Music production tips you probably ignored, but later will realize they are gold

When I was a novice producer, I was given several pieces of advice that told me what “not to do” or at the time, I just ignored.

It turned out I should have listened, as they would have made me better and faster, and only found this out later. For example, here are some of them, so you don’t miss out on them…

4 THOUGHTS FROM ME

1. Develop your skills and creativity faster.

Some ways to develop your skills are faster than others, but sometimes we ignore some of them because we think we think we are better than that. For example:

1. Remake the music you love. Remaking songs teaches you how to produce and arrange your songs like producers you love, and it can be even better if you do it as a Start to Finish course like these ones that I’ve tutored -> Melodic House, Afro House, Melodic Techno, Techno;
2. Learn how to find good sounds, and stick with them.
   • Go through your sample packs and make your own personal library with the best sounds you find.
   • Download project files online and scrap them for parts that you can use later in your projects;
   • Save you some time and get our Sample Pack ‘Melódica‘, with over 800+ samples, currently 20% off during Black Friday
3. Experiment with new genres. Tap outside of your comfort zone to spark creativity, learn new skills and have some fun;
4. Practice learning how to push your creativity. Find ways to push your creativity beyond your comfort zone. For example:
   • Listen to other genres;
   • Recreate your favorite elements from other producers;
   • Listen to DJ Mixes that bring inspiring music.

2. Learn how to make it in the music industry.

Making it in the music industry doesn’t only mean becoming vastly rich with it, but also achieving your goals within music.

1. Don’t quit your day job. Find a job that allows you to do both at the same time, and you’ll have more peace of mind and less stress and anxiety;
2. If you don’t have a job, find one. Getting a job that allows you to invest in your music is often what you need to produce without the added pressure of ‘needing to succeed’. This peace of mind will ease your anxiety, and possibly, make your music better.
3. Learn how to make money with your music. Find ways to make money with music to eventually grow it and go full-time with it. Some examples are:
   • Making content;
   • Doing services;
   • Doing products for producers;
   • Teaching;
4. Have a life outside of music. If you just work, your creativity can run out. Travel, build relationships, have some downtime, as this could all help you be more creative and less stressed;
5. Make music a priority. Cut out all the distractions, like games, and find a daily schedule to work on music to stay consistent.

3. Find ways to work smarter, not harder.

I’ve recently heard from a producer “I’ve worked really hard and haven’t achieved what I wanted”, but sometimes you have to work more efficiently, and not harder. So:

1. Don’t copy your favorite artists. Labels don’t need the second “XXX” if they already have one. Mix your inspirations and get little bits from multiple artists instead.
2. Bring something new to the genre. Something has to sound different in your song from what is out there, otherwise, you’re just going to be another fish in the sea. To stand out musically, you need to experiment;
3. Don’t be afraid of rejection. When you produce and you’re afraid of being rejected or putting all your hopes of a song in one label, you not only cap your creativity, but also set yourself up for frustration. Do it for yourself, not for others;
4. Done is better than perfect. Releasing tracks is more important than taking ages to make them perfect. Overthinking your music is not worth it, and often, listeners won’t care about your obsessions;
5. Focus on building an idea before you make a song. Before you arrange a song, build a full 8-bar loop, with all the elements you want to add. If it’s a good idea, unbuild the loop into a drop, then a break, and so on. If you don’t like it after one week, move on to the next idea.

4. Make your mixing more efficient.

Most producers think they can save a song during the mixing process, but often, the steps you take before your mix even starts are the most important ones. For example:

1. Choose good sounds instead of saving bad ones. Stop overlayering a bad sound, as this can crowd your mix and make mixing harder. Instead, find good sounds, as mentioned in block #1, and your mixing process will thank you;
2. Use reference tracks. If you don’t have a reference when mixing, how do you know if your song is sounding as good as the tracks you love? Compare the low end, the high end, etc., and it will help you mix your song better and finish it faster;
3. Adjust levels before you start adding any other plugins. Most of your problems can be solved once you get your levels right. Do a test mix only adjusting levels, and you’ll see this can be 70% of your mixing battle;
4. Don’t turn mixing into surgery. Spend your time getting your sounds where they should be with broad strokes, and avoid taming resonances for every element. It’s not worth it, and you don’t need it for every element

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

What is some advice you thought was GOLD, but it turned out to be trash?

1. “Compress your (add any element here)”:
You don’t need to compress when you get your volume right, especially if you’re working with electronic music.

2. “Layer the hell out of everything for a fuller sound”:
No! Learn how to do what you need with one or two layers, which is why you should learn sound design

3. “Just focus on the music and the marketing will follow”:
No! Learn how to properly promote your track, as even the best song without proper marketing won’t go so far

More on these supposedly GOLD advice that are actually trash in this post. But, I want to hear from you, send a reply to this email with some that you’ve heard as well…