Music production belt system

[NinjaEdit]

I've borrowed the belt system from Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

White
0 hours
Amateurish
Tabla rasa. Any bit of knowledge is new.

Blue
1000-2000 hours
Decent
Know the fundementals
ie Basics of the DAW, synthesis, sampling, sequencing, common effects, basic theory, common styles, etc.

Purple
3000-5000 hours
Good
Know everything
ie Advanced use of DAW, synthesis/sampling, effects, theory, etc

Brown
5000-8000 hours
Great
Beginning to find own voice, refined use of tools, etc.

Black
7000-11000 hours
Master
Innovative sound, perfected use of tools.


So where do you fit on the system? Do you think this helps you understand where you are, and what you need to do to progress? And how does this system compare with your experience in electronic music production?

I think I'm a brown belt electronic music producer, but a black belt musician.

[ehbes]

it'd like to think brown..

[Tad]

Light Blue.

White, slowly turning blue. ;D

[MassAphekt]

purple

[Attila]

By those standards none of us are black belts at anything. I think finding your own voice happens earlier in the process too (or I at least hope so haha). Releases and career progression should be added as well. That said, im somewhere between blue and purple.

[Hircine]

it's not the belt or the kimono, not even the tatami. it's the fighter. a fist performing a move is nothing without a peaceful mind controlling it.

[Mexztah]

it's not the belt or the kimono, not even the tatami. it's the fighter. a fist performing a move is nothing without a peaceful mind controlling it.

But I think I'm somewhere between blue and purple

[python453]

Eh, don't think it takes 1000 hours to learn the fundamentals of "DAW, synthesis, sampling, sequencing, common effects, basic theory, common styles, etc."
1000 hours is a bit much for the basics imho.

[supaOGninja]

At purple you "know everything"?
Why even have brown and black belt then?

Also no one knows everything about music production. Or ever will. It's impossible.
Simply way too much to learn. You never stop learning and growing, such is life.

Think your system needs some adjustments

[outbound]

Not to sound big headed or anything but I am black-belt at life in general

[NinjaEdit]

At purple you "know everything"?
Why even have brown and black belt then?

Knowing everything isn't the end of it. It's how you use it.

Also no one knows everything about music production. Or ever will. It's impossible.
Simply way too much to learn. You never stop learning and growing, such is life.

There's only so many effects. At some point it would be more useful to stop learning new information, and start using what you know in a better, more original way.

One way of looking at it is that a brown belt consistantly creates better music than a purple belt, and a black belt consistently creates better music than a brown, although they all know as much.

[wub]

White, for obvious reasons

[nowaysj]

Brown w/innth system. Knownthentoolsnwhich situation a particular tool will change.

Am just getting to the poinT where I'm momentarily getting what I want usually. I find myself using a process several times across tracksAn desk, gotta go

[VirtualMark]

Purple
3000-5000 hours
Good
Know everything

I'd like to think anyone who knew everything would be a black 10th dan or something.

Personally i'd say on that scale i'm blue. I still learn new stuff every day, still watching tons of tutorials, practicing making sounds/tunes/patches etc. I find software easy to learn, but struggle with composition and sound design.

[NinjaEdit]

Maybe purple belt could be rephrased as everything you need to know. It's like a bachelor degree.

[Ocelots Revolver]

I'd say I'm still a white belt in music production.


I'm a brown belt in BJJ though

[efence]

Black
7000-11000 hours
Master
Innovative sound, perfected use of tools

been producing for 15 years now but i wouldn't say i've perfected use of tools.
with new software/gear, new synthesis and techniques and efx im always learning new stuff. not to mention daw updating to new versions every 2 years or so

[Today]

OP is so modest. Black belt musician, huh. Post vids on your chosen instrument. if they rival Jimmy Smith's organ playing, you win.

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Probably like blue-ish. But really its not about where you are at, but how you can improve on what you have i guess.

[Sharmaji]

"knowing everything" implies that there's a limit to what you can know about music.... which ain't how it works.