fogle622's
Audio Haven
The Stages Of Audio Production
It does not matter if you are creating one song or a whole album, every audio project will pass through the stages of pre production, production, post production and publishing. Complete each stage completely before beginning the next stage to prevent repeating yourself and getting caught up in an endless circle. An overview of each audio production stage is given below.
Pre Production
I treat each song as a project. A song can be a cover of a song by someone else or an original I created.
Project planning. Yes I plan and try to anticipate what's best for the song. Many overlook this project stage but professionals never do. Plan ahead lets you anticipate needs so the project can proceed efficently while obtaining the best results possible..
Once I've decided on a song I mentally go through the project to figure what's needed to obtain the song I hear in my mind.
Production
Create audio tracks. Professionals like to call this stage "tracking" but most people call it recording. Whatever it's called, the goal is to create the best sounding audio tracks you can.
Many people envision large studio rooms with cables running everywhere and people behind glass walls using racks of equipment. However, today it is possible to create audio tracks in a closet, bedroom or while sitting on a deck.and never sing or touch an instrument.
Post Production
Mixing:
The audio gets edited, mixed and modified to create an interesting and pleasing sound. The result is called the final mix or the stereo track.
Mastering:
The stereo track is mixed again to add a final sheen and polish to the sound. Metadata such as the song title and artist is embedded into the stereo track creating the master track.
Publishing:
Placing the master track. YouTube, SoundClick, SoundCloud, iTunes, EP or CD have different requirements. It is important to create a final mix that meets the requirements of each location the master track will be placed.