How Is Rock Music Recorded?
Posted by Mike Schumacher
The process of recording music is pretty complicated, to say the least! There are so many different steps involved in creating an album that it’s hard for artists to get all the nuances down before they hit record.
That’s why there are only a few people who actually do this as their career (the very small number of engineers and studio owners who work with musicians on a professional level). The rest of us amateurs have to learn about the process through experimentation and tutorials by those that know what they’re talking about.
Luckily, you can easily experiment yourself at home! This article will go into great detail about how pros create songs using technology and software.
The engineer
As mentioned earlier, engineers are very important people in music production. They play a significant role in shaping how your songs sound!
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Engineers typically work with musicians or songwriters to create and test new musical ideas. By playing around with different sounds and styles, they find new ways to combine them into interesting compositions.
Engines also ensure that everything you write down accurately is represented by what comes out of the speaker(s). For example, if you wrote a note one time, an instrument would have to be added for it to sound correct.
And while some engineers focus more on the earbuds, others spend more time up-mixing and mastering the recording to make sure it can really push all of the way through equipment.
The person who manages the audio file (the engineer) works closely with the producer (who creates the music) and the other musicians involved to achieve the final result.
There are several reasons why having an expert engineer is so important. First, even though they may not take credit for it, they probably helped shape the album as a whole and contributed to its success.
Second, their technical skills mean that they manage to turn the recordings you give them into something that can be heard and understood without any interference.
Third, many artists feel that their voice does not match the rest of the tracks, or it feels like there’s too much of it. An experienced engineer could help fix this problem.
The producer
As mentioned before, songwriters are not typically given much credit for their part in creating songs. This is because they do not get featured as prominently in the music industry. However to remove this bias there have been and are still today many ways that people who listen to rock music can identify the individual contributors behind each song.
A lot of the time these individuals are not famous enough or recognized by other members of the team to be hailed as such. Luckily this is changing due to the rise of the internet and social media where everyone has an opportunity to share their hard work and achievements.
There are several different types of musicians within the music industry that don’t always know about the accomplishments of others. By knowing the secrets of how some of the greatest rock songs were recorded, you will want to contribute more than just listening to the music. You will want to make sure that what you produce is well done and put adequate effort into it.
This article will go over three main categories of musician that help create a rock song. They are the composer, the lyricist, and the producer. Let’s take a look at what each one does and how they influence the final product.
The artist
As you can probably tell, artists like Taylor Swift or Jay-Z are not done taking pictures after they release an album! They still have to take time to create more music that fans will listen to for years to come. After their song is finished, they go back into the studio to record the rest of the songs on your listening list!
The process of recording new songs is usually broken down by genre. For example, if their last album was an upbeat pop track, then they might move onto an acoustic guitar ballad next. Or maybe a hip hop song using 808’s and VSTS (Virtual Studio Technology) software.
There are many ways to record music in the music industry today. Artists use different equipment and apps to get started creating their tracks. Some of it is very expensive, so most people do not have access to these tools at first.
The songwriter
As we discussed, music is made up of notes that are organized into chords and melodies and lyrics that tell a story. These components come together to make a piece of music!
The songwriters’ role is one of the most important ones in the music production process. They write the songs that get recorded and performed by other people.
As you may have noticed, I refer to musicians as “other people.” That’s because although they might be able to identify what instrument they play, it’s more likely that they can’t.
They may know who some writers were inspired by or maybe even recognize their voice, but otherwise, it’s just not something they pay much attention to.
For example, when someone mentions the name Bob Dylan, chances are they’ve never actually listened to any of his songs, nor did they ever watch any of his performances. But they probably heard him talk about writing poetry and making art so he must be good at it, right?
Well, let me dispel that myth for them.
I’m sure many of them have read some poem or two and considered whether they could put those words down on paper, but none of them had success because no one else does.
It’s impossible.
The A&R team
As we mentioned, songwriters are the main creative force in music production. But how songs get recorded is not always an easy process!
As you probably know, recording artists work with a producer to help them create their album or track.
The artist may already have a vision for what they want the record to sound like, but the producer can add additional touches to make it more polished and professional.
A lot of the time, the producer will also find new writers to contribute lyrics and/or music to the finished product.
After that, the two usually work together to pick the right mix and configurations of instruments for each song.
That’s where things can get tricky – guitarists must be balanced against piano players, bassists need to feel supported, and there should be enough space for all the parts needed to play each instrument.
The marketing team
As we mentioned before, recording music is an expensive process that requires many different people to be involved in the process. Not only do musicians need to be hired for songs, but producers, mixers, engineers, and other members of the music industry must be sought out to take part in creating your new album.
The person who leads the marketing team for your album will play a large role in how successful it is. They will look into getting sponsorships or collaborations for the song lyrics as well as finding someone to write the lyrics for the final track.
Music marketers are also responsible for helping find the appropriate locations where the song can be recorded. This could include using a room service studio or even hiring one yourself!
Lastly, these individuals work with the recording engineer to make sure everything sounds good and they have enough sound source materials such as guitars, keyboards, etc.
The creative team
As discussed, songwriters are the main writers of songs. But how music is recorded is an important factor in determining what kind of songs your listen to!
As you probably know by now, musicians (or vocalists, bass players, guitarists, etc.) all have their own instruments they use to create music.
Most recording facilities have at least one microphone that is dedicated for vocals and it is typically referred to as a “telephone” mic because of this.
By using different microphones, each member of the band is able to achieve different things with their voice such as keeping it natural, putting more emphasis on the lyrics or even lowering its pitch. A professional musician will always test out different types of voices to see which ones fit his/her style best!
Other equipment like guitars, keyboards, drum kits and other percussion devices are also needed to fully record a piece of music. Each one has their own setting and tone that can be changed or adjusted depending on the song.
The label
As we mentioned before, music is made up of notes that are organized into melodies and rhythms. It’s the rhythm part that most people get confused about because it seems like there’s not much you can do with it aside from just tapping your feet or clapping your hands.
That perception is false though! You can do more than simply mix beats and songs together to create new music.
There are two main ways to record a song containing lyrics and music. One is using an instrument as a source for the music, and the other is recording vocals directly. We will go over both of these in depth here!
Artists use mixing tools such as Pro Tools, Reason, or any other software designed to facilitate songwriting to combine and layer their sources. These programs make it easy to control each individual element (instrument, voice) so that you can tweak them and experiment freely.

The Jam Addict team is a revolving door of writers who care about music, its effects on culture, and giving aspiring artists tools and knowledge to be inspired and keep on creating.
If you have any questions or concerns or just want to drop us a line, don’t hesitate to contact us! We always appreciate the feedback.