Recording to a backing track : 4) exclusive instrumental

Sometimes you don't want to pay for a producer to make your instrumental, but you want to write your own song to an existing beat or song. You can find millions (yes millions!) of premade backing tracks that are not copies of existing songs all over the internet.

Soundclick, reverbnation, facebook, myspace are just some of the thousands of places you can find young talented producers who will make your music to order, or have a library of premade beats just waiting for you to put your mark on.

Prices vary from producer to producer. They can range from as little as $1.99 for a lease (joint ownership, you have the ability to record and release, but generally not sell) to $500-$1500 for exclusive rights (you can do whatever you like, nobody else can own the beat and you can make money off it.)

Remember, this is a business transaction and it is a minefield of legal loopholes. You may be trading and walking in to complex copyright situations involving several different jurisdictions. Make sure that whatever transaction you make you fully read the terms and conditions of use. The last thing you want is to make a record that sells millions, only to be sued by a disgruntled producer (or to be caught out because the producer used an uncleared sample!)

You also need to make sure that you get your track in high enough quality to actually be usable. We have had many artists come to the studio with tracks that we reject because they are too compressed, or just not good enough. Generally, if you've bought an mp3 then it's not good enough quality to be recording over.

Here's our advice :

1. ALWAYS read the terms and conditions when buying or leasing a beat, make sure you know what you're getting
2. Communicate a few times with the seller to sound out whether he/she is easy to do business with.
3. Make sure you are not liable for any samples that haven't been cleared.
4. Request at least a wav/aiff version of the song, if possible ask for "stems" of the track, this will give you flexibility when recording
5. Request an uncompressed/unmastered version Otherwise you limit the way the track can be mixed and mastered at the end.
6. Make sure you don't have tags on the track, these are the producers audio marks throughout the song. They will wreck your production if you're not careful
7. Remember to acknowledge the producer and send them a copy of the finished track. This will probably open the door to more work with him/her and may also expose you to future markets.

Learn more about recording to a backing track 

Recording to a backing track : 3) Create an instrumental from scratch

So you've got a great song in your head, but you've not got the first idea how to bring it to life! If only the song already existed...

At Flipside we have a big team of specialist producers who can help bring your reality to life. We've taken songs from a few lines, all the way through to finished production many times and in several genres. 

Check out this track (Real Love, by Sej Duble) which started as lyrics and a basic melody. 

Or how about James Herring.

The process goes like this :

1. Bring us what you have so far. Whether its a whole song, some lyrics, a chorus, a hook or a couple of whistled notes. We'll discuss with you where you want to go with it. Do you want to sing it? or get a pro singer to vocal it? Do you want an urban track? or is this a symphony orchestra track? We'll help you narrow down your direction.
2. We'll create a development plan which will take your concept to specialists in your chosen genre who will help you develop an honest approach to the song. It may involve a beat producer, a band, or a combination. We'll let you know a price and agree a timeline.
3. Together we'll produce your track in our professional facilities and when you're happy with the track we'll give it you as a CD

Because this is a bespoke service and requires a variety of different engineers and producers prices vary from project to project, so please get in touch for a quotation.

The Pros & Cons

Pros - 

• You hold all the copyright, it's a unique work
• Achieve the sound you have in your head
• You're making a product at releasable quality
• You get to work with a great team (this is also a potential con)

Cons -

• Can be much more expensive
• The process can take longer to get right, there's a lot more to tweak!
• You have to work and rely on more people (this is also a pro!)

Want to know more about recording to backing tracks?