How To Finish Music: What I Learned from Finishing 10 Tracks in 30 Days
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- RUclips recently got in touch and asked me to contribute 10 tracks to their RUclips Audio Library. I only had 30 days to finish the 10 tracks so I had to have very good systems in place for being able to draft ideas quickly and get tracks finished. In this video I share some tips, tricks and techniques I use to get from a collection of loops and ideas to a finished piece of music.
► LISTEN TO THE 10 RUclips AUDIO LIBRARY TRACKS AT:
elphnt.io/youtube-audio (search for ELPHNT)
You can download them for free and use them in your own videos.
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Hi 👋🏻 my name is Tom; I’m a music maker and Ableton Certified Trainer. I help people be more creative with Ableton Live. Download instruments and effects and watch tutorial videos at elphnt.io
#ableton #abletonlive #musicproduction 
Видеоклипы
- Melody
- Harmony
- Dynamics
- Tempo
- Meter
- Timbre
- Texture
- Instrumentation
I have these elements written down on my desk, and whenever I get stuck on a project, I pick one of these elements and change it. It's amazing how it immediately gets the juices flowing again.
Love it! 🤓
can you talk more about this pls?
holy...
good idea
That's a good idea. I'm going to pretend that Adam Jones does this and keeps pulling "meter" out of the hat, and that's why it takes a decade to make a Tool album.
A good tip is to focus on quantity rather than quality. It is a counterintuitive approach. But this has been studied in pottery, asked one half to focus on quality and the other to focus on quantity. At the end of the sessions the quantity focused group made the better pots. Makes sense if you think about it. Say one producer decides to finish 2 tracks in a week for a year regardless of quality, and another producer decides to finish 1 quality track a month for a year. The quality focused producer if going to produce 12 tracks and will have a hand full of good ones, but limited experience to move forwards. The quantity producer if going to have 100+ tracks, and the first six months of production will be of limited quality. But they will still have 50 good tracks and maybe a few brilliant pieces, plus a hell of a foundation to build on. Fail quicker.
Love this advice - I've heard the pottery story a few times before. I think most (if not all) people learn by doing, so the more you're doing the more you're learning and getting better.
This is great!
100% agree. First,focus on quantity and then quality.as more tracks you finish,better you become. then focus on quality. that's what I'm doing..I'm still into "quantity ' thing
wisdom.
I took a screenshot of this comment. Thanks for the tip!
Limit yourself to 24 tracks excluding fx.
Setup a daw colour coded template with your plugins you use the most to maximise your work flow.
Work on 3 or 4 projects at a time so you dont get ear fatigued.
Dont produce at high volume.
Use some real world samples to make tracks sound more organic.
Invest in some hardware to get away from the computer, maybe a synth, an mpc x, an fx pedal.
Experiment with reverbs and delays to get some interesting modulations.
Tweek filters or fx params in real time.
Rip one of your favourite tracks and have that sitting in a track for reference.
Sometimes a beer can help.
Hope these help!
Love it, thanks for those great tips 😊
@@ELPHNT no probs! 👍
Holy shit, 3-4 ideas at a time? Hehe, it can take me up to 3 weeks to conceive 1 idea that I'd be willing to continue working on. God, it's tough. I wish there was some solution to it that could be learnt, but there really isn't. Endless internal conflict.
@@ale9507 I think they mean 3 or 4 tracks within the project, like 4 parts within it at a time, as opposed to all elements of the track playing at once while you're still writing/producing it.
Humm.. i think im gonna start with the beer first :)
The best tip I can think of, is to freeze & flatten your tracks often. Committing to audio like this means that you accept the sound as it is (once you are happy with it, of course) and you can later add any fx or variations once it's all audio. This keeps you from endlessly adjusting the sound, and prevents spending 1-2hrs on a kick or bassline channel when in the end it's barely different from what you started with. Helps me alot, so thought I might share.
I'd bounce the synth etc. down but techno is all about evolving sounds so I will usually want to automate some parameters of the synth which in return makes me tweak stuff even more while preventing me from bouncing the audio down :-(
Commitment is so important. I commit to a sound before I hit Record. I think about how each part fits into (and supports) the arrangement rather than randomly throwing ideas. I usually record with EQ and I commonly record with compression (tested out on a few rough takes to get good settings).
The not-looking-at-DAW-when-listening is SO important. Almost no matter what, my impression of the track is always significantly worse if I look at the timetable when listening to a track, since I focus on all the things that can be changed, and not really how it sounds. Same when I see other people make music. It's simple, but very important.
Agreed! I've set up my DropBox so that new exports are automatically put on my phone. Then, when not in the studio, I listen to stuff on my phone, relaxing, lying on the couch, and write down every thought that comes up about the track. Later, back in the studio, I don't have to think about what I'm gonna do - I just pull out that list. It works wonderfully. And I'm still totally unhappy about my output, watching video after video. ;)
I also heard to 'Don't solo anything. Listen to it as part of the whole.'
@@tbronzwaer I do this exact thing and it makes such a difference. Listen in the car, on the couch, when doing other things. Catch a vibe. Make notes of changes. Then get back to the DAW.
Your mixes sound full yet spacious and well balanced. Can you do a video on your mixing and mastering process please?
bump
I'd be down for this
Just do it man. we want it so badly...
Rolanoid oh god yes please these mixes are heavenly
Right? Why is it so hard to make music that's not quiet, muddy, and small?
I had an explosion of creativity about 15 years ago and I'm still finishing those songs in my DAW. Good thing ideas are timeless.
EPIC
Thats awesome your an example of what i aspire to be, what Is your DAW
@@HypeLozerInc Always been Cubase. Converting .all files to .cpr was a headache. Had to use Cubase SX to bridge the formats.
You’ll need to convert any indie rock or garageband revival songs to female pop songs or rap songs to be relevant though.
Whoa...
Most underrated content, channel, aesthetics, and voice on RUclips.
a e s t h e t i c
yup, fantastic stuff 🐘
Couldn’t agree more amigo, great channel for producers
completely agree! Such a good channel
Also:
1. Make music that actually reflects your emotion, current state of mind and personality. Making music should express something about your who you are. Or the complete opposite when I fell tired I do something uplifting. In any case it's about me.
2. Don't start with drums. Leave them for later. This will help against early ear fatigue and provide a new perspective on the music. Don't follow this advice for drum&bass ;)
3. Start with a sample that sets you in the right mood and is able to inspire you. Don't use samples that don't reach you on an emotional level. While producing listen and compare to your favorite tracks of the same genre back and forth.
4. If you own more plugins that you would care, start your DAW with a fresh clean slate. Remove your existing preferenec files (better rename them) and use only what comes as standard with the DAW. You need a reverb? bam there's now only 1 choice.
5. When I'm stuck I love to keep youtube or a movie running in background while listening to my music. Ideas will pop up in no time.
6. Let the track time to breath.. You don't need an uber complex jazz progression from the get go.. Start slowly with an A minor chord and hang on it a couple of bars. Try to find the right sounds / colors /samples that would fit that chord. Transpose the chord. Most of the time transposing a chord a 5th up (+7 halfsteps in DAW speak), or minor 3rd (+3) or transpose down to a 4th (-5) will give nice sounding results.
7. Make short tracks that still have a clean structure: Intro...theme.... variation....finale. By keeping tracks short you will touch on each part of regular song but in much less time. Think of it as a short story.
This is gold... god bless you ❣️❣️❣️❣️
In Ableton you can use the collections on your favorite plugins, that way you don't have to start from scratch, just create a plugin collection and pick your essential/favorites
With 2. - I disagree. Starting with drums in dnb does not help for everyone. Drums should normally be produced separately in another project. You should rather focus on an atmosphere: like a pad or some chords.
+1 for not looking at your DAW while listening.
i also like to drop drafts into a playlist with random other music and listen when i do other stuff. The best moments are when you walk in from another room while something you made is playing and there's a brief moment of "this sounds nice" before you recognize that it's yours, then you know you're on the right track.
Haha, I love it 😊 I'll definitely be using this one 🤓
Pun intended :)
Jesus loves ya'll by the way! :)
@ry bear I thought I was mad for often doing exactly that! Glad someone else is on to this one :)
@@invanorm We're 3. For now.
This is, without a doubt, the most important video of my current life.
This comment made my day 😊❤️
Hiding the DAW, then listening back for moments that bug me and taking notes with little check-box to-do lists, then fixing those moments and listening again until there's nothing substantial to do left, has proven to be the very best system to finish music for me. Lots of good tips in this video, but those two workflow recommendations stand out as massively true in my own experience.
I wasn’t ready for this level of usefulness
OMG. I love this comment so much 😂🤣❤️
This profile picture !
One of the best comment section for beginner producers
now this is good content... thank you.
Work really fast at the beginning of the process. If you get bogged down in detail too early on, you won't build enough momentum to finish. Don't be too precious. Make a mess. When you've generated enough material write a list of things that need to be done to tame your work into a finished track and go through ticking off the items. Only at this stage can you allow your perfectionism to come into play.
Great tips!
embrace mistakes :)
3:10 MY numero uno tip to take away.
That's a great video man, thanks for doing this.
4:25 I can only agree for the "best possible way to finish anything". For my first two official releases, I did announce publicly the release date when music wasn't finished.
6:24 "listen your track away from your DAW". This is gold as well ! I use that method and it works wonders. I actually export the track and listen to it in my phone, with headphones, outdoor.
Another trick is to put your tracks in a playlist and shuffle so you get surprised when your track kicks in, and you can have a good idea of how it sounds compared to your favourite tracks made by your favourite producers. This is especially good for mixing/mastering.
To help with arrangement, you can take a reference track and put it in your DAW (make sure you set the BPM of the project to match the tempo of the reference track + align the first beat on the grid). You can now create a arrangement map to write your song in it. So you don't even have to think about arranging.
About limits : we can play the game of using just 3 or 4 tracks. Consider those amazing 3-piece bands (GoGo Penguin, Khruangbin the first coming to mind) - yes they are (close to) virtuoses, but hell, if we focus on just drums, bass and a melodic element for the mid/high frequency range (either using samples or programming patterns or recording real musicians) instead of adding 10+ sounds, we could learn a lot and I'm sure make better music.
Finally, I recently found myself in this challenge : I easily come up with 1 to 2 minutes of music, which acts like an intro, building up to I-don't-know-what. I say that it's like the taking-off of an airplane, though it doesn't take off. It just get speed on the ground, and we don't know where we're going. That's when I could use the Opposite Game (got it from the creativity coach Mike Monday). You make a list of words describing your part. And next to it, you write the opposite for each word. Then you write a music part related to these opposite words. With that we create contrast, and it will give more power to your original part. Sometimes it won't work for a single track, so you end up with a new track idea - at worst.
Finally : Yes, taking breaks and resting is very very helpful.
Those are all great! I especially love the opposite game idea - very cool 🤓 I'll definitely be trying that one sometime soon. Thanks so much for sharing 🙌🏻
I didn't quite understand the last part, about the opposite game. You were trying to say that using opposite words for your second part of the song will make the first part much better?
I'll be happy if you could explain a little better. Thanks :)
Deadlines work great... I had a festival recently where I needed to finish 5 songs for my band to play...
No sleeping was involved, but the songs were finished !
"Needs more cowbell." - subbed.
You deserve way more subscribers, your videos are really enjoyable and well produced, also love the racks you make
Thank you ☺️ I've got lots of plans for 2019, so hopefully the subs will just keep growing! I really appreciate your support 🙏🏻
I agree that a deadline is the best way to get a track finished. One is forced to just do the track without endless (and needless) tweaking.
I try to upload, to my YT channel, once a month, sometimes other commitments get in the way (working at my recording studio, a bit of teaching and live sound engineering), but on the whole having 1 month to write, play, record and produce, then put a simple video together for YT usually works for me.
Always luv your visuals. Lots of clarity and minimalist snazz.
The tip that I have come up with is:
Start by only adding the most important elements in the track, that serves as a foundation to everything. Don't focus on making the sound perfect first, that won't sit well without a strong foundation. Do it as easy, efficient, and basic as possible.
Then if the foundation is done bulit, you can now start tweaking those basic sounds into something unique, a time to unleash your creativity.
Argh so hard to explain 😂
I’m impressed by the quality of this video
getting out of the sessions view and moving into arrangement is a great tip for one such as I. I sure love those drum box workouts that sometimes take up hours leaving no fuel in the tank to get down to writing...
Oh yeah... I know those... 😩
swear i keep coming back to this video and send it to anyone i can. truly legendary
My number 1 tip, perfection doesn’t exist. Is better to put out there something imperfect that keeping it in your hard drive. Great useful tips, with a lovely practical video, and tasteful electronic music background.
Couldn't agree more! Great tip 🤓
Probably the best advice I've ever heard. I've been stuck in a loop (no pun) for years. Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to make this video and share this info! Very helpful. Arrangement/Song Structure/Telling A story with the arrangement/structure is a challenge....keeping the flow and listener interested...
This is exactly what I needed. Finishing songs has been a huge struggle for me and this video is a massive help. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
Play your idea to someone else as early as possible. Ever notice how as soon as you are playing it to another person you suddenly hear it differently yourself and your ears suddenly become more critical and accurate.
Totally agree!
@Luke Haha I know right. Happens every time.
Just realised yesterday the same applies to cooking lol
accurate
Great, applicable tips but also the presentation and aesthetic is just *so* clean. Awesome stuff
I forgot that I was subscribed to you because you didn't upload for so long! But now I'm so happy that you've appeared, your videos are informative and very helpful! And your voice is a pleasure to listen to
Thanks! Its been a busy year with other non-ELPHNT work for me, but I'm hoping 2019 will have much more regular ELPHNT content! 🤓
I am kinda proud of myself that I already put nearly 80% of your tips in my music production and workflow. It’s the first time I watch this little tip video and I must say, it’s really neat. Thank you elphnt
Great help man thanks many of us will appreciate your efforts in making this work.
Currently working on the exact same project as you (10 tracks for RUclips) and I've had great success with spending less time in the loop. Laying out the drums to build a song structure and then filling in the blanks is a great way to do things.
I look forward to hearing the result!!
Ayye your're a beast my guy
Did google approach you or is there some other mechanism to get involved in this?
Hey, it's Slynk! 😍 Love your work 👏🏻 Looking forward to hearing those RUclips tracks.
One idea that’s helped me is that a track doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be good enough for what it is. Trying to get a track “good enough” is way more productive than trying to get it “perfect.”
Exactly
Great tips! Taking a break is always a winner and coming back to it with fresh ears. Playing it outside the DAW on a mobile is great too. A lot stands out here and I go back and fix. ❤
You're my dude bro... I've been doing some of these things already but you're really supplementing areas of lack with these vids. Keep it up
Wow, I'm so glad I found this channel, subscribed right away!
This was the exact video I needed. I've been making edm for over 10 years, but ive never finished a single song.... I've got 100's of projects that are less than half done and only 1 or 2 that are anywhere close to being finished. The tip about getting out of loops and more into arrangement is what ive been missing. Every track ends up just being 10 different loops getting more and more different until eventually its completely different from the original.. Then I always turn that into a whole new project, and the process repeats itself.. Hopefully this video is the inspiration I need to finally finish a track. Thank you ELPHNT
These tips have inspired me simply by showing me how to get right to the point. 👏🏾
Just done the same thing after reaching creative block and the best thing I ever did. Teaches you so much. Less is more
Glad to see you back. Thanks for great tips. For me deadlines is essential, this is what helps me most. I set a goal to finish one track every week and it's working. I noticed that even if it's almost last day and song is completely raw, you start to feel pressure and it frees up some kind of creative energy within you, you're becoming concentrated like never before and process of finishing song takes way less time.
Exactly! Hopefully it doesn't get to that last day rush too often, but when it does it can definitely be a super motivator! 🤓
Just happened to me on a mastering project, got feedback at the last moment, had 75 minutes hard deadline to make and send revisions of 5 songs, managed to squeeze them out, sent and approved in 47 minutes.
honestly, world class content, also i have every device youve ever made. keep making stuff please Thx
Awesome! Thanks for the support 🙏🏻 There's plenty more stuff on the way 😉
This was very helpful, thank you. I'd love to see more videos on your process in the future. Happy Holidays.
Thank you so much for this. Exactly what I needed to watch.
I got excited when I heard your SA accent . Thanks for the tips
How To Finish Music: 6:41 just add cowbell!
I got a fever! and the only prescription is more cowbell!
wow!
that's the best information about that topic that i've gotten so far.
everything is explained in a very relatable way
Absolutely love the aesthetic of the whole video and you gave some really great tips!
Thank you for Part Two, especially the "Less than you think" bit.
Whenever I see a video of an artist breaking down a project with dozens and dozens of tracks, I think "My approach must be totally wrong, because I would never have that many parts in a track."
It's reassuring to hear from you, ELPHNT, a professional I have respect for, that I don't need to stack tracks layer upon layer to build a complete sound.
Cheers!
Happy to help! There's really no 'right' way to make music. My only rule is, 'If it sounds good, then it probably is good'. For some people that means using lots of tracks and sounds, but for me, that's keeping it simple. Whatever works for you 😊
You're the best. Cheers!
what a great piece of content ,so chill
😎
Thank you I’m a person who struggles with finishing tracks but it’s mostly because of the mix this helped a lot to look at things differently ...thank you for your time and effort
I doubt I'll ever finish anything in my life but this video gave me pleasant feeling that I'm already on my way there. Thanks!
I often start with a loop of a couple instruments. Then I start copying them to create a short track and arrange them. After that it depends much on my mood or inspiration. Most of the times that piece will end up in a random folder, never to be touched again. But sometimes I start changing chords, add elements, add different progressions and it eventually becomes a finished piece. Also, I prefer working on more tracks at once, so I can have a fresh look to the piece when I return to it.
Very cool!
hey dos
dang i didn't know how badly i needed this, thank you!
amazing delivery of some very valuable knowledge!
I can confirm every your single words expecially deadlines and the simple "more is less". I have thousands of song I've finished one by one (On Reason ehehe) and so happy to work smoothly on that business
Dude, your channel is AMAZING!
Thank you so much for doing it!
Such a pleasure 😊
Thank you for this! Some of the points were advice that I haven't heard anywhere else!
Arguably the best damn aesthetics that I've seen in any RUclips video. Really loving the minimalist, yet sophisticated UI design here. Hats off to you man.
I am really grateful for the way that I learnt production. I initially only had a trial version of FL studio which meant I couldn't save anything or comeback to anything. As a result, everyday when I opened up the software, I had a completely barren space. It didn't matter what I did yesterday, it mattered how to learn from it. As I migrated across various daws (before finally getting my hands on a full FL studio edition) this approach followed, meaning that I very rarely come back to things once I'm done with them, with the exception of mixing for release.
As it stands right now, I livestream a beat making session 3 days a week on Instagram. Because Instagram only lets you stream for an hour, I have an hour to get from a blank and empty daw to a demo. This has forced me to become familiar with my workflow and improve it.
Does this method of learning have its flaws? Yes definitely. If I spend more than one session on a beat, then I start overproducing and making it more clunky. But it's a really great starting point. Especially for people just starting out
[Please note I'm not a professional and I haven't had formal training yet (I'm studying audio engineering next year) but I wish someone had told me this before]
Honestly, I believe Metro Boomin' and Soulja Boy actually did this when they couldn't afford FL. It's listed on their Power Users Page.
thank u!!! I'm dropping my e.p mid October !!!! on RUclips
ikm focking waiting
this is EXACTLY what i was looking for! thank you :)
Nice video, mate - really helpful! Good to hear that I’ve already been implementing a lot of these.
Nice work.
I was listening to the bit about knowing when the track is finished. To add to that, I would say let someone else master your mix.
I don't think it's a good idea for me to master my own mixes. I think it always sounds better when someone else has a go at mastering/finishing the track. They will hear things in a different way.
It's good practice to try and master someone else's mix. This helps break you out of your comfort zone and routine and gets you more interactive.
Thinking of setting up a FB group where people can post their mixes and have others have a crack at mastering them. A sort of "exchange" if you will. Good practice for everyone. Obviously its only for people who are willing to have their tracks available and out in the open.
That's a great idea! I personally don't use Facebook much, but I'll bet there will be plenty of people interested in that! And yes, it's also a great idea giving your work to someone else to master. A 2nd set of ears never hurts!
Moar cowbell!!!
Thank you, my friend. I struggle with procrastination due to the fear that the track will not sound the way I want, however this video encourages me to continue on and not worry so much.
Great video man, some very solid tips. Your whole aesthetic is so good as well, keep up the awesome work!
If you need deadlines take part in remix contests.
Yes! Great idea 🤓
yes great but not everyone makes drop music.
Sometimes I find myself opening up FL Studio, doing a 4 bar loop and then losing all motivation to layer it out and structure it.
Sometimes I struggle to even make a loop.
Either way, it sucks.
Not all music has to be made with loops in mind. Find what works for you!
I feel you.
i find what works for me is to make the loop one day and then come back on another day to arrange, that way you don't get burnt out...
Ok so I get that feeling sometimes, what I do to break it is open up youtube and just sample some random videos off the front page with chrome audio capture (addon). Having new sounds to work with can get you out of old habits and let you grow.
@Perlas Negras XII
Or one could say this: "If it's a too EASY work then it's not worth doing it." (Because everybody could do that...) :-)
Thx man,
I've yet to try these tips, but thx to your video, my motivation to compose is back :)
Simply one of the best videos I ever see! Thank you very much
*Talks about deleting parts of the track that don't fit*
*Shows all parts dissapearing*
Pain.
Edit: That's a lotta likes, thank you
Just bounce the part to audio and put it in a special folder. Someday when you're out of inspiration grab a peice out of that folder and build a tune around it.
@@alexovercast3359 I should start doing this. I rewrite constantly when coming back to something.
Don’t delete them, just rip them out to a different track or a reserve so you can use it elsewhere
Not finishing pieces of music is the story of my life.
That's a sad story
I feel your pain.
I create my ideas in session view and hit the record button a record the live set. I can set much more energy in my tracks. Love this method 😊
What an amazing video. Clean production and wonderfully explained ideas. Thank you!
Selling an album before any of it's written sounds like a bad idea.
It depends how good you are under pressure, theres no deadline more brutal than one people have already paid for.
Isn’t this a very common practice though?
just have a partial refund deal up with the customer lets say you keep 10-20 procent in case he refuse to take the product.
Yes it is. Most records deals obligate the artist for at least one album per year for which they receive an advance. These contracts are usually for at least five years with the record company having the option to end said contract each year.
Everyone will have its own method. Mine is to use as many instruments as a real band could play. I won't have 10 bass players or 15 keyboard players with 5 synths each. Keep it simple, keep it real, as a band. In that case, you will have fewer tracks and will finish faster.
That's a great idea! I personally have my 'virtual studio' setup, as if it were a physical set of gear - so I have my collection of synths and effects and I can only use what I have available - for example if I've used my 1 monosynth on a track I can't use it again on that track unless I resample it or something. Its kind of a weird way of working but it really works for me.
All great advice and tips, thank you!
RUclips really dropped the ball not recommending this channel when I was doing countless searches for help with Live over the last 4 months. So glad I finally came across it, because your content rocks.
Needs more cowbell.
Always 😂
thought this was gonna be on Finnish music
I can't read
XD
Limitations and Deadlines are two of the things that have helped me get music out over the years. Great advice dude 👌
I just discovered you and all the information that you give us, the way of narrating the content, are gold. The aesthetic reflects the love that you put on this. Also the music is great.
Thanks so much for the awesome comment! 🙏🏻❤️
Are you South African?
Yup 🇿🇦
First video i see in this channel, and just watching the quality of content here, already subscribed
This video is so useful and well executed. Thanks for sharing!
Oceans, Rivers, and Canyons made me teary-eyed.... beautiful music :)
I loved the practical advice in this video. The topic on arrangement vs looping was particularly helpful! I just spent some time on a WIP song I've been struggling with and stayed in the arrangement view the whole time. Indeed it was much more natural to arrange the song when I stopped worrying about loops and focused on writing a linear piece of music. Thanks!
Fantastic video. Very much needed right now.
You are a genius that DESERVES SO MUCH MORE attention. KEEP at it!
I've found that keeping a music journal alongside my sessions helps immensely. Documenting your progress and reminding yourself what to focus on for the next session.
Thanks for the video man! Very helpful!
Thank you, these suggestions are awesome and they opened up my mind.
This is all very solid advice and well presented. Thanks for sharing!
this was perfect ELPHNT, thanks!