The Secrets of Wizkid Sound – Part 1: Pre-Production

There’s a lot of chump producers out there who can’t bring the flavor like Wizkid Sound can, and they keep trying to cop our pimp-a-delic flow. They always ask me questions like:

“Hey Dan, how come you guys’ stuff is so 3008 and my stuff is so 2000 and late?”

or

“Hey Dan, how come everything you guys touch turns to gold? Are you King Midas or something?”

or

“Hey Dan, how come you’re always dating supermodels and I’m still with the same triflin’ ass ho?”

But I digress. The point is that it’s not fair for us to be this awesome, so over the next few weeks Rob and I are gonna share some of the secrets of Wizkid Sound production with you. Be forewarned, these secrets are more secret than that secret sect of the Illuminati that the other Illuminatis didn’t even know about. Choosing to read any further will surely open up a mind-blowing Pandora’s box of transcending production skills, so proceed with caution. You might get hit with a few Grammys. [Ima let you finish, but Pandora is wack, Lala is my jam. Ed.]

The Importance of Pre-Production:

Pre-Production is the process where a producer sits down with the band and listens to their songs critically and helps make the necessary adjustments to make sure they are ready for recording. A producer may suggest adding or subtracting parts, making tempo and key changes, discuss the overall feel and instrumentation, and a host of other things related to the recording of the track. Pre-production is a vital part of recording any song, and is one of the processes that separates amateur and professional music.

A band may come to the studio with their songs already arranged and ready to go (or so they think) or may just have a bare bones verse and chorus that needs to be structured and finished. Either way, it’s important for a producer to be able to look at every track objectively and make experienced decisions based on what the song needs. If you aren’t confident enough to do this, you may just want to stick to engineering.

Getting the Songs Right

First and foremost, you need to be a songwriter, or at least have a good understanding of song structure and flow. A producer should be well versed in the type of music the band is recording. There are some generally recognized principles that make a good song work, though there are no hard and fast rules. One good way to judge the completeness of a song is to have the artist play it with just a single acoustic and lead vocal. If the song is captivating, interesting, has consistent flow, and makes sense with this performance, then it will also sound complete with full production. If it’s boring or drags on, or seems like it needs more parts to convey the message, more work should be done before moving on.

As a side note, you should be sensitive to the fact that bands and artists have often played these songs in one specific manner or even recorded them long before you start to work on them. Certain parts may be important to them that seem superfluous to you. Then there is the known affliction called “demo love,” where a band becomes attached to a previous recording, not realizing the full potential of new or enhanced production. It’s always good practice to ask permission before offering suggestions or changing parts. If you know what you are doing, most artists will at least respect your opinion even if they decide not to make a specific change. Ultimately, the songs are not yours, so if you can’t get your way you need to move on.

Instrumentation

Next, you should discuss the feel and mood of the song as well as what instrumentation and techniques you want use to accomplish this. A band may have a limited understanding of what is possible in the studio, so you should know all options and possibilities that different instruments, effects, and modern multi-track recording can offer. A rock band may not consider that one of their tracks might sound better as a space-y acoustic song featuring a Rhodes piano whereas an acoustic artist may not think about recording a huge full band production with drums and electrics.

It’s good to get some references from the band about what other albums they like, and what characteristics from those albums they would like on their recording. They may like the drums on one record, and the guitars on another. And they may like the overall feel of yet another band’s album. You’ve got to use your best judgment though, because often times the band’s references are much different from what their own music sounds like. And you may realize they don’t really know what they actually want. But getting references from the band, while sometimes fruitful, is primarily a way to show that you care about how the project sounds. It lets them know that they have some control over the final product, and that’s not generally the case with most studios.

The Creative Touch

For a producer, branching away from the obvious takes balls because you have to convey confidence that the song will turn out like you think it will. This only comes with experience over time, so if you feel inclined to try something creative, go ahead and suggest it. If you’re comfortable with the basics, taking creative chances are what can make a recording magical. It can also solidify your reputation as a top-notch producer. If worst comes to worst, you can always re-record songs or parts if the band isn’t feeling your experimental idea. But you’ll lose the chance to learn if you never try at all.

Some of this creativity can come during tracking as well, so once you get your song structure and mood set, leave options open for improvisation as you got along. Artists usually get excited about having the time to get involved in the creative process with you so try and schedule enough time for experimenting if at all possible.

Preparing for Tracking

A lot of bands expect to come to the studio, get some mics thrown in front of their gear, and start playing their songs. True, some studios do this, but generally, the product does not turn out well at all. [Unless you're U2. Ed.] Aside from not being able to objectively map out the songs, most bands simply aren’t good enough to pull this off with the tightness and high quality performance expected from modern recordings. Another issue with full band recording in some studios is the spreading thin of your equipment, meaning you have to compromise on the signal chain for every instrument rather than using the best mics, pres, outboard gear, and conversion for each separately.

Thus, unless you know it’s worth the risk to track live, you’ll probably want to do each instrument separately. That means laying down a scratch track (basic acoustic version of the song) over a metronome for the drummer to play to. Some experienced session drummers can come and nail down a song to a click without any practice, but generally, you’ll want to send the drummer home with just a track of the scratch and click to practice the tempo and arrangement. A well rehearsed and confident drummer not only saves valuable tracking time, but ultimately gives a better performance.

Sometimes you’ll come across a drummer who claims that metronomes mess him up and it’s hard to “feel” the song while playing to a click. This is pretty much a weak excuse to justify inconsistent (bad) playing. You’ve got to stress the fact that not tracking to a click will negatively affect all the other instruments and the overall quality. Quite simply, it will be an inferior product. Often times, if the scratch is tightly tracked, the drummer may find it easier to play only to this, rather than the click. Either way, always track to a specific tempo and grid if at all possible. We’ll discuss the myriad advantages of this when we get to the editing section.

Setting the tempo to the song is also a fairly important matter, as just a few BPMs faster or slower can make a huge impact in how the song is conveyed. In general, a recorded song does not need to be quite as fast as the band is used to playing it live. The energy and impact will be felt through the tightness and quality of the performance and recording, rather than the speed. If you or the band are unsure about your chosen tempo, listen to it again in a day or so and compare it against other similar songs.

Onward Ho!

Pre-production itself is no secret. Every producer does it to some extent. But thorough, highly critical and involved pre-production is what separates the hos and fakers from the dough makers. It saves you time, money, and also vastly improves the finished product. Ultimately, this is how your work will be judged, so if you value your reputation, take the time and effort to get it right before you ever hit record.

Tags: artist, composition, producer, production, recording, songwriting, studio