The Beginning of the End...Part 4

 

Let's Put This All Together

The songs are done. Alright. Is that it? Are we done? 

Heck no.

So, now what?

The next great adventure is setting the songs in order...assuming you have any interest in that. And, believe it not, it is a part of the process of putting a record out. I know this because I've read enough articles and interviews with bands and artists over the years discussing just how and why they put this song here or that song there to know that it's a part of the game.

And, it can be a lot of fun. Why? Because you get to listen to all your great new songs over and over again (this doesn't count the many times you went through them while recording and mixing and mastering).

The album playlist, the order in which the recording are played, assuming the listener plays them in order, is fairly important as it defines the flow the album will take when listened to. Do you want to get out of the gate fast? Then begin with a flashy number—one that sets the tone; think Hells Bells on AC/DC's Back in Black. Or maybe there's a song that defines the mood or theme of the album, say if it's all about love or a sign of the times. Maybe it's just a party album and you want the groove going right out the door.

Once that's set, lay out all the other songs and see how they fit together. If it's a CD or straight to Soundcloud or Bandcamp there's no need to find a break to flip over the record. (I never thought that would come back into vogue, but...people are buying vinyl again. Just don't know if they're actually spinning the records on a turntable.) Decide what goes where. The best way to work this out is to move them around and find what sounds best to you. Like I said, you'll be listening to the songs a lot.

Now if every song sounds the same, put the best one first—that's your single.

Next is artwork

This I leave up to you. Just make sure it's big enough and available in the right format. We'll get to that when we send it out and if we decide to have physical copies made.

©2022 David William Pearce