About recording demos:

cottonmouth · Post by **cottonmouth** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:30 am

Who here has ever recorded a demo? I want to hear some stories about renting studios, how much time you got, how much mixing time, what did you pay for it, how much songs you got in, how many takes etc. Also, what was the demo intended for, promotion material, selling at gigs? Was there many stage experience before the time of recording? Input appreciated comrades

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 9:02 am

I've mostly recorded all my own demos. The very first one I recorded became a full-length CD and it was recorded in my house. It's no Boston album, but it wasn't too bad.

I've only played at a studio I paid for once. The best advice is to practice all the songs you are going to record until you got them locked. Make sure you know what everyone else is doing because there is nothing worse than finding out, while the clock is ticking, that someone is playing something no one else noticed before.

Bang out the demos live, as a group. I've used them as promotional tools but with studio equipment being as affordable as it is, they should sound pretty good. Demos I have recorded have been played on the radio, so there's no excuse for having a ratty-sounding recording in this day and age.

washburnML · Post by **washburnML** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 5:53 pm

PflÃ¶yd wrote: Demos I have recorded have been played on the radio

cool

Lord of This World · Post by **Lord of This World** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:33 pm

yeah i can make studio quality recordings on my computer with a 30 dollar recording program. you just have to learn to record and mix well.

Lando Griffin · Post by **Lando Griffin** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:07 am

I've recorded in studios three times. The first time I was about 15 and we weren't ready and it was a waste of time, and I think it was $600 for a 4 song demo (I forget). It included all the time we needed to get our shit done, and mixing.

A few years later we recorded an 8 song "album" at this other studio for $25 an hour (which is REALLY, REALLY cheap, especially in new york). We had to pay for recording AND mixing time. That was basically to sell at gigs and all that shit, and it took a much longer time to finish it than I thought. I think it's mostly cause we weren't really experienced at all in terms of gigs AND recording, as well as just having your shit down as a band (basically, what pfloyd said about finding out that someone was playing something that doesn't fit, etc.). After we recorded that "album", I always made a rule to myself that it always takes 3 times as long to record shit than you originally plan out, because there are always ideas that you come up with on the spot while you're recording and listening to your songs over and over (plus the process DOES take a while). Like I said though, that was probably mostly due to inexperience.

About half a year after that we re-recorded 3 songs from that album shiiiit to make a promo demo. Same studio, but $400 a song for all the pre-production, recording, and mixing time we needed. At this time we've played some gigs, had some members that have been in for a while (we seriously rotated about 4-5 drummers in half a year, and 2 bassists), and had our shit down pretty well....plus we had the experience of recording the same exact songs before and had an idea of what we wanted to do. It still took almost two weeks straight of 9-10 hour days to get it all done (from what I remember...I may have mixed up the last recording project haha)

Hope that helps, and if I remember anything else I'll add it.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:53 am

www.knowhivaids.org

SuicideNote · Post by **SuicideNote** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:18 pm

Pfl?yd wrote:I've mostly recorded all my own demos. The very first one I recorded became a full-length CD and it was recorded in my house. It's no Boston album, but it wasn't too bad.

I've only played at a studio I paid for once. The best advice is to practice all the songs you are going to record until you got them locked. Make sure you know what everyone else is doing because there is nothing worse than finding out, while the clock is ticking, that someone is playing something no one else noticed before.

Bang out the demos live, as a group. I've used them as promotional tools but with studio equipment being as affordable as it is, they should sound pretty good. Demos I have recorded have been played on the radio, so there's no excuse for having a ratty-sounding recording in this day and age.

This is about what I would have said minus the radio play. So I'll say this instead.

My band is finishing up our first full length album. I recorded, engineered and produced the whole thing. I had enough recording equipment and space in my condo to record live drums so we did it here. In the future though, if i don't have 10 quality channels, pres and mics to record live drums, then I'll go to a studio to track only the drums. It's worth it to have high quality drums, mics, mic preamps and a live room, which most studios have plenty of. Anyone these days can get a sm57 stick it on a amp and get good guitar tones. But to me the thing that separates listenable demos and albums to great sounding records is the drums.

SuicideNote · Post by **SuicideNote** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:21 pm

Perhaps, I'll have free time after my record is done. If I do, I could probably mix your demo for cheap. Also by then if the record is done, you will see my results.

DBS · Post by **DBS** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:32 pm

both times i have recorded in a studio environment my band have been asked to go there as part of projects for the producers. Luckily this meant that they tried as hard as they could on this stuff but both times our band didnt take it seriously enough - drinking, fucking around etc. - and it turned out not even half as good as we could have done. since then, the drummer in our band (watwdrums on this forum) has majorly upgraded his recording equipment and knowledge of production/mixing etc. The stuff we're turning out now is getting better and better.

my advice would be if you go to the studio - its not about having a good time. fucking knock the songs out and get it done. with home recording, the freedom you have over your own sound is much more rewarding, so if you're serious, make an investment in equipment.

cottonmouth · Post by **cottonmouth** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:29 pm

This is the result if anyone is interested. Recorded it in one day, all instruments at the same time, vocals later. Since we had a tight schedule we had to leave a few glitches in the recordings. The raw mixes sounded pretty good, so I had my hopes up, but the final mix wasn't what I had hoped for. The whole thing was under 300 euros (400 something in dollars). Main goal of this thing is to hand it out to venues looking for gigs, I suppose it's good enough to fit that purpose.
PS, were not a metalband
http://www.myspace.com/dirtyblonderock

croninburg · Post by **croninburg** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 8:42 am

SuicideNote wrote:
Pfl?yd wrote:I've mostly recorded all my own demos. The very first one I recorded became a full-length CD and it was recorded in my house. It's no Boston album, but it wasn't too bad.

I've only played at a studio I paid for once. The best advice is to practice all the songs you are going to record until you got them locked. Make sure you know what everyone else is doing because there is nothing worse than finding out, while the clock is ticking, that someone is playing something no one else noticed before.

Bang out the demos live, as a group. I've used them as promotional tools but with studio equipment being as affordable as it is, they should sound pretty good. Demos I have recorded have been played on the radio, so there's no excuse for having a ratty-sounding recording in this day and age.
This is about what I would have said minus the radio play. So I'll say this instead.

My band is finishing up our first full length album. I recorded, engineered and produced the whole thing. I had enough recording equipment and space in my condo to record live drums so we did it here. In the future though, if i don't have 10 quality channels, pres and mics to record live drums, then I'll go to a studio to track only the drums. It's worth it to have high quality drums, mics, mic preamps and a live room, which most studios have plenty of. Anyone these days can get a sm57 stick it on a amp and get good guitar tones. But to me the thing that separates listenable demos and albums to great sounding records is the drums.

This is exactly what my band are doing. Â£500 for a weekend (all hours sat and sun plus friday evening to set up) in a studio to track drums, then we can do everything else in people's houses etc because we have a handful of mics and some decent software betweeen us

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:47 am

I make electronic stuff, so it's a different world, but I have knowledge of what you're talking about.

Invest in a few GOOD mics, a GOOD PCI audio interface, some GOOD monitors, remember to be patient, and NEVER EVER pay for studio time again.