The Job of the producer

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A great way to optimize your time in the studio is to do some pre-production before you begin the actual recording process. This can include planning where and when you will record, setting a budget, deciding the number of songs you will put on your CD and what producer and engineer you want to work with, among other things.

It is all about planning and preparation. Remember, no one plans to fail, but a lot of people fail to plan! For this article I am going to focus on the recording aspect of pre-production. Think of it as the recording you do before you record. I would recommend that you keep it simple and as inexpensive as possible.The idea is to discover what you need to do (change, improve) before you start racking up studio time.

Remember that your CD project will be under tremendous scrutiny. You want your performance in the studio to be as confident as possible. This is a great opportunity to rehearse what you will do in the studio. It will also save you time and money in the long run.

Now with digital recording "relatively inexpensive" musicians may want to go at it alone. If you have the time to learn how to work the equipment, and the financial resources, putting together your own project studio around a DAW or digital recorder is the way to go. However there are some advantages to hiring out too.

In addition to the financial savings, you can spend more time concentrating on the music and less time on figuring out the equipment, and by working with someone else you gain an additional "set of ears"... an outside perspective on your music, sound and performance that can really be invaluable.

Here at In the Jar Studios you can work with one of our producers to take your music to the next level. Our producers will schedule an appointment with you to discuss your project in detail. Set up a budget with you to record a 3 - 4 song demo. Our producers will help you get the best out of your recording and keep you on budget.

 We schedule a time for a live recording of all possible songs for the demo, make a live recording. The quickest way to hear what you sound like is to record as many instruments live ( all playing together at once) as possible.

For the purposes of pre-production, it isn't really necessary to mic every thing. From these recordings we will study what we hear, Is the band in time? This is important.

The producer will prepair a click track for the songs choosen so that the band can rehearse to it. I know that there are bands that don't use a click, and that is their choice but most quality music is in time.

The next thing to address is pitch. This is usually an issue concerning vocals, but not exclusively. There are some guitar players who will play out of tune by squeezing the strings too hard. It is important that you correct everybody's pitch issues. An out of tune performance can totally kill a great song.

If appropriate we will discuss backup vocals or harmonies. As these type of suggestions could really bring the song to life. If your ready to take your music to the next level give us a call

Listen to our podcast Sounds Around Town Podcast.

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Arrange a preproduction meeting

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Lets set up a time to discuss your project. Call us at (713)447-2274 .

It is a long established fact that if you don't have a plan might as well be planning to fail.

A preproduction meeting will insure that you know where the studio is located,your goals are set, a date and time is established to get your recording project moving towards completion.

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