With my recent move to Nashville, presskit update, and new Demo cuts, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the nuts and bolts of putting a promotional kit together.

In an effort to keep the discussion organized, let's just talk about the DEMO first.

To start, let's ask ourselves these questions:

What should be on the DEMO?
How do I decide which cuts to use?
Why do I need a demo?
How long should the demo be?

These are just to get us started. Answer these and there WILL be more questions to ask.

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If you are not sure exactly what I'm talking about, visit my demo page and listen to a few tracks ... you'll get the idea.

www.BartElliott.com/demo.html

Keith (aka Mister_Acrolite) and I worked on getting my new demos up and running; choosing which tracks and portion of track to use, etc.
 
Let the discussions begin!

I didn't forget the "who is it for" because to me that's something that would be brought up when answering the other questions. I alluded to that when I said:


Right now, let's focus on the individual demo

Let's stick to that, and not get into sending a demo of the band. Here at the Cafe we have a unique opportunity to discuss the individual view, to get work, to market yourself to other bands, musicians, etc. There are other websites that have tons of stuff on how to market your band, or what should be on a band demo ... but nothing for the individual player.

This is what I'd like to discuss.  

one of the first things i learned in dealing with demo recordings is that there is a really good chance your target will only listen to the first 30 seconds of the first track.  so you really need to make that part count.

if we're talking about selling yourself as an individual and a drummer, that first 30 seconds should be representative of your desired work.  thats where the "who" comes in.  if im going for a hand drum / percussion gig, im not going to put my free improv kit playing in that spot.  

im a firm believer in having a variety of work to pull from and not necessarily use.  that way you can put something great and appropriate right up front, and spread out some variety on the rest of the recording and still keep it short.  keeping demos EP length (30 minutes or less) helps keep 'em clean.  it allows the listener to target a particular track they want without having to wade through too much.  and the variety will show that not only can you handle what they need, but some other stuff as well.  so they could also be willing to pass it on to a peer if they hear something outside thier interests but of interest to someone else.  but again, your first hit on the demo is the spotlight peice for your target.

those are my thoughts on content.  an oft overlooked aspect is presentation.

i try to bridge the gap between unique and standout, and easy to deal with, lowest common denominator stuff.  i cant stand jewel boxes.  but they are easy for your target to deal with, peruse, store, etc.  they can keep it with thier other submissions and not loose it.  i put my creative energy into the artwork on the cover as a way to not only standout from others, but to give another glimpse into my creative process'.  then on the spine art i choose a clean clear easy to read font and color combination with my name prominant, and depending on the circumstances, a more detailed identifier.  so it would read something like "Mark Schlipper - Drums and Percussion" so they not only have quick visual of my name, but can think "that drummer ... oh yeah, him!" and find me easily.  then on the back of the tray liner i have my name and contact information and a detailed track listing.  if its songs, i put the song title and in parenthesis what i played (if not songs, then just the gist of the track) and the track length.  like so:

1 - song title (drums, percussion) - 03:33
or
1 - jazz drum solo - 01:33

again following the philosophy of clean, clear, easy to read.  this way when your target pulls out the disc, they can easily think jump to a track and know what to expect.  i do the same thing on the cd's label itself.  why? because there is a chance your target doesnt like to keep bulky jewel boxes or other packaging around and just has a binder full of cds.  this way they can just flip through and everything they need from you is right there with no effort on thier part.

and one more thing about demo recordings.  i always send two.  one for your target and one for one of their peers ... just in case

Good input, Side, particularly that last line.

How do you determine what portion of a song to include? Do you try to include the most conspicuous drumming, for lack or a better term? Or do you try to demonstrate your ability to support an emphasize different sections of a song?

Exactly!

I think it's good to show both that you're solid and that you have chops (more emphasis on the former). More than that, I like to show parts -- meaning that this is the drum part that I came up with, thereby showing creativity. Oh and by the way, yes, I'm also grooving here, and yeah I've got some chops. So it's good to hit all three.

The edits I like to have are song transition edits, 40-to-60-second sections that show verse to chorus, or chorus to solo, etc. That way they can get a sense of your dynamics, it tends to contrast technical ability to more simplicity in playing, and it shows your awareness of song structure.

Really, overall, it helps to get into the mindset of the listener. What does a potential client want? He/she wants someone who can support a song, who surrounds himself with good people (i.e. make sure all the other performances on your demo are played skillfully by the musicians), who can come up with creative parts, and who can be versatile, have some chops when needed, play different styles when needed.

Without sounding too Zen, try to become the listener and build the demo from that perspective.

I don't have much to add to the good advice others have posted here, but I'll offer this in response to what Felix wrote:

A friend of mine showed me the demo CD he created to help gather work as a composer writing for TV and radio jingles.  He had at most nine or ten tracks in contrasting styles (some classical, some jazz, some "smooth jazz," some pop, etc., etc., etc.), and he started out the demo with short clips of these tracks, around 30-45 seconds each; quick hits:  get in, get out, let the contractor get an idea of what the track is about, and then move on.  Then, following these short clips, he offered longer versions of each track.  If someone wanted to just do a quick overview of what he had to offer, it was all right there at the start of the disc; if someone wanted to hear more of a given track, it was there for the asking.  There's plenty of space on a CD to do this sort of thing.

It has been a while since I checked it out, but I think the short clips were all segued together, but they were still individual tracks on the CD, so if someone wanted to listen all the way through, they could just press the play button once, and there wouldn't be any breaks in sound until one got to the longer versions of the tracks; if someone wanted to go directly to, say, the abbreviated "classical" track, they could do that as well.

just to clarify, i didnt mean that you should only do 30 second snippets or tracks ... just that that first 30 seconds is the most vital spot on your demo.  if its the first 30 seconds of a 3 minute thing, so be it.

But you have to consider what people are doing when they're listening to a demo. They're not sitting there digging your music, they're analyzing your playing. They can get that in 40-50 seconds, or even less. More importantly, shorter clips are showing that you respect the time of the potential employer by getting to the point and then moving on.

I understand what you mean here, and would agree, for the most part. But I think you've got to be real careful with fading in and out of tons of different tracks. You might want to structure the tid-bits in a way that flows, if that is in any way possible. I dunno, I guess I'm thinking - if I was handed a CD full of clips, and it was changing every minute or so, it would be hard to get into some sort of groove or pattern listening to the CD as a whole - not just within the individual tracks. Does this make sense at all?

You know ... I've got some much varied advice over the years regarding the length of the demo ... I personally don't think there's any hard fast rules ... with the exception that you don't want it to be too, and you don't want it to be too short.

Since moving to Nashville, I've talked with a number of producers and had them listen to my demo. Some said the individual cuts were too short and they wanted. Others said that the cuts were too long. It's all a personal thing ... and I'm convinced you'll never be able to make everyone happy.

With the creation of the CD, demos have suddenly become a lot easier to deal with ... simply because if you place each sample on it's own track, the listener can quickly move to the next cut with a push of the button. If the cut is too long ... move on!

When I know that someone is just looking to hear a little of my playing, but more concerned about diversity, I put together a montage, typically around 5 minutes in length, which forces them to listen to each cut as they fade in and out. They can fast forward, but there's only one index number for the entire montage ... so no jumping!

I wrestle with wanting to not give too much or too little. Do I want to leave them wanting more? Do want to show them ALL my stuff? These questions are valid, but I don't think there is a hard fast rule ... but certainly some principles. Again, I think it depends on who is listening to the demo, and what it is you are trying to achieve with the demo.

My Conclusion
Make each cut the length it needs to be to fully express what you are trying to show with the given sample. It may be 20 or 30 seconds, it may be 45 to 90 seconds. Let each cut be what it needs to be.

Only demonstrate your very best, or the best that you have to offer. The first track on the demo should be the one sample that demos your abilities. This means that if the listener ONLY listens to this first track, that they will be left with a sense of wanting to hear more, or that they know enough by that one track that your the right (or wrong) person for the gig.

For session work, my first track is 3:45 long!!! To long ... definitely yes ... but ... sonically, groove and feel wise, there's a lot there, with something always going on in the groove and/or fills. Will the session manager listen to the entire cut ... probably not, but it's there if he/she wants it.

A demo for a particular gig or with a particular group, I would use an equally slammin' cut ... but one that fit the genre for which I am applying for. If Rock, then a smokin' rock track, if Jazz, then my very best cut demonstrating my jazz skills. Typically when sending a demo like this, Gig Demo, I'm applying for LIVE work ... not sessions, so the demo is very different. I still want to show so diversity as well as all my strengths, but not to the extent that I would in a Session Demo.

Regardless of whom I'm sending the demo to, I always include the best I have, and make each track length fit the given cut. You have a very short time with which to demostrate your abilities ... but you never know, someone may listen 30 seconds, while others may check out the entire Demo.

More later ....