We’ve all been there, opening the same track in your DAW over and over for days, weeks, even months, but never actually completing it?
Well, Protoculture’s here to share some expert knowledge on how to overcome that final hurdle and get your tracks out there so someone else can have a go at listening to them!
These top 5 tips on workflow, managing your time and committing to your sounds are a reminder we can all do with now and then to keep us moving forward.
After all - It’s better that your fans listen to your tracks over and over again rather than you right?
Great advice, been doing some of these recently. I think reusing instruments you create is a big one I never did before, which ties in wiht storing your presets, and bouncing kicks out. Creating own made samples out to their folder and faviouriting best items in sample packs when you buy them is a good one too.
Also a bg one is separating roles, and decide what you are goig to outsource so you can focus on what you want to do.(Some I mix together but with the knowledge that they are different peoples jobs):
Songwriting
Acoustic Treatment
Sound Design
Instrumentalism
Recording
Arrangement
Production
Mixing
PreMaster
Master
Marketing prep
PR/Social Media
Distribution
@Nate, can you make a video on how you started making money in the business and tips about doing so? Not only for DJing but other options for electronic musicians?
Great tips here Nate. My samples/plugins are an absolute mess. I will have to look into the Cubase plugin manager. Time to form some sort of discipline when I fire up Cubase. It has always been a free for all. Most of the time nothing gets done, every now and again something does. My best tracks were started out in “play time”.
Loved these tips it was super inspiring. It was great to hear how you separate the work and play aspect of things and was super helpful in knowing you have success with splitting the two up instead of trying to combine them together. Thanks!
Absolutely spot on video! This should be the first vid that new producers watch. Like “Here’s your Sonic Academy sub now watch this video and then have at it!”
I built a new computer last summer so I took the opportunity to really, really cut back on the amount of VSTs that I have installed. I’m trying to use onboard effects as much as possible except for some favorites that I just won’t let go of. I’ve settled on two synths that I know well and really like with 3 others that I’m familiar with or learning.
It really, really helps!
My biggest issue is sorting samples into a system that makes sense! I ended up with a giant mess the last time I tried.
My biggest piece of advice to share is to find a specific time that you can work on music every day and do NOTHING but work on music during that time. Every. Single. Day.
I prefer to work later at night but when I lived in my last apartment I realized that the parking lot was empty in the late mornings and early afternoons. I had hours I could dedicate to nothing but music before I went to work where I wouldn’t disturb the neighbors. So every single day I sat down and worked on music during that time slot. I think I learned more in the year and a half I was in that apartment than in the years leading up to it.
Thank you this was a great overall guideline, which I will be switching over to right now. The feedback u gave about ur releases is definitely something to remember.
