The Shed Music Services
Music production at the Shed is in full swing! The space can accommodate a full band with multiple rooms for isolation allowing an acoustic capturing of live performances. And if you’re not going for a more natural sound, multi-tracking and in-the-box electronic production are the most effective ways to compete with modern commercial recordings.
At The Shed we are happy to provide basic recording services such as:
- Instrumental parts for projects
- Quick demos
- Voice over work
- Field recordings
But there’s so much more to consider.
What sets The Shed apart from basic recording services is a comprehensive approach to making a recording. With quality control and a detailed process, we help artists produce great recordings that will make deep impressions on listeners.
For single, EP and LP production, the following steps will be considered for every piece of music flowing through production at The Shed. Keeping an ear on a commercially competitive sound with a tilt toward finding the artist’s edge, we’ll first evaluate the needs of the artist and then dive into the process.
Songwriting
Starting from scratch or evaluating and making suggestions regarding lyrics, harmony, rhythm and groove, genre, form and length.
Collaboration
An intention to work in collaboration to compose a piece of music. Collaboration offers the composition a chance to receive the best of the best from its collaborators and to capture multiple sparks and magical moments. Collaboration may include songwriting, beat making, or any other aspect of the process. It may also include collaborators beyond The Shed and Bozeman.
Demo Recordings
Once a composition is far enough along to identify and construct a form, a demo will be produced. Just need a demo? We’ll record one for you.
Pre-Production
At the pre-production stage, the composition will be conceptualized with the following considerations: Vibe, Instrumentation, Tones, Section Differentiation, Hooks, Vocal Production, Frequency Ranges, Microphones, FX, Odd and Ends. We’ll work with commercial releases as reference recordings to steer us toward a customized and relevant sound.
Scratch Tracks
The demo will be used to create the scratch track. Ideally, and to remain commercially competitive, the demo is recorded to a steady beats per minute and “on the grid”. The demo may be able to serve as the scratch track to build the production around. This stage will determine the needs for a solid scratch track depending on the quality of the demo.
In the case of a more live, natural recording, the demo will be evaluated and move to the next steps.
Arranging
Once the basic groove, harmony and lead vocal line have been recorded and edited, the rest of the arrangement for the song can be conceived. This can include general or specific ideas for parts in various sections of the song, as well as layers, sonics and activity levels that will make the shape of the composition intriguing and support the storyline.
Tracking & Editing
Knowing how to paint the composition’s picture in sound, we’ll move into tracking live and electronic instruments and editing parts to achieve high emotional impact. The goal at this stage is to capture great performances, creating parts that work well together rhythmically, harmonically and melodically.
Vocal Production
Once the instrumental tracks are in place, the vocals will be produced. Vocal production includes consideration for using the singer’s voice to its full emotional potential in conjunction with the intended feeling of each part of the song. The vocal is the top line and most outstanding component of the song’s production and deserves exquisite attention. We’ll consider the full range of the voice, inflection, single vocal, doubles, triples, quadruples, harmonies, backing vocals, ad libs, whispers, spoken parts, vocal sounds and using the voice as an instrument. Pitch correction may also be considered to smooth out the vocal or for heavy effect.
Mixing & Mastering
With all tracks in place, the song will be mixed with a defining sound in mind. Commercial references are used to steer the track to sonic success as well as to employ classic and cutting edge mixing techniques. A well balanced, yet modern mix that translates well to all current playback systems such as home stereos, cars, computers, headphones, earbuds and cell phones will be achieved.
Now that the mix is completed, we’ll take it across the finish line with mastering. This final step brings the volume up to industry standard and polishes the final mix making it ready to print to vinyl, CD, stream online or play on the radio.
Shed Productions. Take a listen to some of the music produced, recorded, mixed, mastered or written at The Shed.
If you are interested in learning how we work with artists, musicians & songwriters email us to schedule a time to chat.
Sign In
For years, artists and students that visit The Shed to learn, rehearse and record have been signing our white sound booth doors.
We thought it’d be cool to make a virtual one using Instagram.