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These Music Production Habits Fucked Me Over, Bigtime

Music Production

By Alex EynstonePublished 4 years ago 13 min read
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In my previous post 7 Music Production Tips I Wish I’d Paid More Attention To, I talked about 7 pieces of advice that I should have listened to but didn’t. In this post, I’m going to talk about the things that I did (or still) do that I wish I hadn’t.

My fears and anxieties have played a big role in stopping me from getting more done over the years, and they might be responsible for the habits I’ve developed when producing, but regardless of whether or not you’re an anxious wreck like me, bad practises can arise – and they can really fuck you over.

Who knows where we’d be if instead of worrying about unnecessary shit and going around in circles, we knuckled down and focused on what’s actually important?

If you’re a time-waster, procrastinator, or chronic masturbator, this might help. If you’re a beginner or you still feel like you’re not getting where you want to, this might help.

In the spirit of not fucking about, let’s get into it. Here are a few things that I think won’t help you on your path to mastery.

Processing sounds too early in your project.

If you’re in the early stages of a project, you’re most likely doing a lot of sound design and/or selecting sounds that you want to be a part of your track.

Once you have those sounds, you’re probably going to want to fuck with them a bit, twist them up with filters, distort them, experiment with EQ to shape them, chop them up and rearrange them, and do whatever else you do to make them work together and form an idea.

This is, of course, all completely fine, fun and often absolutely necessary if you want to come up with something interesting and unique. The problem arises when you start to let irrelevant processing decisions creep into your playtime – decisions that are only going to hurt you down the track.

What I’m talking about here is essentially doing anything that doesn’t need to be addressed until the later stages of your project, things like EQing out frequencies to make space for things that don’t exist in your track yet or fretting over minute details and edits in your sounds that might not even make the final cut.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome to dive deep into your project and attend to all the little bits and bobs that might take your track from good to killer, it’s just that doing it too early can be extremely detrimental to your progress – especially when you get further in.

It’s not hard to take out frequencies here and there when you’re mixing your track, but it can be a lot more difficult to add things back in if you’ve taken them out way back at the beginning.

Similarly, do you really want to be stressing about the amount of stereo width on that fifth layer of that tiny bass fill only to find the whole thing doesn’t work in the bigger picture and you have to delete it anyway?

I’m not saying you can’t mix as you go and I’m also not saying that you can’t experiment at different stages of your project. Just think about what you’re doing in the early stages – if you’re not going to be able to undo what you’ve done, maybe don’t do it just yet.

**If you want to see a prime example of processing too early, watch any of my studio session videos.

Relying on your spectrum analyser too much.

It almost feels like blasphemy to say that because I love using analysers to guide me when my ears can’t, but there is absolutely such a thing as relying on them so much that it’s detrimental to your track.

If you get to know a particular analyser really well, you’ll start to see patterns: the sub is usually hitting around [here], there’s usually a dip around [here], top end doesn’t go above [here], etc.

That’s great! It’s when you let those rules dictate what your track sounds like, instead of letting your ears do it, that using a spectrum analyser becomes a problem.

Don’t let it trick you! Firstly, depending on the analyser you’re using, volume changes of 3dB, 5dB or even more might barely register, visually. This means your hats might be 5dB too loud, but your eyes are telling you they’re fine – not cool.

Secondly, not all tracks are created equal, and their spectrum prints (I don’t know what else to call it) will reflect that. If you spend a bit of time looking at tunes through an analyser (tunes that aren’t the references you use all the time) you’ll start to notice circumstances where your spectrum “rules” are broken.

These rules really only apply if you’re primarily making one style of music, too. Once you bring other styles into it, you’ve got other sets of rules, and then there are variations on those rules as well.

Again, I love using them. They’re especially handy if you have a room that sounds like shit and you can’t really hear what’s going on. But in my opinion, generally, analysers are a tool to help guide you in the right direction – they shouldn’t make musical decisions for you, at least not without your ears present.

Getting side-tracked.

Yeah, I know, we all get side-tracked. Our phones go off and we lose our flow. We start watching a video on how to do something instead of actually doing it. We get weird “urges” that need to be taken care of instead of producing, etc.

As relatable as all that shit is, what I’m talking about is mixing when you’re supposed to be writing, writing when you’re supposed to be sound designing, sound designing when you’re supposed to be mixing, and anything else in the same vein.

It’s not always bad to mix as you go – most pros do, as far as I understand, anyway – but it’s when you go so far off course and lose your direction that things can start to fuck you over.

Similarly, it’s not so horrible to quickly tweak a sound here or there while you’re laying out your idea. It’s when your writing session becomes solely about tweaking that sound that’s no good.

This can happen very easily and without you even knowing what’s happening – which is why I’m mentioning it in the first place. You need to be fucking diligent in staying on track if you want to get anything done, otherwise you’ll disappear down a rabbit hole.

Perspective and planning.

Your project is probably a lot bigger than you believe it to be. What I mean by this is that there’s a good chance you’ll need to spend more time on it than you’re estimating, and you’ll likely be breaking the work up into at least a few different sessions.

There’ll be a time for sound design, a time for writing, a time for mixing, editing, tweaking, etc. You don’t have to do it all at once.

Having a plan to dedicate specific sessions to different things can really help keep you on track and move you forward. Again, you don’t have to stick to it 100%, but having a rough idea of what you’re going to be doing when you sit at the computer can prevent a whole lot of heartache.

Nowadays, if I’m starting a project from scratch, the aim of my first session will generally be to create a short loop (or “riff”) to build on later. This might involve a bit of sound design, some light mixing (which I’ll usually completely change later because I’m an idiot) and some writing. Nothing too serious at this point, if I don’t let any of the habits above or below get the better of me.

In the sessions following this first one, I’ll try to focus on one thing at a time. Expanding on the idea would usually be where I’d go (so, writing) and then eventually editing, tweaking, mixing, etc.

This way of doing things is not at all the only way to do things, but if you’re prone to getting side-tracked, it might work for you.

On to the next one:

Pushing past your breaking point.

You’ve probably done this, and you’re probably aware of the dangers, but let’s discuss it anyway so we can go over some ways to recognise it before it gets too bad.

To clarify, when I say pushing past your breaking point, I mean continuing to write, design, mix, whatever, when you’ve clearly had enough.

Ear fatigue is bad and mental fatigue is even worse. These can lead to over-processing (which could be addressed in a separate section, but for me, they work hand in hand) and making a lot of other terrible decisions that will put you back quite a few steps.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: you’ve just spent an hour balancing all of your tracks and you’re in a good place. You should take a break, but instead you move to panning, then EQing, then reverb, delay, etc.

All of a sudden, it’s been 3-4 hours, and you still haven’t taken a break. Your balance doesn’t sound so balanced anymore, so you adjust the kick. But now the bass sounds a bit out, so you adjust that, too. 20 minutes later, shit is fucked.

Going too far is one mistake that’s caused me to spend countless unnecessary hours fixing things that shouldn’t have needed fixing in the first place. I don’t think I’ve ever not done this, to be honest, and I couldn’t recommend avoiding it enough.

Identify the signs.

Stopping yourself from getting to this point should be taken as seriously as actually making your music, or it should at least be given more attention. I think the key is being able to recognise when you’re heading the wrong way and then walking away.

Here are a few things I’ve started noticing in my own sessions that seem to lead me astray and suggest it’s time to stop:

  • I find myself needing to add low-end or high-end to lots of channels. This usually means my ears are tired and want me to compensate for that.
  • I’m making a decision, then undoing it, then doing it again, then undoing it, etc. If I can’t settle on something, I’m likely too exhausted. I know that when my mind is fresh, I don’t do this.
  • The plugins are starting to stack up. If I’m putting 10 plugins on a sound in the sound design process, cool. If I’m doing it any other time, something is wrong and I’m losing direction.
  • I’m making bold moves, like moving volume faders on my main elements up or down by 5dB or more. If I’ve already balanced them, I’m probably doing this because I’ve lost control and I’m desperately trying to get it back, by any means necessary.

Some of these “markers’ might resonate with you, and you might have more of your own. Learning to identify these is, I think, the first step in overcoming them. Once you’ve done that, all you have to do is stop yourself (yes, a lot easier said than done)!

Have you noticed a pattern of me using the same photos?

Using reference tracks the wrong way.

I’m a bit up and down with using reference tracks in general. On the one hand, they’re awesome for all the reasons you’ve heard about a million times, but on the other hand, they can make you feel like shit and actually ruin making music for you if you’re not using them correctly.

The dangers arise when you’re not using them as a guide to keep yourself on track anymore, and your session has now become about comparing yourself to other producers.

This is not to be taken lightly. I’ve had tracks that I really enjoyed until I started comparing them to professional tracks. I’ve abandoned a lot of them as a result, too.

Here is where relying on a spectrum analyser too much, getting side-tracked and pushing past your breaking point can all come into play. Once you’re in comparison mode, it’s really fuckin’ hard to get out of it. So, what do you do? You start trying to find ways to hoist your track up to the level of the pro track – at whatever cost.

This will most likely lead to your work (and your mind) falling apart. What you’re now doing is trying to turn your music into someone else’s, and that can only end in tears.

You will not, you cannot, ever get your track to sound exactly like someone else’s. There are way too many factors that will stop you from getting there. Don’t bother.

Be safe, be yourself.

Nowadays, I try to use references as a last resort. If I’m close to the end of a mix and something feels really off, I’ll drop something in to see if I’m missing anything obvious.

What I absolutely won’t do is drop a reference track in while I’m still in the writing stage (I really used to do this – ridiculous) or if I don’t have a clear reason to do it. This business of using references because you think you have to can be as catastrophic as compressing for the sake of compressing.

I think the mental game is really important here. Exercise your willpower. If you’re prone to comparing yourself and you know it’s going to end badly, don’t go there in the first place. If you think you’ve got it under control and you can use them appropriately, sweet.

Most importantly, though, be yourself. Your music is ultimately about you. Of course, there are guides you should follow if you’ve got any kind of direction at all, for any part of your project. But at the end of the day, nothing should stop you from making music, and using references the wrong way is one of the fastest ways to ruin your session – and possibly more.

Giving up.

Yeah, don’t give up. No shit.

This isn’t technically something I did, because I’m still going, but I’ve almost given up a lot, and I can promise you it doesn’t help anything.

Although this will be the shortest section, it’s probably the biggest deal. Being mindful of everything above can really help get you over some hurdles, but they won’t mean much if your subconscious is programmed to give up.

If you haven’t heard this, quickly listen to it now. It’s so easy to get lost in this massive ‘gap’ between the excitement of being a beginner and the excitement of being able to execute your ideas quite effectively.

Don’t give up, whatever you do. If you work and work and work, you’ll get where you need to be. It might not be how or when you want, but it’ll happen.

Going back to your subconscious programming – if you’re like me, it might be driven into you that giving up and running away is the way out of the pain you’re experiencing. This is dead wrong.

Facing your fears and repetition is how you change your subconscious habits. If you want to get better at exercise, do it every day until it becomes second nature. If you want to get better at making music, do it every fuckin’ day, practise avoiding the pitfalls above, and watch what happens.

The end!

There you have it. These are all things I highly recommend you don’t do if you don’t want to end up like me (well, how I was when I was stuck and doing nothing, anyway).

Music is supposed to be fun, but things can get blurry when you start running into complications. There are a lot of things to learn and a lot of ways to go wrong. I hope these help you in some way.

If you ever get stuck in a project, come back here and read over this. Maybe you’re caught on something I’ve mentioned. Take a breather, or walk away from your project for a while, and come back armed with a fresh head and a fistful of knowledge – you’ve got this.

Cheers! 🙂

(Enjoyed this? Check out some of my other posts – it might do you some good!)

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About the Creator

Alex Eynstone

Music Producer | Composer | Coach.

I make music, write about things I care about & help independent artists build an online presence.

The Awakened Creative Co - theawakenedcreative.co

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