and also with a link to your website(s)!
• Have a street team on the go; a selection of loyal fans that will spread your word... people will do it for the opportunity to gain freebies. You may also want to do give-aways on a performance based method.
• Have fun no matter what you do, if you get the short end of the stick remain polite and courteous; you may just gain out of doing so and being up-most professional about any situation that may arise.
• Have dedication and never give up!
• You can also “not have to pay” for a set of professional photographs; similarly there are inexperienced photographers out there willing to do it for free providing they get the added exposure etc. You can always mention names in demo covers or elsewhere.
• If you decide to use myspace as a promotional method online(highly recommended) invest in a “friend adder bot”. This will automate the process of adding friends for you, it will also give you increased exposure worldwide and/or locally. It is a key tool to today's modern band, I cannot emphasise that enough!
• Similarly you can also get mailer bots and event invite bots that will automate the process of telling people in a specific area or fans about your next gig etc.
• Get a programmer to make you a newsletter sign-up script for your website; it is an invaluable tool to keep your fan base informed about news within the band and future gigs etc. Just make sure that you don't send out newsletters every week for the sake of it, keep them well distanced apart(about one month) so as they don't annoy your fan base!
• Get your band listed on every single online directory as possible, do anything you can to expose yourselves to the masses; you never know what may be lurking around the corner.
• Give out promotional flyers at your gigs telling the crowd about your demo available for purchase and/or future gig dates(where and when) and also with a link to your website(s)!
• Have a street team on the go; a selection of loyal fans that will spread your word... people will do it for the opportunity to gain freebies. You may also want to do give-aways on a performance based method.
• Have fun no matter what you do, if you get the short end of the stick remain polite and courteous; you may just gain out of doing so and being up-most professional about any situation that may arise.
• Have dedication and never give up!
The Tools to Getting Signed
A mechanic wouldn't work on a vehicle without the right tools would they? Correct. Similarly a band shouldn't be approaching record labels or executives without the right tools!
1. You must have very good music.
This is pretty obvious, no-ones interested in hearing the same old crap. Make yourselves different and appeal to a niche market but make sure you enjoy doing what you do... this will carry in your music and impress people who hear what they hear; executives want talent and experience!
2. Look “sign-able”.
Have the correct image about you, and that is professionalism. Be confident(not cocky), have experience, dedication, a chemistry and have it all together. You need to look like you will make money; this doesn't necessarily mean wear suits, just look presentable rather than in a mess of ripped clothes or the stagnant stench of beer!
3. Have a professional looking demo/demo packaging.
Ever heard the phrase “first impressions make the difference”? Well it's too true! When a demo lands on the executives desk and the first thing they see is a well produced, professional looking demo they will already have an opinion on your band... and as such it will effect their deciding on listening to your music.
It also shows dedication and marketing skills; they want your music to sell and make both you and them money!
Your demo package should include the following:
• cover letter
• demo CD
• band biography
• band photograph
• press clippings
Make sure that your biography is kept short and concise with notes on your achievements, people you've played with, recognition gained etc. It has to sell you!
4. Understand that the record label is there to make money!
Although your music may be the best ever, you have to sell yourselves to record labels by enticing them... convince them that there is a market for your music and that it is in their best interest to invest in you now rather than later.
1. You must have very good music.
This is pretty obvious, no-ones interested in hearing the same old crap. Make yourselves different and appeal to a niche market but make sure you enjoy doing what you do... this will carry in your music and impress people who hear what they hear; executives want talent and experience!
2. Look “sign-able”.
Have the correct image about you, and that is professionalism. Be confident(not cocky), have experience, dedication, a chemistry and have it all together. You need to look like you will make money; this doesn't necessarily mean wear suits, just look presentable rather than in a mess of ripped clothes or the stagnant stench of beer!
3. Have a professional looking demo/demo packaging.
Ever heard the phrase “first impressions make the difference”? Well it's too true! When a demo lands on the executives desk and the first thing they see is a well produced, professional looking demo they will already have an opinion on your band... and as such it will effect their deciding on listening to your music.
It also shows dedication and marketing skills; they want your music to sell and make both you and them money!
Your demo package should include the following:
• cover letter
• demo CD
• band biography
• band photograph
• press clippings
Make sure that your biography is kept short and concise with notes on your achievements, people you've played with, recognition gained etc. It has to sell you!
4. Understand that the record label is there to make money!
Although your music may be the best ever, you have to sell yourselves to record labels by enticing them... convince them that there is a market for your music and that it is in their best interest to invest in you now rather than later.
Getting your Band Signed
You'll probably want to get “signed” to a record label at some point in your career. A good record label will promote you hard, put your cd's into high street store, sell them for you and also pay for future recordings of albums etc. It's in their best interest to make sure you sell and make them money!
If you're a “starting out” band (i.e. You don't have much reputation) you'll find it very difficult if not impossible to get a record deal. Indie labels require you to be able to already be well established in the industry and have a good name going for yourselves; after all who wants to invest in a band which no-ones heard of before?
You'll want to start out with a small record label and work your way “up the ladder” so to speak. You can find a wealth of independent record labels on the web (see the resources section for myspace). But don't just go for the first deal that strikes you; know what you're looking for, make sure the label is willing to put the time and money in and be willing to negotiate a better deal for you and your band!
But before you're ready to even consider signing a dotted line make sure you are ready and have all the tools available to make yourselves successful!
If you're a “starting out” band (i.e. You don't have much reputation) you'll find it very difficult if not impossible to get a record deal. Indie labels require you to be able to already be well established in the industry and have a good name going for yourselves; after all who wants to invest in a band which no-ones heard of before?
You'll want to start out with a small record label and work your way “up the ladder” so to speak. You can find a wealth of independent record labels on the web (see the resources section for myspace). But don't just go for the first deal that strikes you; know what you're looking for, make sure the label is willing to put the time and money in and be willing to negotiate a better deal for you and your band!
But before you're ready to even consider signing a dotted line make sure you are ready and have all the tools available to make yourselves successful!
Getting Noticed
Getting noticed is an important part to your bands success, you'll need to be recognised to get far; having a good reputation or recognition will be your key but how do you achieve it?
You need to take advantage of any publicity you can get. This section will talk you through various methods you can opt for to getting yourselves out there!
• When you have a gig take advantage of the situation; mention that you have a demo available, sell it to your audience, give them arty flyers with future gig dates on, information about the band and/or a website address on.
• Take time to talk to your fans after and before your slot at a gig, people like personalisation... talking to your fans is just what will give you that edge.
• Invest in a professional looking website with the following crucial features: biography, media, gigs, contact and even a mailing list!
• Make use of all the online promotional websites available to you, look at the resources section at the end of this ebook for more on that. The best website for this in my opinion is “myspace” since it allows you to interact with your immediate audience rather than just other musicians/bands/executives.
• Write to local newspapers/publicists and ask them to do a review of your bands demo, next gig etc. more often than not they will also be happy to put your gigs list in the papers for free!
• Write to music magazines/e-zines; try and get a review or an interview out of them. This will give you a lot of extra exposure to the industry.
• Get professional photographs taken of the band, there are plenty of budding photographers out there who are willing to do this for free for the sake of adding to their portfolio.
• Run competitions, give-aways etc. People are always interested in freebies and are likely to wear your promotional clothings such as tee's, hoodies, badges, stickers, hats and so on...
• Put together a street team; a selection of loyal fans who will do the promoting for you in return for freebies such as cd's, clothing and so on. All these are just idea's of course, you should try them all out and come up with your own marketing strategies as well. Remember that you are selling a product, yourselves!
You need to take advantage of any publicity you can get. This section will talk you through various methods you can opt for to getting yourselves out there!
• When you have a gig take advantage of the situation; mention that you have a demo available, sell it to your audience, give them arty flyers with future gig dates on, information about the band and/or a website address on.
• Take time to talk to your fans after and before your slot at a gig, people like personalisation... talking to your fans is just what will give you that edge.
• Invest in a professional looking website with the following crucial features: biography, media, gigs, contact and even a mailing list!
• Make use of all the online promotional websites available to you, look at the resources section at the end of this ebook for more on that. The best website for this in my opinion is “myspace” since it allows you to interact with your immediate audience rather than just other musicians/bands/executives.
• Write to local newspapers/publicists and ask them to do a review of your bands demo, next gig etc. more often than not they will also be happy to put your gigs list in the papers for free!
• Write to music magazines/e-zines; try and get a review or an interview out of them. This will give you a lot of extra exposure to the industry.
• Get professional photographs taken of the band, there are plenty of budding photographers out there who are willing to do this for free for the sake of adding to their portfolio.
• Run competitions, give-aways etc. People are always interested in freebies and are likely to wear your promotional clothings such as tee's, hoodies, badges, stickers, hats and so on...
• Put together a street team; a selection of loyal fans who will do the promoting for you in return for freebies such as cd's, clothing and so on. All these are just idea's of course, you should try them all out and come up with your own marketing strategies as well. Remember that you are selling a product, yourselves!
Tips for Running your own Gig
• When designing promotional materials remember to include bands set to play, the venue, the date(in this format: Tuesday 25th July 2006), the time doors open, price, restrictions(i.e. 18+ only, all ages etc.) and additional contact details(i.e. Email address or contact number).
• Call all bands/staff/sound companies before the gig is due to commence to confirm all details.
• Constantly promote the show, never give up!
• Be alert on the night, don't get drunk and not be able to resolve a problem when it happens(and they do happen!).
• Use the crowd to your advantage and sell or give away demo's to them. They'll remember you in future if they get free demo's but if you sell some demo's you also make a bit of funding for the band for the future.
• Don't go back on your agreements; if you agreed to pay someone a set amount then do it, you never know when you'll be needing them again!
• Call all bands/staff/sound companies before the gig is due to commence to confirm all details.
• Constantly promote the show, never give up!
• Be alert on the night, don't get drunk and not be able to resolve a problem when it happens(and they do happen!).
• Use the crowd to your advantage and sell or give away demo's to them. They'll remember you in future if they get free demo's but if you sell some demo's you also make a bit of funding for the band for the future.
• Don't go back on your agreements; if you agreed to pay someone a set amount then do it, you never know when you'll be needing them again!
Running your own Gig
This is a very good idea if you have trouble getting your first gig with a recognised venue or promoter. It will help get your foot into the industry and hopefully generate interest and fans! Running your own gig isn't as hard as it may sound but it will take a lot of time and dedication to organise.
You should choose a suitable venue to hire which allows for live music to be played, it also needs to be easily accessible so that people can get to it! Look around and find the most appropriate and the best priced. Find out any other information you can i.e. Does it come with pa system? Lighting? Security?
Once you have a date booked (ideally 1-2 months in advance) you should then start asking 3-5 other bands to play at your event. You should have at least one band which is on the national circuit, one band who has a good local reputation, and one band with moderate reputation and possibly even another new band who is yet to play... Don't forget to put your own band in the line up! You should discuss with the bands the dates, the times and the payment to avoid confusion at a later time... make sure you keep it all documented for future reference.
You'll want to secure a PA system if the venue doesn't already have one, hiring a specialist sound company can be costly... this is where most promoters pay most towards. You'll also want to book security and crew for the day; note that you don't have to go with specialist companies, a lot of the time friends will be more than happy to do it for free entry and drinks or food. Choose people that you can trust. Once all arrangements have been organised you can move onto promoting the show.
A lot of people forget how important it is to promote to people you don't know, you can't rely on your friends or the bands fan base to turn up to the show. You'll want to put in around 20% investment if not more of whatever you expect to make out of the night(money wise). For instance if I expected to make around £400 in one night I would put at least £80 into promotion/marketing/PR.
Good promotion doesn't have to be costly, you don't NEED expensive glossy colour postcards or full colour A3 posters(although one or two may be good in high traffic areas). Get someone to design a good A6 black and white flyer, print four to one A4 piece of paper and get it duplicated down at your local printers.
Also get some A3 and A4 black and white posters printed onto luminous paper. A good ratio of the two will ensure that you get a good turn out. Word of mouth also helps, always remind people that the show is going to happen on such and such date. Even emailing or reminding people a day or two before it is due to commence will bring you extra people.
You should choose a suitable venue to hire which allows for live music to be played, it also needs to be easily accessible so that people can get to it! Look around and find the most appropriate and the best priced. Find out any other information you can i.e. Does it come with pa system? Lighting? Security?
Once you have a date booked (ideally 1-2 months in advance) you should then start asking 3-5 other bands to play at your event. You should have at least one band which is on the national circuit, one band who has a good local reputation, and one band with moderate reputation and possibly even another new band who is yet to play... Don't forget to put your own band in the line up! You should discuss with the bands the dates, the times and the payment to avoid confusion at a later time... make sure you keep it all documented for future reference.
You'll want to secure a PA system if the venue doesn't already have one, hiring a specialist sound company can be costly... this is where most promoters pay most towards. You'll also want to book security and crew for the day; note that you don't have to go with specialist companies, a lot of the time friends will be more than happy to do it for free entry and drinks or food. Choose people that you can trust. Once all arrangements have been organised you can move onto promoting the show.
A lot of people forget how important it is to promote to people you don't know, you can't rely on your friends or the bands fan base to turn up to the show. You'll want to put in around 20% investment if not more of whatever you expect to make out of the night(money wise). For instance if I expected to make around £400 in one night I would put at least £80 into promotion/marketing/PR.
Good promotion doesn't have to be costly, you don't NEED expensive glossy colour postcards or full colour A3 posters(although one or two may be good in high traffic areas). Get someone to design a good A6 black and white flyer, print four to one A4 piece of paper and get it duplicated down at your local printers.
Also get some A3 and A4 black and white posters printed onto luminous paper. A good ratio of the two will ensure that you get a good turn out. Word of mouth also helps, always remind people that the show is going to happen on such and such date. Even emailing or reminding people a day or two before it is due to commence will bring you extra people.
Getting the Gig - Part 2
Once you have established your goals as far as gigging is concerned you should get down all the names of the venues you could potentially play at; make notes on contact details such as postal addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. You should also get a list of promoters who specialise in putting bands on in different venues, they could also point you in the right direction.
Before you start contacting people or venues you should have your demo's ready with a short press pack (a piece of paper with a good photograph of the band describing the bands style of music, the achievements, bands you've played with and also what the band expects in the future plan. Keep it short and concise, don't babble on with long sentences as promoters don't have the time to read “crap”.
When phoning up a venue ask who to talk to with regards to getting a gig, ask if they are free and if they are not then ask when they may be free to talk to. Always remain courteous and polite, it may be a nice added touch to speak to them by name as it is a sign of respect and they will remember it; this also applies when going into the venue in person to attempt to get a gig.
If a venue/promoter hasn't contacted you for a while then it may be a good idea to politely call them to remind them that you are after a gig, don't pester them though! Often they may have forgot to consider you for a line up and this will trigger their memory. It may help to quote a time and date that you initially made contact with them as this shows your commitment and desire to play for them... this will definitely impress them!
It always helps to offer to play for free or relatively low fee's, it also helps to say that you can pull a reasonable crowd(don't lie!); remember that promoters are running a business, they want to make as much money as possible to cover their fee's and also want the security of a band who can pull the figures they quote.
If you still have trouble getting your first gig than maybe you should looking into putting on your own gig? The next section covers this.
Before you start contacting people or venues you should have your demo's ready with a short press pack (a piece of paper with a good photograph of the band describing the bands style of music, the achievements, bands you've played with and also what the band expects in the future plan. Keep it short and concise, don't babble on with long sentences as promoters don't have the time to read “crap”.
When phoning up a venue ask who to talk to with regards to getting a gig, ask if they are free and if they are not then ask when they may be free to talk to. Always remain courteous and polite, it may be a nice added touch to speak to them by name as it is a sign of respect and they will remember it; this also applies when going into the venue in person to attempt to get a gig.
If a venue/promoter hasn't contacted you for a while then it may be a good idea to politely call them to remind them that you are after a gig, don't pester them though! Often they may have forgot to consider you for a line up and this will trigger their memory. It may help to quote a time and date that you initially made contact with them as this shows your commitment and desire to play for them... this will definitely impress them!
It always helps to offer to play for free or relatively low fee's, it also helps to say that you can pull a reasonable crowd(don't lie!); remember that promoters are running a business, they want to make as much money as possible to cover their fee's and also want the security of a band who can pull the figures they quote.
If you still have trouble getting your first gig than maybe you should looking into putting on your own gig? The next section covers this.
Getting the Gig - Part 1
So you've spent months of dedicated hard work writing songs and recording a demo and you want to get yourselves out there to be heard? A gig is the best way to do this and to get recognised or to get reputation. Great friends can be made on the gigging circuit along with valuable contacts through promoters etc. Getting gigs can be as easy or as hard as you make it to be, there are factors that make this for you such as the following:
• How far you are prepared to travel?
You're more likely to get more gigs if you're prepared to travel a distance.
• Whether you expect a good payment or no payment?
When starting out make sure you don't get that cocky “rock star” attitude, be prepared to play for nothing... a gigs a gig, and it's this attitude which will see a band far.
• Do you make a good first impression?
If you have a good speaking manner or aren't up your own arse you'll find that people are more willing to help you or guide you towards someone who can!
• Dedicated or not?
Are you sending out all the demo's you possibly could? If not than you should be. You should be eventually aiming to be getting at least 1-2 gigs a week, you can't keep doing this within a local circuit!
• Reputation? Got any?
If you already have established a good reputation than a promoter will more than likely be interested to have you play at one of their gigs. It is in their best interest to have bands which have a good following and a steady fan base.
Remember that most promoters know other promoters, and frequently talk to tell the others of which bands to look out for and which ones to “black-list”... Yes it does happen! Which is why you should always do what you can to be a pleasant experience for the promoter/club owner.
• How far you are prepared to travel?
You're more likely to get more gigs if you're prepared to travel a distance.
• Whether you expect a good payment or no payment?
When starting out make sure you don't get that cocky “rock star” attitude, be prepared to play for nothing... a gigs a gig, and it's this attitude which will see a band far.
• Do you make a good first impression?
If you have a good speaking manner or aren't up your own arse you'll find that people are more willing to help you or guide you towards someone who can!
• Dedicated or not?
Are you sending out all the demo's you possibly could? If not than you should be. You should be eventually aiming to be getting at least 1-2 gigs a week, you can't keep doing this within a local circuit!
• Reputation? Got any?
If you already have established a good reputation than a promoter will more than likely be interested to have you play at one of their gigs. It is in their best interest to have bands which have a good following and a steady fan base.
Remember that most promoters know other promoters, and frequently talk to tell the others of which bands to look out for and which ones to “black-list”... Yes it does happen! Which is why you should always do what you can to be a pleasant experience for the promoter/club owner.
Mastering Tips
• Listen to the recording a few times through and discuss with the band what needs to be raised/lowered in the mix.
• Once this has been determined than bring each level to where desired.
• Equalise each track appropriately to how you want it to sound.
• Then again make any final adjustments with regards to individual levels.
• Add any effects you require to the tracks at this point. For example reverb, delays, distortion, overdrive, modulation etc.
• Produce a mixdown of all the tracks; this is the process of converting all the tracks into one individual file/track.
• Make any final overall equalisation on the track and levels etc.
• Add compression to relieve volume spikes and maintain continuity.
• Listen and enjoy!
Should you need help with recording or even more tips on recording or mic'ing technique there are a plethora of resources available on the web from articles to public forums/discussion boards. Please look at the resources section for examples of this.
• Once this has been determined than bring each level to where desired.
• Equalise each track appropriately to how you want it to sound.
• Then again make any final adjustments with regards to individual levels.
• Add any effects you require to the tracks at this point. For example reverb, delays, distortion, overdrive, modulation etc.
• Produce a mixdown of all the tracks; this is the process of converting all the tracks into one individual file/track.
• Make any final overall equalisation on the track and levels etc.
• Add compression to relieve volume spikes and maintain continuity.
• Listen and enjoy!
Should you need help with recording or even more tips on recording or mic'ing technique there are a plethora of resources available on the web from articles to public forums/discussion boards. Please look at the resources section for examples of this.
Recording Tips & Techniques
• When mic'ing up drums make sure that the kit is correctly tuned and that excessive resonance is dampened via the use of duct tape and or tissue. It is always a good idea to put a item of clothing inside the kick drum against the skins so that it dampens excessive resonance. You should use a large diaphragm microphone for the kick drum, a range of uni-directional dynamic microphones(with a tight polar pattern) for the snare and toms and a pair of condensers for overhead mic'ing. Make sure that every part mic'ed sounds good through the mixer via equalising and then level all microphones so that the output remains constant and it sounds natural. It may also be a nice added touch to pan out the drums on the mixing desk so as to make the recording sound even more natural.
• Guitars are best recorded with the use of a Shure SM57 aimed over the cone of the amplifiers speaker. Aiming it towards the centre of the speaker will result in a tight punchy sound and aiming towards the edge of the speaker cone will result in a muddy soft ambient sound. You could make use of several microphones when mic'ing a guitar amp; for instance putting a SM57 over one speaker and a large diaphragm microphone over another to pick up all the low punchy sounds... you could also place a condenser several metres away from the amplifier resulting in a tight natural reverb/delay effect. Experimenting is the key to getting the best sound, and remember that you may have to use different recording methods for different sounds(i.e. Clean, distortion etc.).
• Bass guitars are best recorded using a mix of a large diaphragm microphone and via DI(direct injection – taking the feed from the amplifiers line out to the mixing desk) or either one of the two. Using both will get you the best and most natural sound though.
• Vocals should be the very last thing recorded; the vocals are the key to the song in most peoples eyes(or ears!) and thus it is imperative to have the best possible sound. You may want to record sections at a time or phrases at a time just to make sure you get the best possible recordings at any one time. Vocals can sound really good with the use of both a condenser microphone and a large diaphragm microphone, perhaps even use a uni-directional dynamic
microphone with the other two options! You should experiment until you get the best possible sound. Once you have recorded all the parts it is time to level the recorded tracks of the vocals as so to maintain legato(fluidity) within the vocal section of the recorded song. It may be a good idea to add light compression onto the track after levelling as so to prevent volume spikes. Should you need a louder or more prominent vocals section in one part of the song simply copy and paste a section of the recorded vocals onto another track so that there are two layers of the vocals at the same time, giving a thicker texture with volume gain.
• All tracks should have adequate compression added before mastering; as this will maintain continuity.
• Guitars are best recorded with the use of a Shure SM57 aimed over the cone of the amplifiers speaker. Aiming it towards the centre of the speaker will result in a tight punchy sound and aiming towards the edge of the speaker cone will result in a muddy soft ambient sound. You could make use of several microphones when mic'ing a guitar amp; for instance putting a SM57 over one speaker and a large diaphragm microphone over another to pick up all the low punchy sounds... you could also place a condenser several metres away from the amplifier resulting in a tight natural reverb/delay effect. Experimenting is the key to getting the best sound, and remember that you may have to use different recording methods for different sounds(i.e. Clean, distortion etc.).
• Bass guitars are best recorded using a mix of a large diaphragm microphone and via DI(direct injection – taking the feed from the amplifiers line out to the mixing desk) or either one of the two. Using both will get you the best and most natural sound though.
• Vocals should be the very last thing recorded; the vocals are the key to the song in most peoples eyes(or ears!) and thus it is imperative to have the best possible sound. You may want to record sections at a time or phrases at a time just to make sure you get the best possible recordings at any one time. Vocals can sound really good with the use of both a condenser microphone and a large diaphragm microphone, perhaps even use a uni-directional dynamic
microphone with the other two options! You should experiment until you get the best possible sound. Once you have recorded all the parts it is time to level the recorded tracks of the vocals as so to maintain legato(fluidity) within the vocal section of the recorded song. It may be a good idea to add light compression onto the track after levelling as so to prevent volume spikes. Should you need a louder or more prominent vocals section in one part of the song simply copy and paste a section of the recorded vocals onto another track so that there are two layers of the vocals at the same time, giving a thicker texture with volume gain.
• All tracks should have adequate compression added before mastering; as this will maintain continuity.
The Recording
Decide whether you want to take the “live” recording route or the “multitracked” method.
Live recordings are easier and quicker, they give the impression of a live performance but also have the disadvantages of sounding slightly messy and if there is a mistake made at any one time you have to re-record the track completely again! You also have to have all the microphones available to listen to every instrument at one time.
Multi-tracking means that you all record your parts separately, you can even break each recording down to separate parts of the song (apart from with drums!) to make things easier and give you more control over the sounds. This method gives you optimum control over sound and harmony, you will get the best sounding recording out of this method however it does have the disadvantage in that it can take up to a day or two just to record one song. If time permits you should opt for this method.
It is important to have a base point from where to record from here, a good method is to record with all the band playing and just recording with a single microphone so that the song can be heard primitively. From here you can send the recorded file through headphones whilst the drummer lays down his/her recorded track on top of that; and then mute the drum recording and get the guitarist to record over the base track and so forth. Once all the tracks have been laid down to record it's time to master and produce the song; this involves equalising the tracks so they are all at the same levels and merge in together well. Once this has been done you can master it by compressing the whole track to remain at the same levels throughout and make sure that there are no sudden volume “spikes” etc. and there you have it, your very first self-recorded demo!
I recommend that you read the next page on “recording tips and techniques” if you are going to record a demo or have one recorded for you; either way it will help!
Live recordings are easier and quicker, they give the impression of a live performance but also have the disadvantages of sounding slightly messy and if there is a mistake made at any one time you have to re-record the track completely again! You also have to have all the microphones available to listen to every instrument at one time.
Multi-tracking means that you all record your parts separately, you can even break each recording down to separate parts of the song (apart from with drums!) to make things easier and give you more control over the sounds. This method gives you optimum control over sound and harmony, you will get the best sounding recording out of this method however it does have the disadvantage in that it can take up to a day or two just to record one song. If time permits you should opt for this method.
It is important to have a base point from where to record from here, a good method is to record with all the band playing and just recording with a single microphone so that the song can be heard primitively. From here you can send the recorded file through headphones whilst the drummer lays down his/her recorded track on top of that; and then mute the drum recording and get the guitarist to record over the base track and so forth. Once all the tracks have been laid down to record it's time to master and produce the song; this involves equalising the tracks so they are all at the same levels and merge in together well. Once this has been done you can master it by compressing the whole track to remain at the same levels throughout and make sure that there are no sudden volume “spikes” etc. and there you have it, your very first self-recorded demo!
I recommend that you read the next page on “recording tips and techniques” if you are going to record a demo or have one recorded for you; either way it will help!
Before Recording your Band
Before the recording session commences you should take the following precautions to make sure that you will be producing the best demo that will represent your band and take you to success.
You should pick out 3-5 of your best songs, maybe even some which sound different to the others to show diversity exists within the band. Great care should be taken to maintain that the songs that invoke the strongest feelings are on the track listing. Your very best song should be chosen to be the first song due to be on the demo as often executives will only listen to the first song and if they don't like it they wont bother listening to the others; that will only occur when there is an interest generated from the first track they hear!
Make sure that you have rehearsed the songs endlessly to the point that you all know every little part of the music “inside and out”, this will maintain that you are all focused and know where to go in etc. as this will save a lot of time when something goes wrong during the recording session. You should also make sure that you recognise discrepancies in your fellow band members parts and know where they are in the song from their playing... this is particularly important in the recording situation.
The days before recording is due to commence make sure you rest properly and have your goals clear in your mind, do whatever you can to psyche yourselves up and make you excited about the whole recording session(s). This will ensure the best possible recording session and help relieve stress/tension if it hits you during the session.
You should pick out 3-5 of your best songs, maybe even some which sound different to the others to show diversity exists within the band. Great care should be taken to maintain that the songs that invoke the strongest feelings are on the track listing. Your very best song should be chosen to be the first song due to be on the demo as often executives will only listen to the first song and if they don't like it they wont bother listening to the others; that will only occur when there is an interest generated from the first track they hear!
Make sure that you have rehearsed the songs endlessly to the point that you all know every little part of the music “inside and out”, this will maintain that you are all focused and know where to go in etc. as this will save a lot of time when something goes wrong during the recording session. You should also make sure that you recognise discrepancies in your fellow band members parts and know where they are in the song from their playing... this is particularly important in the recording situation.
The days before recording is due to commence make sure you rest properly and have your goals clear in your mind, do whatever you can to psyche yourselves up and make you excited about the whole recording session(s). This will ensure the best possible recording session and help relieve stress/tension if it hits you during the session.
Recording your Band
Getting a good first demo or e.p. recorded is the difference between starting out with a good reputation or a bad reputation. A badly produced demo will leave executives(promoters/record labels/agents) a bad impression of the band, not only that... when it comes to future demo's(which are much better than the first) being given to the same executives they will already have an opinion in mind with your band and may not even bother listening to it when they see your name associated with it!
You do not necessarily have to invest in expensive recording studio time with a well known studio or sound engineer. In fact a good recording can be achieved at home for the budding D-I-Yer! How is this possible? Well with the extended time you will have to spend on the recording and production! It doesn't cost as much as you may think either... you do not need top end pro studio gear and racks to do it, a basic set up may be all you need. A computer, a mixing console, some microphones and some time!
Things like a mixing desk or microphones you may not have but a computer is always available in today's world! You should be able to source a mixing desk and/or microphones through contacts you will inevitably have within the band; if they don't have it then they are sure to know someone who will! Sometimes you may even encounter a hire fee, although when you compare this to time you would have had to pay for studio recording it works out a lot cheaper.... You may even have friends who know sound engineering, recording and may be available to lend a helping hand. Home recording is a lot cheaper than professional studio time but it also a very valuable experience which will hold you to an advantage when it does come to potential future studio time.
Recommended equipment:
1) Good recording software – e.g. CoolEditPro, cubase, logic.
2) 8 channel mixing desk minimum.
3) A good range of microphones suited to vocals and then instruments/drums. -
e.g. Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, Neumann etc.
4) Connection from mixing desk to sound cards line in or microphones input.
You do not necessarily have to invest in expensive recording studio time with a well known studio or sound engineer. In fact a good recording can be achieved at home for the budding D-I-Yer! How is this possible? Well with the extended time you will have to spend on the recording and production! It doesn't cost as much as you may think either... you do not need top end pro studio gear and racks to do it, a basic set up may be all you need. A computer, a mixing console, some microphones and some time!
Things like a mixing desk or microphones you may not have but a computer is always available in today's world! You should be able to source a mixing desk and/or microphones through contacts you will inevitably have within the band; if they don't have it then they are sure to know someone who will! Sometimes you may even encounter a hire fee, although when you compare this to time you would have had to pay for studio recording it works out a lot cheaper.... You may even have friends who know sound engineering, recording and may be available to lend a helping hand. Home recording is a lot cheaper than professional studio time but it also a very valuable experience which will hold you to an advantage when it does come to potential future studio time.
Recommended equipment:
1) Good recording software – e.g. CoolEditPro, cubase, logic.
2) 8 channel mixing desk minimum.
3) A good range of microphones suited to vocals and then instruments/drums. -
e.g. Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, Neumann etc.
4) Connection from mixing desk to sound cards line in or microphones input.
Productive Song Writing
We've all been there, wanting to write a song but not knowing where to start or what to do or what direction to take next? A good song starts with a strong idea... knowing what you're trying to achieve; what kind of ambience you're after? What general feel you want? Whether you're going to alter that feel in anyone point of the song? What inspires you to write the music you're writing?
Many people have developed their own way of going about song writing, but for those who are struggling having structured song writing sessions here is a good logical way to go about it.
1) Start with a good base point; a riff, a lyric or a groove etc.
2) Think about what emotions that particular “fragment” of music invokes within yourself. Remember that music is very powerful, a good song that people will remember is something that invokes a strong emotion or sensation within ones self.
3) Start creating other fragments of music which also invoke similar or linking emotions to the base piece of music.
4) Make notes of all the “fragments” created; this could be done with a portable cassette recorder or something to that effect... remember that you're not after amazing sound quality, just a brief recording to remember the riff or groove you've come up with.
5) Get a piece of paper or better still a whiteboard which the whole band can see. Now start structuring the best of the fragments into a logical pattern. i.e. If you had named the fragments as letters the structure could look something like this:
6) Start working on putting all the pieces together in the particular structure chosen. You should have good bridges in-between the various sections as so that there aren't any “sudden” changes from section to section and that they rather merge together like water flowing through a river.
7) Work with your fellow band members to refine what you have written; the best songs have not been written but are often the songs that have been re-written... refined to sound the best they possibly can!
8) Reflect on what you have achieved as a band, be proud! Make sure that you keep a record of what you have done, keep any documentation made and make a quick recording of the song... again sound quality isn't a key factor!
Many people have developed their own way of going about song writing, but for those who are struggling having structured song writing sessions here is a good logical way to go about it.
1) Start with a good base point; a riff, a lyric or a groove etc.
2) Think about what emotions that particular “fragment” of music invokes within yourself. Remember that music is very powerful, a good song that people will remember is something that invokes a strong emotion or sensation within ones self.
3) Start creating other fragments of music which also invoke similar or linking emotions to the base piece of music.
4) Make notes of all the “fragments” created; this could be done with a portable cassette recorder or something to that effect... remember that you're not after amazing sound quality, just a brief recording to remember the riff or groove you've come up with.
5) Get a piece of paper or better still a whiteboard which the whole band can see. Now start structuring the best of the fragments into a logical pattern. i.e. If you had named the fragments as letters the structure could look something like this:
A-B-A-C-C2-A-B-C-B
6) Start working on putting all the pieces together in the particular structure chosen. You should have good bridges in-between the various sections as so that there aren't any “sudden” changes from section to section and that they rather merge together like water flowing through a river.
7) Work with your fellow band members to refine what you have written; the best songs have not been written but are often the songs that have been re-written... refined to sound the best they possibly can!
8) Reflect on what you have achieved as a band, be proud! Make sure that you keep a record of what you have done, keep any documentation made and make a quick recording of the song... again sound quality isn't a key factor!
Productive Band Practice
It all starts here, unless your bands practices are completely productive and structured you won't get very far. There are a couple of critical points to a productive and structured band practice and those are having a good working relationship with the other band members and also knowing what your goals are.
Having a good working relationship isn't rocket science... just be courteous to your fellow band members and always listen to what anyone has to say. The key here is to be sociable and respect one another. You may also want to arrange a going out once in a while... the usual is to arrange a piss up at the local boozer on a Friday night, but that's up to you!
You will definitely need to set out goals to achieve before each band practice; those can be as such: writing x amount of song(s), perfecting an already written song, listening for discrepancies in an already written song and re-writing it so that it suits your image better.
Unless you have similar targets laid out before a band practice it will have no structured benefits for you, you will merely be playing some music for a little bit of a hobby like fun. Music should be fun granted, but if you want to hit it big time it should also not be taken lightly; you will get your fun through a productive session and feel great after it for achieving your goals. A lot more enjoyment is to be gained through a productive session than the usual band practices you see and hear of.
The band practice is one of few times you will all be together apart from at a gig etc. you should also make the most of this time by discussing certain topics about the band whilst everyone is there. This is also the time to be discussing what the goals should be for the next practice, write it down on a piece of paper so that no-one will forget. Don't feel threatened to speak your opinion at any time and don't make others feel threatened to do the same!
Last thing on productive practice is frequency; it is ALWAYS better to have more frequent shorter practices than large jaunts once in a while. For instance... a 3-4 hour session once weekly rather than 8 hours once a fortnight. You also want to make use of the practice to increase your stamina... when you're practising, practice as if it was your gig night... perform and enjoy it, make sure you're standing up or in a position as you would be at a gig!
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