Chapter 2 – “The Guide”

Hello friends,

After choosing which song I’m going to work with, it was time to get started with the production. I made a few decisions about the Style and Instrumentation for the song, and it was time to lay down the first tracks. At the end of this stage I should have what I call a ‘Guide’ or a ‘Reference Track’ to my song – ‘Love has never been a Friend of Mine’

The ‘Guide’ is basically a sketch of the song from start to finish. I’ll typically start things off by creating (or finding) a Drum Pattern that works well with what I’m playing, Record one or two Guitar Tracks on top of that, some Vocals, and keep going from there.

I’d like to say at this point that there are an endless number of ways to approach the Production of a song. Depending on the style of music, personal preferences and experiences, whether you’re recording a Live Band, and a variety of other factors (like the equipment that you have, your budget, etc.)

In other words, there isn’t one Right way to go about producing and/or writing a song, but personally, I’m a bit old school when it comes to Songwriting. I’m the “Type” that writes with an instrument, a pen, and a blank sheet of paper. In most cases I won’t record anything unless I have a clear vision of what a song is about. With that said, once the song is written and the ‘Guide’ is finished, I’ll start experimenting with different ideas and sounds. We’ll get to that when we get there…

Equipment List:

1. Home Studio Desk

* (a) Mac-Book Pro, (b) M-Box Mini, (c) Pro-Tools, (d) Behringer 2030’s (monitors).

2. 320GB USB Hard Drive

* Backing-Up, having the ability to transfer the song files quickly from studio to studio.
A necessary tool indeed!

3. Mic & Tuner

* Shure SM-58, and a Guitar tuner (very important to be in tune at all times).

4. Headphones

* I have to make sure that my fiancé (and neighbors) don’t get sick of the song before it’s finished.

5. Taylor 814-CE

* What a beauty!

6. Fender Jazz Bass (made in Japan)

* No need to explain.

And after about 4-5 Hours of work we have our ‘Guide’...

* This is what my 'Pro-Tools' Session looks like so far.
(a) One Vocal Track, (b) Three Guitar Tracks, (c) One Bass Track, and (d) the Drum Loop that got us started.
You may have also noticed the 3 Tracks that are colored Green.
These are 3 FX Channels that I was using while I was recording (named accordingly), but I’ll get into more detail about that in ‘Chapter 3’.

At this point, I think that the next step should be working on the Drum Tracks. The loop that I had originally created (in a program called Reason) has only Kick Drums & Snares - which I have been using up to now just to play in time. By creating solid Drum Tracks I’ll have more definition between the different parts of the song (the Versus & Choruses), and a better representation of the dynamics within the song.

One of the burning issues with regards to this production is recording the Piano Tracks that I have planned for this song. With this in mind, I’ve booked already some studio time at SAE (my school), in THE Studio that has THE Grand Piano in its Recording Area.

Beyond that, I’m definitely going to re-record everything with the equipment at SAE. The Microphones, Pre-Amps, Compressors, and Recording Consoles will make a huge difference in terms of the Sound Quality of each individual track. With that said, due to time constraints, I’m going to make sure that I have everything prepared in advance, and that I know what I’m going to play when I step into THE Studio.

Oh, that just reminded me that I have to find a friend who will let me borrow an Electric Guitar!
And the craziness begins...

* Feel free to leave comments about anything. Ask questions about anything. Or just show some love.
Best wishes, Gigs