Does reading about music production really help improve?

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:28 pm

Legendary wrote: the founding fathers have disapeared.

HAMVst - definately feeling the 'Pigs in Blankets' preset. Perhaps the next DSF sample pack contest should only use this?

__________ · Post by **__________** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:03 pm

there's no point in reading if you don't know what the words mean.

talking about actual sounds, like ''how can i make this less flat/more transparent/bigger/heavier/more like a jew'' IS a complete waste of time unless you're Macc or one of the other 15 people that actually KNOW what they're talking about. i, for one, don't know what the fuck 'transparent' means when you're talking about a sound...i use words like 'heavy' and 'not bassy enough' or 'fisher price'. i'm not gonna start using words in a different context and pretend i know what i'm talking about. same with reading them...i'm not gonna read a deep-assed production book, and convince myself i'm learning something, when in fact i'm just confusing myself!

last night, i was trying to explain that one of my brother's tune sounded 'flat' as in no stereo imaging. ''what, flat like an eq?'' no, ''flat as in it needs more compression?'' NO ''flat like it just don't sound beef enough?'' noooo FLAT LIKE IT SOUNDS SHIT, LETS LEAVE IT AT THAT.

yeah, read up on the basics about compression and shit, once you know your program, but its ART...if you're not having fun, and you're just reading SOS, get the fuck out of the studio.

that's my take on it anyway

__________ · Post by **__________** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:05 pm

wheel on the last bit

you're just reading SOS, get the fuck out of the studio.

serox · Post by **serox** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:09 pm

I must remember there are no rules and I am not doing it wrong I guess.

ELLFIVEDEE · Post by **ELLFIVEDEE** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:09 pm

£10 Bag wrote:talking about actual sounds, like ''how can i make this less flat/more transparent/bigger/heavier/more like a jew'' IS a complete waste of time unless you're Macc or one of the other 15 people that actually KNOW what they're talking about. i, for one, don't know what the fuck 'transparent' means when you're talking about a sound...i use words like 'heavy' and 'not bassy enough' or 'fisher price'. i'm not gonna start using words in a different context and pretend i know what i'm talking about. same with reading them...i'm not gonna read a deep-assed production book, and convince myself i'm learning something, when in fact i'm just confusing myself!

Perhaps they should make something like gizoogle but for music based text?

So it takes all the confusing as fuck words and just lowers them to things like "shit".

I always find it fun trying to describe sounds as words, "plinky" is always a good technical term.

serox · Post by **serox** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:15 pm

Hurtdeer wrote:
On that note it's worth noting that I've never heard a good piece of music come from someone involved with soundonsound or any other computer music magazine, since it seems to be full of people who are much more into the technofetish aspect of electronic music than the actual music itself. Don't be that guy, nobody likes that guy

Well I can believe that. There are some people on here who talk so much science but their music is kinda weak. Then I look at some people who have produced tunes who I know and they know hardly anything about synthesis but can make a tune that makes people want to get up and dance.

__________ · Post by **__________** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:17 pm

^ exactly
i got some good advice from a friend of a friend signed to one of the majors
''learn a compressor, but don't waste your time reading about a feeling''

ben freeman · Post by **ben freeman** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:42 pm

I am reading about the basic shit right now cause I know nothing about it. Like before I started reading, I didn't know what compression, LFO's or anything else was, so how the fuck am I going to make anything if I don't even know what these things do? I have to read, that's how. If I didn't read, I wouldn't know anything about frequencies, mastering, mixing down, etc. I wouldn't know shit about it unless I asked someone, and chances are they are talking out of their ass anyway, reading from a definitive source will give you the tools that at least you can do the basics, and that is neccessary for all music production, if I don't know the basics, how the hell am I going to get anything out of it.

And I agree that the more you expose yourself to new techniques the better off you are. You don't neccessarily have to use those techniques, but it's good to know they are there if you need them. I think it is essential to learn new things about production, always, because it will evolve the music forward because people will try new ways of doing something, maybe even create a new style or sound in the process.

djake · Post by **djake** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:48 pm

i get tapeop every 2 months i think for free and to tell you the truth i havent read one of them yet, i just look at the pictures which arnt many and imagin havin what ever it is compressor, eq ect.. in my room

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:55 pm

Yeah tbh I can't be arsed reading anymore - cause it always puts a downer on my creativity and I try these techniques and stuff and it feels like I am following a guide - thats just not me..I know what effect does what these days and I know basic synthesis - thats all I 'want' to know to be fair so I keep it that way.. You can be bare knowledgeable but if you spend half your time reading and the other half trying shit out how are you ever gunna make tracks, just for the fun of it?

WHY SO SERIOUSSSSSSSSSSSSS?

unless everyone actually thinks we'd all make a career out of making beats?

ben freeman · Post by **ben freeman** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:07 pm

Well, from a beginners point of view, I open up a DAW and there is SOOOOO much shit in there that I need to do a bit of research to figure out wtf is going on and what something does..... OK, I go to a pulldown menu and there is all these options but what the hell do they do? Half the time just randomly putting an effect on something and not knowing what it is, I think I would at least want to know when and why I would use an effect, hence the reading to tell me what the fuck a 'noise gate' is used for.

In the end you should always be learning, no matter what you do. I am always striving to figure out how to do something better or faster, and reading up on a new technique just might help me to accomplish such a goal.

Yea, I agree to not let it take up all your time ( I admit, I should read less and do more, but then again, I am a beginner and I feel a bit overwhelmed by it all.) I feel once I know a bit more about certain things (and believe me, I have learned a lot, but not enough), then I will tackle the beats, but for now I do not feel ready, and screwing with a program with a book by your side, helps me a lot when I am messing around trying to figure out what these processes do.

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:18 pm

Ben Freeman wrote:Well, from a beginners point of view, I open up a DAW and there is SOOOOO much shit in there that I need to do a bit of research to figure out wtf is going on and what something does..... OK, I go to a pulldown menu and there is all these options but what the hell do they do? Half the time just randomly putting an effect on something and not knowing what it is, I think I would at least want to know when and why I would use an effect, hence the reading to tell me what the fuck a 'noise gate' is used for.

In the end you should always be learning, no matter what you do. I am always striving to figure out how to do something better or faster, and reading up on a new technique just might help me to accomplish such a goal.

Yea, I agree to not let it take up all your time ( I admit, I should read less and do more, but then again, I am a beginner and I feel a bit overwhelmed by it all.) I feel once I know a bit more about certain things (and believe me, I have learned a lot, but not enough), then I will tackle the beats, but for now I do not feel ready, and screwing with a program with a book by your side, helps me a lot when I am messing around trying to figure out what these processes do.

For sure, I can see your way of approaching it and its probably a much better way to me.. I'm more of .. "fuck it, i'll do it my way, if it fails, it fails" but its what I do hahaha.. I tried doing it the book way but it just bores me I can't even sit through a 9 minute youtube video unless the persons voice is at least a tiny bit interesting and not monotone like most. I'm probably more a beginner than you anyways

pempi · Post by **pempi** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 6:24 pm

not really , just gives me ideas.
find too much do this dont do that , its all rubbish really theres no dos and donts , creativity dousnt have rules.

on the other hand reading can help you learn how to use tools (plugins etc)

i noticed a while ago that my tunes were getting worse , then i stopped reading (or atleast stopped taking what i read as absolute) and my tunes started to sound better again .

like everything it all depends on the individual.

learn learn learn , then forget everything you have learnt and trust your ears.

young soundman · Post by **young soundman** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:00 pm

id say forget about building beats untill you understand how important frequency is in sound...as it is frequency that is manipulated to create the sort of sounds you may describe as '' transparent'' etc.. i think this is most peoples problem...everybody wants to be a big producer without even tryin to become a producer ..as its not just a word to describe someone who makes music...production is molding...id say learn about the basic effects...what they do ...and how they affect sounds frequencies, because in theory thats what all these things are doing...manipulating,removing and also adding frequency to a sound

bandshell · Post by **bandshell** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:10 am

definitely helps when you first start producing i reckon, but later on i doubt it does anywhere near as much.

neka · Post by **neka** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:28 pm

read on your downtime, produce on your uptime.

Does reading about music production really help improve?

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