Tips for making first EP/album

[merges]

I want to make an album or EP, to bound and pressure myself a little bit (I find it helpful to have a goal), and to push myself and my music to a higher standard. This is new to me, and I don't really have more than one peer to reach out to. So I'm looking for thoughts and advice on making one's first album or EP! For instance:

- Do you tend to write purposefully, or just make a bunch of stuff and see what fits?
- Do you have certain people who are pre-listeners/critique-ers or do it yourself?
- How do you ensure a kind of technical/aural consistency from track to track?
- How do you approach the whole idea of "release?"

etc. etc. any other tips welcome! I'm really excited and enjoying the music part so far but I'm also really curious about all the stuff AROUND the music, too.

[regretfullySaid]

- Do you tend to write purposefully, or just make a bunch of stuff and see what fits?

It can be a mix of both, I think what it comes down to is the "finished" aspect, in that it doesn't sound like a meandering directionless mix of sounds in time.
If it's purposeful, you have a better scope of what you want to do and you have a blueprint in place so the rest is execution. If it starts off as paint splatter, you have to spend more time sculpting blindly so to speak, so there's a lot more fiddling around. Imo, when you're at the stage of wanting to make an EP, it's usually an attempt at 2 things: Suggesting that's the direction you plan for your album and also determining whether your album is likely to be "successful" or not, based on the feedback from the EP, so you're typically already at the point where you've found a comfortable spot in your process where you can have a cohesive body of work to release.

- Do you have certain people who are pre-listeners/critique-ers or do it yourself?

A lot of people have their friends (ones they know that can give blunt, honest feedback) as a meter to determine what's best and what isn't. There's also label feedback and soundcloud.

- How do you ensure a kind of technical/aural consistency from track to track?

Use a template. Your sounds, effects and levels are generally in place, and that's what you mostly stick to. That keeps your consistency, then mostly what's left to work on is your arrangement and mixing adjustments, then have someone with legit mastering experience to put it all together at the end stage.

- How do you approach the whole idea of "release?"

My approach to an idea of an EP or album is that you have made some definition of your art, enough that you can showcase a body of work with in certin limits of particular tools and methods you choose to use.

Off tangent, I'd like to think a body of work is intended to be a story. In the context of instrumental music, the definition of story is abstract (obviously), but also more interesting in the sense that the listener is more able of put themselves in the center of the story aka environment as opposed to the concrete-ness of hearing someone else tell you what the story is.

Anyway, it doesn't have to be a "story", but generally an EP is a hint of the type of aesthetic you're going for, generally consistent in a technically sonic standpoint, and also in your own particular methods and processes made in that body of work. Another way to put it would be is that if the EP is the sum, then the parts you choose and your particular way of putting them together have a certain amount of similiarity to each other. Take someone somewhere, have peaks and valleys, emotional dynamics, otherwise it's just "this is me trying something".

Hope it helps. Just my opinion. There are no rules, only guidelines.

[TomViolenz]

I'm pretty much in a similar position, as you, so I rather give my opinion than advice.

Do you tend to write purposefully, or just make a bunch of stuff and see what fits?

This has been the great question for me since I began making music more than 3 years ago, and my position has shifted on this and it may again.
It all goes back to the question of how we make art. Purposfully, or as an expression of a momentary state of mind through means of creativity that are essentially limitless. Maybe it's that after 3 years my knowledge of the tools is still limited, but my results are a lot more creative, if I don't try to think them and just let them happen.
In a way not making me the genius behind the art, but merely it's first observer. (Editing out unwanted stuff is of course always an option, just don't over-do it)
So right now I'm on the side of "just make a bunch of stuff and see what fits"

Do you have certain people who are pre-listeners/critique-ers or do it yourself?

I have no one that gives enough of his attention and scrutiny to my work, as that their opinions matter at all. I think this will be true for almost all people! (People with many friends, just get that "Oh, great track,...did you hear of x doing y....."; People with less musical friends usually get the "Oh interesting...., but it's really not my taste, did you hear of x doing y....; and so on)
If you have a person in your life, who takes the time to tell you that a specific transition doesn't work, or there is a lack of exitment in your track, while really getting what you wanted to achieve: You should promote him to best friend status, immediately!

How do you ensure a kind of technical/aural consistency from track to track?

That's easy to solve through workflow:
I just make a whole album in one Live set, where I have a very specific set of 6-8 sends, that get set up first and then don't get changed till the project is done. If you then also mix your tracks in the set in one swoop, it will sound quite cohesive in sound.

How do you approach the whole idea of "release?

If you mean by this: When is it ready to be released?! Then I'd say it's ready when it's ready, you will know.
If you mean: how to release, then I'm just as clueless and hope for other posters to give good advice!

[Tarekith]

- Do you tend to write purposefully, or just make a bunch of stuff and see what fits?

>>> Usually I have a very vague plan of attack at least, a vibe I want the album to have or a similar source for inspiration. But that's free to change all the time, sometimes you just have to be flexible and follow your gut when you find yourself getting off track but liking the results better. <<<

- Do you have certain people who are pre-listeners/critique-ers or do it yourself?

>>> Do it myself, always. Pretty rare that I let anyone listen to my tracks until they are 100% done. <<<

- How do you ensure a kind of technical/aural consistency from track to track?

>>> In my experience most producers have their own "sound" whether they recognize it or not, so usually it's not too hard for multiple tracks to have some of the same feel. One of my favorite aspects of writing albums though is that I can start a bunch of different songs at once, and just jump between them as the mood fits me while writing.

You end up with a little more cohesion that way, and if you're not feeling a song one day, no big deal just move on to something else for a bit. <<<

- How do you approach the whole idea of "release?"

>>> When I'm done it gets released Usually for bigger projects I'll go through the whole process of putting it on CDbaby so it can get to the major outlets like Amazon and iTunes. The trick there is just being patient enough for it to get uploaded everywhere before you start playing it for people or promoting. Otherwise it just goes on my site as a free download, with and option to buy via Bandcamp for a stupid low price for my few "fans" who buy whatever I release. <<<

[easemeister]

Is it for business or for creation ?
1st one : Suck dicks and make what people wants.
2nd one: No rules and make what YOU want

[TomViolenz]

Is it for business or for creation ?
1st one : Suck dicks and make what people wants.
2nd one: No rules and make what YOU want

Well said
And assuming the second option is what you choose: Wait with your first release till it's right! It will influence who you will be as an artist! If it's too successful, it will lock you into a style - if it's not, it may doom your name