Things you wish you knew when you started producing?

[paravrais]

That Reason is shite for mixdowns and that Record really didn't improve on the mixing abilities that much. Coulda saved me a lot of time and money.

[jaydot]

That no matter how good I feel about a track directly after producing it I'd end up disliking it a few weeks later.

[sixth sense]

You don't want to know anything trust me

[Wrigzilla]

Well I wish I'd have learned sooner that digital clipping was bad and how to get a good gain structure.

And going on into the stages where I started gaining some decent production skills - that a bad tune with good production < a great tune with shit production.

I wouldn't be as good as I am now without those earlier stumbling blocks, so I have few regrets on the production side of things

[Dankstep]

Awesome post Manic. I especially agree with the lines
"-don't force yourself to finish a song. if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, you can always save it for later.

-SAVE IT FOR LATER. don't get rid of your old songs because you think they suck."
when I first started I would sit there getting frustrated when a song wasnt going anywhere and instead of being smart and just moving on to something else for the time being i'd try to force the song out of me and it usually ended with me getting pissed off and just quiting alltogether for the day. obviously not a good way to go about learning production if you're constantly getting frustrated.

and what nowaysj said about learning music theory/how to play keys is definitely gonna help you get your ideas up faster and sound better.. song structuring is super important too.

I wish someone had sat me down and explained the benefits of creating my own synth patches as opposed to just skimming through presets until I found something I liked. Would've saved me at least 2yrs of fannying about.

Recently realized i should be doing this a looot more. although its always good to look through presets and when you find something that makes you go "hey that sounds kinda cool, i wonder how that sound is made" and then going in and looking/fiddling with the controls and trying to grasp what parameters make a certain sound or effect etc. but definitely choose a synth you like, stick with it and learn it inside and out and MAKE YOUR OWN SOUNDS. Definitely gonna buckle down on this more myself.

That no matter how good I feel about a track directly after producing it I'd end up disliking it a few weeks later.

I definitely experience this especially on my first few "tracks". Ill have friends saying "that songs good man, why dont you like it?".. It always made sense to me that you should be the most critical of yourself moreso than anyone else as a producer if you want to improve.

A pretty big thing for me is, YOU DONT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE WORKING ON A TRACK. Open up your DAW and just mess around, experiment. How are you going to learn if you dont actually get in there and find out "hey this does that, or oh wow i never knew that did this" etc. Tutorials and whatnot are great, but you can't limit yourself to only learning from someone else.

[jrisreal]

-learn music theory inside and out and then - forget all of it. (No, really)

Story of my life. (No, really)

-try to get the idea down as quick as you can before designing the sounds. (I text myself ideas and hum melodies into my phone constantly at work.

I do this all the time at school or wherever. Sucks that my phone can only pick up my beatbox, never my hummed melodies :'(

-don't force yourself to finish a song. if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, you can always save it for later.

-SAVE IT FOR LATER. don't get rid of your old songs because you think they suck.

Good advice here. Keep them ALL, you may have some fun looking at your progress and remembering your first tune.

[hifi]

i wish I knew how to stfu. that is what most noobs need to learn when they start posting on the production forum, not trying to sound offensive hear. a perfect example would be chad

[Shum]

That I should spent money earlier than I did to get guys in to sort out the business side of things (fucking music industry stnuc).

[Manic Harmonic]

I can't believe I forgot this... if you get nothing else out of this thread, BACK UP YOUR HARD DRIVE! Invest in a 1tb or more hard drive. I've been seriously depressed for weeks before because I lost EVERYTHING. And make sure you back it up right. If you're hard drive goes out, it really sucks to figure out why samples are missing, and why certain plugins wont work, why certain songs wont open, etc.

And

If you're going to buy gear, research it VERY thoroughly. Impluse buys can be expensive mistakes,

[zerbaman]

-
-drugs don't make your music "better" or "worse," they just make it different.

[jaydot]

-
-drugs don't make your music "better" or "worse," they just make it different.

Have you deleted soundcloud?

[hutyluty]

That Reason is shite for mixdowns and that Record really didn't improve on the mixing abilities that much. Coulda saved me a lot of time and money.

tell me more- the eqs do seem a bit awkward- are other programmes better?

[Turnipish_Thoughts]

Everything i know music wise now...

[victor w]

Like when I VERY FIRST started...like the first days (or hours haha)? Oh god there was so much shit that is just beyond second nature now that I had zero clue about. Like how to draw midi, or that a mixer was a necessity if you wanted more than one device to be used. Lol. But like 6 months into producing (a year ago I suppose?) I guess it would be...sidechaining my basses, leaving room for my kick, how to get pristine proper kicks that are present through the mix, how to be more melodic and use more pads and chords.

[Mad_EP]

That even after releasing a handful of records - even on good labels, one eventually has to go back to the demo sending grind at one point in time or another.

[wizeguy]

-
-drugs don't make your music "better" or "worse," they just make it different.

Have you deleted soundcloud?

i was wondering the same thing, went to listen to a tune of yours that i'd favourited and it was gone?

[ogunslinger]

I wish I didn't spend all my time polishing turds!

[AfterEmpire]

(I text myself ideas and hum melodies into my phone constantly at work.)

I have to say, I find that quite odd. The most I'll ever think about when it comes to producing music when I'm not at home is just the arrangement of a preexisting track, and how I could better it. At least for the most part.

Lol i love when i find myself or other ppl humming dubstep sounds! so fucking funny.

only advice i have is,

Make something that sounds good to YOU.

If you try and create what you think other folks wanna hear its gonna be shit.

[Shum]

I wish I didn't spend all my time polishing turds!

Pretty much all of my initial studio jobs (say over a 3-5 year period) were exercises in this and I learnt loads. Becoming a fine turd polisher is a skill that few here will ever acquire, keep working on it I say.

[Gurnumsbug]

I'm still pretty terrible but at least I understand a little more! lol
But I wish I knew more about layering drum samples! Just checked a couple old tunes and they were just embarrassing!