Build A Better Record By Breaking Down Your Workflow

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Okay, I'm not advising that you should ever eat an elephant but rather relaying the importance of staying focused on one thing at a time to make steady progress, as opposed to being totally overwhelmed with what might seem to be an insurmountable task.

For many artists, finishing their current project can feel overwhelming, especially when the budget for both time and money is limited. For most projects, a great-sounding fully mixed and mastered recording will be the end result but getting there can sometimes feel like a moonshot. Whether it's a single song or an entire EP or album, we can feel like we're not making enough progress or that we're going in circles. 

In a previous post, I made the case for finishing the song before you try to finish the recording of the song. 

But how do you know when the song is done? How do you know when you're done recording and ready to start mixing? Why are we now in the mastering stage wishing we had edited that drum fill going into the second verse? 

Art is never finished, only abandoned.

As creatives, we tend to seek perfection—just one more tweak. And then another. 

At some point, we have to call it done and then learn to live with the decision. It's certainly much easier to do this some times more than others but we can all get better at recognizing when we're nearing that decision-making point of calling it done.

Going back to the "one bite at a time" idea, it can help to break your project down further to pinpoint some key milestones and differentiate the individual stages to prioritize and focus on each one accordingly.

While everyone's workflow can be different, the traditional music-making process includes these basic stages:

1. Songwriting

2. Pre-Production

3. Tracking

4. Editing

5. Mixing

6. Mastering

It's important to understand why each stage is needed. You can learn more about each in my free interactive eBook on Music-Making.

It's just as important to understand how each stage builds on what came before it. Don't put off what you can fix right here and right now. It will almost always sound better than attempts to solve for it later when your options are more limited.

Here are some thoughts to consider about each stage as you move through your process. It's not a complete list by any means but it can serve as a starting point for your own checklist to know when you're ready to move on and call each individual stage done. 

SONGWRITING

Finish the song first! Building the car while you drive it rarely ends well. You can always come up with a different arrangement or production to change how the song is performed, so don't distract yourself with things that can be addressed later in the process.

• Do the words & music work together to tell the story you want to tell?

• Does the song structure keep you engaged and wanting to hear more?

• Can you substitute an unexpected note or chord that still works while grabbing your attention?

• Can you play through the entire song and tell the whole story, or convey all of the right feelings?

• Can you make it work with just vocals/melody and one accompanying instrument (e.g., a guitar or piano)?

PRE-PRODUCTION 

Production can span multiple stages but pre-production here means having a plan before you start recording. Rehearsing the song before you begin tracking can help identify what's working and what is not—especially when you have an objective viewpoint. Being objective can be difficult if you're too close to the song as its writer, so having a valued opinion from other collaborators such as a producer, your bandmates, etc. can be of great value. You want to save time & money and be able to commit to your decisions. That said, you still want to leave a little room for the magic to happen.

• Does the tempo work for the groove/vibe you're after?

• Does the overall performance feel better when performed to a click track or without one?

• Is the key a good fit for the singer or lead instrument?

• Is your arrangement solid? Too busy? Too sparse?

• Is there musical contrast or just more of the same throughout?

• Are there any conflicting or competing parts to change or remove altogether?

• Are you layering complementary sounds: samples, guitar tones, synth patches, etc.

TRACKING 

I'd argue that you want to consider the same items listed below for Editing since you can better address these during the tracking stage anyway. When the musicians are still in place and you still have the same engineer and setup in place, you still have the best opportunity to capture what's really needed to make your song sound like a record.

Once the room, setup, musicians, and vibe change, you'll have fewer options & less flexibility to fix the problem and still make it sound as good.

EDITING 

Editing is not mixing. It's not tracking either. While the lines can be blurred, don't assume either session includes the responsibility of editing your tracks. If you're doing it all out of your home studio, schedule some dedicated time for editing before you start mixing—this lets you or your mix engineer focus on the creative and sonic elements instead.

• Can you hear any parts clipping?

• Can you hear any clicks, pops, buzzes, or other noises that distract from the performance?

• Are there any notes sung out of tune?

• Do the harmonies add to or distract from the lead?

• Is the groove tight where it needs to be? Is the groove too sterile? Does it need to loosen up?

• Are any key elements out of time with each other? Prioritize what's important to the feel of the song or even a specific section of the song.

• Are there any noticeable words being mispronounced on slurred?

• Any offensive words or phrases that might prevent you from getting airplay? Do you have an alternate lyric?

• Are there noticeable mistakes being played or bad notes heard?

• Are there better takes to comp? Can you copy & paste a better bar or two from other repeated sections of the song?

MIXING 

My personal favorite too, but don’t put so much emphasis on mixing techniques that you ignore the necessity for proper recording techniques and the impact of even some light editing.

• Can you understand the lyrics throughout?

• Can you hear each part when you need to?

• Are you tapping your foot or nodding your head?

• Do you lose any key elements when listening in mono?

• Does the overall sound compare well to an appropriate reference track?

• Is there a sense of space and depth that fits the song?

• Are the dynamics intact, or does the performance sound squashed?

• Do  you still hear or feel anything that distracts you from enjoying the song?

MASTERING 

Similar to the ties between Tracking and Editing, there can be some overlap between Mixing and Mastering, with many opportunities better addressed during the mixing session whenever possible. Ideally, the mastering engineer can easily enhance what has already been provided by the mix engineer with only subtle adjustments vs. any radical audio acrobatics to repair or compensate for poor decisions made from inaccurate playback systems.

• Does the song sound like a similarly mastered commercial release?

• Does the overall balance work well when played at different volumes?

• Does the song translate well from one set of speakers to another? Does it work on your headphones, in your car, on your grandmother's kitchen radio, etc.?

Where do you struggle in your music-making process? Where do you feel you always have to go back a few steps in order to move forward? 

I'd love to hear about your experiences and discuss ways I can help you get your project closer to being done and sounding its best.

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