Record your music effectively
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It is not the prophesy of every prophet, nor the evangelical work of every evangelist that is in the Bible today. Neither is it the teaching of every teacher nor the activity of every Pastor or every Apostle that we read about today in the Bible. It is only the prophecies, teaching and activities that were written down in Bible days that are contained in the Bible today. Because Paul wrote more than the other Apostles, it will appear today that he also worked more than the others.
It is because Malachi, Zechariah, Haggai and particularly Obadiah wrote very few of what God told them that they are regarded as the minor prophets. They were not necessarily minor in prophesying, but because they wrote sparingly, they are regarded as Minor Prophets. Recording your music will enhance you effectiveness in Gospel Music. Moses' law was powerful and effective in leading the Jews because he wrote it down.
Deuteronomy 32:2,3
2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the shadows upon the grass.
Generations who forgot the law were reminded of it when they saw the scrolls written by Moses many years after the death of Moses and it affected their generation, usually leading to revival. That is the power of records. King Josiah affected a revival worship of God after discovering what was written in the book of the law.
2 Chronicles 34:18, 19, 21, 30, 32a.
18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the King, saying Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the King.
19 And it came to pass, when the King had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
21 Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.
30 And the King went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small and he read in \their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. 32a. And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it.
If Moses had not written down the law, the desires of King Josiah to follow God would not have been possible because they would have been ignorant of the law of God. You must record your music. Recording of music also has several other advantages.
It gives you wider audience to pass God's message. Your music can travel farther and faster than you to the uttermost parts of the earth, thus making you more effective for God. More people identify with your ministry.
They appreciate it, and can be inspired to assist you prayerfully and materially. The recorded materials are usually bought for a price and the money so realized can assist you in further propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Music can be recorded in several forms. It is itself a language whose writing should be studied. If there is nobody in the group who knows the writing of music, an expert at its writing should be engaged to write your music.
Another form of record is to record in Cassettes and Discs. This is the usual form of recording. It is commercial and should be encouraged. Recording in Video should also be encouraged. This has the added advantages of being played in visual machines. You will not only hear the songs but you will also see the singers and the instrumentalists on television sets. "Musicians do not die" By that, he explained, that he meant that on television, you will always see a |
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musician alive. And that is true. Because he took pains to record his Videos, he is still featured on Television, years after his death.
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Effectiveness In Recording |
While making records, however, it should be noted that people will never play records that they do not enjoy. You must record your music that appeals to people. Several things can appeal to people: the lyrics, the instrumentation and even the packaging of the recording. Nobody will buy what does not appeal to him.
Because your music is gospel, your lyrics must be gospel. The people who buy your gospel music buy it primarily because of the gospel. They want to worship God, praise God pray to God or receive a message from God. It is no surprise that songs and choruses that are already popularly sung in churches and Christian gatherings, when recorded by a good singer, attract buyers.
This is because they have grown fond of the songs, and when they are sung by a good singer, they become irresistible to despite the fact that they know you are not the original singer, they would still buy it.
Meanwhile, you are doing a very important service to your generation, by recording Holy Spirit inspired songs for your generation and generations after you. After all, Paul did not physically write all the scriptures that were written in his name. Many of them were dictated by him and were written by such men as Timothy. What you must do, however, is to follow the laws of your country as regards copyright.
Nigeria has a copyright council, who will guide you as concerning the laws pertaining to copyright. There are also societies, like Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (M.C.S.N) who have been assigned copyright by artistes who have recorded their songs. These right can be procured from these societies.
On your album/cassette is the most important aspect of your music. You must realize that what the buyer is looking for is good singing. The instruments are to make the singing appealing. So this is the area of the greatest importance.
Starting from the lead singer of every song, all the singers must receive the best training available to them before embarking on a recording. What I usually recommend is that whoever is going to do the lead singing must have found himself in demand.
By being in demand. I mean that he must go to the studio only if he finds out that "people" are generally demanding his music. He must be someone who has been performing publicly and there is a demand from several audience to have his music with them. May be after each performance people come up to you to ask for your cassettes. You should take note of the songs they are demanding.
Making records should be an attempt to meet these demands. That is why it is not wrong to record compositions of other artistes after there is a demand for these songs. But you must obtain the permission of the song writer. You can approach the copyright societies, or the library of your country for these permissions. Otherwise you are infringing on the right of others. That is unlawful and inexpedient.
Before you embark on this recording, however, approach voice trainers to assess and teach you. Voice training is a pre-requisite for recording. We have known of good singers who were not trained by anybody, but they are rare and have usually undergone training informally. Some good singers trained themselves unconsciously, when
they keep imitating good singers, as they sing along with them on cassettes and other recordings. This is a form of voice training.You can consciously use this method to train your voice. Buy cassettes that are popular. Learn the songs and then attempt to sing along with the singers mimicking their singing. Then sing alone and go back to sing with them.
Next, find audiences (your friends and relatives) to sing these songs to. By the time people comment that you sound like the artiste you are "modeling" YOU HAVE LEARNT A LESSON. You can now find another singer. In choosing your "model singers" however, you must understand that different people have different voice textures, and that you should mimic singers that have your own kind of voice texture (you should sound like them)
After these self-training, when you are singing your own songs, you will start to apply what you have learnt unconsciously in your own compositions. When you sing these compositions to audiences, and there is a demand for them, you are ready for the studio. However, if you can find a voice trainer, it will be easier for you. A good producer (who is not just out to make money) will watch out for your ability to sing well before agreeing to produce you.
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For any recording must also have undergone voice training, formally or informally. For a recording, backing vocalists could be members of the artiste's band, or professional singers who are paid to back the lead vocalist in the studio. Because they are professionals, they must have acquired the basic training (formally or informally) to sing in the music parts of an orchestra, (that is, alto, tenor, bas and treble parts).
They will help to sing the melody of the song. Without this, your song would not be melodious and becomesunattractive to the ears. There are some songs, however which are better sang in unison (no music parts).
After the production of your songs, the members of your band who did not take part in the singing and playing of instruments would now have a guide as to how to play your music by learning from the professional singers and instrumentalists which you used in the studio. After goingthrough this process several times, they might, after more training, become more competent themselves that you may not require the services of professionals in your latter recordings. Be wise.
Instrumentation will also affect the effectiveness of your music. When recording, it is desirable to seek the best instrumentalists you can find to record your music. You are not restricted to your band members. Where there are more competent professional musicians (it is more desirable if they are born again Christians, but you are bound) use them.
Remember you must seek to satisfy God, not self. Note that the language in which you write your lyrics is very crucial in determining the effectiveness of your music. It is advisable that you do your first record predominantly in the language of the area where you reside, if this is possible. This will enhance the marketability of the record, as the primary thing in any cultural activity is language. You can include other languages, but for the record to be marketable, it must be predominantly a record that your immediate neighbourhood can understand its message. This is even in line with God's principle in evangelism. Acts 1:8 . But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witness unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus instructs that we should witness to those around first. So we must attempt to communicate in our most effective communication to those around us (our Jerusalem), before attempting those farther away for us. A record sand in the language of those withwhom you live can easily reach the record shops and other distribution channels they patronize. You can find it easy to reach their churches and programmes they attend to minister the same message on youralbum and in the language they have been used to receiving the music.
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The Form Of Instrumentation |
The Form Of Instrumentationof your music will also affect the sales of your music. There are different forms of music in every environment. In Africa, we have high life and native blues as predominant. Reggae and European country music are two forms of international music accepted in English speaking Africa. Fox-trot and Calypso (or Congo Music) is popular among French - speaking Africans. You should choose what your people will easily accept.
It is not wise to present your message in a music form strange to your environment. More so, the instrumentalists you work with might not be able to play this form of music satisfactorily, as they have not mastered a strange music as well as their own music. Why ask an African to back your European music and then sell your European music to Africans? You even expect Europeans to buy from an African, European music made by Africans in an African setup.
The Europeans know how to play their music best and sell it to their fellow Europeans who later introduce it to Africans who buy European music made by Europeans. Likewise Africans buy African music by Africans. When you are able to influence your immediate environment, it is your immediate environment that carry your message to others. African music popular in Europe were first popular in Africa.
It is only when an African has lived and worked in an European environment for a long time that his own culture changes and then starts to live the European culture. It is then easier to communicate musically with his new environment. In witnessing, our Lord still insists on us to influence our immediate environment (our Jerusalem) before going to our neighbours (Samaria) and then the uttermost part of the earth. That is the easiest thing to do.
Where you record is also an important factor. There are digital and analog studios. A combination of these two studio is the most professional thing to do. While a digital studio would ensure that your music is sequential and synchronized, due to the availability of sequencing machines and other modern computers, an analog studio would ensure that your music has the desired texture when being replayed in cassette players.
What must be considered however, is how much money you intend to spend, as well as the competence of your engineers who will record your music. These and other factors should be discussed with your producer who should explain to you properly, the implication of each type of studio. It is however easier to understand the operations of an analog studio because most of the singing and instrumentation is closer to what obtains when you are recording your music with a cassette player during practise or live music performance.
But, like I mentioned earlier, a combination of both is the more professional thing to do. In this case, the sequencing of the instruments can be done in a digital studio after which the music is recorded into the console of an analog studio and the further recording of the voice, bass guitar and other instruments can be done as desired. More so, when you are recording high life, you need to record more percussions than a digital studio will allow, Most of your instruments are played using a keyboard in a digital studio, while you play most of the necessary instruments, live, in an analog studio.
You can use a computer drum machine and several other computer instruments when recording in an analog studio. Many studios also have facilities which enables you to combine your recording both in analog and digital (computer) forms. These studios are the best for you. Discuss your financial strength with tour producer properly before embarking on your recording.
Is the work of engineers who are usually employees of the studio which you are using for your recording. They play a vital role in recording and mixing of your record. Every good producer would have known their competence before choosing their studio for your recording.
Good Engineers know how to handle their recording consoles. Where they are incompetent, or their consoles have gone bad, they can delay your work in the studio, thereby causing frustration and usually increase the cost of your recording.
However, where you choose the right producer, he would have taken this factor into consideration. A studio without a stand-by generator in an environment with unstable electric power supply is not recommended for use. Artistes need concentration to bring out their best artistic talents for good recording. Frequent power failure without solution would make them loose their concentration.
Other factors which your must face while preparing to do your recording include the comfort of your recording team. You should provide food and drinks. Recordings are done in sessions which last several hours and when the members of your team become distressed (for food, drinks and toilet) work has to be interrupted in the studio. Where food and drinks are provided, a break-time is planned when everyone can eat, drink, and relax, and then everyone returns to do the recording.
Time is a factor in recording and must be utilized wisely. All participants must report in the studio at the stipulated time. All forms of tension must be prevented, and recording should be done in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
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Is an essential ingredient to good performance. The music to be recorded must be well practiced before coming to the studio to record. Part of the activity of the final practice is a demo-recording of the work to be produced.
A demo-recording is a recording that demonstrates what is to be recorded. It can be done with a cassette player and it should contain the lead voice. The back up voices as well as all the instruments to be played at the studio. Armed with this, the demo-recording of every track in the cassette is played before every recording.
Includes the
1. Laying down of tracks and sequencing
2. Overdubbing of voices and instruments, and
3. Mixing and editing.
These three processes might take one or four sessions in the studio. However, there are situations when more than four sessions are used. These could be due to several factors including lack of practice and lack of competence of the members of the recording team. It could be as a result of the malfunctioning of the studio machines, or the incompetence of the engineering crew of the studio. This is where the ability of the producer is tested.
A good producer will choose good singers and instrumentalists to back his artiste. He will insist on enough practices to prevent frustration in the studio. During the laying down of tracks sequencing and overdubbing, a producer may need several equipments not available in a particular studio. He may have to hire these instruments. Hiring of keyboards, synthesizers, drum machines, oscilloscopes, and other machines might become necessary.
All these must be arranged before a recording. Mixing and Editing are done by the studio engineers. It is at this stage that the producer ensures that the voices and instruments are well balanced. During balancing, special care must be taken to highlight the necessary instruments based on the arrangement of the voices and instruments. This arrangement must have been made before embarking on the production.
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Record/Disc/Cassette Manufacturing |
Should be done in a proper factory where the music is recorded into a pancake (a large roll of tapes) and then transferred into empty cassettes. This is called Tailoring. An alternative, but cheaper and less effective method is through Duplicator which duplicates from a cassette (Master Cassette) made from the Master tape (1/4 inch or ½ inch) to series of other pre-packed cassettes.
The disadvantages of this latter method is that duplicators do not record the music close to the original. It is time wasting and cumbersome, thus giving chance to mistakes in recording. Except where extra care is taken, it is not advisable. |
