Process

Writing Process

For my project, I intended to write an album and record it. However, as the focus of my project shifted, it became more about recording rather than the writing of songs. I have written songs in the past, and I recorded those to use in the final product. I realized that this project was very hard considering I had little experience in every aspect of my project. The original idea of writing, recording, and advertising was too much to do in the time given.

For the songs that I used, I wrote down the chord progressions and structure on paper. I practiced the songs many times not only so I would memorize them, but also I would limit mistakes when recording. When it came time to record, I played from memory.

Recording Process

Recording music is extremely difficult. It is a job in itself to record music, and I have never done it before. I used Logic Pro as my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and had equipment such as an audio interface, headphones, a MIDI keyboard, a Guitar, and a Bass. When I was first starting to record, I was picky about what I had and it was inefficient. I learned that whatever I made was not going to be perfect, and getting something down to improve upon was the more effective approach. 

The songs on my EP are Homework Blues, Driving Alone at Midnight, and Stuck in My Mind, all songs that I wrote. The instruments that I used in the songs were Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, and MIDI Drums. I start each recording on the guitar to lay a foundation for the structure. I typically record the whole song in one take. Then I record the drums using a MIDI keyboard so that it is easier to keep time for the rest of my instruments. after that,  I go back and rerecord the guitar in sections. Recording in sections allows me to be more precise. Then I add the bass. Finally, I sing over the completed instrument section. After I am done with a recording I make sure all the volumes of each track are how I want it. Then I add effects such as reverb and adjust the EQ and Panning of the instruments.

Publishing Process

Publishing was surprisingly not that difficult for me. I gained a lot of knowledge about the process through my interview with Ken Umezaki. He told me everything I needed to do from copywriting to distribution. However, for someone without my prior knowledge, it may be difficult to get the full scope and understand where to start. I made a guide for the process so anyone could do it.

Impact

As I was researching for my project, I realized that there was no end-to-end guide on how to get music from a finished recording (or many) to published on all platforms while ensuring you are receiving all your royalties. So as part of my project, I decided to make that guide so that anyone new to music publishing can easily understand everything they need to do. 

You can check out the guide here