PLANNING YOUR ALBUM A - Z ( PART 1a)

B. RECORDING STEPS

Recording is part science and part art. There's no right

way to record but many have an opinion about it. We'll

stay out of the debate and keep our tips here simple:

1. Make Mixes, Listen, Get Feedback, and Repeat

Record your parts, listen, get ideas, and make decisions on

what to change, add, or re-record. When filming movies, directors get copies of what was filmed that day (called "dailies"). You'll want to get mixes of

what you recorded so you can get feedback, get new ideas, make any necessary changes, and

make sure you're on track. Get others to listen to your tracks and elicit feedback.

2. Make Final Mixes

When the time comes, you'll produce the final mix. Listen to the final mixes on many speakers

to hear how it sounds. Mastering your album after mixdown is highly recommended, and if

you plan to do this, make a full mix, as well as one with instruments only and vocals only.

The mastering house can use these to make your vocals stand out. Keep in mind that while

mastering can make good mixes sound great, it can't always make a bad mix sound good.

C. MASTERING and POST-PRODUCTION STEPS

Mastering is frequently misunderstood by musicians.

Often it's seen as an extra step that's not necessary.

This misconception can be easily dispelled when you hear

what a mastering studio can do for your music. Getting

your album mastered will (among other things) equalize

the entire album, edit minor flaws, eliminate hum and hiss,

apply noise reduction, adjust stereo width, adjust volumes,

and add dynamic expansion and compression. Mastering

can help with licensing, and can get your album noticed and

played by radio, the web, and other media outlets where

the quality of the sound can mean almost as much as the

quality of the song.

With more and more musicians recording at home, professional mastering can make even more of an impact. As

Brian Lipski, senior mastering engineer at the SoundLab,

at Disc Makers says, "If you're recording and mixing in a

small project studio, with less than ideal acoustics and only

a small set of near field monitors, be aware that certain

frequency ranges (particularly the low end) may not be

reproduced accurately. Over the course of many days or

weeks working in this environment, your ears will become

used to this inaccurate sound and you will tend to over mix

or EQ those frequencies to compensate. The result may be

a mix that sounds severely unbalanced when played back

on systems outside of the studio." Given the tools and

experience mastering engineers have, they can identify

the problem areas of a mix and "fix it" so as to help

you achieve a balanced mix — one that sounds great

regardless of the system it's playing on

HEAR WHAT MASTERING

CAN DO FOR YOUR MUSIC

Writing about mastering is like

cooking about ballet. It needs to be

heard to be understood. You can

check out before-and-after samples

of Disc Makers' mastering house,

the SoundLab, online here.

Better yet, they'll send you a free

CD comparing before-and-after

samples so you can hear it on your

home sound system. But don't just

listen to the CD on your best system

— challenge it. Compare the before-

and-after sound quality in your car,

through your TV, on a boom box,

and over headphones with a

portable CD player. Put it through

the test. You'll hear the difference

in each of these settings and come

away with a better understanding

of what mastering is and how it can

really put the polish on your music.

To get a free CD demonstrating the

differences between a non-mastered

track and a mastered one, head here.

https://www.discmakers.com/request/Special_soundlab.aspx

1. Choose a mastering house

Although you need to record somewhere local to you, you are not tied to home for mastering.

Mastering houses are only as good as the specialists they employ. When looking for a quality

mastering house, you'll want to hear examples of their work and determine if it's the right sound

for you. For example, Disc Makers has their SoundLab mastering house, which has been used

by a variety of artists ranging from Eminem, Jason Newsted of Metallica, and the Roots

2. Have the right formats and ask what files they need

Confirm with the mastering house which format they require for your music (i.e. wav file,

CD, but never MP3.). For instance, the SoundLab at Disc Makers will accept your music on CD,

data disc (CD or DVD), analog reel, or DAT.

Most musicians think mastering houses work with only your final mix, however some will ask

you to prepare two separate mixes — one with a mix of just the music and another with just the

vocals. This allows them to adjust the vocals in the mix so they're not too loud or buried in the

mix. It also allows them to make "radio edits" by dropping obscenities so radio can play the

song over the airwaves.

3. Decide the order of the songs on the album

This can be one of the hardest parts (especially if you're in a band as everyone has an opinion!),

but determine your preferred song running order for the album ahead of time so you don't

waste time on the clock debating your song order.

4. Decide on the amount of "space" between songs

A mastering house usually helps with this as the space between the songs helps set the pace of

the album. Sometimes you'll want the next tune to kick in immediately, other times you'll need

to give a song some time to breathe before launching into the next song

D. LEGAL STEPS

Before you can ask Disc Makers to mass produce copies of your disc, there are a few legal

issues to clear first. You are required to sign a release form declaring that all the music on your

album is original and "owned" by you. If all your music is original, you'll check that box and

move on. However, if you record any cover songs or incorporate any copyrighted samples or

loops, you have to provide proof that you received the proper permissions. That's where the

next steps come in.

1. Document who owns the songs and sound recordings

If you're in a band or collaborating, co-writing, and co-recording your music with another

person, you should document who wrote what while you're making it.

Items you should document include:

• Who owns the copyright in the song and/or how writing is split among the songwriters.

• Who owns the sound recording(s).

Additionally, you should document who the publisher is.

2. Get permission to record any cover songs, samples, or loops

Cover songs are any songs that you or your band members did not write. For instance, if you

decide to record your own version of "Freebird," you need to get permission from the copy-

right owner and pay a license fee to duplicate it. All CD manufacturers will ask you to guarantee

that you've done this before printing any copies of your disc. This is true even if you have no

intention of selling your version of the cover song. It's the duplication of it that makes it a

"copy" under the law, not selling it.

Additionally, any samples and loops you incorporate into your music need to be cleared as well.

One way around this is to use samples and loops that are already pre-cleared and royalty-free.

Most sample libraries or discs sold at music retail stores and sites are royalty-free. Also, some

musicians create and release their own pre-cleared and royalty-free samples and loops licensed

under Creative Commons. For example, ccmixter is one such resource

3. Clear the legal status of all the artwork

Just like you need permission to use cover songs, you'll need permission to use any graphics,

fonts, or photographs you don't own. One way around this is to use pre-cleared and royalty-

free artwork.

4. Clear the legal status of all the text

If you intend to print the lyrics to a cover song you got permission to record, this needs a

separate license. It's one thing to get permission to record the cover song, it's another to

type out the lyrics. Under the law, there are actually two different things that you're copying.

As a result, you'll need to get permission to copy the lyrics to the liner notes of your album.

If you don't, it's best to leave them off. (And, yes, technically you need permission from the

songwriters of your original songs to reprint their lyrics!)

5. Get permission for guest musicians (if needed)

Ever see a sentence in a CD's liner notes that reads: "So-and-so guest musician appears

courtesy of so-and-so label?" This is usually due to exclusivity clauses in the label's contract

that bind the musician to the label. To the extent you collaborate or work with a musician

signed to a label, you'll need the label's permission for them to participate. You'll want to

ask the guest musician if this is something that needs to be done.