Choose demo tracks
Introduction
If you've never recorded in a professional studio before then this section will give you the advice you need to get the maximum use out of the time, money and effort you spend in what can be a very pressured environment.
Read on for:
Making the most of the time
Choosing tracks
Representing yourself
"Give it a road test (play it out on road) and see if it's there."
Jason Kaye
Time
If you've not recorded music before, then the single most important thing is not to overstretch yourselves.
Everything takes much longer than you think it will and your time is limited by the budget you have.
It's tempting to try and bang down five tunes in a day but likely to be more rewarding to stick to a couple and do them as well as you can.
"The vibe has to be right, I can't just go in the studio and say right, I'm doing this and just make it."
Wookie
Choosing Tracks
For your demo CD put your messiest track first. You're going for the knockout punch here so give them your best shot first.
Also, try and avoid over long intros so make your track kick in as soon as possible.
Remember, the people that you're gonna send your CDs to will probably have a huge pile of them to go through, so they're unlikely to listen to more than the first 20 seconds of each track.
Don't make them wait longer than this for your tune to drop.
Some artists, maybe due to fear of piracy, only put the best minute or so of each track on their demo and wait for feedback before letting off the whole ting.
Record three to four tunes is the max.
Recording fewer tracks also means you can concentrate on getting them finished to a professional standard.
Labels and publishers will want to hear your song-writing ability so stick to tracks you've written.
You may also find that websites and radio stations won't accept covers because of copyright disputes and it could be stress if you want to press or duplicate copies to sell.
"If you're not happy with it don't send it in 'cos that's what we'll judge you on. I can't mystically imagine that you're gonna sound better than the CD."
Ben Palmar
A&R
Polydor
Representing Yourself
If you've only got three tracks in which to make an impression, which ones are most representative of your style?
Give it some thought before you decide.
If you do more than one style of music, it can be quite hard to find 2 or 3 songs that you feel really represent your sound.
When you're thinking about which songs to record, it might be a good idea to ask your supporters which track they feel is your best.
The most recent track you've written will usually be your favourite but your people might have a different opinion. If in doubt, leave it out.
Just give them your best stuff.
"I'm just trying to incorporate different styles of music in garage. It's a melting pot of all styles of music."
Sticky
More... from How to...
Make a vocal demo
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/vocalp01.shtml
Home recording basics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/homebasicsp01.shtml
Press CDs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/distribution/cdsp01.shtml
Find a recording studio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/findp01.shtml
Send out white labels/demos
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/whitep01.shtml
(c) BBC 1Xtra 1XMusic 2006
