Making the most of your time and effort, building your brand, developing your talent and skill are all parts of developing your musical production prowess. The following is a list of tips and ideas to help you navigate the ins and outs of production as well as steps for identifying and avoiding pitfalls along with certain strategies to overcome obstacles and keep things in perspectives. This list as follows is expounded upon below.
1. Develop your own brand
2. Master the gear you have
3. Cultivate good song Ideas
4. Be comfortable
5. Remove obstructions
6. Develop good technique
7. Increase your Music Theory IQ
8. Take Influence from Diversity
9. Write for the Audience you Want to
10. Espouse emotion and energy
11. Break out of the box
12. Trust your instinct
13. Hold your work
14. The 80/20 rule
15. The ends not the means
16. Get trusty feedback
17. Walk away – refresh
18. Deal with doubt and Insecurity
19. Change and Collaborate
20. Diversify your life
21. Go with the Flow
22. Do not enable labels
23. Cultivate drive and purposefulness
24. Learn by repetition
25. Leverage yourself with goals and challenges and continue forward
1. Develop your own brand
Some people are fortunate to be born with innate talent and capacities, which only need nurtured and developed, others have the difficult task of working through trial and error to build skills. Those remaining have neither the interest nor capacity and will never be competitive in this particular field. That all said, there is a brief passage of time where emulation and imitation can be seen as tools to shape and perhaps level the playing field at least in terms of understanding as to why certain things work and certain things do not. But in the grand scheme of things stand out and shine amongst a sea of those whom dare to. You will have to fearlessly forge into uncharted territory to differentiate. But don’t be intimated, being one’s self is a part of the gig.
2. Master the gear you have
The thing to remember about gear is that it doesn’t make one great. Greatness comes from some innate capacity that someone either has or develops. I can tell you that if you spend a lot of time making excuses about your songs at the expense of the gear you have you’re probably not moving in the direction you’d like to go. So, it doesn’t matter which DAW you use; use what you have or what you are most comfortable working with. Whatever gear you do have, you should master it though. Know it in and out. Don’t waste your time envying what others have, your time is too precious and you need to use it to build skill with the gear you have. If the song is really good, it really doesn’t matter how it was recorded or the gear it was recorded on. That said though quality gear in the hands of someone who knows how to use it is like a precision tool in the hand of a master craftsperson. So as you progress take the money you earn and reinvest into some of the quality gear you want. As soon as you have money make sure you are in ownership of a decent set of headphones and reference monitors. Those and a decent microphone would be of the first three things to upgrade at your earliest convenience.
3. Cultivate good song Ideas
Like any good farmer will tell you the best tasting fruit is the fruit that has properly ripened. In addition there is a lot that goes into creating good conditions for growth. The same considerations should be made for your songs as well as your creative process. Your songs should be allowed to mature organically. Do not rush the process or force things unnaturally, allow for the time it takes to get the song right. Widen your musical garden and work on multiple songs simultaneously. As you make progress you can assign each song a categorization to depict how far it is along in its development and sort them as such. In working this way you will always have a batch of songs nearing completion as well as a batch that you’re just beginning to see through the process.
4. Be comfortable
Prepare your working environment in a manner that is comfortable for you and your collaborators. If you are working in an outside facility choose places to work that induce creativity. In addition to working long hours both you and your contributors are going to be expected to regularly conceive of and deliver inspired productions. Working in a space where which you’d like to escape from would be counterintuitive to those efforts.
5. Remove obstructions
In addition to working in a comfortable room you should also be in a space that is free of distractions. For instance having the latest video game console wired into the monitor wouldn’t be advised. A video game console would be fine in a living room or in a studio lounge but the simple act of plugging it in in your control room sends a message to your brain that this room may be for work but it is also for play, and that just simply doesn’t compute to the professionalism that you are going to require in order to be successful. Additionally think twice about using the computer as your Internet surfing tool. Instead use your cell phone or carry a laptop with you to check your email or update your social media accounts.
6. Develop good technique
Developing good technique is a prerequisite to long-term success. So from the very beginning be open to learning. It is also important to become very organized. Make it a habit to consistently label every track, project and hard drive, and don’t forget to make back-ups of the sessions that you are working on. Having a lot of gear or plugins at your disposal doesn’t mean that it should be overused; in most instances less is more. Be sure that the elements you add to your production are necessary and that they compliment whatever it is that you already have recorded. Sometimes silence is gold so experiment with minimization in your tracks by removing unnecessary elements. Learn to trust your ears, if what you are hearing sounds good than it probably is. To prevent ear fatigue try working and mixing at low volume levels. In addition to saving off ear fatigue the low volume levels will better help you qualify your mix balance.
7. Increase your Music Theory IQ
A lot of us that get in to this are so beautifully rebellious that perhaps for more than a few, becoming well versed in theory feels like a betrayal of self. The cold hard facts is that what’s here to day will be gone tomorrow. And while you may be young, reckless and fierce now, this too shall pass. When it does all of the coolness will have dried up and what will be left is craft and skill. That craft and skill can create a coolness of its own. That cool ness comes from having honed a craft. Your craft is music. So why not have the tools. Who builds a house with out a hammer and saw and know how? You don’t need to stop what you’re doing entirely to acquaint your self with the basics of theory, Just make a little time each week to account for some of it. At the end of the year you’ll have had at least 52 lessons. At the end of ten years it will have been 520 lessons. So ask your self are you going to be a flash in the pan or are you in it for the long haul. If it’s the latter give yourself the skills that cannot be taken away.
8. Take Influence from Diversity
It is a healthy practice to diversify your musical palate. Listening to things that are not within your regular wheelhouse can only serve to stretch your imagination. Failing to listen to music from outside of the genre, with which you work, is very confining. The value of listening comes from a better understanding of music and how people all over the world have interacted with it throughout history. You shouldn’t feel expected to integrate any of it into your productions directly, but the act of initiating yourself to that music in a broader sense, makes you a more sophisticated listener and practitioner. Indirectly that depth of understanding and sophistication will integrate into your productions and lend to career longevity.
9. Write for the Audience you Want to
When you are writing alone in a production studio you are so far removed from your target audience. If you have spent any time in a nightclub DJ-ing, or playing in a band you will have certainly been exposed to an audience’s reaction to the music you were performing. For those of you that haven’t played as a performer I’m sure you have felt the effect for yourself inside a nightclub or at a concert. When you are writing a song write it for the audience, give them what you know they want. Write segments into the song that you anticipate the audience will respond to.
10. Espouse emotion and energy
In many ways a song represents an exaggeration of any one particular circumstance or feeling. So in order to be excellent why don’t you just go ahead and have your song to be the definitive interpretation of that particular circumstance or feeling. When you feel like you’ve given your all to writing that feeling or idea into the song take a deep breath and then give more.
11. Break out of the box
Conformity is for conformists; break rules, climb out of the boxes and transcend. Experiment with production techniques, then apply them and create something entirely new. Constantly push your own boundaries continually escaping your own perceived limitations. Do that until you have grown tired of being awesome.
12. Trust your instinct
In order to make music you have had to perfect you talent or build your skill. At some point you will eventually outgrow or move on from whoever has taught you or from however you learned. From there on out you’ll be responsible for making all of your own decisions about every aspect of your productions. Second-guessing and self-doubt won’t get you very far. One way or another you are going to have to rely on your self and the sooner you learn to trust your own instinct the better. By logging a lot of hours behind the console and continually building upon your knowledge you have’ll have taken the action necessary to find reliability in yourself. If there is only one go around then you may as well define your own path.
13. Hold your work
Don’t be needy. Don’t look to others to validate your work. If you are doing that it’s probably safe to say that your work is not yet extraordinary. Instead focus on striving to be excellent. Focus on making excellent work. Then, who cares what anyone thinks. This is different than having a trusted second opinion of course. This is referring to showcasing the song to others prior to its completion merely to fish for adulation. When the song is finished it is to be shared, but even then you should be too busy into the next track to allow yourself such indulgences of vanity. Get back to work so that you do not loose your position to someone who is hungrier.
14. The 80/ 20 rule
This is a philosophical rule conceived of or perceived by Vilfredo Pareto in 1848. It says that 20% of one thing will account for 80% of another. For example in Vilfredo’s garden he noticed that 20% of his plants had produced 80% of the harvest. He also noticed that 20% of the population held ownership of 80% percent of the land. For the sake of Music Production I was introduced to the 80/20 rule in this way is was told to me that the first 80% of the production will require 20% of the effort and the last 20 % would require 80% percent of the effort. To me it meant that I should prepare to put in disproportionately greater amount of effort to wrapping up and polishing a project than it would take to initiate or get the production started. I suppose it speaks to all of the detail work that needs attended to in order to bring everything to conclusion.
15. The ends not the means
Don’t allow others and their airs of pretentiousness to dissuade you from doing you. All of these talking heads on the Internet espousing the how’s and how not’s of doing one thing or another can go eat crow (myself included). How you get to the end is not as important as getting to the end. And how you get to the end certainly doesn’t matter in the way the having a good sounding final tack matters. So get past all of the noise and get to gold any way that you possibly can. When in doubt think about Frank Sinatra, He sang one song in particular which described they way in which he did things. Take a cue from that guy, he did O.K.
16. Get trusty feedback
You could certainly use to develop a relationship with one or two piers or mentors whom you trust to advise you in regards to your mix downs. It is important for them to be honest and critical while still being supportive. There is a vast difference between someone who is critical and is supportive and someone who is critical and who is jealous. There is also a considerable difference between someone who tells you what you want to hear and someone who tells you what you need to hear. To be completely honest, if you are the kind of person who doesn’t want to hear any constructive criticisms you have problems that reach beyond the scope of these 25 humble production tips. You should probably go have it out with your parents, work some things out.
17. Walk away and refresh
It’s unfortunate for sure but anyone doing this long enough can attest to the regularity of hitting walls. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In a lot of ways the entire thing becomes an issue of time management and rather than just railing against what is not working, or attempting to force something, just walkaway and give your ears and creativity a rest. But, if you haven’t time to waste then maybe you could open another session to work on for a change of pace. Something as simple as that can keep you working, allow you to better manage your time and give you a much-needed refresh. While taking this advice does make for efficiency it would probably do you a world of good to make some time in your schedule to walk outside and get some fresh air. Sometimes though, all the fresh air in the world can’t save a track. If that’s the case cut your loses and go on to the next because sometimes a production is DOA. Plus, there is never time to waste.
18. Deal with doubt and Insecurity
This is a simple as it can possibly be said, everyone has good days and bad days and everyone has ups and downs. Developing the skill to ignore the voice in the back of your head that would have you waste time second-guessing is an imperative. Just let it talk! In most cases it will eventually talk itself out. When you feel doubt and insecurity, do you really care? You certainly can’t… You have work to do, and it is so much work. So either you will give up and quit or you will not, so make your decision and proceed. But, if you intend to continue and If you are focused on being extraordinary then doing so starts by working in an extraordinary fashion. The voice in your head will go away… and then it will come back. When it does come back… who cares, so what… Just keep going.
19. Change and Collaborate
Times will change, music will change, gear will change, technique will change, players will change; in order for you to keep up with all of that and to continue being relevant you will have to change too. Such is life. Find some people to collaborate with in every “new now” you arrive in. These people will provide you insight into all of the new trends and developments; they will show you the ropes. In turn you will awe and dazzle them with all of the time tested knowledge and experience you have acquired over the long haul, so it is a symbiotic sort of thing. Working with others is one of many ways to challenge your self and pick up new skills. It also never hurts to build your network to include newcomers and those who are doing things you find fascinating.
20. Diversify your life
Life is a great big fantastic adventure and while it’s fantastic that you have your head down with eyes on the prize be careful that you don’t miss out. As artists we take inspiration from everything and if you cut yourself off and lock yourself away too much not only will you miss out on the little things, you may not be feeding your soul in a healthy, balanced and nutritious way. They say, “All work and no play makes one dull.” Your creativity needs fed. So, diversify your interests and don’t become a one trick pony that inevitably burns out. Instead become a well-rounded and balanced individual. Learn to rely on that diversity to draw on for inspiration for your music production.
21. Go with the Flow
Stay in the boat! That’s an important lesson to learn. Nine times of ten simply just staying in the boat is all the effort you’ll need to employ. Difficult times and complicated challenges may confront you throughout over the course of your journey, but as long as you stay in the boat you will undoubtedly navigate each circumstance. Regardless of what that circumstance may be, go with the flow. So long as you do you will get where it is you’re to go.
22. Do not enable labels
Music loves it’s categories and fans love categorizing but artists do not. Being a producer, being a musician and being an artist implies that you can make what ever music you want, work on any production you want to and make whatever art you wish. All of that is regardless of any pigeonholing that followers may like to employ. So stretch their thinking early. For now you may be seriously involved in EDM but when you reach your late forties you may not take the same satisfaction from the confinement of that genre. Make the music you want and let the haters hate. Just as soon as they have gotten comfortable with your latest incarnation, change it up again and watch in delight as their collective head explodes. Again it’s about diversification and should you wish to be diversified do not enable labels.
23. Cultivate drive and purposefulness
Wake up early! Get behind your DAW and start editing. Have a quick lunch then open up a synth plug in and hit loop record. Publish your tracks and pitch your demos. Cultivate a work ethic that embodies drive and purposefulness. Know what it is that you are trying to do and figure out what step it is you need to take next, and then take it. Work diligently to refine and build upon your talent and skill. Be fearless and undeterred. Know that you can shoulder any weight and carry this entire effort into prosperity. You can, so long as you have the drive to match the skill and vice versa.
24. Learn by repetition
Most of becoming excellent has to do with relentlessness. Are you relentless? Can you become relentless? Those questions are yours alone to acknowledge or not. But, if you have what it is to be relentless then you are in for a world of repetition. The basic signal flow of song music production is roughly as follows:
Concept ideation > Songwriting > Arrangement > Organization > Recording> Editing > Mixing > Mastering > Publishing >Promotion
To become proficient as a music producer work through that signal flow repeatedly every day, week and month for the next ten years. Somewhere along the line you’ll become dangerously competent.
For a deep dive into releasing music as an independent artist; Read This!
25. Leverage yourself with goals and challenges and continue forward
Any tricks or advantages for your benefit that do not come at the expense of others should be taken. Make use of goals and challenges to leverage yourself upward and onward through your career. In my experience even goals that are not met precisely will still have brought you further in the direction you are going. Progress makes perfect, so focus on making progress and that will be perfect. Challenge yourself, try to have your music get in to the right hands. Try to have someone of consequence comment or review one of your tracks publicly. Work to having one of your tracks included on a video game or licensed onto a TV show. Make a list of challenges and work to them. Start with those that may be achievable in the shortest order and work through them and then on to the next. Continue to add goals and challenges to your list and always continue to move forward. Make progress and see it through.
In conclusion
There are countless mental strategies to help you to stay focused and get where you want to. The twenty-five I’ve included were filtered down from a list of hundreds. These were the most relevant of the batch. I thought at the very least one or two of tips may be the perfect medicine for that difficult day when you just need a friendly nudge in the right direction.
Now go and get to it!
Good Luck!