A New Model for Cost Effective Professional Audio Production

By Bernie Nau - 8/4/2005

Combining home and commercial studios:

The cost of home recording equipment has been continually dropping in price. Because of this, serious artists and musicians are using a hybrid recording process, utilizing the commercial and home studio for their respective advantages.

This is the typical procedure:

1. Pre-production: Home Studio.
2. Recording basic tracks: Commercial Studio.
3. Overdubs: Home Studio.
4. Editing: Home Studio.
5. Mixing: Commercial Studio. (If your budget allows it).
6. Mastering: Commercial Studio (If your budget allows it).

Step 1 Pre-production: The planning stage for producing your record.

1. Develop and refine your material, using your home studio as a pre-production tool.
2. Get all your equipment in shape, get new tubes, strings and drumheads and have a guitar tech set up the intonation on your guitar and bass.
3. Professional producers will work with an artist to uncover and focus the essential emotional core of a song. Depending on the producer and the type of music, they also help refine the lyric, song form, instrumentation and chord structure.

You can self-produce, using objective listening, but it is not easy. It is to very difficult to remain objective. (If you are interested, please try the method below).

1. Record your song(s).
2. In a few days, listen to the recording. As you are listening, write down the pros and cons for each song. In a band situation, don't just talk about it. Write it down.

Think like a producer, don't just listen for errors or mistakes. Strive to remain objective! Add your own ideas to the short list found below.

• Does the tempo feel right?
• Is the song too long?
• Does the playing have the right attitude?
• Should there be a solo?
• Do the lyrics and the music fit?
• Is the introduction too long?
• Is the song undeniable?

3. In a group setting, correlate the information from everyone's lists and agree on changes.
4. Record another take, and go back to step 2.

Repeat these steps until you feel your song is undeniable, then get some feedback. Play your song(s) for a few friends, observe their reaction. If no one talks or looks at their cell phone it's time to book some studio time.

You can record your basic tracks in a home studio but if you don't have a acoustically tuned room, a selection of mics and preamps as well as EQ's and compressors, use a commercial studio. When you get to the mixing stage, you'll be glad you did.

Recording your basic tracks at a commercial studio:

Stay tuned, more next month!

Add a comment