What is a songwriter demo?
A songwriter demo is a recording of a
song so that it can be demonstrated to others. Some songwriters
want their songs to be recorded by recording artists for monetary gain.
Others have their songs recorded for their own personal pleasure.
We work hard to record professional quality recordings for writers
that have either goal.
If you plan to pitch your songs so that they can be recorded by artists
on their records, you need a professional sounding demo of your songs.
Our philosophy is that the more your songs sound like records, the
better chance they have to be successful. We strive to provide songwriters
with high quality recordings so that their songs can be presented in a
professional manner.
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Who's in charge?
Larry Beaird is in charge of making
sure your music is recorded in a professional manner. You can talk
to him personally about any questions you have about recording your songs.
He is more than happy to discuss the recording process with songwriters.
Call 1-800-229-3308 or 615-279-8030 to talk to Larry. If he is in
a session, please leave your name and number so that he can return your
call.
Eli Beaird and Sarah Woodruff are the studio managers,
and they are very happy to answer questions about our demo packages, discuss
orders, set up appointments, take SAMPLES requests. etc. They work hard
to manage the day-to-day affairs of the studio, and do a great job.
Feel free to call them anytime.
Office: 615-279-8030
Fax: 615-279-8095
Toll Free: 800-229-3308
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What about musicians?
We take care of booking the musicians to record
our
songwriter demo packages.
Larry Beaird has a great working relationship
with numerous session players here in Nashville. He not only works
with them at our studio, but also works with them around Nashville performing
on recordings for record companies and publishers. He knows who
to call to put together a great group of studio players for your songs.
We use professional musicians who are members of the Nashville Association
of Musicians.
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What recording format
do you use?
We use RADAR 24 from iz Technology. The RADAR is a 24 track hard disk recorder. It uses
no tape, and it has incredible editing characteristics that come with
digital hard drive recording.
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Do you use ProTools?
Yes, we have ProTools. While we track the musical instruments with RADAR, we track the vocals and mix in ProTools (analog mixes are also available).
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How do I submit a demo?
There are 2 common ways to submit your demo. The first is to mail us an order form, lyric sheet, and work tape. You can also email us the order form, lyric sheet, and MP3 if you like.
If you have any questions regarding converting your demo to MP3 format, please contact us, we'd be happy to help you. Common converting programs are Windows Media Player, iTunes, and Roxio.
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What is a tracking session?
A tracking session is a recording session
with the musicians. For a
Standard
Demo Package, this would be a session with 4 musicians. For
a
Premier Demo
Package, this would be with 6 musicians.
The typical tracking session lasts 3 hours. A scratch vocal (not
the keeper vocal track) is usually done with the musicians, but the main
vocal and harmonies, if any, are recorded after the tracking session has
been completed.
We utilize Nashville union musicians from the Nashville Association of
Musicians for our songwriter demo packages. These players are real professionals.
Some of the finest recording musicians in the world are in Nashville.
They do recording sessions for a living, and they are extremely
talented and creative. Check out our
Sample
Page to hear for yourself.
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What about vocals?
Typically, we provide the lead vocalist
for songs that we record. And we have some great vocalists to sing
for you! Check out our
Sample
Page to hear a sample of songs that we've recorded with our Nashville
vocalists. We take care of hiring and paying the vocalists, and
the cost (up to $80 per song) is included in the
Songwriter
Demo Packages. If a vocalist charges us more than $80, that additional
cost is charged to the writer or publisher.
If you are a singer and want to sing your own vocal tracks for your songs,
that is fine, too. We have demo packages that are recorded without
vocals so that you can add your own (labeled as NO VOCALIST). These demo packages cost less than the demo packages
with vocals. Then you just pay for studio time as needed for your
vocals. The cost for studio time is $80.00 per hour.
Sometimes, you might want a copy of the music without the vocals. This
way, you could perform live with the musical tracks, or you could record
your vocals near your home if it's not possible to make a trip to Nashville.
If this is the case, there are two options. First, you could
order one of our
Songwriter
Demo Packages with vocals and get an extra copy without
vocals for yourself. Second, you could simply order a Songwriter Demo Package
without vocals.
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What
if I rewrite the lyrics to my song after it's been recorded?
If
you rewrite your song, we can re-sing* and remix the song (without re-tracking
the whole band) if :
(1). the arrangement of the music hasn't changed, (2). the key
is the same, and (3). we still have the song on RADAR files. See Rewrite
on the Order Forms.
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What is arranging?
Arranging is a service that we provide
to help writers with the chord structure of their songs. This generally
happens in two different instances. First, if you
don't
play an instrument, you can send us an acapella tape with singing
only, and we can arrange the chords to go with your melody. Second, if
you have chords to your song already, you still might like some help with
the chord structure. We could help in this area, also.
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What is the cost for studio
time?
Studio time is generally included for the
Songwriter
Demo Packages. The studio time allotted for vocals
is up to one hour per song. The studio time allotted for
mixing is up to one hour per song. If you are present and want to
spend more time than we generally allot for vocals and mixing, a studio
time charge will apply. The studio time charge is $80.00 per hour.
This includes an engineer.
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What is mixing?
Mixing is the procedure of blending all
the instrument and vocal tracks together. The audio tracks
are mixed down to 2 tracks like you would normally hear on a CD.
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What about tape costs?
One CD is included FREE with each
Songwriter
Demo Package. Additional
CDs are available.
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What if I want to bring my
own musicians?
You are welcome to bring your own musicians
to our studio to record. The studio time charge of $80.00 per hour
applies. The cost for studio time includes an engineer. Some
limitations apply when you bring your own musicians. Call 1-800-229-3308
to get more information about this.
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What if I don't play an instrument?
Some writers can write songs, but they
don't play an instrument for accompaniment. This is okay. If
you can send us a tape with someone singing the melody, we can take it
from there.
We can arrange chords to go with your melody for an
arranging
fee of $90.00. This service is provided for orders from our
Songwriter
Demo Packages; it is not a stand-alone item. We do require a
melody to do an arrangement. We suggest that you never pay to have
a melody put to your words. If you cannot sing the melody yourself,
find someone who can sing a melody to your words and make them a co-writer.
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How do I pay for my order?
We accept personal checks, money orders,
cashier checks, cash (in person) and all major credit cards
for payment. If you pay
via credit card, you can call in your card number or include it on the
order form. Since
we have to book musicians, vocalists and engineers in advance, we require
payment for demo orders in advance. If
you pay by check, please allow at least 10 business days from the receipt
of your check to the delivery of your order.
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How long does it take to get
my order back?
Our general policy is to ship demos within
4-6 weeks of receiving the order. Add 10% for rushed orders (within 2-4 weeks).
Our goal is to provide quality recordings in a timely manner.
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Will you critique my songs?
We do not like to critique or judge your
songs. We suggest that you contact one of the many Songwriter Associations
for this service. For your convenience, we have listed several of these
on our
Songwriter Associations page.
They will probably require membership to furnish you with critiques. A
listing is not an endorsement, just a service to you. Contact them
to find out about their particular services.
We will, however, help you narrow your choice down. Suppose you
had 10 songs ready to record, but only wanted to record 5 to start with.
We can help you choose which 5 to record first.
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What if I have more questions?
If you have more questions that you don't
see answered here or on other pages, please
contact us to let us know.
Perhaps we can add your questions to this list.
