Creating and writing a song, until recently, seemed a completely unattainable process, but in the age of development of technology and computer peripherals, every creative person now has a chance to create something of his own. Before writing a track, you should pay attention to several important points (they will also be a sequence from a completely crude idea to a finished product):
- Melody
- Text
- Style
- Structure
- Filling / Storing
- Program
- Editing
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Distribution
We will briefly go through each of them:
A melody is one of the main components of your song. It should be remembered, and ideally, go after the listener so that he constantly sings. Agree, listening to a beat beat, without a melody (even a simple bass) is not interesting. And it will never be a hit. An ordinary listener of such creativity will quickly switch to something more interesting.
The text allows something (preferably useful) to convey to the listener. It can be a social message, personal experiences, protest, agitation and even just poetry. The text can be written independently if there is a sense of rhythm and a sense of rhyme, or ordered from a poet songwriter (prices range from symbolic to cosmic).
— See also: 10 best virtual guitar libraries for NI Kontakt 5 —
Style: the same melody can be served in a different style (millions of remixes of world hits are proof of this). Despite the fact that the melody remains the same: rhythm, dynamics, mood = different. Style also carries a specific track structure. For example, choosing a pop style, the structure will look something like this:
Introduction – verse – chorus – second verse – second chorus – loss – third chorus.
Filling: after choosing the style of the song, determine which instruments will express your inspiration. Considering the same pop style, it can be guitars, pianos, drums, percussion, bass and the vocals themselves. If drums, percussion and piano can be recorded inside a music program, then the accumulation of acoustic guitar, bass and vocals will require investment. Prices are different and start from: $ 15 for a guitar and bass (depending on complexity) and $ 10 for 1 hour of recording. Again, these are extremely subjective figures on the minimum characteristics of the equipment used, the experience of the engineer, and even the location of the recording studio.
Program: This is perhaps one of the simple points. Regardless of which program for writing music is selected (whether it be Cubase, Reaper or Logic), the result will depend on the user. Sonar – comes completely free and requires no investment, you can stay on it.
Editing: editing music can be moved to a separate point, since all recorded materials require some surgical operations. Suppose: the performer before the accumulation soundly ate the sweet and washed down with the same sweet water. An hour later he comes to the studio, records, and everything seems to be fine, but! The recording will include the so-called “saliva.” This is when high-frequency clicks slip on inspirations, exhalations and phrases. If in the first and second case they can be edited, then it’s almost impossible to remove them on phrases (and they will definitely be heard). Editing also includes the elimination of phase and background noise, the arrangement of parts in the project, the selection of the best doubles of the vocalist and other technical details. The cost of editing is negotiated personally with the engineer and depends on the quality of the recording and processing time.
Mixing is an artistic embodiment of your idea. Recorded and edited sounds are taken (retaining the structure) and complemented frequency and spatial. A completely dry guitar can play with space both at a concert (with the same reflections) and in an elevator (with a short and booming room). The same applies to other tools. The only solution and settings do not exist. If you order information in our studio (and we do mastering as a gift), then the price for work starts from $ 50 for 7 tracks of the project.
Mastering is the last process before distribution on social networks and streaming services. Mastering involves the general alignment of frequencies and dynamics, the correction of minor mixing inaccuracies, as well as saturation and adding volume. After mastering, your song will sound tight and holistic, which will undoubtedly set it apart from the rest. When ordering the mastering in our studio, you can get a demo for free!
— See also: The best VST plugins for vocals processing —
How much does it cost to write a song?
A melody, a program on a PC, drawing up a structure and choosing a style – for free! Text (from $ 15), accumulation of tools (from $ 30 per hour), editing (negotiated price), mixing and mastering (from $ 50 per project). Total: the minimum price for a small song will be approximately $ 100-200 (with more tracks and technical tasks, the price will increase). If you have the skills to play instruments, then you can save on a session musician and record them yourself.
It is important to consider – we take the lowest prices for beginner artists. If you need commercial work, with many live and electronic tools, edits / versions, time for editing and mixing – the price will start at $ 600.
