Planning How To Record

There are many ways in which you can plan to record your song to get the best results. Depending on the type of track you are using would be a good starting point. It is also important to note that recording a track using synthetic software (often used in popular music) would be very different to recording instruments. Hence, your planning would be much different also. Lets look at these in some detail.

 

Instrumental Recording.
If you are recording real instruments separately there are some tips you can follow to make the recording process run more smoothly. Firstly, it's always a good idea to use a guitar or keyboard to record the chords of your song as a sketch or guideline and this sketch can be removed later on from the recording. if you have this then you can build the song around these chords. Some find it easier to record from the bottom, up.

 

Meaning you can record the bass line, followed by the percussion and then move onto your chords or riffs. To many people, this process minimizes human timing errors that cannot be corrected by recording software, unlike if you were to use synthetic sounds.

 

Synthetic Recording.
If you aren't lucky enough to have a full band or orchestra behind you, there are some excellent synthetic instrument software out there that can give you very real sounds. These are generally used in popular/RnB tracks. If you use this, the best way to record differs and depends widely on the type of song.

 

Some people write lyrics first or melody lines and some can hear the track in their head before anything else. Should you have the entire song written before you have made a recording then a lot of people would favour making the track first.

 

While making the track using midi software such as Reason or Garageband, again, recording from the bottom up is favorable. These softwares can correct any timing errors automatically and can be very useful and time saving. You can also easily record and delete different ideas throughout the track, more easily than if you were using real instruments.

 

Vocal Recording.
When it comes to recording your vocals, the best way is widely opinionated. However, in terms of timing and articulation, its always best to rehearse over the real track after you have finished it, this will help you with any finishing touches you may want to add or even remove. Once you have the song ready, you can record the real vocals. Sometimes recording over the real track can be distracting as it will likely have many instruments playing at once, so some people prefer to create a sketch track consisting of the drum beat and some chords as a guideline. then, when the vocals are finished it can be grafted over the real track so you can begin mastering and editing the completed song.

 

When it comes to planning your recording there are many different ways to do so that will get you the best results. Some people find one way easier than another and others will find a completely different way creates their desired results. It is important that you find the way in which you are most comfortable and stick to it.

 

If you are having trouble with the recording process and really want to improve your skills then it might be worth your while to look at attending a music production school.