DEMOS

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DIY DEMO DISC

A good studio will have everything a rehearsal studio has and more, including full recording facilities, effects, sound engineer and possibly separate drum and vocal booths. How you record your tracks depends on your competence and preferred method of working.

Get the best equipment you can afford

Live Recording

Costs range from an hourly rate to £100+ per day and you will have to include the mixdown time into your budget (anything from 1 hour to 7 days depending on amount of tracks recorded & instruments used) and your finished 1/4", 1/2", 1" or 2" master tape which you should negotiate to retain. (If buying your own master tape Ampex are good but make sure that the tape width is compatable to the recording studio's equipment.)   The hourly or daily rates rarely include the cost of the master tape, cd duplication, artwork, backing tracks, licensing, musicians and producers fees unless stated otherwise.

If you can spare the time and cash, record 8-10 tracks, use the best 2-3 on your demo tapes and press an album to sell at your gigs.

What is a Package Deal?

A studio may offer a package deal that reflects their working preferences. For instance - those that prefer to block book and work on albums, long term projects, bands will offer a block booking package at a reduced price i.e, hourly rate = £20.00, Reduced block booking rate e.g. 8 hours = £120.00. (The figures may be way out but you get the general idea!)

A more recent concept is the small production studio which concentrates on package deals designed for solo artists, songwriters and vocal groups. The singer can choose between a wide range of professionally produced quality backing tracks from a variety of artists provided by or licensed to the studio specifically for demo use. This usually consists of a set time period (1 hour, 1 1/1 hours etc), in which your voice is recorded and mixed with the track by a sound engineer and/or music producer who may also offer original songwriting production/remixing services. The studio normally retains the master tape which may get erased or re-used for other artists (you may have the option to purchase the master), and you get to take home the finished CD complete with neatly produced artwork, label and inlay. 

Who Owns the Copyright on recorded material?

1. The author of the song owns the copyright (if thats you - copyright protect your music before allowing anyone to hear or view your compostition).

2. If you collaborate with another artist/musician to create a song you both own the copyright unless agreed otherwise.

3. If the studio provides musical expertise - i.e, puts music to your lyrics - technically they own the copyright to the music and you own copyright to the lyrics. Check with the studio / musician / producer for their policies and negotiate possible copyright purchase or royalty payments prior to recording.

4. If you are recording a cover version YOU are responsible for obtaining permission for use from the artist, publisher or recording company who owns the copyright. Acceptable use for a covers song usually includes non-commercial use i.e, a demo for bookers, agents, managers or A&R, however, if you intend to record cover versions with the intention of selling the CD at gigs, radio airplay or release then you MUST obtain permission and pay any fees required.

Who Owns the Master?

1. If you purchase the medium (i.e., tape, cassette, minidisk) on which the master is recorded then it belongs to you.

2. If the studio owns the medium on which the songs are recorded - they own the master in production but you own the completed master. (In other words the song is still yours as is the finished product, however the tape or other medium on which it was originally recorded is retained by the studio. Usually these tapes get re-used and it's not an issue.

What to put on a demo!

Ideally before you record your demo you need to think about what your aiming for.   If you want a solo singer/songwriting career then original songs are a must.

Whatever area you want to work in albeit covers or original, cabaret, theater, festivals or the solo/duo/band pub/club circuit then the demo should be a compilation of your interpretation of the type of songs you will be performing (i.e., ambient, blues, choral, classical, country, folk, gospel, jazz, opera, rock, theatrical, heavy metal) for your potential audience.

Basically you need to tailor your demo tape/cd to the market you are aiming to perform for.  For a working musician this would be the style of music you feel comfortable playing with competence regardless of whether it is a cover version of a favourite song or artist or your own work.

The demo has to show your capabilities and potential so aim to produce something that will appeal to your potential booker/agent, manager, publishing or record company to show off your talents and gain their interest.

For booking or entertainment agents an audio or video demo should be made up of three or four 30 sec to 1 minute snippets of a variety of material rather than full songs and never send anyone an original song without copyrighting it first!! 1 fast, 1 slow & 1 mid tempo song is the average but with 'snippets' you can get away with 5 tracks, with the last track a full song (you can use a song that is included in an earlier 'snippet' - if they are interested they may want to hear more so do 2 demo tapes - one with 'snippets' to send out and one with 3 good full songs or a showreel for serious follow up enquiries.

If you are singing along to one of your favourite artists songs make sure it is a 'backing track' and does not have the original artist singing - some people have made this mistake and it sounds really unprofessional - if you want to be taken seriously then you must have a professional attitude even as an amateur!!

Review your demo on a regular basis. Does it still reflect the type of music you are currently performing? Does it contain material that demonstrates your abilities to their fullest extent wether that be vocal, songwriting or both? Has your voice or style of music matured, developed, changed? Are YOU happy with your demo?

Recording on Home Studios

You can save a lot of money and by purchasing a few good pieces of equipment and learning how to use it effectively. Whilst this is not viable for a band using live drums (unless you have the space and understanding neighbours!), other artists can learn to produce high quality recordings. There are tons of books and articles available on the internet which provide information on recording, mixing and effects.

Don't send out demos without researching the management/record company first for an idea of what they are looking for, some only deal with bands or songwriters and many managers will not consider artists who perform 'covers' of their favourite artists.

Managers will not do anything for you until you have done a certain amount for yourself, you will be expected to audition or be seen working so make sure that what you put on the demo tape/cd is material you perform well and can reproduce in an audition or at a gig even if its to a backing track. Read more about Management in the Artist Management section!

RELATED ARTICLES

These are just a small example of the extensive links to online exercises and lessons written by industry professionals that we have available at the Sound Engineering Articles section at the Electric Blues Club, which contains links to the page (when not a framed site) plus answers to pretty much everything a beginner, intermediate, advanced singer or teacher needs to know about sound engineering and recording! (All links below open in a new window).

A - Z Sound Glossary
Excellent sound glossary explaining each term used in sound and recording with cross-referances to related terms. The site contains text descriptions and information about mixing desks, input devices, wireless microphones, processors and how to use them suitable for beginners to intermediate users. This is a USA site so please remember that their electricity supply works at a different ampage from UK. USA readers should also check out his links section which contains manufacturers, dealers, distributors, hire companies and reference sources.

A Few Tips on Recording Demos
Handy advice for artists from Bob Ross recording studio whose site also includes articles on making albums for record companies, songwriting and recording tips for budding engineers.

Automated Mixing
by MusicRecording

Can you really do it all yourself?
can you get major label quality recording at home?

Choosing a recording setup
A five part series of articles from Sound on Sound magazine.

Compression - A simple explanation
is actually quite an extensive explaination for beginners on the compressor, how it works and basic advice on using compression from Music & Technology.

Computer-based vs. standalone recorders
What is the difference? By Dennis Kambury "When it comes to multitrack recording, the options can be overwhelming. Host-based or native, all-in-one or standalone - how does one make sense of it all, and pick the best system? We'll try to de-mystify the choices and give you a better idea of what it all means in relation to your recording needs. There are two main categories of recording technology: computer-based and standalone. We'll take a look at both of these, then see how they compare.
MusiciansFriend.com Article

Demo Diagnosis
Organization is the key word when to comes to recording your home demos. By Andy Cahan, the Demo Doctor.

Demo M.O.
Submitting a Good Demo from Musician.com.

Demo Tapes
Article from MusicRecording

Digital Domain
Provides a host of articles on CD Mastering, Compression, FAQ on Digital Audio, how to align and set up Subwoofers and other related recording articles.

Effects on Vocals
Discussion about various types of effects singers use when performing live or recording.

FAQ - Using Microphones
There are some questions of recording technique which seem to come up again and again. Paul White sets out to answer some of the most common queries on how to choose and use microphones... from Sound On Sound Magazine.

Home Recording: The Demo Doctor
Studio veteran Andy Cahan talks about how to get the best from your song before you send it out.

Home Studio Registry
where musicians and composers can swap information and tips.

Home Video Licensing
Information and advice by Jeffrey & Todd Brabec available at Taxi.

How To Record A Band
Your guide on recording a band's entire demo CD

LoopLibrary.com
Royalty free downloadable loops and samples. Fill out the simple survey for access to free downloadable loops.

Mastering
Article produced by MusicRecording

Mastering: What It Is and Why You Shouldn't Do It In Yor Garage
Whether you've just been signed by Clive Davis, you're making a CD to sell on mp3.com, or composing underscore for a Sundance Film Festival entry; you'll be more competitive, more satisfied and more relaxed if you let a mastering pro finish the job. By Ron Boustead.

Mid-Side Mic Techniques for Video Production

Midi
Article produced by MusicRecording

Mixing Music
From the producers point of view includes monitor mixing, how to get a good mix, stereo format and a variety of other recording related subjects by MusicRecording

Music, Money & Sampling Part 1
by Jeffrey & Todd Brabec of ASCAP Covers the areas of Sampling and the implications to recording including permissions, negotiations and payments.

Music, Money and Sampling, Part 2
Sampling: When can you do it? Who has to approve it? How is the money divided? Read about these and other important issues. By Jeffrey and Todd Brabec.

Music-And-Technology.com
Resources for the Recording Musician. Message Board, How To Guides, Required Reading Book List, Links/Directory, and more.

Net Music Library.com
Royalty free downloadable productions music and sound effects for all forms of media.

Producing a Great Narrative Audio Track
Article produced by MusicRecording

The Programmer
Article produced by MusicRecording

Recording Voiceovers At Home
Need to setup a home studio to record voice narration for home videos, indie productions, commercials, and more? In this article, Jeffrey P. Fisher discusses what you need and how you can do it.

Recording Acoustic Guitars
Article by Intermusic

Recording Artist Videos
Since videos can in many cases be as important to your career as CDs, this entire area is critical to both the you and the record company. By Jeffrey and Todd Brabec.

Recording Midi Synchronized Vocals
Article by AFX.

Recording Studio Advice
A new series of articles provided by professional studio designer John Storyk starts with SMALL ROOMS -- LOW FREQUENCY CONTROL advice on Internal Room Acoustics and Home/Project Studio design at the Electric Blues Club.

Recording Studio Techniques
for the Record Producer and Recording by MusicRecording

Recording Vocals by Rick Ording
The article explains how to master the psycological and technical process of recording a singer including everything from preparation and mics to trouble shooting and mixing. Aimed at songwriters, dj's producers and sound engineers.

Recording Website
Community website with audio recording tips and techniques, articles and forums for home studio users of all levels. Articles include Making your own cables, Blending Vocals in the Mix and Recording Music on your PC.

Singing in a Recording Studio
Article by singing teacher to the stars 'Tona de Brett'.

Songwriters Guide to Demo Submission
gives you a free trial download of this book packed with independent music publisher listings, information on how to package your demo tapes like a pro, marketing your songs online, US songwriting organisations, contests and advice on legal clauses, writing demo and follow up letters (with free examples to copy) and how to avoid making common mistakes when pitching your songs.

Studio Recording Engineer **NEW**
An interesting forum for sound engineers and those who are interested in seeking a career as an audio engineer.

Sound Recording for Video
.pdf document http://www2.austincc.edu/buck/alt/altteach/video/Sound%20Recording.htm Provides tips and information on microphone suitability and sound set up for use with camcorders and video recording.

Speech Intelligibility
Factors that affect intelligibility in sound systems article from Meyer Sound Laboratories includes diagrams and charts.

Studio Building
for home and project studios by MusicRecording

The Secrets
Cult record producer Russell Writer (recently voted in the top ten of most creative record producers of all time) provides tips and behind the scenes info on some of his previous recorded works including film and tv tracks.

Tracking & Overdubbing
Recording and production articles produced by MusicRecording

UK Recording Studio Listings
Addresses and links to their websites are provided in the database / links section.

Vocals
Article on recording the singing voice from an engineers point of view by MusicRecording

Writer-Recording Artist Movie Song Contracts
How the money is distributed when the songwriter is also a recording artist, and is not only creating the song for the motion picture, but also performing it in both the film and on the soundtrack album. By Jeffrey and Todd Brabec.

MORE USEFUL LINKS :

Bandit newsletter
Informative newsletter letting you know what the record companies want and connecting you with A & R in the UK, Ireland and Worldwide.


Axon Entertainment
US Company providing song critique and A&R Connecting services.

HitQuarters.com
An excellent resource packed full of A&R articles, tips and advice plus a worldwide searchable database of A&R, Publishing & Labels which includes contact details!

Songwriter.co.uk
ISA - The International Songwriters Association. A great resource for all songwriters with members receiving a magazine which includes record labels currently seeking acts and their requirements plus a copyright recording facility. Also arranges Showcases for new talent.

Talent Scouts (London UK)
are dedicated to connecting talent with industry and industry with talent. Visit the UK site to advertise & meet new unsigned talent. All for FREE!!

The Talent Scout
UK Company acts as a bridge between companies & unsigned artists.

Record Companies
browse more links to record companies, labels and online promotional sources.

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