Pre Production: The art of saving time and money and having fun

Making music is an art. But, behind any art form, just beyond view of the untrained eye, is a science. The stage of Pre-production holds much of that science and is too often overlooked in the creative process of most artists. Thankfully, with a few tips, this process can be pretty simple. A little extra time on the front end will always lead to a noticeable improvement in the process of mixing, mastering, and the overall sound of your project.

What is Pre-Production

Pre-production can be defined pretty openly, but a basic definition can be stated as all of the work done on a song or project before the recording starts. This can encompass a lot of things depending on the project, but it is always a vital part. It’s tempting now to get swept up in gear talk and focus on the importance of microphones, preamps, effects, mixing and mastering. But, these are all just elements that are meant to capture “the song” which is conceived, developed and really formed in the pre-production stage.

The Three Essential Questions

The pre-production process will be completely different for each project, but it can all come down to asking yourself just three simple, but loaded questions. Ideally, these questions should be explored as in depth as possible and if outsourcing for recording, it can be beneficial to write them down or at least be ready communicate them in detail to your engineers.

1. What are we going to play/record?

The point of this question is to lead us towards taking those song ideas and solidifying them as much as possible before actually heading to the studio. This means rehearsing the potential songs and analyzing which ones are the strongest and possibly cutting the ones that may not be as developed. Then, maybe you want to clearly write down your song structure and tempos to ensure everyone involved knows exactly what’s going on in each song. To refine it even further, you may want to use a basic recorder and capture your rehearsals to use as an example for your musicians and engineers as well as a reference throughout the session. Once we know exactly what we’re going to be tracking, let’s move on to question #2.

2. How are we going to play it?

This is the question that leads us to the organizational side of things. When we look into this, it pushes us to figure out all of the more tangible aspects that will need to be covered to recreate what is being recorded. A good place to start is instrumentation. This is not just knowing what instruments are being used overall, but for which songs, and in what context within the song. This can be a big factor in determining the flow of the session. For example, if a guitar player has a firm understanding of the effects to be used on a song section, to a recording engineer this must be approached differently than a section where the tone is still not firmly decided by the group. Having a firm understanding of this and instrumental arrangements helps to show how much work will need to be done in the overdubbing processes as well. Another factor to consider here is vocal arrangement. Knowing exactly where those harmonies sit before stepping up to the microphone can be a huge time saver. Once these two questions have been addressed, then it’s time to move on to question #3.

3. Do we have everything we need before we start recording?

Now that we have a pretty firm grasp on all things musical, somebody has to be the one to handle the boring details. This means thinking forward to the session itself and understanding the logistics that will be necessary to ensure that no one has to think about anything other than the music in the session. The first issue that should come to mind is budgeting. Beyond the obvious expense of paying for the studio time and engineer, be sure that the budgeting for the mixing, mastering, and duplication is already set aside and isn’t going to be threatened should the project be delayed or should extra expenses arise.

This also would be the time to take care of the nuts and bolts of the equipment. Make sure your instrument (voice included) is in good shape before showing up to the session. Some commonly overlooked things to check before a session are; drum heads, guitar strings tuned and changed, gear wiring functioning quietly, 9v batteries, and drum sticks.

Another small tip that may be helpful here is to set up a general recording schedule blocked off into hours. This can give you a visual representation of the expected work flow. For example, if an outside musician is being recorded in 2 out of 12 songs, then those songs could be placed on the same day to save time.

If you have managed to plan this far, then it’s time to reward yourself with a little extra comfort. Make sure your beers and snacks are well stocked. The more comfortable and at home you are in the studio, the more seamless your music comes across.

The Pre Production Meeting
The dynamic between the engineer and the artist is another factor that can make or break a record. Having everyone on the same page and focusing on the same goal is a necessity when maintaining a smooth work flow and open communication. We always encourage artists to participate in pre-production meetings with the engineers. This eliminates the barrier of unfamiliarity before the time clock starts ticking, and it is a great time to get all of the gear moving and business out of the way and start the collaborative process in a much less time sensitive environment.

Of course we all know that unexpected things will always happen, and often this is where the inspiration for amazing things can come from. The purpose of these tips is not to over plan each session, but to build a firm framework for the creativity to build upon. These tips are really more of a way to form a best case scenario that may not always work out, but by just understanding and acknowledging the importance of pre production, you’ve already helped your recording.

Best of luck with your next project!


Comments

One response to “Pre Production: The art of saving time and money and having fun”

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