Cicadia's EP Recording Days @ The Source Studio Exeter
Cicada Record Their Debut EP at The Source Studio Exeter
When Cicada came into The Source Studio Exeter to record their EP, the original plan was straightforward: record four songs.
They left having recorded seven over 3 whole day day sessions.
That's one of the things we love about working with bands over a longer period of time. Cicada didn't arrive as strangers walking into a recording studio for the first time. They already rehearse with us, we've seen them evolve live, even done live sound for their gigs. We've also been able to help them with many of the less obvious parts of developing and releasing original music.
So when it came time to start properly recording their own material, we already knew the band, their sound and what they were trying to achieve.
From Rehearsal Room to Recording Studio
Cicada regularly use our rehearsal space in Exeter, giving them somewhere to develop new material, tighten arrangements and get songs ready before gigs and now committing them to a recording.
We think rehearsal and recording should be connected.
Spending time getting a band comfortable with a song before the recording session can mean less time fixing problems afterwards and more time capturing the energy that makes the band exciting in the first place.
By the time Cicada came downstairs into The Source Studio's recording rooms in Exeter city centre, we'd already heard the songs developing.
The plan was to record four.
But things went well.
Really well.
By the end of the sessions, seven Cicada tracks had been recorded, giving the band considerably more material to work with as they plan to build momentum with their forthcoming releases.
Capturing the Energy of a Young Indie Rock Band
Cicada are a five-piece indie rock band with a sound built around raw vocals, driving bass, powerful drums and layers of electric guitar.
With influences ranging from The Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead to Fontaines D.C., there's a mixture of alternative rock, indie and darker atmospheric elements running through their music.
Our job wasn't to turn them into something they're not.
It was to capture what they already are.
They're not searching for their sound anymore.
They've found it.
Now they're want to turn it up and get it in your ears.
Recording's Just Part of It
Recording the songs is only part of releasing original music.
For any band, suddenly having finished recordings can lead to a much bigger list of questions;
??? Who's going to mix & master the song
??? How do we release them
??? Who owns the songs
??? How do i register my publishing
??? How do we register our music
??? How do we get it onto Spotify
??? What photographs and artwork do we need
??? What information should we send to venues, promoters and journalists
??? How do we actually promote a release
We've been helping Cicada navigate those questions alongside the recording process.
Helping Cicada Register Their Music and Publishing
We've helped the band understand the publishing and registration side of releasing original music, including guiding them through the process of making sure their songs are properly registered.
It's an area that emerging artists can easily overlook.
Writing and recording a great song is the exciting bit, but understanding ownership, songwriting credits, publishing and registrations becomes increasingly important as music starts being released and performed.
Our aim is to help artists understand these processes rather than simply telling them they need to do them. We've developed a Music release Plan, that helps you get going, if you haven't released music before.