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Aftr thinking about it for some time I went to the local studio and made a fairly basic recording (just me and the piano). I have had it critiqued on Taxi and the song went down very well but I have been told that I need a much better demo and something 'broadcast ready'. Although I understand the words, in practice I have absolutely no idea what this means. Do I need session musicians? Do I go back to the studio and ask what they can do? How much might this cost me?

My songs are fairly straightforward singer/songwriter material and the critic liked my voice - but where do I go from here? I know nothing about this!

It's very hard to say something unless you explain what gear you are using.
Basically you need a good microphone and a good piano/sampled piano and a sound card that meets the standard.

It's impossible to suggest you how to proceed without more information on your goals, are you writing for yourself as an artist or for others or are you writing for tv/film, how far you are in your writing career, what kind of recording setup you already have, your location, and the budgets you need to stay within.

Broadcast quality is not something easily explained, as those who really get that term, are the ones who get their music signed in the music industry. Music education, whether it's formal or just your own efforts, basically is all about getting 'broadcast quality', so it can take many years to get there, you may nail it right away, or you may never..

When pretending to get it, I think broadcast quality is an umbrella term that covers everything concerning the quality of your music product. This means both the music (writing/composition), the performance and the production. But everytime you narrow it down, it's contested by someone else with a different point, so the best you can do is to stay current in your writing, stay alert of the music that is in demand so you have an outlet for it, do the best recording you can yourself or have studios to do it for you, hope for the best.

You basically just need one person with buying power in the music industry to get ahead, but it can take a long time to find such a person. That's why it's a 'numbers game' as more songs makes more rings in the water, and increases the odds of having your music heard by the right people.

If you seek to promote yourself as an artist, or write songs for other artists, you need a basic homerecording setup for basic demos of your songs, and then you can bring those to a studio or your band. If you're in the US, you should be able to get radio ready productions for less than 500$ a song with your own vocals or with a hired singer.

If you seek to get music in film/tv, it's not economically sustainable in the long run to pay 500$ pr. song, so then you'll need a good home recording set-up, and to work on your producer skills. Of course if your're good, you can write for yourself/artists with a home setup too.

Let us know how we can help you..

Honestly, the best advice I can give is is the most basic, general advice I'd give to anyone: Be active in this forum! You'll absorb so much it'll be like blasting off in a rocket. If you post links to your song or Taxi profile, we can get to know you better and steer you in the right direction.

Thank you for your answers. I am on a learning curve at the moment!

allends wrote:Honestly, the best advice I can give is is the most basic, general advice I'd give to anyone: Be active in this forum! You'll absorb so much it'll be like blasting off in a rocket. If you post links to your song or Taxi profile, we can get to know you better and steer you in the right direction.

I agree with Allen! Post an mp3 of what you recorded. It's impossible to know the quality of the studio/performance without us wiseguys hearing it!

Good luck,

Ern

Please post; it may be that you need to upgrade your piano samples or your playing, though it appears that your voice, at least, is broadcast-ready. (and that's a hurdle lotsa folks will never clear)