How to avoid the pitfalls of your previous studio experiences—and vastly improve your chances to get your song published with major A&R representatives.
Stephen McElligott reminisces about a recording he made of one of his songs in a local studio. “I wasn’t happy with that production, really,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh gosh, how am I gonna save this?’ I basically turned around and found Studio Pros and thought, ‘Brilliant, they’re my savior.’”
McElligott has been playing music since he was seven years old. He wrote his first song at 16 and soon began playing in clubs and venues around Ireland and Scotland. His music is influenced by music that spans many decades, from The Beatles to Glen Hansard. But after years of writing and performing, McElligott still hadn’t achieved a major goal: recording a professional sounding, radio-quality version of his songs. “I’ve worked with musicians before, and it’s like wearing a blindfold when you take them into the studio because you’ve gotta pay them, and you don’t know how good they are, you haven’t really heard their stuff,” he explains.
Recording A Song Professionally Without Breaking The Bank
The Irish guitarist/singer/songwriter had been in need of a polished, professional recording solution that wouldn’t break the bank. Plus, he was hoping to have better luck submitting his music to TAXI to get song placements and licensing opportunities. He stumbled upon Studio Pros while searching online for recording studios and decided to learn more. “I clicked on it and thought, this is cool, and it’s affordable,” he says. “I had a listen to some samples and thought it was brilliant. I really needed this with the budget I’m on. I would spend 250 Euros on a musician for a day in the studio, whereas Studio Pros is only $125. I thought it was fantastic—it’s not often that you get to work with really good professional musicians, you know?”
Listen to Stephen’s track “She Blew Me Away,” produced by Studio Pros:
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“With Studio Pros, they give you a listen to the musicians’ capabilities, what they’re able to do, and the versatility that the musicians there have. And that really was the winner for me. It was the overall sound even more than the price.” (more…)
Thinking his music career was over, Arizona-based artist Tony Perre used Studio Pros to get back in the game.
“My experience with Studio Pros has allowed me to dream a little bit more about what I can actually accomplish as a musician,” says Tony Perre. “Studio Pros has allowed me to take all of my musical ideas and songs and get them out there. To me, having a very simple process with great musicians who basically do exactly as I ask them to do, with their quality of musicianship, it’s just such a winning formula to me that I can actually dream again from a musical standpoint.”
Perre had all but given up on music after a wakeboarding accident left him with limited mobility in his left arm, effectively minimizing his ability to play guitar. But after adjusting his playing style by relying on the use of a capo, he got the chance to play live music again with some friends in a local band. Knowing he could play again—and realizing he still had good ideas for songs and lyrics—Perre credits Studio Pros with providing the tools he needed to get back to making the music he loved so much. “I found out really quickly how badly I missed playing out, and I found out I could still play,” he explains. “If I could sum everything up in one sentence, it would be that there’s no expiration date for musical and lyrical inspiration.”
Studio Pros first came into the picture when Perre took the advice of a friend who knew he was looking to record an album. “He recommended that I check out the Studio Pros online method of getting my record produced,” he remembers. “When I went on the website and I saw all that Studio Pros had to offer, I was absolutely blown away. I thought I’d give it a try with one of my nine songs, and I quickly realized during my first song that this is no joke, this is world class.”
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Perre soon realized that Studio Pros was the best possible route to take for his music. “I honestly felt that, as a business guy, I don’t have a heck of a lot of time to do what I used to do: cross my fingers and hope that all my band members would have some time to spend in the studio. It was just a really long, very difficult process to get everyone together at one time.” He began comparing his Studio Pros experience to past attempts in recording studios and the choice became clear. “I checked out some local studios here in [Arizona] and it just became very apparent that, because I work a day job, it would be impossible to get something together in a short period of time with the quality of musicians that Studio Pros has.” (more…)
Using Studio Pros to breathe new life into some old songs, English Earl successfully proved to himself that he had what it takes to make great music.
English Earl suspected he had some good songs on his hands, but he knew his productions just weren’t going to cut it against the high-quality recordings of today’s music industry. “I kind of wanted to resurrect my old pop songs and write a few new ones, I thought it would be a great opportunity to prove to myself that some of my pop music wasn’t so bad,” Earl says with a laugh. This “resurrection” refers to the fact that he has been writing pop music since he was a 15-year-old in a garage band, but formally Earl was classically trained on piano and violin. After getting degrees in music theory and composition from the Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, he had established his classical chops. But Earl wanted to see how his pop and rock writing had evolved.
In order to really see what he could do, Earl knew he had to graduate from his local Charleston, South Carolina music scene; he needed to hire some real professionals. In the process of working with Studio Pros, he realized that their world-class session musicians weren’t just good for laying down polished sounding tracks… They could also give him valuable input and musical insight to improve the production of his songs.
“I think the main reason I chose Studio Pros was because I knew they had some very good musicians and vocalists there,” Earl explains. “I knew that the people I’ve worked with before in the studio who were just local musicians, they were there to make a living but were not really there to put too much into a song or its production. I felt that the quality of the studio musicians at Studio Pros might be higher.”
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Logistics also played a part in Earl’s decision. Most of the musicians he knew were in Virginia (where he used to live), making the price of recording a little too steep. “Living in Charleston made it impossible for me to go back and forth to record there, so I would have to drop all those musicians and start all over again, anyway,” he says. “And my schedule’s so busy, I couldn’t go in and teach everyone a song. Instead I could start recording with Studio Pros and not actually have to be in a studio.” Earl calculated the costs of recording an album the traditional way and decided Studio Pros was the way to go. “It was way too expensive for me to continue [the old way]. By the time you pay for studio costs, the musicians, the time you spent traveling, the CDs themselves and the artwork and everything, I felt like I was spending a lot more money than I needed to.”
Did you know that you probably already have enough music to record your album? Even if you just have the basic sketch of a song in your head, it’s probably enough to get started. The Beatles once famously said that “all you need is love.” I’m here to say that if you want to record your music, all you really need is a melody and a chord progression. (A little love doesn’t hurt, either!)
You don’t need every section of your song planned out note by note; you don’t need the intro melody or the solo section completely written. All you need is a “sketch.” The song sketch is a rough outline of your song… And when you get world-class, top-notch session musicians to play on your recordings, they help flesh out your creation with their professional expertise. The chord progression, melody and lyrics are the heart and soul of your creation–they are what the whole rest of the production is based off of.
But the production process involves getting down to every last little detail in the song, whether that’s a cool guitar lick in the bridge or a melodic hook in the background vocals. With Studio Pros, you get to be involved in every last step of the process, giving your approval for every instrument as its being recorded. But along with giving your feedback, you get to work with some of the best musicians in the business–musicians who have recorded on hundreds of albums and engineers who have been nominated for Grammy awards. Because of this, you end up collaborating with top professionals who know how to take your song to the next level and make you stand out among the throngs of musicians trying to get heard by record labels and music supervisors.
If you’re hoping for success in this industry, you might want to take part in a little musical espionage:
If you want to pitch one of your songs to a TV commercial, study the music in every commercial on TV right now and learn it all by heart.
If you want to pitch a song to films, buy the soundtracks for ten films in the genre you’re interested in.
If you want to be at the top of the charts, listen to the top 50 songs every single week. Know the charts so well that if I came to your house and woke you up in the middle of the night, you could tell me what was in the top ten that week. You might try subscribing to this Billboard Hot 100 – Top 50 Songs channel on YouTube–it will provide you with weekly updates on the top songs.
It’s not about copying — it’s about being aware
Knowing what other musicians are doing doesn’t mean you should be ripping off their material. All it means is that you’re doing your best to be completely aware of what’s already out there and, more importantly, what each industry is looking for.
Knowing that today’s action movies like including rockin’ metal songs with heavy guitar riffs is being aware. Knowing that most of the top songs on the charts have auto-tuned vocals is being aware. Once you’re aware of the trends and desires of the music industry, you can tailor your work to fit the scene.
Have you ever wondered what makes a song instantly recognizable?
Take a listen to the first five seconds of this song:
How is it that it’s possible to know what song it is just from listening to the first five seconds?
One instrument (acoustic guitar). Two chords. It can’t be any simpler than that, yet it’s unique and easy to remember. How many times have you been to a live concert where the artist starts playing their hit song, and within the first couple of seconds the crowd goes crazy? Why? Because they know what song it is immediately.
What’s the best way to produce your songs? In order to answer that question, you’ll need to answer another first: what are your musical goals?
What would you do with your song if it was already produced just like you wanted it to be? Would you try to get placements in movies? Would you want it played on popular TV shows? How about a commercial spot? Or would you rather pitch it to another artist? Maybe you’re just looking to record a single to send to all of your friends, or you want to have a song to post on the Internet and rack up some plays on Myspace and fans on Facebook. Defining the end goal will help you determine the best way to produce your song, because you’ll know more about the specific needs for the song’s final product.
Your song can be produced in many ways
There are multiple options on the table when it comes to producing your song. You could hire a band and rent a day in a commercial recording studio. You could send your tune to a “one man band” producer, a sort of jack of all trades that can arrange and perform most of the tracks himself. You could produce it with musicians via the Internet (just like Studio Pros). In the end, you’re the only one who can decide on the best way to record your song.
David Llorente used Studio Pros for his first professional project and was blown away not only by the musicianship, but by how much they cared.
“It was probably one of the best learning experiences I’ve ever had as a musician.”
That’s how David Llorente feels about his time working with Studio Pros. “Just going through all the processes, seeing what people have to do to get a professional track cut. I didn’t know how long it took. I didn’t know everything that was involved from start to finish. And now, having gone through it with Studio Pros, I’m never gonna forget it. It was awesome.”
Llorente, a Nashville-area singer/songwriter, was hunting down recording options online when he discovered Studio Pros. “I really wanted to get this project out, it was real heavy on my heart,” he remembers. “I read about Studio Pros and thought, ‘that’s a good idea.’” Though intrigued by the idea, Llorente still needed convincing that Studio Pros was the best choice for his music. All it took to persuade him was a little research and a phone call to head of production Kati O’Toole.
“The credentials behind the staff are amazing,” he explains. “I actually went and checked out Katie’s albums that she had done. She’s not just a producer, but she’s a musician and songwriter.” Knowing that his songs were in the hands of fellow musicians put Llorente at ease. “I could hear that she’s passionate about what she’s doing. It was cool to have some people that really cared.”
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One of the great things about Studio Pros is that we hook you up with world-class Los Angeles session musicians to play on your songs. This can be a great resource, particularly for artists who don’t already know too many studio-ready musicians. But when it comes to playing live, you might decide that you want some fellow players to help fill out your sound–especially after you hear the lush new arrangements and full-production treatment that your songs received from us! Although we can’t rent out our session players to play your live gig, we can at least give you a few pointers on finding some great musicians to join forces with.
Craigslist
Craigslist is a common place to find musicians, with many freelancers looking for gigs through the site. You can post a classified ad in the “Gigs” section or in the “Musicians” section (under “Community”). When doing this, be sure to specify exactly what you want–instruments played, the style of music, pay (if any), show length, duration (if you’re looking for a long-term commitment or just someone to play for a show or two), etc. It’s a good idea to specify that the musician must have their own gear and reliable transportation (and that they should show up on time). Also, provide a link to music samples so any prospective players know specifically what kind of music they’ll be playing. In return, ask anyone interested to send you samples of their playing.
Music Stores
This may be considered the “old fashioned” method at this point, but it’s still worthwhile to print out physical flyers and post them on bulletins boards in local music stores and schools. One of the best ways to find musicians is to go where they congregate! Anywhere that sells music gear or teaches music lessons is a good choice. Include all of the information mentioned above for the Craigslist ad, and make sure your contact info is clear.
Musician Classifieds Websites
There are websites other than Craigslist that offer services to hook fellow musicians up with each other. Sites such as Bandmix.com offer alternatives that focus specifically on musicians, without any of the extra clutter that comes with Craigslist.
Word of Mouth
Sometimes all it takes to find someone is asking around! If you’re a musician, chances are you have several musician friends. Ask them, and ask other friends and family members if they know anyone who might want to play in your band. You might be surprised with the number of people you find!
A Note on Safety
Any time you’re dealing with communicating with people you’ve never met, you should always be cautious for your own safety. Never reveal any personal information in posts on the Internet. Always meet new people for the first time in a public place away from your home. And it’s always good to have other people that you trust around as well. Inviting a guitarist to meet you and your drummer at a rehearsal space is fine… Asking a prospective bass player to meet you alone at your house is not. Always use common sense!
There are thousands of musicians out there just dying to play with a great band. The key is getting out there and finding where they are!
Still in the recording stages of your musical project? Have Studio Pros’ top-notch professional studio musicians take your songs to the next level!
Do any of these excuses sound familiar to you? All too often, people give up on their musical dreams because they think they’re too old, or it’s too late for them to learn the skills they need, or it’s too hard. Life is short, right? That boat has sailed.
But thinking like that is self-defeating. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, “He who says he can and he who says he can’t are usually both right.” If you think you can’t do it, you’re probably right. But it’s not because you don’t have the ability or the time… It’s only because you’ve already decided you can’t.
The fact is, life is long and there are plenty of opportunities to do what you love to do. There’s no deadline for your dreams. It’s never too late as long as you’re still alive.
“My experience with Studio Pros has allowed me to dream a little bit more about what I can actually accomplish as a musician,” says Tony Perre. “Studio Pros has allowed me to take all of my musical ideas and songs and get them out there. To me, having a very simple process with great musicians who basically do exactly as I ask them to do, with their quality of musicianship, it’s just such a winning formula to me that I can actually dream again from a musical standpoint.”
