2012 Polkasound Recording Guide
   by Tom Brusky - Chief Engineer
   Revised: 11/17/11

• Chapter 1 - Terminology: Production vs. Engineering
  
• Chapter 2 - The Polkasound Recording Process, Step By Step
• Chapter 3 - How Much Does It Cost To Make a Recording?
• Chapter 4 - Money-Saving Tips and Options
  
• Chapter 5 - Sound Advice
  

Chapter 1 - Terminology: Production vs. Engineering

As the leader of your polka band, you'll most likely assume the role as the producer of your band's recordings.  The producer is the person in charge who makes all of the creative and business decisions that go into making a CD.  Based on his or her knowledge of the current music market, the producer chooses/approves the songs to be recorded, the musicians who will perform and the instruments they will play, the song arrangements, the graphic design, and all other decisions that lead to the end product.  A CD may have more than one producer.  Anyone who contributes ideas that significantly shape the sound or look of a CD may be classified as a co-producer.
 
By contrast, the engineer is the person who performs the physical recording of the music at the direction of the producer, however, the engineer and producer roles sometimes overlap.   I'm always happy to offer production advice and assistance while engineering a studio recording.





Chapter 2 - Recording at Polkasound, Step By Step

Step 1 - Plan Your CD:
 
Have your entire recording project mapped out on paper before you enter the studio.  Know your songs, keys, arrangements, and who is going to sing and/or play each part in each song.  The more your plan is inked on paper (see example at right) the more smoothly the recording process will go.  As your project's engineer, I would like to have a copy of this plan for myself so that I'll know how to set up the studio for your recording sessions.  Creative changes to the plan can be made during the recording process, but you still should have a written plan to follow.  It is at this time that you should also begin thinking about the appearance of your CD.  Start planning your cover design and liner notes.  Research song credits and take care of any applicable licensing requirements.

Step 2 - Practice With Your Band:
 
Unless you have money to burn or don't care much about the quality of your music, never come into a recording studio expecting that you and your band members will "wing it" as if you were playing a live gig.  Nine out of ten bands do this and end up spending hundreds of dollars on "band practice" ironing out problems during the recording sessions.  If you think your band is ready to record because you've played together onstage for thirty years, you may be in for a very unpleasant surprise.  Rehearse with your band before you come into the studio.  Work out song intros, arrangements, and endings.  Listen with a critical ear to what each musician is playing.  Catch mistakes and make any changes in arrangements before coming into the studio.

Step 3 - Recording Scratch Tracks:
 
At Polkasound, we prefer working with scratch tracks.  A scratch track is an expendable take of a song crudely performed with a metronome, a melody instrument (usually the accordion or concertina), a bass line, and a vocal.  What the scratch tracks do is allow the producer to set the tempo, key, and arrangement of each song, and they give the drummer something to listen to while he records his drums.   Usually the first day of recording a new project is spent with the producer laying down scratch tracks for all of the songs on the CD.  (Please read the sidenote about scratch tracks two paragraphs below.)

Step 4 - Recording the Drums:
 
We always record the drums first.  The inherent ambience of drum set, such as the decay of a cymbal and sustain of a floor tom, and subtle nuances such as the positions of the sticks in the drummer's hands, often make drum tracks difficult to patch together if mistakes are made.  Therefore, instead of recording other intruments first and hoping the drummer doesn't make any mistakes locking onto those intruments, it is much more practical to record the drums first, and then later have the other instruments lock onto the drums.  The drummer will hear the scratch tracks in his headphones while he records, helping him stay on tempo and follow the arrangement set forth by the producer.
 

Step 5 - Recording the Bass:
 
My preference is to always record the bass next.  The bass guitar and tuba are two instruments whose tracks are easy to fix during recording, so single notes or entire sections of songs can easily be retaken until they align perfectly with the drum tracks.

Step 6 - Recording the Rest of the Instruments/Vocals
 
With the drum and bass tracks now recorded, the rest of the band members have a solid foundation onto which they can add their parts.  There is no particular order at this point for which instruments should be recorded next.

Step 7 - Mixing:
 
After all of the instruments and vocals have been recorded, they must be mixed down.  The mixdown process means taking up to 24 tracks of audio and blending them all together.  This is when the relative volumes of instruments and vocals are adjusted, and they receive processing and effects such as equalization and reverberation.  This mixing process is done for each song, and generally takes around 20-30 minutes per song.  The songs are mixed directly onto the hard drive of our studio's computer to be mastered.

Step 8 - Mastering:
 
Mastering is the final process for your music.  The songs, which have just been mixed down, are now prepped for CD duplication at this stage.  This is where the songs are placed into the desired order, blank space is added between them, and the relative volumes of each song are finely adjusted.  The end result of mastering is a master CD to be sent to the duplicator.  This master CD will become your property when your studio fees are paid in full and everything is to your satisfaction.





Chapter 3 - How Much Does It Cost To Make a Recording at Polkasound?

Estimating the cost of making a recording is not easy because of the endless variables, but if you familiarize yourself with the different options available to you, an estimate becomes a little easier to make.  Below are the key expenses of making a recording at Polkasound Productions.

Expense #1 - Recording Media:
At Polkasound, we record digitally on computer hard drives.  Hard drives typically cost around $60-$80 and have the capacity to hold several CDs worth of music.  A hard drive will be required to record your project, and will be supplied by us.

Expense #2 - Studio Time:
The studio recording rate at Polkasound is $30/hour.  If you want to whip together a live recording, studio time will be nominal.  But, for a normal, multi-track studio recording, a typical polka band can expect to spend around eight hours recording in the studio per instrument/vocal.  So, if you have ten instruments/vocalists (i.e. two accordions, two singers, banjo, guitar, sax, drums, piano, and bass) then you can estimate that your band will spend around 80 hours in the studio recording a typical-length CD.  Keep in mind this is a very rough estimate.  Well-reheared bands can expect to use up significantly less studio time than bands who try to "wing it".

Expense #3 - Hiring Talent:
Are you hiring any musicians to help out with your recording?  Professional and semi-profesional musicians may charge $75/song or more, while others, especially musicians you know well, may not charge you a dime.  (If you'd like me to perform any instrumentation on your recording, I do not charge extra for my musical services.  You will only be charged for the studio time.)

Expense #4 - Mixing:
A mixdown session at Polkasound for a typical 14- to 22-song CD usually requires 5-15 hours ($150-$450.)

Expense #5 - Mastering:
Mastering for projects recorded at Polkasound typically runs $90-$145.

Expense #6 - Graphic Design:
At Polkasound, we've been designing CD covers for years.  (See our Graphic Design page for examples of our work.)  Our fee for graphic design is $30/hour.  A typical CD project (insert, tray card, and CD) takes about ten hours to design ($300) but can be more or less depending on the complexity of the design.  We will work with your photos, liner notes, graphics, sketches, and ideas to create a fitting, eye-catching cover for your CD.

Expense #7 - Licensing:
If you will be selling CDs that contain songs you did not compose or write, you may need to license them.  A license is a fee you pay to ensure that the copyright holders of the songs receive their due royalties.  You can either choose to contact the copyright holders personally and ask for permission to record their songs and negotiate royalty fees, or you can pay a flat licensing fee to the Harry Fox agency (www.songfile.com).  The 2009 rate for licensing was approximately nine cents per song per CD, plus $15 per song filing fee.  So let's say you are recording a polka-variety CD in which seven songs require licensing, and you plan on duplicating a thousand CDs:
 
7 songs x 9¢ = 63¢ x 1,000 CDs = $630
       +     7 songs x $15 filiing fee = $105
-------------------------------------------
Total: $735
 
Polka music is quite different than other music genres in that many songs played and recorded by bands are either tradtional folk songs, or derivations of songs that have been renamed over the years.  However, it is still your responsibility to do the best you can to research the songs you record to see who should be credited.  Most composers in the polka music circuit, including myself, freely allow other musicians in the polka circuit to record their material for nothing more than a proper credit on the CD and a beer, however, there are a few composers who will ask you to pay them a royalty.

Expense #8 - Duplication, Printing, and Packaging:
We have a solid working relationship with Media Service Group in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and recommend them for all of your printing and duplication needs.  The quality of their products and services is top-notch.  We'll work together with you and MSG so that you get the results you're looking for.  MSG offers complete CD duplication and packaging services.
 
There are too many variables to mention that can affect the cost of the duplication and printing services, such as the size of the insert booklet, whether or not hard copy proofs are requested, clear trays vs. black trays, etc.  For the sake of brevity, we will narrow down the pricing to what we consider a "typical CD" which includes the following:

• Two-page (four-panel) color insert with black & white printing on the inside
• Color tray card, no printing on backside
  
• High-quality color printing directly on the CD
• Clear jewel case with black tray
• Packaging/overwrap
  

ESTIMATED TOTAL COST TO MAKE A CD: Professional-quality, retail-ready CD, from start to finish:   Recording media: $60-$80 Studio recording time: $1,440-$3,300 Mixing and mastering: $240-$595 Graphic design: $200-$375 Duplication and printing: $1,180-$1,295 Song licensing: $0-$1,900 ------------------------------------- TOTAL:  $3,120 - $7,545 Professional-quality CD only, no graphic design or duplication:   Recording media: $60-$80 Studio recording time: $1,440-$3,300 Mixing and mastering: $240-$595 Song licensing: $0-$1,900 ------------------------------------- TOTAL:  $1,740 - $5,875   CD only (entire band recorded at one time), no graphic design, duplication, or licensing:   Recording media: $60-$80 Studio recording time: $200-$300 Mixing and mastering: $150-$210 ------------------------------------- TOTAL:  $410 - $590 Please use these price ranges as guidelines only, as they are based on very rough estimates.  Actual costs will vary, and may vary greatly.

Chapter 4 - Money-Saving Tips and Options:

Okay, you've just looked at the estimated cost of making a recording, and you don't have an extra car sitting around to trade in for five thousand dollars.  What can you do?  The estimates given above are what you can expect to pay for a professional product on every level, from the quality of the sound to the quality of the packaging.  But, maybe you don't need quality at quite that high of a level.  There are a few tips and techniques for significantly reducing costs in the recording and CD manufacturing processes.

1.)  Be Prepared: Know Your Material!
 
This single most money-saving advice I can give to bands is to rehearse.  Work out all of the arrangements and practice them before coming into the studio.  Nine out of ten bands that record are not adequately prepared -- they assume years of playing on stage qualifies them as well-practiced.  In reality, the longer a band has played onstage together, the more neccessary it may be for them to rehearse and rework any parts they've been playing wrong all those years.  (See "Sound Advice" below.)  Because most bands don't rehearse before coming into the studio, there is a lot of music rearranging and practicing that usually happens in the studio.... at $30/hour.

2.)  Record Your Band Live
 
Recording live will dramatically reduce studio time, however, there can be drawbacks.  The main disadvantage to recording live in a smaller studio is loss of isolation over each recorded part, since instruments can bleed through the microphones of other instruments.  Unless the instruments can be sufficiently isolated from each other, it is not always possible to fix an individual musician's mistakes when the whole band records live, meaning that the whole band must record the song over if someone makes a mistake.
 
Obviously, when you have a larger group such as a brass band, recording live is the only practical option.  But, for smaller ensembles like four- or five-piece polka bands, recording live is only recommended as a creative option when every musician knows the material perfectly and can execute it well as a group.
 
Another disadvantage to recording live is that a lot of microphones will be needed at the same time, which can tax a studio's microphone supply beyond its limits.  Most studios only have so many "studio quality" microphones and must resort to "stage quality" mics to meet the extra demand.  Additional mics may need to be rented for a fee.

3.)  Design and Print Your Own CD Labels and Covers
 
If you own a printer and some basic graphic design software, you can design your own CD covers, tray cards, and labels, and print them out at home.  This can save a few hundred dollars, but there are two major disadvantages.  The first disadvantage is that your CDs can, of course, look like they were printed on a home printer.  That alone can directly affect sales.  The quality of a CD's cover is often construed as a reflection of the quality of the music inside, and a poor-quality cover can break a sale.  The other disadvantage is that you will need to cut out, fold, and insert every cover and tray card, and apply every CD label, on your own.  This is a big job that can take several hours per day over several days to accomplish.

4.)  Burn Your Own CD Copies
 
Out of all the money-saving tips we offer, this one we recommend the least.  Unless you use the right software, hardware, and professional-grade CD-Rs, your home-burned CDs will risk having too many CD player incompatibility issues.  Still, if you choose to burn your own CDs, we recommend Taiyo Yuden^® brand CD-Rs.  Avoid Memorex^® at all costs.





Chapter 5 - Sound Advice

1.)  If you've never recorded before, do not assume your band will sound good in the studio because you seem to sound good onstage.
 
When you play live, your ears miss 99% of the small mistakes, imperfections and errors your band makes.  Onstage, musicians can get away with almost anything, but in the studio, every mistake can stand out.  Nine out of ten bands come into the studio feeling they know the music well enough to make a recording, but when they hear everything played back, they notice that the guitar player is playing the wrong passing chords, one of the vocalists is singing a wrong harmony part, the drummer is playing through clean breaks, etc. – all mistakes that they've been getting away with onstage for years, but never noticed before.  As a result, up to a third of their time in the studio is literally spent working out song parts to fix those mistakes.  At thirty dollars an hour, that's some expensive band practice!
 
Sit down with your band members and go over each song with a fine-tooth comb.  Listen critically to what each band member is playing so that you can spot as many problems as possible and correct them before you enter the studio.

2.)  Every musician possesses a certain level of proficiency, which means that they can only play or sing so well, and no better.
 
Musicians at or near a professional level can be expected to retake parts of a song until they get them perfected, and execute changes in their playing style to suit a particular song, but amateur musicians who are admittedly musically-challenged should not.  It is a waste of money to spend hours in the studio trying to get more out of a musician than what they can physically offer.  This realization leads to tip #3...

3.)  Don't be afraid to hire better/different talent if you need more than what your regular band members can offer.
 
If you plan on marketing your CDs outside your local fan base in hope of landing new gigs and getting radio play, you need to ask yourself this question: "Can my regular band members give me the sound I want for this recording?"  Your role as a producer is to make your product as good as possible.  You may have to make some critical business decisions, and not all of them will be easy.

4.)  Don't be intimidated by anything you've read on this page!
 
This guide was written to help the professional musician produce a professional product.  If you are an amateur musician, have an amateur band, and are interested in recording some songs mainly for family and friends, your only expectation in the recording studio will be to play from the heart and have fun!