Getting into Pop Music: Gear, Techniques, and Practical Advice From Established Artists
I had the great opportunity to speak to four very established producers who are exceptional musicians in their own right. I felt it was important to get different points of view as their experience is greatly varied. This is valuable advice for anyone wanting to get into producing pop music.
Mitch Cairns
Mitch Cairns is an Australian-based Bass Player and Producer
Producer of several ARIA-nominated and winning albums, Mitch has also had a successful songwriting career, writing songs for Russell Morris, Glenn Shorrock (Little River Band) Brooke McClymont, and Adam Eckersley.
What is the first piece of studio equipment you would recommend for someone wanting to get into producing pop music?
Mostly everything can be done in the box these days. A computer, an interface, and a pair of headphones will have you up and running pretty quickly. The only barrier is your creativity and motivation. On top of that, a microphone and a MIDI keyboard are pretty helpful.
In your opinion, do you think there is a superior daw for recording pop?
No. I’ve been a Avid Protools user for a very long time because that’s where I started and my workflow is uninhibited. I can produce and mix tracks quickly and all of my tools are in one place and not spread across multiple platforms. Most DAWs are relatively the same now, with similar features, plugins, and midi functions. There are lots of free or low-cost options to get you started.
Do you have a particular system of what instruments to record first for a pop song?
I always start with a scratch track of the song and build it up from there. Depending on the style I’ll do drums first and build on top of that. Being a bass player, I’ll often record bass last, after the vocal. That way I can find the best way to glue the vocal with the rhythm section. I love playing bass off a good vocal!
I always do the first 50% of a mix quietly in mono before I switch to stereo
How much pre-production should be done on a song before someone takes it into the studio?
As much as you can. When I’m producing one on one with an artist I have a pretty hands-on approach to arrangements so it’s always my preference to listen to the songs in their rawest state so we can develop ideas without the distraction of demos. If it’s a band coming into the studio they really need to have it together so if we need to change anything they’re able to do it easily.
I’ll generally do a lot of pre-production with an artist before we start recording, that way we have a clear vision and we maximize the budget as best as we can.
Do you have a special technique for recording drum tracks?
I love recording drums! I’ve always used pencil condensers on toms. Ribbon overheads and old drums are my preferences. Drummers that have a balanced sound are my favorite. If I mic a hi-hat I rarely use it and I always mix from the drummer's perspective.
What do you suggest young musicians do when mixing a track to make it sound the best it can?
Don’t automatically pull up every plugin you have. Lots of things can be solved with a high-pass filter. I always do the first 50% of a mix quietly in mono before I switch to stereo. Don’t mix too loud and take the time for breaks and to walk away from it.
Connect With Mitch Cairns
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Website
Justin Humphries
Justin Humphries is an Australian recording engineer, drummer, composer, and educator; owner of Phoenix Sound Studios
Since the early 1990s, Justin has performed and recorded as a percussionist and operated as a sound engineer with numerous bands and artists. Justin creates and records high-quality drum and percussion tracks for musicians, producers, and composers all over the world.
What is the first piece of studio equipment you would recommend for someone wanting to get into producing pop music?
For someone looking to delve into producing pop music, the first piece of studio equipment I'd recommend is a versatile audio interface. This essential tool serves as the bridge between your instruments, microphones, and the computer, enabling high-quality audio recordings and facilitating connectivity with Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) for production.
Pre-production is a crucial step in the songwriting and recording process. I recommend doing as much pre-production as necessary to ensure you have a clear vision of the song's arrangement, melody, and structure
In your opinion, do you think there is a superior daw for recording pop?
The choice often boils down to personal preference and workflow efficiency. However, some popular options like Steinberg Cubase, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or Ableton Pro Tools are often favoured for their intuitive interfaces, extensive plugin libraries, and streamlined features, making them great choices for recording pop music. There isn't necessarily a "superior" DAW; it's more about finding the one that aligns best with your production style and needs.
Do you have a particular system of what instruments to record first for a pop song?
In producing a pop song, the sequence of recording instruments can vary. However, a common approach is to start with the song's foundational elements, such as drums or a simple chord progression on a keyboard or guitar. Then, layering additional instruments and vocals comes next, often building the track around the central melodies and beats.
How much pre-production should be done on a song before someone takes it into the studio?
Pre-production is a crucial step in the songwriting and recording process. I recommend doing as much pre-production as necessary to ensure you have a clear vision of the song's arrangement, melody, and structure. This includes writing and refining the song, creating demo recordings, and even practicing with the musicians you'll be working with. The more preparation you do, the smoother and more efficient the studio recording process will be.
Do you have a special technique for recording drum tracks?
Recording drum tracks in a pop song often involves a blend of conventional and innovative techniques. One effective method is using a combination of close miking for individual drums, overhead mics for capturing the overall drum kit, and ambiance mics to capture the space. In particular, for the ambiance microphones, I achieved great results using a microphone technique called the M/S technique. Additionally, sample replacement and layering can be used during mixing to enhance the drum sound.
What do you suggest young musicians do when mixing a track to make it sound the best it can?
When mixing a track to achieve the best sound, young musicians should focus on elements like compression, equalization, balanced levels, spatial effects (reverb, delay), and panning to create depth and clarity. It's also essential to continuously check the mix on different systems to ensure it transfers well across various playback devices. Continual referencing and taking breaks during the mixing process can also offer fresh perspectives and help maintain objectivity in achieving the best possible sound.
Connect With Justin Humphries
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Linkedin / Website
John Bartlett
John Bartlett is an Aria Award-winning producer/musician. His band Low Rider opened for Alicia Keys on her Australian tour. John is currently working on his original project SIXFOUR
What is the first piece of studio equipment you would recommend for someone wanting to get into producing pop music?
These days it is getting simpler and simpler to get a really solid setup for a home studio as products become more powerful for less upfront cost. A decent computer, your preferred DAW, an interface for any live recording, and being a keys player myself, a decent MIDI keyboard controller. (Yes I know that’s 4 pieces of equipment haha) From there you can just add as your needs grow but these days with the amount of high-end plugins available you need to have a huge array of outboard gear as part of your initial home studio.
In your opinion, do you think there is a superior daw for recording pop?
I have always been a believer in whichever DAW you know your way around best, and hence doesn’t get in the way of creativity when either producing a track on your own or working in a more collaborative environment. For me, I have always been a Logic Pro user so it is my go-to as I can work fastest and easiest with it and it has never let me down for my needs. It provides a great blend of seamless in-the-box programming and live recording
Do you have a particular system of what instruments to record first for a pop song?
For me, this all depends on the instrumental make-up of the song. If I’m in a setting working with a band on a track in the studio then I would generally get a solid drum take for the track. I think groove is so important and I believe having a great drum take (even if it doesn’t end up being the final) adds so much feel when the other players are putting their parts down. Since I am more commonly writing tracks or creating beats on my own at the moment to then work with an artist, I would say I put down ideas on keys first. Since it’s my main instrument it allows me to be the most creative.
Listen and trust your ears. Learn your monitors. Never make big decisions on fatigued ears. Learn from the mix of engineers you look up to
How much pre-production should be done on a song before someone takes it into the studio?
I believe this depends on how much influence the band wants the producer to have and hence I don’t think there is a clear answer. In my experiences these days I will generally either be writing a track for an artist utilizing my home studio setup or getting involved in the process outside of a major studio setting. Especially for an independent artist, the costs of a larger studio can add up quickly and have you stressing over the clock. So in that instance, I would recommend having a solid plan for your studio time.
Do you have a special technique for recording drum tracks?
I honestly couldn’t say that I have any special techniques for recording drums. Lately a lot of the projects I'm involved with utilize programmed beats and hence there’s less if any live recording (maybe a snare sampled or played hats etc). Over the years I've been lucky enough to work with some brilliant engineers who have achieved incredible live drum sounds.
But for me, it’s really a case of achieving the best sound to suit the part or needs of the song, and this doesn’t always come down to a perfect mic setup or technique. One of my favorite sounds I remember was recording a snare into an iPhone, then exporting that and layering it with another snare sample. Added the perfect almost melancholic dark overtone.
What do you suggest young musicians do when mixing a track to make it sound the best it can?
I wouldn’t call myself a great mix engineer, however, I have been lucky to see a few in action. My thoughts would just be to Listen and trust your ears. Learn your monitors. Never make big decisions on fatigued ears. Learn from the mix of engineers you look up to (there’s so much access to the people we idolize and how they do things) and then slowly build your own way of doing things from what you learn.
Connect With John Bartlett
Instagram
John Lebesis
John Lebesis is an in-demand session musician/producer in Melbourne Australia. He has worked with many great musicians including Aria Award-winning singer Marie Wilson.
What is the first piece of studio equipment you would recommend for someone wanting to get into producing pop music?
The first piece of equipment is a good audio interface. This does not need to be anything incredibly expensive. Even as a professional bassist, I just use a simple Focusrite interface for a lot of the demos and sessions I get asked to play on. It is the link between your instrument and the computer.
A good DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), is the software you will install on your computer that will capture your recordings. It is important to use one that has an interface that seems intuitive to you, and that has enough features that will allow you to create and mix your tunes without limitation. Those would be the two most important pieces of equipment I would say are needed to get started.
In your opinion, do you think there is a superior daw for recording pop?
I am not sure if I can say that there is one superior DAW for recording pop. Personal choice is especially important to consider here. What may seem like a great piece of software to one person, may seem limited and unintuitive to the next.
Having said that, a good DAW will be designed in a way to is user-friendly, with an easy-to-understand interface that will not require any great length of time to learn its basic functions. I personally have always used Ableton Live, and many engineers/producers I have worked with seem to be fans of it also, for all the reasons I stated earlier.
Do you have a particular system of what instruments to record first for a pop song?
Recording the drums and bass first when laying down a track/song, to me at least, is still the way to go. There is a reason so many people will record this way... I see it as simply laying down the foundation first. Simple as that. Keep in mind that this does not mean the drums and bass are recorded to the exclusion of other instruments in the mix.
Often there will be a guitar and/or vocal ‘scratch’ track, that will be used as a guide while the drums and bass are being recorded, so the musicians know where they are on the track and can get a sense for the song that they are playing on.
Keep the process as simple as possible
How much pre-production should be done on a song before someone takes it into the studio?
In my experience, as much pre-production that can be done away from the studio, will streamline the time in the actual studio session, and allow the recording process to flow, without needing to potentially stop to work out parts, and arrangements, and add to the song being recorded.
Having said that, I do not think we should be too black-and-white about how we approach things either... my suggestion is intended to imply that preparation is key. There have been instances where I have gone in with a band to record, or as a session musician just laying a bassline down, and no matter how prepared I am, some of the best moments and lines I have recorded have come as a last-moment inspiration or idea, which I then execute on the spot.
We must always leave a little room for magic!
Do you have a special technique for recording drum tracks?
My approach to recording drum tracks has always been quite simple. There are some great studio engineers out there who would be better qualified to answer this... but in my experience, going for the best organic drum sound is the first thing I look for.
Usually, the drummer in the session will know what they are looking for from their drums, and therefore know how to achieve that... this could be how they might tune the kit to achieve a particular sound/tone for the song, mic placement, the type of room we might record the drums in...the possibilities and options are endless. However, it always comes back to just getting the best sounds out of the drums for the session.
Things like effects can always be added during post-production.
What do you suggest young musicians do when mixing a track to make it sound the best it can?
My suggestion for young musicians regarding mixing tracks is to keep the process as simple as possible (There is that word again!). Always remember that adage of ‘You can’t polish a t#@d’.
Ensuring your instruments, playing, and voice are sounding as good as possible, will go a long way in making the final product sound great. As an example... For myself as a bassist, when I walk into a recording session, this means making sure I have a fresh set of strings on (unless it’s a warm and slightly duller mo-town type of tone I’m going for). I find that a fresh set gives me more tonal options than halfway dead strings, thus not trying to fight for tone out of the instrument. This also makes it much easier for whoever is recording the track to mix it, as it will be occupying the tonal space it is meant to, rather than sounding potentially dull and muddy, and encroaching on other instruments’ tonal space.
As far as the actual mixing goes, I think it is important to have a reference track as a guide. Especially if young musicians are still getting their head, and ears, around the art of recording and mixing. This will give you an idea as to how you might want your own track to sound... And adjust levels accordingly to suit and create the sound your band is aiming for. (ie: having the mix a little more drum-heavy than your reference track).
Adding reverb and effects can also be done, but sparingly. You are much better off recording your drums in a live-sounding room, for example than trying to flood the tracks with reverb in the studio.
Connect With John Lebesis
Facebook / Instagram / Soundcloud
About Magesh Magesh
Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour.
He released an instructional drumming DVD called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk
Contact Magesh Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com
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