Producing Music in the Time of COVID-19
Updated: Dec 6, 2021
With restrictions everywhere, musicians and producers need to more resourceful with their processes. Here's how.
Go All Digital
If you are a producer who is used to large scale productions, now is the time to scale down. While it's always great to use a full acoustic drum set in a nice sounding room, a full stack Marshall amp in a a large room, a full choir, and an orchestra, it's not advisable in this time of social distancing and lockdowns. But it's not the end of the world. You can produce by going all virtual and digital.
Almost every Digital Audio Working Station has all these big sounds sampled in their plugins. From classic drum sounds recorded in arenas to classical ensembles tracked in majestic halls, there are so many options to sound big by going small. All you need is your computer.
Trust the Song
It's all about the song. It doesn't matter if you produced it at Abbey Road or your bedroom using your iPad, if it's a cracking song, people will listen. With personal contact at a minimum these days, artists have started going solo even if they belong to a band. Paul McCartney recorded his album McCartney 3 by himself during this pandemic. Trust the song. The sound is secondary.
Collaborate Virtually
If you can't do it on your own, there are many ways to collaborate virtually. Facetime, Zoom, Slack, Messenger, Whatsup are just some of the best communication tools that you can use to work with your pals and write that next big hit. While it's not good to play live using these, they are perfect for brainstorming ideas or writing lyrics with your collaborators.