For a list of recording terms and their definitions, please view our glossary document. Or, simply click on any Frequently Asked Question you're interested in to view its answer.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1.) How long does production of a CD normally take?
Longfooter offers a variety of recording and CD production services; the turn-around time on each depends on the scale and level of complexity of the project in question. On average:
Archival Recording Package, Working Musician's Demo - Final master is usually submitted to the client within 5 business days.
Organizational Fundraiser Package - Approximately one month from recording session to arrival of CDs.
Platinum Recording Package - Typically a minimum of 2 months (One month for recording / photo shoots, two weeks of post-production, and a month for manufacturing/shipping) from first recording session to arrival of CDs, largely dependent on the type of project.
2.) Do I have to pay the entire fee up front?
Projects of $300 or less should be paid in full on the date of the recording session. Larger projects (such as the Organizational Fundraiser Package and the Platinum Recording Package) are payable in installments specified in a contract between Longfooter and the client. Typically, these installments are paid as: 1) a downpayment at the beginning of the project, 2) a second payment at the completion of recording and photography (before post-production), and 3) the remainder to be paid upon arrival of the finished product.
Longfooter Productions will work with the client to find a payment schedule that is suitable to all parties involved.
3.) Do you only record music?
Not at all! Longfooter Productions will record speeches, stories, sound effects, ambient sounds… most any type of sound you'd like to commit to CD! Feel free to contact us with questions about your special recording interest.
4.) What type of equipment is used?
Typically, most projects are recorded with a pair of large-capsule cardioid-pattern condenser microphones. These are plugged into a rackmount system that houses the mic preamp-A/D converter, multitrack recording system, and headphone distribution amp. This system then plugs into a laptop, where the recording is stored and then transferred to a digital audio workstation for postproduction (although the laptop can double as a DAW in a pinch).
5.) Where do you do your recordings?
Longfooter Productions specializes in live- and on-site recordings. Therefore, most recordings take place in the venue that is most comfortable to the client, artist, band, or ensemble that is being recorded. Sometimes, when recording "studio-style" with overdubbing and a lot of post-production editing, Longfooter will work with the client to scout locations that are best-suited for tracking each part of the CD. For instance, we might record a beautiful 9-foot Steinway piano in a church, but use a large practice room in a music store to record a drum set for the same song. The process is tailored to the needs of the particular project.
6.) What kind of things can you fix when recording my CD? What kind of things can't you fix?
Recent advances in digital recording technology have given engineers a myriad of new tools for improving the sound of a performance. There are options available now that didn't exist even 10 years ago. However, restraint must be used in applying these magic fixes, as excessive "correction" can make the recording sound too processed and unnatural.
Multitracked recordings have an advantage over live stereo recordings in that many elements of a performance can be isolated and adjusted (e.g. relative volume, EQ, dynamic contrast). This holds true even more so of overdubbed multitrack recordings, since each voice or instrument is completely isolated from everything else in the recording. In this case, even timing and pitch can be adjusted to an astonishing degree. Here are some common processes in multitrack recording:
- Normalization - bring audio into a comfortable listening range for playback.
- Noise reduction - reduce the amount of steady background noise
- Compression - even out the dynamics of a sound
- EQ - adjust the tonal balance of a sound
- Pitch correction - nudge a solo instrument or voice back into tune
- Aural excitation - add some "air" or crispness to a sound
- Notch filtering - take out an offensive hum or hiss at a specific frequency
- Editing - move fragments of sound around, make a guitar strum line up with a cymbal crash, use take #1 for a chorus and take #3 for a solo, remove an unwanted breath sound or chair squeak, add or remove applause
- Reverberation - add some room sound to a recording, put the performance in a virtual night club, church, parking garage, closet
Some things we CAN'T fix:
- Chorded or sustaining instruments out of tune - guitar, piano, multiple singers, harp
- Too much natural reverb
- Miscellaneous sounds during a song in a live performance (although they can sometimes be minimized)
- Poor musicianship- uninspired singing, clunky piano playing, sloppy guitar riffs
Essentially, the more isolated a source sound (a voice, for example) is from everything else in the recording (other voices and instruments, room noise, live reverb), the more that sound can be digitally manipulated to the taste of the listener.
7.) Do you offer video services as well? Photography? Live sound?
Longfooter Productions currently specializes in audio recording and CD production; however, LFP is continually diversifying and plans to offer photography, video recording, and live sound reinforcement services in the near future. Some of these services are available upon request; please contact us with any questions in regard to your special project needs.
8.) What's mechanical licensing? Do I need it for my project? Who pays for it?
Mechanical licensing is permission to record and distribute a set number of copies of a song which is owned by someone else. The copyright owner (usually the songwriter or publisher) controls the rights to a song or other work, and is legally entitled to be compensated for certain uses of that song, especially those that pertain to recording, publishing, synchronization (use in TV or film), or live performance. The right of first recording is typically retained by the songwriter, but after one recording of the work is created and made available to the public, then Compulsory Mechanical Licensing kicks in. That is to say, once a recording of a work is made that is available to everyone commercially, then the copyright holder has to allow anyone to record that work, but can demand a maximum compensation of x cents per song per copy. The exact rate depends on the length of the song (an additional amount is calculated for songs over 5 minutes.) On average, the rate is about 9 cents per song per CD or tape.
So, for example, Susie Songwriter writes "Love and Stuff" and lets it sit as an idea in a dusty cassette deck for 5 years. During this time, the only people allowed to make a commercially available recording of "Love and Stuff" are Susie and anyone to whom she personally gives permission. Later, she decides to shop the song around to some publishers and A&R people, and Tom Rockstar eventually decides to record "Love and Stuff" on his compilation titled "Songs That Other People Wrote". After "Songs That Other People Wrote" is available at Tower Records and Borders, you can say "Hey… I'd like to record my own version of `Love and Stuff' and make 1000 copies of it!" At this point you would contact the Harry Fox Agency (a third party organization that deals with mechanical licensing and collects royalties on behalf of artists and publishers). You pay about $90 to Susie Songwriter via the Harry Fox Agency (plus a small administration fee) and, voila! You now have permission to record your own version of "Love and Stuff" and have 1,000 copies made (and even sell them!).
Of course, there are often a lot more fiery hoops than in the scenario described above, which is why Longfooter Productions will help you with the paperwork of mechanical licensing. Because mechanical licensing fees can vary so drastically from project to project, we cannot include these fees in the cost of our package deals. However, LFP will assist in every way to make the licensing process as smooth and painless as possible.
9.) I'm thinking about getting the Platinum Recording Package, with photography and everything included. Who retains the rights to all the photos taken for the CD package design? The master recording? The artwork?
Longfooter Productions will enter a customized contract with you specifying these details. Typically, the client will retain all rights to the master recording, photography and package design, provided that Longfooter may use select media from your project for portfolio and advertisement purposes (i.e. - not for resale and profit.) In almost all cases, the client will then have the rights to order additional runs of CDs at cost from the manufacturer, without Longfooter as an intermediary.
10.) Can I use my own photographer? Can I master the CD myself? Can I do my own artwork?
LFP can accommodate you in the specific needs of your project and allow you to have as much or as little involvement in production as you desire. However, "do-it-yourself-ers" don't necessarily get any discount on recording packages, and third-party involvement can often make the production process slow, inefficient, and problematic. For this reason, Longfooter recommends that you allow most of your project to be done in-house.
11.) Should I go "live" or "studio" for my CD?
It depends largely on what sound you're looking for. If you want a sound that's spontaneous, sincere, and captures the magic of the moment and being on stage (along with audience noise, car horns, HVAC sounds, chirping birds, crying babies, sirens, and coughing), record your performance live. If you are looking for pristine sound, attention to detail, balance, and a radio-worthy professional polish, then do the studio recording, but recognize that the process will be much more time, energy, and money-intensive.
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