A question that I seem to come across quite often from people on Soundcloud and YouTube is: how do you make your music? The answer to that question isn't really that straight forward, and requires more than a simple 'heres my equipment list'. MY SETUP Over the years my setup has changed quite drastically, but this is where I am now, with the help of my brother too, who also happens to be a musician! - MacBook Pro Late 2015 - This is the one I have written about here. - Mac Mini Late 2014 - I'll do a write up of this at some point! - Ableton Live 9 Suite - Logic Pro X - Pair of Mackie MR6 MK3's (I'll do a review soon) hooked up to: - Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 (again, I'll do a review) - Novation Ultranova (also needs a review) - Novation Launchpad (you guessed it, I'm going to review it) - MXL 990 + MXL 991 (oh look, more reviews) I use the MacBook Pro as my production rig as it can handle many more tracks and effects, and I use the Mac Mini for recording as it has a lot more storage. Logic is used for live recordings as it has a lower in/out latency, and Ableton is used for editing/production as I know the software much better and I have much more powerful plugins and effects. CREATIVE PROCESS I personally don't try to make music. I don't even start up any software or go and sit at my desk and try to come up with anything, as looking at a blank screen will often make me lose my 'mojo'. I think this is where a lot of people go wrong when it comes to any form of art. If I have inspiration, I get making, it's as simple as that, and it doesn't matter what genre it's in, I'll give it a go! When need to make a track (i.e - I have a deadline), I will just go and take a walk, or go out for a drive. I'll listen to sounds that appear in everyday life, take in sights and translate them to how I feel I'd hear them and the same with smells. I then sit there and start making a song in my head, and that is where it all starts. The hard bit is then working out how to make that track that I have stuck in my head a song that is physically there. I'm personally a bit of a perfectionist, and I actually only like around 3 of my own songs. That's one of my biggest issues, as I'll sit and re-do the same part of a song millions of times and I'll never be happy. I feel like this is a thing that most artists struggle with though, as you have a vision and it doesn't come out exactly the way you've seen it. Learn when to accept that it's as close as you're going to get. Don't try to force things out as this can make you bored, irritable, or in my case, end up deleting an entire song (which you the regret for a very long time!). Get a second opinion, or a third, or however many you need to convince you that what you're making is good, just make sure they're being honest - you need detailed criticism and honesty if you want to get better! MAKING THE TRACK Try to have things that make you comfortable - drinks and food, maybe some games to break things up a bit, because you don't want to end up getting bogged down and stressed out doing nothing but create. I personally tend to start with the drop of a song. I don't know why, but I just hear the drop first and then I construct the rest of the song around it. Obviously it's going to be different for everyone when it comes to finding a place to start, but I find it easier this way. The opening to your song is extremely important, as it's the part where you're likely to either keep someone listening, or lose their attention entirely, and the same can be said for the drop. Finding a balance between your opening, build and drop is an art in itself, as you don't want your incredible build to lead to a disappointing drop. I know my music is in no way perfect and people will probably hate some or all of the tracks I've made, but that's the beauty of art. It's down to how the listener/reader/viewer perceives it, and everyones perception is different. Try and make a story out of your music. Think of how you want it to make YOU feel, and what it means to YOU and forget about the audience, because everyone will feel different about it, and that's how you find your crowd. There will always be people out there who love your music and people who hate it, and that's good! Lyrics also play a role here, as the same line could mean something completely different to every last person that hears it. I would give advice on timings, notes, different effects and instruments and all the other things that go into production, but I personally think you should explore it yourself and find what works for you. I never had anyone teach me anything about production, nor did I watch any tip/guides at all, not to say they aren't useful. The only time I used guides was for things like setting up different inputs etc as I had no idea what I was doing, but trying to figure it out myself really helped, as I now know how things work that I probably won't ever use until I have a full on studio! Find what you like and play about until you know what you're doing - you'll appreciate your work much more if you've made it your own! FINISHING A TRACK Learn to mix and EQ, you'll thank me later. The biggest issue with the majority of my earlier tracks was poor mixing and EQing, and it really made an impact to the overall sound and feel of my music. Listening back it's distorted, theres artefacts that shouldn't be there and the volume difference between each song was huge. Getting your volumes mixed correctly will impact your song massively and give it a whole different atmosphere. Many newbie producers have all their tracks running at the same volume level causing some major clipping on the master channel, and it can be easily avoided by simply turning all the tracks down a bit. Getting the levels correct is a different skill altogether. Positioning of instruments - whether they sound like they're at the front or the back of the mix, if they're on the left, the right etc - it all changes the way the listener perceives the music. EQs also make a huge impact, as you could have way too much sound running through some frequencies - for example if you have a bass kick, and a bassline that are on the same frequency, they will cancel each other out or cause clipping, just like having too many track with too much volume will, resulting in cracks, pops and distortion. Make your music your own, and people will come for the journey. OVERALL This isn't going to help everyone, and it may not even help anyone, but all I have to say is keep going, and keep on working towards your dreams and goals. Anything is possible as long as you're willing to put the effort in. It sounds cheesy and annoying, but I have progressed quickly, come to a halt, and I'd like to think I will start progressing again soon. Push yourself, get out of your comfort zone and dive in at the deep end, because nothing comes easily and nothing is free, except for your creativity. Most of all though, enjoy yourself, and meet some cool people along the way! P.S - If you're interested in a collaboration or want some decent loops/one shots or even just a general chit chat, fill out the form below and I'll see what I can do :) |
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