A few things to consider........

[Xellmode]

I thought I'd write a little something that maybe beneficial for beginners regarding production as I have read a lot of tutorials and had some great advice and think it's time to give somethin back, not really a tutorial as such but I hope it helps...


1. You can't polish a turd - Start with samples that are of a good quality as you can't make something sound better when the original is poor. Use WAV files NOT mp3.

2. Listen to other peoples tracks and try to pick out where each element of the track sits within the mix, (ie the kick, snare, hats, bass etc...) Personally I tend to listen through headphones with my eyes closed in the dark to try and really get a feel for a track, I will then do the same with something I have made and will notice the things stand out straight away that need to be altered, eq'd differently or have have the level amended, you get the idea.

3. Reverb is your friend, use him to make things come to life and create space...(don't overuse)


4. Experiment and find what works for YOU, just because a technique/VST/DAW works for someone ellse doesn't mean it will necassarily work for you, a lot of software will have good presets but use these as a starting point to see how that sound is made then tweak to make your own sound.

5. Be patient, there is no "magic" button that's gonna make things sound amazing and you will have to put alot of time and effort in to get the results you desire and it is not going to happen over night. I have noticed that a lot of producers seem to hit a peak after approx 10 years. **Remember everyday is a school day. **

6. Take a break, your ears will get tired and things will sound different the more you listen to them, if you think you are satisfied with something leave it alone for a few days then listen back to it and I guarantee there will be things that are out of place or things that you can take out.

7. Listen to your tracks on as many different speakers/headphones as possible, this will show you where crtain things are to loud, quiet etc.

8. When it comes to drums layering is key to making them fat, again experiment and see what works. Try a bassy kick layered with a punchier kick and maybe a hat/click noise as well - try changing the decay, frequency and volume of each until you are satisfied also experiment with other noises under the kick especially bass and synth noises. Try the same process with snares.

9. IMO EQ is used more effectively when cutting frequencies to allow elements to "fit" in the mix, think of it as a jigsaw puzzle and if things overlap try and eq them into there own frequency range. A good staring place is to search " musical frequency ranges" in google and whole host of things will appear. Remember use these as a guide as every track will be different, again this takes a lot of practise and sometimes it can be very frustrating. Using Frequency analysers and Spectrum analysers is benefcial to see peaks in freq and this can aid you in where to "boost" or "cut" but remember, it's not how it looks it's how it sounds - DON'T rely on your eyes, rely on your ears.

10. Things cost more for a reason, a free VST could sound great and there are alot out there BUT if you want tracks to sound big and proffesional then you are going to have to spend the cash. Native Instruments are great.


11. Try to create for yourself, don't make a track becuse you think someone else will like it and if your making tracks to make money then I would stop now, there is no money in it any more.....

12. Acoustic treatment of your studio/room is essential IMO, there are laod of helpful tuts and diagram online.
Most importantly out of all this is take your time and be patient and enjoy the process, don't just think "oh that'll do" make something that's next level and try and push the boundaries.

[AK]

10. Things cost more for a reason, a free VST could sound great and there are alot out there BUT if you want tracks to sound big and proffesional then you are going to have to spend the cash.

Money doesn't always equal quality and it certainly doesn't equal 'big and professional'. People used to make 'big and professional' tracks on nothing more than an Akai sampler and a drum machine - the likes of which can be got cheaply these days

Native Instruments are great.

8. When it comes to drums layering is key to making them fat

It might be a good way to recycle old drum samples but it's not necessarily the route to 'fat' drums, that's just down to the source sounds whatever they may be - and of course, mixing.

[Xellmode]

I understand that man and it was really just some observations that I have made during my time producing....

Everyone has there own techniques/ tools you know.

[oblioblioblio]

agree yes and no with the money thing.

someone making sh!t music using a £3000 compressor is still making sh!t music.

we live in an age blessed with opportunity. I'm lucky enough to be able to put money into my studio, and completely abide by that philosophy of only using very well engineered gear. But, not everyone has a budget and it's total sh!t to give any person a reason not to believe in what they are doing.

I would probably say the opposite of what you are saying, that when starting out, don't buy any VSTs or marketing or whatever. Get a superb tool like Ableton, Reason, that's quite self contained. And use that and only that until you have honestly explored every angle of it. Easier said than done but I genuinely believe that those limits will force the most out of.

Anyways it's probably all hypothetical anyways as probably one of the most important things when starting out is to never listen to any know it all idiot like me telling you what you should or shouldn't do. Of course, listen and learn, but there are no rules at all.

[victorgonzales]

I have a friend who is an amazing producer who uses synth one all the time. He owns lots of awesome hardware ad software but before he could afford all that he used free stuff and he can make some of those free instruments sound great. KNows them very well. For sure some programs are just crap but with some dedication you can make great sounds by learning a vst instrument inside and out. Knowing what sounds good on each one and what doesn't.

I still use synth one and some other lesser instruments occasionally as well when I know I want to make a sound that works well on them.

[lem]

10. Things cost more for a reason, a free VST could sound great and there are alot out there BUT if you want tracks to sound big and proffesional then you are going to have to spend the cash.

Sorry mate, but this is complete bullshit.

[lem]

I would probably say the opposite of what you are saying, that when starting out, don't buy any VSTs or marketing or whatever. Get a superb tool like Ableton, Reason, that's quite self contained. And use that and only that until you have honestly explored every angle of it. Easier said than done but I genuinely believe that those limits will force the most out of.

It took me a long time to stop chasing the vst-dragon. Now I only use Ableton's native vsts. They might not be great and have all the bells and whistles of 3rd party plugs.
But I know them really well, I don't sit there fiddling about with things for hours and trying this/that very often. When I am writing I can throw things in quickly and know exactly what I am trying to achieve.

[Rein]

I thought I'd write a little something that maybe beneficial for beginners regarding production as I have read a lot of tutorials and had some great advice and think it's time to give somethin back, not really a tutorial as such but I hope it helps...


1. You can't polish a turd - Start with samples that are of a good quality as you can't make something sound better when the original is poor. Use WAV files NOT mp3.

2. Listen to other peoples tracks and try to pick out where each element of the track sits within the mix, (ie the kick, snare, hats, bass etc...) Personally I tend to listen through headphones with my eyes closed in the dark to try and really get a feel for a track, I will then do the same with something I have made and will notice the things stand out straight away that need to be altered, eq'd differently or have have the level amended, you get the idea.

3. Reverb is your friend, use him to make things come to life and create space...(don't overuse)


4. Experiment and find what works for YOU, just because a technique/VST/DAW works for someone ellse doesn't mean it will necassarily work for you, a lot of software will have good presets but use these as a starting point to see how that sound is made then tweak to make your own sound.

5. Be patient, there is no "magic" button that's gonna make things sound amazing and you will have to put alot of time and effort in to get the results you desire and it is not going to happen over night. I have noticed that a lot of producers seem to hit a peak after approx 10 years. **Remember everyday is a school day. **

6. Take a break, your ears will get tired and things will sound different the more you listen to them, if you think you are satisfied with something leave it alone for a few days then listen back to it and I guarantee there will be things that are out of place or things that you can take out.

7. Listen to your tracks on as many different speakers/headphones as possible, this will show you where crtain things are to loud, quiet etc.

8. When it comes to drums layering is key to making them fat, again experiment and see what works. Try a bassy kick layered with a punchier kick and maybe a hat/click noise as well - try changing the decay, frequency and volume of each until you are satisfied also experiment with other noises under the kick especially bass and synth noises. Try the same process with snares.

9. IMO EQ is used more effectively when cutting frequencies to allow elements to "fit" in the mix, think of it as a jigsaw puzzle and if things overlap try and eq them into there own frequency range. A good staring place is to search " musical frequency ranges" in google and whole host of things will appear. Remember use these as a guide as every track will be different, again this takes a lot of practise and sometimes it can be very frustrating. Using Frequency analysers and Spectrum analysers is benefcial to see peaks in freq and this can aid you in where to "boost" or "cut" but remember, it's not how it looks it's how it sounds - DON'T rely on your eyes, rely on your ears.

10. Things cost more for a reason, a free VST could sound great and there are alot out there BUT if you want tracks to sound big and proffesional then you are going to have to spend the cash. Native Instruments are great.


11. Try to create for yourself, don't make a track becuse you think someone else will like it and if your making tracks to make money then I would stop now, there is no money in it any more.....

12. Acoustic treatment of your studio/room is essential IMO, there are laod of helpful tuts and diagram online.
Most importantly out of all this is take your time and be patient and enjoy the process, don't just think "oh that'll do" make something that's next level and try and push the boundaries.

not trying to diss you here! but just place some side notes, which could be useful for other people. btw you've got some great music up on your SC!

1. depends, sh!t samples can be used with creative effectiveness, what is a sh!t sample? if put in the right context, everything goes.
2. headphones tend to give you too much stereo width, and above all are very ear fatiguing. if you have proper monitors, go check tunes there. when the time comes you're working on your own stuff, you know how it could sound with those tracks as reference.
3. yes! but, nothing wrong with drowning stuff in reverb sometimes if that's what you're going for
4. good one
5. very true as well
6. also very good point... to add, try walking out your studio room and listen to your track, sometimes this will give you another perspective on your music and certain things will become clear in an instant
7. true, but if you have a good monitor setup / good room acoustics / you just know your configuration very well this becomes of less necessarity
8. not perse, if you know how to process stuff layering is not necessary, it's just a way to do it.
9. sure!
10. this is not true... i know some big artists who've released tracks on A labels using only reason or ableton stock plugs. and the tracks sound superb...
11. yes!
12. so true...