Creator Workshop Pro
Course 5: Preparing to Record

You’ve been putting a lot of work into your song, adding bridges and breaks and loops and more. And while you’ve been working on individual tracks or sections of your song, it’s time to start bringing everything together. You’ll also be preparing to add your final vocals and getting into the right mind space to give it your best. But before you start adding the final touches, you’ll want to ensure everything is in place.

Any audio engineer or music producer will tell you organization plays a huge role when producing a song, especially when there are multiple collaborators. Although it may seem mundane, learning how to label your tracks and leaving notes for yourself (and others) will save a lot of time during the producing, mixing, and mastering phase of your song.

Don’t get cute with your naming conventions, either. You may know exactly what you’re referring to, but if you’re working with another audio engineer, they may not understand what your little inside jokes may be, or worse yet, no labels at all. For many professionals, unnamed tracks are destined to be deleted.

Your listening library for this week is Michael Bolton’s A Symphony of Hits. Yes, Michael Bolton–because love him or hate him, the man is an undeniable vocal talent. Understanding how he approaches a song will go a long way in how you approach your singing. You’ll also find out how a $99 investment in a virtual amp will benefit your home studio (Softube’s Amp Room).