A Demo By Any Other Name...

...is still a demo.

There is a lively discussion on the Sellaband forum which asks the question, "Does the quality of the sound recording really matter?" The comments in answer to that question display the wide diversity of experience and expectations present within the Sellaband community. Opinions vary between artists, investors and fans. I take a very firm approach and answer with a resounding and inflexible "Yes...and No...well, maybe...sometimes."

Most of the mp3 recordings posted by Sellaband artists are of demo quality, that is to say, they are recordings meant to demonstrate the writing, performance and/or production potential of artists hoping to raise sufficient capital investment for the production of professionally recorded products. These recordings can vary widely from nearly complete studio versions to song fragments recorded on the humblest of devices. I'm not aware of any aspiring artists on the site posting previously signed material so I can only assume that the music, regardless of recording quality, is posted to demonstrate potential as opposed to finished, marketable product, although there may be exceptions.

I think of a demo as being in one of three distinct categories:

1. The Writing Demo: This can be as simple as a vocal rendition of a song accompanied by one instrument. The object of a writing demo is to sell a song to an artist, producer or publisher.

2. The Artist Demo: The purpose of an artist demo is to demonstrate the performance level of a particular artist. This could be a singer, a solo instrumentalist or an entire band. Artist demos are not limited to recordings of original music as they are frequently used to showcase talent for audition purposes.

3. The Production Demo: When a band or artist has written or secured material, a production demo can be recorded in order to demonstrate and conceptualize elements of style, instrumentation, character etc. An artist or producer will frequently make a production demo to focus attention on production concepts, explore different effects or to edit arrangements before spending precious or unavailable funds in a professional setting.

When an artist is also a songwriter and is struggling to hone his concept into something worthy of recording, he is frequently self-cast in the role of producer. The advent of relatively affordable recording technology has seduced many aspiring artist/writer/performers into believing that they can produce viable products. In some cases I'm sure that this can be the case. The fact that more and more of the listening audience hears music via mp3 and computer speakers further obfuscates the value of professional production techniques.

But again, allowing for the occasional home recording genius, thinking of even the best demo recording as a finished product can be a mistake. If you put two measures of ground coffee in your mouth, pour in boiling water and milk, and then put your face in front of a steam iron, you haven't made cappuccino. All the elements are present, yes. And you've done a great job of gathering the ingredients and simulating the process. But what you've created is a convincing demo of a potential cappuccino. Before you go into mass production, you will need a pro and you will need pro-level tools.

The last project I took part in at Shangri La was the album "Suitcase" by Keb' Mo'. Keb' has many years of recording experience and two Grammys under his belt and I was thrilled to assist producer John Porter and engineer Rik Pekkonen for the project. During the process of recording, I was in awe of what I heard coming out of the studio monitors. To me, it was all gold. But time and time again, after what seemed like a brilliant take, John would go out into the room and have a word with the musicians or go into the vocal booth with Keb'. It seemed like he was just taking a short break or resting his ears or maybe just sharing a joke. But every time he came back into the control room and had Rik push the "record" button, the next take would be magic. And the difference between Keb's original demos and the grammy nominated album demonstrates to me the inestimable value of the collaboration between artist and producer.

I have written reviews of various Sellaband artists and in every case what is most compelling about these artists is potential. When I listen to The Francis Rodino Band, I bow in respect to his songwriting and the performance abilities of the band. But I also know that what I'm hearing is the tip of the iceberg. The same goes for The Vegas Dragons, Kontrust, Lone Pine, Wetwerks and so many more. Mandana, the voice of Solidetube, and Lucia Iman have the potential of making beautiful recordings. And then there is ConFused5, a band that has resurrected itself after a 20 year hiatus and still retains the exuberance of a band of 20-year-old guitar rods. All of these artists and many more on the Sellaband web site have demonstrated massive potential by way of their demo recordings. But only the open-minded collaboration of a professional producer and all that comes with that will result in a great cup of coffee.

Because a demo by any other name...well, you know the rest.

Mixing an Effective Demo

Mixing an effective demo recording can be as simple...or as complicated as you want it to be. In the not so long ago days of four track cassette recorders, the limitations of the equipment left fewer options for consideration. The home recordist of today however, has more toys at his command than the well stocked studio of even twenty years ago. But in spite of this, many demos still sound like shit. The reason? No matter how many compressors, equalizers, multiband mastering tools, phasers, flangers and fuck-with-the-sound toys there are in the box, you gotta have ears...and the brains to use them.

I can't tell you how many times I've listened to a home-recorded mix where the young genius pulls up a frequency analyzer and says, "Look at that curve, ain't it just perfect?" The problem is that you can't "look" at a mix, you have to listen to it. and if the song is fighting to get out of the speakers, you have a problem.

I listen to a lot of new demo mixes on the Sellaband web site. There are over 4500 artists currently showing their wares on Sellaband so there is no shortage of listening material. The quality ranges from simple guitar and voice writing demos and Garageband sequences right up to studio quality recordings. I'm going to address this to a typical 4 or 5 piece band with some sort of computer recording rig and the hopes of catching the ear of a big time A&R exec.

First of all, as I've preached before, It is all about the song. No song, no dice. Period. Assuming that there is a song to record, every aspect and every detail of that demo must have a reason for existence. This is where it is so easy to go wrong. No one will be impressed with effects. All the filtering and modulation effects are in those rigs for fun. And if you get caught up in that world to the point that the song depends on a flanging effect, that is what you will be playing for...fun. Keep it simple and let the song dictate what is needed. Effects and imaging are the herbs and spices of a mix, not the main course.

So how do you image a song demo effectively? Using our 5 piece rock band as an example, the first consideration when attempting to draw attention to the song is the vocal. A track can sound fabulous and then, when you drop in the vocal, there just isn't room left in the center of the stereo image. Here are some practical suggestions for making sure the vocal is the focal point of the mix.

1. It will probably make life easier if you record the parts to mono tracks. Yeah, I know, you just got a new stereo what-the-fuck box and when you play bass by yourself it's amazing. Forget it! You're asking for trouble.

2. Kick drum, bass and snare should be panned to the center. And here's a tip, Introduce yourself to the phase button. It's just a button, go ahead. Push it. Sometimes putting the kick or the bass out of phase can give the impression of more low end focus without affecting the overall volume.

3. Rhythm guitars, organs, pianos and most keyboard pads should be panned off center. These instruments can soak up much of the frequencies you will need for the vocal. Use your stage plot as an example. If the organ is on the right, pan it that way. And try to balance the instruments from right to left as they would be on a stage, sort of like picking teams for softball. One big guy for you, one for me. One girl on each team, and so on.

4. EQ adds amplitude(loudness) as well as frequencies(tone). Pulling certain frequencies out can be more effective that piling them on.

5. Watch that you don't put up a killer mix and then bury the detail with delay and reverb. Try the old school mono reverb trick. Pan a rhythm guitar hard right. Now put it through a mono delay or reverb and pan the effect hard left. Then pan the organ hard left and pan its effect hard right. This will give the mix size and will leave room in the center for the vocal and any solos. Remember that reverbs and delays are based on the concept of sound reflecting off of surfaces. Keep that in mind as you image the effects. Reverbs and most delay effects should be like faint halos around the edges of the mix.

And 6. The vocal. It all comes down to this. No matter how rockin' or complex the track is, you must be able to hear every nuance, every breath and every word of the lead vocal. If you listen to the dry vocal in the mix, and this isn't happening, keep the vocal playing as you solo the instruments one by one and find the culprit. If the vocal sits nicely in the center, it's time for a little reverb. If you have the toys, try this. Put up two mono reverb channels. Pre delay one of them by 20 ms and pan it hard right. Pre delay the other by 40 ms and pan it hard left. Now send the Vocal to each reverb. The vocal will be charging up the center channel and have plenty of size as well. The panned reverbs will insure that the details will be heard.

An effectively mixed song demo doesn't have to be extravagant. Your band may play great music, have amazing chops, and you can have cool outfits, But nobody will ever know how cool you are if they can't hear the song. So get that shit out of the way and let em hear the vocal.