How to prepare for a recording - part 1

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The five most common mistakes are:

1. "My favorite band recorded at Great Big Studios – let's go there!"

2. "We'll finish the song/arrangement in the studio."

3. "Sounds pretty good to me – we're ready."

4. "The engineer can fix it in the mix."

5. "We've got this really great recording – now what do we do with it?"

In the first part of this two-part series, we'll look at the first two mistakes in this list.

1. Where to record?

Working out where to record is often a fraught decision for a band or performer with little or no recording experience. A big studio, while still yielding a good-quality recording, is overkill for newcomers, and will rarely give beginners good bang-for-buck. It is natural, however, to want the "big recording studio" experience for a number of reasons:

You are aware that you don't really know what you are doing, so you want someone experienced to hold your hand.
You might expect that a big studio will be helpful in showing you the ropes and leading you gently through the recording process to get a great-sounding record.
And you'll be right.
Recording engineers, by and large, are a friendly and helpful species – they have to be, to survive in a world often dominated by the tyrannical egos of a troublesome minority of musicians, producers and record company executives.
Behind the friendliness, however, is a steadily mounting dollar cost. As the big studios gently lead you through things, you'll be paying upwards of $80/hour for your education.
Granted, this cost has dropped in recent years as big and mid-range studios struggle for survival, but it is still pretty steep for a self-funded band.
This is not a big-studio rip-off by the way – they have advertised their rates up-front and you have chosen to hire them.
What you may not know is that experienced small-studio engineers are usually of the same helpful breed as their big studio brethren. They will also be more than willing to walk you through the process, and have the additional advantage that, being at the entry-level in price (often downwards of $40/hr) they deal with beginners all the time. Your education will be just as useful, and much less expensive. The recording may not sound quite as "expensive" but it will likely be excellent none-the-less, and most importantly, meet or exceed your real requirements.
The big studios do often have smaller. low-cost studios available, so you don't necessarily have to leave them out of your price comparison.

"Really Cool Band X recorded there"
A powerful incentive for going the big studio route is that many great bands have recorded there before you. The big studios have credit lists that read like a who's who of the music industry. It is only natural to hope that some of the fairy dust will rub off onto your recording.
What you don't know is that, before Really Cool Band X recorded at Great Big Studios, they recorded at lots and lots of other little places over a number of years. That's because they were smart, and wanted to make cost-effective recordings. Like you, they were self-funding these early efforts. I remember recording in the 1980s at the shabby-but-good-quality-and-most-of-all-free studios (now sadly defunct) at LaTrobe University in Melbourne. The engineer on duty played me a multitrack demo he'd done a couple of years earlier for a then-unknown band called Men At Work. One song he played me was currently a number one hit in the US, the first song ever by an Australian band to achieve this. I remember another music student friend doing a brass session of what he termed "jungle music" for a demo at the same studio with an unknown band called Hunters & Collectors.
This brings me to another tip for those on a severely restricted budget. Many tertiary institutions have recording studios for students to learn recording in. Often such students are looking for clients to practice on. These sessions are often available at very low cost. It is worth contacting various audio schools and tertiary music institutions to find out if they offer this service. There are trade-offs –beginners working with beginners shouldn't expect top professional quality or most efficient work. Often the trainee engineers will be supervised, however, so you may well end up with a reasonable-quality recording at a bargain price.

"They have WowTools and SoundGreat mics!"
Studios of all sizes often advertise lists of their equipment, and any nerd in the know can and will tell you what gear is awesome and what is merely great. The simple fact of the matter is, good quality recording gear is now so cheap that any commercial studio can afford excellent gear. In reality, what matters most is the skill of the operator; after that, the quality of the mics; after that, the quality of the monitors (speakers), after that, everything else. With the right work methods, digital gear can make recording more efficient, but even that is not assured – you can get bogged down in endless decisions about endless takes, simply because you can keep them all.
Sometimes cheaper gear can be the right gear for the situation. Bono (of U2 fame) can afford any mic in the world to record on. Because he tends to jump around the studio while singing, however, he usually records lead vocals for his million-selling recordings on a Shure SM58 mic – yep, you can buy this mic in Melbourne for $A180. Of course, in Bono's case, there are many thousands of dollars of fancy processing between this mic and your ears…
Some "standards", such as ProTools recording software, are convenient because you can easily transfer projects from one studio to another. That being said, at the entry level there is rarely a need for this (with one possible exception I will discuss in a later article).

Hit-making producer Z will only work in a big studio
Slow down a minute. What the hell are you doing hiring a producer for your first recording?
In most small commercial studios, the engineer is likely to help (if asked) with producing and arrangement decisions – it's not a bad idea to check this out with the engineer before you contract to record there. Small studio engineers are used to helping out in this role, as they are usually one-person operations. It is common, and can be very helpful, for your small studio engineer to be an accomplished musician in their own right.

What should I do then?
In summary, the best place for a beginner to record is a small studio at low rates (less than $50/hr) with an experienced engineer. Ask to hear some samples of the engineer's recordings first – this is useful as an overall indicator of quality, although don't expect to hear exactly the type of sound you want – a good engineer will create this with you according to your needs.
If you work with a beginning or student engineer, expect to pay less, but don't expect it to be easy or efficient or the quality of the end product to be as high – it may well be good enough for your needs, however.

2. Arranging in the studio

You will no doubt have heard of top-level bands that spend months in the studio rehearsing and thrashing out the arrangements for their next mega-selling album. You might (understandibly) think that the best way for you to do it is the way the big stars do it.

You would be wrong.

Most bands make this mistake unconsciously, and as a consequence of not thinking enough about preparation for recording. There is also that romantic association with stardom that makes this lazy practice acceptible – it's much less fun doing such work in your own space at home. Arranging in the studio is time-wasting – and you are in a situation where time really is money.

Two things can happen when arranging in the studio. Firstly, you can seriously blow your financial budget, sometimes by several multiples of the original. I cannot number the hours I've spent sitting around being paid for doing nothing while my clients frantically amended chord charts or lyrics sheets, or rehearsed last-minute changes in tempo, time signature, feel, instrumentation or the bridge of a song. It's as if the recording session has just confronted them with the inadequacies of the song as it stands. Maybe such changes improve a song, but the studio is not the most cost-effective place to make them.

What should I do then?
In most situations, work out all or most of your arrangments beforehand. If you are planning overdubs (instrumental or vocal lines over and above those you can play live) get some basic recording gear, do a rough recording and see how such lines sound (more on this later). Ask musical friends to listen to what you have done and make detailed critical comments. The more time you spend now, the less money you will spend in the studio.

Next issue, we'll look at some other common mistakes. In the meantime, may the gods of musical satisfaction be kind to you.

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Dear Uncle Terry

I play in a small-time cover band. We're not the greatest band ever musically but we are a lot of fun and we have had very good raps from people whose parties we've played. We have been working mostly word-of-mouth, but this has dried up a bit of late - after playing for 4 years, we are running out of friends who haven't already booked us two or three times for major birthdays, weddings and so on.
So we now need to somehow expand our ability to get gigs. We are considering trying to get an agent, and we are currently attempting to record a demo CD (and realising how crap we sound!). We go across very well at parties because we really work on the total act - stage presence, humour and so on. Our "differentiator" is that all band members sing both harmony and lead vocals at times, and two of our five members are women. We have a very wide range of "Gold 104" covers, and have over 4 hours of material at performance level (at least to our primitive standards!).
So we have a couple of questions coming out of all this. Firstly, how does one go about trying to get a good, honest agent (we're mainly interested in playing private parties by the way). Secondly, should we be recording a demo CD? Or should we be filming a DVD?

Hope this isn't all too confusing

Al
Coburg

Dear Al,

Your letter is a little confusing. I'm not sure if you are attempting to ingratiate yourself by the use of charming self-deprecation or if your band is actually really ordinary. There is a minimum level of both musicianship and presentation that is required if your band is to be a successful commercial product and that is what you need if you want to expand your ability to get gigs. I will assume that your band operates at that level and that you are continuing to work at raising the level. A comment about the reactions of friends to your band: their opinions are probably not the most objective.

A demo is a very good idea. If the visual aspect of your band is its "differentiator" then it would seem obvious that a video DVD would probably be even better. Some ideas about how to approach recording a demo and a list of the other elements that could be in your promotional package are in this issue's instalment of How to get a properly paid gig and the article How to prepare for a recording session.
You do not need to spend a lot of money on either an audio or video demo; a do-it-yourself approach can be very effective. Use your networks to find people who will help you with equipment and expertise. Also make sure your performance is really sharp BEFORE you start recording. If you are currently doing your own recordings, keep at it. The recorded performance doesn't lie, you do actually sound like the recording! If the performance isn't up to scratch, keep rehearsing until it is. If you are paying for your current rehearsal recording exercise, STOP IMMEDIATELY! You are wasting money if you are not ready to give a spot-on performance once the red light goes on. Remember, rehearsal is free.

The repertoire you have indicated should sit well in the commercial covers market. I suggest that you don't limit yourself to parties. Once you have a package, approach some agents and let them tell you where potential work will be. These people know their market and what will sell where. A good starting point for finding agents is the Australian Entertainment Agents Association. Send your promotional package to as many agents as possible and follow up with a phone call to get some feedback. Listen to what they say and adjust your act accordingly.

Uncle Terry

Writing for string

Dear Uncle Terry

I am currently quoting for work as a composer/performer for a small theatre company in Melbourne. The producer/director is applying for a grant for the next show, and needs to know how much to budget for composition - she's looking for about 20 minutes of through-composed music for a small ensemble. Although I have been composing music for some years, as well as performing professionally on keyboards, this is the first time I have been commissioned to write a piece. I'm not sure how to go about calculating a fair fee. I guess it might have something to do with the duration and complexity of the music, but are there any awards that cover this kind of thing? And if not, how should I work it out?

Thanks

Christophe
St Kilda

Dear Christophe,

This is the ultimate "how long is a piece of string" question. I understand that your letter seeks to find a "fair fee", but fairness is affected by the circumstances of each project There are many variables to be considered.

Musicians' awards are based on an hourly rate with a minimum engagement period. Whilst the activities covered by these awards would certainly include composition, it is usual, when engaged to compose, to be asked to quote a fee for the delivery of a completed work. This is "product delivery" based rather than time-based and tends to appear like a contractual arrangement rather than "employment" which is the relationship covered by awards. Basing a fee on a time rate rewards slow and/or inefficient composers who take longer to deliver a completed product. This is one of the reasons why it is unpopular.

A composer friend of mine claims to have a standard response when asked to quote a price for the delivery of a completed composition. The response is: "A million dollars - now, how much have you got?" Obviously there is an element of humour in this claim but it does address a serious consideration. You cannot intelligently quote without some indication of the size of the proposed budget. This will, in turn, affect the complexity and length of the piece you might consider writing. If the budget is insufficient to make the effort worthwhile, you may well reject the project.

Break down the elements of the project and try to price each one. Is the final product only a score? Are you also expected to copy the parts? Do they require a recording? If yes, electronic or live musicians? Are you expected to rehearse the piece? Are you expected to conduct the performances? Your total fee should account for each of these elements

Another consideration is future potential income. Will you keep ownership of the copyright? (I highly recommended this!) Will you receive a slice of future income from the project apart from standard APRA public performance royalties? Are you able to use the material for other income generating purposes or is its use restricted by the agreement? Is there a time limit on the agreement after which re-negotiation can take place? When considering possible future income as an offset against a low fee, I recommend that you not take an overly optimistic attitude. A bird in the hand….

Now that we have addressed some of the variables we can look at some methods for calculating a fee.

You could take the award rate (available on the Musicians Union website) calculate how long a "reasonable" (subjective I know) composer would take to do the work and arrive at a price by a simple arithmetic calculation.

The Australia Council has recommended rates for composition related to grant applications (this may be useful in your circumstances).

The Music Arrangers Guild of Australia has recommended rates for the arranging and copying of parts.

The Fellowship of Australian Composers may be able to assist you. There is also an Australian Guild of Screen Composers who might be useful for comparison.

Good luck and please remember the string and the million dollars!

Uncle Terry

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