Are you familiar with the new fast food chain whose slogan is: “Someday Our Fries Won't Be Soggy?”
Have you heard about the runaway success of the homebuilder who sold homes without kitchens and baths because he didn't want to take the time to buy and install plumbing?
Have you been watching the newest Cable News Network? ANN- Almost News Network- “We Repeat Today What CNN Said Yesterday?”
Well of course you haven't heard of them because they would never succeed, and neither will a singing group who says, “Someday we'll record a better project,” or “Our lead singer had pneumonia when we recorded this,” or “We know you've heard all these songs a million times but we didn't have the time to find new material .”
Recording is probably the most important aspect of your ministry, yet it's surprising how many artists in Southern Gospel Music are uninformed about it. Recordings are an important extension of your ministry. They exist not only to help you or your group make a profit, but they are intended to minister as well.
It never ceases to amaze how many artists approach this vital aspect of their careers with nonchalance. It may be due to the overabundance of charlatans in the recording industry that prey on uninformed artists, offering unrealistic deals that are, in most cases, inferior in quality. Recording studios and record companies seem to be everywhere, and many hold much higher opinions of themselves than their production indicates, flooding the industry with inferior products that should be burned rather than sold to the public.
THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN OUR INDUSTRY AND MUST BE ADDRESSED.
My prayer is that enough people who read this will become educated about the recording process and become warriors in the battle against inferiority. If enough would do this, a great service would be done for a wonderful industry.
THE FORMULA FOR QUALITY RECORDING
There are five keys to good recording and they apply to every artist whether you are just starting and are making custom recordings or are a seasoned veteran on a major label.
Simply stated, they are (1) material, (2) preparation, (3) quality people, (4) time, and (5) investment.
Let's discuss each one.
• MATERIAL
The whole industry of SG singing revolves around the song. Ours is the one of the few musical arenas where the words are the most important part of the music, therefore it is vital to record songs that will minister.
Do not ever record a “filler” song. If you don't have a full compliment of songs, you are not ready to record. In the studio, I have heard artists say “Well, we don't have ten songs ready, so let's work up an arrangement of Amazing Grace.” They have come to the studio unprepared, and that is something no one should ever do.
In many cases, especially with new artists, finding songs is as hard as running through a brick wall. In some instances, new artists write their own material, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Experienced writers want their songs recorded by major groups and reserve their good material for that purpose. They give these songs to major artists and producers in hope of getting a cut on a major recording. You can't fault them for this. They are trying to make a living and are as interested in succeeding as you are. However, major artists can't record everything and many songs are culled because they don't fit a particular group. They usually wind up in the producer's files until he can pitch them to another artist.
This is a storehouse of material for new artists since the responsibility for finding new material lies with the producer and the artist. It is your producer's duty to help you find material. A good producer is one of the keys to a successful recording. If your producer shows up at the recording session without an intimate knowledge of the songs you will be recording, you should run as hard as you can in the opposite direction.
Top songwriters will sometimes release songs to new artists as long as they are confident of the quality of the recording. This is almost always a reflection of the reputation of the producer. He can secure new songs from good writers because of his reputation.
Another way to find songs is to approach other groups. Some groups have aspiring writers who are looking for a way to get their songs recorded, and they would be willing to let you have them if for no other reason than to use these cuts as stepping-stones to get bigger groups to record their songs.
Finding songs is no small task, yet it must be done, slowly, prayerfully, and methodically. It will be worth it. Pro groups are constantly on the lookout for new songs. As an artist begins to rise in the ranks, the task of finding suitable songs becomes easier. Finding good songs that fit your style of singing must always remain the main ingredient in your formula for quality recording.
• PREPARATION
Now that you've found a good selection of songs, it's time to begin molding them to fit your style and ministry. It's always good to have more songs than you need, because this process may reveal that one or two of the songs just don't work for you.
This is where the rubber meets the road. In some groups, arranging is done by committee but this can cause some disagreement if two ideas clash. For this reason, it is important for the producer to be involved, not only to get a feel for the recording, but also to provide direction.
You may have an arranger in the group, or if necessary, you can hire an arranger, but the producer should still be on hand to provide leadership.
I must issue a word of caution here. No arrangement is carved in granite. Changes can, and often do, occur during the session. Actually, the purpose here is to develop what I call skeleton arrangements. They should be complete but not learned to the extent that they cannot undergo slight changes.
It's like watching my Mom making her famous pasta sauce. She knows all the ingredients, but even now, after all these years, when it gets down to the end, she reaches in with her big wooden spoon and tastes the sauce. Invariably she'll add a touch more of this or that.
It's like that in the recording studio. When you work with the quality of musicians I work with, you want them to have freedom to express their ideas and be creative. In some cases this will take a song in the direction that requires some vocal alterations. It is usually harder to unlearn something than it is to learn something new. For that reason, I like to have my artists prepared for that possibility.
Once the instrumental tracks are cut, I then consider the arrangement to be final. I give the artist a CD copy and rehearsal begins in earnest. I discourage artists from recording vocals until the arrangements are learned. Sometimes they can try the new songs in concert and get a good feel for them.
I have never understood the theory of recording vocals right after the tracking session. That's probably the worst performance of those songs the artist will ever have. I've had many groups hand me their latest CD and say “Here's our new CD, but we're singing the songs much better now.” My question is, “Why would anyone want to release to the public anything that wasn't their best performance?”
Finally, if one of your singers is sick, postpone the vocal session. Surely you can wait two weeks to record something that will be around for years.
In closing, I know that some groups and singers will read these articles on recording and will choose to ignore my advice and keep on recording the way they've been recording in the past. That's their choice. I know who they are and they know who they are. Unfortunately for them, the buying public DOESN'T know who they are because soggy French fries, houses without plumbing, yesterday's news and inferior quality recordings just don't sell. They never did. They never will. Period.
Next month we'll continue with recording. I welcome your comments. You can reach me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
God Bless You
Author: Nick Bruno
| Author's Website: http://www.nickbruno.com/
Written: 06/30/2004
| 
Category: Monthly ArticlesThe Gospel Truth
Comments: 4
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He said:
"...overabundance of charlatans in the recording industry that prey on uninformed artists, offering unrealistic deals that are, in most cases, inferior in quality. Recording studios and record companies seem to be everywhere, and many hold much higher opinions of themselves than their production indicates, flooding the industry with inferior products that should be burned rather than sold to the public."
I'm glad someone finally said it outloud.. Thanks Nick.
Chuck
http://www.sglive365.com
This article relly hit home. My studio was prepared, but after I arrived, I found out that I was not. I was in a hurry and needed a project to take on the road. It had been nearly twenty years since I was in the studio and it is truly different now. I encourage any and all artists to take this article to heart. Never settle for second best when we as christians certainly serve the very best.
Nick, you are exactly correct. I hate to see groups record 10 cent songs as I call them. You can spot them on a recording very easily. Also it shows when they stage them. I had rather see an old song that is of top quality than hear some written on the spur of the moment and hastily recorded. Thanks for the article.
Dwight Faircloth
Yes preperation is everything if you have your own in home studio
or a analog machine that sets the pace. You may know a song by heart
but I find I must listen,and listen so that I haven't missed something
of the song.Wanting a song to reflect whats on your heart comes down
to how you intro the song to how you sing your phrases .
It's the most incredible art work for we are ultimatly doing this
for the Lord and if we touch hearts and see heartfelt choices for
our Savior made then awesome .But I'm a preperation nerd or freak .
So I hope that these thoughts will help .
Greg Booker
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