Here are some of the most important tips I wish I had known sooner, and I recommend all producers know, regardless of experience level:
15 THOUGHTS FROM ME
1. Tackle your biggest issues first and as fast as you can.
Don’t run away from your main issues, as they can become even bigger when you do. Once you spot something that needs to be fixed, don’t let it go!
2. Learn how to discover what needs to be fixed.
How can you solve something if you don’t know what needs to be solved? Instead, learn how to find what’s missing in your songs:
- Compare your song to your favorite producers’ tracks, and write 5-10 things on how yours can improve;
- Ask for feedback from your friends and ask them what’s missing. But, most importantly…
3. Hire a mentor.
Not a must-have, but it’s going to speed your music journey since a mentor can detect mistakes you don’t even know, and teach you easier ways to do everything. It’s important to:
- Find someone you admire, so always look for mentors who are achieving what you aim to achieve, as this can be proof that they can do it;
- Find someone whose teaching style you like. It’s not only enough to find a successful mentor, but most importantly, someone who knows how to elevate you;
- Ask your friends for recommendations, especially the ones that you think are achieving more than you, as they might know who to recommend.
4. Take the pressure away from music.
The moment you start pressuring yourself, you’ll start to drain your motivation, and music could become a task. Instead:
- Stop thinking about labels before you even end the song, or being rejected can literally break you;
- Stop trying to make a hit, or you can eventually start feeling blocked, or…
5. Just focus on having fun!
The moment you take the ‘fun’ component out of your music, you’ll stop seeing the point of producing music. This is the key ingredient to a long-lasting career, if you’re aiming for one, so:
- Never stop learning, as this is a key part of the fun in music;
- Never stop experimenting, or you can fall into a comfort zone, which can make you eventually sound generic;
- Join a community of producers (like our Discord channel), as this can help you mentally and also be amazing for networking. While we’re here…
6. Don’t neglect the networking part of music.
Crucial if you want to make a career out of your music, especially because it can open doors in your journey
- Go to big events like Ultra Music Week or ADE and meet lots of other producers. By the way, I’m coming to ADE, so send me a message if you want to meet up!
- Go to your favorite label’s events, if they do it, and try to connect with the crew;
- Go to your favorite label’s Discord channel, and try to connect with the crew online;
- Connect with your favorite artists as if they were good friends. Comment on their posts, then eventually slip a message, as this can open doors for you to meet them (and their crew) when they are around;
- Be helpful. Give more than what you receive, and the world will give you back!
7. Learn how to properly reference a song.
This was a turning point in my career, and when you learn how to take the most out of referencing, your music will sound so much better.
- Learn how to properly arrange and select the right elements for your tracks, which you can watch in this video;
- Learn how to make your low end exactly like the tracks you love with our free low-end mixing guide;
- Learn how to properly balance your songs by matching your song’s EQ to a song you love, and you can watch this video for this.
8. Develop a killer workflow to finish more music faster.
The more music we finish, the easier it will be to maintain a consistent release schedule.
- Finish most of the tracks you start, especially when you’re still learning;
- Create a killer ‘idea testing’ filter, so you can start being selective with what you finish as you progress to avoid wasting time with bad ideas (read more about this over here);
- Use feedback as a way to test your songs along the way, and trash what’s not working;
- Stop overthinking everything. Just focus on getting it done, as nobody will even notice the last 5% of your track;
- Test different approaches on developing songs and stick to the one that makes you the most productive (read more about this here).
9. Learn how to productively take breaks.
Breaks can be really useful if you know how to use them right
- If you’ve been producing for more than 2 hours, stop for 15 minutes. That’s enough to refresh your ears and mind, and then come back;
- Experience new adventures and new things outside. If you’re not experiencing new stuff, your creativity can eventually suffer;
- Use the ‘I’m not feeling creative’ times for ‘non-creative’ activities, so you can then maximize your ‘creative’ time.
10. Learn how to overcome your creative blocks.
It happens to everyone, but how you deal with it can make a BIG difference.
- Embark on a music exploration phase and listen to multiple podcasts to try to inspire you;
- Put everything that inspires you in a folder/playlist, and come back to it when you’re not feeling inspired;
- Try to make a melody every week. You won’t beat the block if you don’t show up and try;
- Use AI to create ideas for you, and tweak them to make them your own.
11. Embrace limitations.
Most of the time, they will make you more efficient
- Learn how to produce in chunks of less than 30 minutes, as this will open more time slots for you, and also can make you work faster;
- Stop buying redundant stuff. If you already own a wavetable synth, master it instead of buying a new one;
- Set deadlines for your music, as this will often push you to find time to finish what you need;
- Stop trying to be perfect. It doesn’t exist.
12. Learn how to find your signature sound.
That’s how people will connect with you and your brand
- Before looking for your sound, think of three things you want to associate yourself with. Now, make your songs with the composition, arrangement, and sound design that will trigger these three things you want to associate yourself with;
- Learn sound design, as this will help you get your sounds to maximize the energy and vibe of your songs.
13. Don’t forget the business side of music.
- Build a team of useful people, as they will help maximize your art;
- Sign your songs to labels that will bring you something in return, and not just a signing. Be strategic with it!;
- Collaborate with other artists as this will help you reach other audiences, and sometimes teach you some stuff as well;
- Be creative in how you do things, and learn how to find alternatives.
14. Invest in yourself and your music
- Invest more in knowledge than gear. Knowledge is what actually makes a difference;
- Invest in your releases to make the most out of them (read more about it here);
- Buy a decent computer to avoid overloading it, a nice pair of headphones, and some good monitors, but you don’t need to overspend.
15. Prepare yourself mentally
- Learn how to deal with rejection, especially from labels;
- Learn how to move past big roadblocks in your career, especially the ones that get us stuck;
- Learn how to reboost your motivation, especially if you’re not even feeling like producing anymore.
Most of these topics have already been covered in my newsletter, so if you want to dive deeper into anything, head to our archive, or just send me a message and I’ll recommend a post to you
3 THINGS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
Now, these things were turning points to me because they showed some key things that always bugged me:
1. “In the studio with ____” tutorials.
Watch mostly ‘project walkthrough’ or “in the studio with”, or “building a track from scratch”, as these show what producers actually do. Now, look for videos like this from your favorite producers
2. Online Courses.
Guided courses are WAY better than YouTube because they are structured and not just random pieces of information. By the way, I’ve done a few Start to Finish courses on Production Music Live, so check it out: Melodic Techno, Techno, Melodic House, Afro House.
3. Give feedback to lots of people.
Giving feedback on others’ music will show things you don’t know, solidify things you like or dislike, and eventually get you collabs and friends in the industry.
