I was making a queer song with Esther last week and at first I thought we were going slower than the rest but after listening to other people works I realise we were going at normal pace. So because there’s not things that went wrong I will dig mormon the things that make it enjoyable to work with her and how can I apply them in other collaborations.
Open-mindedness was the key of a good teamwork, she was open to my ideas and not judgemental and that also motivate me to do the same and think outside my box. As the CEO of Netflix said: “no one knows what’s a good idea or bad until they tried”
On the more technical side, I remember Esther using an amp effect on something other than a guitar to get a distorted sound which I think it was achieved well, so I learn a new technique to distort sound.
As a music production student, I would define my current style as learning and implementing immediately or creating something on the spot and seeking a reference to follow.
For example, I may be messing around with my guitar or piano and I will find something that I like, a melody, a chord progression or even just a percussive rhythm.
Once I figured it out, I will start recording it and I’ll listen back to it; then it will most likely remind me of a song of a genre of a style of arrangement. I will go and listen to that reference and then try to catch the “formula” (as I believe every producer’s style is just a formula they apply to songs and that they polish over time) and apply it to my small piece.
Another way I do it, talking about formula, is I just listen to the arrangements of a genre, and then imitate them but with different chords or sounds and then on top of that my own ideas pop out, like using a template.
These methods come from the mentality of first learning what the masters do and once I know the recipes by memory, I let the music in me flow wherever it wants. I learned that from great guitarists, such as Brian May who used to study other guitarist’s licks and then give them their own identity.
Now I’ll talk about my strengths, the first one that comes to mind is Logic. I have got used to Logic, I learn most of the commands and tools that it has, I do not use all, but it was helpful to learn more in depth about my DAW. It has improved my workflow tremendously.
I also consider myself to have a good ear and a good taste (but who doesn’t think so). When I say good ear I mean good listening skills, I can differentiate all instruments in a song easily, notice layers and textures and see a pattern of how they are organised (mix) This has been very helpful at the time to detect what it’s wrong in my mixes.
When it comes to my weakness, I have the first one very clear: mixing. As I said before, I have a good ear to detect what it’s wrong with my mixes and see how other have done theirs but my limited knowledge about compressor, equaliser and other tools don’t allow me to implement the mistakes that I see in mines because I do not know how.
And my other big struggle to overcome as a producer is collaboration. I need to reach out to the world for more feedback as I feel that would make my progress much faster, listening advice from peers, observing how they do things and start to get exposed even if my music it’s not entirely how I wanted it to.
After looking at my creative process, strengths and weaknesses, I would like to set three goals for the end of this season that I think it will improve my production dramatically:
The first one is mixing, as I think it will give me the confidence boost to show my music and over all to make it sound more professional.
Number two is collaboration, I always had the mentality to start working on what I study at university while I’m studying, not wait until I finish and now, I’m ready to do it, ready to receive criticism, to fail and thrive the struggles of producer career.
And lastly, I would like to create my own systems like the ones I talk before. Internalise the most “formulas” so I can and start writing down my own methods inspire by all the failure and trial. Have it in a PDF, word or notebook, but make a manual that maximises my production.
Skills Audit
Area
Self-rating (1–5)
Comments / Examples
Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) Ableton, Logic, etc.
4
I have found my way around to make the most out of my sessions with things such as learning the commands that I used most commonly and organizing my projects.
Recording Techniques microphones, gain staging, audio setup
2.5
I know the basics, cables, sound tests and listing things before jumping on the studio, but I yet don’t know how to use the mixer at its best.
MIDI Sequencing & Programming
3.5
I have learned enough to be good but my pace at it could be better
Sampling & Synthesis
4
I have put my effort to it lately and I’m capable
Mixing & Effects Processing
2
That’s probably my weakest point; I urgently need to improve it.
Sound Design & Creative Processing
3
I am not bad at it but not advanced either.
Critical Listening & Analysis
5
I am confident about it and if I could implement the problems I detect in my production, especially mixing, it would be better.
Collaboration & Communication
3
I never tried with other people in my class but recently I did something outside school, and it went well.
Organization & Workflow
4
I have found a system that work effectively and allows me to get the most of every production session