Tips & tricks that you wish you knew from the beginning.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:04 pm

I'm just getting into producing and I'm kinda having a hard time. I think it's mainly cause I'm still learning Live-- can't build something without know how to use the tools.

What are some tips and tricks that you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning? Any general "rules" that you follow when choosing sounds and write parts?

I could use some tips to get things rolling easier.

Sherman Banks · Post by **Sherman Banks** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 12:42 am

What kind of music are you trying to make?

roach808 · Post by **roach808** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:47 am

change something every 8bars.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:51 am

1 - Ableton Live kicks ass
2 - Everything in the tips n tricks sticky (haven't quite gone through them all, yet.)
3 - Don't be so hard on my own music.
4 - Record everything.

b0unce · Post by **b0unce** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:08 am

get some books on music theory, and read them

jb61264 · Post by **jb61264** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:38 am

that the black keys are best for making trance

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:43 am

A lot of music is just recycled loops

Records that have been dug out the crates, recorded, tweaked and then freaked

don't be afraid to jack shit

the "purist" will hate but that's why they're "purist"

madlab · Post by **madlab** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 6:06 am

jb61264 wrote:that the black keys are best for making trance

I read somewhere that Thelonious Monk (who wasn't also into trance in a sense) broke all black keys on his piano before stopping to play. Fed up with the pentatonics ?

RhythmSickness · Post by **RhythmSickness** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:13 am

madlab wrote:
jb61264 wrote:that the black keys are best for making trance
I read somewhere that Thelonious Monk (who wasn't also into trance in a sense) broke all black keys on his piano before stopping to play. Fed up with the pentatonics ?

early trance hater, stopped in his prime, before he fulfilled his desire to break all the black keys

RhythmSickness · Post by **RhythmSickness** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:17 am

Dont try to do everything at once.

Spend some time learning all elements.
It can be a real creative boon to limit your options at times.
Less is more.

ie, learn all about how to do just one thing and rinse it to death, then move on to thing two, then thing three, etc. Eventually you'll know enough things to do loads of them. seamlessly and flawlessly and so on.

eyeknow · Post by **eyeknow** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:31 am

Here's one I'm guitly on......

ACTUALLY do something! What I mean is....instead of trying to get every eq curve/comp/verb/etc perfect FIRST, actually record something.....and FINISH IT!

It's hard with all the goodies to get caught up in the "perfection" thing and never get anything done

JACKAL & HYDE · Post by **JACKAL & HYDE** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:44 am

Understanding that a mix is not just left and right, that its also vertically up & down even with stereo placement and that no matter how good your sounds are compressed and eq'd if their not placed/seperated properly, they can still sound like cluttered crap in a mixdown.

- To move your sounds "up and down" or make them appear above the monitors/below them, use a delay set to the same pan position as the sound on that track and set it between 3ms and 19ms. (above 19ms does nothing) Higher values around 10 - 19ms will make high hats (for instance) appear above your monitors and a lower value does the opposite. This is great for seperation as it adds two more dimensions to M -LR but always check in mono.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:41 am

Thanks for all the tips. Keep 'em coming.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 12:08 pm

Keep it simple stupid

Seriously less is almost always more, so don't just add more and more tracks to your songs.

Don't use effects and dynamics processing (EQ and compression) unless YOU hear a NEED for it.

Take it slow when learning, focus on only 1 thing at a time. You wouldn't expect to play the guityar perfectly in a week or even a month, and Live is no different.

Keep it simple stupid.

Don't go crazy with plug ins, get a couple and learn to use them very well before even thinking about buying more.

Read everything you can, soundonsound.com is a great place to start.

Poster · Post by **Poster** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 12:34 pm

don't forget to use the non linear jamming options in Live..

I ignored this way too long..

So quickly set up some scenes in Session,
press all record buttons you can find,
hit play and record your Session jam into Arrange..

Tips & tricks that you wish you knew from the beginning.

Tips & tricks that you wish you knew from the beginning...