Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to questions you might have about the services or studio of Melody First.

Where are you located?

A 5-minute drive west of York University.

Why Melody First?

Fairness, Freedom, and Sanctity to the Art. In an industry plagued by stranglehold contracts, creative suppression, and 360 deals, up-and-coming artists are, now more than ever, hungry for an experienced music authority that cares, is loyal to your sound, and understands the music market of today. You are in this to create music on your terms, for your sound, for your audience. Don’t be a slave to corporate hoops in what was always a fun, simple, and positive process, and ought to remain that way.

What is pre-production?

Upon booking of production time, you will receive one hour of pre-production time—an opportunity to flesh out and further familiarize music act with your to-be-produced content. Pre-production is a time to better acquaint yourself with the recording process and receive expert sound engineering feedback on your prospective content. Pre-production is also your time to tweak changes in your track to best let Melody First work for you.

What is the production process like?

Production revolves around the recording of your raw instrumentation. Generally speaking, production progresses most effectively when recording begins with a guide-track (aka. Your shitty first draft), then layering rhythm (be it drums, percussion, etc.), then melody, then ambience work. Once the raw instrumentation is in place, then come mixing and mastering. This is the funnest part! So, when in doubt, know your part, perform well and don’t be an asshole.

When is a track finished?

In short—never. Many aspects of music theory make a track beautiful, whether that means perfecting music elements or letting imperfections bring further nuance to a track. Functionally, however, a track is complete when you are as satisfied as possible with the final product. In the interest of respecting your time, this decision will always come from your end.

What’s the difference between mixing and mastering?

Mixing refines the sound of each individual instrument and ensures they mesh together accordingly for the final track. Mastering is the polish that wraps everything together. Is it competitive with other tracks out there? Does it exude the impact you want on your audience? Through many nuanced adjustments to music fidelity and texture, these final subtle touches make your track live and breathe your sound.

How does publishing work?

Melody First would always love to cross-upload your content on our platforms; however, you will always be in charge of what venue to use. Our only request is that we have permission to link to your music via our portfolio. A credit must be attributed to Melody First for Produced By / Courtesy Of.

Who gets a cut of what?

Case by case basis. Band page. YouTube. Spotify, Apple, etc. Per-session hired-gun vs. Royalties? In any case, your music is your music.

Why would we want to stream?

In this day and age, connection to your audience is more important than ever—be it via building your brand or simply knowing your fandom. Sadly, live gigs have lost seemingly the entirety of their prevalence—for now. But this does not mean your momentum has to stop. Practice gigging and further cultivate the intimacy between you and your audience. You will never get the sort of audience interaction live that you will on Stream. What you lack in physicality, you get back more than double in precision. Get a head start on quarantined gigging for Gen Z.

What does Livestream Time entail?

Livestream Time is the perfect avenue for directly building a community—turning your brand into a movement. With a chat window, you have a direct line of entry to engaging with your audience. The perfect way to add an additional, cutting-edge platform to your publishing efforts. Invite questions. Take requests. Prompt discussion. Sell personality.