Archive for February, 2009
I often wonder whether recording a new album or song has just become too easy in the last two decades. With the advancements in recording technology, it is possible to inexpensively make a recording and get it out. Prior to the miniaturization of equipment and reduction in cost of quality microphones, it took a large sum of money to record a song or whole album.
With new compact gear and computer recording technology, it has become possible to almost record a whole song or album in a personal project studio, mix it down and publish it to the whole world in a number of different methods. This fast paced production in some ways, I feel, has allowed music quality to become mediocre rather than good. Combined with artists who are not good lyric writers, the number of songs which are considered timeless have depleted. We still turn to recordings which were done in the old fashioned method with dedication, time, and talent.
It may be a mixture consisting of the record companies and the artists that have allowed this to happen. Since the record companies are not as daring as they once were to accept new material, artists are not willing to expend the time to create material which will be overlooked. If cookie-cutter is what is being sought after by the labels, than nothing new will ever transpire unless independent labels take over.
Author: Somit Bandyopadhyay
You play in a Band or are a Music composer or dream of becoming one… Your next big step is going to be making a timeless album…
Despite how far or near this event looks to you these seven steps should be clear to you in your mind. Helps to have a clear picture of the future you are about to embark on…
STEP 1: Ideation
The initial spark can come anywhere. Typically one band member or the composer will come up with a starting point which is typically a guitar riff or a musical piece on the Keyboards or the Piano. It is best to have all band members participate in the ideation stage so that the band is truly greater than the sum of the parts. However typically in many bands there is one person who is the creative director of the entire show.
As an individual composer, your initial spark can come from many sources including the songs and musical genres that you are currently listening. This is not the same as being “inspired” or illegally ripping off someone’s musical work. However keep listening to new genres of music to have an open mind and greater exposure.
STEP 2: Background Arrangement
Once you have an initial starting point you will need to arrange other pieces of music around the initial riff. Say for example you have a killer guitar riff (Say a progression of chords) you may want to start the song with it or use it as the verse or chorus or main melody.
The other pieced of music will act to support the rest of the song. For example if you use your initial riff in the chorus you may want to use a lighter version (say an arpeggio version) of the progression or some complementary riff for the verse. Other derived musical pieces could become the bridge or the intro to the song.
Once you have figured out the pieces of music you will have to arrange the entire background of the song from the start to the finish as you want it.
Arranging is mostly done on computers using a very powerful computers say for example a machine with a 4/8 Core Intel/Mac processor. Various software like Logic can be used for arrangements. However if you are recording demo versions at home this can be done on much less powerful machines… even of your laptop!
STEP 3: Recording
Now as a composer or a band you need to bring in other instruments and/or vocals and record them separately.
For example you feel your composition could use a sitar solo in between or a Carnatic vocalist for backing vocals. (This is the stage to let your imagination soar!) The possibilities are limitless.
Once the lead parts of the song are recorded we can move on to the next part.
STEP 4: Music Production:
At this stage you may still want to nail a particular feel and add more instruments and effects. You may add or edit certain effects to the various musical parts you have recorded so far. The amount of processing you can do for each of the tracks you have recorded is again endless.
A word of caution: There is a point of time whereby you will not achieve much by spending sleepless nights tweaking some process into the tracks. Just be aware when to move on to the next stage! There are bands and composers who spend forever trapped in production! Just see where you draw the line between perfectionism and paranoia.
STEP 5: Mixing
This is where you give everything you have produced so far to a mix engineer and give him a basic idea of what you want to achieve in terms of the sound. The Mix Engineer will thereafter mix the song and give it the correct treatment. A mix engineer’s tool is of course the multiple Channel Mixer. In a typical professional setting it could be a 24 channel mixer with the ability to process any number of tracks.
STEP 6: Mastering
Once you are through with each of the above 5 Steps for each song that you want on your album you are ready to move into the penultimate step which is Mastering the Album.
The tracks which are produced so far are sent to a Mastering Facility where the final EQ adjustment including equalising the loudness of all the tracks takes place. The tools for this purpose used are Mastering Boxes.
STEP 7: Replication
The Mastered Tracks that are so produced are then finally sent to (hopefully!) your label company for final replication and distribution into hopefully millions of CDs.
Of course now that you album is ready for distribution you will have to make a huge effort to promote the album. That would require a lot many steps and in case you are an independent artist without the backing of a Music Label these initial steps are going to be a very difficult. Yet there is no need to lose hope if you are a band or composer who has found his sound the audience is out there. Make the effort and reach out to your audience. Use the internet to promote your music.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/the-7-steps-to-making-a-great-music-album-762567.html
About the Author:
Somit Bandyopadhyay is a Music Composer, Writer and hosts the Website 4guysformusic.com! The website offers a lot of resources for budding music lovers, musicians and composers including music tutorials, equipment reference, free classifieds, forums, music Genres and Artists.
Contact: 4guysformusic@gmail.com
Everyone is encouraged as a young child to do one or two things, play a sport or learn an instrument. Both play very important roles in a person’s life. Sports teaches teamwork, something that we all need to be able to do with other people. Teamwork teaches being able to rely on others to get a job done. If we don’t learn this we become skeptic of others. The other piece that sports teaches us is coordination and quick response. Unfortunately, as we age the ability to play sports diminishes.
Music on the other hand does something unique. It makes connections in the brain that enforce creativity. Without creativity we become dull. Since playing an instrument requires two hands and each hand is controlled by a different side of the brain, music does something else for human development. It establishes bridges in the brain’s synapses for both sides to come together and work in unison. Whatever instrument it may be, whether it be piano, guitar, violin, or the bag pipes, we become better thinkers and creators. Unlike sports, music can be shared and continued well into life’s later years when the ability to actively play sports is behind us.
I was playing on the Internet looking around a different web sites of current artists. I could not help but notice something very unique on the Jonas Brothers official web site. There was a clear picture taken with a piano, but not just any piano; it was with a Baldwin piano.
Seeing a Baldwin piano on stage with a popular artist is not normal. Most of the time that popular artists have pianos for a number or two, they are using the traditional Yamaha piano. The number of times that I have seen a Baldwin on stage with an artist I can count on two hands. When I saw this picture, I was elated to see this.
I have been a pianist for over twenty years and have done most of my playing and writing on a Baldwin baby grand. So, anytime I get to see or hear a Baldwin piano, it does something to me inside. There is just something about the sound of a Baldwin piano that is different from the other pianos on the market. So, seeing an endorsement for Baldwin by the Jonas Brothers was a huge thing for me.
Writing a hit song takes practice, but relies on one’s ability to tell a story. Like a good book, the author will pull the reader into the work as if they are there with the characters in the story. Songwriting is very much the same. The songwriter has to use literary imagery to make the song connect with the person. If the person does not feel or comprehend the same feelings, the song will just be that, a song.
Even though songwriting has its unique forms to follow, it all comes down to the writing of lyrics that the listener will sympathize with and understand. For example, any songwriter that writes about a breakup of a relationship will be able to have listeners understand because everyone has had those feelings. On the other hand, if we talk about a personal situation that someone else would not know, we need to paint a bigger picture containing more details about the story.
I’m not discounting that the musical portion is not important. Trust me, it is! Any good songwriter will use create a “hook” that will keep bringing listeners back to that song or album. In other words, we need to create that section that will continuously play in your head all day. A carefully crafted song should affect the mind like a drug affects the mind.
A great song will grab us, lure us into the story. It should take us from beginning to a climax where we are in great anticipation of what is going to happen and then resolve at the end. Without this recipe in a song or any piece of music, the listener will be lost or loose complete interest in the song. That is why songs from years ago still are played on the radio today. The listeners are hooked and want more. At the same time, the song become part of them. When the song is over, there is a desire for more. If this recipe were to be followed the way it used to be followed, the music of today would be as good as it was years ago.
Life without music would be horrible. It is the rhythm of our lives. It is what keeps us going on our daily routines. It could be thought of as the soundtrack to our being. Much like the cadences that armies march to, whatever beat is in our head, is the cadence which keeps us all moving.
Some of us have a talent to be able to create music to not only make ourselves feel better but also others. It is an art that some of us have that requires sharing. In sharing it, we become better people. We have always as a people come together with music to share in celebrations and mourning. Music truly is a part of human nature and will continue to be for generations. We should never forget that and creating it needs to continue and be encouraged.