Recently while working with some extremely talented clients, it came to my attention that they were actually unfamiliar with the music production process. I realized that though many people (especially in church/worship leading contexts) may not be strangers to the studio or recording in general they may never have had to be involved in the entire process from beginning to end. So whether you’re hiring a producer to guide the bulk of your recording project or are recording yourself, here’s a break-down of the typical workflow of recording a song…
LYRIC & MELODY
You can make fresh and modern music, beats, and sounds all day long. But an exceptionally written lyric and melody/topline determines the impact and success of a song as much as anything else!
PRO TIP: Consider co-writing with one or two others and don’t settle: Re-write the song until you can’t make it better.
PRE-PRODUCTION
Take the time to decide which key is best for the song. One that features and supports a great vocal performance. The same goes for song tempo. If you plan to record and produce yourself, prep by eliminating as much outside noise and room ambience as possible.
PRO TIP: Invest in acoustic treatment and a vocal booth or shield.
RECORDING/PRODUCING
This is the fun part! Here you record all vocals and instruments, program drums/beats, as well as create all the other sounds in the song. You'll need a capable computer, quality interface, and at least one good mic.
PRO TIP: Record to your DAW's (recording software's) internal click (metronome)
EDITING
After everything is recorded, the individual tracks need to be cleaned up, organized, and repaired. Background noises deleted, vocals tuned and re-timed to fit the groove, drums quantized, etc. Then it's time to mix…
PRO TIP: Try Auto Tune on vocals, or even better...learn to use a more manual program like Celemony's Melodyne.
MIXING
Mixing takes all the individually recorded and edited components and "mixes" them together so that they sound balanced. This is also where final effects are applied.
PRO TIP: Try planning a day or two between production and mixing to rest your ears. It'll make a big difference!
MASTERING
Mastering as an art and science has had to adjust over the decades as people change how they listen to music. But ultimately mastering is about making sure your song can sound balanced through different types of speakers and in comparison to pro, mainstream songs on the charts.
PRO TIP: If hiring a mastering engineer, remove any EQ, compression, or limiting on your master channel before creating the final mix to send to them.