A snapshot of April :

We had loads of new clients in April and we're really proud to say we've worked with them! here are some of their lovely faces.

Recording to a backing track : 2) The Accompanist

Sometimes you want the vibe and feel of your takes to sound natural, without all that over production. In this case you might use an accompanying musician (usually a pianist). It helps the listener to focus in on the voice without distraction. This is an approach typical for any kind of Voice demo for drama schools and vocal work.

If you're thinking about this approach it is preferable for you to find someone you know, have an existing working relationship with and can vibe off. This will all help for you to feel comfortable when in comes to laying your tracks down. An alternative is to let us find you an accompaniest. This will obviously cost you more, but we can assure quality and professionalism.

We reccomend you do the following :

1. Make sure you make time for a  few practises with the accompaniest so that you are both familiar and comfortable with the pieces, and so that you can communicate how you wish to individualise them.
2. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. You must instruct the accompaniest to perform the song as you hear it. It's your money, it's your time and everybody wants you to make the most of it.
3. Be prepared for "setup time" when you get to the studio. It's important that both the accompaniest and yourself are comfortable and have the right sound and volume. If not, the takes won't happen.
4. Consider a very basic demo recording (a phone is sufficient) from the practises so that you can both agree and remember anything that you decide. Or make copious notes! It will enable you to improve your recording technique and make sure you're happy with the format before you hit the record button!

The Pros & Cons

Pros - 

• Individual & Unique
• Can be freeform/looser timing
• Sounds natural and is great for Vocal demoes.

Cons -

• Slightly more expensive
• Need to have a good instrumentalist that you trust
• Setup time in the studio

move on to Recording to a backing track : 3) creating an instrumental

Recording to a backing track : 1) Buy premade

There are loads of great instrumentals of well known songs available. You can find them in a variety of places such as itunes (search for "karaoke" versions or "instrumentals") or direct from a maker. When we're comparing quality we often find that Ameritz are a good choice. But we reccomend you listen before you buy and don't accepts a backing track that is substandard. When choosing, we suggest you do the following ...

1. Check you've got the right version by the right artist!
2. Double check you've got the right version in the right key
3. Triple check you've got the right version making sure you haven't got a lead vocal, or backing vocal mix
4. Listen to the instruments, do they sound real? (lots of them don't and it's awful!)
5. Compare the instrumentals to the original as well as amongst themselves.
6. Do not accept a poor quality version. It will make you sound bad.
7. Is the track the same length as the original? (a couple of seconds difference is generally nothing to worry about)
8. Buy it well in advance of your session so that you can practise to it.

The Pros & Cons

Pros - 

• This is usually the cheapest way to work
• Often achieve a high quality sound
• People enjoy listening to covers, so you can reach an audience quickly.

Cons -

• You don't own the rights to the songs
• They're never quite as good as the original (unless it's an official instrumental)
• Everybody else can do the same, you're not individual.

Move on to - Recording to backing track : 2) Using an accompanist

Recent Clients

We've been busy over the last months. Too busy to update the blog!! (slap hand) So here's some images from the recent client list. Enjoy them, and join them! More blogging to come!