An Inside Look at Co-Writing a Song and Demoing It

Here I go through a very typical day of co-writing a song, taking it home, and finishing the demo.
Topics covered are:
Preparing for a writing session
What a co-writing session looks like
What is a demo?
Making the demo
How good does a demo need to be?
Mixing vocals
And more....
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[@seanemmettfullerton]

Thanks for sharing, bud... it's always surprising what we can accomplish quickly -without overthinking and second-guessing ourselves, capturing that lightning in a bottle stuff :)

[@nulodgerecords4861]

“Always out-prepare everyone else in the room” is solid wisdom. Thanks as always DrBob!

[@BobbyHuff]

It has really worked for me!

[@thejasontlewis]

Man. I've been a songwriter for 30+ years and there was a time I was tempted to move to Nashville to do this. I knows a bunch of people down there and could have gotten something going, but I just couldn't bring myself to write songs like this. I realize that's how it's done these days and that's why I didn't do it. I still have a hefty back catalog of stuff that I really think would do well if the right people heard it, butI still don't think I could be pop centric and so I stayed away. Thanks for the insight.

[@BobbyHuff]

All good! Make the music you love!

[@prodbydramatic]

id like to hear what you got.

[@feldsparsongs2331]

Great stuff Doc - more of this ‘background’ work would be great. Love to see a ‘start to finish’ writing series ? Warts and all !

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks man! Lots of warts! Haha

[@davidhayman9330]

Thanks Bobby that was helpful to see how the business side of songwriting works, and sweet song btw!

[@SuperLevelone]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this video up my alley lol Thanks!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Levelone!

[@skyboxstudios777]

Great to see more vids like this that show the difference between making demos and making records. Time management and getting something out good are key for demos

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Skybox!

[@NikoFrederiko.]

just in time for summer to be halfway over.

[@officialWWM]

This is not how it goes in my studio. It’s usually just me, a pen and a guitar 😂😂 Loved your track, sounds like a 70s cop show theme 😂

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks! No wrong way to write a song!!!!

[@mikehouston6456]

Fantastic video- being from Northern Ireland I was lucky to write in Nashville a few times- but it was acoustic guitars and pen and paper- big tech was an iPad introduction. Thanks for this superb content. Really appreciate it.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Mike! Yeah it’s still that way with the old school writers. Nothing wrong with that at all!!!

[@mssrwilson]

Wow, this sounds so good for some artist who wants to channel a Retro soul vibe but with a modern twist. Well played DOC. MUCH LUCK TO YOU

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Wilson!

[@gianni1646]

Hey Bobby! This is my first time here with you. I loved the song you’re working on, I hope to hear more when it’s done. Thing is though, I was looking for more of how you collaborated with the others in the room. I’ve written three songs and am new at how to approach other writers and artists to “demo” what I’ve created. As you say, I’d want to be over prepared when I go in. Thanks, Gianni❤

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey Gianni. Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting. I understand exactly what you mean but it’s basically 4 hrs of 3 people throwing out lyric and melody ideas and all taking our best guess at what sounds the coolest. It’s the hardest part of the process to teach because it’s all just based on gut instinct. No real rules other than rhyme scheme, and writing the melody in the singers range. Just find a melody that sticks in your head, a cool title to the song, write a big memorable chorus, and use some imagery, and window dressing in the verses to paint a cool picture that. supports the chorus. The more you write and the more you write with other people your instincts will sharpen. That’s all I really know what to say about the writing process. Also… every once in a while we all get lucky and one just about writes itself! Ha! Wish I had more east ones like that. Hope that helps!

[@shayeasy]

Working faster has been a big focus area for me - I am a perfectionist who gets bogged down in details too often - and your channel has provided a lot of inspiration and techniques for doing that. Thank you for sharing!

[@BobbyHuff]

That’s great Shay! Thanks for the kindness!

[@jaceychan7099]

Thank you for a glimpse of what it takes to make vocals sound good

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Jacey!

[@matthewmillaisgray]

Good day Bobby Huff, thank you for sharing such a down-to-earth and enjoyable video. The detailed flow chart of work involved in the craft and international standards are so helpful for someone like me who is very primitive in the industry. It's great to gain insight into the equipment that's currently being used and hear about the principles behind it all. I appreciate your humility and the lack of pretentiousness in your approach, as it really allows someone like me to connect with the content. Even with a limited setup, the principles you discuss in the video hold true, and it's great to see how they can be applied in both professional and novice settings. Thank you for sharing your expertise, and best wishes from the Cape of Good Hope Peninsula in South Africa!

[@BobbyHuff]

Very kind of you Matthew! Thank you my friend!

[@justinprizant1980]

Thanks Doc. Smooth song⛱

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Justin!

[@aaronm5535]

Wow thanks Dr. Bob, this is really inspiring 😊. How about a video on how to be a track guy? Meaning, would you let us behind the curtain and show us how you prepare, and make a track for a demo session quickly but satisfying? Cheers

[@BobbyHuff]

Good idea!

[@feltonpilate4829]

I've seen several of your videos. Thank you for your helpful insights, sir! Great stuff!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Felton!

[@SilvermainMusic]

Seeing / hearing more about the human side of producing a song was super interesting. I've never been involved with anything like that so this was a cool glimpse 'behind the curtain'. Thank you so much for this one!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching Silvermain!

[@iRevolVeR21]

Demo sounded great!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks and thanks for watching!

[@DC11music]

Awesome! Love it. Thank you for sharing this.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching!

[@davebops2478]

Ah, very mellow! You certainly are gifted Doc...and you work darn fast too! Very interesting video 👍

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks so much Dave!

[@hawsrulebegin7768]

Very interesting video. Great to see the work behind the scenes. Would be great to see a video on how you got into being a working songwriter.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Haws!

[@TheGeneticsOfRock]

Very inspiring video, Dr. I really enjoy the clinical information of this channel. Keep on with this fenomenal effort. Kind regards, Dr. Vaca. 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Vaca! I appreciate it.

[@darryldouglas6004]

Nice workflow. Good to see someone who knows what they’re doing. You stay golden! 😃

[@BobbyHuff]

Hahaha! Thanks Darryl!

[@Taffafilms]

Niiiice to see all the inside, Thanks Bobby! Love it.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Taffa!

[@ordinalkirk]

Fun to watch (get insight into) the process. Thank you.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks!

[@prodbydramatic]

Thanks DOC.

[@JaviBello]

Wow!! Bobby!! I loved to see how you work there. Here everything is... different hahahaha. Only local studios and no big companies. I'd really love to se more like this BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!!!! Thanks as always!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks JAAAAAAAAAAAV!!

[@ulfsvensson9710]

Always interresting and learning! Thank's Doc!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Ulf!

[@TimE_5150]

Awesome as always Doc! As stated already, more production process workflow stuff would be very helpful. The song took me back the mid seventies. Thanks again!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching !

[@MikeL120]

Another great video Bobby! Great tune! Congratulations!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks TBD!

[@joe-schueller]

Awesome vid and a glimpse behind the scenes!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Joe!

[@NagoyaHouseHead]

This is totally wow ... loved it

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Nagoya!

[@schance1666]

Great to get insights from you into the co-writing aspect. I'm new to Nashville and am soaking up as much as I can about this part of the biz. How'd you do the slide-guitar parts, by the way?! Great vid, Doc!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks! Had a guy come and do those as I’m TERRIBLE at it!

[@bryancolevox]

Great track! Catchy tune also. Congrats on the cut brother!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Bryan!

[@angryshoebox]

Cool stuff. Do you have a title yet(unless I missed seeing it in the DAW file)? For me, I find it easiest to write a song by first coming up with a title. IMHO "Stay Golden" would work pretty well here. Also, will you have a bridge, or some kind of change-up, b-section?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes that is the title. We do have a second verse and a bride but I just didn’t get to that part in the video. We completely wrote the song and sang all the parts from 11-3:00.

[@Lmachine1]

SUPER INSPIRED 🎉

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelparson-mcnamara782]

Oh so nice! Nice like really nice! Did I mention that it's NICE! Was that Dan Dugmore's steel part???? (wasn't that in D? this is Eb.... so...)

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching!!! No that wasn’t his part! Hs

[@michaelparson-mcnamara782]

@@BobbyHuff Regardless, it's a great component to very fine track!

[@Andybaby]

Thanks Mr Huff. Q: When working w multiple writers, how do you decide whose contribution is worth what % ... or is it all split equally regardless?

[@BobbyHuff]

It’s 33.3% each. No questions asked.

[@TarzanHedgepeth]

Thank you, Bobby.

[@BobbyHuff]

You are very welcome

[@WineSippingCowboy]

Write a word, earn 1/3. L🤣L Similar. Randy Goodrum had a memorable first session with Steve Perry. RG thought he would be writing with a member of Aerosmith. But daughter of RG brought her Journey poster and pointed who Steve Perry is! Joe Perry is in Aerosmith, not Journey! L 🤣L They wrote Foolish Heart and Oh Sherrie on the first day. Great video, Bobby!

[@BobbyHuff]

Wow great story! Big Randy Goodrum fan!

[@WineSippingCowboy]

@@BobbyHuff Randy Goodrum has the details on his video when he sings Foolish Heart. 45 years ago, he wrote You Needed Me for Anne Murray. Then, 7 years later, RG wrote for Debarge and with Steve Perry. In the same decade, RG wrote with Steve Lukather. All these songs are from different styles. Yet they become hit songs! 🤯 RG is a living legend 🙌 Where is his lifetime Grammy? 🤔 Kennedy Honors? 🎖 Lifetime Nashville Songwriters Award? 🤔

[@antcall6779]

Great as always Bobby

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Ant!

[@benperry490]

freakin great song Bobby

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks so much!

[@brilliantatyahoo]

Drivin' thru The Gulch 🚙

[@FlightDeckStudios]

Let’s see how to do a song for a record!!! Great video BTW!

[@BobbyHuff]

Pretty much like this only spend WAY more time on the vocals and the mix. I would never make a record mixing the vocals and the stereo track either. I would go back to the track and separate everything out for a proper mix.

[@white_turban_hombre]

@bobbyhuff hey can you help me make sure I figure this out; you would remake new vocals the original full session right? Do you use a separate daw for tracking aligning and tuning final Vocals ? 😮 Since I usual vocalign to align vocals I have to use protools for vocalign actually. Then would I import the two track vocal stem into my mix saw (Ableton) Can I ask how you autotuned, and aligned all these backs and main leads?

[@BobbyHuff]

@@white_turban_hombre Hey. To make this into a master I wouldn't use this 2 track mix. I would go back to that project that had all the multitracks of the instruments and insert all the new vocals and then mix that. As far as vocals go I would recut all the vocals and take more time. I tune vocals inside Cubase as they have their own tuning system that is just like Melodyne. Cubase also accepts a VST version of Vocalign and I use that to align all the vocals. hope that helps!

[@white_turban_hombre]

@@BobbyHuff thank you very much for taking time to answer. That helps so much. Do you actually import the vocals from the demo to have the template of what you liked then recut OR you Recut and choose stack count and layer names etc in the Main master record mix @bobbyhuff

[@BobbyHuff]

@@white_turban_hombre GREAT QUESTION! Yes!!!!

[@armandocadena4967]

I would have used the line " Always Golden" for the first ending line then the last line You stay golden but thats just how i hear it! lol

[@jasonjameson2014]

Great video!

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey thanks Jason!

[@cdprince768]

Thank you for sharing your secrets. One question: I've seen Rick Beato share old great tracks from artists who never made it. Is there any value in hunting for promising "released" songs from unknown artists and re-working them as demos for more prominent artists?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes!! Absolutely! If you believe in the song go for it!

[@gilbertnorum4366]

Great! 😎

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Gilbert!

[@russelblacker2562]

Hey Bobby can you recommend a demo singer you know for demoing a synth-pop type of song?

[@bevo65]

Awesome job. Is this the steel-guitar track you featured a couple of weeks ago?

[@BobbyHuff]

No that was a different song but same player!

[@musicproductionvideos5019]

I'm a track guy too. I've written with Tiffty a few times.

[@BobbyHuff]

Track guys rock!

[@prodbydramatic]

im a track guy also thats how these youngsta like to record and put songs out. lol

[@edgearusa]

Pretty catchy.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Ed!

[@Fred.A.Dubeau]

nice!! so people typically start with a musical idea, then write lyrics and melody on top? do people sometimes prefer the other way around?

[@BobbyHuff]

It can go ANY way! Having a cool track tends to get people inspired and start off the writing session with a lot of excitement.

[@AZdesertflyer]

Any chance you can show us how you built the track before the lyrics?

[@BobbyHuff]

Good idea!

[@SuperLevelone]

Sorry to bug you… Just curious. Did you already have the chorus lift and or melody walking into the session? Not lyrically maybe but melodically. And what is that incredible Lash pad that is throughout that song Gotta have it.😂. Thanks

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey Levelone. I had some melodic ideas when I went in but I just played them the track and in about 2 minutes they started singing that melody in the chorus and we all loved it. We had written the day before as well and one of the song titles that was thrown out and not used was You Stay Golden. I suggested that maybe this song sounded like a good fit for that title and they agreed. It was all very collaborative with a lot of fun and laughs in between the work!

[@southpawjimmy9735]

Song reminds me of Make Me Wanna by Thomas Rhett.

[@notsureifthisisserious]

Yep

[@BobbyHuff]

I’ll have to check that one out!

[@SuperLevelone]

🥰

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching!

[@atleengelstad5303]

Just curious..., how long time did you use on the backing track?

[@BobbyHuff]

Prob 4 hrs.

[@javascript6948]

Do they generally insist on other writers working with you or is this just to speed up the process ? And the part that eludes me is how to get involved with the right publishing company.

[@BobbyHuff]

There are no rules as to who you work with or how many. 3 seems to be a very productive number. Sometimes I write with 2 or even alone. 3 people from 3 separate publishing companies definitely ups your odds for more pitches to more artists or film and TV projects! As far as getting a publishing deal the only secret I know is write with as many people as you can, make a lot of connections, make great demos, and write all the time. The more you flex that muscle the stronger you get!

[@evanmcdonnal]

You obviously have autotune and reverb on the vocals so not sure why you're leaving that part out. I guess that was printed, or applied before the stems were bounced for you to mix here but kind of misleading to claim this is the vocal chain when clearly other processing has been done.

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey Evan. Not misleading whatsoever and NEVER on this channel. Reverb was on a send which I showed in the video. That’s what the LX480 was. Tuning will be addressed in this weeks video which is part 2.

[@prodbydramatic]

perhaps it was printed using console UA its way easier and out the way

[@jay4vice]

I'm an RIAA Certified MULTI-PLATINUM songwriter 2X. 2023 I write lyrics and music from inspiration.

[@BobbyHuff]

Congrats on your success!

[@styleschangemanagement8606]

So after watching the video ( Inside look at Co-Writing ) I now understand why so many people have posted hundreds of youtube videos on why today's music sounds all the same. You detailed the process perfectly .. I think you are a talented engineer/producer but have an issue of this top down approach to writing songs.. This approach is wrong in my opinion and full of disconnects all along the way .. I will explain .. You say the publishing company asks for a certain style of song, like the bed you pre made for the session.. Clearly they were asking you to write something generic, basic and predictable that fits right in with what is trending on radio today.. which you did .. ( This is trend following and I think is wrong for so many reasons) mainly there are so many truly creative people breaking new ground out there today that it seems illogical to ignore them .. This generic backing track is the 1st disconnect .. Publishers idea translated to youre concept of what this person asked of you with no connection to the lyrics and melody yet to be written. Next you have an (Artist ) and a lyricist to write the words and melody to the backing track.. This is where the next disconnect occurred .. I think the term Singer applies better to that person then Artist. If this person was an artist they would not need you or a lyricist to write a song.. So now you have a person writing lyrics over the pre made backing tracks and yes sometimes this can work, but I think the lyrics should dictate what kind of chord changes you need for a song , the words / melody and chords must intertwine and convey the same feeling together. It seems like this is another disconnect.. you have the pre made chord changes, but the lyrics are an after thought and most likely have no real connection to those chord changes and last you have the singer creating melody over these change's. I think this works if the melody is strong and again fits the lyrics and chord changes .. ever wonder why McCartneys songs stand the test of time - the words and melody are intertwined with the chord changes really well and this is the secret to good songwriting. I have been playing in bands and writing professionally for 50 years and spent some pretty much some part of every day working on songs and lyrics and kind of know what I am talking about .. I will admit that if you want to have that job of staff songwriter that you appear to have, you are under the direction of what the publisher is asking of you and you gotta pay the bills. Its just the way the music industry has evolved .. The Industry as a whole looks at songwriting like its a science and tries its best to assemble people like you to create what it thinks is going to sell, only wanting music that (just fits in) so they can capitalize on it as quick as possible. Its almost (Anti Art ) Having this approach is what is broken in the music industry I wonder if they ever ask you to create something innovative and completely ground breaking.. Something that steers completely away from the trendy blandness of today's formulaic cookie cutter music .. that would be a fun change for you I bet...

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching and the detailed comments. You are quite adamant about how music SHOULDN’T be written… I respect your opinion but I can’t respect that you have set up specific parameters that I or anyone else should be following. There are and will continue to be no rules on how to be creative. I also respect that you don’t like our song but many people do and many people find it new and fresh for country music. There will always be people with different tastes and different processes. This should be celebrated not picked apart and criticized.

[@marianghioda]

That's ONE way to do it. That's why most of today's songs are empty, no soul. The REAL writing starts with Topic - Story - Lyrics - Rhyme - Chords - Rhythm - Basic Instruments - Vocal tracking - All Instruments - Mixing - Mastering - Publishing.

[@BobbyHuff]

The way you described is also another totally valid way to write.

[@paulcope834]

Don't dare speak for another city. Everyone writes differently. This is complete generic bollox.

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey Paul. From experience I have written many, many, times, for many years, in NY, LA, London, Stockholm, Miami, Nashville, Copenhagen, Toronto, and many other big cities and this is an extremely common practice. I write for a living with hundreds and hundreds of writers and artists. This is not the only way and I never claimed that it was but… anymore more common than any other way. I’m just showing what I know to be fact. There are MANY writers with publishing deals that don’t even write lyrics or melodies and are JUST track writers and have huge success collaborating with writers that ONLY write lyrics and melodies. Much of the music you hear on pop and country radio are using part or all of these demo tracks that come from the writing session. Denying this would be false information and embracing this truth will only help anyone to understand that this is factual in the world of publishing. If it’s not your process that’s totally fine but it is a fact that it’s extremely common. The days of writing a song and then going in to demo it are not the norm. The way I showed in the video is the norm.

[@JBDay28]

I'd give anything to be part of a writing session. Especially these new ideas I've been putting together. Plus, learning more about mixing thru this channel. Thanks, Doc.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks JB!