Preproduction For Fun and Profit

by Mark Baxter

In my roles as producer, engineer, and session musician, I can only think of a few people who have truly been prepared to enter the studio. Few are ever really ready for the big session, but most people just fail to follow through on preparation and planning prior to scheduling studio time.

When it comes to preproduction, especially within the independent music community, there seems to be a sort of punk rock-style attitude that runs amuck. Many musicians robe themselves in a cavalier attitude that screams “I must play everything on this record from a place of anxiety-ridden improvisation lest I sell out to the god of contrived thoughts and actions!” (Okay, maybe I am overreacting a little bit there.) My point is that, with a little forethought, you can save a bundle on studio costs and come out with a much better recording.

The first thing I recommend for everyone I work with is to take your songs and strip them down to the bare minimum. I have always been of the volition that a bad song produced well is still a bad song. Yes, you can polish a turd, but it doesn’t stink any less. Try just an acoustic guitar or piano, a bare bones vocal, and a cheap tape recorder to capture your songs. Go through each song’s form and check it for flow and compositional sensibility. If you are not sure how to measure these qualities, dissect recordings of other artists in your same genre. Pull their songs apart to see how they work while trying to infer the reasoning behind their musical and lyrical decisions.

For bands, the next step would be to systematically add each member’s part. Remember to listen carefully to what others are playing, thinking about how it relates to your own musical contribution. Just because a part is fun to play or technically challenging does not ensure it will be the best choice for your tune. I would suggest recording yourself at each point through this step. These recordings do not have to sound great. They just have to give you an accurate picture of what is happening inside of your songs.

After you have all settled on parts to play, there is nothing wrong with a series of intense rehearsals to solidify each person’s ability to reproduce his/her parts with consistency and accuracy. Record these rehearsals and pay special attention to groove/tempo choices, amp tones, and vocal styling. I would even suggest practicing the order and timeline of recording you will try to follow once in the studio.

Lastly, be realistic about how much time you will need to get your recording completed. If you need more time that you can afford, wait a little while longer and come up with the budget necessary to have it done right. With a little more patience and preparation, you may find that you save money and come out with a better recording at the same time.

Brian Stephens is a professional drummer, engineer, record producer, and music educator. He is also the CEO/Managing Director of Sound Decision Studios in Atlanta, Georgia (www.SoundDecisionStudios.com). He can contacted via email at Brian@BrianStephens.com