How do I make a music demo?

This depends on a huge list of factors, starting with production. I am going to assume you don’t know how to produce otherwise the title of this article would be, ‘How do I produce my own song!’

Making a music demo looks simple on the surface but dig a little deeper and there is a lot to get right. First off, our concern should be with the song you are looking to record, but remember to leave some breathing space for the producer to add his/her abilities too. If you choose a producer whom you know is a competent and skilled writer, you will end up with a better-finished product if you invite his/her input.

However, most producers will not help with the vocal melody/tune so make sure your tune is good first! But here I go again, I’m not about to start writing about how to write a song or the title of this article would read, ‘How do I write a good song’!

I think choosing your music studio producer would rank as one of the most important aspects of recording a demo. Madonna used to search for upcoming producers when she started out and she obviously had a knack of finding the right people for her. Think of your producer as your partner, their sound and their style will become your sound and your style.

So how do I find a good music producer to make my music demo?

If you have lots of money you would listen to your favourite songs and call the guys that produced it! If however you are looking for a small studio with big talent you will need to start by making sure the producer understands your music style inside and out.

It’s relatively easy to produce any style of music once you get to a certain level, but be wary of producers who say they’ll produce any style because they may miss the subtlety’s of the genre your going for. That is not to say you should choose someone who only does Hip Hop for example (if you’re a rapper), as knowing about other music styles is important, but make sure they live and breath hip hop and understand what you are trying to achieve and the culture associated with Hip Hop.

To find a good producer would involve talking to other artists in your music field and searching online for recoding studios. Listen to their previous work and ask how long it took to do the songs they show you, there’s no point them blowing you away with a song that took them a week when you may only be able to afford one day in the studio.

Searching for key phrases like ‘London recording studio’ (if you live in London) should bring up a lot of results and most good studios have examples on their website for you to listen to.

Next, phone them up and talk with them, you must get a good vibe because if you do end up working with a certain producer you will need to feel comfortable and on a level as being creative is a very personal thing. If you feel nervous or awkward you will not get good results.

Preparing for the recording studio

Saving time means saving money so make sure you are prepared and know what you want to achieve whilst in the studio. Get your lyrics right before you go to the studio and practice singing your song over and over until you know the lyrics off by heart. Knowing the lyrics off by heart will mean you are totally comfortable with the timing of the phrases and also it will allow you to relax and express more emotion as you can actually think about the words instead of reading and trying to ‘keep up’.

My rule of thumb for producing music is to record fast and mix slow. When the producer is making the beat, try and get all your ideas down fast and leave the engineer as much time as you can afford to mix the song. Mixing means tweaking the levels and Eqs, which sounds basic but makes the world of difference to the end product and is time consuming.

You should not need too much time for your vocals as you will be so well rehearsed, just make sure you have delivered well and that there is energy and life in your vocals. Usually a lack of energy is the main thing that lets a song down in my experience.

Completing your music demo

Now that the song is finished you may want to live with it for a week or so and go back to the studio for a couple hours to tweak certain parts, but if you are happy with it you should start playing it to people and ask for their feedback. Try and get honest feedback because that will be the only way you will improve. It is very hard to be objective about yourself so asking others may alert you to areas you need to work on, or areas that they like that you can develop further.

Back to Recording Studio Articles

Social Bookmarking