Things to think about when making a demo CD?

[psy]

I'll be recording my band's first 'proper' CD in September (we've recorded everything ourselves in the past & this time we're going in to a studio for 2 days).  I want to make a good job of making it reasonably quite professional & getting it out there.  Here's a little list of what I think I need to do.  Let me know if I've missed anything or you recommend people/companies to carry out the various jobs.

• Recording - check (we're aiming to get 3 songs recorded & mixed over 2 day)
• Artwork - hopefully get one of or amateur photographer friends to do something FOC *crosses fingers*
• Mastering
• CD duplication - I think we'll just start with a short run of 50 or 100
• Digital distribution

Any help or suggestions you guys have would be great  8)

[hunter]

best tip I can give you: Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse your arse off!

That means you can play perfect takes (even live) in no time which leaves you more time afterwards to experiment with sounds and fills/variations.

[tomjackson]

3 songs over 2 days is realistic, no more though

Get a copy of the master data disk so you can remix at your leisure

Get a mixed copy without vocals

Get it mastered somewhere else after the main recording

Think about using 1.5 days to record and go back a week later to mix for half a day.
Get a rough copy on CD for the interim and listen to it on as many different systems as you can.  Most people listen on Ipods now so listen through headphones at mp3 quality

To look like a 'proper' CD it needs to be from a glass cut master with a pro cover.   Otherwise it might look like you've just put it together on cdr's with a cover done yourselves in MS word...   But more important is make sure your contact details (regularily checked email / mobile / myspace address) is on the cover AND the cd.  Far more important than the aesthetics.

[Mr.Coneman]

It's eerie how exactly similar our situations are at the moment TS, except we're doing 2 songs over 3 days.

Helpful thread for me also  :)

[38thBeatle]

Some very non rock and roll advice, make sure you are refreshed and have plenty of sleep.There are obvious things too like making sure your gear is all ok but I expect that you have already thought of that.

[Ratrod]

If you can, use a mult track. It's better to re-record something than to fix things in the master.

Overrule the mixer if he's going ape with FX.

Here's a CD cover I made with a 5 megapixel camera and Nero Cover Designer. The pic isn't even photoshopped.



Do as much as you can yourself.

Put the tracks on myspace.

[psy]

Thanks for the tips :)  Yeah, the songs are rehearsed up quite well.  We've got a couple of gigs next week, but after that we're going to really knuckle down & concentrate on rehearsing just the 3 songs for recording & not the full set like we'd normally do.

I've made sure I've got plenty sets of spare strings & I'll put fresh sets on the day before we record.  I've even put a set of BKP's in my second guitar to give me a variation if I need it.  (a PK & a MQ) :)

Sleep is a good one.  I actually hadn't considered that.  I'm sure an early night will stop people getting ratty later in the day.

We've already booked 2 consecutive days for recordings, so we can't change that now.  But it's something worth thinking about for next time.

Tom - What's the advantages of a mix without vocals?  I'll make sure I get a copy of the master data files.  I know the studio is running Cubase, so that's handy because I use that too :)

[hunter]

Thanks for the tips :)  Yeah, the songs are rehearsed up quite well.  We've got a couple of gigs next week, but after that we're going to really knuckle down & concentrate on rehearsing just the 3 songs for recording & not the full set like we'd normally do.

I've made sure I've got plenty sets of spare strings & I'll put fresh sets on the day before we record.  I've even put a set of BKP's in my second guitar to give me a variation if I need it.  (a PK & a MQ) :)

Sleep is a good one.  I actually hadn't considered that.  I'm sure an early night will stop people getting ratty later in the day.

We've already booked 2 consecutive days for recordings, so we can't change that now.  But it's something worth thinking about for next time.

Tom - What's the advantages of a mix without vocals?  I'll make sure I get a copy of the master data files.  I know the studio is running Cubase, so that's handy because I use that too :)

Apart from the normal parts you play, think about some fills on top (which you couldn't do live as it's another guitar) - some variations might be good or not, depending on the song.

[Mr. Air]

Some very non rock and roll advice, make sure you are refreshed and have plenty of sleep.There are obvious things too like making sure your gear is all ok but I expect that you have already thought of that.

+1
I once showed up at a demo recording with quite a hangover. VERY rock n roll, but my playing just sucked arse!