Recording Tips - Production Sheet

Ok, so you have bought a ton of equipment, turned your living room into a jungle of cables, put up a mic in a spare bedroom with a bunch of blankets hung on the walls to help control the sound, and now you are ready to fire it all up and start creating your master piece, or ah, first CD to share with the world. Wait, don’t fire it all up yet. You are skipping the most important step in the process of recording a complete CD. It’s the step that is little known to home studio engineers and the reason “big name” studio engineers make recording a full CD look so simple. I am talking about the production sheet.

Before “major label” recording sessions even begin, a producer will meet with the artist or band to listen to a rehearsal and discuss what will be recorded, how it will be recorded, where it will be recorded, and what songs will be recorded. Once this information is in hand, the producer will create a production sheet. Actually, most producers will carry a spiral notebook that will contain the production sheets for each song that will be recorded on separate pages as well as a master production sheet for the entire CD.

Here is what a song production sheet for recording will contain:

• Title
• Tempo
• Key
• Elements (Intro, Verse, Chorus/hook, Bridge, Outro, Etc.)
• Instruments to be Recorded (Drums, Bass, Kazoo, Strings, Guitar, Etc.)
• Vocals to be Recorded (Lead, Background, Harmony, Bridge, Chorus/Hook, Etc.)
• Special Effects (Ocean Waves, Dogs Barking, Explosions, Rain, Etc.)

The individual song production sheet will also include a grid that allows the engineer, producer, or others involved in the recording process to quickly see what is needs to be done to finish the songs recording. The grid will list the sections of a song along the side and the individual parts of a song across the top. Here is an example:



By creating a production sheet you are not only giving yourself a visual cue sheet, you are also forcing yourself to think about what you will need to do to successfully record a song. This is where the value of the production sheet really shines. Producers and engineers call this “pre production.” Pre production allows you to completely think through a song, determine what sound you are trying to achieve, what is needed in the song to get that sound, and how the song should be structured. The production sheet simply lists the preproduction so you have a visual cue as to what steps need to be completed to finish a song.

As you can see on the example production sheet there is a section under the grid for notes. This is important. Most recording engineers will use this section to list what microphones, preamps, compressors, EQs, and settings they use to record a particular instrument or voice. This way, if it is decided later in the recording process that a particular part needs to be fixed or re-recorded the engineer can dial in the settings or use the same configuration to get the same sound from the original recording date. This is also a great place to list who performed on the song for reference when creating the CD graphics and listing the credits.

Master Recording Production Sheet

A master production sheet will list the CD title, total time of all the songs combined, and contain a mixing and mastering grid. The primary purpose of the master production sheet is to ensure songs have all mixes and edits needed for final mastering and that all songs get mastered.

Here is an example master recording production sheet:



As you can see in the example, on the left side of the grid is a listing of each individual song that will be included on the final full CD. Across the top of the grid is a listing of what needs to be completed to each song during the mix and mastering phase of the recording process. Here is a break down of listed terminology used:

Full
This is the complete mix of the song as it was recorded.

Radio
The “radio” mix usually has the curse words removed or edited, may be shortened to fit within the industry standard of under 4 minutes in length, and in some cases the vocals will be raised an additional 3db to compensate for the compression radio stations apply to their broadcasted signal.

Instr
“Instr” stands for instrumental. Instrumental versions are made from the “Full” version of the song minus any vocal parts. Instrumentals are commonly sent to radio stations with the “Radio” version of the song so that DJs can use them as “beds” or “tracks” under their talking.

Acca
“Acca” stands for acappella. Acappella versions are most commonly created from the radio version of a song. Acappellas are used heavily in urban music for remixes or DJ mix shows. In addition, acappellas and instrumental versions are sometimes used in film  or TV shows and by having the two separate versions of the song it allows the post production engineer mixing the movie or TV show the ability to make the song fit within the needs of the program.

Perf
“Perf” stands for Performance. A performance mix is created so that the artists can use the song in live performances as backing tracks. Performance mixes are heavily used in urban and pop music for live and televised performances. In addition, performance mixes are what is used to create karaoke music, a great source of income for artists and bands.

Master
The final category listing is Master. Mastering is the final step completed on a song before a CD can be considered finished.

Conclusion

A song and master production sheet will save you time, energy, and headache when recording a complete CD. They may seem simple, but trying to remember all the individual elements of ten or more songs can cause confusion and extra or forgotten work. Once you get the hang of utilizing the valuable record tool you will wonder how you did it without.

Peace,
Jai
Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!”
©2009 Jai Hutcherson All Rights Reserved