How to record a demo for a band

A band seeking a record deal has to have a demo to pitch to music executives. These days they are even doing videos as demos. The purpose of the demo is to showcase the talent within the band, and to give a good overview of the band. Here are some key points in making the demo as effective as possible.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• studio equiptment
• patience

1. You want to capture the sound of the band as a whole, but if they have an exceptionally good guitarist(for example)then you would want to include some solo work from him. If they have weak points, you will want to bury that down in the mix. These suit and tie record guys are looking for a groove more than anything. And they are not usually tuned in to the details of the music.
2. A band will need a 3 or 4 song demo to present to prospective industry people. Hopefully they have that many originals, if not, they may want to consider writing more before they start, or finding material outside the band. Of course, the songwriting abilities of the band members is a HUGE selling point.
3. In most cases, a band only gets one chance to make a good impression on A&R people within a company. That is why the demo is so important. It should sound as good as commercial music, the days of rough-draft demos is long gone. Even songwriters have to have a full-blown production these days.
4. Remember what the goal is when recording demos, to impress someone who hears the best that music has to offer, on a daily basis. So, you have to really step up the plate to win in this game.