Being a producer located in the southern United States (Dallas ,TX), I don't know very many people who are actually into this music, let alone producing. As a result, all my knowledge is gained from reading books, watching the few useful tutorial videos I can find (such as the Andi Vax one) and researching on the internet. While this is a good way to learn, it pales in comparison to having someone be able to give practical advice on a specific situation or question that you may have.

I have noticed that some producers have the benefit of having some type of "mentor" or at least someone they know in real life who can actually give constructive advice and help by physically being with the producers when they are working on music. For me, that has always made things a lot easier to grasp. Sometimes it can be hard to grasp certain concepts explained in print form and apply those concepts to a particular project or problem you may be having.

How many of you are totally on your own when it comes to producing? What I mean by this, is that you are learning how to do this with no outside help from anyone and are having to learn all these skills using nothing but books, videos and, of course, sites like this one?

I shared an apartment with a fellow producer for a while, but neither of us was more experienced than the other.

I'm on my own, but I like it that way. I don't care about the final product, I just produce for fun - and discovering new things by accident is half the thrill.

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I think the correct question should be:

How many of you are not on your own

I know some producers that attend to an academy, but I can ensure you the big majority is by their own.

Kopi =o.

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Last edited by kopi_luwak on Oct-05-2007 at 00:07

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Originally posted by kopi_luwak I think the correct question should be: How many of you are not on your own I know some producers that atend to an academy, but I can ensure the big majority is by their own. Kopi =o.

hit the nail in the head.

id say the majority of us producers are on our own.

i have my hardware, software, internet and time.

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Originally posted by Eric J Being a producer located in the southern United States (Dallas ,TX), I don't know very many people who are actually into this music, let alone producing.

Dallas huh? I'm south of you, near Houston. I'm pretty much on my own. This is a very rural area. I know a DJ/producer that lives in the Austin area, he helped me grasp EQing concepts and methods. I never met him in person, but we've chatted online and emailed each other. He's been an inspiration to me really, encouraging me to keep at it. He's an A&R for a small label (that has now since kind of fizzled), and he made it possible for my first and only release. Besides that, I've had to learn everything by reading internet articles and forums, experimenting, and trial and error. I think I'm doing fine though, been a long road, but I'm now ready to begin approaching labels.

It would of been/would be easier if I had someone to teach me everything in person. That would make it easier for everyone. Most of us are on our on though. At least we have the internet and the TA forum.

You got 4 releases I see, so you are doing pretty good I suppose.

Its pretty much how it is. Noone will teach you their secrets so you pretty much have to learn everything yourself.

Wow, I didn't see that the first poster was from Dallas. I'm from there, though I only live there in the summer now.

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Originally posted by Project-K I'm on my own, but I like it that way. I don't care about the final product, I just produce for fun - and discovering new things by accident is half the thrill.

agreed!

And Eric.. I bet if you checked out http://www.dallasdancemusic.com/ you'd find alot of like minded people in your area

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And Eric.. I bet if you checked out http://www.dallasdancemusic.com/ you'd find alot of like minded people in your area

I am indeed pretty familiar with Dallas Dance Music. Without getting too much into history, they were a competitor to a Dallas-based rave site of mine back in my DJing days in the late 90's. I really don't visit there too much, but I think thats mainly because I've been pretty much disconnected from the Dallas scene since 2001 when I stopped DJing. You are right, though, I should probably check back in over there once in a while.

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You got 4 releases I see, so you are doing pretty good I suppose.

Yeah, out of the 4 I have posted, only one of them is an original (Ocean Park), and that one was released on vinyl way back in 2003. One is a remix we did for a friend's band (New Voodoo) and the other 2 are just remixes I did from remix contests. I took a 4 year hiatus from producing after I stopped DJing and I just got back into it about a year ago, so I did the remixes to kind of get back in the swing of things and try to apply the lessons I learned, most of which were from this site or linked from this site. There is certainly a lot more resources to learn these days than there were back around 2000.

I had a few releases on vinyl back in the day, but to be honest, they weren't that great and I'm not sure how in the world I got them signed in the first place. In addition, it was MUCH easier to get things released back then, even if your material was sub-standard.

It is good to see that I'm not the only one sort of "on my own" here, and it does make me feel like I'm on the right track. It's very cool to be able to get some help on a forum like this, and everyone's always been real nice to me on here. Thanks!

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Originally posted by sterilis time.

Unfortunately, that's the one crucial thing which I do not have

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quote:

Originally posted by Eric J I had a few releases on vinyl back in the day, but to be honest, they weren't that great and I'm not sure how in the world I got them signed in the first place. In addition, it was MUCH easier to get things released back then, even if your material was sub-standard.

Wow, those were the days, huh? I wasn't really aware of that. I didn't get into the modern day EDM scene till around 2003. How times have changed. Now about anyone can get a digital release. I picked a bad time to start up with this I guess, with the market so flooded, it's hard to stand out.