Keen on Music Publishing
What kind of demos do I need?
This is a momentous question. Because we are dealing with an aural art form, the sonic presentation is critical and can have make-or-break consequences. That doesn't mean that a huge, complex, expensive, studio production is necessary for every demonstration recording (demo) that you create. It just needs to be good.
You will hear music executives utter phrases like, "I can hear through a bad demo," and that may be true. However, a writer should never count on that prospect as an excuse to produce a lousy demo.
We have reviewed and worked with countless demos that have led to successful recordings. Some have cost a lot of money and involved ornate production. Some have consisted of a singer and one guitar or piano. There are a couple of common threads that link most effective demos. First, the singer is superb. No matter what corners need to be cut in producing a demo, it is unwise to scrimp on facilitating a great vocal.
Secondly, the music needs to be in tune. Whatever instruments are involved whether there is one or a full orchestra, intonation is crucial. This is also true of the vocalist. The reasons for this exist in our physiology. Music that is out of tune or discordant creates physical discomfort in the listener. The fight or flight reflex is triggered and when the listener does not "flee" then the body reacts by sending messages to the brain begging for relief. Thus the listener is distracted and uncomfortable [1]. This is not the response a songwriter wants from a person listening to their music!
Once you have recorded an emotionally interesting vocal and an appropriate music bed, your work is not completely done. There is still ample opportunity to undermine your own efforts with a bad mix! Consider that the listener will be hearing your song for the first time. What is it that you want them to hear above all else? We would suggest this; the listener must be able to readily discern the melody and the lyrics. Instrumentation must compliment the melody and lyrics, not obliterate them! Oftentimes the neophyte demo producer will become so infatuated with the lush production occurring that the lead vocal will be drowned out so that we can hear the "amazing drum sounds' or "rockin' guitar player".
The song itself may dictate what is required of a demo. If you are writing music in a genre that is dependant on production value then you will need to cater to that. But many songs can be conveyed with a simple production.
Simplicity also carries this advantage; if the demo is produced in a simple way, the listener will more easily be able to imagine what THEY would do with the song, production-wise. Sometimes an overproduced demo will cast a song too firmly in one particular direction that inhibits the imagination of the listener.
So, be wise about producing your demos. DO NOT take your rent money or grocery money from your children to produce an expensive demo! Do the best you can do – clearly and in tune – and count on the emotional content of your well written song to carry the day.
Copyright 2007 Dan Keen. All Rights Reserved
1[1] Zull, James. (2002)
The Art of Changing the Mind. Sterling, VA:
Stylus Publishing, page 72
