Give me 14 minutes, and I'll 10x your music production skills

Summary

In this video, the creator shares a simple three-step system for making professional-sounding music, ideal for beginners. The system focuses on sound selection, 3D positioning, and optimizing keys and octaves. Key tips include going through a wide range of sounds, using 3D space for better track balance, and adjusting the key for optimal sub-bass. The creator demonstrates the process on a track, showing how these steps transform the music from amateur to professional quality. The video also promotes a 7-day course for learning electronic music production.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on sound selection (the 'cake') as it makes up 80% of your track's quality. Good sound selection is more important than advanced mixing techniques.
• 😀 Spend time going through many sound options. The more sounds you explore, the better your final selections will be.
• 😀 Always test sounds in the context of your full track. A sound might be good on its own, but its fit in the mix is crucial.
• 😀 Study what inspires you. Listen to tracks you love and analyze the types of sounds and instruments used in the genre you're interested in.
• 😀 Save your favorite sounds for future use to save time and avoid repeatedly searching for the same quality sounds.
• 😀 3D positioning involves frequency spectrum (height), panning (stereo width), and depth (volume). Keep this in mind as you select sounds to make your track more professional.
• 😀 The subbase (low frequencies) needs to sit in the right frequency range to be powerful and audible on all audio systems. Adjust your track's key to achieve this.
• 😀 Moving instruments up or down an octave can improve the track's overall sound and help separate elements in the 3D space.
• 😀 Consider adjusting your track's key to optimize the subbase while ensuring that other elements like vocals or leads still sound good.
• 😀 When mixing, adjust volume and positioning to give each sound its own space. This makes mixing much easier and the track more professional.
• 😀 The final result is achieved by systematically applying these techniques, including optimizing the subbase, adjusting panning, and using octave shifts to make the track sound more polished.

Q & A

What is the first step in the system for making professional-sounding songs?

The first step is sound selection, which is crucial to the success of your track. It's compared to the 'cake' of a song, where the sounds and instruments you choose form the foundation of the entire track.

Why is sound selection considered more important than mixing and mastering?

Sound selection is the most critical step because it makes up the majority of the track. If you focus on improving the sounds you choose, you'll achieve far better results compared to spending too much time on mixing and mastering alone.

How can you improve sound selection?

To improve sound selection, go through a large variety of sounds, try them in context with the whole track, analyze what inspires you, and save your best sounds for future use.

What is 3D positioning, and why is it important?

3D positioning refers to the placement of sounds in the frequency spectrum, stereo field, and depth (volume). It's important because it ensures every sound has its own space, making mixing easier and helping to create a professional sound.

How does frequency spectrum affect sound placement in the 3D space?

The frequency spectrum determines the 'height' of a sound in the 3D space, with higher frequencies placed higher and lower frequencies placed lower. This affects how sounds interact with each other in the mix.

What is the role of panning in the 3D positioning process?

Panning, or the stereo spectrum, determines how wide or narrow a sound is placed, affecting whether it sits in the center, left, or right of the stereo field. Proper panning helps create space for other sounds.

What is the third step in the system, and why is it important?

The third step is adjusting keys and octaves. This is important because changing the key or octave of a track can dramatically improve the subbase, separate instruments in the 3D space, and ensure the track sounds more professional.

How does changing the key affect the subbase?

Changing the key can place the subbase in the 'sweet spot,' where it has more power and presence in the mix. If the key is too low or too high, the subbase might lose power or become inaudible.

What are the solutions if the subbase can't reach the sweet spot?

If the subbase can't reach the sweet spot, you can try adding another octave of the subbase or saturating it to fill the missing frequencies in the higher range.

How does moving an instrument up or down an octave improve its sound?

Moving an instrument an octave up or down not only improves its tonal quality but also helps it fit better in the 3D space by changing its frequency content and making it sit more naturally within the mix.