How to produce and record your music virtually with zoom.
Since the beginning of this global pandemic, musicians have been dazed and confused about how to continue to develop their music without the benefit of being able to be in the same room as their partners. I personally struggled for the first three months on how to finish some of our productions since the borders closed. Then a close friend and collaborator who also teaches told me that zoom could be useful!
At first, I was using two different laptops: one had my logic pro and Ableton live programs on it, and the other had the zoom app going. Then, over time, I figured out that I could share my screen and audio with my partner, and that made much more sense. Now, there is an issue with latency and the occasional screen freeze but hey, it isn’t a perfect world just yet so be patient. Here are a few workflow tips that may help you keep the creativity flowing and get your next song to the mastering lab.
Tip 1: Limit each zoom call to 45 minutes to an hour.
If I work for just under an hour, I have enough time to make some excellent progress with my collaborator. Then I take a break to make some changes to the edit and send an mp3 file over to my partner to have a closer listen. I await feedback from the singer and the creative team so I can continue my production work. This process will happen as many times as it takes until the mix is just right.
Tip 2: Use the computer speakers and avoid the monitors.
The person on the other side of the screen has told me repeatedly that they can hear everything much clearer when I’m using the built-in speakers on my laptop. I’m not exactly sure why this is, but trust me, I’ve heard it enough times to know that it works.
Tip 3: Share your screen if you can.
I think it’s more engaging when your collaborator can see what you’re doing live on the screen. I also use this as an opportunity to teach the art of production, especially when I know the person I’m working with is also interested in learning the process.
Tip 4: Turn your camera off when you’re tracking, programming, or editing.
The glitching and latency seems to be the worst when I’m programming live with my USB keyboard. I noticed that when I turn off my camera, the latency and glitching goes away. Be sure to keep your microphone on so you can continue to communicate.
Tip 5: Get the right a cappella vocal from your singer or recording artist.
Make sure your vocalist sends you a good a cappella vocal track to use and make sure they’ve recorded it to the proper BMP (beats per minute) of the song. You will end up spending hours of valuable time editing the vocal just to get it in sync. Also be sure to specify that the vocal should be sent to you with (NO EFX). This means, no reverb, or delays.
