How to Record

1 – Find Your Guide Track!

This will be sent to you by your director.

• Practice, practice, practice! It’s OK to learn your notes without working with the guide quite yet.
• When you know your part, put on headphones or use earbuds and start to sing/play along with the Guide Video.
• Do some test recording. It’s always good to record yourself practicing and then play it back to hear how you sound.
• Feeling good? Let’s get ready to record…!

2 – Find a quiet space and set up your video.

• You can film with a: cell phone, webcam, tablet, desktop, laptop, digital camera, or video camera. Anything you have that you’ll be able to upload to a computer is OK. Ask a family member for help, if needed.
• Make sure you look good! Can we see your face? Your smile? Turn on a light behind the camera so your face is well lit. Don’t record with a bright window behind you.
• Make sure the background looks good. Tidy up if you need to. Make your bed and pick up any trash.
• Is the room still quiet? Turn off any fans or anything else that makes noise. Are you wearing appropriate attire?
• If possible, set up your video orientation as ‘portrait’ – that means the frame is up and down, so we can see more of you and less of the background.

3 – Time to Record!

This will be different for each person. Don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works for you. Remember: use headphones or earbuds so only YOU hear the Guide Video.

Option 1: ONE DEVICE

Most smartphones can play YouTube and record at the same time! Open the Guide Video on YouTube and open your camera app too. Try a test recording while the video is playing. Many laptops and tablets can do this as well. (Windows 10: type in ‘camera’ into the computer search bar.)

Option 2: TWO DEVICES

If you can’t play the video and record at the same time, have no fear. You’ll just need one device that can Record and another device that can Play. Hit play on the Guide Video on one device and hit record on the other device.

It’s OK to record multiple takes (just like a recording studio), so you are happy with your performance. Only upload one video.

4 – Upload your video!

CODA Concerts will collect your submissions via our Dropbox upload link. Dropbox can appear differently depending upon whether you are logged in, or if you are accessing from a desktop or mobile app, so your specific submission naming may be slightly different than below. The most important thing is that we know your VOICE PART and your FULL NAME – so be sure to include both in your submission.

• If possible, rename your file as "VOICE PART_YOUR FULL NAME_PIECE NAME."
• Click on the file request link provided by your teacher or director. If possible, use a private/incognito browser tab – Dropbox will not allow you to alter your info if you are already signed in.
• Click "Add Files". Select your video. Depending upon how you access the Dropbox link, you will either:
  1. Enter your VOICE PART in the First Name field and your FULL NAME in the Last Name field, or
  2. Enter your VOICE PART_FULL NAME in the Name field and your email in the Email address field.
• Click Upload. That’s it!