What advice would you give to beginners?

[jaydot]

Been producing 2 years now, have a few mates who want to get into it: the clue is in the tite though: What advice do I pass on to them ideally?

Or more like, what advice would you pass on to your buddies, family that want to start making music?

I'd say learning to phrase music properly in 1/2/4/8/16 bar blocks was an important part of my own progression, so would tell them that.

Also I'd tell them to fuck the haters, first and foremost, but listen to people giving constructive crticism and learn and build from it.

And be self-criitcal, if you can. Almost border on perfectionism, it'll help you create tunes better than the last if that's the aim every time.

Discuss.

[legend4ry]

The advice I give everyone is just to do it..

Load up your DAW and click around, play around and keep doing new things till you finally get to the point where you've finished a tune.. After you've finished that first tune things get easier.

[blinx]

The advice I give everyone is just to do it..

This is my advice i give to people for most matters lol take action and become self motivating.

[MoonUnit]

I'd say that the most powerful tool out there is music that already exists. The sounds/genres that we love speak so much to what we want to carry into our music so it is important to first analyze what we enjoy in order to better innovate in the future.

Also, everyone's workflow is a bit different. I would give the advice to try new things, multiple ways. This will help one from pigeon-holing themselves.

Finally, keep a record of what you accomplish! Not only does it help you realize how you are progressing, but it gives you incentive to keep going and to get better at what you're having a hard time with.

[Augment]

Have fun and save almost everything you do. Maybe it'll be something you can use later. + everything else mentioned

[Comfi]

Have fun and save almost everything you do. Maybe it'll be something you can use later. + everything else mentioned

This. I have found loads of old tunes which he just started. Even if the production was shit, I had some good ideas which I can now pull off since I now sorta know what in doing.

[B-Frank]

Got a couple pieces of advice what I wish I had followed at the time:

First and foremost: Learn the basic structuring of music. I had no idea and my songs just sounded like ridiculous mish-mashes at first.

Secondly: I know a lot of people may actually moan about this but a really good way to build up skills and knowledge is to for a while just try and recreate professional tracks and in doing so you acquire many skills you can bring to your own work. I never done this but I really do wish I did.

Thirdly: Youtube tutorials. Yes, you could sit there and fiddle around with buttons for hours on end and that is a good technique for someone who isn't a complete beginner. If your looking at a VST, effects or whatever and you are a complete novice your going to spend more time wasting time than anything, by looking at tutorials you learn the basics.

Lastly: Never, ever, ever, make music because you think its what other people would like. This may sound really cheesey and cliched but if your not feeling what you are writing your only ever going to get 50% of the potential out of your track.


Ohh, just remembered one. If your only starting producing because you want to be a superstar DJ, with the money and the party life style, don't bother. The only people who ever make it are people who have genuine love for what they do and the rest comes as a by-product.

[extremesociety]

If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!

[JFK]

Dont bother. Producing is expensive, time consuming and the learning curve makes progress very slow at times.

Take up golf instead. Or maybe fishing........

[B-Frank]

Dont bother. Producing is expensive, time consuming and the learning curve makes progress very slow at times.

Take up golf instead. Or maybe fishing........

LOL, that is about as pessimistic an answer as I have ever heard. I play golf, fish and produce. (golf is the expensive hobby, not production!)

[cloak and dagger]

If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!

This. The number one piece of advice should be to have fun and enjoy yourself.

Number two is to experiment and realize that producing is essentially problem solving; there are an infinite number of paths to the same outcome, and although there are techniques that are repeated more than others by producers, there is no "right way" of doing things.

Number three, set realistic goals. As in, set goals. They are important. And make sure they are realistic. This does not contradict the first thing I said, because these goals can be ANYTHING; finish a tune, make a certain genre, learn a function of a synthesizer or sampler, etc.

Finally, take yourself seriously. Don't overhype an unfinished tune or make people listen to something where you have to explain how it's going to sound in the future. If you can't speak with the music itself, it's not done and not worth promoting (unless of course you're asking for advice or feedback on what to do with it). I say this because even established producers play the hype game way too much, but the difference is that they at least have the ability and fanbase to back it up. I can't tell you how many times I've heard non-established producers hype up something that I'll never hear, and it really makes an impression on me.

[didi]

Only produce if you're completely happy about gaining no widespread acclaim, or notoriety.

Because then you know you are doing it out of pleasure or because you love the music that you make.

[fuzion]

Dont rely on tutorials to give you all the knowledge in the world, watch them at first and rather than copying everything they do try and take in the information for use later on. Also read up on eq/compression and get a basic understanding on musical theory (saves time later on). And just keep going dont lick any arse in the scene because you'll always be considered as a lesser producer by other artists if you act like that and just practise/experiment

[legend4ry]

And just keep going dont lick any arse in the scene because you'll always be considered as a lesser producer by other artists if you act like that.

I don't care if someones a lick arse if their tunes are good. Everyone needs to suck a bit of bum to get a break... People are more inclined to remember to play your tune if you stay within the vicinity of someones presence, enough to not be annoying but enough to be remembered.


That statement is void.

[Mad_EP]

My best advice - whether it is for a hobbyist who wants to do well, or a professional in the making ....


is this:


KEEP YOUR ASS IN THE CHAIR.


It is easy to get started, it is hard to see things through. Make small little goals for yourself ("I'm gonna get this snare drum sounding right" or "I need to get this bass to sit right in the mix" or "i need to get a better melody" etc etc etc)... and then KEEP YOUR ASS IN THE CHAIR until it happens. You will go through ALL of the levels of Dante's Inferno - but it will be worth it.

[dubbyconqueror]

Have fun with it. The best motivation to do something is to really enjoy yourself while you're doing it. Also, at least when it comes to the way I make music, its important to listen to other music a little more actively and intently than you normally would. Any music, not just the style you hope to make. This is important both to get an idea of how other music really sounds, and some techniques that are used in it, but also, being a sample fanatic, I'd recommend listening with this in mind. An interesting riff, beat, noise, or anything to chop up can be great inspiration to start a song.

[ambinate]

+1 to legend4ry and Mad EP. just put in the time. my biggest regret has always been not writing more when i could have been writing. i think reading/watching tutorials and all that is incredibly important, but nothing beats hands-on experience. i'm sure there are exceptions, but for most of us, you've got to write a lot of shit before you make something good.

[Depone]

I'd say, don't get bogged down in not being able to make a sound you want to make, or a track style you want to make. Id say that the most satisfying part of production is a track coming together from no-ware... random progression.

Also its important that these people find their own style, try not to shoot for bro stardom so early on before they have the tools and skillset to do so.

[Jas0n]

First thought is, don't ever get hung up trying to replicate something. Some will say that all music is a process of replication, but the more specifically you try to replicate something, the more frustrated you'll get when you can't hit the mark, and the more unoriginal your work will be if you come close.

Obviously people who want to get into producing something as specific as "dubstep" (or whatever) do so because they've tasted it and see it as worthy of pursuit. But what a person listens to colors what they produce. So my second thought is, don't listen exclusively to stuff that you fancy your work sounding like. Listen to deadmau5 all day, don't be surprised if you find yourself channeling deadmau5 when you work. Listen to T-Bone Walker then hit your DAW and you'll probably come up with something completely different.

Third and final, as has been suggested above, don't think anyone's going to do the actual creative parts of this for you - creation requires actual knowledge, and knowing is an active process. There are tutorials out there to last a lifetime, how to make X sound with Y setup, and you can cobble it all together to produce something but ultimately it'll sound exactly like what it is - a patchwork of copies of imitations. Rather, learn some theory, learn what knob does what on your synths... learn what the various features of Massive (or whatever) actually do, not just how to arrange things to make Skrillex bass.

[Sharmaji]

it's all well and good to muck about making sounds, seeing what doohickey knob does what to a sound, etc. it's an important part of learning the craft and, simply, knowing what the fuck you're doing.

but it's not making music.

when you have an idea-- it may have come from said mucking about, or it's been keeping you up all night, etc-- THEN you're making music. and as MadEP said, sit down and GET THAT SHIT DONE, SON! see it through until you've exhausted that idea.

so A, don't confuse making sounds with making music, and B, when making music, DO IT. create something.