Recording a demo is an old school concept.
Back in the day you would record a demo and if it was good enough you would hand it off to record producers and record labels and if successful you would get signed, picked up and made into millionaires and rock God’s.
In this day and age, the use for a demo is quite minimal, however there are some circumstances where a demo will come in handy.
Do you need a demo?
First of all, you need to determine whether or not you need a demo.
If you play in a covers band you will not need a demo tape.
If you are an original artist who is just starting out the chances of you needing a demo tape would be minimal though it may be handy.
What you could use a demo for if you are an original artist is to put it up on SoundCloud so venues and agents can get an idea of your sound. It is also a good way to give your audience a taste of the music that you are aiming to make and gives them a sense of your style as well.
A demo recording may come in handy when you are dealing with a producer and when you are recording new music.
Producers are an expensive service, so you want to minimize the back and forth that may occur as much as possible. This is where a demo recording will cost its weight in gold.
Prior to entering the studio, you may want to get a song as tight as possible and give it back to the producer; the producer may have feedback based on the current session you were working on and it is up to you to work on the suggestions he has put forward.
You can then record this demo, send it back to him for more feedback.
It is also a good way to get an understanding of how a song feels and what a song sounds like as a whole.
You may record one song many times in a different structure or even chord progression or even change up the lyrics. By listening back to these demos, you can determine which would be the best route to take.
Recording a demo yourself
Recording equipment has become a lot cheaper the last couple of decades allowing anyone to record their own voice or instrument straight onto their laptop or even iPad.
No longer do you have to search for specialist recording equipment and spend thousands of dollars, now you can access recording equipment not only from online stores but even stores like JB Hi-Fi who maybe just around the corner from you.
Therefore, recording a demo yourself is definitely a cost-efficient way to get a demo quickly done and up and ready to send off to producers or to upload to SoundCloud.
Depending on the type of demo you want to record the equipment will vary therefore the cost will vary also.
If you were looking to get yourself singing playing with an instrument you could get away with just having a 2 channel input audio interface. These can range from $200 upwards but it is definitely something worth having when you have a burst of inspiration and want to get an idea down quick.
You plug in an audio interface into your computer via USB and then you let it install itself or you install the drivers to make it work with your digital audio workstation.
This brings us to our next piece of equipment or software you will need help record your own demo and that is a DAW or a digital audio workstation.
There are many pieces of software you can use to start recording your own demos from Cubase to Pro Tools to Logic.
Like recording hardware, software used to be their expensive as well but now a lot of software providers offer subscription services or affordable solution for anyone looking to record.
Steinberg Cubase, for example, offers Cubase Elements which is a very handy digital audio workstation that you can purchase for $150.
While using a program like Steinberg Cubase, a bit of technical know-how is required though it wouldn’t hurt a musician or an artist as yourself to learn such a skill because it is invaluable information to know.
Once you have your audio interface and software setup then it’s a matter of hitting record and then you are underway.
You can export your files as an MP3 or a WAV then do with your demo what you please. The great thing is you can record as much as you want and export as much as you want to.
Recording a demo at a studio
If you don’t want to learn or don’t have the time to pick up how to use new software or purchase new hardware, the alternative is to find a local recording studio and engineer to record a demo at their premises.
Studio prices vary so the best advice we can give is to Google search a studio and then see what their hourly rates are for the space; but then also how much the hourly rate will be for the sound engineer.
If you have the budget to pay for this then it’s a quick and easy way to get a demo banged out. However, you must make sure that you and your band have your songs tight and down-pat; make sure everyone knows their parts otherwise you were burning more hours in the studio and costs may blow out.
Once your demo has been recorded in the studio the sound engineers out will do a mix down and then provide you with deliverables such as an MP3 and WAV format file.
If so, desired you may also request that the sound engineer does a mix down of your demo or demos and put it onto a CD though this medium is rather outdated and old school.
Conclusion
We have discussed 2 different way to record a demo and not break the bank.
While the cost for equipment upfront to setup your own recording software and hardware may be expensive, in the long term it’s a valuable investment as it is something that you will use often and you don’t have to master the software or hardware especially if you’re just recording demos.
On the other hand, recording at a studio may suit you better. As long as you and your band members know your parts, you can get it done quickly and efficiently. Request a quote before starting and see if it suits your budget.
How do you record your music? Let us know in the comments!
