FAQ’s

General:

-What is unique about How to Make a Record?

Thanks for asking! As you know, we live in an age of enormous available information. There are a bazillion videos, books, and podcasts on songwriting and another ton on “Using a compressor” or “Getting the perfect kick drum sound,” among other audio recording and mixing techniques. There is also a lot of content on arranging, music theory, performance, and more. However, it seems they are most often presented as somewhat disconnected knowledge, with not much info on bridging the gap between musical creation on instruments or voices and the techniques used in audio recording and mixing. That was odd to us because they both can often involve using both the right brain and left brain to make emotions into sound, and sound into emotions! At How to Make a Record, we offer a lot of these “separate” concepts and techniques in one place. AND perhaps uniquely, we help you gain perspective as to how both musical concepts and technical production techniques are just part of a common musical language. For example, once you learn concepts in how sound works, you often have more arranging techniques at your disposal. Once you learn more techniques in harmony, you may have better mixing or recording skills. And on and on! It’s quite eye-opening! Or better yet, it’s ear-opening. Perhaps you have had a music teacher that said something in a lesson where everything totally made sense all of the sudden. We have, too! We hope you will find that here as well.

-What styles of music do your techniques apply to or help with?

You know what’s so great about music? It is so human. I mean, it is literally some human(s) making choices about what sounds happen when and how in order to create specific energies that turn right on into EMOTION. How cool is that? It is ENERGY, and we keep focus on that. It is true for ANY STYLE of music really. Maybe your energy is focused on the vocal melody or the lyrics the vocals are expressing. Maybe it’s “all about the beat.” Maybe it is a sonic environment like walking into one room full of emotion. Maybe your record is going to be some of the most harmonically complex, meter-splitting, mind-blowing neoclassical-hybrid music ever released. You know what? ENERGY. That’s it! Music creators are all connected to this. Sound is connected to this. It’s all energy we use to express something. The techniques at How to Make a Record weave in and out of all the crevices of emotion, sound, and music and celebrate how they all intersect. We love that. We hope you will, too.

-Do I need to know music theory or technical recording things to benefit from your content?

Nope! We are actively crafting content that is usually presented in ways that may relate to very common things like watching great movies, having delicious food, feeling emotions, and communicating through energy! When we use a musical term like “arpeggio” or such, we will explain it quickly and simply to things most can relate to, often using analogies or relatable language. We don’t feel we have to make things complex, nor “dumb them down.” We just think many things can be taught in ways that are more universally understood, often with examples of how they work in music! If you ever have a question about a term we have used, check our FAQ’s here, or email us and ask! We want you to thrive and make your best records yet!


 -Will I learn the technical side of audio, like miking and recording instruments, mixing, and mastering?

-While we could go very deep on these topics, initially we are going to really focus on the crucial, and very rarely taught side of producing great records that happens before the mixing and mastering stages. One can hear countless record producers talking about how crucial these parts of making a record are, but rarely teaching techniques to ensure the song, arrangement, raw sounds, and performances are the best version to record. In our written, forthcoming video, and live workshop content, there will definitely be references to general recording perspectives and how the first stages of creation and arranging affect these later phases of making a record. However, we will not focus on diving deep into these later-stage techniques for now. We will offer ways to get the most out of the recording process, however. We have tried to built our content to be presented in a way that you do not need to be “technically inclined” for audio, or know deep music theory, to progress in your journey. You will discover how completely intertwined all of the processes of making a record are and actually gain new perspectives on how to make the later stages better. You will likely be learning some new language along the way to better communicate your creative ideas. We may offer training in these other post-production stages later.

-Is this a “formula” for making records? Will using your techniques make my records sound “formulaic?”

In short, no. The production techniques we are teaching are not much different from you wanting to learn more chords or trying new settings on a guitar pedal to find ones you like and want to use for a song. We are teaching methods and perspectives that can help you open an endless palette of choices for making records the way YOU want them to sound and feel. If you envision what “formulaic” sounds like, you could surely create records that sound that way using these proven techniques if you want to, but the creative choices will be up to you with your newly acquired skills!

Record-making FAQ’s:


-What processes are part of “production” or “producing a record” anyway? (AKA What does a record producer do?)

This is a popular question and really varies by musical style and preferred process for each record. The record producer is much like the director for a movie and could even be part of the movie (like an artist who produces the record they are the featured talent on). That said, “producing a record” can  involve things like: 

  1. Initially, an artist, songwriter, or composer gets inspired to create the idea of a song or piece of music

  2. The producer may help to refine the framework of the song (ex. intro, verse, chorus, segues, bridge, etc.), and lyrics if applicable, to really deliver a story or journey of emotion

  3. The producer may help with arranging the instrument and vocal parts of the song in the most compelling way to illustrate the story

  4. The producer may recommend musicians who may be best to play or sing those featured or accompanying parts on the record.

  5. The producer often has a vision of the “sound” of those instruments and voices for recording and mixing to tell the story best (Is the record going to sound “retro,” “dirty,” “modern, clean and punchy,” very spacious or very intimate or combinations therein, etc.)

  6. The producer is often involved in setting the environmental mood and technical requirements for inspiring amazing, authentic performances in a studio (or at home)

  7. The producer may have an idea of how the mix is going to highlight the vision for the sound of the record and may often choose who will mix the record.

  8. The producer may choose a mastering engineer to finish the final audio presentation of the record for release.

  9. Most great producers will help with any or all of the things above as needed in conjunction with the artist while listening to their ideas and really trying to make the record that the artist wants to create. If you are an artist producing your own record, you will wear both hats as producer and artist. You will likely ask yourself questions along the way like “Is this the best version of the song or performance?” and “Is this authenticly telling of the story?”

-What is arranging?

Arranging can involve things like taking a simple guitar part used to write a song and determining if that guitar is going to be used in the arrangement at all. If so, one may arrange specific parts for that guitar, and even make multiple guitar parts. Arranging could be splitting up those guitar parts into other instruments or vocals instead of, or in addition to the guitar. Arranging is often like setting up the characters that will be speaking in a movie and deciding when they will speak. It is like deciding what the conversation will be like, and how the story will unfold. What range will these “voices” be in and what texture they will have (pitch, timbre, etc.). It uses a vision of, and knowledge of, rhythms, harmony, timbre, and more to tell the story of the piece of music.

-What is songcraft?

Songcraft often refers to the art of creating a song that keeps a listener engaged in some way, from beginning to end. It may involve shaping the lyrics to really deliver the message well. It often involves learning techniques of song flow. These make sure that each section flows into the next in a way that keeps propelling a listener along. Songcraft may combine song framework (ex. intro, verse, chorus, segues, bridge, etc.) techniques and arranging techniques, and often lyric-writing techniques. This is often the art of telling a story or delivering an emotional experience through the writing of a song, even if delivered in its simplest arranged form.

Membership FAQ’s:


-What kind of tips and techniques will I learn via your paid membership plan(s)?

We will be offering techniques on song flow, songcraft, arranging for voices and instruments, getting inspiring performances when recording, speaking the language of sound and designing a vision for the sound of your record(s), rhythmic and harmonic techniques, perspectives that help bridge both creative and technical music and audio concepts in an easier-to-understand way, and lots, lots more.