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Portabile Music Trier (PMT) — How to Make a CD:
Practical Information Diese Seite in Deutsch

... and some technical terms


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   Here you can find information that is most interesting for bands and musicians who are about to produce a CD. We tried to present this information as easy as possible but as exhaustive as necessary, but we are not perfect: If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
 

Close window Recording — Details


Tape your tracks


It is not really easy to find good recording studios: Even though it is possible nowadays to go and buy a mixing desk for low money, it is a matter of fact that a good sound engineer has passed a long education, and also he needs — besides an excellent equipment — especially experience. And experience needs time to grow. Besides that, they guy behind the recording equipment might be a genius for Rock music, but not for Jazz or Blues — here we are talking about ‘musical taste’ ... Anyway, a good label also knows good studios, good sound engineers, and their (musical) preferences.
 

You also should know that the different studios are highly specialised in these days:
 

  • ... to musical genres: Classical, Jazz, Pop, ... music
  • ... to band sizes: Trios to Bigbands or Symphony orchestras
  • ... to instrumentation: Brass bands, Mandoline combos, ..., etc..
  • Some studios only can (or want to) do the recording but not the Mix Down, others cannot master

Unfortunately it is also true here — like in other fields: A lot of charlatans confuse the possible clients. It is the more important to get information in advance about the studio of your confidence. PMT always asks for references before we make a deal with a studio.
 

As soon as you have made your choice, it becomes actually very easy: You agree in a recording date with the boss of the studio, you start rehearsing like hell (never use studio time as rehearsal time — this will make you a poor band!), and you turn up in the studio at the agreed date and record your titles.
 

But even if you are well prepared, it is a big difference to play your thing in your rehearsal room or in a professional studio: You might be nervous, the sound is different, you have to play straight forward to microphones, etc. Even pros are sometimes surprised how long it takes just to record the very first number! And like pros everybody who goes to a recording session wants to deliver a perfect result — and there is no one more critical than you about your own play!
 

One way or the other: At the end the recording result is stored as ‘Raw Mix’ on a huge hard disc, waiting for the nex step in the CD production work-flow: the Fine Mix.
 

Some studios (and all of PMT’s studios) can at the end of the recording session quickly produce a so-called Mix Down: This is a raw (unbalanced, ‘quick & dirty’) stereo mix of your multi-track recording which can be pressed on an ordinary audio CD. You should try to get this Down Mix in any case as it enables you (your band) to listen to your recording a few days after the session in the studio. And if you should detect major errors, at this point there is still time to fix them without losing too much money.
 

 

These steps apply to almost 99 % of all CD productions:
 

  1. Advice by the friendly PORTABILE label people at the very beginning and during your production
  2. Recording session(s) and Raw Mix
  3. Mixes: Down Mix and Fine Mix
  4. Mastering
  5. In parallel to 2.–4., the graphic design of the CD cover will be started
  6. CD copying and cover print

(This page will be continously updated)
 

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Update: 04.12.2022 21:02:58
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