The Process of Making Records: Why it is Essential to Know.

I was on the artist's side of the glass when I began making records. I had a band; I wrote the songs, sang, and played guitar. I wanted to release an album because that is what musicians do. I loved listening to tons of records and was excited to make my own. In context, it was 2005, Facebook had just launched, YouTube was only starting, Spotify wasn't a thing, and digital recording was in its early days. It was complicated for a band like ours to make their record in a DIY fashion; the equipment was expensive and complex to set up, there weren't many tutorials on YouTube University, and the record labels still had some budget to allocate to recording. So, the usual course of action was to hire a professional (or more than one) to bring your songs to life.

Fast forward to today, and the scenario we see is very different. Recording equipment has become widely accessible and user-friendly. Streaming services allow everyone to release their music worldwide, and the web is filled with know-how, tutorials, and resources so anyone can learn how to do virtually everything, including making records. I forgot to mention that nobody buys music anymore, and recording labels' budgets have evaporated. All these things considered, it is not surprising that many artists and bands decide to follow the DIY route to make their records. This significant development empowers anyone to see their creative efforts come to life. And that's great! More power to the people!

I often work with independent bands and am totally on their side when it comes to finding a thrifty approach to recording music that sounds great without breaking the bank. If you are a band or artist embarking on this DIY journey, you will find this article helpful.

The downside of this trend, is that many of us began to make records without knowing the process thoroughly and, in the past few years, many artists came to me seeking help with mixing after recording their music. I noticed a tendency to take the "fix it in the mix" approach to their practice, and I don't think that is a very healthy or efficient way to produce music, and here is why.

A Multi-Stage Process

If you are reading this article, there's a good chance you are at least familiar with all of these concepts, but what I want to stress here is the correlation between them and how they cascade from one into the next. From the conception of a song to the final mix, the sequence of steps looks pretty much like this. (It can be broken down into even smaller chunks.)

Each of these steps is derivative of the previous one and can work to improve or deteriorate what has been done. Ideally, getting all of these steps right will result in an excellent record. Getting all these steps wrong will lead to something not worth listening to. This is not rocket science, but these elements' interdependence is more nuanced than it might appear. Every aspect of the production should support the intent of the song; if it doesn't, it could work against the production itself or even ruin it. The problem is that every nuance will be revealed at the mixing stage, and without a clear vision and preparation, it becomes tricky, time-consuming, and cumbersome to make significant changes and save the production. for example: Two guitars, a synthesizer, and a piano playing all in the same register can create a cluster of sounds lacking clarity, which can be problematic for a mix engineer. Still, it could have been addressed quickly at the arrangement stage by using different voicings and inversions to spread the mid-range more effectively and leave more space for the vocals. Similarly, Bass and drums that don't lock in won't hit as hard as those that do. Sure, they can be edited together so they WILL lock-in, but it's a soul-sucking chore that nobody wants to do and, therefore, will cost time or money. Roughly, the time it takes to edit a poor performance is approximately the same time that it takes to practice a part so it's performed well. So it would make more sense to spend the extra time honing in a part ahead of time and getting ready to perform it rather than playing it lousely and fixing it later, or paying someone to fix it. But you don't want to realize that while you are paying for studio time.

These are only two of the many reasons that can lead an artist to sit with many songs stuck at the mixing stage, unsure how to complete them. I feel the frustration; I have been there many times. What I learned is that most of the problems could have been fixed upstream: a better song, a better arrangement, a better performance (in my opinion, a good performance will most likely sound good, even when captured with the worst gear). A good way to eradicate this problem is to develop a vision early on, scrutinize every creative idea, try those ideas, make decisions and move on, keep what works, and discard what doesn't. This will save you from finding yourself in the weeds later on. Practice your part until you can play it without thinking. If you can afford it, use a recording studio and an engineer, at least to record the lead vocals and real drums (if any), you will hear the difference. If you are new to mixing, consider hiring a pro. You'll get your song finished much faster, and it will sound much better.

Conclusion

Whether you are the artist or the producer, engineer or mixer, understanding the process of making records will make you better at your craft and communication with collaborators. It will enable you to put in more effort where needed, make decisions with intent, perform better, sound better, and save money. The recording of the performance is, in my opinion, the most crucial stage of it all; everything that comes before is in preparation for the recording (AKA Pre-Production), and what comes after is a refinement/consolidation. Consider using a recording engineer in a recording studio if you are unsure how to make good recordings. If you play in a band, a live recording will make the process fast and cost-effective if you are well rehearsed. Whichever way you decide to make your record, knowing this principles will come in handy and will save you some frustration. Have fun making music, and be nice!

Gabe