Dude every time you say something at the beat that I would cringe at-you just say exactly what I think and feel. I’m very happy that you’re out there; it proves that there are geniuses and inspiring conduits doing the good worK. You are amazing; thukbs up soldier! (Captain America reference from capcom vs street fighter)
Most of what's called techno today has nothing to do with copying motown/disco, completely different sound. There is lots of unique music made throughout history but people always tried to put it in a popular label name
Dude, I really don’t say this lightly, you are one of my TH-cam faves. I value authenticity and you’re doing a great job here. Keep blessing us with your vids.
My words! And I just sticked to this channel because of the voice... I was like... huh .. is it fake ... AI ... ??? No, just an incredible cool dude creating great content and ... a Saturday night radio voice! And I am watching this being just a hobby drummer. But I learned about mixolydian flat 6 here. So ... thank you!
I’m a 67 year old guy with a degree in Music Theory/Comp from Cal. St. Fullerton. I learned to write music before there were daws or you tube or sample libraries or internet or personal computers. The only electronic music i had ever heard was “Switched On Bach”. We had to write everything in our heads before we could get it down on paper. The only technology we had that the masters (Bach, Beethoven, etc) didn’t have was a pencil with an eraser. The production was done by someone else (the performers). Our focus was the foundation you talk about. We learned the difference between Creativity (the ability to stare into the dark and hear the music) and Craft (the ability to share it with someone else). Thanks for this great video. You hit the nail on the head.
Good point. Also why i never undwrstood constant yabbering from the brass section about having to prepare for an exam when we had a live show. Back then, only needed electricity, amps and a venue. When real music was a privedgle to play and experience live. Real musical craft and creativity is Live shows, no matter what. Music theory crap vs jamming anywhere you could plug in. No one talks about this
Hey! I used to take piano lessons as a kid at Cal St. Fullerton in the mid 60s. My teacher was Rita Fuzcek. Maybe you knew her. The campus was only 2 buildings at the time. Switched on Bach blew my mind at the time. First time I really clued into a synthesizer. I record quite a synth Bach pieces now. It's a lot easier now that we have computers and quantize. I restored a Zuckerman clavichord and use that for Bach as well.
@@mrratskins Rita Fuzsec, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I took a class she taught called Piano Pedagogy. She stands out in my memory as one of the best professors. She was scary but an excellent educator. What a wonderful opportunity you had to study with her.
I'd like to tell you I was a good student. But I was horrible. I took lessons from about age 8 thru 13 or so. I didn't practice. I acted like a brat. But for some reason she thought I had talent and tried to get me to go to Julliard. Ended up running away and being a druggie. I wish she could see me now. I developed a good classical technique and have really upped my game. Played in bands. Had a couple of well reviewed albums and been in a few movies. My final analysis is this: music is most fun when on the amateur level.
For the lazy amongst us ;) =] 0:00 (ain't nobody got time for that) INTRO 1:14 STOP MAKING MUSIC 2:22 STEAL IDEAS 3:33 STOP PRACTICING 4:57 PRODUCE LESS 7:40 JUST PLAY THE DAMN SONG 9:35 OUTRO (or "That's all got for today; go away now")
I’ve been fortunate enough to make music while I’m working. I work from home and I do customer service. In between calls I start my process of findings sounds and as the day goes on I work on my track little by little. By the end of my shift I have the idea of the track and by the end of the day I have the bulk of the song done. It’s been working for me for about 2 and a half years. 😎👍🏽
What you said about using old school techniques and simpler mixing is so true. I see so much crap on social media with people getting into insane minutia with mixing when I keep saying "if your arranging and songwriting is good, mixing is a breeze".
Stop making music is such a cheat code. The intentionality behind creating is crazy. For "practicing" I think sometimes my "practice" is sitting down with an idea and learning to flesh it out to make it into something real but your so right. the application of your skills is the best. All of these tips are dope and reaffirming for what I like to do! I like the added context as well
I cycle between modes. There are times when I say now is the time for messing around and seeing what will happen with my instruments. And other times where I'm working generally on tracks and doing file housekeeping in between, then there's the third mode which is have a specific plan, work on it, when it's done, make a plan for next time.
@@Xanaduum Thats dope! I think the fact that you are cycling keeps things fresh atleast subconsciously. I do the same and i really feel like it helps the end goal anyways. Thank you for sharing
@@KawaiiSteez some times you've just gotta play around like a kid, improvise, twist knobs on synths even if you don't know what they do and just see what heppens. It's the most fun way to learn. And sometimes you've got to be structured as hell.
@@Xanaduum Actually, twisting knobs on synths and seeing what happens is how I discovered my "default" bass instrument (when I can't/don't want to bother finding something better), a great background arpeggio sound, and funny glide synths. Can 100% recommend, it's fun.
Leaving the faders and mix alone when you're making a new song is such a good tip. It really is all about sound selection and whether all the pieces fit together or not rather than trying to force them together from the get go.
This is why I'm still subscribed to this channel. You just accurately portray what its like to make music. Even as a guy who has 5 or so videos on thier musician youtube account and countless unfinished tracks, i still relate to the guy whos doing this for a living. Excellent video, I'm glad I've stuck around.
Some great insights VT. I enjoy your little rants and home-truths. Here's mine: I remember the absolute thrill when I purchased for an obscene amount of money, my first multitrack cassette tape deck (Tascam 244) - yep, FOUR tracks!! each one individually recordable, and you could "bounce" three tracks into one to get awesome multi-layered things happening. And then, shortly after that, another obscenely priced drum machine (Roland TR707) sent me into nirvana as I learnt the art of programming beat by beat the patterns and fills I desired, and then carefully backing them up to tape. Finally, a couple of years later, the same thrills when I bought my first synth (Ensoniq ESQ1) at an equally obscene price, and the buzz of creating new sounds to complement the massive 40-slot onboard patch library, and carefully backing the new ones up to tape.......(I say obscene, because in my country, you pay up to three times the price than you would in the USA). It's 2024: I choose from any number of absolutely mind-blowing DAW's and synth/drum plugins, but the thrill and buzz is absent: seemingly infinite tracks, infinite effects, infinite patches. The creative urge is still there, but the ratio of tool-tinkering to playing music back in the day in now reversed. What I mean is, once I had my "tools" set up, and figured out how get music out of them, I just switched them on and started making music. Today, half my available "music" time might be filled up with PC problems, updates of software, compatibility issues, authorisation (thanks iLok), insane download/install programs that almost every vendor feels compelled to use, checking out recommendations, trying a different reverb plugin because the last one just went weird for a certain setting, useless hours fine-tuning 100 tracks when I've only got 5 instruments, "housekeeping" all those plugins and unused tracks, backups, etc, etc, etc, not to mention software glitches and crashes. The technology is amazing, but it can also kill productivity, and now, with AI, probably can kill creativity. I used to smirk at seeing some guitar legend on stage who had to change guitars at every song, and thinking "why the photon can't he just use one?" But I realise, given how I do music these days, I do the same.
I'm fairly new to music production and your channel as well, and I gotta say you have the best balance of motivation/inspiration and reality checks of the online music production community and you have my ever lasting thanks for that. Due to my 9 to 5 and commute times, I can barely put in one or two hours of work into my music every day. Listening to your videos during working hours at the office has played a huge part on reminding me why I keep pushing to try and create music when I get home, and just wanted to share that with you. Never stop creating, man. You're awesome.
7:24 is SUCH a GEM 💯 I try to get peers of mine to understand this when I critique them because they only seem to like something when it's produced to pristine quality when the song itself would not be NEARLY as good without production. The true test of a great song is if it still holds weight without the bells & whistles.
Honestly, now that you bring it up, I realise that 100% of the tracks I'm proud of, I already liked before doing fine-tuning on the processing. The extra refining made them better, sure, but only because the base was good.
Thank you mustache man. Billy Schu here. 40 plus years of recording, my go to is still to play live to my tracks. allows me to be "in the pocket". My down fall is having unlimited tracks to keep adding parts.
If you look at so many of the classic jazz albums, they recorded it live often direct to two tracks with no subsequent mixing. Mistakes happen and if the overall take was good, that's what you heard on the record. Your sound was your sound with minimal effects processing. Recording complete performances live tells you a lot about what does or doesn't sound good, etc. You can still record that way with a DAW.
As a “gentleman of a certain age” …I remember the dawn of the computer based sequencer, and its metamorphosis into today’s DAW. I’m way happier to do my music today because of the ease at which I can do it. Side note: your first time editing TAPE is frightening. But what I do like is that my “old timey” experience has made me better with today’s tools. Yes… all options are open and endless track counts await me. But being able to (mostly) play all my parts live, and get my ideas down efficiently is something I love… and I think is missing for some. Unfortunate. The quote that always stuck in my head was from a person I worked with who worked at a major music equipment company: “If your music takes more than 16 tracks… I don’t know if I want to hear it.” This has stuck with me and helps keep me on track. I’m going to go yell at some clouds now.
The beginning of video is just describing all of our lives… All the crazy multitasking, video, marketing, leaning, practicing… all that on top of having another regular job that pays the bills - and in the end no rewards haha oh well
I just love your videos. They are so filled with art, and good information on top of that. Just know your work is loved and respected, and appreciated by a lot of people! ❤
Once again, here comes Venus to tell me exactly what I need to hear at just the right moment. Been learning more and more about mixing, and now I'm kinda caught in that trap.
coincidentally i just recently said i'll do short experiments, which are sometimes just a patch with a sequence, slap some delay and reverb on it and call it a day. so much can be done with so little already! but still think going deep matters, just can't forget to just have fun too :)
this video is incredible man, literally every point you made resonated with me so much, ive been producing for years, never released a song. have had a really rough few years, and have finally picked it up again and am going to give it my all. youve inspired me to just DO IT and not sit around waiting for it to happen. so thank you
So true! As someone who has spent DAYS re-recording and mastering a track I really struggled when some Muso-colleagues of mine set me a challenge of writing and recording a song in a week, with the proviso that the recording (which was shared with my peers) was a "One and Done" take. It really forces you to get creative in the moment, and rely less on goldplating/polishing whatever dull-crap you over-engineered. Thanks for this timely reminder - it's better to play/record 'something' rather than angst over what you 'might' do and how you 'could' do it. 🙂
Great to hear the Charlie Parker quote in there, love you for that! A huge benefit of not spending a lot of time editing, manipulating, fixing it... (this is just my experience) whatever it is the first or second pass is always the real essence of it. At least if you're trying to capture something "fresh" or spontaneous.
As someone that started music very late in life and spending the last decade trying to get better at it, the notion of stopping practice just floored me.
brings back memories of an old classic which i read decades ago while backpacking in the mountains of Yukon, Thaddeus Golas, "The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment"
I have been implementing a monthly habit of producing something within 1 hour with my DAW. And it can be hot garbage but at least it helped me maintain or create stuff that I've been inspired by during my downtime. Plus it helps me pinpoint things that I need to do research or learn about once I'm done with my exercize. At the end I can also improve and polish whatever I made within that timespan.
Hey, this is great stuff! Thanks a lot! I've recently seen an interview to one of the Air members (the French duet) and he says that he's made his most intereseting stuff just by being a limited and "bad musician" in a way. Many times coping with limitations is what makes you do very interesting stuff, there is many virtuoso stuff that's sooo so boring, maybe because that makes you kind of limitless.
These videos keep getting better and better. Great story, amazing videography and editing. And there are not many TH-camrs that actually make me laugh. Every vid is a must watch!
Dude you are becoming one of my favourites. you say it like it is.. I have now banned my self from scrolling TH-cam during productive hours. because of this exactly. I sendup watching more music making then I get done then I lost interesting go the track as its been to long since it really moved on & then I have hundreds of loops.. so this came at the right time!
That's so true, sometimes I've tried too hard and it could have been done in a more relaxed way, because in the end you probably won't get millions of whatever out of it. If you do, then you're "kinda" lucky, but if not, at least you haven't beaten yourself up.
Started making beats around 1999 on a MPC. It started with Drum N Bass and underground Hiphop, then experimental Synth, Industrial, and noise etc. After trying to learn multiple genres, I'm at the point where i take gaps of time off listening to other peoples work, and not sticking to a a particular genre when i create, for me that's when my best ideas come out, and new forms grow.
Recently I've taken a hyper focused approach to writing music. I come from a house / dubstep background where sound design was the most important part. Now I'm looking to write more thematic melodies and rich chord progressions. I've started challenging myself to just use piano or a sin wave patch to write out catchy songs without the pressure or distraction of synth tweaking or endless presets.
I like that part about ''not mixing''. I get lots of comments on my channel like ''show how you mixed this or that'' but the truth is, I almost don't mix at all...I just design/choose well my sounds/samples. Like you said, in the end mixing is just polishing an almost finished product. And if I do use ''lots'' of plugins, it's for a sound design purpose and not mixing. If your EQ looks like a roller coaster, somethings wrong. lol great video as usual man, 👌
Thanks! This video really resonated with me. I think I needed this perspective right now. Intentionality is the name of the game, after attaining a certain amount of knowledge about the craft.
"there is a difference between lazy and efficient, however it's not always that far between them". I've read a similar thing from another musician, Robert Fripp, phrased thus: "Don't aim to do as little as possible, aim to do only as much as is necessary"
Your videos are great! I love how you take a complex and potentially discouraging topic and make it both relatable and engaging. It never feels like I'm being lectured to, which is a real talent.
I'm very much impressed by how easily you managed to communicate these broad but very well selected valuable advice through a 10 min. video. - The quote "there's a tremendous power in using the least amount of information to get a point across" does astonishingly well suit the work you must have put into making this video. I'm very pleased to come across your work today, last but not least also because it's just a great thing to see interesting thoughts being shared in such a humane and relatable way on TH-cam in times when many people continue to create completely sterile or overhyped "content". So thank you, keep up the good work! Off topic: You've mentioned in your review of the arturia keylab that you have again found great joy in your profession after having started with many new freelance projects. What kind of music projects are you busy with these days? I'm working as a full time composer/musician and audio engineer in Germany (close to the french border) and I'd be seriously interested in listening to some of your work if you feel like showing me one or two of your favorite projects. Of course only if time permits, don't we all got busy schedules because of Mrs. Music? ;) Best greetings
For someone new to all of this it's been tough trying to learn gear(need to stop watching geartube) but also the aspects necessary to actually create music that hopefully other can appreciate and enjoy. Love your short life lesson videos.
I find I'm most productive if I have a goal. For example, last year I said to myself "I've got two months of time, let's make an album", thought about a vibe, a theme for the whole thing for a while and then started pumping out tracks. I didn't end up having those 2 months, but I worked on it for almost a year in my free time and got it done this spring. I wrote 2 hours of music I'm really happy with in a year, after having basically nothing for the 3 years before that, where I just sat down to "make some music" 3 times a week.
Gotta agree that it's much better to play the keyboard than push the DAW spreadsheet cells around. I am not a musician, but I play one when I work through a tune by memorizing where my fingers are on the piano keyboard. And while I'm doing that, sometimes my hand slips and my fingers land on much more interesting notes. "Okay. Change of plan." That simply doesn't happen when I go click, click, click on the piano roll window.
You have helped me a lot since I started making music. You were the first TH-camr that I started following, and I learned a lot by watching you. So, thanks, Cameron."🫡
Really great point about the arranging and editing process. I definitely have found lately when I'm in that phase of things it tends to result in things being removed that aren't adding anything to the song or are just cluttering it up. Great video with some great thoughts
Such great wisdom . . . after you carve out the cynicism. The biggest problem for me (and probably everyone else) is wanting to utilize the myriad exotic tools at our disposal. That is how you end up in trouble. So your point about simplifying is well taken. My solution is to make several versions of the same song. Each version has it's own set of plugins, arrangements, and production techniques. That way you get to experiment with many different sounds and have some creative fun.
This is fantastic advice. I've been making music for years, primarily on software, and I just always felt overwhelmed. I would spend hours twiddling with knobs I didn't understand. I recently switched to fully DAWless, and while that word comes with a lot of baggage, it has helped my productivity tremendously. I've made more music in the last four months than the last decade combined as far as finished tracks. There's something about having to rehearse and record the whole track live onto a field recorder that makes it much easier to say, "that take was good enough. Let's move on." As a person new to the world of hardware, your voice shines through as a very rare voice of reason in the TH-cam music production space. So thank you. I'm turning TH-cam off now.
Wow, this hits home. I just transferred a track I spent a considerable amount of time on, over from an old laptop to a shiny new modern computer (with upgraded ableton and 3rd party plugins ofc) All but the stock plugins loaded and hearing the mix sans the bulk of production I had done really opened my eyes, and ears, to the time wasted ‘overproducing’. Def gonna streamline my workflow to avoid this. Thanks so much for this 🤘
awesome stuff... as always. i go back to pre computer days and restrict what i can do. too easy to stare at the screen for every as you say. I like how Springsteen after he had a huge hit he stayed at home with a crappy 4 track tape machine and made his next albumn
Hehe, I knew I was a lazy, degenerate musician who put out half baked tracks that I nonetheless love. I don't have the internal critic to disagree with you. Thanks for the validation!
The hardest part of making music is the endless options and choices. So, I try to give myself only a few choices at each stage of creating. Not only does it make the process easier, but it also commits me to keep moving forward. I finish pieces because I "burn" most of my "bridges" behind me.
I think of music making as discovering more than creating. Because "all music as already been written" and "nothing is new under the sun", turning it to personnal discovery by making the music is the most beautiful way i can think about it. Everybody can write, and discover, just like someone walks or travel somewhere. Nobody denies a trip because "other people have been there"
This channel is a treasure and this video is pure gold! found this channel recently and every single video I watched helped me improve in production, the funny thing is:: none of them was showing any DAW or "technique" or whatever, it was pure and simple experience share, which is what music is really about, sharing your thoughts with others. I'm really thankful for you taking your time making this content. Bless! Greetings from Brasil also xD
As someone who has maybe 30-60 minutes per night to do music, this really resonated with me. I think it's great that you acknowledge the reality of this for so many people. I don't have the luxury of sitting for 18 hours per day in front of my DAW. And I think - given these kind of constraints - it's useful to acknowledge that I don't have to completely reinvent music from scratch to come up with something worthwhile. Teenage Kicks wasn't breathtakingly original but it was still John Peel's favourite song. I struggle with this. After a heavy diet of Aphex Twin's intricate programming in esoterica software, it's dispiritingly easy to think there's no point in making music if any aspect of it has been done before. But I think of it like sitting down to a meal in a restaurant: I don't need this meal to completely reinvent food from the ground up to be incredibly entertained by what I'm eating; it's the tastefulness of the choices that have been made and that kitchen's unique combination of choices that are fun to experience. It doesn't have to be molecular gastronomy to be enjoyable. I'm here now, this is what's on the menu; am I enjoying it? Am I raving about it to my friends? So, by necessity, I've found the most inspiring ideas erupt out out of enagaging with music as a "play" activity. Some things I do that end up being most rewarding for me: - an hour of just noodling on the guitar, piano, or a really limited selection of electronic hardware (grooveboxes, synths, samplers) - without overthinking what I'm doing; take it into the DAW later and see what comes of it; no production, no finessing - on the flipside, sitting at the DAW thinking "I'm going to play with X idea"; like "make a heavy sounding electronic track in 6/8 time because I never do stuff like that" For me, it helps to remember it's not a calling or a job or an ambition, it's something I do for fun, so make sure it IS fun; whenever I do it like this, I come up with FAR more interesting stuff
Lovely essay. Happy to see Reaper DAW make some cameos. I agree that "playing" at least some of the parts into your DAW. It makes the tune personal at least. My kid complains about some of my off-grid notes, but I choose to call that "feel." YMMV.
...Unless your desktop PC bricks, you lose all your work and give up until you finally get a new laptop years later, and have forgotten how to hook everything up and how to use your DAW. 😆😂😭 I literally had a nervous breakdown after not being able to create my sh***y music. Hopefully I can get my life back now that my therapist (DAW) is back in my life again.
You've got the best music making videos on the internet brother. Seriously your videos are some of the only ones that I find truly inspiring for making music. Thanks for all your hard work and I'll keep watching as long as you keep putting these out.
You make my favorite channel. Only 25% due to audacity to tell us to get the F*#k off youtube. The remaining 75% is spread across the content type, messaging and its direct execution, humor timing, narrative cadences, audio taste/dynamics and all around production quality. Damn dude. 🤘
This is on point. What I'd like to add, if I'm allowed to, is the other issue that I'd completely forgotten about until earlier this month, when i bought a brand new hardware synth that had a lot of well crafted presets which sound great if you play them in isolation/ in a synth shop/ in your shed (well...) but don't sit well in a mix. You spend hours/ days / weeks (months?) Reprogramming as many sounds as possible, with a view to making the instrument more useable for you. That takes time. Especially if the U.I. isn't as friendly as you initially thought it'd be. I'm towards the end of that part of the journey. Hopefully, this means I'll have learned/learnt more useful synth programming techniques by the end of it. ✌️ 🌅
I am Mastering my first track I ever wrote this week. I have hope because the section about "only doing the rough mix with faders and panners" - That's EXACTLY how I did it - mostly because the Multiband Compressor is SCARY :D :D :D
Ennio Morricone made film scores taking here or there. The magic was, he make them sound like a unique, unforgettable thing called geinius... He once made a song based on the french police siren. It was "Se telefonando" by Mina!
Thanks for this video. Really good info, super well presented. You bring great realism into the general music industry dialogue. Good stuff. Best from Berlin.
I started working DAWless the last few months. I do design my drum sounds and record and trigger a few samples - some vocals, reverse sweeps, maybe a pad, etc - but use no sounds I can't get out of my hardware. I record the main stereo bus only - the mix is whatever I think is good enough at the time. It's been an incredible experience. The music sounds better, feels more alive, I'm more creative. Limitations breed creativity.
The past couple of days I've found myself staring at FL Studio as if leaving it alone for a year will produce a song. Your parting comment was like a splash of water to my face. Thanks bucko, that was a pretty effective wakeup call and is appreciated.
I've been playing guitar for 45 years and writing songs for 40 years. I practice by writing songs. It always ends up happening. I honestly can't remember scales all the way through anyway. The knowledge is there and manifests itself when I'm working on a song.
PLAY IT IN LIVE IN ONE GO! YOU SAID IT HERE!!! That's it! Enlightenment! You said it! Own the whole song 🫵 PLAY IT FLAWLESSLY 1 million times, With a drummer & a bass player (Takes like 1 month) per song Then pick up the iphones, get an engineer, get him to record you! BAM! one take 🎬 and go for the next! Butch vig explained it to Rick Beato on his interview 🤘 It works for any 🎼 genre though
Some of the best music I made, was created by me trying to copy a track I loved and completely failing at it. I tried one thing and ended up with something else that inspired me.
This episode powered by Diet Coke 🥤
My first course is out now! ► bit.ly/vtgamemusic
Awesome
Dude every time you say something at the beat that I would cringe at-you just say exactly what I think and feel. I’m very happy that you’re out there; it proves that there are geniuses and inspiring conduits doing the good worK. You are amazing; thukbs up soldier! (Captain America reference from capcom vs street fighter)
Most of what's called techno today has nothing to do with copying motown/disco, completely different sound. There is lots of unique music made throughout history but people always tried to put it in a popular label name
@@stizan9185 the song thriller imo is the seed of all dope techno, no?
Dude, I really don’t say this lightly, you are one of my TH-cam faves. I value authenticity and you’re doing a great job here. Keep blessing us with your vids.
My words! And I just sticked to this channel because of the voice... I was like... huh .. is it fake ... AI ... ???
No, just an incredible cool dude creating great content and ... a Saturday night radio voice!
And I am watching this being just a hobby drummer.
But I learned about mixolydian flat 6 here. So ... thank you!
Now, get off TH-cam and go and make some of that music you've been working on
Well said!!
Agreed. You nailed it with this channel. I normally hate TH-camrs. Kudos!
Yes! Your authenticity teaches a lot to us.
I’m a 67 year old guy with a degree in Music Theory/Comp from Cal. St. Fullerton. I learned to write music before there were daws or you tube or sample libraries or internet or personal computers. The only electronic music i had ever heard was “Switched On Bach”.
We had to write everything in our heads before we could get it down on paper. The only technology we had that the masters (Bach, Beethoven, etc) didn’t have was a pencil with an eraser. The production was done by someone else (the performers). Our focus was the foundation you talk about. We learned the difference between Creativity (the ability to stare into the dark and hear the music) and Craft (the ability to share it with someone else). Thanks for this great video. You hit the nail on the head.
Good point. Also why i never undwrstood constant yabbering from the brass section about having to prepare for an exam when we had a live show. Back then, only needed electricity, amps and a venue. When real music was a privedgle to play and experience live. Real musical craft and creativity is Live shows, no matter what. Music theory crap vs jamming anywhere you could plug in. No one talks about this
Hey! I used to take piano lessons as a kid at Cal St. Fullerton in the mid 60s. My teacher was Rita Fuzcek. Maybe you knew her. The campus was only 2 buildings at the time. Switched on Bach blew my mind at the time. First time I really clued into a synthesizer. I record quite a synth Bach pieces now. It's a lot easier now that we have computers and quantize. I restored a Zuckerman clavichord and use that for Bach as well.
@@mrratskins Rita Fuzsec, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I took a class she taught called Piano Pedagogy. She stands out in my memory as one of the best professors. She was scary but an excellent educator. What a wonderful opportunity you had to study with her.
I'd like to tell you I was a good student. But I was horrible. I took lessons from about age 8 thru 13 or so. I didn't practice. I acted like a brat. But for some reason she thought I had talent and tried to get me to go to Julliard. Ended up running away and being a druggie. I wish she could see me now. I developed a good classical technique and have really upped my game. Played in bands. Had a couple of well reviewed albums and been in a few movies. My final analysis is this: music is most fun when on the amateur level.
@@mrratskins as a kid with a dorito guitar and no formal training, I can confirm this.
For the lazy amongst us ;) =]
0:00 (ain't nobody got time for that) INTRO
1:14 STOP MAKING MUSIC
2:22 STEAL IDEAS
3:33 STOP PRACTICING
4:57 PRODUCE LESS
7:40 JUST PLAY THE DAMN SONG
9:35 OUTRO (or "That's all got for today; go away now")
These timestamps are just making the video seem more and more interesting lmao
That OUTRO looks like a "Steal Ideas" step from The Critical Drinker's channel outros....
6:38 DON'T MIX!
@@ThomasLoyd 😁
Also 0:23 PURRFECT GRUMPY CAT
It’s my lucky day. Lazy habits are the only kind I have!
✋😫
that thumbnail lol
I thought he was holding a pipe wrench at first glance, and had a good giggle.
Dude abides
I ain’t thirsty…
I’m ✨ *_D E H Y D R A T E D_* ✨🥵
He’s kind of a big deal and his studio smells of rich mahogany.
it is a thirst trap
and i am ✨ *_D E H Y D R A T E D_* ✨🥵
I’ve been fortunate enough to make music while I’m working. I work from home and I do customer service. In between calls I start my process of findings sounds and as the day goes on I work on my track little by little. By the end of my shift I have the idea of the track and by the end of the day I have the bulk of the song done. It’s been working for me for about 2 and a half years. 😎👍🏽
What you said about using old school techniques and simpler mixing is so true. I see so much crap on social media with people getting into insane minutia with mixing when I keep saying "if your arranging and songwriting is good, mixing is a breeze".
Stop making music is such a cheat code. The intentionality behind creating is crazy. For "practicing" I think sometimes my "practice" is sitting down with an idea and learning to flesh it out to make it into something real but your so right. the application of your skills is the best. All of these tips are dope and reaffirming for what I like to do! I like the added context as well
I cycle between modes. There are times when I say now is the time for messing around and seeing what will happen with my instruments. And other times where I'm working generally on tracks and doing file housekeeping in between, then there's the third mode which is have a specific plan, work on it, when it's done, make a plan for next time.
@@Xanaduum Thats dope! I think the fact that you are cycling keeps things fresh atleast subconsciously. I do the same and i really feel like it helps the end goal anyways. Thank you for sharing
@@KawaiiSteez some times you've just gotta play around like a kid, improvise, twist knobs on synths even if you don't know what they do and just see what heppens. It's the most fun way to learn. And sometimes you've got to be structured as hell.
@@Xanaduum Actually, twisting knobs on synths and seeing what happens is how I discovered my "default" bass instrument (when I can't/don't want to bother finding something better), a great background arpeggio sound, and funny glide synths. Can 100% recommend, it's fun.
Leaving the faders and mix alone when you're making a new song is such a good tip. It really is all about sound selection and whether all the pieces fit together or not rather than trying to force them together from the get go.
This is why I'm still subscribed to this channel. You just accurately portray what its like to make music.
Even as a guy who has 5 or so videos on thier musician youtube account and countless unfinished tracks, i still relate to the guy whos doing this for a living.
Excellent video, I'm glad I've stuck around.
Some great insights VT. I enjoy your little rants and home-truths. Here's mine: I remember the absolute thrill when I purchased for an obscene amount of money, my first multitrack cassette tape deck (Tascam 244) - yep, FOUR tracks!! each one individually recordable, and you could "bounce" three tracks into one to get awesome multi-layered things happening. And then, shortly after that, another obscenely priced drum machine (Roland TR707) sent me into nirvana as I learnt the art of programming beat by beat the patterns and fills I desired, and then carefully backing them up to tape. Finally, a couple of years later, the same thrills when I bought my first synth (Ensoniq ESQ1) at an equally obscene price, and the buzz of creating new sounds to complement the massive 40-slot onboard patch library, and carefully backing the new ones up to tape.......(I say obscene, because in my country, you pay up to three times the price than you would in the USA).
It's 2024: I choose from any number of absolutely mind-blowing DAW's and synth/drum plugins, but the thrill and buzz is absent: seemingly infinite tracks, infinite effects, infinite patches. The creative urge is still there, but the ratio of tool-tinkering to playing music back in the day in now reversed. What I mean is, once I had my "tools" set up, and figured out how get music out of them, I just switched them on and started making music. Today, half my available "music" time might be filled up with PC problems, updates of software, compatibility issues, authorisation (thanks iLok), insane download/install programs that almost every vendor feels compelled to use, checking out recommendations, trying a different reverb plugin because the last one just went weird for a certain setting, useless hours fine-tuning 100 tracks when I've only got 5 instruments, "housekeeping" all those plugins and unused tracks, backups, etc, etc, etc, not to mention software glitches and crashes. The technology is amazing, but it can also kill productivity, and now, with AI, probably can kill creativity. I used to smirk at seeing some guitar legend on stage who had to change guitars at every song, and thinking "why the photon can't he just use one?" But I realise, given how I do music these days, I do the same.
I'm fairly new to music production and your channel as well, and I gotta say you have the best balance of motivation/inspiration and reality checks of the online music production community and you have my ever lasting thanks for that.
Due to my 9 to 5 and commute times, I can barely put in one or two hours of work into my music every day. Listening to your videos during working hours at the office has played a huge part on reminding me why I keep pushing to try and create music when I get home, and just wanted to share that with you. Never stop creating, man. You're awesome.
7:24 is SUCH a GEM 💯 I try to get peers of mine to understand this when I critique them because they only seem to like something when it's produced to pristine quality when the song itself would not be NEARLY as good without production. The true test of a great song is if it still holds weight without the bells & whistles.
Honestly, now that you bring it up, I realise that 100% of the tracks I'm proud of, I already liked before doing fine-tuning on the processing. The extra refining made them better, sure, but only because the base was good.
Thank you mustache man. Billy Schu here. 40 plus years of recording, my go to is still to play live to my tracks. allows me to be "in the pocket". My down fall is having unlimited tracks to keep adding parts.
If you look at so many of the classic jazz albums, they recorded it live often direct to two tracks with no subsequent mixing. Mistakes happen and if the overall take was good, that's what you heard on the record. Your sound was your sound with minimal effects processing. Recording complete performances live tells you a lot about what does or doesn't sound good, etc. You can still record that way with a DAW.
As a “gentleman of a certain age” …I remember the dawn of the computer based sequencer, and its metamorphosis into today’s DAW. I’m way happier to do my music today because of the ease at which I can do it. Side note: your first time editing TAPE is frightening.
But what I do like is that my “old timey” experience has made me better with today’s tools. Yes… all options are open and endless track counts await me. But being able to (mostly) play all my parts live, and get my ideas down efficiently is something I love… and I think is missing for some. Unfortunate.
The quote that always stuck in my head was from a person I worked with who worked at a major music equipment company: “If your music takes more than 16 tracks… I don’t know if I want to hear it.”
This has stuck with me and helps keep me on track. I’m going to go yell at some clouds now.
The beginning of video is just describing all of our lives… All the crazy multitasking, video, marketing, leaning, practicing… all that on top of having another regular job that pays the bills - and in the end no rewards haha oh well
I just love your videos. They are so filled with art, and good information on top of that. Just know your work is loved and respected, and appreciated by a lot of people! ❤
You have no idea how much I like this genre of videos you make. Also you have no idea how much I actually needed to hear these tips. Thanks a lot!
Once again, here comes Venus to tell me exactly what I need to hear at just the right moment. Been learning more and more about mixing, and now I'm kinda caught in that trap.
That’s exactly where I’m at… and I’m a beginner to all of this stuff.
Great video man - love this advice
coincidentally i just recently said i'll do short experiments, which are sometimes just a patch with a sequence, slap some delay and reverb on it and call it a day. so much can be done with so little already! but still think going deep matters, just can't forget to just have fun too :)
this video is incredible man, literally every point you made resonated with me so much, ive been producing for years, never released a song. have had a really rough few years, and have finally picked it up again and am going to give it my all. youve inspired me to just DO IT and not sit around waiting for it to happen. so thank you
"At least now you'll have something to show for it" is such a relatable motto. It really helps when I feel down and discouraged.
Love your channel, man. Another great video.
I've noticed your filming / editing / lighting in recent videos is just so fucking sick. Props.
You definitely make some of the most engaging stuff I find on TH-cam. Thanks dude!
So true! As someone who has spent DAYS re-recording and mastering a track I really struggled when some Muso-colleagues of mine set me a challenge of writing and recording a song in a week, with the proviso that the recording (which was shared with my peers) was a "One and Done" take. It really forces you to get creative in the moment, and rely less on goldplating/polishing whatever dull-crap you over-engineered. Thanks for this timely reminder - it's better to play/record 'something' rather than angst over what you 'might' do and how you 'could' do it. 🙂
Great to hear the Charlie Parker quote in there, love you for that! A huge benefit of not spending a lot of time editing, manipulating, fixing it... (this is just my experience) whatever it is the first or second pass is always the real essence of it. At least if you're trying to capture something "fresh" or spontaneous.
Great stuff there man, thanks for the big smile on my face.
Love your videos, Venus! Thanks man
As someone that started music very late in life and spending the last decade trying to get better at it, the notion of stopping practice just floored me.
always love your encouraging and funny videos :)
You and Bo Beats are the only TH-camrs who I remember to check on when I haven't had a notification in a while.
brings back memories of an old classic which i read decades ago while backpacking in the mountains of Yukon, Thaddeus Golas, "The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment"
I have been implementing a monthly habit of producing something within 1 hour with my DAW. And it can be hot garbage but at least it helped me maintain or create stuff that I've been inspired by during my downtime. Plus it helps me pinpoint things that I need to do research or learn about once I'm done with my exercize. At the end I can also improve and polish whatever I made within that timespan.
Hey, this is great stuff! Thanks a lot! I've recently seen an interview to one of the Air members (the French duet) and he says that he's made his most intereseting stuff just by being a limited and "bad musician" in a way. Many times coping with limitations is what makes you do very interesting stuff, there is many virtuoso stuff that's sooo so boring, maybe because that makes you kind of limitless.
These videos keep getting better and better. Great story, amazing videography and editing. And there are not many TH-camrs that actually make me laugh. Every vid is a must watch!
Dude you are becoming one of my favourites.
you say it like it is..
I have now banned my self from scrolling TH-cam during productive hours.
because of this exactly.
I sendup watching more music making then I get done then I lost interesting go the track as its been to long since it really moved on & then I have hundreds of loops..
so this came at the right time!
been trying to tell my clients this for 15 years - the source is so much more important than the mastering chain
That's so true, sometimes I've tried too hard and it could have been done in a more relaxed way, because in the end you probably won't get millions of whatever out of it. If you do, then you're "kinda" lucky, but if not, at least you haven't beaten yourself up.
The thumbnail, the video, all so good!
Started making beats around 1999 on a MPC. It started with Drum N Bass and underground Hiphop, then experimental Synth, Industrial, and noise etc. After trying to learn multiple genres, I'm at the point where i take gaps of time off listening to other peoples work, and not sticking to a a particular genre when i create, for me that's when my best ideas come out, and new forms grow.
Recently I've taken a hyper focused approach to writing music. I come from a house / dubstep background where sound design was the most important part. Now I'm looking to write more thematic melodies and rich chord progressions.
I've started challenging myself to just use piano or a sin wave patch to write out catchy songs without the pressure or distraction of synth tweaking or endless presets.
I like that part about ''not mixing''. I get lots of comments on my channel like ''show how you mixed this or that'' but the truth is, I almost don't mix at all...I just design/choose well my sounds/samples. Like you said, in the end mixing is just polishing an almost finished product. And if I do use ''lots'' of plugins, it's for a sound design purpose and not mixing. If your EQ looks like a roller coaster, somethings wrong. lol
great video as usual man, 👌
Thanks! This video really resonated with me. I think I needed this perspective right now.
Intentionality is the name of the game, after attaining a certain amount of knowledge about the craft.
This was beautiful. Thank you!
"there is a difference between lazy and efficient, however it's not always that far between them".
I've read a similar thing from another musician, Robert Fripp, phrased thus: "Don't aim to do as little as possible, aim to do only as much as is necessary"
Your videos are great! I love how you take a complex and potentially discouraging topic and make it both relatable and engaging. It never feels like I'm being lectured to, which is a real talent.
I really like (and value!) your realistic attitude and advice… obviously, personally well learned. Thanks!
I'm very much impressed by how easily you managed to communicate these broad but very well selected valuable advice through a 10 min. video. - The quote "there's a tremendous power in using the least amount of information to get a point across" does astonishingly well suit the work you must have put into making this video. I'm very pleased to come across your work today, last but not least also because it's just a great thing to see interesting thoughts being shared in such a humane and relatable way on TH-cam in times when many people continue to create completely sterile or overhyped "content". So thank you, keep up the good work!
Off topic: You've mentioned in your review of the arturia keylab that you have again found great joy in your profession after having started with many new freelance projects. What kind of music projects are you busy with these days? I'm working as a full time composer/musician and audio engineer in Germany (close to the french border) and I'd be seriously interested in listening to some of your work if you feel like showing me one or two of your favorite projects.
Of course only if time permits, don't we all got busy schedules because of Mrs. Music? ;)
Best greetings
For someone new to all of this it's been tough trying to learn gear(need to stop watching geartube) but also the aspects necessary to actually create music that hopefully other can appreciate and enjoy. Love your short life lesson videos.
I find I'm most productive if I have a goal.
For example, last year I said to myself "I've got two months of time, let's make an album", thought about a vibe, a theme for the whole thing for a while and then started pumping out tracks. I didn't end up having those 2 months, but I worked on it for almost a year in my free time and got it done this spring. I wrote 2 hours of music I'm really happy with in a year, after having basically nothing for the 3 years before that, where I just sat down to "make some music" 3 times a week.
I think he makes the most quality and unique music production videos on TH-cam ❤❤
Gotta agree that it's much better to play the keyboard than push the DAW spreadsheet cells around. I am not a musician, but I play one when I work through a tune by memorizing where my fingers are on the piano keyboard. And while I'm doing that, sometimes my hand slips and my fingers land on much more interesting notes. "Okay. Change of plan." That simply doesn't happen when I go click, click, click on the piano roll window.
You have helped me a lot since I started making music. You were the first TH-camr that I started following, and I learned a lot by watching you. So, thanks, Cameron."🫡
Really great point about the arranging and editing process. I definitely have found lately when I'm in that phase of things it tends to result in things being removed that aren't adding anything to the song or are just cluttering it up. Great video with some great thoughts
that thumbnail made me feel things I'm not sure I consented to
One of your best videos! Every artist needs to hear this in their life!
Such great wisdom . . . after you carve out the cynicism. The biggest problem for me (and probably everyone else) is wanting to utilize the myriad exotic tools at our disposal. That is how you end up in trouble. So your point about simplifying is well taken. My solution is to make several versions of the same song. Each version has it's own set of plugins, arrangements, and production techniques. That way you get to experiment with many different sounds and have some creative fun.
This is fantastic advice. I've been making music for years, primarily on software, and I just always felt overwhelmed. I would spend hours twiddling with knobs I didn't understand. I recently switched to fully DAWless, and while that word comes with a lot of baggage, it has helped my productivity tremendously. I've made more music in the last four months than the last decade combined as far as finished tracks. There's something about having to rehearse and record the whole track live onto a field recorder that makes it much easier to say, "that take was good enough. Let's move on."
As a person new to the world of hardware, your voice shines through as a very rare voice of reason in the TH-cam music production space. So thank you. I'm turning TH-cam off now.
Wow, this hits home.
I just transferred a track I spent a considerable amount of time on, over from an old laptop to a shiny new modern computer (with upgraded ableton and 3rd party plugins ofc)
All but the stock plugins loaded and hearing the mix sans the bulk of production I had done really opened my eyes, and ears, to the time wasted ‘overproducing’.
Def gonna streamline my workflow to avoid this.
Thanks so much for this 🤘
awesome stuff... as always. i go back to pre computer days and restrict what i can do. too easy to stare at the screen for every as you say. I like how Springsteen after he had a huge hit he stayed at home with a crappy 4 track tape machine and made his next albumn
Just stopping by cause that thumbnail is FIRE!!!!
Hehe, I knew I was a lazy, degenerate musician who put out half baked tracks that I nonetheless love. I don't have the internal critic to disagree with you. Thanks for the validation!
The hardest part of making music is the endless options and choices. So, I try to give myself only a few choices at each stage of creating. Not only does it make the process easier, but it also commits me to keep moving forward. I finish pieces because I "burn" most of my "bridges" behind me.
I think of music making as discovering more than creating. Because "all music as already been written" and "nothing is new under the sun", turning it to personnal discovery by making the music is the most beautiful way i can think about it. Everybody can write, and discover, just like someone walks or travel somewhere. Nobody denies a trip because "other people have been there"
Didn't have to watch more than a minute to know I still love every video you do
This channel is a treasure and this video is pure gold! found this channel recently and every single video I watched helped me improve in production, the funny thing is:: none of them was showing any DAW or "technique" or whatever, it was pure and simple experience share, which is what music is really about, sharing your thoughts with others. I'm really thankful for you taking your time making this content. Bless! Greetings from Brasil also xD
As someone who has maybe 30-60 minutes per night to do music, this really resonated with me. I think it's great that you acknowledge the reality of this for so many people.
I don't have the luxury of sitting for 18 hours per day in front of my DAW.
And I think - given these kind of constraints - it's useful to acknowledge that I don't have to completely reinvent music from scratch to come up with something worthwhile. Teenage Kicks wasn't breathtakingly original but it was still John Peel's favourite song.
I struggle with this. After a heavy diet of Aphex Twin's intricate programming in esoterica software, it's dispiritingly easy to think there's no point in making music if any aspect of it has been done before. But I think of it like sitting down to a meal in a restaurant: I don't need this meal to completely reinvent food from the ground up to be incredibly entertained by what I'm eating; it's the tastefulness of the choices that have been made and that kitchen's unique combination of choices that are fun to experience. It doesn't have to be molecular gastronomy to be enjoyable. I'm here now, this is what's on the menu; am I enjoying it? Am I raving about it to my friends?
So, by necessity, I've found the most inspiring ideas erupt out out of enagaging with music as a "play" activity.
Some things I do that end up being most rewarding for me:
- an hour of just noodling on the guitar, piano, or a really limited selection of electronic hardware (grooveboxes, synths, samplers) - without overthinking what I'm doing; take it into the DAW later and see what comes of it; no production, no finessing
- on the flipside, sitting at the DAW thinking "I'm going to play with X idea"; like "make a heavy sounding electronic track in 6/8 time because I never do stuff like that"
For me, it helps to remember it's not a calling or a job or an ambition, it's something I do for fun, so make sure it IS fun; whenever I do it like this, I come up with FAR more interesting stuff
The background music texture is stellar!
Lovely essay. Happy to see Reaper DAW make some cameos. I agree that "playing" at least some of the parts into your DAW. It makes the tune personal at least. My kid complains about some of my off-grid notes, but I choose to call that "feel." YMMV.
...Unless your desktop PC bricks, you lose all your work and give up until you finally get a new laptop years later, and have forgotten how to hook everything up and how to use your DAW. 😆😂😭 I literally had a nervous breakdown after not being able to create my sh***y music. Hopefully I can get my life back now that my therapist (DAW) is back in my life again.
You've got the best music making videos on the internet brother. Seriously your videos are some of the only ones that I find truly inspiring for making music. Thanks for all your hard work and I'll keep watching as long as you keep putting these out.
Well done!! As usual a great video!!!
This is life advice beyond just music production.
You make my favorite channel. Only 25% due to audacity to tell us to get the F*#k off youtube. The remaining 75% is spread across the content type, messaging and its direct execution, humor timing, narrative cadences, audio taste/dynamics and all around production quality. Damn dude. 🤘
Honestly, your videos help me so much to reframe my perspective and refocus on what actually matters and makes music. Thank you
Thank you for helping my confidence.
This is on point.
What I'd like to add, if I'm allowed to, is the other issue that I'd completely forgotten about until earlier this month, when i bought a brand new hardware synth that had a lot of well crafted presets which sound great if you play them in isolation/ in a synth shop/ in your shed (well...) but don't sit well in a mix.
You spend hours/ days / weeks (months?) Reprogramming as many sounds as possible, with a view to making the instrument more useable for you. That takes time. Especially if the U.I. isn't as friendly as you initially thought it'd be.
I'm towards the end of that part of the journey. Hopefully, this means I'll have learned/learnt more useful synth programming techniques by the end of it.
✌️ 🌅
There are quite a few reasons I luv your content. One-you use Reaper 🙂 and two-your talks are very inspiring. Thank you
I love your ability to disrespect while also encouraging us. one love!
I am Mastering my first track I ever wrote this week. I have hope because the section about "only doing the rough mix with faders and panners" - That's EXACTLY how I did it - mostly because the Multiband Compressor is SCARY :D :D :D
Needed this. Thanks you.
Ennio Morricone made film scores taking here or there. The magic was, he make them sound like a unique, unforgettable thing called geinius... He once made a song based on the french police siren. It was "Se telefonando" by Mina!
Thanks for this video. Really good info, super well presented. You bring great realism into the general music industry dialogue. Good stuff. Best from Berlin.
You make the most weirdly motivating videos, thank you :)
I started working DAWless the last few months. I do design my drum sounds and record and trigger a few samples - some vocals, reverse sweeps, maybe a pad, etc - but use no sounds I can't get out of my hardware. I record the main stereo bus only - the mix is whatever I think is good enough at the time. It's been an incredible experience. The music sounds better, feels more alive, I'm more creative. Limitations breed creativity.
This video sums up so many things about making music that I've always wanted to say, without knowing exactly what or how to say them... lol
so much love to your channel. its always inspiring. 💕
So damn good, Venus. Very validating to hear some of my own thoughts on topic from actually working composer)
Your videos never fail to motivate me. Amazing work brother 🫡
These are getting better and better. 🎉
Participating in Weekly beats helps a lot with all of this
I'm going to print a poster in my rehearsal/producing room with that Rick Rubin's quote. For real!
The past couple of days I've found myself staring at FL Studio as if leaving it alone for a year will produce a song. Your parting comment was like a splash of water to my face. Thanks bucko, that was a pretty effective wakeup call and is appreciated.
I've been playing guitar for 45 years and writing songs for 40 years. I practice by writing songs. It always ends up happening. I honestly can't remember scales all the way through anyway. The knowledge is there and manifests itself when I'm working on a song.
PLAY IT IN LIVE IN ONE GO!
YOU SAID IT HERE!!!
That's it! Enlightenment!
You said it!
Own the whole song 🫵
PLAY IT FLAWLESSLY 1 million times,
With a drummer & a bass player
(Takes like 1 month) per song
Then pick up the iphones, get an engineer, get him to record you!
BAM! one take 🎬
and go for the next!
Butch vig explained it to Rick Beato on his interview 🤘
It works for any 🎼 genre though
Some of the best music I made, was created by me trying to copy a track I loved and completely failing at it. I tried one thing and ended up with something else that inspired me.
I just found your channel, 10/10 vibe-match!