My Music Project Development Framework – From Idea to Release
Over the course of making the Identity album, I developed a workflow that I now consider my default for any large-scale music project. It’s divided into six phases: Writing, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Mastering, and Delivery. These aren’t rigid boxes (they overlap and blur) but having a mental map of where I am in the process helps me stay focused and organized.
What matters more than the steps themselves is the mindset behind them. Two principles guided everything I did:
- Start with the end in mind. Before I wrote a single note, I defined what the project was, what it was about, and where it was going. This is the “abstraction”. I returned to this process whenever I wasn’t clear on what to do next. It kept me from drifting and stalling out.
- Feel as if it is already done. This is the creative equivalent of visualization. I worked from the assumption that the album was complete and perfect, and I was simply discovering it. This shifted my energy from “trying” to “receiving”.
With that in mind, here is how the project unfolded.
Phase 1: Writing (The Creative Birth)
This is where the seed is planted. Before any technical decisions are made, I focus entirely on the creative vision – the musical and lyrical content of the album.
Key activities:
- Album‑level abstraction – defining the emotional arc, the “sound world” (in terms of feelings, not gear), the track order, and the intended journey for the listener.
- Listening parties and research – curating reference tracks and deeply analysing artists I admire (Todd Rundgren, Aretha Franklin, Robert Fripp, Lyle Lovett, NIN, etc.) to understand what made their music connect.
- Song abstractions – for each song, answering four questions: What is this? What does it do? What is it about? Where does it go?
- Whiteboard sessions – generating adjectives and mapping emotional arcs before writing a single lyric or chord progression.
- Melody, chord progression, and lyric writing – using songwriting rotations, free‑writing, and random prompts (Storymatic cards) to generate material.
- Lead sheets and piano reductions – distilling the song down to its essential elements before moving to full arrangements.
- Parallel processing – working on all songs in rotation, not one at a time. This prevented me from getting stuck on a single piece and kept the album feeling cohesive.
Why it matters: This is where you answer the big questions. If you do this well, the rest of the process is a matter of execution. The abstractions and emotional arcs are the compass that guides everything that follows.
Phase 2: Pre‑Production (The Blueprint)
Once the songs exist, the next step is to prepare them for the studio. This is the technical preparation phase – taking the creative ideas and turning them into a workable plan.
Key activities:
- Full notation and scores – using Dorico to create full scores for orchestral pieces, and lead sheets for simpler songs.
- Instrumentation and sound palette – deciding which instruments, libraries, and outboard gear will be used for each track (feelings are now translated into specific tools).
- DAW template setup – creating Logic or Luna files for each song with tempo, meter, key signatures, markers, and chord tracks already in place.
- Hardware prep – restringing guitars, testing hardware inserts (like the Manley Voxbox), and setting up re‑amping chains.
- Rehearsal – daily rehearsals of all songs in rotation, always with a metronome (a lesson learned the hard way), and recording every session for later reference.
- CST (Cafe Show & Tell) – weekly listening/performance sessions with Bon (my wife) to get honest feedback and uncover blind spots.
Why it matters: Pre‑production is where the blueprint becomes concrete. If you do this well, the rest of the process is a matter of execution. If you skip this, you spend the rest of the project making guesses.
Phase 3: Production (The Execution)
This is where the recording happens – both the “real” instruments and the virtual ones. It’s also where a lot of the heavy lifting happens in terms of editing and sound design.
Key activities:
- Recording – capturing live instruments (guitars, bass, vocals) using multi‑mic techniques, DI recording for re‑amping, and careful gain‑staging.
- MIDI programming – drums (Superior Drummer), synths (Omnisphere, UA Anthem), and orchestral samples (Spitfire BBCSO and ARO).
- Vocal production chain – a consistent workflow that became essential: clip gain to -18dB RMS → Melodyne (pitch & sibilance) → Hardware Manley Voxbox → parallel compression → bus processing (Shadow Hills, Pultec).
- Re‑amping – recording DI signals, then running them back out through real amps and pedals (e.g., re‑amping “Fields” through the Tone Master and Landau amps, or through the Strymon BigSky for shimmer).
- SHORTS/LONGS workflow – for orchestral samples, blending long articulations with short ones for more realistic performances, applying delay offsets, and rendering virtual instruments to audio to save CPU.
- Session management – keeping safety MIDI tracks, SMPTE‑locking regions, and making safety duplicates of keeper takes.
Why it matters: Production is where the blueprint becomes sound. The key is to work efficiently and not let technical problems derail the creative flow. I learned that it’s always better to record DI and re‑amp later, and that practicing in the actual recording setup makes a huge difference (to me and my neighbors).
Phase 4: Post‑Production (Mixing)
Mixing is where the individual tracks become a cohesive whole. I did all of my mixing in Luna, using UAD, Brainworx, and Spitfire Audio plugins.
Key activities:
- Gain‑staging – ensuring every track hit the processors at the right level (clip gain to -18dB RMS).
- Submasters and groups – creating submasters for each instrument family (drums, bass, guitars, synths, vocals) and writing automation on those submasters to build dynamics.
- Tape and console – using Studer A800 and ATR‑102 on individual tracks and subgroups, and matching console emulations (SSL, Neve, API) to each instrument group.
- The Mix Processing Bus – this was a critical innovation. I ran all submasters into a dedicated processing bus (with all my mix bus plugins), then into a trim bus to bring the level down to -6dBFS for mastering. This decoupled the tone from the delivery level, so I could drive the plugins hard while still delivering a clean, headroom‑rich mix.
- Parallel processing – using parallel compression and distortion on drums, vocals, and acoustic guitars (Fairchild 660, Distressor, LA‑3A).
- Reverb and delay – using a consistent palette across the album (Lexicon 480L, Capitol Chambers, Air Studios Reverb Essentials, EP‑34, Cooper Time Cube).
Why it matters: Mixing is where the emotion of the performance meets the clarity of the production. The Mix Processing Bus was a game‑changer – it gave me the best of both worlds: the sound I wanted and the headroom the mastering sessions needed.
Phase 5: Mastering (The Final Polish)
Mastering is the bridge between the mix and the final release. My goal was to give the album a cohesive sound while preserving the dynamic arc I had built.
Key activities:
- Defining LUFS targets – I wanted the album to build in volume and intensity as it went on, so I created specific LUFS values for each track, based on its genre and position in the album.
- Plan A / Plan B – I had two mastering plans for this project: a full Ozone chain (tape, EQ, imager, compressor, maximizer) and a simplified version (only Adaptive Limiter). The simplified version served as a safety net and reference.
- Genre‑specific settings – applying different Ozone presets and chains for each track (a cappella, acoustic, gospel, funk, etc.).
- True peak limiting – using a true peak limiter (bx_limiter) to catch any intersample peaks.
- Dithering – applying POW‑r #2 dithering when converting from 24‑bit to 16‑bit.
Why it matters: Mastering is the final quality control. It’s where you ensure the album sounds consistent, translates well across systems, and has the right loudness for its intended delivery.
Phase 6: Delivery (The Finish Line)
This is the final step – getting the album out into the world.
Key activities:
- Trimming – cutting silence from the tops and tails of all tracks.
- Format conversion – creating multiple delivery formats: 24/96 (archive), 24/44.1 (high‑res), and 16/44.1 (CD/streaming).
- Dithering – applying POW‑r #2 dithering when reducing bit depth.
- Listening parties – holding final listening parties with Rachel to confirm the album worked as a whole.
- Metadata – preparing track titles, artist name, album art, and ISRC codes.
- Submission – uploading to CDBaby for distribution to streaming platforms.
Why it matters: Delivery is where the project leaves your hands and enters the world. It’s easy to rush this phase, but taking the time to get the formatting, naming, and metadata right ensures the album is presented professionally.
Final ThoughtS
The process is a cycle. I documented every phase thoroughly, and after the album was released, I conducted a full retrospective – writing down what worked, what didn’t, and what to improve next time. That retrospective is now my first step before starting any new project.
