Contents
11 Mistakes That Music Producers Make
Although there are no rules when it comes to an art like Music Production, still there is a little bit of science behind most of the process… & mistakes happen! Here are some of the mistakes that young producers commit that takes away their productivity and quality.
Before we start, let me introduce you to our –
Make sure to check it out.
1. Overproduction
Each producer needs to approach the creation of a new track with a certain approach that is suitable for the style they are trying to create.
Producing without a strong focal theme is a very common mistake.
It could be the vibe of your track as a whole, a memorable harmony, excellent sound design, or a strong set of references.
You can find yourself overworking a poor idea and piling tracks.
Most of the time, there are simpler components in the biggest hit records and your favourite songs than you might think.
It’s relatively unusual for a track to have more than five main components playing at once.
A kick drum, snare drum, percussion, bass, and lead sound make up the most basic framework.
The best approach is to become familiar with the diverse elements that make up electronic music and focus on these crucial elements.
Once you have gained this understanding, you will be able to identify exactly what is going on in the course of a track.
Consider listening to a few well-produced reference pieces and their elements rather than a track with lots of FX samples over it.
2. Getting stuck in a loop
You created an amazing loop, but there are far too few components for a whole track, and you have no idea what sections the arrangement should be made up of.
Knowing your style should come first.
Since there are occasionally more than five parts playing at once, you should be aware of the various sections and components that make up a typical track in your genre.
This may be made simpler by importing a reference track into the arrangement, warping it, and utilising time markers to plan out each part.
Impersonating a record’s order of sections from another track is generally not frowned upon.
You now require further components to finish your arrangement.
You could or might not even need to come up with a new chord progression, depending on the style you’re developing.
If the reference music isn’t too wild, you might even be able to get away with just lengthening the original loop portions and producing only slight variations of them.
But in modern forms, every new portion usually has some fresh elements, so plan out for that.
3. Not using monitoring tools
While you should master mostly using your ears, monitoring tools can be very helpful.
Loudness metres allow you to evaluate the master’s peak values as well as obtain a general loudness level.
Stereo imaging techniques let you clearly examine the entire stereo image while attempting to compare the stereo image to the standard reference songs.
You can preview your music in MP3 format with Izotope Ozone’s “Codec” tool, which you may also think is significant.
4. Stuck in production’s advanced stages
Have you ever created something amazing, allowed it to move you, and worked to make it perfect before realising you spent the entire afternoon fiddling with a synth?
Your idea may sound cool now, but it is still far from being a polished track arrangement, and the initial thrill has worn off, leaving you disappointed with a bad idea.
The same is true for other production areas. Trying to compress the drums, combine samples, or adjust levels can be confusing.
To avoid this issue, maintain your cool when creating and fight the need to get overexcited by a great idea.
Start a track by spending a small amount of time focusing on each element. I think the best songs are the result of a series of quick and intelligent choices.
Try to limit your activities to short, simple ones. Focus on the course as a whole rather than striving to make every move incredibly precise.
5. Not Referencing Tracks
The only people who discuss referencing are professionals.
It can be really difficult to acquire a religious perspective on referencing.
When I sit down to compose music, I aim to avoid referencing as much as possible.
It seems as though my negative, destructively creative mindset doesn’t want me to make references.
A smart use of references will enhance your song. Listen to a song you enjoy the next time you’re experiencing a problem and try to come up with some remedies.
Making references while mixing and mastering technically won’t make your music sound “like everyone else’s.”
It will sound more knowledgeable and in line with current trends as a whole.
6. Working Without A Goal
This error shares the same lack of intention that underlies a poor choice.
Why is the kick drum compressed? Do these EQ actions have a purpose for you?
You might be able to accelerate processing, improve the cleanliness of your music, and free up invaluable CPU by being careful about when and how you process sounds.
7. Neglecting the Value of Right Sounds
Consider how important it is for a skilled painter to select the colour palette, medium, textures, and tools she uses to the emotion she wants to express.
We have access to the entire frequency spectrum as producers.
Sometimes it’s simply a smart decision to bury the intensity of in your face samples in favour of a quiet, cosy vibe.
And also occasionally wish to experiment with new sounds and production techniques.
You must be picky when choosing the sounds that go into your productions, even if you’re fiddling or aiming for a specific feel.
8. Ignoring the leveling
Many of us may try to manufacture interest in our productions when we’re not feeling inspired by them by delving deep into the world of sound design and using a variety of complex effects and automations.
There are times when the most innovative idea is really far simpler to implement, however this isn’t always a bad thing.
Never underestimate the impact of simply changing the relationship between different sounds with just your volume faders as a producer.
In many cases, we simply need to gently change the loudness of our existing sounds in the mix since they are already excellent.
9.Too many things happening at once
In music, there are many situations where “less is more” philosophy is appropriate. Having to add track after track to your mix or note after note to your tunes might be very enticing.
Your music will typically sound crisper, louder, and better if you use fewer sounds and concentrate on the most crucial notes.
Do make use of the mute button; it’s your best friend. It’s simple to re-incorporate your tracks if you change your mind later.
10. Low End Muddiness
Bass mixing can be difficult, though, if you’re using speakers with weak low-end response or working in a small area.
It is advisable to listen to your mixes on the best headphones you can buy to avoid any nasty surprises in the low end when you play back your mix on another system since mushy, untidy bass is an obvious indicator of an inexperienced mix.
You can give your kick and bass room to keep breathing in the mix by using EQ and sidechain compression.
11. Stingy High Frequencies
In comparison to the slightly more forgiving analogue realm, nothing is quite as irritating to the human ear as piercing high frequencies, and your DAW will accurately reproduce harsh harmonics.
Using a spectral analyzer plugin, like Voxengo’s superb free software SPAN, is a good way to test for these unpleasant, ear-damaging frequencies.
You can also try listening to your mixdown through a phone or laptop speaker, as these will typically magnify uncontrollable high end.
Conclusion
So here are some of my points to make you become conscious of these mistakes & ask yourself, whether you’re going through these, which might be ruining your production?
