Tag Archive for: creative process

Rituals, Routines, and Habits in Music Production

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For us musicians, where creativity meets discipline, the secret symphony lies in the art of rituals, routines, and habits. Like the intricate notes of a melody, these elements intertwine to create a harmonious process that elevates musicians from novices to virtuosos. From finding the perfect hook to crafting intricate arrangements, these rituals serve as the conductor’s baton, guiding musicians through the labyrinth of creation. In this melodic exploration, we delve into the common threads that tie these practices together and uncover their transformative impact on the journey of music production.

 

One thing I observe with people I know and work with, is their lack of organization or time for making the music they want to do. Taking the time to make space for self care is an important thing for enabling more satisfying sessions. That’s what we’re all interested in, no? So why not allowing ourselves healthier skills?

Most of the time, it seems like many artists have the impression, or superstition, that their unhealthy way does it better. Call it self medication or stubbornness, one can stick to it until it works no more or because they’ve entered a self destruction phase.

So let’s talk about upgrading your sessions.

Let’s define what each mean.

1. Ritual: A ritual is a set of actions, behaviours, or practices that are carried out with a sense of purpose, intention, and often a deeper meaning. Rituals are typically associated with symbolism, significance, and a heightened sense of awareness. They are performed to mark a specific event, transition, or moment and often carry cultural, spiritual, or personal significance. In the context of music production, a ritual might involve a specific pre-recording meditation, setting up a particular workspace arrangement, or even a symbolic gesture before starting the creative process. Rituals can help create a focused and intentional mindset, bringing a sense of reverence and mindfulness to the creative endeavour.

Rituals are intentional practices with symbolic meaning, often used to bring mindfulness, focus, and deeper significance to a specific activity or event.

2. Routine: A routine is a sequence of tasks or activities that are regularly followed in a specific order. Routines provide structure and predictability to daily life. Unlike rituals, routines might not carry the same level of symbolic or spiritual significance. Instead, routines serve practical purposes and can encompass a range of activities, from the mundane tasks of daily hygiene to more complex processes like a musician’s routine for setting up equipment before a recording session. Routines provide a sense of organization, help manage time efficiently, and establish a consistent pattern for accomplishing tasks.

Routines are sequences of tasks that provide structure and organization to daily life, helping manage time and accomplish various activities in a systematic manner.

3. Habit: Habits are automatic behaviours that have been repeated consistently over time until they become ingrained in our daily lives. They require minimal conscious thought and effort to perform. Habits can be positive or negative, and they often develop as a result of repetition. In the context of music production, a habit could be a regular schedule of practicing an instrument, a daily ritual of listening to music for inspiration, or even the tendency to start each recording session with a cup of coffee. Habits are powerful because they shape our behaviour over the long term, whether for creative endeavours or daily routines.

Habits are automatic behaviours that develop through repetition and become ingrained in our routines, shaping our long-term actions and behaviours.

Rituals, Routines, and Habits: A Collective Symphony

 

1. The Prelude: Setting the Stage

Rituals, routines, and habits all share a common purpose: setting the stage for productive creativity. Just as a well-rehearsed orchestra tunes their instruments before a performance, musicians tune their minds and environment through consistent practices. These practices create a mental framework, signalling to the brain that it’s time to enter the creative zone.

There are multiple little things that you can do to enhance your studio and make it cozier and providing inspiration.

 

1. Thoughtful Lighting: Using LED lights that you can change the colors is a great way to change the mood on the fly. using candles is also lovely.

2. Comfortable Furniture: Invest in comfortable furniture, such as a cozy chair or a comfortable couch where you can take breaks and listen to your work. Also useful for visitors.

3. Personal Touches: Decorate the studio with items that inspire you, such as artwork, posters, or memorabilia related to your favorite musicians or bands. Personal touches can make the space feel uniquely yours and spark your creativity. Seeing people who inspire me to create helps but it has been shown that having picture of people you care for that look at you can raise your efficiency.

4. Acoustic Treatment: Incorporate acoustic panels, diffusers, and bass traps to improve the sound quality of your studio. Not only do these treatments enhance the acoustics, but they also contribute to a more professional and inviting atmosphere. In general, this is a must.

5. Natural Elements: Integrate natural elements like indoor plants, flowers, or even a small tabletop fountain. Greenery adds a refreshing touch to the studio and can create a calming ambiance.

6. Inspiring Colors: Choose colours that evoke the right emotions for your creative process. Soft, muted tones can promote a relaxed atmosphere, while vibrant colours might energize your space. Experiment with colour combinations that resonate with you.

7. Inspirational Quotes: Hang up motivational or inspirational quotes on the walls to keep you inspired and focused during challenging moments. These can serve as reminders of your creative journey.

8. Proper Organization: Keep your studio tidy and organized. Use shelves, storage containers, and cable management solutions to reduce clutter and create a clean workspace. An organized environment can lead to a clearer mind and more efficient work.

9. Personal Soundscapes: Play ambient sounds, like gentle rain or a crackling fireplace, to create a cozy atmosphere while you work. These sounds can help reduce stress and enhance focus.

10. Multi-Sensory Experience: Engage multiple senses by including scented candles, incense, or essential oil diffusers. A pleasant aroma can contribute to a relaxing and inspiring environment.

11. Comfortable Flooring: Choose a comfortable flooring option, such as a soft rug or carpet, to provide insulation and cushioning for long hours spent standing or sitting. Carpet can also help with acoustics.

12. Creative Break Spaces: Designate a cozy corner for relaxation and brainstorming. A bean bag chair, floor cushions, or even a hammock can provide a comfortable space to step away from your workstation and let your ideas flow.

13. Inspiring Instruments: Keep your instruments within arm’s reach to encourage spontaneous creativity. Display your guitars, keyboards, or other instruments prominently, so they serve as constant reminders of your musical pursuits.

 

2. Finding the Motif: Inspiring Creativity

 

Whether it’s a pre-recording meditation or a daily walk in nature, rituals stimulate inspiration by encouraging mindfulness and presence. Studies suggest that these practices activate the brain’s creative center, enhancing the ability to make connections and generate novel ideas—a valuable asset in the search for musical hooks.

1. Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness meditation involves focusing your attention on the present moment without judgment. You can start by focusing on your breath, gradually expanding your awareness to sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Regular practice can improve your ability to stay present and focused in various situations.

2. Guided Meditation: Guided meditation involves following the instructions of a recorded voice or a meditation app. It can lead you through visualizations, body scans, or relaxation techniques, helping you stay engaged and centered.

3. Breath Awareness: Concentrating on your breath is a simple yet effective technique. Observe each inhale and exhale, noticing the sensations as you breathe in and out. This practice can help anchor your attention and calm your mind.

4. Body Scan Meditation: In this practice, you systematically focus on different parts of your body, bringing awareness to physical sensations and releasing tension. It’s a way to cultivate bodily awareness and maintain focus.

5. Mantra Meditation: Using a repetitive word, phrase, or sound (mantra) can help direct your attention and quiet the mind. The repetition can be soothing and help prevent distractions.

6. Visualization: Visualization involves imagining a peaceful scene or a goal you want to achieve. Focusing on this mental image can help you concentrate and foster a sense of positivity.

7. Walking Meditation: Instead of sitting, you can practice meditation while walking slowly and mindfully. Pay attention to each step, the movement of your body, and your surroundings.

8. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This technique involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in your body. It can reduce physical tension and improve your ability to focus.

9. Yoga: Yoga combines physical movement, breath control, and mindfulness. The combination of these elements can help you improve focus, flexibility, and overall well-being.

10. Tai Chi: Tai Chi is a slow, flowing movement practice that promotes relaxation and mindfulness. It can enhance balance, coordination, and mental clarity.

11. Binaural Beats: Binaural beats are auditory illusions created by playing two slightly different frequencies in each ear. They’re believed to affect brainwave patterns and can aid in achieving different states of focus and relaxation.

12. Colouring or Drawing: Engaging in creative activities like colouring or drawing intricate patterns can have meditative effects, as they require sustained focus on the task at hand.

3. The Crescendo: Engaging in Routine

 

Routine, often synonymous with discipline, plays a crucial role in music production. Just as a musician practices scales daily to refine their technique, establishing routine can aid in refining skills such as recording, editing, and arrangement. Research indicates that regular routines enhance focus, memory, and overall cognitive abilities, all of which are integral in the intricate process of producing music.

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I strongly encourage certain things as a routine such as:

  • Dividing your studio session in different phases (brainstorming, Concept testing, editing, loop patterns, arrangements, mixing) and approaching them one at a time.
  • Working on a song for 30 minutes and then work on another. Working on multiple tracks at once is helpful for self validation.
  • Taking breaks every 10 minutes for a few minutes.

All these will be helpful to develop as a routine as they’ll provide you the necessary to feel more satisfied with what you do.

 

4. Harmonizing the Elements: Rituals for Arrangement

Arranging a musical composition can be akin to composing a complex symphony. Here, rituals provide the structure necessary to weave different musical elements into a coherent whole. Studies highlight that rituals promote a sense of control and reduce anxiety—essential ingredients for tackling the intricate task of arranging various elements into a seamless composition.

Arrangements are to music, what the scenario is to a movie. Stories are made in so many different ways that to dive into how to do it, it’s important to get inspiration from storytellers you love. Personally, I love David Lynch and here are some of the points that he uses for his stories.

His style is characterized by surrealism, dreamlike sequences, and a blend of the mundane and the mysterious. Here are some key aspects of David Lynch’s approach to storytelling:

1. Embrace of the Subconscious: Lynch often delves into the subconscious and explores the depths of human psychology. His stories frequently incorporate dreamlike elements, blurring the lines between reality and the inner workings of the mind. This approach allows him to tap into universal emotions and fears that resonate on a deeply emotional level.

2. Dark and Mystical Atmosphere: Lynch’s storytelling often features dark and mysterious atmospheres that create a sense of unease and suspense. He blends the ordinary with the uncanny, infusing the mundane with an air of mystery that keeps viewers engaged and intrigued.

3. Visual Symbolism: Symbolism plays a significant role in Lynch’s work. He often uses visual symbols and metaphors to convey complex themes and emotions. These symbols may be recurring motifs or objects that hold deeper meanings within the context of his stories.

4. Unconventional Narrative Structures: Lynch is known for subverting traditional narrative structures. His stories may not follow a linear path, and he’s willing to leave certain aspects open to interpretation. This unconventional approach invites viewers to engage with the material on a more contemplative level, often sparking discussions and theories about the meanings behind his work.

5. Exploration of Dark Themes: Lynch’s stories frequently explore dark and taboo themes, such as violence, identity crisis, and the duality of human nature. He is unafraid to confront uncomfortable subjects and present them in a way that challenges the audience’s perceptions.

6. Use of Sound and Music: Lynch pays meticulous attention to sound and music in his storytelling. The auditory elements in his films contribute to the overall atmosphere and mood, enhancing the viewer’s experience and adding an additional layer of depth.

7. Character Depth and Ambiguity: Lynch’s characters often have hidden depths, and their motivations might remain ambiguous. This approach invites viewers to actively engage with the characters and their journeys, encouraging introspection and analysis.

8. Collaborative Approach: Lynch often collaborates closely with artists, musicians, and other creatives to bring his stories to life. This collaborative approach results in multi-dimensional works that integrate various artistic forms.

Perhaps these will raise some ideas.

Creating Your Own Musical Overture: Crafting Personal Rituals and Routines

 

1. Identify Your Goals:

Before crafting your rituals and routines, define what aspects of music production you’d like to enhance. Are you seeking greater inspiration, improved focus, or a more organized approach to arrangement?

 

2. Harness the Power of Consistency:

Choose rituals and routines that resonate with you and align with your creative process. Consistency is key—repetition helps solidify the connection between the practice and the desired outcome.

1. Set Clear Goals: Define specific and achievable goals for your music practice and performance. Having clear objectives gives you a sense of direction and purpose, making it easier to stay motivated and consistent.

2. Create a Schedule: Establish a regular practice schedule and stick to it. Consistency thrives on routine. Whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly, having dedicated time for practice helps build momentum.

3. Start Small: Avoid overwhelming yourself with overly ambitious goals. Start with manageable practice sessions, gradually increasing the duration and complexity as your consistency improves.

4. Break It Down: Divide your practice sessions into smaller, focused segments. This approach helps prevent burnout and allows you to work on specific areas of improvement.

5. Practice Mindfully: Quality matters more than quantity. Focus fully on your practice without distractions. Engage in deliberate practice by identifying areas that need improvement and working on them purposefully.

6. Use a Practice Journal: Keep a practice journal to track your progress, challenges, and areas of improvement. This reflection helps you identify patterns, celebrate milestones, and stay accountable.

7. Embrace Repetition: Consistency is built through repetition. Repeatedly practicing scales, exercises, and songs helps you develop muscle memory and master techniques over time.

8. Prioritize Consistency Over Intensity: Regular, shorter practice sessions are often more effective than sporadic intense sessions. Consistency builds steady progress, while intensity can lead to burnout.

9. Find Accountability: Share your goals and practice routine with a friend, teacher, or fellow musician. Accountability can motivate you to stay consistent and track your progress.

10. Reward Yourself: Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Treat yourself after reaching milestones to reinforce positive behavior.

11. Embrace Imperfection: Perfectionism can hinder consistency. Accept that progress involves making mistakes and learning from them. Focus on improvement rather than flawless execution.

12. Stay Inspired: Seek inspiration from other musicians, genres, and styles. Exploring new musical territories can reignite your passion and keep your practice engaging.

13. Be Patient: Consistency takes time to yield noticeable results. Don’t get discouraged by slow progress. Keep the long-term perspective in mind.

14. Mix It Up: Vary your practice routine to prevent monotony. Experiment with different practice techniques, styles, and genres to keep your sessions fresh.

15. Rest and Recovery: Incorporate rest days into your routine. Rest is essential for preventing burnout and maintaining physical and mental well-being.

16. Adapt and Adjust: Life can be unpredictable. If you miss a practice session, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, adapt your schedule and get back on track as soon as possible.

3. Mindfulness and Presence:

Integrate mindfulness into your rituals. Whether it’s a pre-recording breathing exercise or a quiet moment before arrangement, cultivating mindfulness can amplify your creative presence.

My favorite book about this practice is “Wherever you go, there you are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

4. Document Your Journey:

Keep a journal to track the impact of your rituals and routines on your music production process. Reflect on moments of breakthrough, increased focus, or enhanced inspiration.

I personally love the Voice Memos on my iPhone to record some notes.

 

5. The Science Behind the Symphony: Insights from Studies

  • A study published in the “Creativity Research Journal” found that engaging in consistent creative rituals enhances creativity and provides a sense of control over the creative process.
  • Research in the “Journal of Neuroscience” reveals that mindfulness practices, often integrated into creative rituals, stimulate the brain’s default mode network, fostering divergent thinking and innovative ideas.
  • The “Journal of Experimental Psychology” suggests that routines can boost cognitive performance and improve memory, thus facilitating efficient editing and arrangement tasks.

 

In Conclusion: The Symphony of Productivity and Creativity

As musicians compose their sonic tapestries, the interplay of rituals, routines, and habits creates a symphony that resonates with discipline and inspiration. Just as a symphony conductor meticulously directs each note, crafting your own set of practices can transform your music production journey into a harmonious masterpiece. By understanding the common threads that unite these practices and embracing their transformative impact, you’ll not only find the hooks and arrangements that resonate but also unlock the full potential of your creative symphony.

References From Clients And Exercises

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When it comes to making music or mixing, you sort of need to start somewhere and to get inspired by others if often a good way to get started. There’s a lot of misconception on how to use references. While I covered that in a past article, I thought I’d go deeper on the topic. 

 

While there’s no right or wrong way to use references, I often use references for one thing in it. It can be a sound that intrigues me, a type of sequence, rhythm or concept that tickles my brain into trying to reverse engineer it. While I can most of the time understand what is going on, it doesn’t mean I can reproduce it as is. Some clients that I coach became really good at reproducing what they hear, sometimes with my help or not.

 

But the idea is to try something out and be open to where that will bring you next.

 

While I do a lot of production from clients, sometimes people wonder what others are into, who are the artists to follow but also, who are the artists that I personally follow for my own inspiration.

 

Many times, I have clients who start an idea based on a reference but they struggle to get it “right” as they want. I give here a few things to check first in order to get things started properly (in other words, this is where clients fail).

 

Load your reference song in Ableton (or other DAW) and you may solo it at first to be able to compare it to your project. I would advise to lower the volume of your reference as it may be mastered while yours isn’t.

 

There are a few initial points to consider:

 

  1. The tone: Use either an FFT analyzer (SPAN from Voxengo is free or Fabfilter ProQ3) on the master to see if the tone is similar. Is the curve similar or different from you

 

  1. Root Key/Scale: You can use a Key detector on your reference to see what is the root key and scale, then check if yours is set properly. While you don’t need to have the same as your reference, some clients don’t realize that their different elements are not in the same key. This will often translate with the feeling that the song doesn’t feel one or perhaps, that is sounds off. Note that it might sound off if you were overexposed and then you got used to it but for a fresh pair of ears, it might be awkward sounding.

 

  1. Speed and rhythm: Find the BPM of your reference and try to match it to yours. What is the time signature.

 

Lately I’ve been enjoying Decoda as a full analysis software. You can do so much with it as well as extract melodies in midi. I find it essential to work with demanding clients.

 

When it comes to artists my clients love the most, I compiled a few and will drop a few words why they are loved.

 

Ricardo Villalobos

Not a surprise here since he’s one of my favorite artists and a lot of people come to me know that I spent decades understanding his unorthodox style and can explain how certain of his songs are made. Love or hate him, that guy has certainly develop his own persona when it comes to production and his music composition is always opening new grounds to what you can do in music.

 

 

Things he has inspired us: 

 

  • Making super long tracks with more or less structure can be fun.
  • Leaving your songs sloppy has a more human side.
  • Combining really weird sounds all together can work if you keep some elements one can refer to.
  • Not afraid to sample obscure records as the main idea of his songs.

 

Ricardo is known to have a huge collection of modular synths but compared to many people who have a lot, he records new tests weekly so you can see the wide array of his tools. 

 

Exercises related to studying to his music:

 

– Use VCV to try the modular thinking he use and randomize some elements for madness.

– Polyrhythms are the key here with uneven time signature. Also look into Euclidean rhythms.

– Ric uses a lot of granular synthesis on percussion instruments or synths.

 

Vid

 

 

This is another that is often referred to as a reference. People love the simplicity and yet complex songs he makes. As opposed to Villalobos, his songs are quite polished and organized.

 

Things he has inspired us: 

 

  • Atmospheric techno is quite fun to make and is both exciting, while meditative.
  • Lush pads over field recordings are hypnotizing.
  • Dark tone gives a more mysterious vibe.

 

Exercises related to studying to his music:

 

  • Collect field recordings and ambient space sounds such as a restaurant or a church inside.
  • Grooves and beats that are groovy are worth being studied and I often recommend looking into pre-made loops and then copycat them. Removing a lot of the sustain of percussion to keep them short really helps having a minimal house feel.
  • He often doesn’t have bright elements and keeping sounds low will give a mysterious vibe.

 

Pablo Bolivar (Or Dub Techno)

 

Since I have a long background in dub techno, I get a lot of questions on how those pads are made. While it is not necessarily complicated, it still needs a bit of tweaking because what makes the dub techno pads captivating is the always moving side of them. That is coming from modulation or automation. Pablo does a great job of picking some nice sounds, pads and beautiful, lush melodies which makes him a reference for a lot of clients.

 

Things he has inspired us: 

  • A lot of classic dub techno has a 1 or 2 notes melodies, going full on minimal. Pablo brings in simple melodies but more complex than 2 notes which gives it memorable moments. 
  • Super clean production and mixes. Nothing unnecessary is ever added.
  • Just like Vid, his approach to have dynamic ambient makes it enjoyable for relaxation or dancing.

 

Exercises related to studying to his music:

 

  • Use a key root with a minor scale. Minor chords as well to complement the melody. Most of his melodies are 4-5 notes maximum. Consider doing chord progressions.
  • Use field recordings to complement the melodies.
  • Percussion are fairly straightforward here and repetitive. It does a fine job.

 

J Dilla

I wouldn’t say that anyone contacted me to make music exactly like him but I do have some clients into lofi hip hop, which in my opinion, is a derivative from J Dilla. He’s from the MPC generation where people would sample records and then play with it. His album “Donuts” is considered an innovative album for hip hop and is worth listening to it.

 

Things he has inspired us: 

 

  • Sampling blatantly and being bold about it. Sample some music from any source and use short notes of it, either to make your hook or to put an accent on whatever is happening. 
  • Go short. Learn to make songs that are under 3 minutes long. A challenge for techno but for electronic music, it’s an exercise that forces you to be straight to the point.
  • Exaggerate on swing for your percussion. Try to push it to the max to see what happens. 

 

Exercises related to studying to his music:

 

  • As stated above, those learning are also things to try. But I would recommend digging some records at a second hand shop and sample obscure parts.
  • Use a midi controller like the PUSH or with pads and try to manually punch in your beats.
  • Within a clip, play with the warp points to create weird stretches and elastic beats.
  • Slice up beats and reprogram them into a new patterns.

 

Fred Again

I’ve lost interest in pop music years ago and commercial electronic music has always been something I stay away from. But Fred Again has been impressing me for how he makes music and of course, for the end results. The thing about his music is that it’s basically the typical approach from any commercial, standard structure music that is made and good tastes is what matters here.

 

This means understanding chord progressions and working with key/scale is going to be the main focus. Using plugins like Captain Plugins suite will make a huge difference unless you have a lot of patience to learn music theory.

 

There are no shortcuts to this kind of music. But the tools you can use will make it easier.

 

His recent album with Brian Eno is what made me appreciate him. 

 

Daft Punk

 

I’ve been following the pair from 1995 until their separation. I don’t think there’s been many music acts that had the impact over their career like these guys did. It’s mostly due to their desire to innovate but also to take ideas that work really well and pull out some solid ideas to give it a new twist. 

 

In a past article, I was stating that there are 2 main modes when it comes to working on a project: you might want to repeat an idea you love from a song or artists vs you might want to innovate something from what you do.

 

The things I’ve learned from working with clients who want to get inspiration from them are mostly about, once more, digging for samples and then play with them. It’s sort of like what we covered from Dilla, but with a faster pace and 4/4 time signature. There was a point where the French Touch house/disco was all rage. That music was about using a sample with heavy filtering and the classic pumping/ducking effect. This technique is still used nowadays but with a bit more control where you perceive it less.

 

Besides filtering, some notable effects they use that you can explore today: Bit crushing, tape saturation, vocoder, heavy chorus/phaser. They also love a good 909 kit.

 

And to finish up, who are my personal references?

 

Ada Kaleh, Gigi Masin, Jan Jelinek, Rhythm and Sound, Vladislav Delay, Ricardo Villalobos, Matt Dear, Lawrence… but way too many to name.

 

Applying Da Vinci Principles to Music Coaching

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As you already know (well I hope, at this point), one of my speciality is to work with young or veteran music producers and remove struggles so they can create freely. Recently I’ve been studying how Leonardo Da Vinci was learning and creating, so I saw a crossover to what I do. After all, each song we make is basically a creation in itself, an innovation and a prototype for future project of ours. If it’s not already, I invite you right away to think of each song you make as a step taken in a direction that will lead you to greater things.

Leonardo da Vinci, mastered the art of innovation and interdisciplinary thinking, modern musicians and producers can draw inspiration from his principles to unlock their potential in the realm of music production. In this blog post, we will delve into each of the seven principles from the book “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” and explore how they can be skillfully applied to music production, enabling you to become a true maestro in your craft. If you’re seeking to enhance your music coaching journey, embrace these principles as guiding stars to navigate the musical cosmos.

 

Curiosità – Embrace Musical Diversity

 

Leonardo da Vinci’s insatiable curiosity fueled his passion for knowledge and exploration. As a musician and producer, nurturing curiosità involves delving into various musical genres, styles, and cultures. Too often, as a producer, we get obsessed by a genre, a song, an artist and we focus on it for a while, forgetting anything else. Sometimes, the answers to our questions and inspiration pitfalls come from another unexpected source.

Break free from creative boundaries and venture into new territories to experiment with new sounds and musical elements. Diving in genres you dislike, switching to past eras of time, exploring the roots of another country are good places to look into. Drum and Bass took loops from funk. Hip hop samples jazz, while dub techno is inspired by reggae, which has roots in old African music. All genres taps into another culture and this means you can softly break rules by doing the same, whatever genre you’re doing.

TIP for inspiration: Find a genre to explore, pick any song and isolate an instrumental moment where you can hear the main melody then convert it to midi in Ableton.

 

Attend music festivals, workshops, pay attention to street artists and listen to a wide array of musicians from different backgrounds. Learn who inspired your heroes such as Villalobos’ love for Keith Jarrett. This diverse exposure will not only enrich your musical palette but also infuse your productions with unique flavours.

Dimostrazione – Hands-on Learning and Experimentation

 

Da Vinci’s approach to learning through practical experience resonates with music production. Aspiring producers should engage in hands-on experimentation with different instruments, digital audio workstations (DAWs), and audio effects. There is different projects one can do such as DIY reverb units, foley ideas or simply recording percussion out of anything at home.

A fact that I share to clients all the time: practice, practice, practice and make mistakes.

Practice creating diverse arrangements, experiment with modulation and synthesis, and explore various mixing techniques. By consistently practicing dimostrazione, you’ll build a deeper understanding of music production that theory alone can never provide.

TIP: I am curating a Youtube list of experiments you can try. That list is growing everyday and is filled with ideas to try.

Sensazione – Developing a Keen Ear and sharp vision

 

Sensazione refers to the sharpening of one’s senses, and for a musician, this means cultivating a keen ear for music. Train yourself to listen actively to various musical compositions, both old and new. Pay attention to the nuances of melodies, harmonies, rhythm patterns, and the subtle production details that make each piece unique. Regularly practicing ear training exercises will help you identify and appreciate intricate musical elements, allowing you to apply them creatively in your own productions.

 

TIP: Write some few notes and test all music scales to see how it sounds for you. Try all different chords as well. Spending time to know them will help later to understand melodies.

 

While we know music is about the hearing and that ear training is important, I also encourage to train your eyes as well. One thing I disliked when I used to work in a music school was that all teachers were telling students to only rely on their ears and from what I was seeing, that tip was frustrating for them. This is why I tell people to first learn to trust your eyes when you use sound analyzers and then train your ears to make the link with what you see.

As we work with visual tools such as a DAW, training yourself to know what happens when you click here and there or where to find your tools comes with practice but the visual organization is essential for speed. The faster you are with your tools, the more you’ll be in the flow when you think of an idea and want to execute it. This speed and understanding can only happen with practice… yes, once more and now you know it. I notice that even for myself, if I skip a few days of not practicing, I forget some ideas I have.

One thing I invite you to do is to learn and practice critical listening. That skill is extremely important for whatever you want to achieve and you’ll thank me later.

 

Sfumato – Embracing Musical Ambiguity

 

In the realm of music production, Sfumato encourages you to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty. This is where many producers struggle but also, the average listener. In the psychology of music listening, people can be on various modes. One is about listening to a song to reconnect with the mood, emotion, idea because of the emotional craving of having the song inducing that. An other is about discovering something new. Even when someone is open to listening to something new, they’ll have a bunch of personal filters that will make them decide if they like it or not: sounds used, tones, density, speed, scale, etc. If you come with expectations, you’ll most likely be not enjoying it.

Understanding that your listener has it’s own personal story once they listen to your creation will help you understand how you want them to hear it. Finding the right balance of ambiguity is the key to educate your listeners to be able to deal with more.

 

Music is an art form where unexpected twists and creative risks often lead to remarkable breakthroughs. Allow yourself to explore unconventional chord progressions, atypical song structures, and unorthodox sound combinations. Question what others tell you that you can’t do. Of course, some technicalities are essentials but if it’s purely arbitrary and personal tastes, it might be worth exploring the why behind anyone’s discomfort. Embracing the uncertainty will open doors to uncharted musical territories and give your productions a distinct, avant-garde charm.

But uncertainty is also the path of the musician. We don’t know if people will like our music, we don’t know if what we do will be understood, what kind of reaction it will bring us and ultimately, open or slow down our ascension as an artist. To develop ambiguity endurance is a good investment.

 

TIP: Consider that there are so many songs that have technical imperfections that eventually became seen as a risk, that they set the path to new standards. Accepting ambiguity means to accept imperfection, which is hard for perfectionists.

 

Arte/Scienza – Balancing Artistic Vision with Technical Expertise

Leonardo da Vinci famously harmonized art and science, a practice that resonates with music production, especially in electronic music. I firmly believe if he was around, he’d certainly be interested in how electronics can mimic sounds. Balancing your artistic vision with technical expertise is essential for achieving a polished and professional sound. While artistic expression fuels creativity, understanding the technical aspects of audio engineering, mastering, and sound design empowers you to bring your musical ideas to life with precision and finesse.

Some classes, courses and technical knowledge you could look into that would be beneficial could:

  • Studying computer science. I often say that if you’re computer challenged, it will be a hurdle to make electronic music for all the technology needs behind it. Studying how your computer works, hard drive, files management, hardware optimisation and also, coding, will definitely help in one way or another, especially if you have to troubleshoot.
  • Signal flow. Understanding the basics of sound with phase, polarity but also basics as what is loudness, how speakers/monitors work will help. You don’t need to study engineering in itself. But if there’s one concept I find essential, it’s gain staging. Especially for DJs, since so many are completely clueless on how to use a DJ mixer properly, which leads them to misunderstand how music is made. This would also cover bits and sample rate, two concepts essential for basic quality upgrade of your music.
  • Music theory. Maybe not that much needed as one can go a long way with little knowledge but to know the basics will certainly help.
  • Computer logic. If you’re not familiar with Boolean maths, logic (If, Then, etc), I would encourage you to look into it.
  • Sound synthesis. Looking into envelopes, LFOs, MIDI, signal rate, etc. There’s a lot to learn but getting the base will help you across many tools you’ll use because those ideas are general and used across many plugins, synths.

If you want to break rules, you need to understand them first. It will be also useful to be able to criticize all the misleading feedback you’ll read online.

 

Corporalità – Nurturing Physical and Mental Well-being

In the fast-paced world of music production, it’s vital to prioritize your physical and mental well-being. Long hours in the studio can take a toll on your health and creativity. Make time for regular physical exercise, meditation, and activities that rejuvenate your mind. A clear and focused mind leads to enhanced creativity, allowing you to channel your emotions effectively into your musical compositions.

Over the past 30 years, the rave scene and electronic music world has built a lot of glorification upon drugs consumption and many artists received royal treatment for how poorly they’ve treated their body. While I value the importance to celebrate and do experiment, I also think that all the self care possible will do justice on the long run. If your art needs years to be recognized but your health won’t let you see it, then you’re failing your success.

In my case, I see how running, doing workouts and lots of yoga has paid off. The days where I run 10km are extremely productive and more creative than any evenings I spend partying and trying to accomplish something. Finding the balance helps much. I’m happy that in the last few years, there are more importance for healthy lifestyles and I totally see the point of that.

TIP: Learn to spot inner tensions when making music which should be a cue that you need to stop, go for a walk to think about whatever is happening and then come back.

Connessione – Uniting Musical Elements

Finally, embrace Connessione, Leonardo’s principle of recognizing interconnectedness. Music production involves various elements like melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture. Learn to see the bigger picture and identify how each component contributes to the whole. Effortlessly blend diverse musical influences and genres, making your productions a testament to the beauty of unity within diversity.

One exercise I’m doing much these days is to listen to melodies in any song and then pay attention if the notes are going up or down, what is the pattern. Then I pay attention to the rhythms of those notes and see if they come at the same time or not. That kind of attention is a way to observe how music is made across genres in order to see how I can create my own melodies. Any notes can then be applied to my music, maybe also reversed engineered in modular terms, such as a way to use an LFO to create regular melodies.

 

 

As you embark on your music production journey, channel your inner Leonardo da Vinci and embrace his timeless principles. Cultivate curiosity, experiment boldly, and listen attentively to the musical world around you. Embrace ambiguity, balance artistry with technicality, and prioritize your well-being. Recognize the interconnectedness of musical elements, blending diverse influences into your unique compositions. By applying “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” to music production, you’ll unleash your creative genius and pave the way for a remarkable musical legacy.

Tools To Understand Your References

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We’ve all been there—struggling to compose that perfect melody or write those captivating lyrics, only to be hindered by the relentless pursuit of originality. But what if we told you there’s a way to break free from this creative conundrum and discover a whole new dimension of musical ideas?

 

No matter how many times I get to my computer to make music, I’m often on 2 modes: trying to make music that will be completely original or trying to emulate ideas that I love (eg. the opposite of being original). In most cases, I forget that I have fun unless things feel flowy. Luckily there are multiple techniques that can be understood from music we love and there are also many facilitating tools to help understand whatever is the magic of certain songs. I’ll suggest some of the tools I use when I do production for clients.

 

Recently I read the book by Austin Kleon’s book, “Steal Like an Artist,” where we’ll uncover five valuable ideas to set your musical exploration. I felt like I could see how this applied to music.

Embrace the Remix Revolution:

 

In a world overflowing with music, finding absolute originality can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But fear not! Kleon suggests embracing the concept of the remix—a creative collage of existing ideas and influences. Remember, even the most renowned musicians have been inspired by the sounds of yesteryear. So, dive into the archives, explore different genres, and let the magic of cross-pollination unleash your musical prowess!

The first exercise I give to any client who is in a writer’s block that won’t go away, I suggest them to get a bunch of loops and start remixing, without any goal. I would like to say that while this is the best remedy for most cases, some feel like this is stealing samples and such. But if the mind is stuck, it’s mostly due to overthinking. Getting the ball rolling with a simple exercise of playing with premade ideas is just an opened door to jump back and then expand to whatever feels right.

 

TIP: It’s hard not to have fun by using the vast amount of quality loops you’ll find on Splice. It also offers possibilities of rent to own synths, plugins or have presets for the genres you like. It also has a desktop app where you can preview loops, then import them in your DAW. I like also that you can sync the app with your project’s tempo by using the Splice VST.

 

Another alternative is to use Loopcloud, which is a bit like Splice but also features some tools like a really lovely drum machine where you can import any sounds from the library. 

 

TIP 2: I like to use Soundsnap for samples. It features so many found sounds, foleys, random recordings. It’s used in movies and it can be used in your songs as well.

 

Swipe Ideas, Not Identity:

As musicians, it’s natural to aspire for a unique sound that sets us apart. However, trying to force originality often leads to creative paralysis. Instead, take a leaf out of Kleon’s book (literally!) and steal ideas shamelessly. But here’s the catch: focus on the elements you admire and rework them into something entirely your own. Give credit where it’s due, but don’t be afraid to put your personal spin on things. After all, the world doesn’t need another copycat—it needs the extraordinary blend that only you can create!

Now, remixing can be more subtle. You could listen to Keith Jarrett, some old Studio One dub, modern classical and then pay attention to the sound used, how they are said (melody) and the space created. 

 

What are you noticing? Are the notes slow or fast? Is it dense or open? What is the time signature?

 

Write down the notes, then apply the concept to whatever you do. That’s cross-pollination.

TIP: You can buy MIDI packs or MIDI melodies a bit everywhere and look into ideas that aren’t in the genre(s) you’re doing. The MIDI notes don’t make a sound, they’re just melodies. You can use random harmonic sounds or use synths of your choice so you can pull out melodies that are out of your routine.

TIP 2: So many clients don’t realize that one step towards their songs feeling more professional is to use one root key with a scale. I like the numerous tools from Captain Plugins. They have studio related plugins that lets you understand the key and scale of important ideas or your own melodies (eg. some clients just improvise some melodies to later find out it is in a specific scale without knowing!). You can also look at Tonic for that type of analysis.

 

Curate Your Influences:

Ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat”? Well, in the world of music, “You are what you listen to!” Surround yourself with a diverse range of musical influences. From classical compositions to avant-garde experiments, absorb it all like a musical sponge. By curating a unique tapestry of influences, you’ll develop a rich palette of sounds to draw from. So, don’t be afraid to embark on a sonic adventure—you might just stumble upon the spark that ignites your musical genius!

 

To make quality music, you need to be exposed to quality songs.

 

This means, listen to music as much as you make some. From what you listen, try to diversify your repertoire as much as possible. When you discover an artist you like, dig his roots, early works and recent ones.

 

Befriend people who have deep love for music and ask them for recommendations. People aren’t asked enough about their favorites but it’s a loved topic if you’re into music.

 

I love this max patch that opens up the directory of all the sounds from Freesound.org. I love that site because it’s free but also because you can ask for random samples. I also like this page that gives me random Youtube videos to watch…

 

TIP: Elphnt did a nice patch that gives you ideas for starting new ideas or if you lack ideas at some point.

 

Constraints Set You Free:

 

Contrary to popular belief, constraints can be a musician’s best friend. Kleon emphasizes the importance of setting limitations to unleash your creativity. By giving yourself specific boundaries, such as time restrictions, limited instruments, or even unusual song structures, you force your mind to think outside the box. These self-imposed challenges become the catalyst for innovation, paving the way for musical breakthroughs you never thought possible.

 

TIP: Make yourself a drum kit and just a few samples for your song making. Pick a random songs and use that as a template for yours (BPM, section, mood, key, scale, etc). I love the tool of Decoda because it can really help pulling out a melody or understanding of how a song is arranged.

 

Embrace the Journey:

 

Creating remarkable music isn’t a sprint; it’s a lifelong marathon. As you embark on your musical odyssey, remember to enjoy the ride. Kleon encourages artists to embrace the process rather than obsessing over the end result. Each composition, each practice session, and each stumble along the way is a vital part of your growth as a musician. So, buckle up and savor the adventure, because it’s the journey itself that shapes you into the artist you were meant to be.

 

But what happens when you’re a dad or you have a demanding job and you can’t invest much time into your favorite hobby? The journey becomes a bit more complicated. Can you still embrace the results without having the time to do what needs to be done to get your project going?

 

There you have it, intrepid musicians! Armed with Austin Kleon’s invaluable insights from “Steal Like an Artist,” you now possess the secret weapons to break free from the shackles of creative blockages. Embrace the remix revolution, swipe ideas with pride, curate your influences, thrive within constraints, and, above all, savour the journey.

Remember, the music world is your oyster. So dive in fearlessly, create unapologetically, and let your stolen melodies reshape the very fabric of musical innovation. 

 

Max For Live Gems For Ableton

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(Updated June 23rd 2023)

I’ve been wanting to cover some of my favorite Max patches for a while. There are so many and sometimes, some are just meh and others, will be quite amazing. Since I’m basically hoarding digital tools for my studio, I thought I’d compile a list of some patches that feels like it’s hacking the production flow to the point where it’s like cheating.

 

Every now and then, I’ll be making music and whenever it feels too easy (it doesn’t happen enough though), I always the impression that it’s wrong. 

 

In coaching, I teach that it’s never a problem. My take on this is to harvest ideas when it feels too easy because you might have found a hack and if it sounds good, then it means you found a way to express yourself.

 

This is why I never have enough tools that ease my creativity but I don’t rely on them as a quick fix for something I can normally do. If there’s a shortcut to something that takes a long time, which provides the same results, I’ll always go with the shortcut. Decision fatigue is something that ruins many studio sessions, and the meter goes down whenever you need to fix something or run into a complicated workflow.

 

In terms of tools, I have a few categories and I’ll present them based on a need or problem.

 

I like to think of the different needs related to music coming from different spheres. 

 

Melodies: Sequencing, hook building, not harmonies, slicing/rearranging, generating.

 

Sounds: Design, harmonic/inharmonic, quantized, envelopes.

 

Effects: to be paired with sound sources so there can be variation and alteration.

 

Rhythms: generating, rearranging, unorthodox patterns, familiar patterns, ratcheting.

 

If you read my article about VCV and how the brain, the heart work, you’ll have one central source of sequences in one channel and then, you’ll have other channels that are the sounds who will receive the signal from. This is why I separate my sources and receivers. When you hunt for new ideas, you might have a nice melody but not the right sound or vice versa, so you want to be able to swap between them.

 

This is why I love VCV and modular because you can have built systems of melodies generating tools that send to multiple sound sources.

 

1- Sequencing : I want to create different rhythms or find patterns out of my usual flow

 

When it comes to sequencing, there are multiple ways to do it. You can use a note pattern from a midi clip if you want precise ideas. This is useful to lay the main idea of a song and to have direct control over the development of a pattern. But when it comes to generating ideas, I find that step sequencers that have random options, probabilities, phrase length adjustments to name a few, are super useful. It turns your machine into an idea maker and then you can cherry pick what suits your idea.

 

Drum sequencers that come top of the list for me are XO by XLN and Atlas. Both are quite similar but they offer in-context sample swapping, as well as sample organization, so it becomes really easy and fast to swap a sound to see what it would be like. Both offer different complementary ideas which is why I often use both but they’re not cheap.

 

Otherwise, if you want a quick fix, the Alexkid Instant Haus max patch is a free alternative. It will create some different rhythms for all your percussion instruments but you can use it to sequence notes or swap percussive for musical elements. Sadly there is no Max patch to hear percussions in context like Xo does. If you like that one, he also made other bundles that are pretty badass here, with more generating ideas for percussion.

 

I saw this patch here that is quite interesting. It is there to generate ideas so there are some nice potential. Also super powerful, comes Polyrhythm by Encoder audio, which is one of my favorite developers.

 

I also like Eucledean Pro because it uses the classic Euclidean approach to create beats.

 

Not long ago, a new max sequencer came out and it’s named Opal. It’s very influenced by Elektron machines. It’s really dope and can achieve so much for drums but also just for textures and even melodies. Powerful.

 

2 – Sequencing Melodies : Generate hooks, phrases and musical ideas

 

There are many ways to create a hook. You can use sampling (we’ll get there later), play melodies, extract melodies, combine sounds to make something catchy, record instruments or sounds… All those pretty much cover the main ways to find a hook. Depending on a specific genre, a technique might be used more frequently. 

 

For ambient and electronic music, in general, sequencing ideas/notes to a synth or sound source is quite popular. Basslines, pads, chords and melodies are often coming from the piano roll. But you could use a melodic sequencer to do so.

 

I’m obsessed with melody sequencers. They’re fun but they also feel like you have a partner which you can tap endless ideas from.

 

Here are some of my favorites:

 

Pattern Generator by Manifest audio. Solid for creating complex or simple melodies as well as can be used for drums.

 

Snake: Brilliant patch for quick sequences.

 

Ask and answer: Works for creating call and answer hooks.

 

Turing Machine: inspired by Allan Turing, this device spits out sequences randomly and then you can loop the parts you like.

 

Aisle: This complex generating tool finds original sequences and patterns based on repetition. I find that this is excellent for percussions and evolutive percussive melodies.

 

On the more experimental flavor, Dillon Bastian has been a hero. It’s hard to explain in a few words what they do but he’s basically creating patterns and sounds through a visual context. For instance, with Rhythmorphic, he uses visual maps that shape how the patterns happen and what notes are triggered. It’s a bit hard to explain but it’s something quite unique and you can shape some very unique patterns. This can be very organic sounding, sort of like a chime. Or you can also use it to trigger percussion.

 

3- Sounds: I want to have sounds that are new to me but still not too crazy (or not).

 

When it comes to making sounds, I often deal with 2 kinds of mindset. On one hand I often find myself wanting to emulate sounds from songs or artists that I really like. I will try to reverse engineer how it sounds and will noodle around a bunch of different presets, pick the one that is the closest and then try to tweak it to something close to the target. 

 

This is where “instruments” get handy. While you have a lot of options already with Ableton’s internal synths which are excellent, I compile a few ones here for you.

 

Chiral: Named holographic synth, it creates unreal sounds, based on multiple synthesis approaches. Hard to describe, these textures will sound very artificial, in a good way. Think of the ultimate synth for scifi score.

 

Iridescence: This is a delay unit that turns simple sounds into arpeggios. You can basically turn any sounds into a melody.

 

Grain Forest: The opposite of Chiral. It creates super organic sounds and environment. Bastian built an evolutive instruments with visuals of wind, seeds, trees that grow and die. It’s very relaxing and mesmerizing on its own.

 

poly-Plaits: The Plaits module is from Mutable Instruments and while this is an open source synth, it made its way to Max for live. It’s a synth with models. It sounds lovely.

 

Rings: Another take on Mutable instruments but this one is with the module of the same name. It’s a resonant synth with beautiful chime, bells sounds.

 

Copy Machine: This sampler takes a sample you pick and creates copies of it. The results are a bit mind boggling. Imagine you take a clap sample and turn it into a bunch of people who clap at the same time.

 

Fortrek: Inspired by the 4 tracker tapes of the 70’s and 80’s, this takes multiple recordings and scrubs through them. Really lovely for lofi feelings.

4 – Effects: Adding spices and colors

 

Never judge a boring sound as not useful because sometimes, adding the right effects can bring a whole amount of fun to it.

 

Granular Mirror Maze: A granulator that spits out super nice textures out of percussion or synths. Ideal for pads and backgrounds.

 

Maze: A looper, tape style with pitch. It is quite fun for creating off the grid ideas and have more of a musique concrète style.

 

Nube: a take on Clouds, an all time legendary modular effect that is a combination of delay, reverb and granulation.

 

Muse Concrète: This super advanced tool is not for everyone. It’s the ultimate tool to record and mangle sounds around. Big ups to my bro Offthesky for that one.

 

All effects from Encoder Audio are amazing.

 

I recently discovered the work of Robert K / Groov Mekanik and his vast collection of patches impressed me. Not only most of them are free and those who are for sale are at super low price, but the tools he has covers some needs that new and experienced producers want. I was appealed by the High Frequencies limiter that many artists should use as many often boost the highs too much. One patch I’d recommend getting right away is the Note Probability that is super useful for generative patches, adding flow and performances. It simply remove out some notes due to probability. Go have a look, there are some lovely tools in there.

 

But honestly, I think the most of what you have is by adding modulation to what you already have. This is why modulation options are useful. Here are some of my favorites:

 

Auto-Slider: Another brilliant essential tool from Offthesky. It records your movement and make turn it into a LFO or super long function signal.

 

Strange Mod: Dillon Bastian drops this amazing modulator that I use everywhere. Ideal for unusual random modulation.

 

Source: Inspired by the Buchla 266, it creates random signals.

 

All LFOs by Kentaro: Advanced and sophisticated, these can bring any modulation to the twilight zone…

 

I will update this page when I find new things so you might want to bookmark it. If you have suggestions, please share them!

 

How AI is Helping Musicians Break Free From Unoriginality

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When it comes to creating music, there is a never-ending tension between the desire to innovate and the pressure to make money. Many musicians find themselves trapped in a cycle of producing unoriginal music that fits neatly into pre-existing categories, all in the name of pleasing their audiences and making a profit. But what if there was a way to break free from this cycle? 

We recently talked about slowing down to learn new skills, but let’s have a view on the the most techno-technology out there.

Enter artificial intelligence (AI), a tool that is increasingly being used by musicians to push the boundaries of what is possible in music production. As AI been bringing a lot of controversy in the artist community because it is a game changer in democratizing its access, I wanted to focus on the positive aspects.

 

Using AI to Generate Ideas We Wouldn’t Think Of

 

One of the reasons why musicians tend to produce unoriginal music is because they are constantly aware of the latest trends and what is popular among their audiences. In order to make money, they feel pressured to produce music that fits neatly into these trends, rather than exploring new territory. This results in a homogenization of music, where everything starts to sound the same. If you read this blog often you’ll know that we often refer to the “success trap” where one tries to repeat a success story and that leads to nothing.

 

AI, on the other hand, is not aware of these trends. It doesn’t have a preconceived notion of what is popular or what will sell. Instead, it is able to analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and connections that humans might not be able to see. This makes it a powerful tool for innovation in music production.

 

For example, AI can analyze existing music and identify common elements that could be used to create something new. It can also generate entirely new ideas that humans might not have thought of. By using AI, musicians can break free from the constraints of their own creativity and explore new territory that they might not have discovered otherwise.

 

AI Can Recycle Old Ideas In Innovative Ways

 

But AI is not just a tool for creating entirely new music. It can also be used to recycle existing ideas in innovative ways. For example, AI can take an existing melody and transpose it to a different key, or it can apply different rhythmic patterns to a familiar chord progression. By using AI in this way, musicians can create something that feels fresh and new, while still drawing on familiar elements that their audiences will recognize.

 

Of course, using AI in music production is not without its challenges. Some musicians worry that it will make their work feel less authentic, or that it will take away the human element that makes music so special. But the truth is that AI is just a tool, and like any tool, it can be used in a variety of ways. Musicians who embrace AI as a tool for innovation and exploration can use it to enhance their own creativity, rather than replacing it.

 

AI Tools For Making Electronic Music

  1. Amper Music: A platform that uses AI to generate original music tracks based on user inputs for genre, mood, and tempo.
  2. AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist): A composer and music generator that uses deep learning algorithms to create original pieces of music in different genres.
  3. Melodrive: A tool that uses AI to create personalized music for video games and other interactive media, adapting the music to the user’s behavior and emotions.
  4. Google Magenta: An open-source project that aims to advance the state of the art in machine learning for music and art generation, providing tools for creating and exploring new musical experiences.
  5. Amadeus Code: A tool that uses AI to help songwriters generate new musical ideas, providing suggestions for chord progressions and melodies based on user inputs.
  6. Humtap: A platform that uses AI to help users create original music by providing suggestions for chords, melodies, and lyrics based on their inputs.
  7. Emergent Drums: generate drum kits with a few clicks. Powerful!
  8. AI Kitchen: Still not public but this one looks promising. It is basically the Midjourney of audio. You enter prompts and the AI provides ideas.

How To Spot If A Tool Is Actually AI and Not Something Else:

It can be difficult to determine whether a music production tool that is described as AI-driven is really using AI, as the term “AI” is often used loosely and can mean different things in different contexts. I’ve noticed a number of plugins that say they use AI but aren’t really. However, here are some things to look for that may indicate that a tool is using AI:

  1. Machine learning algorithms: Many AI-driven music production tools use machine learning algorithms to analyze and generate music. If a tool claims to use AI, it is worth looking into what specific machine learning algorithms it is using, and how they are being applied.
  2. Training data: AI systems require large amounts of training data to learn from. If a music production tool claims to use AI, it is worth checking what training data it has been trained on, and whether it has been trained on a sufficiently diverse and representative set of data.
  3. Output variability: One hallmark of AI systems is that they can generate a wide range of outputs based on a given input. If a music production tool is able to generate a large number of unique tracks or variations based on user inputs, this may be a sign that it is using AI.
  4. Expert endorsements: If a music production tool is endorsed by experts in the field of AI or music production, this may be a sign that it is using legitimate AI techniques.
  5. Transparency: Finally, it’s important to look for transparency in how the tool is described and marketed. If a tool is vague about how it uses AI or makes unrealistic claims about what it can do, this may be a red flag.

Ultimately, the best way to determine whether a music production tool is really using AI is to do some research and ask questions. Look for reviews from reputable sources, ask the developers about their AI techniques, and talk to other users to get a sense of how the tool performs in practice.

 

Generative vs AI

Generative music is the ancestor of AI music. What we do in the modular realm is basically prehistoric cavemen stuff compared to the high tech approach of modelling systems. Modular is sort of relying on boolean logic and basic operations. I think it’s important to explore generative music to understand how machines are there to create material for you to use in your music. Generative music will provide you multiple outputs of ideas based on parameters of your choice. Generative music is something that is important to understand if you’re looking to break writer’s block.

One flaw I like from AI is its lack of understanding good or bad ideas.

It just does things it knows how to do.

You can then take clumsy takes to turn them into ideas of yours. A bit like one joke from a toddler can be used to make some funny stories in adult ways.

So, to all the musicians out there who feel trapped in a cycle of unoriginality: it’s time to reconsider your approach. By embracing AI as a tool for innovation, you can break free from the constraints of what is popular and explore new territory that you might not have discovered otherwise. Whether you are creating entirely new music or recycling existing ideas in innovative ways, AI can help you push the boundaries of what is possible in music production.

 

Slowing Production to Better Learn

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In recent years, mental health has become less of a taboo topic among musicians, and for good reason. The music industry, as well as streaming services, have put immense pressure on musicians to create music that may not be true to who they are, leading to destructive conditions that are negative for creativity. It’s sort of sad that some artists are now sharing their mental health updates but at the same time, it also the first step to getting suppor. Therefore, I thought I’d write about mental health and music. 

 

We’ll explore why it’s essential for musicians to live rich, fulfilling lives outside of music in order to create music that has more depth and meaning. I’d like to propose some ways to make meaningful music that does sacrifice your mental health. 

 

Chasing success

 

The pressure to constantly produce new music is undeniable in the music industry. We’ve been told that if we don’t release music, we haven’t received validation and if we are quiet for a while, people will forget about us. The need to keep up with the latest trends and remain relevant has led to an overwhelming emphasis on quantity over quality. Musicians are often pushed to create music that is less relevant to who they are, sacrificing their authenticity for the sake of commercial success. This can be incredibly damaging to a musician’s mental health, leading to depression, anxiety, and burnout. Let’s not forget that it leaves traces of past albums that you might feel completely disconnected from.

 

Additionally, touring can be an incredibly stressful experience for musicians. The constant travel, lack of sleep, and pressure to perform can take a toll on their mental and physical well-being. The industry has normalized the idea that musicians should work themselves to the bone, with little regard for their health and well-being. This toxic culture can create a hostile environment that is not conducive to creativity and self-expression. We’re also been told that touring is the dream but once in it, things aren’t as easy as a dream can be.

TRY: Focus on the time you spend on making music instead of the end result. That can be achieved by doing experiences that requires no goals intended, such as making a macro.

 Taking Breaks

 

It’s essential for musicians to take breaks between music releases to live rich, fulfilling lives outside of music. Experiences outside of music can help inspire and inform a musician’s creative process. When a musician has a diverse range of experiences to draw from, their music has more depth and meaning. Taking the time to live fully can help a musician reconnect with their true self, enabling them to create music that is authentic and true to who they are.

Strangely enough to me, I often hear about artists who think that taking break is taking a pause in music making. The distance you take activates your brain and you’ll be flooded with ideas and you’ll be making music, in your mind, as it is still ongoing.

TRY: Go for a 15 minutes walk and observe what train of thoughts you’ll have.

 

Coming Down The Mountain

 

For this, I heard this talk by Lauren Hill who was explaining why she produces slowly and it made a lot of sense to me. The way she explains it, there are mountains and there are valleys. Life is bipolar and even a day has a ups and downs. What’s not viable is to think we always have to remain at the top of the mountain to be successful and recognized. Being at the top of the mountain enforces the need to embrace perfectionism as a way to make music. 

 

Being at the top of the mountain is when you’re in full control of your flow and techniques. Some people learn what’s necessary and are feeling comfortable with it, releasing music, touring. But that gets tiring and if you never learn to go down the mountain, it might be a shock you when you eventually crash, tumbling all the way down to the bottom.

TRY: Spend a studio session mastering one effect or tool in your DAW. Watch a few tutorials and the practice.

Coping With Imperfection

 

I’ve always been comfortable with imperfection. I think accepting it has helped me move forward with projects, albums. I’d be ok understanding that I can wrap the idea and moving on, I would work on the next using what I learned. In hindsight, I think I spent way too much time in the valleys than on top of mountains, which explains why I don’t tour much but I’m totally at peace with it.

 

What’s hard is to cope with harsh feedback and people who feel entitled that you should serve them perfect music, each time. I accept criticism and see it as a way to improve, sometimes, if it makes sense but it can be frustrating if I think that the listener isn’t understanding that I am maybe in learning of new techniques which means that my output isn’t as quality as the last one.

 

So that means, it comes down to dive in creativity as much as possible and not do too much damage control of my music.

TRY: When you’re about to wrap a project, ask yourself which part you’re ok to accept as imperfection. Keep in mind that wherever you are will be an imperfect moment compared to your future-you.

Learning New Techniques To Stay Mentally Fresh

 

One way to inspire creativity is by learning new music and techniques. However, it’s important not to get bogged down in the technicalities of music. When a musician is at ease with their techniques, they can reach a state of flow where they can tap into their intuition and creativity. This state of flow allows a musician to be fully present and in the moment, allowing their creativity to flourish. That’s when you’re on the top of the mountain.

 

 How to find new techniques?

 

Mostly by listening to songs you love and then paying attention to one element you love to try to reproduce it. When I listen to music, I listen as a whole but then I take a second listen where I listen with a modular approach asking myself certain questions: How is the percussion? how is the melody evolving? what are the sounds I hear (synths, acoustic, long, short, muffled, detailed)? is there a background? What is in front?

I learn to love songs but I learned to love songs for specific attributes, which was a very important skill for my job. As a sound engineer, I see value in learning to love any music, especially if I have to work with it. When a client ask me to work on a song, I need to find at least one thing I love about it and then build around there.

Then if there are things I don’t like, I want to see how I can improve it. This becomes a learning experience, but through specific themes. Those become an exercise to learn.

For example, chord progressions, kick design, synths, vocal effects, etc. Then you go on youtube and you basically write in your own words what you need to know.

For example:

How to do effective chord progressions in electronic music

 

How to make a snappy kick

 

How to design complex synth in Pigments

 

How to make a vocal effect chain to sound like Tame Impala

What’s exciting is, there are so many videos about one topic and since there are multiple ways to get to a specific result, you can really expand your skill set. Personally, when people come to me for learning mixing or production, I notice that frequently they lack understanding concepts of the previous phase. For instance, the one before mixing is arrangement. You might want to learn mixing, but you need by understanding arrangements first. Sometimes people want to learn about arrangements, but I notice they lack understanding of sound design. When you learn one skill, you’re basically opening roads and easiness for the following ones.

Sometimes, people ask, “I don’t know if there are things I don’t know so it’s hard for me to know where to start!?” or, how to get that started exactly. This starts with curiosity.

Be interested in parts of songs you like. For instance, the bass of that song and the percussion of that other one. Or the chords of a specific song. Then go to Youtube and see if someone can explain you how to do it. Start with simple searches and that will bring more ideas.

Basic concepts that you should really understand early on, should you lack ideas:

  • Gain staging
  • How envelopes work.
  • Signal flow (a bit advanced).

Try referencing artists, use software you use and try to articulate your best ideas. But the more you search, you’ll be exposed to may different ways to do things and will have material to practice with.

Two softwares that I regularly  recommend for referencing are Bassroom (for the low end) and Reference for the overall understanding the difference between your references and your music.

I find more important to record a lot of ideas as a way to document your journey. That is a good lesson to let go of controlling imperfections. A way to let go is to understand that there will always be imperfection but you’ll be limited with what you know, at a specific moment. Leaving it as is, shows you’re ok with it.

 

In conclusion, the music industry and streaming services have put immense pressure on musicians to create music that may not be true to who they are. I think we need to reverse this by slowing down and spending more time learning. There are too much time trying to produce without being in control of your techniques and this leads to much time being lost.

 

Getting Started in VCV

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Modular synthesis has been around for decades, but with the rise of digital technology, it’s become more accessible than ever. Then came VCV, Cardinal, Mirack to name a few. VCV Rack is a free and open-source software that allows you to explore the world of modular synthesis in a virtual environment. In this post, we’ll discuss the three types of modules in modular synthesis, the differences between VCV Rack and VCV Rack Pro, how to use VCV Rack in Ableton Live, essential free modules, and the benefits of using master sequences and modulations.

 

Creating sounds, then modulate them

 

Modular synthesis involves building a sound-generating system out of individual modules. 

 

There are three types of modules: sound generators, sound modifiers, and signal movers. 

Sound generators create the initial sound, sound modifiers shape the sound, and signal movers control the flow of the sound through the system. By combining these modules in different ways, you can create complex and unique sounds that would be difficult to achieve with traditional synthesizers.

 

VCV Rack is a popular modular synthesizer software that emulates a modular synthesizer system. It offers a vast library of modules, including sound generators, sound modifiers, and signal movers. While VCV Rack is a free and open-source software, VCV Rack Pro offers additional modules and features for a fee. These additional modules and features can enhance your sound design capabilities and workflow, but the free version of VCV Rack is still a powerful tool that can be used to create amazing sounds.

 

If you’re an Ableton Live user, you can use VCV Rack as a plugin in Ableton Live. This allows you to control and record VCV Rack within the Ableton Live environment. You can use Ableton Live’s MIDI clips to trigger VCV Rack modules and automate parameters in real-time. This integration makes it easy to incorporate VCV Rack into your production workflow.

 

Essential modules

 

When it comes to essential free modules, there are a few that every modular synthesizer enthusiast should have. For sequencers, the SEQ-3 module is a great starting point. It offers three independent sequencers with up to 16 steps each. The reason why you want to have a sequencer with 3 built in sequences is because you can use them for not only melody making but also for other types of modulations like velocity.

The VCO-1 (VCV) module is a simple yet powerful oscillator that can produce a wide range of 4 different wave shapes: sine, triangular, saw and square.The idea is usually to pair this with the 4 input mixer from VCV where you can decide how much of each sources you want to use to create your own signal. I would encourage you to add a noise source (VCV again) and have a bigger mixer such as the 8 inputs by Bog Audio and then add some noise to it. Noise seems to gel all of it together and also add harmonic content.

 

 

 

For filters, the VCF-1 (VCV) module is a great choice. It offers low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filter modes, as well as a resonance control for shaping the filter’s frequency response. But I would also high recommend the simple VCF from Bog audio because it has more options (filter curve slope and v/oct) which is super useful for shaping your sound.

 

The heart and the brain

 

One of the biggest benefits of using VCV Rack is the ability to use master sequences and modulations. Master sequences are sequences that control multiple modules at once. This allows you to create complex patterns that evolve over time. Modulations are similar to master sequences, but they can be used to control any parameter in any module. This allows you to create dynamic and evolving compositions that change over time.

 

I put them into 2 categories:

 

The heart: Anything related to the tempo of the song. Is it constant or broken? Everything will be in sync or not, some might be following the tempo but perhaps double speed or half.

 

The Brain: This is for modulations that will be affecting multiple parameters across the patch such as scaling, transition, melodies/hooks, velocity, accent and even mixing.

 

Starting kit for a patch:

 

I’d recommend building a template patch to start with that has the essentials to get started. Then you can start adding to it. I think it’s important to start fairly simple too because it can easily get complicated.

 

Main tempo (Brain): 

  • Simply use a LFO. I love the 4FO from Bog Audio because it features 4 of them at different phases. 
  • Then I’d add a divider to have a different multiple and speed from the heart. You could use Clocked by Impromptu both for tempo and divider but I prefer an LFO for tempo because the modulation is easier.
  • I love to have multiple dividers so my full sequence is offering 1/4th, 1/8th, 1/16th steps covered so I can decide what to populate and where.

 

Hook (heart): 

  • This is where you could SEQ-3. It has 3 lanes so you could also have 3 variations.
  • Quantizer for global scale: use the VCV one.
  • I’d use a sequential switch to go through the lanes. Count Modula has a few but I also like the switch by ML Module because of the various options it has.

 

Voices:

  • Use samples or oscillators of your choice but you’ll need an ADSR, a VCA and 2 filters so you can properly control the signal. I’d add an octave shifter so you can have one voice per octave.
  • I find Bog audio has everything you need here or you can use the default modules by VCV.
  • You’ll need a mixer for all those voices. I’d recommend the one by MindMeld. It is perfect.

 

Percussions:

  • Using the SEQ 3’s sequencing, you can use that as triggers for your percussion.
  • I’d use a Bernoulli Gate to add probabilities to your percussion or switch between sounds. The one by Audible Instruments will do the trick.

 

Modulation: 

  • One master LFO. Again, a 4FO would do.
  • One master random. Use the random module from VCV.

 

Conclusion and Using VCV Rack In Ableton

 

In conclusion, VCV Rack is a powerful tool for exploring the world of modular synthesis. It offers a vast library of modules, including sound generators, sound modifiers, and signal movers. The free version of VCV Rack is a great starting point, but the pro version offers additional modules and features that can enhance your sound design capabilities and workflow. If you’re an Ableton Live user, you can easily integrate VCV Rack into your production workflow. Essential free modules like the SEQ-3, VCO-1, and VCF-1 can help you get started with creating complex and unique sounds. Master sequences and modulations allow you to create dynamic and evolving compositions that change over time. With VCV Rack, the possibilities are endless, and the only limit is your imagination.

 

Minimalism in Music Production: Drawing Inspiration from Arthur Russell, Brian Eno, and Terry Riley

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Minimalism is an approach that emphasizes simplicity and a reduction in the number of musical elements. This approach can be applied to many genres of music, but it has been particularly influential in electronic music, where technology and sound design can lead to overwhelming complexity. In the end of the 90’s, minimal techno had a huge bloom in popularity. It was in reaction of maximal music such as trance and hard techno. This is when I started making music because I felt a strong connection with minimalist music.

 

In this article, we will explore how minimalism has been used in music production, drawing inspiration from three influential artists: Arthur Russell, Brian Eno, and Terry Riley.

 

The Power of Minimalism

 

The essence of minimalism in music production lies in the ability to create a focused and spacious sonic environment. By using fewer sounds, producers can create a clear and uncluttered atmosphere that allows the listener to focus on the details of each individual sound. This approach works well in electronic music, where sound design and texture are often the main focus. 

 

Modular and eurorack synthesizers, in particular, are great tools for exploring minimalism in music production. With their limited number of modules and limited space (but also their costs!), these instruments force the producer to be creative with fewer resources. This constraint can be a great source of inspiration, leading to innovative and original compositions.

 

One of the most important differences between now and the late 90’s is the accessibility to music production tools. Back then, you’d be caught to use only a few things you’d have, such as a drum machine and a sampler. Now we have so many things that it is hard to focus on what to pick. Minimalism starts with fully embracing limitations one has to impose to themselves.

 

 Simple, Constantly Evolving Phrases

 

One of the key challenges in minimalist music production is to create variation and development with limited musical material. A useful exercise for developing this skill is to focus on creating simple but constantly evolving phrases. These phrases can be created using a limited number of notes, rhythmic patterns, or sound textures. 

 

I also like to think about picking up to 4 different sounds i love and will try to make phrasing out of them.

 

Arthur Russell was a master of creating evolving phrases in his music. His use of repetition and subtle variation created a hypnotic and mesmerizing effect. In his track “Lucky Cloud,” for example, he uses a simple four-note bassline that repeats throughout the track, but he gradually adds layers of percussion, synths, and vocals, creating a rich and complex texture. He would rely on reverb, delays and use of panning to create all the tension and variations necessary to create engagement.

Brian Eno is another artist who has explored the possibilities of minimalist music. His approach is often characterized by the use of ambient textures and drones, creating a meditative and introspective atmosphere. In his album “Music for Airports,” he uses a limited number of simple chords and melodic fragments, layering them to create a constantly evolving soundscape. He is known for developing generative tools to create his music. He will let the machines come up with ideas and then will cherry pick the moments he loves.

Terry Riley is a pioneer of minimalist music, known for his innovative use of repetition and improvisation. His piece “In C” is a landmark work of minimalist music, consisting of 53 short phrases that can be repeated and combined in different ways, creating a virtually infinite number of variations.

 

 Exercises for Minimalist Music Production

 

Here are three exercises inspired by Arthur Russell, Brian Eno, and Terry Riley to help you explore minimalism in your music production:

  1. Arthur Russell Exercise: Create a simple four-note bassline and add layers of percussion, synths, and vocals to create a rich and complex texture. Focus on reverb and delays, panning. Challenge: use your voice (yes, do it).
  2. Brian Eno Exercise: Create an ambient soundscape using a limited number of chords and melodic fragments, layering them to create a constantly evolving texture. You may try to generative melodies scaled to a key and then keep what you love. Challenge: record 30 minutes of music, unedited.
  3. Terry Riley Exercise: Create a short phrase consisting of a few notes or a simple rhythm. Repeat and vary this phrase, gradually adding layers of texture and improvisation to create a complex and evolving composition. Challenge: Face ultimate repetition and stick to it.

 

Tools you can use:

 

Synths I love: I seem to always come back to Pigments as one of my favorites. It features multiple possible options when it comes to modulation and it makes it a very versatile tool. What I love is to start from a preset (it has a shop in the plugin!) and then tweak it to taste. The ones that are included are lovely starting canvas that are in tune with current genres. Quanta 2 and Diva would also be great here, for the quality of their sound.

When it comes to reverbs and delays: I’m a big fan of anything that comes from Valhalla’s effects. They are perfectly priced and the quality is trusted by top producers for a reason, because they sound amazing. Otherwise, if you want something solid, you could consider Fabfilter Reverb and Neoverb for a cheap option. Both are often used on my side.

Generative tools are numerous in the Ableton live environment. You could use simple max patches like Snake or Rozzer and have some LFOs mapping that make them evolve through time. Otherwise, the good old Riffer comes handy. I would recommend Alexkid VST Seqund that really wonderful as well. Otherwise, dive in VCV.

 

Conclusion

 

Minimalism in music production is a powerful tool for creating focused and spacious sonic environments. By using a limited number of sounds and musical elements, producers can create innovative and original compositions. Drawing inspiration from Arthur Russell, Brian Eno, and Terry Riley, we can explore the possibilities of minimalist music and develop our skills in creating simple but constantly evolving musical phrases.

 

How I Classify My Projects and Files

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I’m not sure if you’re like me, but it’s possible that your hard drive, after a while, becomes a total mess. There will be a few folders with some projects in them, and other folders with random samples. Not to mention all those projects named New project…

 

There are ways to organize folders and all your work that allows you to easily navigate it. The way I classify projects is also aimed at having a quick scope of which one I will work with next, which songs should go in an album, and those that need specific actions.

 

Before I explain myself, let’s talk about the different stages a project will go through and also, the different tasks related to that.

Note: If you’re new to this blog and aren’t familiar with my production technique, I would encourage you to read a few articles about this, which will give more sense to what I’m about to describe.

 

The different stages of music production (and labeling your projects so)

 

The way I work to maximize the results is to take each step in making music and call it a phase, or a stage. 

 

The different stages I label with are these:

 

1- Ideas digging, concept, testing techniques, hook finding, etc. 

2- Preliminary loop made from stage 1 that could be the heart of the song. Basic structure of the song.

3- Arrangements.

4- Mixing.

5- Song at 90% done and needs last minor tweaks.

 

The main reason why I give high priority to the state of the song is based on the idea that when I want to work on music, I might be in a specific mindset. Perhaps one day I’ll want to just have fun doing some sound design or another time, I need to work on an EP and will be checking for the few songs incubating. As you might know my approach for when I do music, when I reopen projects, I want to quickly know where that one is at. In an hour of work that I do on music, I hop from one song to another, while I also like to revisit projects that have been sleeping for weeks because what I want is to always have the freshest perspective on my work. If you work on something for hours, trust me, by the end of it, you might have lost all perspective and the work will suffer for it. 

 

Stages 1 and 2 can overlap

 

I’ll give you a study case of mine so we can have a clear understanding of how I can use a project and its evolution toward a finished song. But we’ll start with the 2 first stages. 

 

Projects that are in stage 1 are your pool for fishing ideas. 

So the idea of a project in stage 1 is really about ideas, not much more than that. It could be more if you want, it’s up to you.

 

Stage 2 is where we’re working on a precise hook or main idea. There are multiple ways to work and find hooks, we have talked about that in previous articles. I usually drop a very simple percussive loop to define what will be the rhythm of the song, its groove, and its accents, and then place what would be the hook on top. We often overthink the hook. It’s often very simple. 

 

Usually, in stage 2, I find that I should have:

 

  • A root key 
  • A scale
  • A hook, not longer than 1 bar
  • Rhythmic groove, time signature

 

If I have all of that, then I know the project has passed to that new stage and will rename it. Usually, when I rename a project, I make sure to save it, and do a “collect all and save” to make sure I copy all the needed files from its previous form. When you rename a project, it’s better you do “Save project as…” in the File Menu of Ableton and its original stage 1 will still exist. You can later decide if you archive the original project or keep it as an incubator. Usually, when I’m finding an idea from an incubator, I will make sure I save the different effect chains as macros so that they can be reused. I also will color code my channels, and name them as well so I can harvest them later from the right side browser of Ableton.

 

However, you might have an incubator at stage 1 that will never grow because you could mutate the original incubator to stage 2 but it’s completely different, but still came from a father project. For instance, I have projects that are sorely made for making sounds, where they never have evolved from there and tons of songs or even live sets have come from them.

 

Arrangements, the full story of Stage 3

 

I find that arrangements should start by working on the middle part of the song and then deconstruct that idea to the start of the song. So the early part of Stage 3 would consist of working in the middle part, roughly 1 minute long.

 

As you can see, you basically shift your initial Stage 2 loop and drag it to arrangements, then stretch it. Some people build their initial loop in arrangement mode so you can just move it from the start to the middle. When I work on arrangements, I usually love to make a quick draft of the song, where I’ll split it in 3 sections: intro, heart, outro. That draft is made quickly, sometimes in a surprising time of 20 minutes alone. I will come back later with a fresh look and listen from the beginning and will readjust the arrangements so it makes more sense. 

 

In stage 3, the mixing isn’t important. You can level it for pleasant listening but I wouldn’t worry much about it. 

 

Mixing as 4th stage

 

This doesn’t need much explanation here but one thing to clarify is that it’s not something rigid either. You might notice some arrangement problems in mixing that will make you redo them. As I always say to clients, if your sound design and arrangements are solid, there will be basically almost no mixing, or just touch-up.

 

Stage 5 is when your song is 90% done

 

To me, 90% done is my definition of done. I know it sounds weird but it is like that. First off, when you first accept that a song is never done, it’s easier to accept its imperfections and to move on. Second, you want to bring as many songs as possible to 90% because the day you want to do a release, you’ll take those and then wrap them all at once to 100%. This might sound confusing but letting your songs sleep at 90% and then wrap multiple songs at once means that the last stretch for all of them is your chance to unify them to make them coherent as a release. 

 

So what’s the difference between Stage 4 and 5?

 

Well, it’s kinda when you’re done arranging, you shift it to stage 5. It’s sort of like, I’m done with this one. Once in a while, I might reopen 5 to maybe do a little tweak but to me, when it gets to 5, it’s sort of saying that it’s ready.

 

In conclusion

 

When I open my folder with all my projects, I will see from 1 to 5, all songs being in order. With the file browser, I can also classify them from 5 to 1 as well. I like in mac OS to be able to put some tags as well. That can be for genre, if it’s signed or whatever is useful.

Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash

How To Compose With Consistency

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I’ve always been interested in the restaurant industry and particularly with the whole process of how they give awards like Michelin Stars. There are a number of criterias that will define if a chef will earn one and I find there is some inspiration to take from those points to apply them to one music producer’s work. While there’s no written notes on what the criteria are, what we do know is that there are key points such as ability, quality, and the chef’s personality. However, one that really stands out is consistency.

 

This is a common shared topic with clients of mine. Everyone pretty much dreams of finding a formula that will make sure each song is good and that each time they hit the studio, something worthy will come out from the time invested. There are straightforward ways to make sure we get there but there are also some points that I will explain that might be a bit unsettling.

 

Managing Expectations

It’s always a bit hard to talk about expectations with clients. There are a few points to keep in mind when it comes to that. First, many people are passionate about music in the first place and rely on that hobby for multiple hopes such as, acceptance and validation from their community or other hero producers of theirs. This alone creates some big goals, which creates stress that can glitch creativity and productivity. Same for other producers who have released some music and feel a pressure to do more, but they’re facing some tensions towards what they do: feeling of being inadequate, hitting technical limitations, unfair comparisons to others, etc.

I personally don’t really believe that having constant positive sessions from the studio, where you are 100% happy with your music, is humanly possible. For those who do, I would also question how much fun that is since in the long run it can be really stressful and tiring.

 

So rather than having perfect consistency in music, I think it’s better to change the approach to defining what your victory conditions are. In the Definition of Done article we covered how to set yourself clear points to know you’re done with a project while accepting how many imperfections you can live with. But victory conditions are slightly different, yet, also similar.

 

So for instance, I used to know some professional musicians that were forcing themselves to go to the studio everyday and make one song minimum. Since I worked with them, I had the chance to listen and I had to say I thought the songs they showered me were interesting about 5% of the time (there were a lot of them). We talked about it and realized not only was he not happy about the situation nor the outcome, but he also realized he was just not achieving anything he hoped for. So we worked together to shift his workflow and expectations.

I proposed my non-linear music making technique where he would work on several tracks at once instead of one song at a time. I also talked about what he loved doing so we can make sure that part would be at least 50% of his studio time. In his case, he loved sound design and creating new songs which are perfect. I showed him that music can also be about that and that making music is an important part of music making but it is not the only part of it. Starting new songs is, to me, just as important as finishing them. The more you start one, the better the odds to really create solid and original ideas. Then you harvest the best ones to turn them into a song. We also revised different ways to do sound design and techniques to try.

 

This changed a lot the outcomes of his music and the quality of the following tracks got much better, even if the pace of them coming out got a hit. This is why I sometimes encourage people to focus on tracks made per season instead of days, or weeks.  

 

Victory Conditions

We all have different conditions and there’s no real best way to do this but I find that victory conditions should be different than releasing goals. Some people feel victorious if they get their album out after months of work, but soon they want more of it and then they face a return to the studio that feels like a pain. In my case, after years of experience, I find that my victory conditions has boiled down to having a blast when I’m in the studio, even if that implies working hard on solving issues.

 

This implies two different things: First, there is a part of me that is there to solve issues, install gear, create an environment that is workable and fix details to ensure all is well. Second, I have to prepare for my conditions by making sure that I have all the necessary skills to make music. So, if in a Definition Of Done, we set the points that would make us see we’re done, in the Victory Conditions, we establish what is needed to go there and what is also to make it possible. 

Since for me, it is related to fun, I had to reverse engineer it. 

 

That implied that I had to look back at a really fun session and see what happened to make it work, and to enjoy it. More often than not, while a session can be ruined by technical problems, it’s clear that some sessions in the studio should be dedicated to preventing issues, but also, some other sessions would be dedicated to practicing a technique or new concept, so that when I hit the zone, I have all on hand.

 

So what about you?

 

In the development of an artist, there are numerous stages and phases. You might be in one that is so challenging that the fun doesn’t happen too much. It might be because you feel overwhelmed by a specific issue, some software limitation, lack of knowledge on a topic and aiming for fun might seem a bit of frustration. The thing is, if that can help, I have to say that there has been many years in my life where I accomplished so many things without knowing much and that the more I knew, the more I slowed down. I often say that it’s important to finish something and learn rather than chase perfection.

 

In other words, whatever you are struggling with might actually be a distraction. There are a lot of things to learn on Youtube and if you can’t find it, there are always people to help – that includes me. You don’t have to stay with a problem for long nowadays, compared to times before the internet’s abundant tutorials.

 

Perhaps you can create conditions where you work on a few things at once, small things and try to make the most of that.

 

Quality Control, being practical

We talked about the philosophical and workflow part of this topic but what about the technical side of things? What are some of the main elements that do maintain consistency between songs?

 

There are multiple points you could use a checklist. After years and years of working on music, I do see correlations between songs that manage to get some kind of success. I won’t dive into the promotion, releasing and anything unrelated to production though because that’s a bit of a rabbit hole which changes every 3-6 months. I can’t follow.

 

In music making, I feel there are 2 types: commercial and artistic.

 

By commercial, I don’t mean it in a derogatory way. I’m basically relating to music that is intended to be pushed for sales. If you make music and want distribution, there are chances the distributor might turn it down if they consider it will not sell enough. This is a norm for P&D (press and distribution) deals, because the distribution is basically covering the costs and will expect a ROI (return on investment). In my book, if you make music with the idea to make sales, it is mostly and clearly commercial (eg. we’re producing it in a sales angle). 

On the other hand, artistic music might be simply digital or released at the expense of the artist, without distribution and there is very little expectation of sales. This kind of music is often a bit more edgy, abstract, risky, not following many rules and has a bigger chance of not being able to be fitting any rules.

 

If we compare that to a restaurant, the commercial one is often knowing what sells and will feature a direction, style with some star dishes that people want each time they visit. The artistic ones would be a restaurant where they change the menu each day and take risks. 

They both need consistency on a number of things: fresh ingredients, recipes being respected, taste being coherent on each serving, temperature, etc.

 

It’s pretty much the same with music as well. There are certain criterias you can follow that will ensure that your songs will always deliver. Sometimes it might not have the same punch but if you cover the basics, you’ll have for sure some coherence.

 

Here are the criterias I have in mind:

 

  • Solid hook, main idea. What makes the reason for a song to exist is that you found a solid idea you want to share a story about. That’s how I see music. If you think of traditional music, people write a story and that will be the main idea. For electronic music, more than often there will be no vocals so the sounds and ideas are your story. Don’t make songs for the sake of it (note: I encourage people to make music for the sake of it though, which is different). Find an idea and build a story about it. It can be a sample, a pattern, a fun sound… There’s no rule here but to find one thing you want to listen for 3-6 minutes and really push forward that idea. 

 

  • Song in key, scale. This might sound weird, especially for people making atonal music or industrial techno who use a chromatic scale, but making sure all your elements are in key will give the song a much more wholeness to it. Not all songs follow one but having a coherent harmony will please many people, especially if in a specific genre, some scales are respected. Optional point here would be chord progression. You don’t always need one but if you have one, make sure that it is solid and coherent. Often when I give feedback to people who are starting in music production, I notice they aren’t respecting this basic point and once they do, they really bring it to another level already.

 

  • Rule of thirds in arrangements. This is a bit of a concept I bring up in feedback where I explain to producers that if they divide their song in 3 sections, they all should have some variation, to give the listener a sense of evolution and to keep the attention. If you understand the listening experience as a challenge of keeping attention, you know you need to bring new ideas, but not too much. The rule of third never fails. If you compose pop or anything needing a structure, keep that in mind as well.

 

  • Flat mix, coloured master. Clients don’t always understand what a good mix is. If you keep your tone flat but work with an engineer that can color it to match similar songs on the market, you’ll most likely always have a solid, enjoyable song that can compete well. Also, a flat mix means that your elements are not too all over the place, which is important.

 

  • Avoid masking, phasing. This is more technical but if you have a busy mix where many elements are used, you’ll most likely end up having a muddy mix. I won’t go into how to fix this in this post and you can google about it but keep in mind that it’s essential to quality.

 

  • Get Feedback. Show it to people you trust and ask for specific feedback. Otherwise people will say its cool. Be technical about what you need from them.

 

  • Get help. I don’t understand why people want to do everything themselves. It’s basically setting you up for average music. You’ll learn yes, but why not become a master at making music you love doing and get a master to help you mix so you get the most of it? It’s like, if you want to make a sandwich but you want to make the bread yourself, mayonnaise from scratch, grow the veggies, make the cheese, etc. Yes you can, but you could also buy the best ingredients possible and have a killer sandwich too.

 

  • Quantity for quality digging. If you see each song as an experiment to learn something new or master a technique, you can speed up your process and make more music. A good way to keep up with quality is to producer many, many songs and then trim down your output to the ones you know are shining. The more you finishing music, the more you’ll develop skills, which make sure the following tracks are better quality. Then when you can pick what you share abroad, to the outside world, they’ll only see quality.

 

If you cover these points, you’ll most likely have something you’ll be proud of and when you share a song, people will know what to expect from you, even if you take risks, creatively wise.

 

Thoughts On “Average” Ideas

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What stops a lot of people from making music is chasing the perfect ideas. Often people think they need to make something groundbreaking for it to be worth working on. This is not true. There are plenty of songs that artists thought were mediocre, which ended up being hits for them. A good example of this is Deadmau5, who thought that his hit, “Strobe,” would only work as a B-Side. Turns out, it’s one of his most famous songs.

If you have a process and know how to create a mood board, it’s possible to turn average songs into great songs, or average songs into songs that people will appreciate for other reasons. That said, this post will be about the importance of working on average ideas.

 

Work On Things for the Sake of Working On Them

Sometimes the greatest surprises in music come from making it in the dark, oblivious if it’s going to be good or not. These moments involve tinkering away, creating loops, pulling sounds out of our sample bank, and fiddling around on synths just for the heck of it. However, sometimes we work on this for hours, don’t see any potential in it, and perhaps get frustrated. For instance, right now, I’m working on a new live techno set, and nothing sounds very inspiring to me. However, I realize that if I keep on working on it, and go through my checklist and process, eventually something interesting will happen. I understand that while it might not be the best composition, it could be a B-Side, which comes with its own set of benefits, which I’ll cover later in the article.

 

The Process

First, let’s cover going through my checklist and process. The first step in my process is what I call a “non-linear production.” Nonlinear production is a way of working where at first you, you sum up ideas, and you pile up a bunch of sounds that you like into the live view, instead of the arrangement. This allows you to essentially build a mood board of sounds that you can pull from and jam with. To build this, I force myself to record anything that just comes out, literally anything and everything. Then, I start activating and deactivating clips and see what happens. Quite often from doing this, I come up with way more than loops – I come up with entire phrases that become entire parts of the composition. And since I’m making techno, it’s loop-based and follows a predictable pattern, so things kind of just start happening.

Before I continue, I have a caveat:  I never go to the studio with an aim to average music. People who insinuate that I do this after saying they should work on average music, are kind of insulting. I’m always trying to make something good. 

However, I’m only human, and sometimes I have average ideas that I decide to work around and see what happens. Sometimes something fun happens, which allows me to make a ghost arrangement by going through my checklist. One part of my checklist is adding a groovy bassline. That’s fundamental to many of my tracks. Next, I figure out if it’s appropriate to respond to that call with a similar arrangement. For instance, does a lead respond well to the bassline?

Once I figure out that basic part of the structure, I think, “Can I make a complementary element, like a background sound?” So I start going through my mood board and picking out sounds that I think will fit nicely in the background – this could be noise, foley sounds, or even texture to add to the instrumentation. 

Next, I start building outwards, since normally what I do in the sketch ends up being the middle part of the arrangement. So I add an outro and an intro. Once these are done, I start thinking of all of the ear candy elements – the bells and whistles. This usually includes an oddball element that makes the song crazy and unusual. Then once I get all these elements together, sometimes something that is average, can be pretty cool.

 

Time Heals All Wounds

So what happens when you do all of this, and somehow everything is kind of “meh?” Easy. Just chill for a minute. Quite often, students will record something that they think is mediocre at the moment, but when viewed in a different mindset, that changes. What you thought was boring a while ago, could sound exciting now, or at the very least, feel worth working on.

Perception will always be the enemy of progress. We all have to remember that some music sounds good at some points in time, and at others, it doesn’t. Also, sometimes you have a sound that you don’t particularly like in the context that it’s in, but when paired with another sketch, it could take on a life of its own. Or it could just be average, and that’s ok! As I said before, the average to you might be awesome to another listener.

 

The Benefits of B-Sides

The thing is ordinary tracks, in my opinion, stand the test of time longer than complicated arrangements. When I do mastering, many of the ideas I love are not that original, or groundbreaking – instead, they are efficient because they cover all the elements of a song that I find important. The over-the-top stuff? Not so much. Perhaps some Chemical Brothers or Plastikman compositions, but overall, no – at least in my opinion.

B-Sides are often some of the best music out there, especially from a DJ’s perspective. They’re typically functional and filled with fewer frills than the main single. This allows for them to be easily mixed and used as a tool, allowing for DJs to create unique moments on the fly during their sets. Due to this, they might not get as many streams on places like Spotify, but they could perform better on places like Beatport or Traxsource.

Once again, I have to mention the Deadmau5 “Strobe” situation. He thought it would be a B-side, submitted it as a B-side to the label, and it became one of his biggest songs. What you think is a B-Side could be your main track.

 

Turning the Ordinary, Experimental

One thing that people forget is that sometimes it’s also good to make experimental music out of ordinary music. Remember that average idea that you had before? You can make it extraordinary with some simple tricks. First, build a long chain of effects on one of your return channels. Then take channels and start sending them to the return. By doing this, you can end up with some really weird syncopated patterns and textures far removed from what you originally made. You can either leave these textures throughout the whole thing or use them for some surprise moments to throw the listener off guard.  For instance, I recently went to see Chaos in the CBD and one of the strongest moments of their live set was right in the middle of the set where they had this wild, all over the place, sonic meltdown from an edit of a 90’s song. I thought it was brilliant because they took something old and made it new again – something that I touched on in the Murakami post. 

 

Make Music For Yourself

So many people are concerned about making music for other people, whether that is a DJ or a label. However, most great music comes from people just making it for themselves. When you make music for a DJ or a label, often, you might find yourself trying to read their mind and overanalyzing their intentions. This results in label owners complaining that all the tracks they get sound exactly the same. While this is a product of their own doing, as they often only sign tracks that fit their meta, at the same time, they aren’t wrong. Memorable producers don’t try to imitate. Instead, they create something that others try to imitate. And in order to create something unique, it has to come from a place of genuineness. And sometimes, if you’re just sketching out ideas, forming a mood board, and working on some songs that don’t quite fit into a paradigm, this is where some truly fascinating stuff happens. 

 

Greatness is the Sum of Averages

In other words, don’t worry about average – just start making stuff. After all, if you are trying to get noticed, algorithms favor frequency, so keep on putting things out. Most will miss, but if you keep doing it, occasionally, you may have a hit.

Murakami’s Writing Lessons Applied To Music

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Recently I read this article about one of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami. This article wasn’t so much about him as it was about his lessons for being a good writer. While reading this, it dawned on me that his lessons can be applied to writing music as well, and figured I should write an article on this perspective.

If you’re not familiar with Murakami, he creates surreal stories that invoke a sense of wonder and deep connection to the main character and their psychology. They’re easy to read, divided into clear, conscience paragraphs that leave plenty of space for the reader to get lost in his vivid metaphors and similes. These words often transport you into the narrative and have the opportunity to rattle you in ways you never expected, not unlike a song. 

So without further ado, here are my interpretations of Murakami’s advice for good writing, as it applies to music.

 

Read

“I think the first task for the aspiring novelist is to read tons of novels. Sorry to start with such a commonplace observation, but no training is more crucial. To write a novel, you must first understand at a physical level how one is put together . . . It is especially important to plow through as many novels as you can while you are still young. Everything you can get your hands on—great novels, not-so-great novels, crappy novels, it doesn’t matter (at all!) as long as you keep reading. Absorb as many stories as you physically can. Introduce yourself to lots of great writing. To lots of mediocre writing too. This is your most important task.” 

–from Murakami’s 2015 essay “So What Shall I Write About?,” tr. Ted Goossen

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Just substitute reading for listening. By listening to a ton of music, good and bad, you open your mind up to new patterns and perspectives. You get an idea of what sounds good to you, and what doesn’t. At a certain point, you may be able to ascertain aspects of mediocre songs that you find appealing, as well as aspects of good songs that you find unappealing, and apply that to your own skillset. It’s only by listening to tons of different songs that you will find your own sound.

Also, don’t only listen to songs within your genre. Listen to all sorts of music, especially music that is outside of the periphery of electronic music, such as folk, classical, and even country. There is perspective in everything, and more perspectives allow for a richer understanding of music.

 

the old words and make them new again.

“One of my all-time favorite jazz pianists is Thelonious Monk. Once, when someone asked him how he managed to get a certain special sound out of the piano, Monk pointed to the keyboard and said: “It can’t be any new note. When you look at the keyboard, all the notes are there already. But if you mean a note enough, it will sound different. You got to pick the notes you really mean!”

I often recall these words when I am writing, and I think to myself, “It’s true. There aren’t any new words. Our job is to give new meanings and special overtones to absolutely ordinary words.” I find the thought reassuring. It means that vast, unknown stretches still lie before us, fertile territories just waiting for us to cultivate them.”

–from Murakami’s 2007 essay “Jazz Messenger“

It’s interesting because he uses a composition metaphor to explain writing while I am trying to use writing metaphors to explain composition. What Thelonius Monk said is spot on. There are only so many notes and those notes have always existed and will continue to exist. What you have to do is put them in new contexts. In electronic music, this often means timbral ones. We are allotted more tools than ever before to shape and design sound; way more than Monk probably could have imagined during his storied career as a jazz pianist. Using an acid bassline that’s in C minor isn’t really a new timbre for the context, but taking an acid bassline and putting it in a Thelonius Monk song, now that’s making the old new. 

 

Explain yourself clearly.

“[When I write,] I get some images and I connect one piece to another. That’s the story line. Then I explain the story line to the reader. You should be very kind when you explain something. If you think, It’s okay; I know that, it’s a very arrogant thing. Easy words and good metaphors; good allegory. So that’s what I do. I explain very carefully and clearly.”

–in a 2004 interview with John Wray for The Paris Review

What I appreciate from his explanation is the accent on clarity which is also crucial in arrangements. You need to have an idea that is understandable and accessible so the listener feels intelligent because he got it. By balancing the complexity and accessibility of the motif, you can extend the listener’s attention to the song. Too complex and the person feels lost, too simple and ther listener is bored. That’s what he relates as good metaphors and allegory, as in, something parallel to explain an idea, which is the same thing in music. 

The images and scenes you create need to be clearly understood by your audience. For instance, there are certain moments in a song, such as the chorus. How do you connect the chorus with the pre-chorus?  You can be very smooth if you use a transitional element too to ease it. If you don’t have this element, it might be too abrupt and jar the listener (unless this is what you’re trying to do). 

 

Share your dreams.

“Dreaming is the day job of novelists, but sharing our dreams is a still more important task for us. We cannot be novelists without this sense of sharing something.”

–from Murakami’s 2011 acceptance speech for the Catalunya International Prize

Dreaming is a full-time thing for musicians as well. We often dream about what other people think of our music, whether that’s a crowd, a label, or a friend. Those thoughts you have about your music in the context that makes you happiest are powerful motivators when it comes to finishing songs.  

Many times this means realising your music, whether that’s just to your friends, or a full-scale distribution plan. It’s a lot of work to finish and release a song, but in general it’s a lot of work to manifest a dream into reality. 

Another form of dreaming is the act of composing songs in your head. As a musician, you’re probably always bombarded with clips and snippets of songs that may or may not be original. It’s sometimes hard to capture these ideas, but if you can focus, you may be able to harness one of these ideas for a future composition. However, there are also easier ways of capturing these daydreams. if it’s a melody, hum or whistle it into your phone. Drum patterns can even be finger tapped out and then exported to Ableton where they can be converted into MIDI.

 

Write to find out.

“I myself, as I’m writing, don’t know who did it. The readers and I are on the same ground. When I start to write a story, I don’t know the conclusion at all and I don’t know what’s going to happen next. If there is a murder case as the first thing, I don’t know who the killer is. I write the book because I would like to find out. If I know who the killer is, there’s no purpose to writing the story.”

–in a 2004 interview with John Wray for The Paris Review

If you already know exactly how a song is going to turn out, then what’s the excitement in composing it? We’ve all been there where we aim to do something, and then it turns out to be completely different in exciting ways we never could have imagined. That’s because, in a lot of ways, song writing is about piecing together ideas that manifest themselves out of creative motivation, rather than dedicated intention.

A great way to harness this unpredictability is to jam. Instead of drawing everything in a grid and using loops, try playing those out using some sort of reactive tactile motion, like playing a keyboard, drum pattern, or even live programming a sequencer. The spontaneity of live performance and the “accidents” that come as a result are rarely something your conscious mind can replicate. 

 

Repetition helps.

“When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at four a.m. and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for ten kilometers or swim for fifteen hundred meters (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at nine p.m. I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind. But to hold to such repetition for so long—six months to a year—requires a good amount of mental and physical strength. In that sense, writing a long novel is like survival training. Physical strength is as necessary as artistic sensitivity.”

–in a 2004 interview with John Wray for The Paris Review

By repetition, Murakami means having unwavering habits. However, I would like to add something to that. By having scheduled habits, you are also creating a moment where you are the most fresh. I find that there is only one time per day where I have that initial creative plasticity that allows ideas to flow from me unencumbered by other thoughts or distractions. That’s why I make sure to dedicate out a block of time for music, and then once I’m done, I’m done for the day, because I know that anything else made outside of that pre-planned time won’t have the same impact.


Hoard stuff to put in your novel.

“Remember that scene in Steven Spielberg’s film E.T. where E.T. assembles a transmitting device from the junk he pulls out of his garage? There’s an umbrella, a floor lamp, pots and pans, a record player─it’s been a long time since I saw the movie, so I can’t recall everything, but he manages to throw all those household items together in such a way that the contraption works well enough to communicate with his home planet thousands of light years away. I got a big kick out of that scene when I saw it in a movie theater, but it strikes me now that putting together a good novel is much the same thing. The key component is not the quality of the materials─what’s needed is magic. If that magic is present, the most basic daily matters and the plainest language can be turned into a device of surprising sophistication.”

First and foremost, though, is what’s packed away in your garage. Magic can’t work if your garage is empty. You’ve got to stash away a lot of junk to use if and when E.T. comes calling!

–from Murakami’s 2015 essay “So What Shall I Write About?,”

Everything in your life should be captured as a source of inspiration, because you never know when you’re going to need it. Obviously it’s impossible to grab everything, but make a conscious decision to know how to locate things. In music this can be sounds, samples, field recordings, snippets from movies, anything. They can be the most mundane of things. Just as Muramaki said in his essay, it’s not about the quality of the components, it’s about the magic that is applied to them.

For instance, some songs are extremely simple. However, that doesn’t matter, because there is magic in them. It’s hard to say exactly how to create magic, but usually what makes a song gel together and feel magical is the right balance of different factors like technicality, emotion, and timing. There are songs that are very technical but have no emotion, and the magic is difficult to happen because there is no balance. But when you have enough of the two – the emotion vs the technical part – you have this sort of familiarity and humanity to it. The familiarity comes from the technical side, where you know that it’s going to sound correct, because it’s composed fluidly. Then the emotion is the human side; the unpredictable side that makes music fresh and interesting. 

 

Focus on one thing at a time.

“If I’m asked what the next most important quality is for a novelist [after talent], that’s easy too: focus—the ability to concentrate all your limited talents on whatever’s critical at the moment. Without that you can’t accomplish anything of value, while, if you can focus effectively, you’ll be able to compensate for an erratic talent or even a shortage of it. . . Even a novelist who has a lot of talent and a mind full of great new ideas probably can’t write a thing if, for instance, he’s suffering a lot of pain from a cavity.”

–from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

“Although I compose essays as well as works of fiction, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, I avoid working on anything else when I am writing a novel . . . Of course, there is no rule that says that the same material can’t be used in an essay and a story, but I have found that doubling up like that somehow weakens my fiction.”

–from Murakami’s 2015 essay “So What Shall I Write About?,” tr. Ted Goossen

If you’re always looking for something to fix, or improve on, rather than concentrating on one aspect of a song at a time, you can get lost and scattered. When starting to work, set an intention. For example, focus only on the percussion for this section, or better yet, focus only on the syncopated aspects of percussion. Or if you start doing sound design in your session, focus on that, rather than figuring out how it will fit in the arrangement. Then when you’re finally ready to arrange, direct your focus there. In short, have an intention.

 

Cultivate endurance.

“After focus, the next most important thing for a novelist is, hands down, endurance. If you concentrate on writing three or four hours a day and feel tired after a week of this, you’re not going to be able to write a long work. What’s needed for a writer of fiction—at least one who hopes to write a novel—is the energy to focus every day for half a year, or a year, or two years. You can compare it to breathing.”

–from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

In order to be able to focus on one aspect of a song, you must be able to endure the dedication to takes to do such a thing. If you’re only able to concentrate for an hour or two at a time, you’re going to have a heck of a time trying to create anything meaningful. At first, you’re going to feel tired after a few hours a day, 7 days a week. But eventually, by making this habit, it’s going to be just as Muramaki says, “like breathing.” You’re going to have to get to a point where you are doing it every day, for long stretches of time, sometimes up to a couple of years to create your most meaningful work. However, just like an athlete trains in the off season, when you’re done with your work, you must keep training, to keep your stamina at a certain baseline.

Experiment with language.

“It is the inherent right of all writers to experiment with the possibilities of language in every way they can imagine—without that adventurous spirit, nothing new can ever be born.”

–from “The Birth of My Kitchen Table Fiction,”

It’s easy to compose the same thing over and over again once you have a template. However, people may get bored with this palate because everything is just more of the same. If you feel like you’re stagnating, or you are getting feedback from your audience that it’s more of the same, trying changing up keys, and scales. Harmonics are the language of music. Changing them will create something unexpectedly new, even if you use the same tones and tempo. Some may be concerned about alienating their crowd if they change their language too much, but if you keep similar timbres, if they are fans, they’ll hear you within it and usually will be pleasantly surprised.

Have confidence.

“The most important thing is confidence. You have to believe you have the ability to tell the story, to strike the vein of water, to make the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Without that confidence, you can’t go anywhere. It’s like boxing. Once you climb into the ring, you can’t back out. You have to fight until the match is over.”

–from a 1992 lecture at Berkeley, as transcribed in Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, Jay Rubin


Trust what you’re doing. Some people can spend too much time on little things like their kick, or clap because they keep on second guesing themselves, due to a lack of confidence. If you start second guessing yourself, sometimes it’s best to just take a break from it and come back. Trust what you know you have the ability to do at that moment, and know your limitations. Just know that you may be able to exceed your limitations with the right dose of practice and confidence. That’s how we improve. But first, it takes trust in yourself and knowing what you are capable of.

 

Write on the side of the egg.

“[This] is something that I always keep in mind while I am writing fiction. I have never gone so far as to write it on a piece of paper and paste it to the wall: Rather, it is carved into the wall of my mind, and it goes something like this:

‘Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg.’

Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?”

–from Murakami’s 2009 Jerusalem Prize acceptance speech

Sometimes we create something that we fear might be too abstract or might even sound incorrect, despite enjoying it. This is the egg – a fragile, messy, yet critical part of life, whether that’s as it’s function as an incubator for life, or as food. If you create an egg, and it seems to fit, yet you still feel a sense of controversy, keep it. These are often the indescribable factors that make people remember songs. You just have to rely on the listener to decode it. 

 

Observe your world.

“Reflect on what you see. Remember, though, that to reflect is not to rush to determine the rights and wrongs or merits and demerits of what and whom you are observing. Try to consciously refrain from value judgments—don’t rush to conclusions. What’s important is not arriving at clear conclusions but retaining the specifics of a certain situation . . . I strive to retain as complete an image as possible of the scene I have observed, the person I have met, the experience I have undergone, regarding it as a singular ‘sample,’ a kind of test case as it were. I can go back and look at it again later, when my feelings have settled down and there is less urgency, this time inspecting it from a variety of angles. Finally, if and when it seems called for, I can draw my own conclusions.”

–from Murakami’s 2015 essay “So What Shall I Write About?,” tr. Ted Goossen

 

If you judge something as being an absolute truth then you’re going to be disappointed. There is no objective right and wrong, especially in art. Everything is subjective, and the “rules” created are put in place by societal norms, rather than a cosmic order. Sure, there are standards that people have for their art, but that doesn’t make it right or wrong. It just makes it a personal standard.

This sense of objectivity is helpful when evaluating the art that surrounds you on a day to day basis; art that is often not your own. These are where we get our influences from. So rather than dismissing an entire genre or style, because of societal pressure, try to think objectively about it. For instance you might despise EDM, but why is it so popular? One could argue it’s popular because it has pop music structure and hooks. Perhaps that’s a lesson you can take away from it. In other words, pay attention to trends, because you never know what nuance you can take from a trend for your own art. 

 

Try not to hurt anyone.

“I keep in mind to ‘not have the pen get too mighty’ when I write. I choose my words so the least amount of people get hurt, but that’s also hard to achieve. No matter what is written, there is a chance of someone getting hurt or offending someone. Keeping all that in mind, I try as much as I can to write something that will not hurt anyone. This is a moral every writer should follow.”

–from Murakami’s 2015 advice column

In 2017, producer Dax J took a verse from Islamic prayers and sampled it in his music. Then, in all of his wisdom, he decided to play in in Tunisia. And as all of the murdered cartoonists who tried to draw Muhammed demonstrate, Islamics do not take kindly to people altering their religious symbols. Despite receiving death threats, Dax wasn’t beheaded. However, he was sentenced to jail in Tunisia for a year. 

This is an extreme example though. A good rule of thumb is to wein on the side of not culturally appropriating, or at the very least, when you do decide to sample someone else’s culture, know the audience you are playing to. An Islamic country is a terrible choice to play an Islamic prayer in. This is not uncommon knowledge. Dax should have known better. But playing an Islamic prayer in your techno song at Burning Man? Many burners suck up cultural approrpiation like it’s oxygen. I know that Muramaki says to write on the side of the egg, but there are things that are already determined to be culturally sensitive, and you should respect that, or else face the consequences.

Another way you can look at this is to not steal other people’s work and call it your own. However, there is always a fine line with this because electronic music is sample music.

 

Take your readers on a journey.

“As I wrote A Wild Sheep Chase, I came to feel strongly that a story, a monogatari, is not something you create. It is something that you pull out of yourself. The story is already there, inside you. You can’t make it, you can only bring it out. This is true for me, at least: it is the story’s spontaneity. For me, a story is a vehicle that takes the reader somewhere. Whatever information you may try to convey, whatever you may try to open the reader’s emotions to, the first thing you have to do is get that reader into the vehicle. And the vehicle–the story–the monogatari–must have the power to make people believe. These above all are the conditions that a story must fulfill.”

–from a 1992 lecture at Berkeley, as transcribed in Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, Jay Rubin

Take listeners on a journey. I’m an avid fan of trying to create a song that you don’t want to end, because it keeps evolving and is never boring. Whatever genre you’re making, the best songs transcend space and time, where there is always this feeling that time passes, unknowingly. When you lose track of time you know you’ve been in a musical journey. I also believe that DJs are collecting music to create journeys and one of our tasks is to feed them with memorable ideas for them to use. This is about letting the ego aside and see your music as part of something bigger than you but also important in other’s people lives.

Write to shed light on human beings.

“I have only one reason to write novels, and that is to bring the dignity of the individual soul to the surface and shine a light upon it. The purpose of a story is to sound an alarm, to keep a light trained on The System in order to prevent it from tangling our souls in its web and demeaning them. I fully believe it is the novelist’s job to keep trying to clarify the uniqueness of each individual soul by writing stories—stories of life and death, stories of love, stories that make people cry and quake with fear and shake with laughter. This is why we go on, day after day, concocting fictions with utter seriousness.”

–from Murakami’s 2009 Jerusalem Prize acceptance speech

All music is an expression of human dedication and emotion. In order to be a great artist, one must be dedicated to their craft, and have the ability to recognize and alter emotion. Electronic music is often lyricless so we have to figure out how to express the emotions of a narrative in other ways, especially in music that can be seen as robotic to many. A good way to add humanity in electronic music is to add swing, quantazation, randomization, and actually performing and jamming your tracks, whether that’s in the studio, or live. Human recognizes human.

 

No matter what, it all has to start with talent. . . 

“In every interview I’m asked what’s the most important quality a novelist has to have. It’s pretty obvious: talent. No matter how much enthusiasm and effort you put into writing, if you totally lack literary talent you can forget about being a novelist. This is more of a prerequisite than a necessary quality. If you don’t have any fuel, even the best car won’t run.”

–from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

 

“Writing is similar to trying to seduce a woman. A lot has to do with practice, but mostly it’s innate. Anyway, good luck.”

–from Murakami’s 2015 advice column

. . . unless you work really hard!

“Writers who are blessed with inborn talent can write easily, no matter what they do—or don’t do. Like water from a natural spring, the sentences just well up, and with little or no effort these writers can complete a work. Unfortunately, I don’t fall into that category. I have to pound away at a rock with a chisel and dig out a deep hole before I can locate the source of my creativity. Every time I begin a new novel, I have to dredge out another hole. But, as I’ve sustained this kind of life over many years, I’ve become quite efficient, both technically and physically, at opening those holes in the rock and locating new water veins. As soon as I notice one source drying up, I move on to another. If people who rely on a natural spring of talent suddenly find they’ve exhausted their source, they’re in trouble.”

“In other words, let’s face it: life is basically unfair. But, even in a situation that’s unfair, I think it’s possible to seek out a kind of fairness.”

–from Murakami’s 2008 essay “The Running Novelist,” tr. Philip Gabriel

Some talent is just innate. It’s the reason why you see so many dynasty professional athletes, where sons and daughters of their parents become equally, if not more successful. You also see this is siblings quite often as well. This example doesn’t always happen in music, because talent does not necessarily mean popularity, but when you’re talking about sports, talent is quantifiable through wins and losses.

However, many of us know those people, where they just pick up something new and they are effortlessly good at it. This is even true in music, where they might create their first loop and despite not having any experience in music, it sounds like something well beyond their abilities as a beginner. It’s these people, the Jimi Hendrix’s of the world, that go on to define their cultural niche for decades to come.

However, if you work really hard at something, you can be great, like Muramaki, who says that he is not an innately talented writer. He’s probably just being humble, however, I have seen in my own teaching where people come to me for coaching and the initial stuff they show me is pretty bad. Then they stick with it, take lessons to heart, and apply themselves. Then after a relatively short period of time, you start to see significant improvement. However, who knows, they could be innately talented to begin with, they just needed someone to give them confidence to harness their abilities. 

 

 

 

How To Prepare To Make Music

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When I was 10 I was invited to be part of the track and field crew at my middle school. While I always considered myself a proficient runner, one thing that we started to do more was stretch. At first, it seemed like a huge waste of time, since all I wanted to do was run. Instead, we were spending all this time doing these exercises that, to me, had nothing to do with running. However, after months of stretching, I started to realize that I was getting significantly faster. This is because I was warming up. Just like you have to warm up to prepare for running, the same goes for music. In this post, we’re going to discuss warm-up techniques that help you prepare to make music. 

 

Your Tools Aren’t That Important

I’ve talked about this frequently in previous articles, but it deserves to be reiterated. In music production, clients often think that they can buy all the equipment they want, and somehow, miraculously, they will be inspired to create. However, more often than not, they get stuck and the most productive thing that happens is my client cleans the dust off their wall of useless gear. 

Just buying equipment doesn’t do anything if you’re not intimately familiar with it. Imagine buying a nice guitar and thinking you can play it right away despite not knowing how to play guitar. Sounds ridiculous, right? Of course, it does! It takes time to learn a new instrument. It takes frustration. It takes commitment. However, sometimes they do know how to use this gear, and still, nothing happens. More often than not, their problem is they don’t know how to prepare to make music. And just like I was warming up for track and field, so must a producer. 

 

Come Up With Your Own System When Preparing To Make Music

Now people think there is a uniform way to prepare, however, everyone is different. The mind is not a quadricep, where there are standardized stretches that make it more functional. So what we do in coaching is to come up with a system that works for them. I start with figuring out what their current habits are because one thing we do know is that what they have been doing isn’t working. 

So once we figure out what they have been doing it’s time to figure out a system that works for them. Like I said earlier, everyone is different, so everything I’m about to make is a suggestion, not a catch-all. 

 

Actively Listen To Music To Prepare To Make Music

a photo of preparing to make music by actively listening to musicThe first thing producers can do is listen to music before they make it. This might be a huge “duh” statement, but how many people actively listen to music? How many people come home, crack a beer, put on a record, and then just sit there, doing nothing else, except engaging with the music? 10%, maybe? However, it’s this 10% of people who have set themselves up for success if they are music writers themselves.

When listening to music actively, it’s best to think of it as a reference track, in a way. Listen to the song over and over again. Note the timbre and structure of the song. Like actually note it in a notebook. This will get your mind prepared to make music by actively engaging it.

When actively listening to music, make sure to concentrate on the appropriate parts of a song. Lots of producers obsess over the kicks, hi-hats, and the bass, but at the end of the day, it’s the melody that people remember. So do yourself a favor and try to concrete things that you can easily absorb. You will probably not remember the exact timbre of a hi-hat, but you might remember the melody enough to replicate something similar later.

 

Listening To A DJ Set Will Help You Prepare To Make Music

Many students tell me that they find inspiration while they are in the club, and can’t get home quick enough in order to harness it. A solution? Listen to a DJ set for 20 minutes to an hour. The longer you prepare the better. 

An image of someone DJing, which is a great way to prepare to make music

You can take notes on the transitions and compositional intricacies, something that you couldn’t do while in a club. While not exactly the same as a club, I often find that my students say that all the ideas they had in the club start manifesting themselves again.

One thing I like to do is put on a mix while scrolling through and listening back to the samples on my hard drive. By doing so, you can hear when a sample fits nicely into the mix, which you can categorize, and use later. Just make sure the volume levels match what you’re doing in Ableton. You want your samples to vaguely fit inside the mix, rather than being the predominant sound. This is a helpful way of managing samples as well, because otherwise when you’re just scrolling through samples, and not comparing it to music, you’re just comparing the samples to air.


DJing To Help Prepare To Make Music

I think DJing is a great way to prepare to make music. Similar to the other suggestions, DJing is a powerful form of active listening. DJing trains your ears to deeply understand the structure and mix of a song. You can easily add or subtract frequencies to see how they modify the song. You can also hear where transitions happen, allowing you to build your tracks out to be more DJ-friendly (if that is one of your goals). 

 

Build Categorized Playlists To Help Prepare To Make Music

I know earlier I said that it’s easier to concentrate on the melody of the song, rather than the rhythm of it. So what are you supposed to do when you want to work on a specific aspect of a song? Well, as you’re listening, throw the songs into playlists that are labeled based on the aspects of the song that are inspiring. So have one for the melody, have one for that really specific hi-hat or kick. Have one for a bassline. Then when you want to prepare to make music, you can go back to those playlists and warm-up actively listening to those.

 

Take Inspiration From Your Inspiration’s Inspirations

Another way to prepare to make music is to learn from the people who inspire your inspiration. For instance, I’m inspired by Ricardo Villalobos, so I often read articles about him. Through these articles, I found out that he’s inspired by pianist Keith Jarrett. Jarrett does not make electronic music, however, he’s clearly had a large influence on the genre, whether he knows it or not. So, naturally, I listen to Jarrett to see if I can’t harness some of that inspiration.

 

There Are Many Ways To Prepare Your Brain

At the end of the day, the goal is to get your brain engaged. You can play video games while listening to music, read a book, or go for a run. You can also paint, or write. These are all just suggestions and you should find the one that gets your mind warmed up, since as I stated at the beginning of the article, a mind is not a leg – there is no uniformity.

 

Service Update: Track Finalization Is Now Exclusive

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It’s been a hard decision to make since I’ve enjoyed collaborating on so many tracks that have been sent to me through the track finalization service that I offer. However, I have found that by just allowing anyone to purchase this, it becomes not only a source of a great deal of stress but also the work to reward ratio often doesn’t pan out. Therefore, I am indefinitely pausing my track finalization service, except for people with who I have enjoyed working with in the past. 

However, rather than just pausing the service, I feel like I owe an explanation. This blog post will be a little different than most and will have two authors. First, I’ll explain my reasoning, and then someone who has used my service a few things will explain his thoughts on working with me.

 

Pheek’s Perspective

I have clients that have standards that are pretty high, which I have no problem with. I’m happy to help. However, paradoxically many producers come to me and love their track just how it is. Yet they still want me to work on it. This is confounding to me, because if you love your track, why do anything else to it? Music is subjective, and in the ear of the beholder, so it will never be great to everyone. The only thing that matters is if it’s great to you.

However, they still hire me and have a track that they are emotionally invested in because they have put so much effort into it. They just want the track to be perfect, so they think that I can do this, which isn’t true. Hiring an engineer won’t fix everything, and transform a piece into the hottest track to hit their respective Beatport chart. And while this sometimes may happen (usually by pure luck), engineers can only fix what we are allowed to, and often have to contend with people’s cognitive bias’ towards their track. 

Therefore, with these clients, it’s necessary to communicate that nothing is perfect and that the concept of perfection, especially in art, is folly. To be fair though, as an artist, this concept took many years to accept. I eventually realized that no matter how much I tackle imperfections, the end result is often staleness. And staleness is something that nobody who is writing art-focused music wants since it’s these imperfections that make songs exciting. It’s these imperfections that make them human. And humanity, especially within electronic music is sorely needed since the criticism from detractors is often that electronic music sounds too engineered, or robotic. 

This pursuit of perfection messes up my client’s workflow because they are often obsessed with having the perfect track rather than just finishing them. To me, this is essentially chasing unicorns in a field of chocolate, because, like I said before, perfection is a fantasy. Still, this mindset persists in many since people set standards for themselves that can’t be easily changed.

Now, a perfectionist mindset would be fine, if it was tolerable. However, after all these years of consulting, I’ve noticed that perfectionists always comes with one personality trait – they’re micromanagers. And let’s be real here when was the last time you heard someone praising a micromanager? Probably never, because it drives everyone crazy. 

The end result is usually two things: they will either say that the track is too close, or different from what they gave me initially. However, I usually don’t know which one it is until after I submit the track back to them. They reply with what else needs to be fixed, so I go and fix it, which I’m happy to do because there is no way I’m going to get it right the first time unless I’ve worked with them before. However, quite often, I spend hours going in a loop and reverting it back to pretty much exactly what they gave me in the first place. Or they will ask for so many additions that it eventually warps the track to a point where it doesn’t match the patterns they have set in their own heads. If you’re a producer, you know what I’m talking about – you can anticipate what is going to happen before it happens and if you miscalculate that, or if it’s different, it creates cognitive dissonance.

This cognitive dissonance is because producers are emotionally engaged with their tracks, and they have heuristics in their mind about where things should be in the mix, or compositionally. They EQ’d it a certain way, they didn’t have certain effects or compositional elements in it that are now in it, so when they hear it, it is jarring, because they expect it to be a certain way. Therefore, it doesn’t sound “right” to them. 

However, more often than not, a producer’s home studio is not representative of the outside world, so it’s no wonder that it doesn’t sound “right” to them. But since they are so wrapped up in it, they ask for more modifications, without realizing that what they are asking for is actually incorrect. However, this sometimes forces me to go back to how it was, because of their inability to realize that the reason why they hired me in the first place was to provide them a track that translates well across all systems. 

This happened again recently, where the producer lamented that it didn’t sound close enough to their reference track, which they never provided. So I asked them to send that over, and lo-and-behold, the reference track wasn’t properly mixed. Now, I happened to know this artist pretty well, so I provided them with a reference that was correct. Strangely enough, I haven’t heard back from this client.

As you may have surmised, I’m not a fan of doing business this way. Therefore, from now on, track finalization will only be available to people I’ve worked with successfully in the past. Because at the end of the day, why would you want someone to finish a track that isn’t on the same creative wavelength as you?

 

Alex Ho Megas’ Perspective

Ok, so none of you know me. However, I’ve been doing marketing for Pheek for almost a year now. And sometimes we trade services, and one of those services is track finalization. He asked if I would write something about my experience working with him on this since we have done it a few times. You may be thinking, “how can someone be unbias towards their client?” The answer is, I really can’t. However, I’m going to do my best to explain what working with him is like.

Reading Pheek’s perspective above, I intimately understand the cognitive dissonance that comes from having your track modified. You do expect certain things to be in certain places, subconsciously. Consciously, I know that they are most likely wrong since I don’t have a tuned studio and an acute knowledge of mixing and mastering. I, personally, just like writing music and designing sounds. 

One thing we often agree on is that music is usually a collaborative process and that electronic music is one of the only genres where it’s often not. Therefore, I hire Pheek knowing that collaboration often leads to better music. So you know, I’m not always immediately happy with everything I get back. I just know to give it time and to send it off to people that I trust to provide feedback. Then, I think critically about it and note things I would like changed. 

For instance, sometimes I notice that the tuning on a sample is incorrect, or that an element needs to either be extended or shortened. Sometimes there are parts that I want to have emphasized that Pheek deemphasized, like how a snare hits at a transition. So I confer with him and ask if it makes sense to change those things. Often he says they can be changed, however, I always make sure to just trust that 1) my room is incorrect and 2) that a new perspective is helpful. Sure, sometimes I override his recommendations, but only after careful consideration. And to be fair, I still could be wrong about those decisions, but as he said earlier in this post, music is subjective in many ways. 

I would say that the most difficult one we’ve worked on was the last one we did. Right from the beginning, there were some warping errors that made the channels not properly align, and therefore significantly changed the composition of the track. This was hard to explain because he was not familiar with the track, so he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. To him, of course, it’s correct, why wouldn’t it be? However, I just pointed him to a time in the original track where it was wrong, and had him compare it to the version he sent over. It took some time to figure out an effective communication method on this, but ultimately, we got there.

Then he added a bunch of foley sounds to the track, per my request. However, they were either too maximalist or minimalist, so I asked for a modification. These weren’t exactly what I was looking for, so we went back again. Being content with what it was, I sent it in for a mixdown. Then I sent the mix to another engineering friend to see what he thought of it – and it didn’t think it was right. So I just asked Pheek to bounce down the stems and send them over so I could see what my friends sounded like. Funny enough, after comparing the two, I prefer Pheek’s and will use his version when it’s eventually released. This example just goes to show that this track had a particularly strong hold on my perceptions, which makes sense – I worked on it forever. It was only after a good amount of time that I was able to crack these biases. 

 

The best recommendation I have about his track finalization service is to make sure to clearly mark where there are things that need to be changed. Note the time, note the duration. Make sure to have a copy of the old track handy that you can send him so that you can point to when you need things reverted. Make sure to mark the times and durations on those. He has a blog post about “how to communicate with an engineer,” which provides tips that will smooth the process of working with him on track finalization. However, it seems like now, he’s only working with people he has vetted in the past. So if you’re reading this, and have successfully done track finalization in the past, I recommend reading this article.

Another good thing to read would be his post on finalizing tracks on your own now that the service has been made exclusive to previous clients,

Is It Best To Produce One Style, Or Many?

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Why do people keep producing the same kind of track when there are others who have a wide palate of styles? I’ll admit, I’m a victim of the former. I’ve been producing the same type of music forever. Sure, often they sound different, but overall, I use the same formula and workflow, which translates into a bunch of songs that sound somewhat identical. This results in some people questioning why I don’t expand my palate. 

In response, I try to break out of the mold and create something entirely different. Then, the people who listen to me because of my consistency get annoyed and start complaining. There is no victory here, which is why I always suggest just making music for yourself. At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is be satisfied with your finished product. However, let’s explore the advantages of disadvantages between the two.

 

Producing A Similar Sound

Ok, let’s first talk about making the same song over and over again. In an era of algorithms and playlists, this is a sensible approach if you want to build a brand. With streaming, listeners have infinite choices nowadays. They can go on Spotify or YouTube and build their own playlists that fit their mood. And when they want to augment their mood, they often go and grab songs from familiar artists that satisfy that emotion. If you’re an artist that produces a bunch of different styles, they may not go check out your new stuff, because they know that it won’t fufill that emotional anchor. However, if you have a palate of sounds, tempos and styles that fit into a similar trope, then listeners can reliably count on you to produce something that satisfies their need. 

 

The Benefit Incremental Improvements On A Sound

Another reason for producing similar-sounding tracks is because the artist wants to keep on improving on something. Often they believe if they keep on working in the same vein that their tracks will get progressively better, which may lead to some sort of breakout moment. If they decide to take a tangent into other realms, then that may cause them to lose sight of that goal. They may even start making more predictable, cookie-cutter stuff since often when artists explore new genres, they start watching tutorials that thousands of other producers have watched. Often, this regresses their sound, when by staying the course it may have led to new, exciting sounds, even if they fall inside a stereotypical frame that they defined throughout their years of producing.


What To Do With All Of These Similar Tracks?

When you have 100 songs and they’re all the same, what do you do? Is that a waste? If you release all these 100 songs, you’ll burn yourself out because not all are worthy of release. I usually recommend making bundles of 3 or 4 and seeing which ones work by passing them to DJ friends who can play them. They’ll let you know which ones work, and what doesn’t. 

Also, don’t forget to store all of your projects. You never know when you can go back and finish a track with the new skills you have acquired. 

 

How To Change Your Sound, Without Becoming Cookie Cutter

However, there are ways for producers to keep a template and still change their sound. For instance, they can change the key. Each key has a different mood associated with it, and while the timbres and samples may be the same, the new pitch can redefine the emotional impact. You can still retain the mood that listeners expect if you switch the key to something harmonically relevant to a previous song’s key. Just check the Circle of Fifths to find out what works harmonically.

Another thing composers can do is time signature changes or add polyrhyms in their music. In dance music, it’s often hard to do something outside of 4/4. Sure, there are some tracks that work, like Jon Hopkin’s “Neon Drum Pattern,” which is in 5/4, or the rave classic, Jakatta’s “American Dream.” However, those are a pain to mix, and are a rare breed of dance songs. What I suggest is things like using triplets, or doing things like making your song half time or cut time. Another thing you can do is make your rhythm 4/4, and your lead 6/4, since they are both common time. However, if you don’t care if your songs are mixable, feel free to make songs in 9/8 or 17/4. Who cares? Like I said, it’s about feeling satisfied with your music, and nothing else.

 

Producing Many Different Styles

Ok, so let’s talk about artists who have a bunch of different styles. I would also say that I do this too, as I release dub techno, minimal, ambient, and more. However, with my sound, it all comes from a similar root, as I mentioned before.

Then there are artists that are all over the place, and cannot stay tied town to one process. A good example of this is the band Underworld. You might now them for their song Born Slippy, but they are way way more than that. They were originally an ‘80s rock band that evolved into the techno juggernaut that we know today. However, if you go through their catalog, you will hear many genres of music. There is house, techno, and breaks, for sure. But there are also ballads, and ambient pieces. Sometimes there are big beat songs as well. Then occassionally, they’ll return back to their roots and make a more rock oriented song. 

Another good example is Radiohead. Pretty much every album they change up their style. Ok Computer does not sound like Kid A, Kid A does not sound like In Rainbows, In Rainbows does not sound like King of Limbs, A Moonshaped Pool does not sound like King of Limbs. This process all started with Kid A when they wanted to make an anti-album that was intended to alienate their fans by switching things up dramatically, replacing drums with drum machines, guitars with synths, and normal vocals, with distorted ones. In other words, they were sick of stardom. But that backfired, and it became arguably the most critically acclaimed album of that decade.

 

Having An Artistic Signature To Tie It Together

However, if there is one thing that Underworld and Radiohead have in common is that they have an artistic signature, whether they like it or not. With Underworld it’s the timbre of the sounds they chose, paired with Karl Hyde’s spoken word vocals. With Radiohead, it’s the production veneer and Thom Yorke’s distinct crooning. This keeps the fan grounded in familiarity, even when the styles change. 

 

We Live In A Different Era

Keep in mind that Underworld and Radiohead are from a different time though. They existed in a time when I believe labels were looking for artists that pushed the limits of their creativity. Nowadays, with algorithmic streaming, labels are often looking for consistency, because they have artists put into boxes that they can market to said demographic. If you’re going to take this route, you may have to self release, or do a lot of research in finding a label that still has this old ethos. 

Frank Zappa has this great interview where he laments that cool kids running labels ruined artistic expression. He says that in the ‘60s, the reason why so much amazing, forward-thinking music broke into the mainstream is because the label heads were just old businessmen who didn’t know anything about music. They were like, “what do I know? Put it out, see what happens.” Then some of those records had great success, so they hired young, long-haired hippies to come in to advise. Those hippies became smug and decided they knew what was best, because they had taste, and thus began the decline of forward-thinking music, because often, they had no idea, despite thinking that they did. 

This has progressively became worse, and now these label executives have developed formulas for what should be released and what shouldn’t. Luckily, we live in an era where self distirbution is possible, and with the right marketing, and luck, you really never know where your multigenre music can go.

 

Whatever Route You Chose, It Doesn’t Matter 

Whichever route you choose, there is no right and wrong. Releasing the same sort of song can be fulfilling from a commercial standpoint, but from an artistic standpoint, it can become dull. Chances are most musicians are not going to be touring with thousands of adoring fans, so it might behooth you to make whatever you want, rather than trying to placate a potential audience. But, if you have a sound and know how to market it, then by all means, refine it. God knows that’s what I did. But I also expanded into other genres too. So perhaps, somewhere in the middle is a solid approach

Do You Love Your Track? Or Are You Just Overly Committed?

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  • The creative process involves a lot of fantasizing. You fantasize about the reaction you’ll get from crowds, and the reaction you’ll get from promoters. You fantasize about the reaction you’ll get from their creative peers, and the reaction you’ll get from your friends. Perhaps the person you have a crush on will like it. Perhaps you’ll get it signed to the label of your dreams, and it will break your career as a musician. This often creates a deep level of love for your track. 

However, the caveat is that many people feel this adoration in that euphoric phase of composition, where you’ve discovered an amazing loop or a basic structure of a song that enraptures you. 

This is that moment when you pull the hammer back on the metaphorical pinball machine and bounce your idea into the summit of the board, where it starts bouncing off the bells, whistles, and fixed, flashing bumpers, sending it careening into a space of infinite possibilities. 

Then after a while, it slows down, and you begin to see that the ball is falling deeper and deeper towards your flippers and that if you don’t hit it just right, you may destroy your track forever.

This is that moment of self-reflection and doubt that most creatives have. It’s in this period that you might think that you messed the whole track up by adding a part that doesn’t elicit the same joy as before, almost like chasing the high the first time you took a drug. 

The problem is that you’ve committed so much time to this track that you may be convinced that it’s still incredible, and become stubborn about any suggestions. 

Or it could go the other way, where you’ve committed so much time to this track that you feel like you need to do something with it, but you don’t love it like you used to. There are solutions to both conflicts, resulting from the same emotion – love for your track.

 

A photo of Ableton next to a cup of coffee.

 

A solution to loving your track too much

This is a hard one because people often get stubborn about their art. They love it so much that they can’t absorb any feedback or rejection from their peers about it. Often that’s because their love for it is built on the cognitive heuristic of commitment, rather than them actually believing it’s an incredible track. 

Therefore, often this fallacy is built on eggshells and critique may seem like a personal attack, and therefore the creator protects it from opinion and rejection, lest they be rejected too. This sometimes leads to people not putting their track out at all, always “waiting for the right moment.”

The way to get over this fear? Truly don’t give a shit what other people say. Most great artists didn’t. We always hear stories about the albums that critics lambasted or art that sat obscurely for decades before being dusted off and appreciated. Or there is the opposite, where their art’s controversy was appealing to some, and appalling to others, creating a maelstrom of press. 

This is what happened to John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, who made some of the most challenging music in modern history, where to this day most people don’t understand it. But they are both considered important in the canon of music. 

They knew their music was threatening, but they probably didn’t care, because they thought it was important, and thus put it out there. 

If people want their music to get out there, especially if they still hold onto the original fantasy of other people listening to it, then they need to put it out there for critique. Whether that’s your friends or a marketing campaign that goes out to media contacts and DJs, you’re going to feel rejection, even if it really is brilliant. That’s because music is subjective. 

 

A photo of Deadmau5, who understands that his love for his tracks can often be misguided.

Credit: Wikipedia

A solution to not knowing if you still love your track

If you got to the point where you can put the song out, but are still having doubts about it, keep in mind that you really have no idea how it will sound to others. Remember, when you first started the track, there were elements about it that sent your brain bouncing off the proverbial pinball machine. Therefore, there is a good chance that other people will love it too. 

Deadmau5, love him, or hate him, knows how to finish tracks, and has released some of the most seminal modern rave anthems. With his hit, Strobe, he was having this conflict. He liked it enough to finish it, but not enough to be confident with it. 

Since his label hadn’t seen anything in a while, he decided to send it over to them, suggesting that it could be a B-side to a record; another piece of content to whet the appetite of his fans. Then, to his surprise, it blew up in 2009, right at the advent of the EDM explosion, helping to propel his career into the stratosphere. 

If you listen to Strobe, you might be able to see why he wasn’t confident in it. It’s at least two minutes longer than any other song on the album, clocking in at 10:33, and it takes a few minutes before the kick drum comes in. It’s not necessarily a radio anthem. 

But believe it or not, people like challenging music, because it gets them thinking.

A less mainstream example of this is from one of my clients who had a song that they sent me that I thought was pretty good, but they were having doubts about. I was like “Look, how about I send it to some labels and see what happens.” 

So I sent it out to some labels, and it didn’t just get signed, it got picked up by a bunch of different places. They were having doubts, and their doubts were squashed when it became as successful as anything else they’d released.

You also don’t know who tracks are going to resonate with. While they might not vibe with your primary (often fantasized) audience, they could resonate with an entirely new audience. 

A good example of this is a client of mine who sent me over some ambient tracks they made, which was surprising based on his previous work. What was also surprising is that they had all these Indian-sounding names. 

Well, it turns out those Indian names were actually holy words in a religious sect, and when people searched for those on Google in regards to the sect, their songs would come up. With this, their music, in a way, became holy music and ended up performing better than any of the other, more branded tracks that we worked on together.

 

A Note On Expectations

As I get older, I realize that the desire to be understood, or liked by others is a trap for the creative process. The real joy should come from if a song is technically solid, or if you changed your style to something that you’ve never done before. These are both something to be proud of as they show an improvement in your abilities as an artist.

I like to think of each track as journaling, and it’s a capturing of an idea, rather than trying to make something that will please thousands of people. The most frustrated artists are the ones who have high expectations for their music and where it goes, the least frustrated are the opposite. 

A note on collaboration

As many of you know, I do track finalization. Whether you do it through me, or another session musician, I think what I’m about to say rings true for both. Basically, I only like to work with people who have a realistic expectation of their art or don’t view me as some sort of savant. Just like they have high expectations for the track, they might also have too high of expectations for the session work, especially if they have both. Because whether people realize it or not, they might have subconscious ideas of how their track should go without consciously knowing how it should go. 

Then when I or anyone else goes in and makes edits, these sorts of clients expect it to sound like something completely different. Also, if they’ve heard a track a couple hundred times, any alterations to it are going to be glaringly noticeable, and might not jive with the congruency you have programmed in their head. Therefore, if you have these sorts of expectations, it’s best to forgo them, as they diminish the creative potential of a track. Remember, it took something like 27 people to write “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer. Did they all agree? Did it diminish the value and impact of the track?

The best people to work with are ones who are about a 6 or 7 out of 10 on their love for their track. These people tend to keep an open mind.

 

A photo of someone listening to a track. Don't listen to your track too much or else you might love your track artificially.