I watched 300 hours of music production streams, here are my 17 FAVORITE tips (wish I knew sooner)
Summary
TLDRThis video offers a wealth of production tips from industry professionals like Skrillex, Ian Kirkpatrick, and others. It emphasizes the importance of creating singable and memorable phrases, using counter melodies and accent layers to enhance melodies, and experimenting with octaves for bass lines. The script also covers techniques such as violating space for unique grooves, breaking the DAW for creative hooks, and chasing the right feeling in sound. It advises on the discipline of showing up to work, overcoming writer's block, and the value of taking breaks to avoid reversing progress. Lastly, it touches on mastering, finding the right vocalist, and the benefits of outsourcing tasks to maintain creativity and efficiency.
Takeaways
- 🎵 Singing the Melody: It helps producers feel the music more deeply and ensures the melody is memorable for listeners.
- 🎶 Make Singable Phrases: The entire musical phrase should be memorable and singable to make it resonate with listeners.
- 🔄 Counter Melodies: Adding counter melodies can bring life to a song and enhance the main melody.
- 🎹 Accent Layer: Introducing an accent layer can subtly bring life to an existing melody without changing it.
- 🔨 Layer Different MIDI: Experimenting with different layers playing different elements can create richer textures.
- 🎸 Octaves and Passing Fifths: Using octaves and passing fifths can spice up a bass line and add interest.
- 🚫 Violate Space: Creating unique grooves and melodies by manipulating reverb and space.
- 🔧 Break Your DAW: Forcing creativity by breaking the DAW's norms can lead to unique and interesting sounds.
- 🎶 Chase the Feeling: The ultimate goal in music production is to evoke a feeling, which is more important than technical perfection.
- 🔄 Get into the Zone: Professionals show up and work consistently, learning to get into the creative zone on demand.
- ⏱️ Writer's Block: Overcoming writer's block involves discipline, persistence, and sometimes taking breaks to reset.
- 🔉 The 7k Trick: Cutting synths at around 7kHz can help clear space for other elements like hats in a mix.
- 🥁 Does Your Snare Slap: A big snare sound should be tested at full volume to ensure it has the desired impact.
- 👀 Close Your Eyes Vocal Test: Closing your eyes can help focus on the sound quality without being distracted by visual cues.
- 🚫 Limit and Saturate Your Kick: Saturating the kick drum and limiting its transient can help it stand out in the mix.
- 🎤 Find a Vocalist: Working closely with a vocalist can teach valuable producing skills and energize the creative process.
- 🔚 Outsource Your Mastering: Outsourcing mastering can prevent overworking a track and ensure a fresh perspective on the final product.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of singing the melody in music production according to the transcript?
-Singing the melody helps producers to feel the music more deeply and ensures that if they can't sing it, listeners will likely not remember it either.
What does Ian Kirkpatrick suggest about making musical phrases singable?
-Ian Kirkpatrick suggests that the whole musical phrase should be singable and memorable, which can help in creating a more impactful song.
Why is it beneficial to have counter melodies in a song according to Skrillex?
-Counter melodies can make a song come alive and provide a solution when the main melody isn't engaging enough on its own.
What is an 'accent layer' in music production, and how can it enhance a song?
-An accent layer is a musical element that falls between a counter melody and a new melody, used to subtly bring life to the existing melody without changing it.
How can layering different MIDI elements contribute to a richer texture in music production?
-Layering different MIDI elements allows for various layers to play different things, creating a more complex and interesting sonic texture.
What is the '7k trick' mentioned by Jaws for achieving a clear high end in music production?
-The '7k trick' involves cutting all synths at around 7-7.5 kHz to make room for other elements like hats and white noise, resulting in a cleaner mix.
What technique does Ian Kirkpatrick suggest to create unique grooves and melodies?
-Ian Kirkpatrick suggests violating space by establishing a room sound and then cutting off the reverb to create unique grooves and melodies.
How can closing your eyes while mixing help in music production?
-Closing your eyes can help you focus on what you're hearing without being distracted by visual elements, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the sound.
What is the importance of finding a vocalist when learning to produce music, as suggested by Cashmere?
-Finding a vocalist helps in learning to produce music by involving another person in the creative process, which teaches how to create a song around their vocal and enhances production skills.
Why is outsourcing mastering recommended by Abstract, and how does it benefit the production process?
-Outsourcing mastering is recommended to prevent producers from getting sick of their own song and to ensure a fresh perspective on the final product, allowing the producer to move on to new projects.
What is the 'snare slap' test by Zed, and how does it help in music production?
-The 'snare slap' test involves playing the snare drum at full volume and determining if it has a slapping impact. This helps in assessing the effectiveness of the snare sound in a mix.
What advice does Morgan Page give regarding overcoming writer's block in music production?
-Morgan Page advises taking breaks when experiencing writer's block, as it helps reset the ears and ensures that progress is being made without overworking or undoing previous work.
Outlines
🎶 Enhancing Musicality and Listener Engagement
This paragraph emphasizes the importance of feeling the music deeply and creating memorable melodies. It suggests that producers should sing their melodies to better understand their musical phrases and ensure they are memorable for listeners. The speaker also discusses the use of counter melodies to bring life to a song and the idea of adding accent layers to enhance existing melodies. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the use of different MIDI layers to create rich textures and the importance of a simple yet effective bass line using octaves and passing notes.
🔊 Production Techniques for Unique Grooves and Melodies
The focus of this paragraph is on creative production techniques to develop unique grooves and melodies. It introduces the concept of 'violating space' by manipulating reverb and cutting silence to create distinct soundscapes. The speaker also talks about the importance of having the right attitude in production, using limited tools to create impactful sounds, and the value of chasing the right feeling in music production. The paragraph concludes with advice on getting into the zone on demand and the discipline required to maintain creativity.
🎚️ Mixing Strategies for Clarity and Impact
This paragraph delves into various mixing strategies to achieve clarity and impact in a track. It discusses the '7k trick' for creating space in the high end for elements like synths and hats, ensuring they don't fight for the same frequency space. The speaker also addresses the importance of a snare that 'slaps' and the use of sensory deprivation techniques like closing one's eyes to focus on the sound. Additionally, the paragraph covers the benefits of limiting and saturating the kick drum to enhance its transient and the value of working with a vocalist to improve production skills.
📘 Finalizing Music Production with Outsourcing and Self-Reflection
The final paragraph discusses strategies for avoiding burnout and ensuring the completion of a song. It highlights the benefits of outsourcing mastering to maintain objectivity and prevent overworking a track. The speaker also shares personal experiences with finding vocalists and the learning opportunities that come with collaborating with artists. The paragraph concludes with advice on taking breaks to avoid reversing progress and the importance of self-reflection to ensure that one's work is moving forward.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Singing Melody
💡Singable Phrases
💡Counter Melodies
💡Accent Layer
💡Octaves and Passing Fifths
💡Violate Space
💡Chasing the Feeling
💡Getting into the Zone
💡Writer's Block
💡7k Trick
💡Snare Slaps
💡Vocal Test
💡Limit and Saturate
💡Finding a Vocalist
💡Outsourcing Mastering
Highlights
Singing the melody can help producers feel the music more deeply and ensure it's memorable for listeners.
Making singable phrases is a technique to create memorable musical sections that listeners can recall later.
Counter melodies can bring a song to life by complementing the main melody.
Adding an accent layer can subtly enhance an existing melody without changing it.
Layering different MIDI elements can create richer textures in music production.
Experimenting with octaves and passing fifths can improve bass lines.
Violating space by manipulating reverb can create unique grooves and melodies.
Breaking the DAW by tweaking settings can lead to unexpected and creative sounds.
Chasing a feeling is more important than technical perfection in music production.
Getting into the zone on demand is a skill that distinguishes professionals from amateurs.
Writer's block can be overcome by writing something good and getting back into the creative spirit.
Taking breaks can prevent becoming blind to progress and ensure forward momentum in music production.
The 7k trick can help create clarity in the high end of a mix by cutting synths above 7kHz.
Asking if a snare slaps can be a simple test for achieving a big snare sound.
Closing your eyes can help focus on the sound rather than visual cues during mixing.
Limiting and saturating the kick drum can help it stand out in the mix.
Finding a vocalist can be a learning exercise and energize the song creation process.
Outsourcing mastering can prevent overworking a track and allow for a fresh perspective.
Transcripts
hey soul state here if you're struggling
with anything in your production i think
you're gonna find at least one thing
really really helpful in here enjoy it
sing the melody skrillex
this tip is cool for two reasons first
singing forces you to feel the music
more deeply
second if you can't sing it how do you
expect listeners to remember it
[Music]
i think this could go higher right here
[Music]
[Music]
hello
make singable phrases ian kirkpatrick
this is just like the skrillex tip but a
little more advanced
instead of just singing the melody the
whole musical phrase should be singable
like you're about to see you should be
able to remember the phrase
and sing it hopefully a few hours later
i like that you said you only hear four
elements in the song because that's the
objective
the listener doesn't know how many
layers you put on your kick the listener
doesn't know how many things you got
going on but they
out of all the details and stuff you're
making
a phrase when i'm walking around the
house sometimes i'm just like
not pretty like i'm just like it's
memorable you know and it might be a ton
of layers but it sounds like
a phrase a unit you know
[Music]
counter melodies can make a song come
alive by skrillex oftentimes if i
personally can't make a melody come
alive
the solution isn't necessarily changing
that melody the solution can come from
changing
a different melody a counter melody
sometimes the beginning of idea
you'll have this kind of melody in your
head and it
almost doesn't make any sense until you
know you kind of put those cater
melodies in so like
this is the first idea just it's simple
but then
this gives it an instant move this
counter melody
[Music]
right
and then the baseline simple listen
layer different midi leno let's say you
have a melody that isn't quite there
you don't want to add a counter melody
maybe you already have one and you don't
want to change the melody because you
like it
try adding what i call an accent layer
something in between a counter melody
and a new
melody to sort of subtly bring life to
what you already have
synth lead guy another sam fleet guy or
so they kind of like
have this little chord thing going
like when layering stuff you shouldn't
necessarily always try to have
like all the parts play a similar midi
like
have different layers playing different
things i think that
will help you like come up with richer
textures and stuff so this
on top of the chords will sound like
[Music]
this
so then we have this wobbly arp
which i think is a pretty important
element even though you can't really
hear it
or you can't hear it but like it's kind
of subtle
it sort of like gives the track a sense
of movement
try octaves and passing fifths for
better bass lines low file
this is one of the simplest ways to
spice up a bass line really common thing
bassists do when they play they'll
experiment with octaves
always try your octave up and then going
down
the octave too but hitting a passing
note in between like
a fifth away or something
on top of the cord is also a really
common base trick
so i'm basically just doing octaves with
the occasional like
little tiny fill in it but the whole
bass line is based off of these octaves
right
let's do it again
[Music]
violate space ian kirkpatrick ian uses
this technique a lot it can help create
unique grooves and melodies
even with the exact same notes the
important thing is not to overdo it i
think of this a lot like salt
you don't want to put too much on but if
you put on the right amount it can
really help bring out
all the flavors you already have shout
out to ian like one of my favorite
things to do
in production and not in real life one
of my favorite things to do
is violate space establish a room
and then totally violate it you know
introduce a reverb and then cut that
reverb off
like i said i only do that in
productions not in real life all the
yellow parts
are silence that i chopped out so like
no line noise at all like right here you
could see
a little bit of line noise and reverb
you can really hear the reverb break
your daw
lax city if you're still trying to come
up with a great hook or great melody and
it's not working
just break your daw try something it
forces you to create in the moment
and really pay attention to what's
happening versus overthinking everything
i feel like you need the right attitude
to actually see the potential
in having like all these limited tools
that made the craziest
sounds just by using plugins in ways
they're not supposed to
like literally breaking them just
tweaking something
in your daw that's like not supposed to
be touched like maybe this
master pitch you have to remember that
everything in your daw
can be recorded when you break something
or tweak something that's not supposed
to be
messed around with you might get the
craziest sounds
chase the feeling oliver this is very
helpful if you're trying to decide if
a certain part of your song is right or
not listen to what you're feeling is the
eq that you're tweaking giving you the
feeling that you want
is the reverb bringing out the emotion
of the vocal
tips are tools but the feeling is what
you're truly after really that's what it
is is a feeling
chasing a feeling yeah at least my
mixing process or when i'm actually
trying to dial in the sounds it's all
just chasing a feeling until i get that
feeling where i'm like oh that just hits
right like until i get that
i don't really stop because it's not a
technical thing it really isn't
it doesn't matter how you get there
until i get that feeling i'll try
everything
do i need to eq this do i need to put a
different sound in here
like whatever it takes it's really not
about that it's about the end result
is it does it feel right am i bobbing my
head and dancing cause if i'm not then
probably other people won't until i get
that feeling i'll try everything
get into the zone on demand ian
kirkpatrick
one thing that distinguishes pros from
amateurs is that pros show up
no matter what that's what this tip is
about budget time
show up and get to work this sounds
crazy but i i'm telling you
over the years i have learned how to get
into the zone
on demand still takes me a couple hours
to like really get into something or you
know an hour or sometimes
20 minutes if like the ideas are obvious
like two days ago on my calendar
was allotted one day to start work on
this duet
i'm supposed to produce two humongous
humongous artists
most of that day is spent trying to get
into the zone
i can't get in the zone without a vision
you know so like i'm trying all these
things i'm walking down this road i'm
walking down that road and i'm like
trying to develop a theme for the song
then when i do which i did i don't want
to stop
i go as long as i can because i go to go
to like my you know 11 p.m or 11 30
because i gotta be up early in the
morning
and do my exercise i wanted to introduce
discipline into my creativity
my creativity used to be this wild
animal and it still is
it still is wild as [ __ ] but i tame that
[ __ ] say no to writer's block cashmere
this is similar to what ian said if you
think about most of your favorite
artists they spent most of their time
making songs you've never heard
daftpunk has put out a few hours a few
hours of music
over a 30-year career my philosophy is
often painful but i just sit in front of
a computer
until it happens and if nothing happens
i just go to bed and i feel like
a worthless human being and then i
repeat the process the next day
you know what breaks writer's block
writing something good
often times when you cross the finish
line and you score a touchdown and you
remember what that feels like
then you're back in the spirit of it
you're back in the mode and you're going
to score more touchdowns
becoming blind and reversing progress
morgan page despite everything
we just said forcing music isn't always
the best solution if you're investing
the time in music it's important to be
honest and ask
am i becoming blind and reversing
progress for me
taking breaks even just 10 to 20 minutes
really helps reset my ears
and helps make sure that i'm actually
making progress not just sitting in
front of the computer
in the past i thought that working a
12-hour day
was the standard and that you're going
to do better work by working overtime
which simply isn't true and you really
are
you be you kind of can become blind to
what your song sounds like and you can
undo your work and work backwards in
your mix
i've worked backwards countless times
and thinking i'm working hard
i'm maximizing my day i've i'm in the
zone
and to be honest and most people will
disagree with this but
you're probably only getting three or
four good really really good
musical hours in a day it's honestly
like if you look at there's a book that
described the
the diaries of famous artists and
musicians and
a lot of the most famous artists they
put the work in every day
they'll do their three or four hours and
they're like i'm done i'm gonna go you
know go for a walk or hike the rest of
the day and
these are legendary writers and authors
it's funny because you don't need those
12 hours
you're probably fooling yourself into
thinking that you're maximizing your day
i take it as far as i can and then when
it feels like i'm forcing something then
it's
time to take a break the 7k trick jaws
we're all super obsessed with cutting
the low end and making the kick
and bass fit together but this tip is
really about making the synths and the
hats
and the transients fit together really
nicely big disclaimer this doesn't
always work
but it's super helpful if you're looking
for a very very clear high end
specifically on your drums
i swear this is the first time i've
mastered a song like this and it's this
loud and the high end is just like
pristine
and i swear to god it's because i'm
cutting all of my synths
at like 7k seven and a half k so all of
the hats
and the white noise and everything has
room to breathe
it's nuts so here's without the filter
here's with the filter
everything about that sound stayed
exactly the same you're just missing
that crispy little high end but that's
fine
because we have these hats
so now the hats and the synth aren't
fighting for space
and the mix will sound a hundred
thousand times more clean i won't take
that
advice as my own i got that from
sullivan king like two months ago
and ever since i started doing it i
swear everything is just so much easier
does your snare slap zed for genres
where you want a big snare a great
question to ask is
does this snare slap we'll do a little
educational moment i'm gonna play this
again
at full volume and you will tell me yes
or no
the question is does this snare drum
slap your
[Music]
it appears like the snare drum does not
slap the majority of my chats
while that is what we are trying to
achieve
the close your eyes vocal test zed even
basic sensory deprivation like closing
your eyes
can really help you focus on what you're
hearing and not get tricked by plug-ins
and your daw
and colors and you know all the stuff
that isn't actually sound
anyway just another great question to
ask yourself when you're mixing
oh oh hey i didn't know you're watching
i was just uh getting some dirt off my
shirt
[Music]
your voice sounds a little bit far away
it almost sounds like
you're singing from here um i don't know
if you record it quite far from the mic
or if you like it distant but i always
try to imagine when i close my eyes and
i in my own music i want the vocal to
feel like it's right in front of me
like in my face that's how i like it
limit and saturate your kick
abstract if you're like me you spend a
lot of time too much time
thinking about the transient of your
kick drums ever since seeing how
abstract makes kicks i've been thinking
a lot about how much
air is in my kick transient and another
trick that i really love for kick drums
this is all saturated always
yeah you push it to the edge of clipping
like four is almost
it's too saturated like it's almost too
hard
three is kind of like still at the at
the edge but
two still has like the low like
just to get the hair off
find a vocalist cashmere one of the
hardest things for me and i think many
other producers is finding amazing
vocals
because i think it can be hard to know
if a song is done if you don't have
a really strong hook or vocals to bring
it all together so
this tip really makes me think about
producing a vocalist really as a
learning exercise
i really encourage you guys to find a
vocalist
especially if you're getting started and
work with them a lot because it teaches
you a lot as a producer because suddenly
you're not just in there like this lone
wolf suddenly involved another human
being
in the process and everything that you
do is in furtherance of uh the song that
you've made together
and in furtherance of how to better
create a song
around their vocal and so using an
artist
and building around them it it just
really gives you a new energy that
you can start really whipping out songs
quickly my vocalist was this
uh girl dev we did g6 together and based
down low and
by producing all of her music i really
learned quickly
how i would produce my own music try
producing
first singer five or six songs and i
think you'd
learn a lot about producing and and how
to simplify
outsource your mastering abstract now on
the surface this is obvious but
abstract's reasoning behind it is
brilliant it's very easy to get sick of
a song and not ever finish it
but the decision in advance that you're
going to outsource your mastering
is a way to solve that problem i don't
do my masterings myself i work with a
homie that doesn't for me because
otherwise i would just i could do it
myself but otherwise
i would just spend so much time doing it
again and again and again
switching headphones out it was just a
headache for me it would make me hate my
music
you know so i try to work on my mix
downs as much as i can and make the
track sound as
crazy good as i can using just to limit
it it's gonna
affect the volume basically and then i
send it to someone that masters it that
just like kind of
makes it a bit you know prettier that
means that don't go back to this project
and touch it again i can move on to new
things if you like these summaries and
you want to see more of them
let me know in the comments below upvote
it so i know you want more of it don't
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thanks for watching and see you soon
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