Make a track, from nothing to released
Four routes. Sixteen steps. Start anywhere, take as long as you need, and leave and come back whenever you like.
Nothing here is timed, scored or ranked. A step is done when you say it is done, and the record is simply what happened.
Route 1 of 4
Writing
Coming up with the music in the first place, before any recording.
1.Pick one idea
- What you need
- Nothing. A phone note is enough.
- What to do
- Decide one thing the track is about: a mood, a place, a sound you keep hearing.
- How you know it is done
- You can say the idea in one sentence.
- Roughly how long
- About 10 minutes
- What gets recorded
- One sentence written down.
2.Make a short loop
- What you need
- Any program that lets you place sounds on a grid, or an instrument.
- What to do
- Put down one short piece that repeats, and let it repeat more times than feels natural.
- How you know it is done
- It plays for a minute without you touching anything.
- Roughly how long
- About 30 minutes
- What gets recorded
- A loop saved with a name.
3.Change it twice
- What you need
- The same loop, open.
- What to do
- Take one part out, then put something else in. Write down what you changed.
- How you know it is done
- The loop has two versions you can tell apart.
- Roughly how long
- About 20 minutes
- What gets recorded
- Two saved versions, or a note describing the change.
4.Save it and stop
- What you need
- Nothing.
- What to do
- Save the project with a name you will recognise next week, and close it.
- How you know it is done
- The file opens again and still plays.
- Roughly how long
- 5 minutes
- What gets recorded
- A saved project file.
Route 2 of 4
Recording
Capturing a sound, a voice or an instrument into the track.
1.Choose the room
- What you need
- One room, and a surface to work on.
- What to do
- Pick the quietest room you have. Soft things on the walls and floor help more than expensive gear.
- How you know it is done
- You can hear yourself without an echo bouncing back.
- Roughly how long
- About 15 minutes
- What gets recorded
- The room written down, and one test recording.
2.Check the level first
- What you need
- Your microphone, and the meter in your program.
- What to do
- Say or play the loudest part once, and turn the input down until the meter never reaches the top.
- How you know it is done
- Nothing lights up red when you do the loudest thing you will do.
- Roughly how long
- About 10 minutes
- What gets recorded
- One test recording that does not distort.
3.Record one part at a time
- What you need
- The loop, and your instrument or voice.
- What to do
- Record one part, listen back once, and only then record the next.
- How you know it is done
- Every part can be heard on its own.
- Roughly how long
- About 45 minutes
- What gets recorded
- One file for each part, named.
4.Keep the takes
- What you need
- Nothing.
- What to do
- Keep the good one and the almost-good one. Delete nothing on the day you record it.
- How you know it is done
- Your takes are saved where you can find them tomorrow.
- Roughly how long
- 5 minutes
- What gets recorded
- Takes saved with clear names.
Route 3 of 4
Mixing
Balancing the parts so everything can be heard, and finishing the file.
1.Listen once, touch nothing
- What you need
- The whole track, and something to write on.
- What to do
- Play it from start to finish and note the two moments that bother you most.
- How you know it is done
- Two notes, in your own words.
- Roughly how long
- One listen
- What gets recorded
- Two written notes.
2.Balance the parts
- What you need
- The project open, all parts playing.
- What to do
- Change one volume at a time, by a small amount, and listen between each change.
- How you know it is done
- Every part can be picked out when you listen for it.
- Roughly how long
- About 40 minutes
- What gets recorded
- A saved mix where nothing disappears.
3.Check on something else
- What you need
- Headphones, or a phone speaker.
- What to do
- Play the mix on a different speaker and note what changes.
- How you know it is done
- Nothing is painful on one and silent on the other.
- Roughly how long
- About 15 minutes
- What gets recorded
- One note on what changed.
4.Save the finished song as one file
- What you need
- The finished mix.
- What to do
- Use export or save-as in your program, and choose an audio file that keeps the quality.
- How you know it is done
- One file plays from start to finish outside the program.
- Roughly how long
- About 10 minutes
- What gets recorded
- One finished audio file.
Route 4 of 4
Releasing
Putting the track out where people can hear it, with the rights written down.
1.Choose the rights
- What you need
- A decision about who holds the track.
- What to do
- Decide whether this is yours outright, or shared under a licence that lets others pass it on.
- How you know it is done
- You can say what someone else is allowed to do with it.
- Roughly how long
- About 15 minutes
- What gets recorded
- The licence chosen and recorded.
2.Write the credit
- What you need
- The names of everyone involved.
- What to do
- Write one line naming the artist and the licence, exactly as it should be shown.
- How you know it is done
- The credit is copied word for word wherever the track appears.
- Roughly how long
- About 10 minutes
- What gets recorded
- The credit line saved with the track.
3.Describe it plainly
- What you need
- Nothing.
- What to do
- Write two sentences: what it sounds like, and what a listener should know before pressing play.
- How you know it is done
- Someone who has never heard it knows what to expect.
- Roughly how long
- About 15 minutes
- What gets recorded
- The description saved.
4.Choose the day
- What you need
- The finished file, the credit and the description.
- What to do
- Pick a date, put it out, and tell three people who will actually listen.
- How you know it is done
- It is public, and three people know.
- Roughly how long
- About 20 minutes
- What gets recorded
- The track published, with its date.