Welcome to Your Music Production: Onboarding Guide.
Thanks for trusting me to bring your music to life! I’m excited to start this creative adventure with you! This guide will walk you through my process, outlining what you can expect at each stage of your music production journey.
Let’s dive into the details of each phase:
Pre-production
In this initial stage, we focus on defining your desired sound and laying the groundwork for your music.
Research and Define Your Sound: We’ll work together to intentionally define your desired sound. This involves creating a sonic mood board, identifying music that inspires you, and understanding what you strive to compete against in the industry.
Analyze Popular Songs: I will analyze popular songs in your desired genre(s) to uncover what makes them successful. This analysis will help us incorporate key elements into your music during production. You’ll receive a detailed report demonstrating the breakdown of reference material.
Review and Select Demos: If we’re starting from pre-existing ideas, we’ll review any demos that you are considering and decide which song(s) should be taken into production.
Identify Personnel: Together, we’ll identify any additional personnel needed to achieve your desired sound, such as session musicians.
Schedule and Roadmap: We’ll define a schedule, set milestones, and create a roadmap for the production phase, ensuring we’re aligned on timelines and expectations.
Once these steps are complete, we move into the production phase.
Production
This is where the magic happens, as we bring your selected song to life.
Remote Collaboration: Our production process is primarily remote, involving Zoom calls, file sharing, and other collaboration tools to keep communication seamless and efficient.
Musical Foundation: We’ll focus on foundational elements like groove, composition, sonic aesthetic, energy, and flow to ensure your music feels just right.
Virtual Sessions: I can set up to two free virtual sessions with musicians I often collaborate with. These sessions are on a work-for-hire basis for the musicians, giving your project some extra support.
Production Activities: Key activities during this phase include building the song based on pre-production insights, iterating on ideas, composing a full arrangement, sound design, and detailed editing.
Vocals: You’ll be responsible for recording your vocals. Once received, I’ll integrate them into the production to complement your performance perfectly.
Post Production
The final touches bring everything together, ensuring the highest quality output.
Mixing: I will handle the mixing process, balancing all elements to create a cohesive sound. This process usually includes EQ, compression, and other techniques to enhance the overall sound.
This excludes tuning vocals but I can provide this step at an additional cost if you’d like it.
Mastering: The final step in the production process is mastering. This involves adjusting the levels, adding final effects and processing, and preparing the music for distribution.
I offer in-house mastering and third party recommendations .
Having a separate dedicated mastering engineer can provide a fresh perspective and final polish. I can recommend two excellent mastering engineers if needed.
Delivery
Once complete, I will deliver all final files to you for your review and approval.
By following this guide, you’ll have a clear understanding of what to expect and how we’ll collaborate to create music that truly resonates with your vision. I’m thrilled to have you on board and can’t wait to see your project come to life!
