Stop trying to become a music PRODUCER...
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- A simple question that might drastically change the way you look at your music making journey. Are you a music producer or a music maker? Answering it might not be easy but, it certainly helped me!
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Been saying this for years: we are living in a time where there are perfectly produced perfectly forgettable tracks.
you are so right. and when artists play live they have to use 18 backing tracks to make it sound half as good
Totally agree. Many major artists don't do their own mixdown (a well known audio engineer mentioned several top Australian acts and he even masters their stems for live performance), and definitely don't do their own master. I have banged heads with my own label guy to follow my reference track, but remove excess mud, but not at the expense of isounding nothing like my reference track at all.
The obsession with ULTRA CLEAN MIX some people have at the expense of sounding interesting and original creates too sterile and boring. In my opinion, interesting with a bit of mud >>>>>>>>>>>>>> ULTRA CLEAN AND ULTRA BORING. Most music is more interesting and you will play it longer if it's not perfect.
There's nothing wrong with a "perfect mix" but that shouldn't be what everyone is shooting for!
@@mredrollo Oh it's not that I have something against it, what I meant was there is insane amount of well produced but extremely bland, boring and forgettable music. People are focusing on polishing shit to death not seeing the bigger picture that they are polishing a turd. 20 layers od pads playing dull as F melody and it all sounds like they were watching the same RUclips tutorial on how to produce music.
@@dash3dot 100% agree!
You’re making a lot of sense. I’m about 3 years to my producer/engineering journey and I’m literally on RUclips everyday when the truth is. I know how to compress,saturate,eq, etc. I’ve been thinking that enough is enough. A lot of the guys we know and love as artist,producers, and engineers didn’t even have RUclips when they were starting! And that’s the mindset I’m going into. I appreciate you. Sometimes the overload of info can make you feel inadequate.
It certainly can. But don’t ever let that discourage you. The “content” will always be there, but just because we can doesn’t mean we should. I haven’t watched a tutorial in years. Best thing I’ve ever not done! 😂
Thy banged it out, then took it to a production company to wrap it in a bow.
My "waking up" moment was actually disclosure saying that their hit latch was created with almost only stock plugins. Then I realized that I really don't need the expensive stuff/plugins in order to create great music.
@@mdxggxek1909 and I lovvveeeee that song so that’s nuts
A great thing to take into consideration for sure! I am myself on a "music production/making" journey, where I really want to put out high quality music. I have been making music for almost 3 years now and really want to put my music into the world, but I certainly feel inadequate. Thinking about all the amazing producers out there knowing so much more than I do and showing of tutorials that I watch over and over again but still can't seem to put into my on music... I tend to just forget everything I ever get taught on RUclips, etc... My conclusion is that overloading yourself with information certainly make you feel inadequate and kind of destroys your motivation. It just never seems like you can achieve the same thing as all the great producers out there...
Fucking insane you read my mind. You really hit the point of “fast food music”. Less time composing and more programming is the shithole of the industry 🔥🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
Glad it helped!
Sums up perfectly what I think... all of this stuff around is killing ART, and overstressing artists and composers, because you "need" to be up to date with all of these complicated mixing and master chains. These are strange times for anything... music included.
🤷♂️
Yeah, it's not doing creativity any good.
As a producer, it's great to learn all aspects of music especially how to mix and master however, don't let the mix and master distract you from finishing your song. Spending too much time on a mix can really become tiring, demotivating and at times it makes you think that your song isn't good enough. Stay disciplined to the creative process.
Well said.
Collaborate with other "producers" and mix each other's tracks. You will have a different approach and objective in mixing their tracks. Take the criticism and improve your mixing skills. You will gain knowledge from what was missing in your tracks, if they mixed yours.
i agree. I get so easily distracted by trying to EQ and compress and mix everything and i need to keep telling myself that i can do all that after i finish the song itself. But it's hard because when im making music i want a perfect sound, but i should worry about that after the fact
@@PsycikMusic same here. Making it as a single artist in this world of perfectly mixed pop music is only tiresome, it's stressful and also extremely frustrating. Unfortunately the standards of music professionalism is high, not only high but extremely high. However there is one thing that I definitely learned the hard way.
Through all these years, autotune, eq, reverb, blablabla. These things don't do shit if your vocal take sounded like a pig farting. There is NO way you can EQ things to perfection if your recording is WAYY too close to the mic. This was EXACTLY my issue. Believing that production is gonna figure everything out, it DOESN'T. There is a limit to what production can do. Guess what, I practiced my singing to be on pitch as much as possible, recorded my takes closer to the mic and then further to the mic to find the best possible mic placement. And: voila! I had a track that sounded GOOD, it sounded really well and I did not even have to produce much.
There is no reason to polish something that doesn't require polishing
I think for those who want to become music PRODUCERS or ENGINEERS, but every now and then also want to make their own music: You should try to really put the engineering skills behind when actually making the music. Then after the creative process you can go into the details of engineering and re-record stuff if it wasn't "perfect" during the creative process.
Good point!
True, and its tough, so many distractions. Over the last 3-5 years I've moved towards presets for my work. People will diss you for this. But presets allow me to get close to a great sound whilst allowing me to focus on the song writing. Sure I've mixed my bands albums and that is a fun side as well. But the song writing is the difficult part. That most people, can't do well.
Nice rant 😎
Presets are meticulously built by sound designers for exactly this purpose. Why on earth do people diss this stuff, that’s what they are there for!! Good on you man. I’m in your corner! 💪🏼
@@mredrollo keep up the good videos fella.
sounds like elitists want you to make music the way they think is the “correct” way. And if you don’t make ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING from scratch in a synth then you’re wrong.
Here’s what I have to say to that, why do those same people use drum samples? Shouldn’t they be making that from scratch? 🤔
@@Ron.Swanson. Making sounds from scratch (including drums) is half of the fun for me, but that's just me, hehe. I think people just need to find a way that works for them, there's no "correct" way when it comes to music (or any art really). If everyone is doing it the same way, where's the innovation?
@@KimStennabbCaesar exactly!
I find my head becoming clearer and clearer about creativity. I’ve got a wealth of fundamental knowledge now to get me there - and I know it so well now that it’s like it’s inherent. It just happens. It’s like I’m entering a new phase of my journey where I’m free to create and simplify. I’m excited snd motivated. I’ve watched your Metic - Neon Hour vid a dozen times. Love the production, both vid and music. Keep preaching, please. We need this guidance.
This sounds so positive dude, like you’ve found your groove. I love it!! I can remember this turning point in my own progress also. Keep creating! ❤️
I came to this conclusion on my own, after switching to instrument-based actually performed music. A well written and played song is gonna sound good even with shit production (the essence of the song exists without production). Good production elevates it further.
Totally!
That is such a good point.
This is going here because that got me thinking. My apologies.
I once saw a musician I like live. He was on stage with a laptop. That's it. Him. On a laptop. Jumping around here and there. It didn't feel like I was at a concert. I mean, DJing is a respectable thing on its own, but I came to see him perform the songs live. These videos are great because there are some philosophical questions that arise there. Being on stage and pressing play is not a live performance. So press play on individual tracks or clips...is that live music? Now the same, but you also have a live drummer. Does that count? At what point does it become live? Why perform a part live if it can be automated?
@@xezazase I'm not talking about performance as much as being able to play the song in general. Good melody-based electronic tracks tend to stand on their own when played via keyboards, guitars, drums, or just sang. In concert I don't mind listening to guy on his laptop, if that's his act
I love that last line. It shows that production isn't a bad thing
The RUclips algorithm pushes those kinds of videos down my throat and they frustrate me beyond words!
They're also usually not based on any kind of technical reality.
Thanks! I enjoyed listening to your thoughts about it all 🙂
It’s amazing what lengths people will go to for a quick buck. With little to no concern for the consumer and their own progression.
I’m barely half way of this vid i do gotta say you’re right about the stuff that’s out there sending us down a rabbit hole. I get caught up trying to mix and master everything I start to lose my magic, my best songs don’t have a lot of technical stuff in them for an example
Totally. This is such a familiar story.
The whole , “ you have to be an amazing engineer to be a good musician”, craze is killing me also. Even competitions are judging entries on the engineering of the song instead of the content. Almost ALL of our favorite artist were horrible engineers. If you don’t believe me, listen to their songs before they got polished up by a professional. It’s like night and day. Those artist spent time creating, they didn’t spend hours on using a transient mastering eq for example. But now it’s expected for every bedroom producer to be as good of an engineering as they are a song writer?????
Exactly!
I hire one, but its expensive relatively speaking. Its $350 per track. I make $100 an hour on my day job. I could and have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours trying to be an engineer and only fucking up and diluting the track more and doing the wrong things probably. I've learned when to hand it over and it releases me from mix down purgatory that could literally last forever at least for me 😂
@@whitelotus2516 exactly!!!
@@whitelotus2516 $100 an hour? Holy shit
No! It's not expected to be good at engineering. It's expected of us to BUY those expensive plugins. Why doesn't those plugin companies market their products to record labels and mix and mastering engineers? Because those engineers are the ones creating those presets.
In all those years of mindlessly watching a tutorial after the other, this was the most helpful video I've ever seen...thank you very much :)
Thank you!!
I started to make live improvs with my Push 2 daily, focusing solely on creative ideas & process (on live stream), instead of dwelling in the details in a DAW, and I'm way more happier in this way. My personal goal was to master the Push 2 and see what is possible, and it's a wonderful journey. You're absolutely right, focus to the music first.
I love it!
so true, i stoped concuming that kind of content couple years ago and started focusing on learning the piano and fundementals of sound physics and sound design and it was the best thing i'v ever decided to do
Thank you for shring your thoughts on that, im really happy i found this channel couple months ago
This is so good to hear! Clearly shows how progress actually works.
It’s all about balance, certain gear or software or technical knowledge can transform your whole music making process
Yep!
I just became a fan on Deezer HiFi. Your music is incredible! I'm loving the glitched-out, jazzy vibes. Cool stuff.
@@TheMidnightBandit wow appreciate it so much!!
I've been talking about this for so long and have been so happy to see other RUclips creators talking about this.
Literally the timing of this video is at the same time as one of my own talking about this exact thing.
Well done.
It's like the muse gave us the same topic and told us to create it our own way! She just got to me a couple days earlier 😉
Your producing videos are top notch. The "competitions" between two producers of different skill levels were a blast to watch. I'd love to see more, but I'll stay posted for anything. Cheers!
I love this video! It absolutely hits the nail on the head which is that the music production community feels more like technology promotion as opposed teaching the process of making music.
Thank you!
I am currently 16 so I'm still in the "Cracked Plugins" phase and after just acquiring another one, I've stumbled upon this video and you're entirely right. I get cracked plugins and barely even use them but I feel myself stuck into this loop. Hours wasted trying to get the "sounds that I think are cool". Thanks, you've gotten me out of this loop.
Mate, we've all been there! It's a natural progression as the culture generally sends us down that path. All the best on your new journey. Keep creating!
It's part of the process.
Try to challenge yourself by limiting yourself to make a track with only your DAW's default plugins for example. You could find yourself being far more creative then you'd be with having everything to choose from.
i got rid of everything except for my 2 fav synth, i use only native content from the software i use. right now bitwig. If you know what you are doing and how to process sounds you will realise that you dont need that much stuff.
@@rd-cv4vmtotally agree. Bitwig is perfect for it. I use XO for drums and Reason for more great out of the box sounds. That's it.
Thank you. I am a musician first and foremost. That’s all I want to be. You hit it right on the head. Once I started recording my own music I ran into video after video on how to mix, master, compression, etc. You already know. I ,too, was getting too absorbed on perfectly mastering a song.
Thanks to your video though. I didn’t like not practicing and enjoying playing my instruments. I was watching more and more videos on how to mix this or EQ that. I began to ask myself- Am I a musician or a producer? Because it seems that I’m spending more time producing as of late instead of doing what I really like doing which is to play and perform.
Then your video popped up.
So glad! Exactly why I made this video!!
"First and foremost" =/= "only".
Being a dad can involve "being a taxi driver".
Wouldn't suggest "driving is essential to fatherhood" but it helps.
One possibility is needing to work more to pay someone else to produce, thus taking time away from you making music... there's always trade offs.
If only i could pin this video on my wall and look at it everyday!!! Amen brother... very powerfull stuff
Virtual vision boards. I like it! 😂
@@mredrollo i wont be suprised if youtube release a new 'product/device' around this concept ha... will be like in a harry potter scene where pictures are moving in frames....
That's true - I was In trance of Buying plugins - VST instruments - Libraries - DAWs etc... One day I jus counted how many EQ's I Have in My Daw ...29!! Then I stopped - No more buying this crap! Companies are spending millions to manipulate music creators in believe that they need to BUY something ...Like Beauty Companies are manipulating woman's to buy makeups etc.
Gosh, thank you SO MUCH for making this video. I've been struggling with finishing my songs for the past 4 years just because I get this tremendous anxiety that I don't know all the effects, knobs, etc. and I'm not yet "professional enough" to even start producing. Such a weight off my mind, so much so that I actually added your arguments to my CBT coping card. Take care 🌸
So glad it helped!
When reviewing the 'new' music of Spotify recently, the only good songs were from 1985. Too many plugins, not enough music.
A breath of fresh air indeed, spending so much time stressing over mechanical stuff and new plugins takes the creative process to shambles and the actual enjoyment.. You got yourself a sub man!
Thanks so much!
Read the title, was ready to hate on it because i think people should be able to express themselves by making music. But I listened, it’s true and I agree, be a music maker not a “producer”.
At first i was like: hmm lets see what this video is about. But man your words are on point! I started 2 years ago and found myself sometimes getting lost in the advice. Just as you said: its about music making and your own unique creativity! Thank you
I'm glad you didn't judge too hard by the cover 😉
iv been making music for years and dont consider my self to be a producer
as far as im concerned im just a guy who make music on a computer who doesnt know sh*t about F*ck.
Yup, I had to learn this the hard way. The "producer" way of thinking stifled my creativity. I'm finally back in music making mode.
Those hard lessons get us all! Thank you or sharing!
Your right and I actually get really fed up of the mastering aspect of My music because I cant (or struggle to) get My music to be loud and mastered like POP artists but then if you actually listen to most pop music there is little to no dynamics and I cant actually, make My music like that and I dont want to.
There is no doubt a fair amount of secret sauce that goes into geting POP tracks chart ready but I'm not sure that that's what everyone should be shooting for as a music maker!
I don’t understand your difference between production and music making. It’s the same thing to me. The process of making music is the same as production. I totally agree that people should spend more time listening and less time conceptualizing, but it’s 2022 now. The producer is the maker. If you really wanna get technical, then you need to include the concept of the writer as well as the maker, right? Because those are 2 separate jobs as well, in certain contexts. But that’s kind of a silly thing to say now because it’s 2022 and we all really do have to learn how to carry every title from writer to engineer, lest we go spend hundreds to thousands every time we want to release an EP. As someone who gets paid to polish turds for a living, for the love of god, please learn as much as you can!!!
A basic understanding of the producer skills is necessary, but not the goal. The goal is music. Not production.
Thank you so much for bringing clarity to our music making journey .. you are saying out loud what many of us start realizing after so many years .. hopefully there are some younger artists out there watching your reflections, who will save themselves a lot money and many years of frustration … keep it coming ! Jex Plore
Thanks so much Jeff. If there are any specific areas that you feel need addressing, do let me know 😉
Hi Ed, you probably already addressed these topics but maybe reflections on.. the virtue of finishing projects and releasing them vs. looking for the perfect track.. which we end up never finishing ;) … also maybe deep diving on overcoming the fear of playing a live set .. I think many music producers (like myself) enjoy the studio setting but are “afraid” of playing in front of a live audience .. your background as a band player is very unique and different from many of us .. I would enjoy your perspectives on that topic, like the one where you were thinking of being a drummer in a band and the realization that a track should be kept simple .. like a band formation … Hope this helps .. Keep creating and inspiring us, mate….ps: I need to get you coffee soon .. sorry I have not done it sooner ;) Best from Philly
Great suggestions mate!! Thanks so much. I will certainly cover both of these things in some way shape or form. Really appreciate the feedback.
It always makes me sad when i hear young kids saying "i am a producer, i am making beats" ... when i was a teenager my dream was to be a "composer" and "write music" .... there's a huge difference between the two ..... thank you for a really nice video.
Well said!
They are beatmakers, not producers. A producer can finish a beat and turn it into a song.
That’s why I always refer to myself as a producer/songwriter/composer/musician. Because otherwise, it gets too damn confusing
Why crap on someone else's dream because it isn't yours?
I respect concert pianists - I don't wanna be one.
I don't score movies or write "musical cues".
I have no negative feelings towards these people.
I laugh at your sadness.
@@darrengordon-hill no picking fights here please 🙏🏼
Thank you so much. To many People become geeky producer and spend hour with convolution rêver, dynamic eq and wathever New plugin and do generic music with no soul
Mate, it's not even funny anymore. I can't eye-roll hard enough when I see that shit 🙄
You’re definitely right about the new gear videos that have had a negative effect on myself. I keep thinking this new hardware is gonna change how I make music then use it a few times, buy another etc etc but all I’m really doing is scratching the surface of these and not actually using them for the intended purposes of making good music. I’ve completely gone back to square one now with a Launchpad pro and a guitar. Gonna focus on my writing skills first and not just focus on new hardware. All that other mastering stuff can be learnt once I’ve got some credible tracks that warrant time spent on them.
Sounds like a good plan! It's a challenging task making music that we are "satisfied" with, and the gear is a natural distraction. But the results come, it just takes time, hard work and discipline. Thanks for sharing!
As a music maker, I produce music, oh $hit I just confused myself!
🙃
The RUclips algorithm showed me your video and I had to watch it.
I'm a musician first, then producer and engineer and I really enjoy the last two a lot.
I've been training myself as a producer and engineer for the past 4-5 years and it has been a rollercoaster.
I couldn't agree more with your rant.
In fact, I once experienced lack of creativity because, production needed to happen when in reality I had to focus my attention on getting better at songwriting.
That's something I'm currently focusing more on, specially because it will give me the needed experience so I can produce for others or a project of my own that I'm making.
The same applied when I started mixing, which it was the first thing I started prior to recording and producing.
I was always asking myself why my mixes didn't sound right, why my productions didn't sound as the ones on streaming platforms.
Turned out that once again, thanks to the plethora of "music production, mixing and tips" contents out there I was working on the wrong aspect of the music creation process.
I needed to learn how to record better, how to improve my performances with my guitar, which is my first instrument.
Once I actually did that, I started seeing results in the work I was doing.
This video actually was amazing to watch and, I'm subscribing!
Thank you for sharing your rant, it is necessary to communicate what you communicated in this video.
There are already too many producers and not so many songwriters. Who's gonna write the music then?
That's maybe a subject for a different video? I don't know!
Cheers from Spain!
This is so good to hear. I love how you've found the right path, only after realising what everyone said you should be doing wasn't really the answer!
Me: **Downloads FL Studio**
RUclips:
Classic
I think if you are planning releasing music, then you do need to know about production. You do need to know about eq and compression, otherwise however good your songwriting, your music will sound like amateur hour and no one will listen to it. If you’re only planning on performing then to a degree, you can maybe just focus on the music. The problem is that if you are performing then you still need to understand eq and compression to some degree, otherwise same problem. Your music will sound terrible in the bar, club, festival. I agree that there is a lot of BS around how you MUST have third party plugins when stock will do just fine in 99 cases out of 100.
When Disclosure talked about their breakthrough song with Sam Smith, they said everyone was saying how “analog” it sounded and how did they do it. They were like “Dude, it’s all stock Logic synths and plugins “
A basic understanding of “how” to use EQ and compression can be learned in an afternoon. I believe the real problem comes with “when and why” to use it. That will only come with practise. People throw compressors on everything because “that’s what you’re supposed to do”. Total bullshit. There is a disproportionate balance of learning, practicing and doing. These areas should be equal though. Learn it, practice it, then do it. But we seem to stay stuck in the learning phase like an abyss of never ending self gratification or reinforcement. I fell victim to this also, until I realised it wasn’t that important.
I love that about Disclosure btw, I had no idea! 😂
You wrong I live in France. Some famous song don't have a mix. Mixing etc its just for fix problem. Most of time there is no problem. Example of song "Jul - tchikita"
I get it but being a music producer is not being a musician, you want to be a musician that wants to become proficient in recording and mixing in a functional way so it serves your music first. But a true music producer is not on that angle, they (we) are not into making music, but more in enhancing and accommodating in the best manner the sonic pallets that has been displayed and recorded by you or a recording engineer.
Producing is an art that involves coaching a vocalist, being s smart host with your artists at the studio so you can ensure the highest creative enviroment. And involves a lot of knowledge of a lot of tools that are best for some situoations and others don’t. An all around producer can produce from Latin, to Blues, to world music, pop and rock.
Can make a 100% midi production sound 100% organic or a 100% acoustic band sound super modern.
I think you are not a music producer in the real competent sense. You are more a musician who can record and mix and master itself, which is perfectly valid. And can be done with mastery and competency.
I am a profesional musician and a professional producer. And know where one ends and where the other starts.
I have gone trough the process you have shared in this video, started as a musician, complicating my life with hardware, software and zillion plug-ins and libraries, forgetting why I started this journey, ending being a competent producer and then walking back the road towards being a musician again who wants to share its music.
The thing is that when I came back to roots, the difference was clear and evident. Now I honor both crafts. But definitely I agree with you that making music is what we are here for. At least for me.
I think this just strengthens my point even further. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Great vid Ed. A guy warned me about this when I started using Ableton. He said "Watch out you don't ending up collecting Gigs of samples and hundreds of Plug-Ins, and never making music.
100%... Some RUclips channels out there might tell you different though 😂
Love your video and you are right .what I see happening and I can be wrong , Is that big companies no matter what it is in this case music. Know that the money is We’re people that don’t process the knowledge to achieve a task can achieve this Without having skill . And this can’t be good in a way but also bad it’s a double edge sword because the most people that can do what you do the Less value your work has . Also creates a lot of mediocrity because Now is easy and everybody can do it so a lot of people don’t develop dose skills ( it can also be good because if your are smart with your time you can use the extra time wisely ) . it’s also good because there’s so much information out there and it’s free the problem is there’s so much in formation Out there, But people don’t really value your information but they do wanted but Wanted for free and if you don’t give it for free some one else will and even if they pay for it . The way they use it is to give it for free because the goal is not to make good music the goal is having more followers ( I’m not saying they are wrong ) People can’t wait to get their hands on the next piece of information so they can have material to sell to the followers in social media. A chain were everything’s connected . you see how a lot of this influencers in social media. Sell you the dream 😴 Of becoming a music producer or a music maker however you want to call it . But the majority haven’t even been successful on the music industry when it comes to selling they’re music. And making a living working with big Artist . So they find success Selling you a dream And telling you how. So the majority of people Don’t really learn the skills that matter to make good music . Because at this point in time it does not really matter that’s why we see so much junk of music out there . I study music all my life I love Latin jazz but I’m making Reggaeton hip hop etc . I mean I’m not saying that this music is junk because when he comes to popular music If you can connect it with people true your music for me that’s one of the most important things .( so you have to speak there language) and I wanted to be a musician Because I feel I can influence true music people so they can have a good time cause I love when I see people happy and dancing I just love that . So I’m not trying to put nobody’s music down. But in a sea of mediocrity there’s always gonna be those with the talent and the creativity That want to separate there selfs from the pack and that will push the industry to new standards . And I can’t wait to see you guys take this to the next level ( is good to save time for example with a plugin let say to make a reverse Reverb but learn how to make it from scratch . Is good to have a smart compressor but learn how it works . Same with EQ etc ) connecting with people it is super important I know so many major leagues musicians that don’t have a job I know so many is scary . I also know people that are not musically gifted but they are super successful. Any way . My brother thank you 🙏🏽 for your video 🙏🏽
Appreciate the thoughts. And yeah, there is a massive imbalance when it comes to what's being made/sold vs how its being used.
This is so so true! I've sort of just realized lately that songwriting is the most important thing in all of this! Do you have some insight to share in how your songwriting skills improved over the years?
Glad to hear it! In a nutshell I think tastes mature with age. The more I write the more I’m inclined to push certain progressions/song structures and to take more risks. In the early stages I think my music was very safe. It’s out on the edge where things get really interesting though, and this only comes with time and maturing into what you do best.
Thanks!
Thx so much! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I was stressing too much over the little things. Gonna stop producing and start making music!
I love it!
What's The Point???????? You only Pick What you Need! But There is a lot of Helpful Content in here in youtube... That would save University Money!!!
School of RUclips 🛡
These are some really key points here and these “labels” being used so liberally are one thing that kept me away from making music for many years, a sense that I had too much to learn before I could even start and no real understanding of what I actually needed to learn… just making music is how to learn it all, learning by doing.
Theory can help explain why music sounds how it does and offer guidance, production helps turn music into a product, none of those things are actually about making music.
Very nicely put and I can totally appreciate why you were put off in the first pace. Thanks for sharing!
I called my self a producer once.
When I was producing someone else's work.
And that's it.
I her what you are saying and I really do hope it resonates with those who want to make music but it'[s also important to know how you want to be a part of the music scene. For example, I learned to DJ back in the mid 90s. By DJ I mean 1200 MKIIs using the pitch fader and beatmatching/mixing vinyl EDM. Back then there was a seperation between DJs and producers. Most DJs didn't produce back then and most producers didn't DJ. Then producers started to learn how to mix and thus the producer/DJ was born. Nowadays if you want to become a player in the scene you need to produce AND DJ. I'm not talking about Soundcloud producers i'm talking about LIVE perfomance DJing, either streaming or at a club/party/rave/festival/etc... Anyways, cheers!
I was super confused for 80% of this video because i thought that music producer was the the name of the guy who made the music.
I still dont get what your taking about with the “producing skills” people are “getting caught up in”
Consider the same terms in film. Producer, director, writer, actor etc. todays music producer is the film maker who writes, directs, produces and stars in their own film. Does that help?
@@mredrollo oh. I thought thats was just how it was. You make the song and then you spent 20 mins mixing it and mastering so its a little more audibly pleasing to the ears. And it seemed pointless to have to pay someone else to do that for you if its possible to just do it yourself with nothing but the daw itself.
Honestly, I only worry about composing since thats what i do. I compose anything from pop to gabber. And its mostly just having fun. Its breathing for me.
totally agree... starting by learn music theory is the best advice to give to beginners, i think however this is related to the fact that men always tent to innovate through competition, and music production is stile a 90% male area
The statistics are staggering. My channel audience is heavily swayed even higher than 90%. Would love to see that balance out!
I went down this rabbit whole.. I actually went down this evil part!!. Jesú!!
I met Brooks, summer 2022 after a rave ,and asked him which FL studio he was using, he still keeps FL studio 11...
I have written and released hundreds of records and never wanted to call myself a producer. I am an electronic musician who releases music. I didn't produce anyone but myself.
Lol I can hear music equipment companies and software developers saying...SHUT HIM UP!
You NEED these three AWESOME compressor TRICKS!
Thank you and respect, starting Piano, 43 years, Cairo, Egypt
Like many facets of our human society. Humans lose site of the real reason we do things and why do we get into music as a creator? It's to make great music! Too many tools with too many tools with no skills. I hear you!!
Thanks for saying all of this!
You’re welcome!
great music was done in 2013, that sounds more fresh then music at 2023... listen to the trance producer Ayda.
There's something fishy here... A RUclipsr who's not about promoting endless streams of junk or shilling some software? I love it!
I'm a complete newbie in the music world. Trying to learn some Piano and hoping to make my own music soonish. Baby steps... I did already buy a shit ton of VSTs to last me a lifetime. That was a strategic decision knowing myself. Now I really have no excuses anymore to not concentrate purely on learning to play, some theory and laying down some chords.
Having come from outside the music world, I do see that there's this unhealthy fixation on gear and instruments. But that's the thing with every hobbyist scene. It's a way to distract oneself from the hard stuff, doing the thing that you're supposed to be doing. It's then easy to blame one's own shortcomings on some mystical missing gear or another VST.
Yeah Seek of all this f*** bullshit videos all around RUclips
Started producing in 2013-2014, this video would have saved me TONS OF TIME, MONEY, FRUSTRATION if it was available back then. Only in the last couple of years did I get a reality check on how much these unnecessary things were just procrastination methods masked as “self-improvements”
Old Man here, back in the 80s I had to graft like no tomorrow to work my way to within 100ft of a mixing console, to become a Sound Engineer.....I wasn't a Producer, a Mix Engineer, Mastering Engineer, nor Musician.....I connected all the kit together basically, and made sure everything worked....Then, after years, finally became a Mix Engineer....They were ALL different jobs.....I'm so bored of anyone with a DAW calling themselves a Producer......Half don't even know what the role actually entails.....Gets on my nerves, rant over......BUT, if you always put in the work, don't pretend to be something you're not, you will end up REALLY GOOD at something specific.....or, just have fun, just for the crack of it.....Music should be good for the soul, especially imperfect takes, non quantised, and with that something special.....Perfection is boring, and tiring on the ears....
We need more educators like you in youtube, not the ones who only create bullshit content to make money here whith all their crap misleading info,
Thank you
Keep it up please
What I found it funny is that many of the ones who teach don't have anything release on Band camp, Soundcloud or if they had, their Music is really generic. I usually follow the ones I respect because of their release music, this people rarely teach anything, probably because they are busy making music. They are exception who do both like Mr. Bill, but is rare. I'm more into finding different ways to make music than pedantic engineering .
definitely agree. it doesn't matter how well mixed and mastered your track is if the track sucks
hahhaa, that's one way to put it 😂
So amazing! I play piano and had a guitar run in a sad song in the beginning and I got to scrap it I think.. I was like, nope, it takes away from the building up. Also, I don't see how you can have much heart in sounds that are precreated.. Keep on clickin guys, I'm going to try to do it a lot acoustically.
Think about the best music made in the 50’s-90’s. My maschine or mpc live 2 have more tech and sounds then every album made back then, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll never make a “Riders on the Storm” or a “Time”. Why? Because I’ll never be on the level as The Doors or Pink Floyd.
1. for mac, get HeyFocus and set it to hardcore mode with a white list to gmail, your bank webpage etc
2. for Win, get Cold Turkey Blocker, with same hardcore settings
3. for Android, get the app Lock Me Out, also with the same hardcore settings and a white list.
4. you should sell you i-devices since they have no block feature (and are designed with billions to suck your attention anyway)
5. set all these app to block Insta,Twitter,FB,TikTok,RUclips, all internet pages that suck your attention, video apps, Netflix etc
6.set the apps to a time schedule, so you have to work.
7.do some excersize and positive wishie washie mindfullness, listen to Jacko Willink for 10 minutes
8. rock it up, and see the magic of success happen, just because you are not on the f*ing internet so much
The glut of music production oriented content is both a blessing and a curse. It’s awesome that if I don’t know how to execute a certain thing while creating a song (say “Does Ableton has a Vocoder cuz I want one for this?”) there’s a tutorial online. The curse is that I myself, and clearly countless others, get caught up in plugin reviews, gear acquisition syndrome, quick tips etc etc too. I know I’ve learned a lot that way but also probably wasted *much* more time and $$ with it. In my journey from touring and recording musician to writer/producer the biggest advances I make are ALWAYS when I’m actually doing the work.
Fantastic video, super happy I stumbled across it. Great advice.
I have a problem starting "something serious" before knowing everything about it first. So I spend most of my time in the theoretical world, preparing to actually create something real. Often I get exhausted, oversaturated or even lost on the way. Then I come up with new "projects" that share the same fate. What a waste of time, energy and potential - and I`m fully aware of it 😅
Today, while on such a journey of endless knowledge-gathering, I watched your video.
You reminded me of what I'm actually doing again - in a memorable way.
Thanks.
A lot people who initially tread down this path find overwhelming amounts of information to sift through. Ideas, products, methods that sounds like 'good'(not 'necessary', but helpful) things to learn/have, in order to get their own productions to the level they believe they 'could/should be' at. It's a trap! It captures talented musicians and turns them into sub-par producers. Although, some folks may find that they're better producers than they are musicians through this process. This evolution of 'anyone being able to make music', & 'everyone making crap' will run it's course and we'll soon be left with talented musicians that record their own good music... it's just that it's taking so long to come 'round.
It is a balancing act. You need the skills and knowledge more than you need 300 new plugins. Too many peoply depend on sexy plugins instead of learning what a few basic plugins do.
I stopped watching all the obvious people in 2018. I only watch one now and that’s “house of kush”. Everything I need to know now I can’t find online, it’s a good place to be.
Just a hobbyist musican. I can play piano and guitar pretty well, but don't _produce_ anything.
I have never watched producing videos on youtube,i only watch specific manual and guides.Most of the time you must find the answers yourself.
Hear! Hear! HEAAAAAAAAR! 🤟🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
i write my music for me and as my own preferences are too "me", i know exactly where i stand with possible fame prospects. never happening. ever.
but i feel like a legitimate musician by releasing the shit i write. for me, that is enough. so i do. it doesnt amount to much, but i do.
my spotify has 39 monthlies. my drone stream last winter had 51 viewers, peaking at 70. in the grand scheme of things (read:business), its worthless but i find validation in that even if i am my own focusgroup, some people find something in me.
i am happy. not musician, not music maker, not producer.
happy.
its the "I have the best cell phone syndrome" where it has become "like, I have a 1000 plugins now lost to them is the fact that the music/songwriting is the most important part of MUSIC, the secret is in the word itself and meaning, as in the real content, the heart and sou and emotionl, or story telling, not the plugins..........k
I make music, and don't care that much about "production." Given that I have no desire to make money, or make anything commerically viable, I don't have to care about whether or not everything has a perfect sheen.
Love this. A really honest opinion but one that totally rings true with me.
If your music sucks who cares if you know how EQ the shiz out of that snare drum. Those skills come from making music in this digital environment. If you make great music it makes you and other people happy, if you produce a good track then its really only other producers care. Music should be about feel, soul and passion It should move you physically or mentally.
I have just subbed as this felt like a really inspiring message that will hopefully help me continue to make music that I love.
Dammm brother i couldnt agree moree !!! Holy fuck im soo glad someone came out and said this !!! You are 1000% on the moneyy !!!
Word. I was just talking to someone about this the other day as a composer, it’s a slippery slope to the weeklong “hi-hat tweak” this, “what are the top five tips for parallel
compression” that.. instead of actually making music
Like fr, I just realized one day and was like f it. Like ffs, I know how to produce the music, why the hell is everyone talking about sidechaining
I am not trying I am already one I have been for 15 years I get funne; ;eads regarding me as one of the best music producers ever dont get mad you dont get airtime most producers dont there are millions of us but I am the best promoter regarding musical taste like singing, songwriting, rapping, djing, engenieering and of course producing music even the musical leagends like it I will give you a glmipse right now.
I am the exact opposite - i am a creator. I dont know the actual production and music theory, I have great instinct and ear from coming from a mom who is a musician and listening to her play and good music since i was a kid. So what happened is in my teens i played around w reason but without tutorials (or a keyboard) it was hard to get past the middle of the track. I remember i went to my musician friends house and in 5 minutes he made a better beat that would take me days cause he knew structure.
since then i am playing on Launchpad for 3 years and ive made some engaging tracks, but again i dont know how and why and my producer friend said "its just music man, its a feeling ,do what feels good" and thats what ive been riding with.
but i am curious what you would suggest for my situation. my goal is to simply put my tracks on youtube and have 1000 views thats ok for me just to know someone heard them besides my friends and put a like.
totally.and it goes both ways...lol.i like making songs and tracks and toss them together rather crudely..but i lkove it..i cant imagine how good my tracks would sound if it wasd corectly prouced..go ahead find my songs message me go for it i have hundreds of songs..
Yes bro you are so right I just set up a small studio in my spare room in a corner I got 2 DAWs 1 small 2 mic mixer 1 boom mic OBS set up on my 1 little DELL laptop and 1 14 inche screen and it all works well man am still working on how to make my own music for djing by iam not in a rush aswell going to make a studio in my back yard powered by solo energy next year got the go ahead from the wife so all is good thanks for the level headedness.
This is such a great topic, you are the only channel I've found that's talking about it! Just got your self a new subscriber, would love to see more music youtubers talk about this subject matter.
Part of the reason why modern pop music, well, sucks.
Yes! I've had a few false starts getting back into making music, after a *very* long hiatus. Each time, I found myself caught up in lining up all the "right" tools, catching up on all the latest and greatest techniques, but never actually *doing* anything with any of it. Finally I said fuck it. Cakewalk (since I had experience), Komplete Start, Spitfire Labs. If I can't write a song with all that, WTF am I even doing? More tools won't save me from myself ... only distract me from what I should be doing. I'm still watching videos, and researching tools and techniques ... but this time it's done in service of the music I'm *actually making.*
Spot on, your humor on the topic is greatly appreciated as well!! 7 part series on EQing haha!
whenever I get too caught up in music tech and producing tricks I just think about early Bob Dylan albums and realize I'm completely off track
I was about to lose myself, this video put me back on the right track. Thanks :)
fuck man! you've got a new subscription to your channel. I agree with each word that was said
I felt that as I sometimes find myself collecting more music making tools and resources than making actual music. Watching those producers on RUclips is really fun and educational to see, but making and finishing music is a real skill
Making beats does not make you a "music producer". Producers are the brains in the studio (besides engineers), overseeing a project to its completion and managing every step of that process - from recording ideas to managing releases