What is the Best Way to Make a Demo Record?

If you are interested in the best way to make a demo record, you obviously are a musician, singer, songwriter or all three. Being in music industry, it's obvious that your demo is your calling card and how you advance yourself and get in front of the right music producers and record labels. Therefore, getting your demo to be the best it can be is imperative. If your songs sound great, the right people will listen and then the sky's the limit.

The first decision that has to be made is to find the perfect recording venue for you, your sound and your pocketbook. Or perhaps you have equipment and your have made the decision to record your demo at home. If the latter is the case, make sure you have good enough equipment to get a decent sound including the correct acoustical quarks of the room you will be using to record.

Secondly, it's very important that you decide how you will be recording. Will everything be live; referring to the instruments and vocals? Usually this is recorded in one take which gives the recording a more raw sound but can also add excitement to the demo. The other option is to do a multi-track recording where every instrument is recorded separately. This gives the recording a more polished sound. Of course, when deciding which is best, understand that it is also depends on the type of music that is being recorded. Remember, a live sound is better with certain types of music, for example, rock and punk rock. If you have a more commercial pop sound, multi-track would probably be your best choice.

Using good microphones and placement of them for your demo is especially important. Every drum and cymbals should be miked. To get a really clean sound with your guitars, hook them up in another room to prevent sounds from bleeding into each other. If you do not own good, quality mics, you can rent them for a day at a fairly reasonable price. That will give you a professional sound without having to spend much money.

Finally, after you record your song, it's time to mix it. Don't forget that people understand that a demo is just that; a "demo". Record labels understand that so remember that it will more than likely not be perfect. And because most people mix their demos on their own computers, executing a rough mix is just fine. But if you are recording your demo in a professional recording studio, then the engineer could probably mix it for you. Of course this will cost you more money, but it's a good place to spend it if possible. The outcome of your song is dependent upon a good mix. Just always remember that you are looking to acquire a good demo, not a good final master. Being aware of that will save you money when making a demo record.