Q&A for How to Make a Good Album

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What are some tips if I want to create an album?

Tanisha Hall
Vocal Coach
Tanisha Hall is a Vocal Coach and the Founder and Executive Director of White Hall Arts Academy, Inc. an organization based in Los Angeles, California that offers a multi-level curriculum focused on fundamental skills, technique, composition, theory, artistry, and performance at a conservatory level. Ms. Hall's current and previous students include Galimatias, Sanai Victoria, Ant Clemons, and Paloma Ford. She earned a BA in Music from the Berklee College of Music in 1998 and was a recipient of the Music Business Management Achievement Award.

Tanisha Hall

Vocal Coach

Expert Answer

First, write or acquire the rights to the songs you want to record. Then, the next step is to record. It's a good idea to record in a professional recording studio, so search Google or Yelp for a quality studio in your area. Studio time will usually run between $50-$200 per hour depending on whether an engineer is included in the price.

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Question

Can a 14-year-old make a rap album?

Community Answer

Yes. There is no age requirement for making an album, rap or otherwise, but it will be a lot of work so you have to be committed.

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Question

I'm writing a song/songs, but I don't know what to do for music and I'm not a singer, how do I make an album?

Community Answer

You can find other people to make the melody and sing, sell your song lyrics, or try to learn an instrument. If that doesn't work you can mix music yourself and then get a singer to sing the songs.

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Question

Is it possible to record and engineer it myself?

Community Answer

Yes, that is completely possible, but it would require a lot of time and effort.

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Question

Is it wrong to make an album just for my own entertainment?

Community Answer

No, but if the album is going to sound good, it will take a lot of work. All that work probably won't be worth it if you are the only one who benefits from it. If you really think that's a good use of your time, though, go for it!

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Question

How do I write kids' music?

Community Answer

Kids generally like happy, upbeat melodies and lyrics. You should also make the lyrics fun, repetitive, and easy to remember. Make sure you don't use any big words.

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Question

How can I come up with an album name?

Community Answer

It can be a name of one of your songs, an inside joke or anything else you can think of.

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Question

How do I sell my music?

Community Answer

Bandcamp is a good place to start out on, they allow you to add pricing to your music.

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Question

How do I make a good album title or theme?

Community Answer

Ask yourself, "What in my life has affected me the most?" It tends to bring up a lot of concepts that you can work off of. Everyone is creative, so just think of something that means a lot to you and base it off of that. (Also, album art can be a photo, drawing, or anything that you want.)

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Question

How many songs need to be on a good album?

Community Answer

Usually albums have 9-12 tracks, however you may need more or less depending on the length of the tracks.

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Question

Is there an app or software I can download that can compile all of my songs into a music album?

Community Answer

Reverb Nation is a great app for this! They allow you to upload all your songs in whatever order you want and distribute them to things like iTunes and Pandora.

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Question

What do I do if I have an album but the cover art isn't ready?

Community Answer

Drop a single off the album, with a simple picture as cover art. Doing this can pique interest in the album and take a song that would generally be in the second half, as it will let you have other songs in the 1, 2, and 3 spots. In the meantime, get that cover art finished.

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Question

What do I do with the songs that weren't added to my album?

Catlady69

Community Answer

Save them! If you have extra songs, put them in expanded editions, new albums, singles, perform them live as a special treat for fans (you can also judge how good a song will release if you play it live), or, you can save them in a vault for posthumous release (after you die).

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Question

When I write a song, I can't find a melody for it. Does that make me a singer?

Community Answer

No, it makes you a lyricist. Many bands have found that taking a couple days' break can help, or trying different instruments can help develop a melody. Some people will start with just a baseline.

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