photo credit: iStockphoto

This is a guest post by Cliff Goldmacher. Cliff is a songwriter/engineer/producer/author and owner of recording studios in Nashville, TN and Sonoma, CA.

Cliff’s eBook “The Songwriter’s Guide To Recording Professional Demos” is available as a free download from his site at http://www.cliffgoldmacher.com/ebook.

Cliff is also the owner/founder of www.NashvilleStudioLive.com, a website that provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual access to Nashville’s best session musicians and singers for their songwriting demos.

Working as a producer for the last ten years, I’ve recorded with all kinds of artists from “fresh off the boat” newbies to artists whose experience in the world of music doubles or even triples my own. In every case, my role as a producer stays essentially the same. It’s that role that I’m going to describe in this article.

What Is A Producer?

The best way I know to describe what a producer does comes in the form of this analogy: A producer is to a recording as a director is to a film. When it comes to making a film, the buck essentially stops with the director.

In a film, the director steers the ship, working with everyone from the technical editors to the actors in order to achieve his or her overall vision of the movie. It is exactly that way with a producer when it comes to making a recording.

The producer have the experience to work with the studio engineer (often possessing the technical expertise to engineer the project themselves) and the musical understanding to help the artist with everything from song choice, structure and arrangement to the all-important vocal performances that are vital in giving a recording its personality. In short, a producer provides the experience and necessary perspective to guide a recording from start to finish.

Producer Backgrounds

Producers can come from a variety of backgrounds. I’m listing the four most common and what each brings to the process, but, typically, producers have experience in more than one of these areas.

1. The Songwriter – Since at it’s essence, a recording is dependent on the quality of the song, the songwriter/producer is heavily involved in the song selection process. Not only does this type of producer have experience in knowing what does and doesn’t work when it comes to pre-existing songs, but often this producer will co-write songs with the artist for a given project.
2. The Musician – Here, it’s often an instrumental and music theory background that gives this type of producer their experience. They have first hand knowledge when it comes to working with musicians and knowing what instrumental approach will work best in a given situation.
3. The Engineer – In this case, the producer’s primary experience comes from actual recording (i.e., placing microphones on drum kits, recording vocals and mixing albums). By becoming an expert in the nuts and bolts of the recording process, an engineer/producer can make the recording process a smooth one for the artist.
4. The Music Fan – This is someone who lives and breathes music and has the instincts to guide artists and session musicians through the recording process without necessarily having had the “hands on” experience of being a songwriter, musician or engineer themselves. They often bring great perspective to a situation where being too close to any one part of the process might compromise the overall recording.

What Do Producers Do?

As I’ve mentioned, producers can be involved in many different aspects of a recording. Some producers are very “hands off” acting mostly as the voice of experience and perspective for artists who already have a fairly clear idea of who they are and where they’re headed.

On the other end of the spectrum are the producers who are involved in every element of the recording from co-writing the songs, to engineering to playing one or even all of the instruments. In some, but certainly not all of these cases, the resulting recordings have such a distinctive sound that the producer becomes as associated with the recording as the artist themselves.

For the record, no one way takes precedence over any other for producing a recording. The only measure of a producer that matters is whether or not the resulting recording is satisfying to everyone involved. As most producers operate somewhere in between minimal and complete involvement, here are the main areas where most producers do their work.

1. Pre-production – This includes working with the artist to decide if the songs are as good as they can be and, ultimately, which songs would work best as a group for an album release. It also includes deciding on the overall sound of a recording which involves deciding which session musicians/instruments would be best suited to achieve the sound and feel of a particular song.
2. Instrumental Recording/Arrangement – At this point, the producer works with the assembled musicians and helps direct their performances in the studio in order to achieve a cohesive sound for the recording.
3. Vocals – Finally, because the typical music listener responds first to the voice of the singer, one of the most important roles of the producer is working with the vocalist to help them give their best, most sincere performance of their material. It is extremely difficult for even the most experienced vocalists to have any perspective on their performance while it’s happening. For this reason, a producer is the voice of reason and experience who knows how to encourage a vocalist to do one more vocal pass or helps them realize that it would be better to take a break and come back to fight another day.

How Do I Find A Producer?

For those who are new to the process of recording, whether it’s an album project or even a song demo, it is unclear where to look to find a producer for your project. Generally speaking, word of mouth in your music community serves as the best, most organic way to find a producer right for your project. Another effective way to find a producer, particularly if you’re interested in doing a whole recording project, would be to look at the liner notes on some of your favorite independent CD projects made in the city where you plan to record. Often, those producers are available for hire and it’s just a matter of getting their contact information which the artists themselves usually have. Finally, there’s no rule that says you can’t contact a well-known/successful producer whose work you admire. Maybe they will be too busy or too expensive to work with, but you never know and if you’re respectful in your request there’s no reason not to try.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s a good working relationship and the trust between artist and producer that makes for the best results. So, be sure that you not only like a producer’s work but feel comfortable working with them as well. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this person and trusting them with your art, so make sure that you feel like the producer you choose is willing to give you and your music the attention necessary to get a great recording.

Good luck!

photo credit: istockphoto

This is a guest post by Cliff Goldmacher. Cliff is a songwriter/engineer/producer/author and owner of recording studios in Nashville, TN and Sonoma, CA. Cliff’s eBook “The Songwriter’s Guide To Recording Professional Demos” is available as a free download from his site at http://www.cliffgoldmacher.com/ebook. Cliff is also the owner/founder of www.NashvilleStudioLive.com, a website that provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual access to Nashville’s best session musicians and singers for their songwriting demos.

Who’s the Expert?

You’re a songwriter. It’s what you do. It’s what you’ve trained yourself to do through countless hours of study, practice and effort. Your songs are yours and no one can write them for you. In other words, you’ve become an expert at writing your songs. That’s how it should be.

However, if you’re going to treat your songwriting as a business that you hope to profit from, then it’s in your best interest to employ experts at every level. In other words, unless you’re also a recording expert, I’d advise you to employ the people who are.

While writing a great song is the first and most important part of the process, a high quality, well-performed demo of your song comes a very close second. Unless you’ve devoted as much time to learning the art and craft of recording as you have to your songwriting, you will be doing your songs and your career a disservice by attempting to record your demo yourself.

Why You Need A First Rate Recording

We’ve all heard the argument that a great song is a great song and anyone with ears should be able to “hear through” any recording no matter how rough. To my way of thinking, this is the music industry equivalent of being set up on a blind date with a person who may have a heart of gold but doesn’t bother to shower.

In other words, you’ve only got one chance to make a first impression with your song and, given the competition out there, it had better be a great one. And, while you might meet a music industry person who can genuinely hear through a rough recording, it may be true for just that one individual.

If you’re planning on showing your song to a variety of artists, managers, producers and A&R reps, it’s never safe to assume that anything less than a first-rate recording will do. By “first rate” I don’t mean full-band or elaborately produced. I simply mean your song should be recorded and produced by professionals.

How to Find a Good Recording Studio

One of the most daunting aspects of the recording process for most songwriters is simply finding the studio that is right for them. Word of mouth in the songwriting community and the recommendations of your performing rights organizations (BMI, ASCAP & SESAC) are great places to start.

My recommendation is that you should treat this part of the process just like you would any business decision. Gather as much information as you can and base your decision on where you think you’ll get the best service and, of course, the best results.

The Studio

With the advent of improved recording technology and affordable, high-quality equipment, professional recordings can be made almost anywhere. Recording is no longer the exclusive domain of the big, multi-room complex. That being said, there are a few things you should consider before choosing a studio for your project.

First and foremost is sound quality. Ask the studio owner/engineer for a demo of something that’s been recorded in their studio. Be sure and ask for music on the demo that is in the style of the music you plan to record. For example, if you’re making a country demo, it doesn’t matter if the studio has a great sounding R&B demo because that won’t necessarily translate into a great sounding country recording.

Secondly, make sure you’re comfortable in the space where you’ll be working. Although working in a big, beautiful studio can be inspiring for some, it can be intimidating for others. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in this place, make sure you feel at ease there so that you can relax, work effectively and enjoy the process.

The Engineer/Producer

It’s not only the studio you’ll be spending time in but also the engineer/producer (often the same person) you’ll be spending time with that matters. You want to make sure you’re comfortable working with this person as you’ll be entrusting them with your music.

A few things to look for in an engineer/producer include organization, patience and focus. The more experienced and professional they are, the more you should feel like they have your best interests at heart and want nothing more than to give you the best product you can possibly have.

There should be no ego whatsoever involved no matter how accomplished/experienced this person may be. A simple reminder for those of you who are new to the game…it’s not the engineer/producer’s role to judge whether the song is good or bad. The assumption is-and should always be-that you’re there recording your song because you know it’s good and ready to be recorded. It’s their job to take that song and make a great demo so that it’s ready to be heard. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t get comments about whether your song is good or not. It’s not the engineer/producer’s place to comment.

The Money

Beware of being penny-wise and pound foolish. Remember that you’re running a business, and investing in your business is an essential part of helping that business grow and ultimately bring you a return on your investment. This does not mean, however, that you shouldn’t have a crystal clear understanding of what the costs of your demo will be.

When it comes time to discuss price with the studio, remember to ask for an itemization of all fees. The obvious fee would be the hourly rate but it’s important to ask what other charges you might incur. This can be anything from a separate engineer charge, costs for burning CDs and even separate charges for certain pieces of studio equipment.

A studio using an hourly rate system ought to be able to give you a fairly accurate estimate for what your overall project will cost. Some studios simplify the process even further by giving you an all-in project fee that is decided up front. It’s always better to know all of this at the beginning of a project so there are no unpleasant surprises when it comes time to pay.

Know Your Strengths

There are only so many hours in the day. If you’re early in your career as a songwriter, you should be spending those hours working on your songwriting and devising every means possible (networking anyone?) to get your songs heard.

However, if you’re truly fascinated by the recording process itself and are willing to invest the time, then by all means learn to engineer and produce as well. There’s never been a better time to get involved in recording due to all of the innovations and improvements in recording technology.

If, however, you think you’ll save money by doing your own recordings without investing an equal amount of time to learn how to engineer, the end results will hurt your cause more than any amount of money you might save by recording yourself. As I’ve heard said, cheap can be expensive.

Conclusion

Let me be clear. I’m not recommending that you go out and spend your hard-earned cash on a professional recording every time you write a song. If you’re planning on having a career in music you have to be judicious in how/when you invest your demo budget. But, when you’ve got a song or songs that are ready for prime time, I’m simply suggesting you treat them that way.

Good luck!

This is another guest post from Cliff Goldmacher, a songwriter, producer, engineer and the owner of recording studios in both Nashville and New York City. Cliff is also a regular contributor to EQ Magazine and Pro Sound News. He can be reached at cliff@cliffgoldmacher.com.

I’m going to begin this article by quoting from one of my earlier articles:

Your career as a recording artist hinges on many things from the songs you choose to the musicianship on your records. But the single most important thing for your artist identity is your voice. Your ultimate goal as a vocalist is to sound exactly like yourself. In other words, the more relaxed and confident you are as a singer, the more people will know who you are and what you’re about. In reality, it’s predominantly musicians who listen to CD’s for the musicianship, but the people who decide to buy your CD will connect with your voice first and everything else much later.

This article will serve as a do-it-yourself primer for how to approach singing in the recording studio. In today’s independent musical environment, it’s typically the case that you will play the part of not only the artist, but the manager, record label and producer, too. The trick when it comes to getting great vocal performances is to make the most of each of these roles by knowing which role to play and when. I’ll be describing your responsibilities for each of these roles in the paragraphs below.

The Role of Manager/Record Label

In this role, your job will be to make sure you have a great place to record where you feel comfortable and can do great work. Otherwise put, you’ll need to go out and find a studio, talk to engineers, listen to examples of their work, get prices based on your budget and ultimately lay the groundwork for an organized, low-stress recording process. Acting as manager, you might also decide to invest in your own recording equipment (beware of the learning curve!) to give yourself the added flexibility of recording whenever you want with no concerns about the studio clock. Whether you record at home or in a commercial studio, taking care of the details (which have very little to do with actually singing) will make all the difference as to how smooth your vocal recording process will be.

Regarding artist development, an essential task in your role as manager and record label will be to consider a vocal coach. The more you sing your songs and work on them before you go into the studio, the better prepared you’ll be to give a great performance when the time comes. By studying your songs and working on the minute details ahead of time, you’ll end up with a baseline performance that you can deliver confidently. Then when the light goes red (which can be stressful enough), you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to approach your technique or interpretation.

The Role of Producer

Here your role will be to not only find the songs that work best for you as an artist but to help guide the singing process by keeping an eye/ear on a few very important elements. The first element would be the songs. It’s up to you to find the songs that you can sing with emotion and sincerity. If you’re a songwriter, it’s easy to assume that the best songs to sing will be your own, but it’s never a bad idea to look for outside material as well. Outside material will not only keep the level of songwriting consistently high but can also add the necessary diversity to a project. In either case, you have to know what your “artist’s” vocal instrument is capable of and make sure the songs fit. The key of the song is another major consideration. Just because you’ve always sung a song in a certain key does not mean it might not work better in a slightly higher or (even more surprising sometimes) lower key.

When it comes to the actual recording process, you will have to ultimately make decisions about when things are going well and improving and when enough is enough. This can be extremely difficult to do in the heat of battle but it is essential. Being both producer and artist is a very delicate balance. My recommendation would be to take a short (even 5 minute) break every hour or so and listen back to what you’ve sung. The temptation is to keep singing and singing because that perfect take is just one take away. In reality, your best take might have come five takes ago and you’ve been wearing yourself out needlessly.

I am a firm believer in the composite (comp) vocal because it allows the singer to sing the song from beginning to end multiple times going for the performance without worrying too much about the details. Getting bogged down in trying to fix a word or line can be draining and quickly take the life out of a vocal performance. Creating a comp vocal is as simple as recording multiple passes of your lead vocal without allowing your editor/critic into the equation. In other words, sing the song several times (as if you were doing it live) without stopping or redoing anything. Then when this is done, put on your producer hat and listen back to each pass while marking on a lyric sheet which pass is good on each line. It’s possible to have lines where several passes work. I hope this is your biggest problem. After listening to every pass and taking the appropriate notes, if there are still a few lines that need work, you can go after them then knowing exactly what you’re missing and how to fix it. The key to this process is to stay out of your own way while you’re singing. Try to prevent yourself from judging what your doing while you’re doing it. There will be time for that when you’re listening back. The more you keep the producer and artist separate during this part of the process, the more effective you’ll be in getting a great performance.

If you have the budget to actually hire a producer, you’ll be very glad you did. Click here to learn more about producers and why you should consider hiring one.

The Role of the Artist

This role is strictly musical. All of the groundwork has been laid. When you step up to the microphone, your only task is to remember that these songs move you and to sing them that way. Stay away from any and all technical concerns such as whether you’re hitting the notes exactly on key or whether your timing is good. All of this can be addressed when you sit back down in the control room to listen to what you’ve done.

A piece of advice I give all my singers when they get bogged down worrying about hitting the note and sounding good is to think about the words to the song and what they mean. The best singers sound like they’re talking to you. You believe what they’re saying because they believe what they’re saying. Simply put, just tell the story and the pitch and the tone will follow.

Of course it can be nerve-racking the first few times you go in to record your vocals but the more you do it the easier it will become. Every bit of work you do in advance as your own management, label and production team, will make you that much more prepared to deliver a great vocal performance as the artist you are.

Good luck!

Cliff Goldmatcher
www.cliffgoldmacher.com
cliff@cliffgoldmacher.com

The art of producing songs in the studio involves a tremendous amount of patience and focus.  Songwriters should strive to achieve a recording that will be appreciated for many years to come.  Crafting and perfecting your production process is different for everyone.  It’s important to be aware of what works and what doesn’t.  Learn from past experience and always strive to make progress creatively, technically, and professionally.

Today, I want to discuss the importance of using scratch tracks.  Scratch tracks are recorded parts of a song that have not been perfected yet.  They are meant to be rough takes, not to be used in the final mix (although sometimes they turn out to be your best take!).

Scratch tracks are useful as temporary placeholders, while you build the rest of the song around them.  They’re also great for listening back and fine-tuning how you want to deliver the part when you record the final version.  By taking the time to lay down scratch tracks, you can get a better idea of where the recording is headed.  They help you envision a road map for arriving at your final product.

An example would be to record a vocal scratch track early in the tracking process.  The sooner you have the lead vocal in place, the better because it’s often the most important element of the song.  You want to structure the rest of your instrumental parts around the lead vocal.  Having a scratch version in place helps you write parts that don’t interfere with the vocal part, but compliment it nicely.  Once all the other parts have been recorded and finalized, you can go ahead and record the final vocal part.  It’s best to save the final vocal tracking for last so that the singer can draw on inspiration from the all of the instruments and really feel the fullness of the music.

The real advantage to crafting your songs with scratch tracks is for listening back and soaking in your creation in progress.  The process if recording a song often lasts several weeks. During that time, you should be listening to your rough mixes outside the studio- in your car, in your headphones, home stereo, etc. The more you familiarize yourself with every nuance of the performance, the more seasoned you will be when it comes time to lay down the final takes.

Many bands actually take months for pre-production. That is, recording and mixing entire songs as rough drafts before starting work on the actual record. Most independent songwriters don’t have the luxury of endless studio time for drawn out pre-production sessions. However, it’s always a smart idea to factor in extra time for producing your songs with at least some scratch tracking of parts.

Recording multiple takes in pro tools

When recording in Pro Tools, you can easily record multiple takes of a part using playlists.  The playlists feature in Pro Tools allows you to record an unlimited number of takes on a single track.  For each track in a multi-track mix, you activate one playlist – whichever take works best for that part.

To create a new playlist, click on the up/down arrow to the right of the track name.  In the options that popup, choose “New…”.

Give your new playlist a name. Pro Tools automatically names it by adding “.01″, “.02″, “.03″ to the end of the track name. Personally, this naming convention works fine for me, so I generally just keep the suggested name and click OK here.

Re-record the part on a new playlist, and repeat the process each time you want to do another take. When you playback the song, or prepare for bouncing to disk (mix down), select the playlist you want to use by clicking the same arrow you used to create the new playlist.

Playlists in Pro Tools provides an easy way to record scratch tracks before laying down the final take. Record the rough take first, then flip the track to a new playlist when you’re ready for the real thing. Later on, during editing or mixdown, you may decide there were parts of that rough take you liked. You can always flip back to the first playlist, cut the parts you liked, and paste them into the final playlist on that track.

Over to you…

What’s your process for doing scratch tracks, and your method of setting them up using your recording software of choice?