What is a pre-production and do I need it for my record?

The pre-production is the one part in music production that many musicians do not know much about. Nevertheless, pre-production is one of the most important steps on the way to an outstanding record.

A short example: After writing a marvelous song in your rehearsing room you want to present it to a broader audience. Therefore you book a recording studio to get a sound that can compete with “the big ones”. At this point pre-production comes into play. Most of todays producers want to have a basic idea on how a song is structured, what the main instruments are, how many vocal tracks there are and, of course, if it’s a metal-, pop- or an EDM track. It will save time and money when you don’t have to discuss these things when the studio clock is already ticking.

In other words, pre-production is a simple and quick recording of your songs that you can do by yourself or with the help of a producer at your rehearsing space or your homestudio. As the name suggest, it should be done before the actual recording sessions. It should carry the basic message of the song and serve as a blueprint for the actual recordings later in the studio. Nowadays, it’s possible to do a pre-production with just a laptop, an audio interface, a reasonable priced microphone and maybe a few VST instruments.

Doing a pre-production also shows the producer that you are dedicated towards your music and that you have thought about things like instrumentation and how you want the finished song to sound in the end. In short, a pre-production is kind of an insurance against unpleasant suprises lurking around every corner in the everyday studio life. Therefor, take your time and do a pre-production to the best of your knowledge on which you can later rely in the recording sessions.

Header-image: Mike Pfaffenhuemer