quote:

Originally posted by LoveHate is this to do with equing? and ive never seen those numbers in my life besides on compressors.

lolwut? what kinda compressor you using mate?

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Garrido & Skehan ft. Erin - Waiting For You (Nightshift Remix)
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Originally posted by meriter Your primary focus should be making good music. That's all. No one gives a shit how you do it. And the people that do are fags.

Try to recreate existing productions to unravel the way certain sounds/song structures/effects/mixdowns have been realized. It could provide valuable insights (mostly) in the making of effects and sound design, which you apply on your own music from then on.

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If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

Before I offer what I think is the biggest tip, let me just say always have FUN doing this. Never be afraid to try new things. Never get too comfortable. Never get too satisfied. If you make a banging song and you love it, it's fair to get bored with it the next day as you prepare to make something newer and better. Don't idolize DJs or producers. Listen to a LOT of different dance music. Only the most extremely dedicated, ambitious, talented, hardworking and patient individuals succeed at creating the world's best dance music. If you think you aren't very good, you probably are not. If you're being honest with yourself and you have gotten enough feedback from people and you think you are good, you probably are. Either way, there is always room for improvement. Armin didn't just fold his arms across his chest in total satisfaction after making Shivers, he kept going and look where he is now.

Know *exactly* who you are making music for. Are you creating it for yourself for personal satisfaction? Is it for a game? Is it for a packed out arena of 20,000 people? I'd say that's extremely important to have figured out before you start a tune. Monitor your song on your laptop, headphones, living room stereo, TV, your grandmother's pace maker, and most importantly the car. The car stereo is a fucking amazing way to see how your track "bumps". It's more physical because you're pretty much trapped in a sound room with awesome bass. If it doesn't sound good, go with your instincts, it probably sucks.

Sorry if I veered off, but here's my tip. I think the most important thing I can mention is what Alan said about designing your own patches, but more specifically, ADSR. I started to make my very best dance music once I got a solid understanding of my envelopes. The transience is the first few MS of the sound, and you'd be surprised how much better an attack can sound going from 0ms to maybe 9, it makes a huge difference. The amazing things you can get out of your 2 envelopes (normal, and your filter envelope) and your filter are endless.

So yeah, ADSR!! Master it!!

I mostly focus on one style of music myself. But it is good to let yourself go with the creativity flow every once in a while, no matter where it takes you. This way you'll be working outside the box every now and then. By doing this you can come across cool new productions tricks, new sounds, or even an entirely new approach to the way you've been producing. This will also help you working towards a signature sound of your own.

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Storyteller Website | Storyteller @ Facebook | Storyteller @ Beatport | Storyteller @ Soundcloud | Stephen J. Kroos - Europa (Storyteller Remix)
Anthony Mea - Get It On (Storyteller Remix)

quote:

If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller I mostly focus on one style of music myself. But it is good to let yourself go with the creativity flow every once in a while, no matter where it takes you. This way you'll be working outside the box every now and then. By doing this you can come across cool new productions tricks, new sounds, or even an entirely new approach to the way you've been producing. This will also help you working towards a signature sound of your own.

Totally. If you sit down and *try* to make weird sounds, you can come up with some pretty interesting stuff that might end up becoming usable, since we normally use the same techniques over and over again, maybe we can stumble on something crazy and cool.

A Love for the Music, a desire from within: to create something from within yourself.

A good plan on where you want to head with it 2) the sound & the feel your after. 3) How you see the completed idea (baring in mind, that it may change along the way.

Not to always think that you need the best of the best in terms of equipment. But, in saying so that you ""assess"" where your heading with your production[s] (where you see yourself in the future) and get items based on this need. Starting with freeware, demo's etc before buying a $4500 dollar synth, although:

- Half decent computer Mac or PC (spend a little money here)
- Some good near field studio monitors (spend a decent amount here)
- Reasonable audio/midi interface/soundcard etc (yeah, here you skimp for starters, to get by)
- Midi keyboard controller (again, you can miss this altogether, but good option, one with some knobs and sliders will do the trick)
- DAW (digital audio workstation) i.e. Logic, Cubase, Fruityloops etc (up to you, some have demos out there, but just like driving a car, comes down to personal preference - do some research, functionality can vary but overall the same)

Some may say no spend money here and here, but thats why i say really assess your needs. It's hard without any idea on where you see yourself, but some things you can skimp on a little till you work out your direction.

"I think that studio equipment is somewhat important, though fundamentally if the basic essentials are covered it's a great starting point to creating a professional track, along with adequate personal drive".

"hope that helps"

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Originally posted by alanzo Design your own synth patches for your instruments, don't use presets. You don't have to do full "commercial" banks like I do, but it's worth the time and effort to learn your instrument(s). You'll gain a better understanding of each one's strengths and weaknesses and use them accordingly to better your music.

I agree with this.

I'm probably starting to sound like an Alan fanboy but his Virus bank was full of presets that sat in almost any mix with virtually no processing at all (apart from a HPF).

It's all too easy to fall for a sweet sounding preset and then finally realise by the time you've EQ'd it to sit in a mix it sounds nothing like it did when you first chose it.

The moral of this tale?

Layering is better than massive sounding presets.

For the record Mr Marcero, apart from just getting stuck in, what would your advice be for those wanting to start out in the long road of lerning sound design?

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Try and find elements that work well together off the bat without too much work instead of getting something to fit .

If some element is taking to long to sound properly/fit in the mix then ditch it and put it something else.

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Storyteller Website | Storyteller @ Facebook | Storyteller @ Beatport | Storyteller @ Soundcloud | Stephen J. Kroos - Europa (Storyteller Remix)
Anthony Mea - Get It On (Storyteller Remix)

quote:

If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller Try and find elements that work well together off the bat without too much work instead of getting something to fit . If some element is taking to long to sound properly/fit in the mix then ditch it and put it something else.

Word

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I think that one of the most important skills you can ever have as a music producer is the to know when to ditch a sound.

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trust yourself. not sure its any reason to explain why. its about keeping it real lol.

I think the answers given thus far, while certainly valid, also exemplify the biggest problem with EDM and what really separates the amateurs from the pros in my opinion - too much emphasis on production techniques and not enough emphasis on:

THE MUSIC!!!

I've said it a million times and I probably sound like a broken record...errr...scratched CD by now, but the people listening to, reacting to, and buying music aren't impressed that you know how to use an EQ or a multi-band compressor if you can't write a hook to save your life.

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