Friday, February 29, 2008

Show Me The CD...If You Think Your Musics Great, Record It!

Throughout the history of modern music, there hasnt been a musical artist/band who doesnt think that their songs are all #1 hits just waiting to be discovered. Many of these artists have been correct and have stood by grinning as their tunes screeched up the charts. This inspires a new crop of musicians every year to feverishly pen their potential hits in hopes of making it big.

Musicians write. They rehearse. They play clubs and hope that one day theyll encounter that special A&R guy (or gal) that will, see them, dig them, sign them, and make them stars. But surprisingly enough, many of these bands never complete what is probably the most important tool for any musician signed or unsignedthey never record a CD.

It cannot be stressed enough that the CD is at the heart of any musical project. It is the physical embodiment of the song, the combination of writing and performing. Its any musicians skeleton key for: club gigs, reviews, and radio play. CDs enable you to draw the attention of fans and industry at the same time. Whether containing one song or twenty, the possibilities of the unsigned artists CD are endless. Post them on the web. Get them to the press. Give them to your friends. Sell them at your shows. Send them to the record labels. Your CD lets the world know who you are and what you sound like and gives anyone who digs your music the opportunity to listen to it again and again.

So, how can you make sure that youre CD does your music justice while appealing to fans and industry alike? While there is not one set way to record a CD, there are certain key elements that every professional CD should possess.

The following are a few tips that may help you to make sure that your CD will help your band instead of hindering it:

1.) Its Not The Size, Its What You Do With It---It doesnt matter how long your CD is, only that it accurately portrays your sound and vibe. If you dont have a lot of time or money to spend in the studio then record for quality instead of quantity. Its better to have one really kick ass tune recorded then a full length CD that sounds like it was recorded on a boom box in your basement. But that doesnt mean that your CD needs to be expensive or time consuming. The advanced technology of digital recordings has afforded musicians/bands the opportunity to record in smaller home studios and still come away with professional sounding recordings. Its now all about finding an engineer with a fantastic ear and the mastery of his/her own gear regardless of how inexpensive it may be.

2.) Record And Mix For The Song---Remember a song is a collaboration. Even if youre the sole musician and engineer of your CD, recording a song is still an ensemble project. Instruments, voices and effects must all work together as a team to produce the best possible finished project. If a guitar line is too busy, a kick drive is too loud, or a voice is perpetually off key, the overall quality of the finished product is compromised. There is a delicate balance of creativity and technology, of art and electronics that comes together to produce the wonder that is your CD. Treat that balance with respect. Put your ego aside and record with the songs as your absolute priority.

3.) Less Talk And More Action---Certainly there is a great deal of preparation that is required before recording. Mapping out the arrangements of your tunes can be an arduous process usually much more complicated than the live performance of the song. One guitar part becomes three, or five or ten, a basic drum part now includes percussion and electronic beats, two backing tracks can become twenty. Sometimes you feel as if your brain will certainly explode from the mapping out of all of the musical and vocal parts required to give your song a professionally recorded sound. But dont get so lost in the charting and practicing of various parts and forget that time is of the essence here. Its all well and good to tell those who inquire that youre in the studio or currently recording but if a CD does not materialize in a reasonable amount of time both fans and industry will grow disinterested and move on to someone who has a finished product.

4.) If It Sounds Good, Make It Look Good---After the time and energy youve spent to make your CD sound amazing, dont scribble on it with a blunt sharpie, throw it in a used envelope and expect a record label to be impressed with it. If your CD looks unprofessional, it will be dismissed as such and will probably spend its days unlistened to, lining the bottom of some A&R interns birdcage. Simple packaging is certainly acceptable but make sure your CDs first impression a good oneyour graphics are high quality, your text is neat, your paper stock is professional and all materials are unused. Even the most poorly recorded CD will get a listen, if it comes in a pretty package.

Now that you have a professional CD recorded, your possibilities are endless. Send it to anyone and everyone! Get your name out there! Make new fans! Grab some press! Get a record deal! Stand back and grin as your single goes screaming up the charts. Anything is possible if you have a good CD and can share your music with the world.

Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.

Read This Blog
American Idol Auditions. ($11 Rebate)
Concert Promotions: A Step By Step Guide. ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Beginners Bible To Techno Music Making And Selling. ($11 Rebate)
Dvd 2 IPod - Convert DVDs To IPod Format. ($11 Rebate)
Learn Entire Fretboard In Under 60 Mins. ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Digital Streaming Radio On Your Mobile Phone - La Vella Mobile Radio. ($11 Rebate)
Dvd Copy Affiliate Wanted! ($11 Rebate)
Pioneers In Mp3 Sites. Easy Sale. ($11 Rebate)
Zune Download Site. ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Download Games Traffic - 10 Sites - Huge Payouts. ($11 Rebate)

An Act of Kindness

Today I went to the park to be in Nature. It had been a long hot day, and it felt wonderful to sit in the shade, just reading, and watching as birds and butterflies came near. The sun had just set, and some people were beginning to leave and go home. It was still a balmy evening, so others lingered.

As I prepared to depart, I too decided to linger. I felt a strong urge to go near the lake, to touch the water. Lately, Ive been making a conscious effort to listen to my feelings more. So I drove to where the lake was, which is also a more crowded area of the park.

I walked past the people and stood near the water, and touched it. The lake was so beautiful. I gazed upon it, then up at the sky. And just above the horizon was the silvery sliver of a new moon embraced by an azure sky. Gazing at Nature, past the crowds, I could not help but be in awe of her splendor. Nature never disappoints us, if we take the time to notice her. I was glad I took those few minutes to witness this daily miracle at dusk.

As I started walking back to my car, I couldnt help but see a mass of broken glass mixed in with the grassglimmers from the setting sun reflected it back to me. In its own way, it was beautiful. Yet I know that broken glass can be very dangerous.

I knelt and inspected the scene. The shards were from a newly broken bottle: both large and small chunks of sharpness that could easily inflict harm on an unaware passerby. Most of the shards were hidden in the grass and, with the dimming light, most people would not see them.

When I was a child, a friend of mine stepped on a piece of glass in a park, and she was seriously injured. She had been running barefoot and didnt see it. I still remember the huge gash in her foot, and pain she suffered. I still recall how her moment of joy so quickly turned into tragedy. So I always try to pick up glass in parks and on trails to prevent others from getting hurt. It is something that I do, just to give back, even during times when I feel I have little to give.

However, I also shy away from crowds, and it felt uncomfortable to linger any longer as darkness was descending. Yet here was my duty before me. I looked around and found a small piece of aluminum foil on the ground and I placed it in the palm of my hand, to serve as a shield. Then I knelt and started picking up the broken shards and placed them on the foil.

It was about that time that I noticed a woman with her dog, walking towards me, then altering their course just a bit to walk around me. If I had not been there--in that spot, at that time--they would have walked right through the glass and the dog would have been hurt. He was a beautiful dog, and seemed very good natured. I felt thankful that I was there to prevent that small tragedy.

I said not a word to anyone around me. I just dutifully picked up the glass, piece by piece, trying to get it all up before it was too dark to see. There was so much of it, that it required two trips to the waste basket.

At various intervals, I became aware of at least four people who took note of my actions: an older woman who was walking alone, a teenager listening to rap music with his friends, and a young couple. They took note that someone was taking the time to do a good deed, and I was happy to set this example. I knew this small act touched their lives in some way.

On the way back to my car, I noticed two large unbroken bottles and picked them up also. They, too, were accidents waiting to happen, if someone did not intervene.

Driving home, I felt more joy than I had for a long time.

Only a month ago, I was living with a sociopath in an abusive relationship. I was a broken woman, afraid to go out among people at all. If I had not found the courage to leave him, no one would have picked up that glass today. And someone could have been hurt.

Today I made a difference in a strangers life, or a dogs life, or a birds life. Perhaps in several lives. And I was only able to do so because I made the right choice, in my own life, a month earlier.

I felt grateful that I was able to do this small act of kindness for another. And I smiled.

A. F. Traveler has known several sociopaths, and has studied the relationship between good and evil most of her life. She has learned much in the process. To read more of her works, visit http://www.inspiration-publications.com

Download YouTube Videos. ($11 Rebate)
Cash In On Youtube! Start Promoting Us Today! ($11 Rebate)
How To Get Your Music Into Movies. ($11 Rebate)
IPhone Nova - IPhone Movie And Tv Downloads - Updated! ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Jamorama - True Conversions! Low Refunds! ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
CinemaDownload Is Back! ($11 Rebate)
K Lite Gold - Brand New P2p Program. ($11 Rebate)
How To Harmonize Any Tune On The Piano. ($11 Rebate)
Bold New IPod Download Site- Expect High Conversion & Highest Payout. ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Read This Blog