Why Pre-Production Still Matters

It wasn't all that long ago that if you wanted to record anything that sounded decent and involved more than eight tracks, you had to pack up your things and head to the nearest for-hire studio facility, where you were forced to work briskly in order to avoid paying dearly. That meant learning all chords, harmony parts, choosing the right tempo or figuring out an intro riff before the studio clock started ticking.

Even if you're just making masters under your own roof, the concept of "pre-production"-from working up an arrangement ahead of time, to ensuring songs are well-rehearsed, plus other preparatory points-still has its merits. Here are a few ideas for planning ahead the next time out.

Start with the song. Like any endeavor, the first piece of business is taking a top-down view of the song to get a sense of its basic structure, and how you'll go about successfully recording the work. At this point you may not have a definitive arrangement in mind, or perhaps you have several ideas but don't know which (if any) will work. Part of the pre-production process is getting ideas down in demo form so you can hear whether the track works best as a keyboard or guitar song, leans acoustic or electric (or both), and has room for vocal harmony or any other counterpoint. You should also be cognizant of tempo and determine if the song is better slightly accelerated, or slowed down. And of course you'll want to ensure that you or your designated vocalist can comfortably hit all the notes in the key you've selected.

Get set up. Once you have a suitable framework for the song, make a rough list of the equipment you'll need to get ready to record. Naturally the amount of prep time will vary depending on whether you're doing it piece by piece, or cutting live foundation tracks. While the latter approach poses more risk since you'll need to keep track of multiple moving parts simultaneously, when done right the rewards are often well worth the effort. This means taking into account how different microphones will interact with one another when in relatively close proximity, where to put the players in the room so there's ample separation without sacrificing comfort, and so forth.

Now's also the time to make sure your instruments are in good shape and are properly tuned, replacing guitar strings and/or changing drum heads as needed; similarly, check all instrument cables, plus pedals and their connectors, for any faults that could lead to a sudden electronic flare-up while you're recording.

Comparison study. During this prep phase you might also consider playing some of your favorite recordings as potential reference points for your new work. What is it about those tracks that never gets old? Listen to how the song is produced, paying particular attention to elements like the tone and presence of the lead vocal, the type of instruments used and their placement across the stereo field, as well as processing like reverb or compression.

Don't overdo the demo. Earlier we mentioned how demoing your new work allows you to build a blueprint for recording the actual master. As you may know, sometimes that initial sketch may contain moments of spontaneity that may be hard to get back-and yet artists have spent untold hours in the studio trying vainly to recapture that magic. What's the takeaway? For one, don't approach the demo like it's the master-rather than bringing in all kinds of musical ideas right away, try to keep the framework simple, putting down just enough material to get a sense of the song's structure and the kind of instrumentation you'll likely be using. You'll also want to get out a timer and check the duration of the song, the length of the intro, as well as how long it takes to get to a chorus, making adjustments as needed to tighten the work before you get started on the master.