
When setting the tempo for your song or track, you need to research the requirements of the market to find out what tempi are commonly used. These are the various forms of dance music, not just EDM (electronic dance music) but also Latin and ballroom. Some genres of music have defined tempo requirements even before you think of writing a song or a track.

I have to make this quick note before I move on. This is probably because the recording can be perfected technically using overdubs and punch-ins where necessary, and the sound can be optimized with EQ, compression and effects more so than the live performance can. It is often the case that a studio recording will work better at a slower tempo than a live performance. Either way, if the audience doesn't seem to like it you might play it faster just to get it over and done with and on to the next song! If it's a slow number, you might judge the tempo according to the degree of attention the audience is paying you. If your song is a fast, uptempo number, then you may seek to make it more exciting for the audience by playing it faster that its natural speed. What works well in a live setting isn't always the best solution for the recording studio. Since you have played it live many times, then clearly you know what tempo it should be, right?Įr, possibly not. You may have a song that you perform live and you want to record it. So before you even start to think about the precise tempo in beats per minute (BPM), think about the song first and decide how it should be performed stylistically. Producer George Martin however, so the story goes, heard it as an uptempo song, which is the version we know and love today. A golden illustration of this is the story that The Beatles' song Help was apparently originally written to be a slow song because of the emotion that the lyrics conveyed. This might seem straightforward, but it's always worth considering the options.Ī song that you wrote as a slow ballad might actually work better uptempo, or vice-versa. Is your song naturally a slow balled-style song or naturally a fast, uptempo song? Or perhaps it's somewhere in between. The first thing to consider, before you even think about starting to record, is the nature of the song itself. The issues are rather different but if you don't find the very best tempo for your song, then your recording won't be as good as it could have been. It is equally important to find the best tempo. I recently wrote about the importance of finding the best key for your song. That's a choice that you need to get right very early in the production process. Not too fast, not too slow, but exactly the right tempo. FREE EBOOK DOWNLOAD ► LEARN AUDIO ONLINE ►
