Hi all, I am by no means an expert but I feel like my production has improved significantly over the past couple months in terms of quality, quantity, and enjoyment. These are a few things I've done recently. Most might be obvious but hopefully some of you that are newer will learn something or be inspired to try something new. Happy music making!
1) have you been putting putting off learning sound design to focus on composition? Stop it. In a week of tinkering with Massive, reading through the manual (and building along the way) and watching pros design some sounds on YouTube, I've come to seriously enjoy designing sounds, something I hated previously. Not only does it feel great to work on a track and select my own sounds over presets, but now when I'm not in the mood to compose, I can spend hours creating new sounds and have a great time.
2) if you've an Ableton user, try to forget about session view entirely for a project. Find some drum samples that you like, stick them all on their own audio tracks, and get to arranging. Seeing everything laid out in this way can really help you visualize how all of your sounds fit together
3) while working with audio, chop that shit up. Pitch it up and down. Stretch it. Reverse it. Move it around. If you're feeling adventurous, consolidate it all back to a single audio clip and start chopping again. This works great for drum breaks, bass lines, vocals and anything in between.
4) do some field recording! I got a Zoom h1 for $100 and it's been a blast going out and trying to find sounds to sample. Clean them up in audacity, name/organize them nicely, and start using them in your tracks for really unique sounds.
5) have you heard of Hooktheory and not yet tried it? Try it. I'm fairly knowledgeable in music theory and I've still found it to be incredibly useful for getting started with a jam when I don't have other ideas.
6) write in a different genre.
7) sing or speak. Record your own vocals! Talk into your computer mic. Then, see (3)
9) the better you get, the more fun production gets. Actively learn new things as often as you can
10) collaborate. Work with other musicians or even invite your less musical friends over for a session if they're interested. Even if they can't articulate how to use a compressor, it can be a lot of fun to bounce ideas off them and introduce them to production.
11) learn the damn keyboard shortcuts.
12) experiment with automating everything
13) if you can't come up with an intro, write a drop/chorus/something else and come back to the intro later
14) learn mixing 101. Izotope's free guide is excellent.
15) if you have access, try DJing. You might find a new appreciation for some genres or artists you didn't really get before
16) listen to more Tipper
Submitted May 04, 2017 at 02:09AM by notaponzischeme https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/695mxi/a_couple_oblique_strategies/?utm_source=ifttt