4 Things You Can Do Ri ght N ow to Becom e a B e t t e r M u s i c P r o d u c e r So u n d C o n s t r a i n t s pr esented by H elping You Becom e the M usic Pr oducer You W ant to be Sound Constraints presents | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer 2 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become a Better Music Producer Version 1.0 © Copyright 2020 Sound Constraints LTD All Rights Reserved. This publication, including any of its parts, may not be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher. Inclusion of brief quotations in reviews and educational material are permitted. Disclaimer: The information presented in this book is based on the author? s experience, knowledge, and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the misuse of the information in this book. You don't need to move to L.A., spend $10,000 or take a 4-year music production course. You ju st n eed t o get in t o t h e h abit of w or k in g, f in ish in g son gs an d f ollow in g you r in spir at ion t o see w h er e it t ak es you ! A Quick Guide to Improving as a Music Producer Every music producer you look up to got to where they are today through hard work and constantly looking to improve. As a music producer, I've seen myself and others make drastic improvements through small changes to the creative process. Sound Constraints presents | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer 3 Wh o Am I? I'm Aaron Stevens. Electronic music producer and founder of Sou n dCon st r ain t s.com . It's my goal and focus to provide producers with tips, samples and presets that make creativity easier and less distracting. You can m ak e a lot w it h a lit t le Thousands of producers have started their Sound Constraints transformation and with this E-book we hope you'll do the same. Set-up Uninterrupted Time to Produce Finish Songs Invest in Yourself Creativity and Writers Block 05 10 13 18 Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Make the Music you Love - Finish More Songs - Overcome Creative Block Se t - U p U n i n t e r r u p t e d T i m e t o P r o d u c e Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Cr eat e a Daily or Week ly Sch edu le Dist r act ion s ar e t h e biggest obst acles in an y cr eat ive f ield. They destroy creative bursts, ruin routine and steal valuable time that can be spent producing. Music production is no different. It requires full attention and lots of time. My number one tip for improving as a music producer is to t ack le t h ese dist r act ion s on ce an d f or all. Here's how: Getting into the habit of creating music is the key to seeing real improvements. By cr eat in g a daily or w eek ly sch edu le t o pr odu ce, su ch as " 7-9 pm ever y w eek n igh t " you'll make it a relaxed and normal experience to be working. You'll optimize your time and no longer look at the clock and realize it's too late to start. - Set r ealist ic daily or w eek ly sch edu les that fit your free time and goals. - You 'll opt im ize you r t im e and make good habits focused on music production. - Cr eat e a r ou t in e - brew coffee, tell your housemates/family you need time to work, switch off your distractions and get creative! Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Picture this-you're 10 minutes into creating a new banger. Then suddenly, your WhatsApp is pinging away and you can't ignore it. Game over. Your inspiration is gone and you've lost 30 minutes. Or maybe you start by watching an educational music production video, but then you've spent the whole day on YouTube. If that sounds familiar to you, it 's t im e t o sw it ch of f you r dist r act ion s. - Pu t you r ph on e in plan e m ode. - Tu r n of f you r WiFi or avoid opening your browser. - Pu t t h ese h abit s in t o pr act ice when you feel a creative burst coming on, outside of your schedule. Separ at e Lear n in g Tim e f r om Pr odu ct ion You won't become Martin Garix watching videos all day. You have to pr odu ce you r self an d exper ien ce f ir st h an d w h at it t ak es . Try separating your educational time from production time. - Set a 30-minute timer before your production time, dedicated to ju st learning. - Then spend your production time creating and using what you've learned. Switch Off the Distractions (Literally) Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Let Your Samples Inspire You Sam ple sear ch in g is t h e en em y of cr eat ivit y. How many hours and bursts of creative energy have you lost searching for that "perfect" sample for your next track? Usually, you'll end up looking through hundreds of files. Be con cise an d t im e-ef f icien t w h en look in g f or sam ples. Set som e t im e aside t o delet e poor qu alit y, ou t dat ed sam ples. Let Your Samples Inspire You 1 Songwriting Comes First - Get creative by using what excites you first, rather than hunting for the "perfect sound." you can always replace your snare sample later, if it's not perfect now. Focus on perfecting sounds later 2 Follow and trust your ears Go with your instincts and see where your creativity leads you Get Inventive 3 Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer F i n i s h So n g s Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer You h ave t o t each you r self t h e pr ocess of f in ish in g son gs. Not everything you make will be your big hit. By working to improve the songs you don't like, you'll be gaining production skills and adding a new song to your collection. Finishing songs is another common problem for music producers. So many people get stuck after the initial creative burst. It can be tough at first, but f in ish in g son gs is a sk ill t h at is lear n ed by... f in ish in g son gs! Here are some essential tips to improving your finishing skills. Finish Songs Even if You Don't Like It Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer St r ik e w h ile t h e cr eat ive ir on is h ot . Th at m ean s f ocu sin g on son gw r it in g f ir st an d f or em ost . Anyone can pick out a better sample later, but coming up with an interesting beat, hook or structure usually happens when your creative juices are flowing. Don't distract those moments by doing technical stuff like fine-tuning your EQ or compression. - Be a son gw r it er f ir st an d an en gin eer lat er . - Get your song written first and then obsess over sounds and small details later. - Whether it's a big punchy kick for a big-room house, or a perfect 808 kick when making traps, don't f ocu s so m u ch on t h e specif ics w h en w r it in g a t r ack Songwriting Before Perfection Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Qu an t it y Leads t o Qu alit y Mozart composed over 600 pieces of music before passing away at age 35. Beethoven created 650 in his lifetime. And Bach? He hit over a thousand. I'm not saying we should all reach their standards, but if you finish more songs than you scrap, then you'll logically produce more quality songs. Wh en you f ocu s on qu an t it y, you develop you r pr odu ct ion sk ills f ast er . If you spend two months on one song, perfecting a drum beat or performing one mixdown, you'll only have one song. If you do six songs in that time, you've focused on improving your skills six times. Your improvement will be rapid. Once you've got a larger selection of songs, then you can perfect them. Quantity Aids Skill Improvement 1 Keepin g t r ack of you r pr oject s is essen t ial t o k n ow at w h ich st age t h ey 'r e at . I suggest making a spreadsheet or just writing a list by hand that states the file name, what needs improving/removing/or re-recording. This way, you? ll also motivate yourself into finishing songs rather than leaving them unfinished on the list. Keep Your Song and Projects Organized 2 Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer I n v e s t i n Y o u r s e l f Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer One of the best things about electronic music production is that you don't need to break the bank to make music; we can all do it with a DAW. But if you want to make improvements, then it's t im e t o get ser iou s abou t you r cr af t an d m ake som e essen t ial in vest m en t s. You r 'St u dio' Look t o m ak e im pr ovem en t s w it h in you r bu dget . I'm talking pop filters for vocals, midi keyboards or a fast and reliable laptop, PC or Mac. Don't feel like your budget is what's holding you back - that's bullshit. But at the same time, invest in yourself. Tak e t h is ser iou sly, so you don't get lef t beh in d by t h ose w h o do. Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Headphones Everyone loves to hype up how important a great set of speakers are, but h eadph on es ar e per f ect f or a f ir st , easy in vest m en t . They remove the element of your room's bad acoustics and provide you with affordable, high-quality listening. And you retain some privacy! - Audio Technica ATH-M30X (The go-to well-rounded headphones in the affordable price range.) - Sony MDR7506 (Another affordable and decent alternative). - Beyerdynamic DT 770/880 (Used by studios and producers around the world) Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Instruments and Synths Whether you want virtual synths or real synths, in vest in g in a qu alit y syn t h sou n d w ill set you apar t f r om t h e am at eu r s. Serum is a perfect option for digital sounds and has a great $9.99 a month rental option. Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Quality Sounds, Presets and Samples Don't be af r aid t o in vest in t o you r self with high-quality sample packs and presets, rather than free ones that tend to be stacked with useless, legally cumbersome, time-wasting, low-quality sounds. Even t h e pr os u t ilize pr eset s f or in st an t in spir at ion . They want more time creating and less time-wasting, and as a beginner, high quality presets will help you get great sounds fast, while you improve at sound design. Th at 's exact ly w h at Sou n dCon st r ain t s.com of f er s you - high-quality selections, for affordable prices. (Ah yes, a shameless self plug) Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer C r e a t i v i t y a n d W r i t e r s B l o c k Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer "Lim it at ion s ar e you r f r ien d." Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer Th er e's n ot h in g w r on g w it h you w h en it h appen s. It will pass and come back again one day too. I believe there are ways around it though, to trigger inspiration and to help you work when creativity is drying up. Hitting Writers Block WILL Happen to You at Some Point. 1 I don't advise doin g t h is all t h e t im e , but only if you're stuck. Listen to the tracks you love and study the structure. Add t ags w h er e t h e in t r o, pr e-ch or u s, dr op an d ou t r o ar e. You'll learn a lot and maybe gain some inspiration too. Listen to the sounds - find a close preset or try to replicate how you think the producer made a sound (but don't worry if your result is different, you've made something new!). Use Reference Tracks 2 Lim it at ion s ar e you r f r ien d. They remove the loss of direction we get from infinite possibilities. When you don't know which direction to go, following personal limitations can be the answer. Tr y u sin g a pr edef in ed pack on ly or u sin g sou n ds in u n con ven t ion al w ays. Use Limitations to Your Advantage 3 Sound Constraints | 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Become A Better Music Producer