Category: PRODUCTION

Tips on singing, recording, mixing, and generally making it sound all around GOOD!

How to Write a Song If You Don’t Play an Instrument

If you want to write songs but you can’t play piano or guitar, don’t let that stop you. There are plenty of online resources and useful tools for creating tracks to write to or accompany your existing melody and lyrics.  Even if you’re a musician, it’s fun to use some of these songwriting tools to break out of old habits and get inspired.

1. WEB SITES

Here are some online music creation web sites you can use to create accompaniment for your melody and lyrics or provide a music track to write to. I like to write to a guitar or drum groove to get a feel for the energy of the song I’m writing.  It puts me in the mood. Or you can create a track to fit what you’ve already written.

Splice.com – If you’ve got a computer, tablet, or smartphone with a music app you can create current-sounding music tracks with Splice. For a low monthly fee you can download loops, beats, and samples and play with them in any music app, or use their online Beatmaker to create loops to sing to. Just record your voice while the Beatmaker plays.

Loopcloud.com – This website is somewhat similar to Splice. Loopcloud provides royalty-free lookps, samples, and beats. It also has a good array of plugins and effects to play with. Try out a few loops, get inspired, play creatively and see what you end up with. You can get a monthly subscription for under $10.t

2. PRE-RECORDED SONG TRACKS

You can buy pre-recorded song tracks from DrumsOnDemand.com. These are laid out in Verse/Chorus form and are available in a range of music styles. Most are fully produced with drums, bass, guitar, etc. There are some limitations on uses so read the FAQ sections.

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Music Producers: What They Do and How to Find One

Photo by Tom Pottiger.

If you’re an artist or band making an Indie CD or EP, or a songwriter recording a master to pitch to film and TV, there’s a good chance you’re thinking about hiring that magical, mystical creature called “The Music Producer.”

So… how does that work? What does a music producer do? How do you know if you’ve found the right one? Where do you find one? Let’s begin with the most basic question and go from there.

What do you want from a music producer?

Start by asking what you want a producer to do for you. There’s probably a range of things. Among them, maybe you want a producer to…

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Break Through to Songwriting Success

frustrated-songwriter

Seems I’ve heard from a lot of songwriters and composers lately who are feeling frustrated.  Their careers haven’t gotten off the ground or they’re stalled at a level that isn’t really satisfying.

Over and over, I hear things like…

  • I’m not getting the kind of response from the music industry I deserve.
  • I spend hours on my music but I’m not making any money.
  • They keep telling me my music is dated.
  • I’m doing the best I can. I guess I just don’t have enough talent.

I know how awful it feels to be in that place. But there’s really a very straightforward process for getting beyond these problems and finding success in the music industry. Know what the industry needs and give it to them! It takes focus and determination. But If you’re willing to do that then you can get where you want to go.

So let’s cut to the chase…

Everything you need to know to be a successful songwriter is right in front of you.

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Raw Sound for a Slick TV Commercial

Here’s a luxury perfume commercial (Dior) that features a Rock song with a raw Indie vibe. The song is “Heavy Cross” by  three-piece Rock band Gossip.

No big synthesizer string pads here, no horns, no orchestra banging in and out. It’s just raw, good-ol’ Rock energy. Electric guitars create big dynamic contrast between sections and drive the beat. The drums back up the guitar in a tight arrangement that adds plenty of punch. That’s all!

Watch the commercial on YouTube.

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Basic Broadcast Quality for Film & TV

If you’re pitching your songs to the fast growing film and TV song market – or thinking about it, which you should be! – there is one challenge that seems to overwhelm a lot of songwriters: Broadcast Quality recordings. It may seem like big a deal but it really isn’t. Read on!

For the film & TV song market, your song (or instrumental track) will be used “as is.” Production schedules don’t allow for time to remix or request changes from you. While they will edit the track to fit a scene, that involves only cutting or repeating sections of the song. So, in terms of recording quality, your track needs to be competitive with other tracks that are being used in this market

Also, to really be successful as a film & TV songwriter, you want to create a constant stream of new material. Does that mean you have to hire a pro studio and session musicians, then spend more $$$ and hours mixing every song you want to pitch? It does if every song has to sound like that fully-produced Electro/Dance/Pop track on the radio! Luckily, you don’t have to do that!

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