How often have you seen a product advertisement in a magazine that simply dis- plays a picture and does not include any words that explain what the product is called, what it does, and what its unique selling point is?
In the case of a brand new product that nobody has ever heard of, such a vague ad would probably generate zero sales.
As mentioned previously in this book, a demo is an advertisement for a song that nobody has ever heard before. So the same sales and marketing criteria apply. People need words to tell them the title and what the song is all about so that they can decide whether or not to buy it.
This means a demo has to sell your lyrics as well as the music—so the lead vocal has to be upfront in the mix to enable listeners to hear the words clearly.
Getting a hot mix is a critical part of producing a professional-sounding recording. But all you need on a good demo is a solid and tight rhythm track with a strong lead vocal that stays in tune. The music should never be allowed to drown out the singer.
Bear in mind that the people you submit your demo to are unlikely to hear the track for the first time on studio-quality speakers. Most of the publishers, A&R people and producers that I know usually listen to new demos in the car, on an MP3 player while commuting, on a laptop or mobile device, or on a small audio system in the office.
So it is always best to mix your demo down to small speakers.
And if someone is listening to the demo while travelling, they probably won’t have a copy of the lyrics with them—so even more reason to make sure the vocal and the lyrics are crystal clear. If they have to strain to hear the words, they may just hit the ‘stop’ button … and move on to someone else’s demo.
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