There’s no single method to approach making music. Whether your process starts by creating beats or going on a walk, there are not any wrong ways to start. However, one common practice in the early stage of production is to create a music demo to sketch out your concepts.
Recording your demos will describe your music idea, improve your productivity, and provide you with more opportunities as an artist. There are lots of complicated and difficult aspects of creating music. Fortunately, this isn’t one of them.
In this guide we’ll explain why recording your demo tracks is so essential. It’s an easy habit to include structure, clarity, and consistency in your music.
What are demo tracks?
Demo tracks are early undeveloped recordings of your music. Consider them as tough references to the music you’re at the moment engaged in.
Fully completed songs feature tight performances, pristine recordings, thorough production, and mastering. Demos don’t have to add any of these items.
The job of a demo recording is to place a structure to the songs you’re working on. These recordings allow you to keep in mind what you’re working on and show others your ideas.
Demos can be spontaneous, such as recording acoustic songs on your smartphone. Or, they can be complicated and thoughtfully recorded. The way you approach recording them completely depends on your targets.
If you want to share your new work in the wishes of landing a show, manager, or label, demos will help. The concept is to give music industry people a taste of where your music is headed early in its improvement.
Developing artists record demos to show their music to local venues and tastemakers. Professional songwriters record them to share with collaborators, producers, and labels to find opportunities for new work.
Do demos still matter?
Sure, demos completely still matter. You’re making music in the heyday of streaming platforms and playlists, however, demos are still essential.
The best way listeners hear and discover music has fully changed over the past decade. However, the best way music-makers create hasn’t. Making demos gives you huge benefits you can’t find working any other way.
6 Reasons to make a music demo
Here are six reasons why you should make your own music demos.
1. Demos give structure to vague ideas
One of the biggest reasons to make demos is because it’s a process that creates for your song a strong foundation to work with. Demos turns loose ideas into structured songs.
2. Demos make remembering your songs a lot easier
If you’re a prolific writer, you might discover it hard to keep track of everything you’re working on. Recording and labeling your demos will make your life as a musician a lot easier. If you’re serious about making music, relying on demos in your process is important.
3. Labels, managers, and venues use demos to think about taking on new talent
Whether you’re new to music or are experienced, demos provide you with access to new opportunities. They offer industry influencers an idea of what you’re working on early enough within the process to decide if they need to work with you.
If you haven’t officially released the music yet, demos will allow you to book shows and build momentum as an artist. Consider demo submissions as samples of what you’re making and where your music could go.
4. Recording demos forces you to make essential creative choices
It’s easy to create when the ideas are flowing, but much harder to make choices when you don’t know what to do. Whether it’s a chorus without lyrics or a missing bridge chord progression, songs have missing parts early on.
The method of recording a demo forces you to make the choices needed to complete songs. Remember that these choices don’t have to be set in stone. Demos are snapshots of the progression of your music, not complicated songs.
5. Demos get the unique energy and intensity of the moment
This could be the most important benefit on this list. Recording demos offers you the power to capture deep emotions and spontaneous creativity. Hearing your idea in a demo is much different than trying to keep it in mind and recreate it later.
The emotional urgency and artistic excitement you feel while writing something need to fuel your idea for a long, long time. Making a demo while you’re the most passionate and excited about your track is the greatest way to build on that energy.
6. Demos give a helpful framework for recording
Making demos will save you some time once you decide to record the final version of your track. Things like instrumentation, BPM, and early production decisions in your demos can be easily transferred to final recordings.
Sketches, ideas, and directions
Demos might seem like not much of an enormous deal, however, they really are.
Recording demos is one of the uncommon things in music that’s easy to do and gives massive benefits.
Get in the habit of demoing your songs, and it will be better for you and your music.