The Songwriter’s Guide to Recording a Demo in the Studio

Guest blogger and songwriter Jemy Gijsman takes us through the next step on your journey to success: recording a demo. Once the song is written, the lyrics are finalised and you’ve got the chords down on paper, you want to go further, so you need to get out there and start hustling. Since you don’t have your own studio and only have minimal knowledge about the production and mixing process, you need to do some research and find a studio that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and can help you record your demo. Once you’ve found the right studio, what do you need to prepare? And how can you find the right musicians to help you get the job done?

Finding the Right Studio

Time in a professional recording studio is usually going to cost you some money, that much is true. These days, building your own home studio is cheaper and offers a great alternative so you can find one in pretty much any town and village. This makes sense, since music is still the most highly valued artform in the world, so it’s highly likely that your neighbourhood is full of amateur studio engineers of varying skill levels, all working out of their cellar, their attic or even their garage. A smart way to find these people is to tell everyone you can that you’re a singer-songwriter and that you’re about to record a demo. You say ‘you’re about to record’ rather than ýou want to record’ for two reasons: 1. People who want something are perceived as dreamers while people who are getting on with it are go-getters. By just phrasing your plan a little bit differently, you give people a better impression. 2. A driven mindset will actually help you to get things done. Most people will ask what kind of songs you write; if you can also play an instrument; or if you’ve released anything in the past. A few of them might be really interested in what kind of demo you’re planning to record. These are the people that you’re looking for. There’s a good chance that this kind of person already has their own home studio or can put you in touch with someone who does have one. And, if they do put you in touch with someone, always make sure to mention the name of whoever passed on the recommendation. If that person happens to be a good friend, then it might mean you’re working with someone who’s willing to go the extra mile for you.

The Songwriter’s Guide to Recording a Demo in the Studio

Finding the right Session Musicians

In the studio, of course, you want to be working with the best musicians you can find. If you’re on a tight budget like me, then play everything that you can yourself and before you step into the studio make sure that you know every part you’re playing inside and out. In the studio, time is at a premium so the quicker and more efficiently you can work, the better your end product will be. This approach will also make people enjoy working with you more and help you gain a good reputation within the music community. But if you do need musicians, where can you find them? Jamming sessions are often an outstanding place to network and you can find them in any city and pretty much any town. There are usually some good musicians who turn up and play the same covers week in and week out: Satisfaction by The Stones, Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix, Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers and pretty much every Stevie Wonder song ever. A lot of them would love to be playing something different for once, especially recording original material in the studio. In my experience, at least 4 out of 5 musicians would love to do it and some of them will even either do it for the pure fun of it or for nothing more than a six-pack of beer.

The Songwriter’s Guide to Recording a Demo in the Studio

The Drums: Acoustic or Digital?

This one is always tough. For live acoustic drums, you need to have the ability to mike up the entire drum kit or you need access to a good electronic kit. Unfortunately, not a lot of home studios will have the space or the equipment for an acoustic drum kit. However, drum plugins like Groove Agent and Addictive Drums can really help out here and most amateur producers will have at least one drum plugin in their arsenal. A little knowledge of Cubase or Pro Tools will also come in handy here if you want to write the drums yourself. No idea about how a DAW works? Not to worry, YouTube is rammed with MIDI drum tutorials and programming tips and, even if you can’t wrap your head around that, you can always use a preset beat.

If you’ve written a pop-rock song, the drum track probably doesn’t need to be the same for the entire length of the song. Shifting from a closed hi-hat on the verse to a half-open hi-hat on the chorus can make a big difference, giving the chorus a more full and lively feel. You can also add some well-placed crashes to boost the dynamics. Switching from the hi-hat to a ride can also give the bridge more tension and make things sound different and, to emphasise every transition between each section, it’s always worth colouring things in with a drum fill. Again, there’s a lot of info available about all of this on YouTube. When you’re programming MIDI drums and want them to sound like a real drummer, then you also need to remember that real drummers only have two hands – with the notable exception of Rick Allen from Def Leppard, of course.

The Songwriter’s Guide to Recording a Demo in the Studio

Figure Out the Arrangement

Before going into the studio, you need to have the structure of your song fully figured out and have a clear idea of what instrument will be doing what and when. If the musicians you’re working with have no idea of what they need to play and when they need to play it, it’ll only make the process more frustrating for everyone involved and might even mean that they won’t want to work with you again in the future. Just to be clear, I don’t mean that you need to write everything out in musical notation, you just need to be clear on details like: the guitar only comes in with a broken chord or arpeggio on the second verse, without any effects, and then it needs to switch to power chords with a little overdrive for the chorus. You basically need to map everything out. The same applies to any vocal harmonies. Almost every pop song ever released features some vocal harmonies here and there and for good reason: just adding a second voice can give a specific bit of a verse or chorus more impact and give the whole song more body. Placing harmonies in just the right places can also make your demo sound more professional and refined. You can train your understanding of how harmonies work and develop a kind of intuitive feel about where best to place your own harmonies by simply paying attention to the harmonies in other people’s music and singing along with them.

The Songwriter’s Guide to Recording a Demo in the Studio

Who’s Singing?

And now we come to by far the most important point, but strangely enough it’s often neglected: the vocals. It’s the singer who needs to ‘sell’ the song. So, if you’re not only the songwriter but also a gifted vocalist then, obviously, you should take on the vocals yourself. In all other cases (so, also in my case) you can hire a singer. If you’ve written the best lyrics and melody of your life; the backing track has been recorded by the best musicians that a couple of beers can buy; the studio engineer has completed the best mix they’ve ever produced, and you finish it all off with what can best be described as a karaoke rendition, then it’s going to be a bit of a let down. It’s like putting on a bespoke tailored three-piece suit and then slipping into a pair of battered trainers. It’s just a bit wrong. Your demo is your first impression – never underestimate that fact. The people who might be able to actually help you out (the A&R managers, the publishers, the pluggers etc.) receive an insane amount of these things every day, so within around 30 seconds, all your hard work will be judged worthy or simply tossed on top of the mountain of rejects. For the same reason, choosing a song with an over-long intro is also an absolute no-no. Unless you’ve come up with a killer instrumental hook, then just skip the intro altogether. No one cares.

The Songwriter’s Guide to Recording a Demo in the Studio

Get Some Feedback

Let me finish by mentioning the bit that every beginner singer-songwriter will have to face at some point in their writing careers: playing your demo to your family, your friends, your acquaintances and maybe even your work colleagues. The reactions are usually as follows: family and friends love it while acquaintances and colleagues are largely indifferent. Don’t let this mess with your drive. This kind of feedback is subjective and so, in a constructive sense, is virtually useless. Simply listen and thank them for their kind words before leaving it all behind you and never thinking about it ever again. Keep a cool head and stay the course. Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing.

Ever recorded a demo? How was it received and how did that affect your practice? Let me know in the comments!