your 5 crucial quick tips that help your music the most.

[sburke1]

the 5 most important small tips that help my music, please share yours!

1 compressor on the drum bus

2 using sonnox limiter and ozone 5 together, not the l2 ever again on self masters

3 hipassing everything below 100 hz on everything not a kick or bass, throw these hi pass filters on group tracks like "synth group" or "vocal group" to save time and cpu

4 adding 4 return tracks to my template, a reverb, a 1/4 delay, and 1/8 delay, and a dotted delay, add these and save your template so you never have to do this again

5 grouping all synths i tweak or make into instrument racks , macroing them, and instantly saving them to my library so i can use them again if i want, the same goes for fx racks,

[oddstep]

1.listen to tracks on as many systems as possible
2. when i use effects like delay or compression. ask myself I am really just trying to fix a weak rhythm or poor sound design. go back to the source data.
3. when possible play stuff in rather than mouse it.
4. if i start getting into a loop of adding elements to make something work. abandon it and write something different
5. macro everything and save it as a preset.

[yur2die4]

1. Know your keyboard shortcuts.
2. Label (color?) your channels. ...which I'm quite guilty of neglecting
3. KISS. You will more than likely go back later to improve things. Less than likely finish something that you've been immersed in the bass synth for 4 hours before having made anything else, only to find it is so outlandish that it won't meld with anything.
4. It is okay to be hungry, impossible to waste time unless you're wasting it by looking at the clock and being indecisive
5. Don't be afraid to let go. Let go of sentiment. Of complexity. Of expectations and your fear of mimicking others. Sooner or later the feng shui will give something better back.

[simmerdown]

1. make a killer master template that is in front of you when you open up

2. try to learn a trick or tip a day

3. save fx chains, drum/instrument racks,presets and most important save and backup your projects

4. pick up a 'real' instrument to compliment your computer, learn some music theory either way

5. listen, listen, listen, to your work, to other peoples work, and your inner voice telling you what to do next...know when to put something aside too, come back with fresh ears later

[dominicw78]

1. Have a plan of what you're going to do before you even turn on the computer.

2. Remember the track as whole is what's important, don't get stuck in minor details, like trying to make every single drum and synth part spectacular.

3. Do/Create/Bounce the ideas down as you have them, don't think I'll do that a bit layer (as long as it's not and idea sidetracking you from the idea you still haven't completed ). Ie if you have plan to say dub delay a sound and then filter and pan it all about. Do it in that moment and commit it to audio. And be done with it, do a couple of different version if you unsure how it might fit

4. Automate the volume of your various parts. Bring stuff up and down in volume, fade and blend thins together. Use the utility gain to do so, so that you can adjust the channel level later. It never ceases to amaze me how much more interest can be put into a track by automating various parts and busses volumes,

5. Find relevant inspirational tracks to reference.

[H20nly]

*bookmark*

[Angstrom]

these are some of the things I often think to myself, I can't say they apply to you, but they apply to me and how I work.


1: I think of music like a story, it needs ups and downs, tension and release, characters and thematic payoffs. I got myself a few screenwriting books and books on (textual) writing in order to get ideas about arranging and instrumentation. Screenwriting is about action, so it translates reasonably well. Act one(establish the world), Action point, Act two (conflict) ... etc.

2: Suprise people, don't do the obvious as if following a recipe - that's just not worthwhile. For example: a magician brings out a deck of cards and says "pick a card, any card" ... and you groan, because know exactly what is going to happen next. Don't be so obvious that the audience can guess the punchline. Suprise them, or you needn't even be there.

3: Don't copy anything current. Current things have novelty value that appeals to us, but if you use that fashionable sound your track will sound horribly dated in 2 years. It's actually more rewarding to find obscure and forgotten things, and see if you can reimagine them for the present. What ideas have lain neglected for a while? Those are the ones with untapped value.

4: Keep your eyes on the prize and don't get lost in technology. Technology is very seductive to the creative mind, it lets you create magnificent technical products. However, becoming obsessed with the best kind of noise shaped dither, or exactly what sample rate is best, or how to make a bit shuffling matrix sequencer ... this will divert your creative mind away from music, it will engage your logical pattern-seeking mind in a never-ending quest for perfect technical product. What is your end goal here? Make music? Then just take the quickest path to that outcome, don't get lost in the woods.

5: try not to write long posts on forums when you just popped by to see what's happening. You were meant to be working on that song you started last night. remember ?
(* note to self)

[H20nly]

nice Angstrom

[chapelier fou]

1. Use only presets
2. Always put Schwarzonator on a midi track
3. Use a heavy compressor on the master track
4. Abuse of beat repeat
5. Always have this question in mind : "can i make money with this stuff ?"

[H20nly]

that was the guitar player's workflow (for me on the DAW) i used to work with... hmmmm why was it i stopped working with him again???

[friend_kami]

always try something new.
that is all.

[toeman]

Just one BIG tip:

When an amazing melody pops into your mind (especially when in bed at night) GET UP AND PUT IT INTO ABLETON!

If not....Suffer the burden of never recalling it again....

[JimmySlizz]

Just one BIG tip:

When an amazing melody pops into your mind (especially when in bed at night) GET UP AND PUT IT INTO ABLETON!

If not....Suffer the burden of never recalling it again....

YES.
1. freeze and flatten tracks, cuts cpu usage by about a 3rd. if you like it, freeze it, eliminates the temptation to second guess and tweak. use the arrangement and other aspects rather than the actual music to get the overall sound you want, deleting and adding notes typically just infuriates rather than fixes. lots of songs out there have 3 notes etc but are amazing.

2.when you think the song is done sleep on it and come back the next day. you might think differently.

3. bass tracks sound cool with tons of effects on them but i always make sure to duplicate the bass track to have one for effects and leave one centered and dry to get the actual sub moving. spread and reverb kill low end response.

4. be unpredictably predictable. dont build up a part for 3 bars then slam in, that would just throw everyone off, but maybe make the 9th bar seem like its going to be the drop then wait until the 12th...specifically for dance music really.

5. snacks

[mothergarage]

if you acquired a new (soft)synth, before you try it and step through it's presets, set up an audio track to record it's output while noodling along.

sample it - loop it - fuck it and eat it

[dday]

1. have at least 3 reference points at all times. use them each.

2. do not over compress.

3. eq goes on every channel and give yourself time to eq everything during the mix down.

4. don't sit there too long with a loop going and try to do something with it. if it starts to annoy you or your ears feel tired you need to get up and give it a rest. your ears too.

5. have fun.