So you have printed your business cards on the PC, and you know
a guy who can design eye-catching posters for your band. Do
you really need a demo? You bet. One of the best calling cards
that a band can have is a recorded demo of your sound. It is
not only a vital component of a good press kit; but it will
also stand on its own. A demo will display your style of music,
level of proficiency, and will capture your bands unique sound.
You should have your demo ready before you start looking for
gigs. If you are seriously looking for work, a promise to have
a demo in a few weeks will do you little good. A demo does not
have to be an industry masterpiece—the majority of demos are
“home grown” recordings. Although they do not have to sound
like million dollar productions, it is key to understand is
that they should be performed well. People listening to the
demos will be looking for the talent within and not necessarily
the quality of the recording.
So what do you need to get ready to cut a demo? Start with three
songs that will showcase your style, and sound—that is what
you want recognized (sometimes referred to as your “brand”).
Three songs is the industry standard; most venues that accept
demos will want no more than three songs. The essence of any
entertainment venture is of course practice. This is critically
important when laying down your sound on “tape”. Have your songs
performance ready for someone who will want to put you up on
stage. From a technical perspective, do not wait until you are
recording to test adding new parts to the song, or trying new
ideas. Determine how the song will sound before you begin to
record, and then the job of recording becomes a great deal easier.
The task then will be to accurately capture your sound.
Ok, I probably haven’t told you anything that you do not already
know so far, so I will get more specific. When it comes time
to record, there are two avenues to take: a professional recording
studio, or your own home studio. The professional studio will
no doubt produce a superior sound, but it may not be necessary
for your demo. Having worked in a studio for a few years, I
have witness many bands that came in with only a vague idea
of what they wanted to sound like, and left with their own style.
This of course comes with a high price tag.
The money spent on professional recording maybe better spent
on acquiring your own equipment. You will have it at your disposal
for years to come. You can find your sound in your own environment
and when it comes time to record a commercial CD you can then
take you sound to the pro studio.
There are many varieties of home recording units on the market
today ranging in price from reasonable, to outrageous. There
are two basic forms of these units: “DAWs” (digital audio workstations
also known as PCs), and self-contained units (stand alone multi-track
recorders). The quality of each is comparable, that is relative
to the price of the unit. I personally prefer the stand-alone
recorders because they are portable. If you don’t have a high
powered laptop DAW, you will be limited to where and when you
can get together to record, but with a stand alone unit, you
can move it from place to place to record tracks. A good place
to learn about features and the price you can expect to pay
is on the internet. Also a stand-alone unit will have several
interfaces (places to plug instruments and Mics in) built right
in it, whereas a DAW will need a separate interface (be it a
PC card, or a box of some sort that will adapt an instrument
cable or Mic into a USB port, a firewire, port, or the Mic port
on the PC).
Other than the DAW, and the interface, or the Stand-alone unit,
you will probably want to get at least one condenser Microphone.
Performance Mics will do for recording drums, and amps, but
for the vocals they probably will sound dull and somewhat distorted.
When it’s time to record you have two basic options: to record
as a band performing the song, or to lay down the song in tracks.
Each option has benefits and drawbacks. The benefits of recording
all together is that the song can have more energy, and will
take less time to record, but it will be less flexible. If something
“inside” the sound needs adjustment, the whole song may have
to be done again. Tracks offer that control, but sometimes at
the expense of sounding contrived; perfection at the price of
liveliness. You can have the best of both worlds, but you have
to plan out, and prepare what you want to do.
How do you prepare? Well, as I have mentioned have the song
tight, and experiment with all your sounds before you record.
The best songs are the freshest. If you keep recording your
track over and over, of if you have to sit for hours while you
drummer bang a tom over and over you will not be in the correct
frame of mind to perform your best. As a rule of thumb limit
all takes to three, and have people who need extra time to set
up their recording environment to arrive before everyone else.
That way the band can get playing when they are freshest. An
energetic song that may not have sonic perfection is ultimately
better than a lackluster performance where all the instruments
sound perfect.
After all this is a demo, and you’ve got better things to do
right? Like gig.
If you have specific questions or comments about this article
please email me:
Good Luck!
Gary
"g-man" Wesselhoff is an acoustic blues writer/performer
working the Chicago Metro area. You can contact him at: gman@gmanblues.com
Please Visit my site: http://www.gmanblues.com
