Cd Creation 101

By Author: Gabe Sullivan
Total Articles: 10
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Indie music acts appear at selected events only, and it's important to keep your presence among your fans, for your band's growth. How to do that? Have a CD to keep your sound alive for your audience, even when you aren't playing. Making a CD is a major thing to think about, and to make the process less overwhelming, you have to know the basics.

ONE: What's In It?

Decide on what songs you're going to put on the CD, but before that you have to also decide what kind of length of project you're aiming for. Is it a single song, EP or full-length recording? Make a short list of song choices and categorize them to make things easier: fan favorites, your band's best number et cetera. Narrow it down in the end, and voila, short list ready.

TWO: 3 2 1 Record!

Find a proper recording studio if it fits the budget, but before that, don't skip a day of rehearsal. Studio time is not cheap, so try to be as ready as possible on your recording day. This process could take weeks or months, and it entirely depends on your band's commitment budget-wise and time-wise.

Post-production

Recording done, ...
... tracks ready, and now what you have to do is mix and master them. Befriend or hire a trained audio engineer and the person should go over the recording thoroughly. The engineer will make sura all the instrument and track levels are set to your standards. When you have your final audio mix, then it should be mastered for maximum sound level and quality. To make your CD available for your fans and possible recording companies, don't forget to make replication.

Cover Art

Having a CD with a soulless cover is as good as having no CD at all. An eye-catching cover is a good thing because the appeal of your packaging will surely affect your sales. Hire a professional graphic designer as the cover should reflect what's inside your band and the songs in your CD in a visual way.

Good luck!

The author works for Mixonic, a leading CD and DVD production service, which deals duplicate CDs and duplicate DVDs as well.