TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Production Studio
-- what it takes to produce... do i have the hard part down already?
Pages (7): [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 »

what it takes to produce... do i have the hard part down already?

I'm not very experienced in production, I've only made a couple hip hop songs and a couple cheesy sounding techno songs with fruity loops, but I was wonderin...

If I am sitting in class or laying in bed sometimes I can make some awesome sounding songs in my head... But I usually forget them by the time I get to my computer. Other times I do get to a computer, and either can't get the song to come out at all or it sounds like garbage.

So what is the hardest part of professional production, thinking up the song, or translating onto your computer? Is what I have a talent? or is it something anyone is able to do but only a few are able to make the song?

How much musical training do you have? Play any instruments?

I would say that yes coming up with the song is the hardest part of being a musician. [Maby this is why trance is so easy, because it contains no musical quality? :P] Actually getting it down in a program is fairly easy, for me at least. This part depends on your skill with what ever programs you use. Whether you can or cannot use the program you have, has no significance as to whether or not you can come up with a nice musical piece.

I think the concept of "its something you just have" is an invalid idea for people who either, want to make themselves look better, or people who suck but don't want to actually be held liable for their sucking. Anyone who is sane has the ability to learn how to make music. There is no outstanding trait or mannerism that gives someone an advantage, that others do not have. Period.

Bruce Lee wasn't a good fighter because he had some magical trait about him, he was good because he practiced.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik How much musical training do you have? Play any instruments?

I have an understanding of the basic elements of music, I took piano lessons and played percussion for band in middle school, started playin around with programs like ableton and fruity loops for the last few years, started DJ'ing with Traktor within the last year.

Re: what it takes to produce... do i have the hard part down already?

quote:

Originally posted by DjSqueekz If I am sitting in class or laying in bed sometimes I can make some awesome sounding songs in my head... But I usually forget them by the time I get to my computer. Other times I do get to a computer, and either can't get the song to come out at all or it sounds like garbage.

I disagree with above poster....this is the easy part, and how people generally underestimate production. This is how all the DJ's who want to produce feel, "Man, I have the most amazing compositions in my head, all it takes is someone technical to translate them into actual tracks". Well guess what, that translation is where the actual skill is involved, most people can dream beautiful dreams.

except for some exceptions where a producer is extremely talented and has access to the right help, i would generally say it takes 10 years to become a professional(caliber). This is just a generalization that seems to apply to most and it is supported by a few studies i unfortunately can't locate right now. Your question is a little redundant in that as soon as you open the program , you are producing. This is why I assume you mean to produce for a living and i think you should accept that the time it takes to reach that level of competency is rather large and I would forget about becoming an instant star. Having said that , most "stars" that become known really soon always have an unhealthy attitude in regards to "odds" which allows them to take risks most sane people wouldn't take. So there you go. Odds are you won't make it but that doesn't mean you can't try.

don't read all these comments, just quit

The hardest part is by far getting your ideas translated musically. There are 8 million different ways to do things, even for the same idea in your head. So you can see as how it can be a tremendous mind fuck.

Also when you do reach a high caliber level of production you have to keep reinventing your style and sound or people lose interest. So it's all about learning basic methods of operation and then compounding those into advanced ones.

And what the dude above said about people who become stars quick, they basically have no life, an obsession with success and a huge passion for the music. There is no short changing the time needed to get there, it's just some people put in their thousands of hours in a year instead of ten. Hope that makes sense.

One of the hardest parts is being objective enough with your own work, to be aware of the actual quality behind what you`ve made.

Its easy to pick on other peoples tracks, but not so easy to pick on your own , as your opinion will be extremely biased for your own music.

So basically being aware of the things that needs to be done in order to fully complete your track, is a skill that takes years and years to obtain, and to do that you have to just keep making music.

quote:

Originally posted by DjSqueekz I have an understanding of the basic elements of music, I took piano lessons and played percussion for band in middle school,...

Then, you're probably already several steps ahead of most new EDM producers. Getting ideas from your head into your computer is much easier once you understand the basic elements of music and know your way around a keyboard/piano roll. Having the ability to hear an existing piece of music and quickly figure out the melody and chord progressions (in other words, developing your ear training skills) is another important skill that will help you get ideas from your head into your DAW. Learning the fundamentals of music theory (keys, scales/modes) will accelerate that process.

it's not that easy to translate what is in your head to work into a track. For example in "your head" you can have a two bar hook or lead...but in reality you need to make a full track with good progression. My problem is not coming up with the main leads its just the progression to fill up the track and keep it interesting. this is where all the skill and comes into play. Mixing techniques are a huge part of progression...I dont mean just getting elements to sound right but creative mixing..as in making a track sound "fresh and new". So all in all, I think you should have a go at it and practice...and if you are like me and end up 8 years later with no releases but still have the motivation to keep on gong then you can do it. Its all about making music you love and feeling good about it.

So go for it. you never know till you try. It's a HUGE learing curve but hey what isn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmzA-YUjR30

maybe steven tyler has the answer you are looking for

Also, to answer your original question:

quote:

...do i have the hard part down already?

That's hard to say, because the "hard part" can be different for each person. Some people struggle with the creative aspects, others struggle with the technical aspects.

LOL, any idiot can dream up something that sounds great in his head but awful in reality. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but that's about as far from actual talent as you can get.

People daydream about shit all the time. Doesn't mean it has any link to reality.

Lol, you know how to cut to the core diginut :-p

quote:

Originally posted by Subtle One of the hardest parts is being objective enough with your own work, to be aware of the actual quality behind what you`ve made.

This can go both ways, though. I can often be hypercritical of my own stuff, and other people end up liking it more than I do.

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles This can go both ways, though. I can often be hypercritical of my own stuff, and other people end up liking it more than I do.

That happens to me as well.

Best thing to do then is to let the track rest for a while, eventually it will tell you if it is cool enough.

Just be patient, the journey is the fun part. When you start expecting greatness from yourself it won't be as fun. The first time you succeed with each element of producing, it feels amazing, because of all the work you put into it.

Dude, just grind it out. read as many resource you can, and just grind, grind, grind.

no easy way out here.

eventually, by chance, the random sounds you put together might actually be great. just think of it as a lottery for now heh.

Where I'm concerned, the only easy day is yesterday and you're only as good as your last song. It always seems like the current song is the hardest one I've ever worked on. There are always new learning experiences that each song seems to have in store for me and there is always a learning curve.

The times when I was cocky and churned out at tune on a breeze, I along with others weren't happy with the result. It may have been passable, but it's hardly anything I'm proud of. My rule for myself is that if it's not hard, I'm not doing it right.

Case in point, I'm remixing cryophonic's tune and the day I down-loaded the parts, I laid down a chord-progression that took all of about fifteen minutes to plug into the sequencer and get edited and arranged. I'm keeping it, but the bass-line is being a total bitch to get into the arrangement (but it will sound wicked cool, once it gets in there).

My last production was pretty much the same thing. I comped a very basic chord progression, then became frustrated with I added in the arpeggio - but the bottom line is that I'm a better producer for going through the hard part. I'm getting better at doing things that were once a total PITA. The better I get at doing the simple things, the more I'm finding things that are harder to make sound good once the simple things are in place.

Honestly if I had to do it all over again, I don't think I would.

When I look back at how "handicapped" I was as a new producer, knowing what I know now, I would go back in time and tell the newbie me to get a different hobby.

I use to have the same delusions of grandeur (sp) like "I would be an awesome fucking trance producer cause Im naturally artistic and know what sounds good".

haha! If I only knew.
I would have never imagined in my life HOW MUCH TIME and EFFORT you need to put into this skill to even get semi decent.
One day I hope I can reach that level of expertise that as a newbie I didn't know I would need to make the quality of music I heard in my head. (thats a terribly worded sentence lol)

I just kinda wonder if I'll ever be happy with my music, I thought it would take 5 years max to sound like a pro, its been 6 years and I'm realistically not even close.

And when I say "pro" all I really mean is the ability to reach my expecations and not waste endless hours always falling short.

I think something all new'ish producers should do when working on tracks is try starting them each differently. Change this up, it may be more difficult to complete something but it's better than going back to your bread and butter every time and you'll realize that your sound will become far more sophisticated and enjoyable if you do this.

It's also a bigger challenge, and obviously all producers like challenges or they wouldn't produce!

For me the hardest part has been undoubtedly mixing. I find I can compose decent tracks, good melodies, good arrangement and getting everything working together but it's incredibly hard to get those tracks sounding professional and by that I mean each element sits tightly in the mix and works together.

So often my track sounds great in my studio but play it on another system and it sucks. The final tweaks are just beyond me at this point i.e. the eq'ing and good use of compression so my mixes sound loud but complete when played on any system.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox Honestly if I had to do it all over again, I don't think I would.

Thats exactly what I have said many many times over....but the thing is we keep on trucking. To think how many sleepless nights I've had, thinking that I was about to make the next big thing...then it turned out to be junk.

I wont give up now because I have spent too much time and a lot of money...and I know a lot of shit about audio that is pretty much worthless unless I keep producing. The thing is a lot of us on here can talk the shit but still can't get far enough in a track to even finish it. I also still like doing it but I'm not sure I want to produce trance anymore...I have no clue what I want to do anymore...anyway to answer the original posters question...

Don't be put off by all our sour attitudes because we still didn't make it. The thing i believe in is, that music still needs to be made and someone has to make it...so it might just be you.

Like I said before, try it out and see if you like it.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.