TUTORIAL A R EALLY PRACTICAL GUIDE TO EXPENSIVE (SOUNDING) RECORD MAKING – PART 1 We could all do with more honesty in our lives, never more so than when you’re recording.

Text: Michael Carpenter

Most musicians, songwriters, solo artists This three-part series will start off by asking The trick now is to go out and play these and bands have the same dream of how to some important questions about whether you’re recordings to people you trust. Make a deal make a fantastic record. The dream invariably ready to record. The next instalment will deal with anyone you play them to; they have to involves a huge studio with endless racks of with the task of finding the right people and tell you truth and nothing but the truth. This gear, a huge console, a massive drum room, studios to work with, as well as managing the alone will discount your mother, many of your several formats of analogue tape, every type of all-important budget. The final article will deal good friends and sometimes your band mates. expensive microphone known to man, the pick specifically with the respective journeys of the You’d almost be better off stopping strangers in of the best musical instruments ready to use, ‘solo artist’ and ‘the band’. While these articles the street than expecting the truth from loved their favourite producer/engineer combo and, will offer advice on how to cut some corners ones who won’t want to hurt you or shatter most importantly, no time restrictions. Only financially, I’ll make it clear early on that you your dreams. Getting independent opinions in this dream scenario can we truly fulfil our can’t make first class records for nothing. You do from strangers might seem like a tough thing to artistic destiny, and do justice to the genius lying have to spend some good money at some point. confront so early on in the process, but now is dormant within us… or so it’s thought. Just keep that in mind… the time to work out how tough you really are, and if you’re any good. But life is not a dream, and the sad reality is that I WANT TO BE A STAR – LET’S BOOK A STUDIO! many of us – no, most of us – will never get the Not so fast! It’s a wonderful feeling when we EXPOSING THE TRUTH opportunity to live out this fantasy. That doesn’t feel like we’re at that point where we want to do If you haven’t done any rough recordings yet, mean, of course, that we should put our ‘song some ‘real’ or ‘new’ recording. We can see the how can you be seriously considering spending writing ideas’ Dictaphone in the garbage and road laid out before us, and once we’ve made lots of money to find out whether your voice may let the strings on our favourite acoustic guitar this commitment we can’t wait for that first or may not be appealing to you, let alone the rust. Truly great recordings lie within many of session, that first mix, that first real reference general public? If you haven’t recorded yourself us, and the idea behind this series of articles is CD. But this is the precise moment when many in any way, shape or form, go to your diary now to provide some absolutely practical real-world fundamental mistakes are made. and look up the date that is six month from pointers on ways to fulfil this potential… today. Write on that page: ‘start thinking about The first question to ask yourself at this point without having to cash in your inheritance. going into real studio again’. Then go forward is: ‘Am I really ready?’ I seem to be continually one month from today and write: ‘have I heard A GENERAL WARNING saying the word ‘real’, or ‘realistic’, but the myself sing yet?’. Write this in every month A word of warning before I get started though: toughest thing we all have to face is the realities for five more months. If you get to the sixth as a producer/engineer working predominantly of our abilities and circumstances. Many of the month and you still haven’t bothered to sing into in the world of the independent recording artist, greatest artists in the history of popular music your telephone, Dictaphone, friend’s computer I’ve witnessed many things. I’ve seen recording have done it, constantly assessing their own etc, then you seriously need to re-assess your miracles born out of raw talent, determination talents, and making decisions based on what career choices. There’s no value in wasting lots and common sense – and this has fed my they know they can realistically achieve at that of money if you’re not prepared to face reality belief in the power of music. But far, far too particular point in their careers. beforehand… for free! often I have seen people waste opportunities, So, if you’re a singer, have you recorded yourself loads of money and worst of all, their much on your Dictaphone, done some four-track SONGWRITING SKILLS cherished dreams, through poor preparation, demos at home, or made any recordings of What if song writing is your thing? In many stubbornness, small mindedness or a basic lack yourself singing at all? If so, do you find your ways, the same ‘tough’ rules apply. The oldest of understanding of their own (or other band tone pleasing? Can you sing in tune? An cliché in the book is that a good song can be members’) abilities. This article will hopefully even better guide is: ‘do you think you have played in the most basic way and still stand up. expose some of these pitfalls, and, as a result, something in your voice that’s comparable to There’s a reason why this is a cliché – it’s true! there may be several instances of ‘tough love’ in all of those wonderful artists on your iPod?’ the following paragraphs, but we all have to face A good song, a confident voice and an acoustic Really? Okay, great. reality at some point, don’t we? guitar have regularly given me some of my most

AT 68 Then get a click track/drum machine and set up “The studio is not the grooves at 120bpm, 160bpm, and 80bpm. Make place to realise that them straight feels and also shuffles. Play any chords or licks you like for three minutes each. you haven’t fixed the Record them. Listen back. If you stayed pretty problems you had when close to the click track and didn’t lose your place for all of those tempos/feels, and it actually feels you last recorded!” good, well done. You’re ready. If not, get your diary out again and go forward three months and write, ‘check my metronome progress’. While listening back to these exercises, take note of what you played. Did you hear yourself joyous creative insights as a record producer, growing bored and getting all fiddly? That’s a irrespective of the recording setup. With that sign of overplaying. There’s actually real glory in mind, record your best songs with some very in playing rhythm guitar for three minutes, simple arrangements, making sure that above grooving on a piano or drumming a good all else, you’re comfortable with the instruments straight feel with no fills. And also, while you’re around you. Once you’ve done this, play the at it, listen to the sound of your instrument. Is it recordings to people whom you trust will tell in tune? Can you even tell? Is the basic sound you the truth. pleasing to you? Is your feel even or erratic? If you have five songs, disregard the opinion of These are all elements of basic competence that anyone who says ‘I loved every song’ or ‘every need to be addressed before you’re in a studio song is a hit single’. Hope that people will spending lots of money. unanimously enjoy two or three at the most, and then go and write some more until you KEEPIN’ IT REAL(ISTIC) I know I’m being pretty tough on you all, really start to feel like you have songs that are but improving on these basic skills before you good enough. Another cliché: the best writers set foot in the studio door makes the sessions say it takes 10 songs to write maybe two good vastly better. Not just faster, but better. As a ones. While it’s wonderful to believe you’re an producer, there’s nothing worse than having to exception, you more than likely aren’t. That’s send everyone out of the room while you retune, not to say you’re unable to write great songs. nudge, edit, massage or replace someone’s Most great writers will say that song writing is a poorly played part. And for musicians, there’s craft and a skill that needs to be developed. And nothing more frustrating. The difference in how the best way to do this is by writing song after a session feels when somebody knocks over a song after song, and getting an understanding of part in 30 minutes as opposed to four hours is what you offer as a writer. huge. Making sure you’re ready to record before ARE WE THERE YET? you get in the studio will help make your first Okay, so we have a great singer who believes recording experience a fantastic one, rather than they’re a great singer. We have a writer who has a chore. And having a good experience during gone through his or her songbook and picked these first sessions can inspire you to want to do out three or four classics. Now are we ready to it more, and improve on the last effort. And that go into the studio? is a beautiful thing. I don’t know. Can you (along with the people The most important thing I’ll reiterate at the playing on your record) actually play? If being close of this first article is that it’s critically a musician is your bag, you need to expose important – at every stage of your career – to yourself to the same scrutiny your singing and be realistic. There’s no time when this is more writing companions have just been subjected critical than before you go into the recording to. I’ll let you in on a personal secret. I don’t studio. The idea that anything can be fixed in have many regrets in my life, but not learning the studio is a myth. If you’re good, then you’ll how to play my instruments properly before I find a way to make good records. If you’re first went into the studio is one of them. I’m not not, then you shouldn’t be making records at ashamed to say that many young tears were shed all. And while many of these concepts can be when engineers and producers threw concepts interpreted as being directed at the ‘beginner’, like ‘playing in time’, ‘playing with feel’, we can all benefit from seeing whether we’re ‘overplaying’, ‘intonation’ and ‘tuning’ at my ready. I see many so-called ‘experienced’ people young, inexperienced and fragile musical psyche. coming in to record their new album woefully I wish someone back then had demanded that I under-prepared. The studio is not the place to learn to play in time. And when I say ‘in time’, realise that you haven’t fixed the problems you I mean, learning to make a metronome/click had when you last recorded! track my new best friend. I’ll try not to overstate So now that you’re ready to record, in the next this, but put simply, the lack of ability to play in instalment we’ll deal with working out what time is the single biggest flaw musicians bring sort of artist you are; why every artist needs a into recording studios! This factor alone can be producer; choosing a studio; and working out the difference between making a record within a real budget (and how to stick to it). See you or over budget, and making what should be a then. great piece of music sound positively amateurish. So, here’s a test: Set up your recording device.

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