What’s the process?

People often ask what the process of taking a song from start-to-finish looks like. While the answer invariably depends upon what the song calls for, I wanted to share an example of what the typical workflow looks like.

Jake Schlegel’s song “Back Home” is a perfect example of what HEREAFTER is all about: coming alongside an artist to bring their musical vision into reality.

It all starts with a song…

Jake is an indie rock singer-songwriter with a penchant for Americana. When we first got together, Jake shared that while he is a solo artist, he wanted his album to be fleshed out into full-band arrangements. He shared the demo below of one of his songs, which is what we worked off of to start the process.

First, I worked with Jake on rearranging the song to fit the full-band context, and then charted everything out (see left) for the musicians. I then secured what I felt would be the best studio and musicians to fit Jake’s style. This is one of the many benefits of working with a producer who knows what works best for YOUR music vs simply booking time at a random studio. For this round of recordings, the musicians included Chad Kinner (drummer for Mat Kearney), Thom Daugherty (guitarist for The Band Perry), and Jay Kirkpatrick (bassist for Josh Garrels).

Recording -> Editing -> Mixing & Mastering

After the band was tracked, Jake and I went back to my studio to focus on his vocals. A few passes were recorded, edited, and spliced together. I then brought in a few other vocalists to round out the arrangement, and began focusing on the mix. This is the part of the process where all the musical pieces are brought together, edited, processed, and leveled. After the song was mixed to Jake’s liking, the song was sent out for mastering (the final step in bringing a song into the world) so the overall tone and volume of the track would be brought to today’s commercially competitive standards. The final product can be heard below.

Inside wants out

The ultimate goal of any producer should be to do whatever it takes to bring your musical vision into the tangible. At the end of the day, it’s your music, your money, and your career. Great recordings should bring out your absolute best, open doors for you, and pave the road for a viable music career. If you’re ready to take your music to the next level, get in touch. I’d love to setup a free phone call where we can talk about your music, and I can answer any questions you have about next steps!