Recording a Demo

Posted on September 27, 2007
Filed Under: Recording, Promotion

Ah, the demo. Simultaneously every new band’s calling card and nemesis, the first thing every band wants to do (and rightfully so) is to record a demo. As part of a press kit (previously discussed here) the demo should be the crowning jewel of your promotional package. The one trap that many bands fall into is trying to create the perfect radio ready recording which leads them down a spiral of increasing cost for minimal gain. In fact, the demo need not be expensive or of professional quality as long as it accurately reflects your band’s sound and style.

Home or Studio?
One of the first questions that you need to answer is whether you’ll be recording at home or in a professional studio. With the ever increasing selection of home recording equipment and software it is entirely possible to record a great demo without ever stepping foot in a studio. On the other hand, a quality recording produced and mixed at a professional studio will nearly always sound much better than the best home effort. The overriding factor when making this decision is typically cost. Recording 2 or 3 tracks at a studio can often cost around $300-$400 which, while not an exorbitant amount of money, is often more than a new band is willing to pay. On the other hand, home recording equipment is not free. In fact, it can often cost more to acquire all of the equipment you’ll need than if you were to pay for studio time. If you have access to any home recording equipment and/or software (ask any musician friends if they have anything you can borrow), and if you have a decent ear for mixing, it is often best to record at home and put that money towards other band or promotional projects (press kits, merchandise, equipment, etc…).

This is a demo, not a full release. Get it close and get it done.

Live or Multi-Track?
Another question to consider is whether you want to record the band live or if you want a multi-track recording. The answer really depends on what type of band you are. Loud rock or party bands can often create a more energetic sound if recorded live while more technical or musically complex bands can benefit from the full flexibility of multi-track recording. If you’re band is tight and can lay out a couple of solid tracks with minimal retakes then live recording may be a good option. The downside is that there is very little tweaking that can be done during mixing if any one instrument is too loud or too low so you’ll need to check and double check your levels before putting the track to tape. The upside is that it will drastically reduce the time it takes to record which, if you’re paying for studio time, is huge. Even if you’re recording the band live it is sometimes a good idea to have the vocals recorded on a separate track. This hybrid approach provides some limited flexibility when mixing while still keeping the overall recording time down.

The Equipment
It almost goes without saying (I said almost, I’m still going to say it) that you need to make sure all of your equipment is in good working order. Guitars and bass should be tuned up and it is a good idea to put on new strings as well. They will sound much better through the board than older or worn out strings. Drums should have new skins and be properly tuned. All drum hardware should be inspected and oiled, if necessary, to avoid any unwanted squeaks or pops. You’ll get the best guitar and bass sound if you plug directly into the board. You can also have a miked speaker in another room (to avoid bleed through from other instruments) to create a more full sound if you have the time or desire to set this up. Drums should have a mic on each drum and two condenser mics set up to capture the cymbals. Again, you can also have additional mics set up to capture the room sound but only if your drums are isolated from the rest of the band. Otherwise the bleed through from the other instruments would make the additional mics useless.

Keep it Short
Once you’re ready to start recording it’s best to keep one thing in mind. First of all, keep things short. It doesn’t pay (literally) to sit in the studio for hours and hours trying to perfect one particular track. This is a demo, not a full release. Get it close and get it done. Nobody expects a demo to be perfect.

The Aftermath
Once you’re done recording it’s time for mixing. This is actually an entirely optional part of the process (especially if you’re home recording) but if you have the time it is well worth it. If you’re recording in a studio, the engineer will be doing the mix. You can certainly add your input but he will be doing most of the work. If you’re mixing at home you’ll want to keep things simple and short. If you’re doing your own mixing it is often best to wait a few days after recording before starting the mixing process. It will give your ears a break (if you had a particularly loud session) and will let you approach the tracks from a new perspective. Again, this is a demo there’s no need to start introducing crazy effects or sounds to the mix. Get the levels set, clean up any major issues and be done with it.

Always lead with your best song. You’ve got 30 seconds or so to make an impact so leave out the extended intros.

Another completely optional process is mastering. Mastering (which uses EQ and compression to level out the sound) is not really necessary for a demo recording in most cases. Mastering will increase both the cost of the demo (if you send the tracks to an outside company) and the time it takes to get your final product. If you’re home recording, just mix everything down so that the levels are good and use that as your master.

CD Duplication
There are a ton of options out there for duplicating your now mixed and recorded demo. They range from cheap to expensive and which one you use is entirely up to you.

Homemade copies - You can use your computer’s CD burner to make your own copies and then use any of the number of CD sticker labels and CD insert card packages available to create your own finished product. The upside is that this is very inexpensive. You can get a spindle of CD-Rs for dirt cheap and a couple of label and insert packages for about the same price. The downside is that that this looks cheap (perhaps not ironically because it IS cheap). I know I’ve been saying that your demo doesn’t need to be perfect (and it doesn’t, really) but you do want to put your best foot forward. If this is your only option then that’s fine, go for it. However, getting your CDs professionally duplicated can really help your case.
CD Duplication - There’s a multitude of CD duplication companies that can create professional looking copies of your demo for relatively little money. Places like Superdups and Diskfaktory are good examples. Of course, their best deals are reserved for bulk orders but almost every one of these companies can do short runs (as few as 5-10 copies) for $4-$5 a piece. This is a little pricey but you’ll get a printed CD (no sticker labels) and professionally printed liner card or CD jacket. You’ll want to shop around a bit since you’ll get different prices at different places, some will use CD-Rs and some won’t, etc. You don’t need to get too fancy for the demo (unless you have the money and you want to spend it), you should be just fine sticking with a fairly basic package.

Recording a demo doesn’t need to be a complex or nerve-wracking process. Just keep things short and simple.

Don’t spend more money than you have to.
Keep it short. 2-3 songs, tops.
Always lead with your best song. You’ve got 30 seconds or so to make an impact so leave out the extended intros.

What’s next? It’s time to get the promotion train in motion. A good place to start is here. If you have any tips or helpful advice from your own demo recording experience please share in the forums.