Archive for 'July, 2010'

Recently I was interviewed for a weekly podcast for musicians where the topic of the day was how to take your demos to the point of a solid final mix. It’s not a surprise to me that most of us are interested in how to get our songs from “great idea” to “great recording”. In fact I wrote a while back about taking your demos to the next level. But sometimes just hearing an example of this process will go along way for getting you motivated to make it happen with YOUR songs.

A Complete Transformation

I recently had the pleasure of recording a worship band from Virginia. I also got to mix the project, which meant I could be a part of the entire process from scratch demo to sending in the master for replication.  Today I simply want to share one of the songs off of the record and let you compare the original demo that I received to the final track. The biggest differences you’ll notice other than just sound quality are a solid arrangement, emotion in the vocal performance, and dynamics. As you work on your own recordings, think about how these three elements could take your demos to the next level!

“Light Shining Out Of Darkness” Original Demo

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“Light Shining Out Of Darkness” Final Master

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Today is an exciting day…the post you are currently reading is my 100th post for The Recording Revolution! That’s right; 100 posts of recording tips, tricks, and video tutorials helping people like you make better music, now!

If you’ve hung around here long enough you’ve probably gathered that I’m of the belief that your mental approach and knowledge of the art of recording is more influential in the final outcome of your recordings than simply the gear you buy. But we still can’t make recordings without gear, and gear can be fun. Especially when it’s free!

Want Free Gear?

That being said, today I am starting a new contest. The prize is a brand spanking new Behringer V-Amp Pro Guitar Amp Modeling and Multi-Effects Processor. The V-Amp Pro is a killer rack unit solution for all of your guitar recording needs:

• 32 Amp Models with 15 speaker cabinet emulation
• Stereo multi-effects like chorus, flange, auto-wah, delay
• 24 bit/96 khz digital outs for direct recording to your rig

For a lot more info about this crucial piece of gear, head over to the product page at Behringer.com.

How To Win

First of all I want to thank Behringer for donating the V-Amp Pro for this contest. Not only does Behringer make great gear at real life prices, but they have been great friends to The Recording Revolution in recent months. And hooking me up with the V-Amp Pro to giveaway is no exception.

OK, on to the contest! The rules of this contest are super simple. The entire contest will take place on Facebook. Click here to head over to the contest details on my fan page. Thanks again for being a reader at The Recording Revolution. I hope you win!

There are many studies out there citing the evolution of our music industry (whether big label or local indie circuit) and artists can make money. They say that people no longer want to have to pay for music. Instead bands should giveaway their music for free and then sell other “experiences” (private shows, autographed merch, extra content, etc).

There is definitely a lot to be said for this new model of money making in music. But a recently released study from media selling giant Myxer reveals some encouraging news for us musicians…people are still buying a ton of music.

Now I’m not sure how many of you out there make a living (whether full or part time) off of your music, but this study is encouraging nonetheless. According to the study, “74% of Myxer users still buy CDs. 65%  attended a live music event in the past year and 55% of them bought something from the artist at the venue.” This is amazing news. Myxer users are people who download digital content all the time, and what we’re seeing is that a majority of these music lovers go to live shows, and half of those people drop cash at the venue.

What dos this mean for you practically as an artist? Three things are clear:

1. People still see value in recorded music, whether physical CDs or digital downloads. With so many ways to listen to music these days, you have to have quality recordings and keep creating content.
2. People still see value in live performances. If you want your recordings to be heard or to grow a fan base, you really have to get out there and play in front of people. There is more than just money to be made by gigging, the study above shows that every other person at your show will buy something from your merch table!
3. Doing both online promo and local shows is the way to go. You can’t stop the spread of digital downloads and music sharing online, so just ride the wave and make sure you don’t miss out on the incredible word of mouth potential the internet offers you. But at the same time get out and meet the real people who will buy your music in person. Both are sources of revenue and fan base growth.