Music production is not just about DJing at late-night parties in Ibiza or signing Billboard #1s.
Music production can be a real grind. It’s an incredible struggle, but it’s also a beautiful pursuit that combines a musical art form with technicalities and science.
It’s a great movie.
There are also some negative aspects to music production.
Music production is:
* Extremely time-consuming
* There is a steep learning curve
Isolation can be a problem
It is difficult to break through
* It is even more difficult to find a job/make a living in the field
It’s difficult to gain notoriety at first
There is still hope.
Since I am in the online education industry, I wanted to share some of my wisdom with you in my old age.
Results in People vs Process People Results in People
People who love the process fall in love with it.
They take their time when they prepare dinner. A meal that is full of flavour cannot be rushed.
People who are impatient with results will fall in love with only the result. They won’t cook because they need their food now. The result is that they get take-out, regardless of the amount they have spent on their savings.
For people interested in the process and for producers who know it could take years to digest all the information on this blog, it would be interesting to share 103 tips, techniques, and strategies about music production.
It took me only a few hours to write this article, but it took me about 10 years to gain the necessary knowledge and experience to do so. With hindsight, which is always 20/20, I have learned how to solve most of these problems.
As you continue your music journey, it’s important to learn, utilize and implement these music production techniques.
If we want to succeed in this industry, we must love the process. Here we go…
20 Lessons in
MUSIC MUSIC PRODUCTION
I Wish I Knew
MINDSET
1. The #1 goal is to finish MusicMusic
Finishing MusicMusic should be your top priority. Set deadlines. Bet with your friends. You should do whatever you can to finish at least one song per week or every two weeks. If you’re slower than this, you may not be ready to take on full-time work.
2. Take a seat and get comfortable with theft
You can steal every song you listen to. Imagine that. Listen to MusicMusic with a burning desire to sample the sounds.
10 ways music producers can steal like artists.
3. You can learn and progress at your own pace
Everything…literally everything in life happens at your own pace. You don’t need to worry about an artist who is producing in a fraction of the time and seeing better results than you.
It will continue to happen. Get down to work and keep your head down. Do not pay attention to the energy. It’s a grind, and nobody should be constantly comparing themselves with others.
Bonus tip: For those who are worried about what others think, remember that the average funeral only sees 10 people weep. Yes, just 10. Is anyone of the people you worry about one of these 10? I’m sure not. Move on and redirect your energy to something else.
4. Persistence is more important than talent over the long term
No one is born great. Talent is not something that’s given to you but rather earned. Work hard, but accept that it will be a long race. Do not burn yourself out working every night until your eyes bleed.
5. Open yourself to constructive criticism and feedback
One of the most crucial factors in polishing your sound is getting consistent and trustworthy feedback. It isn’t easy to make progress without the magic combination of input and actual implementation. You may find it difficult at first, but you must learn not to take constructive criticism personally. You can troll someone who says “this stinks” on your SoundCloud (though I recommend you ignore them).
6. The writer’s block doesn’t exist
Sorry. There is no such thing as writer’s block. It’s hard to get started. Create consistent daily habits. You’re too tired to run? You’ll soon get the hang of it. You don’t think that you will have a good time at a social event? Just start getting ready. Don’t you want MusicMusic to be made? Open your DAW and play a few sample files.
7. Listen to tons of different MusicMusic
Listening to music that is outside your electronic niche can be a great way to keep musical ideas fresh and fuel them over and over. Electronic Music Music can be very repetitive without inspiration from different genres. It could even be not very interesting. Blend your favourite elements of other genres to create something unique.
8. Spend money on education, not equipment.
Pro Audio Files has a great article on equipment.
Audio equipment is divided into four categories:
1. Buy Cheap
2. Solid enough for professionals, but at a consumer price.
3. The “Pro” is slightly better than the number 2.
4. Expensive.
Tier two will do. Ignore everything else. You can spend more money if you are a musician.
Spend your money on education instead. If you spend $100 on learning how to use compression effectively, this will be worth more than any compressor plugin that you purchase. With the benefit of retrospect and absolute clarity, I can say that the thousands of dollars spent at an audio school were more valuable than anything I’ve ever purchased.
9. Stay true to yourself
In MusicMusic, it’s important to be yourself. It’s very easy to get caught up in trying to impress an A&R, or to impress your fans, or to try to sign with a record label. You will burn out if you only make MusicMusic to please other people. You have to be able to feel it. Stay true to yourself, and don’t jump on every bandwagon.
10. Accept rejection or worse, being ignored
Millions, literally millions, of producers, are all trying to find their niche in a market that is oversaturated. You will be rejected. You will be ignored. You will be ignored.
11. Exploring multiple revenue streams
This article goes way beyond the usual music production tips. The average millionaire is a multi-millionaire. You’re likely to have multiple income streams if you are successfully earning a living from MusicMusic. Many artists don’t make enough money from their music sales alone, so they offer services like engineering, use MusicMusic in films or TV, create courses, and take on ghost production.
12. Work your arse off
There are much easier ways to earn money. If you’re serious about making it in the music industry, then be prepared to put in a lot of work. Don’t think that more work is the solution.
13. Collaboration is key
It is important to allow another person’s mind to help you create MusicMusic. This is not only a great way to improve your skills but also a lot of fun.
14. Friendships in the industry can go a very long way
Open your mind to the idea of creating a new community. There are too many benefits of making friends in the music business to list. You can get valuable feedback and work together to tackle the tricky and difficult aspects of the music business. Starting the Hyperbits masterclass has led to hundreds and hundreds of new contacts and friendships, both within the music industry and with the students.
15. You’ve already “made it”.
You will never be “legit” unless you reach the next level. You can become a music producer by simply starting and trying your best.
16. You don’t need to have the best day every day
There will be great and not-so-great days. There will also be great and not-so-great weeks. Don’t worry if things don’t work out on any given day. Try again tomorrow. The race is long. I’ve said this before, and I will say it again.
17. Equipment is not everything
You can create incredible MusicMusic with cheap gear and a small budget in a room that has not been treated. Don’t make yourself a problem by believing that a new gadget will improve your MusicMusic. Even if the toy does, its effects will be minimal.
ORGANIZATION
18. Create & maintain your favorites folder
Take 10 minutes every time you finish recording a song to save all your favourite sounds in one place. Keep your best samples in a folder called favourites. This will speed up your workflow and allow you to save a lot of time on future projects.
19. Color code your projects
The use of colour coding is essential. It allows you to distinguish between different types of groups. You can also be inspired and creative when you aren’t staring at a wall full of midi green or audio blue (at least with Logic Pro).
20. Organize your plugins
You can rearrange your plugins in most DAWs. Here, the goal is to prioritize quality over quantity. Do you need to have all your 20 compressors at hand? You’ll notice that your workflow will become much more fluid if you choose a few plugins with great sounds for each function.
Here is a great roundup of all the different plugins available in various categories. This will give you an idea of the plugins available and allow you to narrow down your options to find those that best suit your needs.
You can also check out our Ultimate Plugin Guide if you prefer to stay close to home.
21. Name your channels, tracks and buses
It’s not enough to colour code. Name your tracks. It might not be very pleasant at first, but it becomes second nature, and you have fun. If I think a bass sounds like a fart, then I will label it as ‘Fart Bass.’ It’s funny because I am an adult, and I shouldn’t be entertained by this as much as I am, but it is. What the hell? Let’s move on.
22. Use templates
Some people take templates too seriously, but they can be very helpful. I prefer to keep it simple. I use one template for composition and another for mastering. In the composition template, I will only include one audio track and one software instrument track. For mastering, I have the majority of the chain set up with all plugins set to default settings.
23. Remove old projects from your internal drive
You’ll benefit from the extra space on your hard drive for its general health and speed, as well as organization.
24. Do not be afraid to remove muted tracks in your projects
Do you really need the old chord progression or that original kick drum that you tried to include in your project? You can do a Save as make a copy of the project and remove all the things you don’t need to continue with a clean slate.
25. Label your samples with the key
You can waste a lot of time trying to find the keys to samples or having to retune your drums for every project. You can save your samples as key tags for future projects. Tune your drums if you haven’t done so already!!
26. Back your shit up
Imagine losing all your work. Yep.
27. Save your presets
Here’s one of the most important music production tips. You can save presets to reuse on other tracks. This is similar to creating a favourite folder for your sample files. It will save you a lot of time by not having to search for the same sounds again and again.
28. You’re shittin’ it again.
WORKFLOW
29. Take a crash course to learn how to do it faster
Spend a day learning shortcuts to your DAW. Implement them over the next few weeks. You can keep them in your head or write them on the wall. These shortcuts will eventually become second nature. This will pay off day after day.
Here’s a tip about DAWs. You should probably stick to the DAW you started with.
This is the most comprehensive guide I’ve seen for choosing a DAW.
30. The piano roll will be your best friend
Spend a day learning about your DAW’s piano roll. It is impossible to stress how much time you will save by being able to work in midi.
Learn how to make your piano sound great.
31. Cure for ‘Loopitis
Follow the exact structure of the reference track. It’s really that simple. You can drop the reference track into your DAW, and voila, you have a complete map & guide for your song. Relax, all you haters – as you become more comfortable with the song, you can stray away from it.
32. Search bar sample
Use the search bar to find samples. It’s not always necessary to open a sample pack in order to get a particular sound. Search for the sound that you are looking for, then sort the results by size. This will sort the sounds (roughly) by decay or length, which is extremely useful.
33. Start with the basics
The process of creating MusicMusic is similar to that of sculpting. You wouldn’t start a sculpture with the details of a hand, would you? Or the eyelashes on the face. In MusicMusic, you wouldn’t begin by perfecting the snare or mixing the synth lead. In sculpture, it’s important to create the general shape, or body, first and then focus on the details. Start with a loop and build a structure. Once you have the song finished, you can work on more information, transitions, and special moments.
34. Work in the place you are most comfortable
It’s not necessary to always be on a computer in order to create electronic music. If you want to record vocals, go to another part of the house or a park. The same goes for melodies. We can all sing and hum, even if we don’t play an instrument.
35. Music production is a profession
I have officially lowered my tolerance level for laziness in the studio. I’ve had to deal with too many producers who were lazy and constantly on their phones. If you are serious about music making, treat it like a career. Switch off your mobile phone, stop using social media, clear your schedule, switch off your internet, and reduce distractions to maximize your productivity.