Three Important Tips for the Novice Producer
Never has the world of music production been more readily accessible. As music production software and technology continues to evolve and transform across multiple media platforms, this is the perfect time for anyone interested in production to jump right in.
With so many powerful and affordable Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), plug-ins and third party content available just a few clicks away, its never been easier to get started making beats. But just as easy as it is to dive right in, it’s even easier to feel very overwhelmed very quickly.
For those of you just starting to navigate the world of production, here are three important tips to keep in mind to help you steadily progress as you begin to develop your sound.
Tip One – Get to know your DAW
When first starting out, it’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap of thinking you only want to make a specific genre of music. You will get there eventually. But before you do, make as many beats as possible and really get to understand your DAW. Before you start the never-ending quest of refining your sound, learn what your workstation is capable of. A producer with a strong working knowledge of the native tools and instruments already available in their DAW will be able to more quickly advance their sound than a producer investing in too much too soon. Yes, there will be tools and plug-ins worth investing in, but for now, don’t spread yourself too thin. Push the limits of your DAW before you push the limits of your budget.
Tip Two – Don’t delete your projects
It happens to everyone. You’re hours into a beat and you’ve hit that wall- where it’s not quite coming together like you had hoped and you’re ready to just trash it and move on. Maybe it feels like it’s missing something or your arrangement just doesn’t have the flow you envisioned. Keep it anyway. Neatly organize and save all of your projects and take the time every now and again to revisit and listen. You may be able to break past that initial writers block or apply a new technique that can help further your tracks along. Steadily building and cataloguing a library of beats is a great way to stay in the flow of composition as much as possible.
Tip Three – Listen to and deconstruct your favorite songs
There’s a reason why you want to get into music production. We all have artists, albums and tracks that inspire and resonate within us. Once you dive into production, immerse yourself in the music that you love. Throw the audio into your DAW, and dissect it. Analyze the progressions, the arrangement, the sounds and the energy. Once you begin this journey, understand that music will begin to become demystified. Not only will your ear become sharper, but you will slowly start to understand and appreciate how your favorite artists accomplish what they do. This a great exercise for learning professional arrangement techniques, and great way to begin taking your sound to the next level.
Music production takes patience, practice and persistence. Keep these tips in mind as you’re first starting out to help develop the habits needed to efficiently and reliably progress as an artist.
As always, be sure to check out the Beat Lab Academy on youtube for more tips, tricks and tutorials and be sure to show some love and like and subscribe.
