Dubstepforum.com

If you could go back in time and tell yourself when you were starting out one (or a couple) things you know now that you wish you knew then, what would it be?

Learn mixing sooner, rather than just figuring it wasn't really needed. It will really help you out with making your tracks sound better.

Less plugin effects

StratosFear wrote:Learn mixing sooner, rather than just figuring it wasn't really needed. It will really help you out with making your tracks sound better.

I guess with Dubstep there seems to be a focus on sounding good rather than actually being creative, but I disagree with the above statement. Anyone can mix your track, only you can record your musical ideas. Be creative, do whatever you can to get the ideas in your head down, and then FINISH THE SONG. If after you've mixed down your 3 minute song and decide it sucks, that's cool, that song is done and you can move on to the next one. Just don't get half way through and realise it doesn't sound like [your favourite artist] and chuck it and start again until it does.
I think it was Dan Harmon who pointed out the story of a community college pottery teacher who got half of his class to spend the entire semester working on only one pot while the other half of the class made one pot a day. At the end of the semester all of the best pots came from the daily group.

Just be yourself.

Gusto wrote:

StratosFear wrote:Learn mixing sooner, rather than just figuring it wasn't really needed. It will really help you out with making your tracks sound better.

I guess with Dubstep there seems to be a focus on sounding good rather than actually being creative, but I disagree with the above statement. Anyone can mix your track, only you can record your musical ideas. Be creative, do whatever you can to get the ideas in your head down, and then FINISH THE SONG. If after you've mixed down your 3 minute song and decide it sucks, that's cool, that song is done and you can move on to the next one. Just don't get half way through and realise it doesn't sound like [your favourite artist] and chuck it and start again until it does.
I think it was Dan Harmon who pointed out the story of a community college pottery teacher who got half of his class to spend the entire semester working on only one pot while the other half of the class made one pot a day. At the end of the semester all of the best pots came from the daily group.

Well this was just something I'd tell myself if I could go back. I never really had a problem finishing songs, so I didn't even consider that something I'd tell myself. :O

Just be yourself.

Gusto wrote:

StratosFear wrote:Learn mixing sooner, rather than just figuring it wasn't really needed. It will really help you out with making your tracks sound better.

I guess with Dubstep there seems to be a focus on sounding good rather than actually being creative, but I disagree with the above statement. Anyone can mix your track, only you can record your musical ideas. Be creative, do whatever you can to get the ideas in your head down, and then FINISH THE SONG. If after you've mixed down your 3 minute song and decide it sucks, that's cool, that song is done and you can move on to the next one. Just don't get half way through and realise it doesn't sound like [your favourite artist] and chuck it and start again until it does.
I think it was Dan Harmon who pointed out the story of a community college pottery teacher who got half of his class to spend the entire semester working on only one pot while the other half of the class made one pot a day. At the end of the semester all of the best pots came from the daily group.

100% agree.
Honestly I've heard tracks from people that are fucking sick producers who mix everything well and its really nice sounding but they're garbage from a musical standpoint because these guys spent all their time on the production and making filthy bass but they have 0 musicality to go along with it! Make lots of songs, and even if they sound bad you learn a ton from each one. I banged out 4 terrible tracks over my christmas break and learned a ridiculous amount of stuff from them, and I'm having more fun producing than ever before.

Also... Do WHATEVER it takes to get the music down. If you make a song entirely from presets and do no sound design and steal a drum loop out of a popular song and it sounds good... That is GOOD. Then for the next track you can imitate those sounds or something, but you learned from just doing it. The main thing is getting your music down, as opposed to getting caught up in the processes. For a long time I was obsessed with making my music as organically as deadmau5 ... I gave up on it and now I'm finally getting good at sound design lol.

You can listen to a badly mixed song with good writing, but not a badly written song with good writing. If its poorly written it has NO musical value. Music first, mixing second.

Sometimes making music is a huge pain in the ass and not fun. I hate drum programming but FUCK is it ever worth it once you get something sounding good. I just went sample digging and did some drum processing and put a dope little loop together that really plays off my bassline, but I really did NOT want to hahaha. But it was worth it. Push through the shitty parts.

Music is NOT about making dance floors go off or making yourself a great image, its about your creativity and your creative voice. Genres are outlets for your creativity, find a way to express the things YOU want to express within the genre you're working with. Look at hip-hop, you had wu-tang years ago who were actually gangsters, and now you have Tyler who's a little hipster kid that doesn't party and just writes in his spare time. But his image would suggest otherwise, but that image is also part of his musical creation... It all fits together. Make ART.

If it sounds bad and you put ideas into it that you like... Don't worry about it. Either finish it and call it done, or keep working on it. Don't be afraid to delete parts, redo stuff, or throw out an entire song except for like one loop. I think it was DaVinci or someone who said that artists don't know what to put in, but what NOT to put in.

And... Don't let people that don't make music tell you whats bad and whats good. Musicians support each other, almost without exception on the small scale. I won't ever put someone's musical efforts down, I try to encourage people. If you have haters, they're jealous because they can't do the things you do. Real people show respect.

And one thing I've recently learnt... Link up with some people in real life trying to do the things you do! I recently met a few different people doing producing or rapping or whatever, its good to support each other and have supporters that actually know what they're talking about.

learn proper eq'ing, stereo imaging and gain structure right from the start.

DON'T BUY SONICPRODUCER

go with dubturbo

don't send stuff out to people everytime you finish something

Yes you are drowning everything in reverb and no it does not sound good

Make what you like and have fun producing, not what you think others will like.

Use Google.

Layer your snares.

Walk your own path.

You don't need Massive.

drokkr wrote:Use Google.

Layer your snares.

Walk your own path.

You don't need Massive.

Maybe you don't NEED Massive, but it still is a great fucking tool.

Although the majority is good, forums are fulllllll of bad 3rd hand advice that people like to regurgitate because it makes them sound like they know what they are doing. Debunk these tricks and tips by trying them yourself in a critical manner until you separate the wheat from the chaff.

Listen to 'well known names' advice. their years of hard work are worth listening to.

Every musical artist is different, don’t try and sound like x artist or label, because x will only sound better and more authentic than your attempts to replicate or copy.

Do your own thing, fuck getting on hype missions trying to get 40404040400000+ views for remixing mt eden on your youtube channel, it has no lasting substance, and will be over as soon as its started.

My most important tip:
Don't listen to dubstep before starting a studio session, take inspiration from elsewhere, or it will be a re-cycling of old ideas.

Do I sound pessimistic and pretentious enough?

double post

I would tell myself to stop you tubing and googling and just read the manual.

It would go something like this :
"Don't even get started and have a life instead.
If you're too fucking stubborn to listen to that advice, learn music theory, playing keyboard, layering and the purpose of an EQ.
Have some breaks and stop complaining you don't have enough time"