Much as love isn’t a beautiful romantic Disney story in real life, music production isn’t simply about headlining festivals, signing Billboard #1s, and DJing late-night after parties in Ibiza surrounded by models.
Music production is, in fact, a slog. It’s a magnificent battle that combines a musical art form with the complexities of science.
And I’m not going to lie: I’m a huge fan.
Sitting down and producing or engineering music is one of the most gratifying pleasures I get to experience on a daily basis when everything comes together.
There are, of course, certain drawbacks to music creation.
1. The most primary goal is to finish the music
Place Finishing Music at the top of your priority list. Set deadlines for yourself. Make wagers with your pals. Make every effort to complete at least one song every week or two. If you’re any slower than that, you’re probably not ready to do this full-time.
2. Become used to stealing
From now on, every song you listen to will be a chance for you to steal. Consider that for a moment. Learn to listen to music with a voracious appetite for sound samples.
3. Learn and advance at your own speed
Everything…everything occurs at your own speed in life. Don’t be concerned about the artist who has been working for a quarter of the time you have and is getting greater results.
This is just going to get worse. Maintain a low profile and go to work. Don’t be swayed by that energy. The struggle is genuine, and no one should be constantly comparing themselves to others.
Bonus tip: If you’re worried about what other people think, keep in mind that the typical person has just 10 people weep at their funeral. There are just ten of them. Are any of the individuals you’re worried about going to be among those ten? I doubt it. So get moving and put that energy somewhere else.
4. In the longterm, persistence wins ability
No one is born with greatness. Talent is earned, not given. So work hard, but keep in mind that the race is very lengthy. Don’t work until your eyes bleed every night to exhaust yourself.
5. Accept constructive criticism and comments with an open mind
Receiving regular, dependable feedback on your music will be one of the most essential aspects of honing your sound. Progress is very difficult to achieve without that magical mix of input and real implementation. It’s difficult at first, but learn to ignore helpful comments. If someone writes ‘this stinks’ on your Soundcloud, on the other hand, you have every right to troll them (but I would recommend ignoring them).
6. Writer’s block isn’t real
Sorry. There is no such thing as writer’s block. The main issue is really getting started. Developing regular behaviors that are constant. Are you too exhausted to go for a run? You’ll get into it if you just start. Don’t believe you’ll enjoy yourself at a social gathering? Simply begin preparing. You don’t want to be a musician? Simply open your DAW and play around with a few samples…
7. Listen to a wide variety of music
Listening to music outside of your electronic specialty is not only essential, but absolutely vital when it comes to longevity and feeding creative ideas over and over again. Electronic music may grow monotonous if it isn’t inspired by a variety of genres. It might even be boring. Take your favorite components from many genres and mix and match them to create something totally unique.
8. Invest on knowledge rather than tools
If you spend $100 to learn how to properly utilize compression, it will be more useful than any genuine compressor plugin you ever buy. With retrospect and perfect clarity, I can state that the thousands of dollars I spent at an audio school were more useful than any equipment I ever purchased.
9. Be yourself and don’t change who you are
It’s become a cliché to advise someone to “be yourself,” but with music, this is just as essential. It’s easy to get caught up in the bubble of trying to please an A&R, impressing your fans, or signing with a label. You will burn out if you create music for other people, at the end of the day. It needs to originate from inside you. So there you have it…be loyal to yourself and resist the urge to jump on every bandwagon.
10. Accept rejection as a given
There are millions, if not billions, of manufacturers all attempting to carve out a niche in a very crowded market. You will be turned down. You will be overlooked. It’s just fine.
