Music Demos: Most Important Step or Relic of the Past?

Does the demo still matter? Or did the DAW kill it? And what should music pre-production look like in the 21st century?

Big thanks to Soundtoys, Baby Audio and Focusrite for making this episode possible.

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[SonicScoop]

What does your pre-production process look like?

►Big thanks to Soundtoys, Baby Audio and Focusrite for making this episode possible.

[SebAndJosAddesso]

As mostly a song writer. Producing this in the daw. This is something I have to think about as I'm laying it out. This is why I feel i spend more time on the production and the editing so it doesn't seem to sound demo. This is why I may re recorded sections more than once to get a sense of feeling or emphasis on how I want the song to be without actually editing perfection quite yet

[stripedelicstudios]

Yup!! I'm a musician that became an audio guy trying to do it all myself. Haha! But I grew up in a super small town and it was hard to find competent band mates. I'm now in a slightly larger town and I'm pretty happy with where I landed...as audio/mixing has become my main passion... now I'm helping other awesome local musicians get the sound they've always longed for. Great video, Justin! As always

[practice_Chinese_yoga]

What a great theme to bring out a lot of helpful ideas Justin, really good to see!

[mcdove]

I'm old school so I still recommend to artists I work with to make the demo record if I think it need work, then advise them to go practice it to near perfection then we record the record for mixing, mastering and it subsequent release. I find it works best in the ling run.

[xxczerxx]

Have you got a background in broadcasting/TV or something? Your delivery style is my absolute favourite on YouTube, it's a mixture of how you articulate ideas and the overall presentation style, it's just 💯

[MariJuce]

Im gonna stop making demos! Ive just made a record, spent way too long on it. The demo process really killed the whole energy and momentum. We made way too comprehensive demos. And we could never recreate the vibes from the demos, next time im gonna make a record im going to make sure i get it right the first time, at the moment i get the idea, because i can never seem to capture the emotion of the first spark. Trying to rerecord these demos 5-6 times each to get the emotion like the demo really made me so sick of these songs and when it was finished i have no desire left to want to play it live or promote it. Atleast i know now i have the confidence that my own recordings are good enough and sometimes better than when i go «record it for real» with a vintage 47 in a good studio. The feeling is all that matters, and there seems to be a golden window for me when i get the idea. Just do it right the first time, dont half ass it for it to be later recorded «for real». 😊 I also heard Dave cobb say that he never does pre production, he doesnt wanna hear the song before they are ready to record it, which sounds interesting since hes probably my fav producer. Why is the voice memo recording always better than the rehearsed version?☠️🥴 soo frustrating. Even when i have the excact same chain or a guitar setup, when i try to rerecord it later it sounds way different, i think the energy is very important.

[lunarfifthstudios]

Thanks for this one, I am really resonating with this message! 👍

[pepedrum]

A great recording can really make the difference, one great example I can think of right now is Maroon 5 - Songs about Jane, and I'm not even a fan of the band, but I'm a huge fan of that album, it was recorded prefectly, you can tell the band was on the top of their game, actually it would be great if you did a review of it, I would like to hear what you have to say about it

[tortugulaproductions]

totally live!? where have i heard this before?? justin, you’re not lip syncing your podcasts are you?

[thecruddybug]

I’m going to disagree to an extent about taking a really long time to get something right. I think if you take too long, the initial emotion of that song can leave or fossilize and will become stale. You’ll end up just going through the motions.

Yes I agree it’s good to get the best performance you can get, but at the same time don’t drag it out too long. Some of my favorite stuff I’ve made has been recorded totally off the cuff and super quickly, because the new raw emotion is there.

[TannerByTheSea]

ILok code or something?
I hope my messages got in there !
Amazing show as usual Justin !! 🙏🏼

[vektacular]

Well, I can see how you would think that the demo is the most important piece but….im gonna get into the politics of it….the problem is most people know the entire truth now and nobody’s gonna go anywhere until they bow down to the agenda of corporate America….in the golden era the artist had a lot less to do. People back then were chosen first by their nature of being controlled as far as what was put into their art and then the second selection process revolved around talent….today talent is basically a non factor because they can make talent outta technology and it simply revolves around your beliefs or what you’re willing to pretend to believe….its just the truth. Not my fault.