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Great video, I am stuck with a track up to a drop but cant progress from there... nothing sounds good as a drop and a second verse based on the existing bassline and associated sound design.
@@adammason1587 Pick apart what your reference track does - how do they take it to the next level? What elements are there on the drop, and then what happens 8 or 16 bars later?
needed to hear this! here are my tips: meditate before entering the daw to clear junk from the CPU between your ears. Write an 8bar loop every day so u have beter demos to choose from when you decide to finish a track. Then you can work on something that sparks the dopamine instead of kicking the dead horse on a mediocre starting point. Turn on flight mode, turn off wifi, narrow your options like a painter picks his colors, get a good cup of Joe and invest all your money in to your room acoustics to get mixes that translate. If you dont, outsource it. And also: dont start with the details. Big legos first.
Wow this video couldn't have been more perfect timing....I literally HAVE been working on a song for 6 months and been getting disheartened because the reference track sounds SO much better and I'm like "why cant I get it to sound like Guetta's track!!!!??" Thanks Will.
I do that "ghost track" thing with almost every song I've ever made for 10 years, its a key concept. Its like tracing when you draw, no idea was ever 100% original, everything is derived from something. Glad to see I am not the only one and am not wrong for doing it.
I was going to say ADD is my biggest problem but then I got distracted lol. But seriously 5, 6 & 7 are huge for me. Also I had to stop taking it all so seriously and just focus on the enjoyment of creating. Now I’m starting to notice the quality of my production is really improving. Thanks once again Will.
I think enjoyment comes from #7 - the reason lot of producers whom I spoke to are producing music is because they like it. And doing what you love will definitely help you finish what you've started even if you struggle in the process.
Let me give you an advice I never heard before and that helped me T-O-N-S: 1. Start a track - work on it until you get that "AHA" this is "NIIIIICE" wow this will be AWESOME! 2. STOP. SAVE. CLOSE. 3. Take all that energy, the confidence, that BOOST you have and: start another track. Work again until you reached that AHA moment, and after you have decided how many tracks 4,5,10 or 12, you go back to each track and to another (as soon as confidence drops) Eventually you will have to go thru the 80/20 rule with most of them, and it will take time to finish but it will save you from so much fatigue, and when confidence drop in one track, remind yourself of the fact you have "X" other top "AHA"- ideas lurking in your folder, that energy will help you go thru the process of finishing in the end.
@@EDMTips not really surprising. they try to please others needs (clients or likes on social media) before their own feelings thus their own clear vibes. Producers needs to be more free minded of "duties" to show their true colors
An in depth video on building energy/tension ( micro and macro) with automation. What parameters and what parameters go good together for macros. Esspicaly with drums and hats. Workflow tips for automation, I feel like i waste time automating to early and changing it all the time .Learned alot from you already! Thanks Will!
Just signed up for Loopcloud and it's like the Netflix of samples. I go in to find a house vocal for a track and 2 hours later settle on a funk breakbeat and start a Bicep style tune.
That's why I have to separate sessions when I produce - day sessions and night sessions: one is for organising samples and such and one is for actual music production.
Will, you are totally right. Again. I've subscribed to your channel a few days ago. And I like the content. During this video my neck started to hurt due to heavy nodding. I'm like this crazy professor who asks himself every now and then: What the heck did I try to do a few minutes ago? I would be totally lost in this crazy world without organizing my stuff. My plans are a bit different than other people's plans. I learnt playing drums in the Eighties and switched over to electronic music by 1992. I used to work with an Amiga computer, a sequencer software, a keyboard and a sound module until 2003 where it all went defective. During the pandemic I came back to music with buying a new keyboard. But I could not manage to become familiar with a DAW. So, I use "BandLab" online. But I wanted to come back to the music I created 20 years ago. I do it in my spare time. I do not want to become "the next Florian Schneider" or "Jean Michel Jarre 2.0". And I don't plan to make a living with my music. But besides that, I have my goals. My tracks should always sound the best I can produce. And there is a problem. I feel like there are some limitations within "BandLab". Yeah, I know there are some great DAWs out there. But I did not find one that fits perfectly. And honestly, I don't think about spending hundreds of Euros for a DAW when I don't have any income with my music. That's the point where I am stuck with "BandLab". I am still learning. And I think I've performed a learning curve. And I totally know what it means when you are stuck in a loop. I am currently working on a track where I think that this bit should be louder and that bit more right and the other bit more left and so on and so forth. It's hard to find out of the loop. It's also hard to find back into an unfinished track once you've had a break and left this track aside for days. It's almost impossible when you don't organize them in idea containers. I think your video is very inspiring for a lot of people, for professionals and spare time musicians as well. Now let's see if there is something in your videos that I can transpose from a DAW to BandLab.
Great tips as usual Will! I would like to add that you have to accept that your mental health affects your music. I've struggled with creating track after track that sounds sad. Which ultimately is affected by how I'm feeling. I've accepted this and embraced it to be what it is. Also, if your mental health low. Do yourself a favour and get help from ❤️
when i decided to produce or do my sound design, i always put my phone on Airmode, and throw it away, 100% focus on what you need to do is really a solid point.
Good to see that this channel is still getting better over time. The look and feel as well as the content and the power of the information transfer. Keep going Darling!
Found this useful, thanks. I have no problem finishing other people's tracks but have about 30 of my own that have been sat there unfinished for years..some have even changed genre several times! Someone should make a website where everyone finishes other people's songs! :D Another good tip I heard: When going back to an old, unfinished song, listen to it once and make bullet-point notes on the main problems you hear- then just work through them. Easier said than done of course but I found that pretty helpful. Cheers
In addition to point 3 you could have also mentioned the importance of color coding. (Although I strongly disagree on your views of the natural colors of certain instruments and sounds!😉) Having a color coded and properly named template makes it far more easy to go back to an existing projects. Within seconds you see and know what you have done so far and where to click to make changes or to work further on certain sounds.
Yea I've spent the last 30 years stuck in thousands of loops and never officially finished a song lol Nearly every one of the scenarios you mentioned made me chuckle to myself because I understood them all too well. Definitely saving this video for next time at the drawing board. Thanks!
First, thank you brother for all this tutorials 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 What about music production struggling, for me, the most common thing is when I make real cool drop or loop, I am starting to make arrangement, add new sounds, samples, ideas and….in this process…all this searching new sounds and experimenting with new ideas, your melody or song becomes boring or even annoying to you…and you are jumping on new project. I coming back on this projects, but same thing is happening….😢 Oganize everything like you sad will help for sure. So, I’ll figure this out ✊🏽
Organisation is a huge one, I had loads of different random folders and last year spent a couple of months sorting the samples logically (there's a great Mr Bill video on it, using Resonic to quickly preview and drag them to new folders). So now I have a kickdrum folder containing 10,000+ samples. Luckily there's an extension for bitwig that will randomly select a sample from whichever folder you're in, and I can find a good sample within the first 5 clicks (or one that's close enough that can be tweaked). Building a beat that fits the other elements is very quick and easy now 😀 now it's all about arrangement, but see you've got a video on that too so we'll be trying that later on. Great tips btw, thanks
Totally agree. Every hour I spent organising was an hour well spent. The only thing one needs not to forget that organising samples is not actual music production.... some people lost count of hours they spend organising samples and actually forget to produce 😎
@@EDMTips that's true up to a point, but the fact was my sessions weren't getting anywhere pre-organisation as every time I needed a new sample I'd get bogged down wading through my shambolic collection. Another great thing about going through this process was discovering a load of great samples and loops I'd completely forgotten about, many of them home made, which were copied to a new folder and now if I get stuck I can flip through them and find something inspirational or useful to get excited again 😀
One tip to improve reference track workflow is using spleeter. If you don't know it it's a technology that splits a track into individual stems (Drums, bass, vocals, rest) the results obviously have digital artifacts, but for a better visual representation of the reference track that dosen't matter.
Alway Will i'll be watching your videos. never stop learning. being humble in your journey helps i've been learning now since january i made an intro vid on my channel but its no way in full shape i know that. i have a few tracks i have made start to finnish by luck or design but in no way is it mastered and is it the best it could be NO by any means. each week you help me add something more to it. learning bits and pieces here and now is ok, as tips and tricks defo need to be structered. with out you ill be on the the first 8 bar loop.
Hi Will, another fantastic video again. At present I've only got one song under my belt at in a Piano House genre, I'm mainly a guitar band type of person, but always loved 90's piano house. I feel my struggle at present is arrangement, layering and sound design.
always stuck between wanting to waste 8 hrs a day on music production and the fact that I probably shouldn't be wasting 4 or more hrs on music production, I have socials to worry about, cover art, getting my song done on time, o ya and the whole life in society thing tends to take more mental anguish than actual time but regardless time is the victim. Good luck yall and keep at it art really is the only way to happiness for us, not all but us.
The sound design was a big problem for me in the past. Nowadays I´m Audio designer graduated and the point is, investing in yourself to level up the skills. A good book (ex: Tip of the week, by Maarten Vorwerk) is also so useful! At least, as you said, being in contact with other artists is essential.
My main problem is that, i can create a sick ass drop, loving it. But then i struggle having ideas when making the breakdowns, builds and stuff like that, getting out of the drop basically. So all the time i find myself with 300 projects with just a drop. And dont get me wrong, i already have a song on all streaming platforms and 6 IDs already 99% completed in structure, but thos took me the longet to do. Thank you!
Very insparing, your videos are always very helpfull. I started doing it a few weeks ago, before watching this video actually (Having a routine and use a track as reference) and I have finished 2 tracks in about a Month. Just got an email today that a label wants to sign with one of my tracks and this channel is definetely part of it! Thank you Will!!!!
Great video! I’m struggling the most with the first and the last reason you mentioned. The first one: I tend to make loops and ideas really quick and I’m surprised about that but everything sounds bland. It doesn’t matter if it is an RnB loop or a synthwave one. I mean, it doesn’t sound bad but I don’t feel it’s going anywhere… something like killing the vibe. The last one is related to connecting with the scene. I’ve been invited before pandemics to share podium with fellow artists which encouraged me to make good tracks and feel good about it. I ended up following more musicians than I really want to follow, just to be a part of that scene. So I think both topics are very similar! How to be identified as an artist… Where am I going to… I started with all of this to create my own songs to sing because I don’t see myself playing in a band, that’s the whole reason. I don’t want to sound perfect but I wish I could sound modern and competitive. I hope you understand what I’m trying to explain…
You gotta ask yourself "What is modern?" Because for me, I havent heard anything modern in a long time . I just hear a lot of the same stuff being repeated and especially since "Nostalgia" is the trend right now. I'd moreso focus on what makes you feel good and what resonates with you. Also, I'd map out a good template of a song and find the spots that you need to fill in or remove sounds. Throwing all your ideas at the wall and see what sticks. The concept of dropping in a fully produced track to study its structure is a really great way to figure out what is going on in the tracks to make them interesting. Transitions, breakdowns, builds etc. One thing that is not mentioned is how the brain works. Normally the technical side of the brain and the creative side are different. So it really helps to focus on creating first and foremost in the most efficient way possible. Then move on to the technical aspects. If you try to do both in the same session, it becomes confusing. A tip that I have told my friends is to start with a theme, story or world in your mind already. Then it helps to steer you in the right direction. Peace and best of luck.
By 1:20 you've described my songwriting process. I'm not even being witty, that's the actual process of taking an idea for a walk and serving the song. And it's the only way I CAN finish songs. I never considered that could be the impediment for some people.
Hi! Super helpful video, thank you so much! To answer your question the biggest hurdle for me finishing tracks is figuring out how to mold it all together to sound like one idea - which you speak about in this video so thank you for that, any more on that would be helpful too!
So much love man nailed it with this list I’ve been slowly getting these down on my own but the ones that I haven’t focused on yet now I can start earlier instead of taking ages to get there I really appreciate this video and your content 🙏🏼❤
Ouuuuu and the ghost track is what I’m going to do when I get home after work I have been getting into listing to a inspirational track while trying to figure out my overall track arrangement that has been my biggest challenge after getting over the challenge of getting the vibe of my track sorted out I just got that finished up so once I have the track arrangement down I think my workflow will really shift into gear 🏎️💨
Will, great video Mate. Inspiring. And just to say, the GAP thing is real. In an unrelated subject, I play Hell Let Loose, a WWII 1st person wargame. It's great fun and I like to be the sniper (I'm hopeless in close quarters anyway!) I used to look up to the TH-camr snipers and wonder why they could hit the shots I couldn't, however, after playing lots I have got as good, if not surpassed the TH-camrs! It takes time and application. Keep it up guys :-)
arranging is the hardest thing about music, so it feels like stealing a bit. this method works great and pumps skills, I do not argue, but still I think you need to make changes to the arrangements that inspire you.btw thank you for being here Will!
Sometimes copying an arrangement from a fully produced song doesnt quite work for YOUR song. But it gets you close to the end goal. With dance music, it has the least amount of options when it comes to arrangement, so keep that in mind ! :)
Hi! As ever, really useful video! It could be interesting a video to explain how to use/modify effect to add into the song… I notice that I can’t never find the sound I like for the FX (like something to put before/after a drop to create ambience)
I knew some of that tips but still have this problem. Thanks again for so important content. P.S. The Dunning-Kruger effect explains a lot about beginners behaviour.
Sometimes we need someone reiterating something we already know. You know what they say, "Repetition is the mother of learning" ... or something like that :)
Will, thankyou. I struggle with this direly. I have 100's of scores that have so much potential if I would just finish them. Looking forward to getting back to it once i finish my stint at work. :)
Like all your tutorials,very well put together.I've always had a problem trying to put to many ideas together,but recently I've been alot more decisive on what's really working.anyway,cheers squire
@@EDMTips I think I've learnt,even if it's taken me 50 years!had alot of mental health problems&used to drink a minimum of bottle of vodka a day.music has given me so much help&I believe it's my times.anyway,enough for now.cheers
@@EDMTips found your videos by chance, so very glad I did. You've taught me so much from the handful of videos I've seen. This particular video was so needed though. I've a short deadline left to finish an album and without the sense you've put firmly in my head I'd probably be screwed right now. Every issue you mention in this video resonates with me and its that disheartening feeling that's the worst. Once it kicks in strong enough I just wanna walk away and be done, I think you've genuinely given me the right mindset to get through this. Honestly thank you so much for freely giving out such valuable advice and knowledge.
I pretty much struggled with this for years, then it clicked, block in the melody only with just piano, can I easily sing to the song? Only then I start layering the instruments. Now I don’t struggle to finish a new song.
I have a big problem with arranging, with atmospheric sounds, transitions, sweeps, fx. For me it seems boring, this is where some of my projects stop ((( How to deal with this, is there an easy or fun way to beat this!? Thanks you are great!!!
Making fx , transitions and sweeps from existing material in the track keeps you from searching endlessly in your sample library. Most of the time you can find some kind of element in your track that you can make into a drone, sweep , riser, downlifter or whatever you'd like. That's where the fun comes into it!
Re point #4, could you do some track breakdown videos to show how simple most tracks are once you take them apart? Some of the classics, one springs to mind being Marshall Jefferson - Move your body, had a super simple makeup (one drum machine and a couple of synths) but was catchy enough to be remixed recently (ok, so mostly carried by the lyrics, but still). Obviously things have moved on, but the concept (keeping it simple) probably still applies.
Good idea, Jim, I will add this to my list. We do this a lot during our live sessions in the Accelerator but maybe in the future we can do something like that here too.
Narrowing my focus as far as genre goes is really hard for me. Compound that with the fact that I'm pretty bad at figuring out what specific genre a song is in the first place!
I am definitely #2, #4 and #5 sometimes as well, and all of them are so bad for a musician. For #2 i really suggest to build a foundation of rhythm and drums and create a arrangment of it in the early stage, maybe take a reference track and try to recreate the arrangement from the start. This way you are in a creative process and by the time your first created loop will fit into the track at a certain point. #4 and #5 is quite complicated, especially if you tend to be a perfectionist. Fiddling around on a EQ curve or a certain sound for 2 hours is a bad habit and in the end it can break everything. Trust me, i have been there (and still am in every track i produce) and you should really slap yourself in the face and tell yourself to stop. Okay, here wo go, time to start slapping me in my own face again 🥴
Issue with me is I have an idea of what type of music I want But i cant figure out what genre it is or know anyone who produces it. So then I go through my library of sounds trying to find the type but then when I start to make something it turns into something else. I have no reference track so I feel like im in the dark everytime i try to make something. Then I wonder if Im using wrong sounds so I am lost looking for something that will set in on the correct path but Ive watched hours and hours of tutorials and courses and they all seem to be "simple" "basics" or something for the wrong genre. I just feel like im in a cycle of despair. I even set deadlines just for myself Like I have 2 weeks to get something in the books. But I just end up with a bunch of randomness. It truly is disheartening.
Here is a friendly piece of advice that I have shared with many friends. I'd avoid wasting time exporting tracks for feedback streams or sending to friends until you are AT LEAST 90% finished with the track. And even then, I wouldnt waste time in making subtle little changes just for friends approval or validation. I've had quite a few friends who NEVER finish any tracks because of this habit as well as the ones mentioned in this video.
@@EDMTips sorry man, long time subscriber and I like your videos. I've been searching this topic and I can't find any real help on the topic. The issues I have maybe fall into the perfectionism realm and to be honest, I don't really like what said about it in this video. Perfectionism is actually something I haven't implemented enough (I feel) and when you speak only to new producers I think you miss the seasoned individuals who are no longer training on how an EQ works or have a problem creating something new. I don't have any issues creating great and powerful ideas, the problem is that I'm not out trying to copy my favorite producer and I'm not lacking the ideas or motivation. The problem is that the music I create requires so much work per track that I become bored of it and I can no longer determine if my brain is now biased because I've listened to it too long or I've left out the tedious work and I feel the track is basically there. I can take the sound of fart and make it into a 5 minute track, but it's the fine tuning and final mixing stages that I generally procrastinate on.
I guess we'll agree to disagree. Being a perfectionist myself, I learned that sometimes one can spend too much time on a task and never actually finish it.
Not sure where I stated this would be a technical video so I mislead you.... most people don't finish their songs not because of a lack of the technical knowledge. The reasons are mostly psychological, ARE in your control and can be rectified.
The technical solution is also in the video fi you really think about it. Actually, the technical solution would to be to hire someone experienced to produce your music for you. :). hehe
Let me know what you think of this video in the comments below. If you liked this video don't forget to smash that subscribe button so you don't miss out on any of my upcoming tutorials! 🔥
Great video, I am stuck with a track up to a drop but cant progress from there... nothing sounds good as a drop and a second verse based on the existing bassline and associated sound design.
@@adammason1587 Pick apart what your reference track does - how do they take it to the next level? What elements are there on the drop, and then what happens 8 or 16 bars later?
in my opinion most important video ever you made..
needed to hear this! here are my tips: meditate before entering the daw to clear junk from the CPU between your ears. Write an 8bar loop every day so u have beter demos to choose from when you decide to finish a track. Then you can work on something that sparks the dopamine instead of kicking the dead horse on a mediocre starting point. Turn on flight mode, turn off wifi, narrow your options like a painter picks his colors, get a good cup of Joe and invest all your money in to your room acoustics to get mixes that translate. If you dont, outsource it. And also: dont start with the details. Big legos first.
Love this! Especially “big legos first”
Wow this video couldn't have been more perfect timing....I literally HAVE been working on a song for 6 months and been getting disheartened because the reference track sounds SO much better and I'm like "why cant I get it to sound like Guetta's track!!!!??" Thanks Will.
You’re welcome!
I do that "ghost track" thing with almost every song I've ever made for 10 years, its a key concept. Its like tracing when you draw, no idea was ever 100% original, everything is derived from something. Glad to see I am not the only one and am not wrong for doing it.
Great analogy, love it! 👍🏻
I was going to say ADD is my biggest problem but then I got distracted lol. But seriously 5, 6 & 7 are huge for me. Also I had to stop taking it all so seriously and just focus on the enjoyment of creating. Now I’m starting to notice the quality of my production is really improving. Thanks once again Will.
I think enjoyment comes from #7 - the reason lot of producers whom I spoke to are producing music is because they like it. And doing what you love will definitely help you finish what you've started even if you struggle in the process.
Let me give you an advice I never heard before and that helped me T-O-N-S:
1. Start a track - work on it until you get that "AHA" this is "NIIIIICE" wow this will be AWESOME!
2. STOP. SAVE. CLOSE.
3. Take all that energy, the confidence, that BOOST you have and: start another track. Work again until you reached that AHA moment, and after you have decided how many tracks 4,5,10 or 12, you go back to each track and to another (as soon as confidence drops)
Eventually you will have to go thru the 80/20 rule with most of them, and it will take time to finish but it will save you from so much fatigue, and when confidence drop in one track, remind yourself of the fact you have "X" other top "AHA"- ideas lurking in your folder, that energy will help you go thru the process of finishing in the end.
I really like the first tip : Having a clear "Vibe" !
It's surprising to me that a lot of beginner music producers forget about this one
@@EDMTips not really surprising. they try to please others needs (clients or likes on social media) before their own feelings thus their own clear vibes. Producers needs to be more free minded of "duties" to show their true colors
An in depth video on building energy/tension ( micro and macro) with automation. What parameters and what parameters go good together for macros. Esspicaly with drums and hats. Workflow tips for automation, I feel like i waste time automating to early and changing it all the time .Learned alot from you already! Thanks Will!
Great idea, and you’re welcome! Thanks for watching :)
Just signed up for Loopcloud and it's like the Netflix of samples. I go in to find a house vocal for a track and 2 hours later settle on a funk breakbeat and start a Bicep style tune.
That's why I have to separate sessions when I produce - day sessions and night sessions: one is for organising samples and such and one is for actual music production.
@@EDMTips brilliant tips!
Will, you are totally right. Again. I've subscribed to your channel a few days ago. And I like the content. During this video my neck started to hurt due to heavy nodding.
I'm like this crazy professor who asks himself every now and then: What the heck did I try to do a few minutes ago? I would be totally lost in this crazy world without organizing my stuff.
My plans are a bit different than other people's plans. I learnt playing drums in the Eighties and switched over to electronic music by 1992. I used to work with an Amiga computer, a sequencer software, a keyboard and a sound module until 2003 where it all went defective.
During the pandemic I came back to music with buying a new keyboard. But I could not manage to become familiar with a DAW. So, I use "BandLab" online. But I wanted to come back to the music I created 20 years ago. I do it in my spare time. I do not want to become "the next Florian Schneider" or "Jean Michel Jarre 2.0". And I don't plan to make a living with my music. But besides that, I have my goals.
My tracks should always sound the best I can produce. And there is a problem. I feel like there are some limitations within "BandLab". Yeah, I know there are some great DAWs out there. But I did not find one that fits perfectly. And honestly, I don't think about spending hundreds of Euros for a DAW when I don't have any income with my music. That's the point where I am stuck with "BandLab".
I am still learning. And I think I've performed a learning curve. And I totally know what it means when you are stuck in a loop. I am currently working on a track where I think that this bit should be louder and that bit more right and the other bit more left and so on and so forth. It's hard to find out of the loop. It's also hard to find back into an unfinished track once you've had a break and left this track aside for days. It's almost impossible when you don't organize them in idea containers.
I think your video is very inspiring for a lot of people, for professionals and spare time musicians as well. Now let's see if there is something in your videos that I can transpose from a DAW to BandLab.
So accurate. I am in stage when I made couple of good tracks then - overcomplicated things & end up make track with vocal in wrong key!
Happens to the best of us, Rafal, but keep going and keep up the good word! It will pay off :)
Great tips as usual Will! I would like to add that you have to accept that your mental health affects your music. I've struggled with creating track after track that sounds sad. Which ultimately is affected by how I'm feeling.
I've accepted this and embraced it to be what it is.
Also, if your mental health low. Do yourself a favour and get help from ❤️
Absolutely! As I mentioned in a video, I have my checklist I go through, if I feel down. I help me massively in the last few years.
when i decided to produce or do my sound design, i always put my phone on Airmode, and throw it away, 100% focus on what you need to do is really a solid point.
Yes, I usually leave my phone outside the studio and turn off my notifications completely!
Good to see that this channel is still getting better over time. The look and feel as well as the content and the power of the information transfer. Keep going Darling!
Thank you, Geordy, I appreciate the feedback and kind words of support! 🙌🏻
Agreed! Straight to the point content like this is preferred 👌🏽
Found this useful, thanks. I have no problem finishing other people's tracks but have about 30 of my own that have been sat there unfinished for years..some have even changed genre several times! Someone should make a website where everyone finishes other people's songs! :D Another good tip I heard: When going back to an old, unfinished song, listen to it once and make bullet-point notes on the main problems you hear- then just work through them. Easier said than done of course but I found that pretty helpful. Cheers
In addition to point 3 you could have also mentioned the importance of color coding. (Although I strongly disagree on your views of the natural colors of certain instruments and sounds!😉)
Having a color coded and properly named template makes it far more easy to go back to an existing projects. Within seconds you see and know what you have done so far and where to click to make changes or to work further on certain sounds.
Yea I've spent the last 30 years stuck in thousands of loops and never officially finished a song lol Nearly every one of the scenarios you mentioned made me chuckle to myself because I understood them all too well. Definitely saving this video for next time at the drawing board. Thanks!
First, thank you brother for all this tutorials 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
What about music production struggling, for me, the most common thing is when I make real cool drop or loop, I am starting to make arrangement, add new sounds, samples, ideas and….in this process…all this searching new sounds and experimenting with new ideas, your melody or song becomes boring or even annoying to you…and you are jumping on new project. I coming back on this projects, but same thing is happening….😢
Oganize everything like you sad will help for sure. So, I’ll figure this out ✊🏽
Organisation is a huge one, I had loads of different random folders and last year spent a couple of months sorting the samples logically (there's a great Mr Bill video on it, using Resonic to quickly preview and drag them to new folders).
So now I have a kickdrum folder containing 10,000+ samples. Luckily there's an extension for bitwig that will randomly select a sample from whichever folder you're in, and I can find a good sample within the first 5 clicks (or one that's close enough that can be tweaked). Building a beat that fits the other elements is very quick and easy now 😀 now it's all about arrangement, but see you've got a video on that too so we'll be trying that later on.
Great tips btw, thanks
Totally agree. Every hour I spent organising was an hour well spent. The only thing one needs not to forget that organising samples is not actual music production.... some people lost count of hours they spend organising samples and actually forget to produce 😎
@@EDMTips that's true up to a point, but the fact was my sessions weren't getting anywhere pre-organisation as every time I needed a new sample I'd get bogged down wading through my shambolic collection. Another great thing about going through this process was discovering a load of great samples and loops I'd completely forgotten about, many of them home made, which were copied to a new folder and now if I get stuck I can flip through them and find something inspirational or useful to get excited again 😀
One tip to improve reference track workflow is using spleeter. If you don't know it it's a technology that splits a track into individual stems (Drums, bass, vocals, rest) the results obviously have digital artifacts, but for a better visual representation of the reference track that dosen't matter.
Love it, great tip! I'll check it out :)
@@EDMTips Have a look at Azuki, she made a max for live plugin to integrate spleeter in Ableton.
Alway Will i'll be watching your videos. never stop learning. being humble in your journey helps i've been learning now since january i made an intro vid on my channel but its no way in full shape i know that. i have a few tracks i have made start to finnish by luck or design but in no way is it mastered and is it the best it could be NO by any means. each week you help me add something more to it. learning bits and pieces here and now is ok, as tips and tricks defo need to be structered. with out you ill be on the the first 8 bar loop.
Your an 😇 Will!! Thank you for your knowledge!!! I don't know where you get the time for all what you do and give.
Hi Will, another fantastic video again.
At present I've only got one song under my belt at in a Piano House genre, I'm mainly a guitar band type of person, but always loved 90's piano house.
I feel my struggle at present is arrangement, layering and sound design.
Cut and paste without fear. Put all of your favorite colors into the bucket, then take some out in 8 to 16 bar segments. Filter and dynamics. Polish.
Great, concise tip! Love it 👍🏻
Amen brother.
BOOM! 🙌🙌 😎
always stuck between wanting to waste 8 hrs a day on music production and the fact that I probably shouldn't be wasting 4 or more hrs on music production, I have socials to worry about, cover art, getting my song done on time, o ya and the whole life in society thing tends to take more mental anguish than actual time but regardless time is the victim. Good luck yall and keep at it art really is the only way to happiness for us, not all but us.
This video came out at the perfect time, thank you Will 😎
Agreed😂😂😂was going through this too
You're very welcome, hope it was useful :) Now onto finishing songs 😎
The sound design was a big problem for me in the past. Nowadays I´m Audio designer graduated and the point is, investing in yourself to level up the skills. A good book (ex: Tip of the week, by Maarten Vorwerk) is also so useful! At least, as you said, being in contact with other artists is essential.
Totally agree on both counts! 💯
My main problem is that, i can create a sick ass drop, loving it. But then i struggle having ideas when making the breakdowns, builds and stuff like that, getting out of the drop basically. So all the time i find myself with 300 projects with just a drop. And dont get me wrong, i already have a song on all streaming platforms and 6 IDs already 99% completed in structure, but thos took me the longet to do. Thank you!
Very insparing, your videos are always very helpfull. I started doing it a few weeks ago, before watching this video actually (Having a routine and use a track as reference) and I have finished 2 tracks in about a Month. Just got an email today that a label wants to sign with one of my tracks and this channel is definetely part of it! Thank you Will!!!!
Rock on, Thiago! That's what I call result! Keep ups the good work and congratulations on your release :)
Great video! I’m struggling the most with the first and the last reason you mentioned. The first one: I tend to make loops and ideas really quick and I’m surprised about that but everything sounds bland. It doesn’t matter if it is an RnB loop or a synthwave one. I mean, it doesn’t sound bad but I don’t feel it’s going anywhere… something like killing the vibe. The last one is related to connecting with the scene. I’ve been invited before pandemics to share podium with fellow artists which encouraged me to make good tracks and feel good about it. I ended up following more musicians than I really want to follow, just to be a part of that scene. So I think both topics are very similar! How to be identified as an artist… Where am I going to… I started with all of this to create my own songs to sing because I don’t see myself playing in a band, that’s the whole reason. I don’t want to sound perfect but I wish I could sound modern and competitive. I hope you understand what I’m trying to explain…
You gotta ask yourself "What is modern?" Because for me, I havent heard anything modern in a long time . I just hear a lot of the same stuff being repeated and especially since "Nostalgia" is the trend right now. I'd moreso focus on what makes you feel good and what resonates with you. Also, I'd map out a good template of a song and find the spots that you need to fill in or remove sounds. Throwing all your ideas at the wall and see what sticks. The concept of dropping in a fully produced track to study its structure is a really great way to figure out what is going on in the tracks to make them interesting. Transitions, breakdowns, builds etc. One thing that is not mentioned is how the brain works. Normally the technical side of the brain and the creative side are different. So it really helps to focus on creating first and foremost in the most efficient way possible. Then move on to the technical aspects. If you try to do both in the same session, it becomes confusing. A tip that I have told my friends is to start with a theme, story or world in your mind already. Then it helps to steer you in the right direction. Peace and best of luck.
By 1:20 you've described my songwriting process.
I'm not even being witty, that's the actual process of taking an idea for a walk and serving the song. And it's the only way I CAN finish songs.
I never considered that could be the impediment for some people.
There is no a one fits all method so if it works for you, it's great. I've heard some people really struggle with it.
Hi! Super helpful video, thank you so much! To answer your question the biggest hurdle for me finishing tracks is figuring out how to mold it all together to sound like one idea - which you speak about in this video so thank you for that, any more on that would be helpful too!
Great as always, just fought #1 today!
Appreciate it, Evgeny! We've all been there, but keep going and don't give up!
Your videos have taught me more about the realities of audio production than I learned in 3 years of school 😅 thanks!
loved this vid mate! 🔥
Glad it helped!
So much love man nailed it with this list I’ve been slowly getting these down on my own but the ones that I haven’t focused on yet now I can start earlier instead of taking ages to get there I really appreciate this video and your content 🙏🏼❤
Ouuuuu and the ghost track is what I’m going to do when I get home after work I have been getting into listing to a inspirational track while trying to figure out my overall track arrangement that has been my biggest challenge after getting over the challenge of getting the vibe of my track sorted out I just got that finished up so once I have the track arrangement down I think my workflow will really shift into gear 🏎️💨
You hit the nail on the head with this ! Thank you so much for all these tips, I have the feeling this is gonna help me a lot!
You're welcome, Tim, glad it was helpful! 🙂
Very inspiring video! Thank you Will! 👍
You're welcome, Tom, glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching and supporting the channel 🙌🏻
Will, great video Mate. Inspiring. And just to say, the GAP thing is real. In an unrelated subject, I play Hell Let Loose, a WWII 1st person wargame. It's great fun and I like to be the sniper (I'm hopeless in close quarters anyway!) I used to look up to the TH-camr snipers and wonder why they could hit the shots I couldn't, however, after playing lots I have got as good, if not surpassed the TH-camrs! It takes time and application. Keep it up guys :-)
Totally, Steve. The 10,000 hour rule can be applied in many aspects of our lives.
Bro... this hit my every issue so hard... thank you so much💯
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching and for the kind words of support 🙂
thanks for your help ❤
You're welcome, glad you found it useful! 😊
I REALLY needed this video.
Glad it helped!
i needed this video, thank you!
You’re welcome
arranging is the hardest thing about music, so it feels like stealing a bit. this method works great and pumps skills, I do not argue, but still I think you need to make changes to the arrangements that inspire you.btw thank you for being here Will!
You're welcome! 🙂
Sometimes copying an arrangement from a fully produced song doesnt quite work for YOUR song. But it gets you close to the end goal. With dance music, it has the least amount of options when it comes to arrangement, so keep that in mind ! :)
Hi! As ever, really useful video! It could be interesting a video to explain how to use/modify effect to add into the song… I notice that I can’t never find the sound I like for the FX (like something to put before/after a drop to create ambience)
Great suggestion, I will add this to my long long list :)
You are a great teacher!
Thank you!
You are a king thanks for this, I won't stop until I m gonna be the next Adam Beyer
Go for it, Szilagyi! 🙌🏻
Awesome tips 👌 👏 😎 👍 I can't make arpeggios if I make arpeggios I am struck in that place
I will add arpeggios to my list of video suggestions. Maybe we can cover them in the future and help you and others :)
I knew some of that tips but still have this problem. Thanks again for so important content.
P.S. The Dunning-Kruger effect explains a lot about beginners behaviour.
Sometimes we need someone reiterating something we already know. You know what they say, "Repetition is the mother of learning" ... or something like that :)
@@EDMTips Exactly.
Will, thankyou. I struggle with this direly. I have 100's of scores that have so much potential if I would just finish them. Looking forward to getting back to it once i finish my stint at work. :)
You got this, Heath! Sometimes all we need is a little push :)
Like all your tutorials,very well put together.I've always had a problem trying to put to many ideas together,but recently I've been alot more decisive on what's really working.anyway,cheers squire
Glad to help, Tonescapes! You can do it! 🙌🏻
@@EDMTips I think I've learnt,even if it's taken me 50 years!had alot of mental health problems&used to drink a minimum of bottle of vodka a day.music has given me so much help&I believe it's my times.anyway,enough for now.cheers
Love this video A lot of good information on how to get organized.
Glad you liked it, TyBlee! 🙂
GREAT ADVICE!!!!!
Appreciate it! 🙌🏻
great woek thank you
You’re welcome!
Invaluable!
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
great videos Will thanks you very much
Very welcome, and thank you for watching!
I really needed some tips.
Glad I could help!
I needed to see this video, I wish it had been made a year ago for me to have seen. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
@@EDMTips found your videos by chance, so very glad I did. You've taught me so much from the handful of videos I've seen.
This particular video was so needed though. I've a short deadline left to finish an album and without the sense you've put firmly in my head I'd probably be screwed right now. Every issue you mention in this video resonates with me and its that disheartening feeling that's the worst. Once it kicks in strong enough I just wanna walk away and be done, I think you've genuinely given me the right mindset to get through this.
Honestly thank you so much for freely giving out such valuable advice and knowledge.
Nice tips man
I pretty much struggled with this for years, then it clicked, block in the melody only with just piano, can I easily sing to the song? Only then I start layering the instruments. Now I don’t struggle to finish a new song.
Love it! Great tip 🤙
Fear of Missing out causes people to cram it in 1 track
Truth
Great video! Love the tutorials, I'm guilty of being one of the people getting stuck in the loop lol
Glad you found it helpful! Now onto finishing those tracks! ;)
Two of the biggest struggles for me have been proper recording and mixing
Thank you ! 😉
You're welcome, hope you found it helpful!
I have a big problem with arranging, with atmospheric sounds, transitions, sweeps, fx. For me it seems boring, this is where some of my projects stop (((
How to deal with this, is there an easy or fun way to beat this!?
Thanks you are great!!!
Making fx , transitions and sweeps from existing material in the track keeps you from searching endlessly in your sample library. Most of the time you can find some kind of element in your track that you can make into a drone, sweep , riser, downlifter or whatever you'd like. That's where the fun comes into it!
Awesome tips! I'm currently working on a song, and I'm completely stuck. This video was beneficial. It couldn't have been more perfect. .
Glad it was helpful!
Rock on! Glad it was helpful. Now onto finishing that song 😉
@@EDMTips Yep!
Re point #4, could you do some track breakdown videos to show how simple most tracks are once you take them apart? Some of the classics, one springs to mind being Marshall Jefferson - Move your body, had a super simple makeup (one drum machine and a couple of synths) but was catchy enough to be remixed recently (ok, so mostly carried by the lyrics, but still). Obviously things have moved on, but the concept (keeping it simple) probably still applies.
Good idea, Jim, I will add this to my list. We do this a lot during our live sessions in the Accelerator but maybe in the future we can do something like that here too.
Narrowing my focus as far as genre goes is really hard for me. Compound that with the fact that I'm pretty bad at figuring out what specific genre a song is in the first place!
Focusing on one genre will allow you to improve much faster, Bobby, so I always recommend doing so to my students. At least for 3-6 month.
@@EDMTips That makes sense.
Very useful as always
Awesome! Anything else you’d like to see me cover?
1:34 Holly trashed earlobe Batman! 🤢
Great video as always, Will. I watch every one of yours religiously ❤️
Thank you for watching and supporting the channel! Really appreciate it !🙌🏻
Really great advice!!!
Glad you found it useful!
yeah i get stuck looping and then my head pains and creativity goes out of the window. another issue i face is if a wrong note plays i loose tune.
Good video once again, Can you do a making music like Space 92?
I'll add this to my long never ending list. What's your favourite track of theirs?
Arrangement would be my biggest struggle
You're not alone! Check out my videos on arrangement, they should help! 🙂
I am definitely #2, #4 and #5 sometimes as well, and all of them are so bad for a musician. For #2 i really suggest to build a foundation of rhythm and drums and create a arrangment of it in the early stage, maybe take a reference track and try to recreate the arrangement from the start. This way you are in a creative process and by the time your first created loop will fit into the track at a certain point.
#4 and #5 is quite complicated, especially if you tend to be a perfectionist. Fiddling around on a EQ curve or a certain sound for 2 hours is a bad habit and in the end it can break everything. Trust me, i have been there (and still am in every track i produce) and you should really slap yourself in the face and tell yourself to stop.
Okay, here wo go, time to start slapping me in my own face again 🥴
I've heard a similar somewhere recently: Sometimes all we need is a slap... Maybe it's true 😂
When I try sample organisation sessions I end up finding sounds I like and making music by mistake.
releaseYou have been producing for 25 years! DAM!! I just celebrated 30 years of playing music. Jam on! I try to release a new song every week!
Issue with me is I have an idea of what type of music I want But i cant figure out what genre it is or know anyone who produces it. So then I go through my library of sounds trying to find the type but then when I start to make something it turns into something else. I have no reference track so I feel like im in the dark everytime i try to make something. Then I wonder if Im using wrong sounds so I am lost looking for something that will set in on the correct path but Ive watched hours and hours of tutorials and courses and they all seem to be "simple" "basics" or something for the wrong genre. I just feel like im in a cycle of despair. I even set deadlines just for myself Like I have 2 weeks to get something in the books. But I just end up with a bunch of randomness. It truly is disheartening.
The hardest thing to me is always to find the perfect kick... 😁
You managed to identify all my reasons. Right, back to DSP coding. 😄
BOOM! 🙌🙌 😎
Here is a friendly piece of advice that I have shared with many friends. I'd avoid wasting time exporting tracks for feedback streams or sending to friends until you are AT LEAST 90% finished with the track. And even then, I wouldnt waste time in making subtle little changes just for friends approval or validation. I've had quite a few friends who NEVER finish any tracks because of this habit as well as the ones mentioned in this video.
Love it! Great tip 🤙
11:14 Oh, you prick that’s what I’m doing right now 😭😭😭
cheers 🤘🙏😊✌
You're welcome! Hope you found it helpful :)
It is producing watching TH-cam if I’m watching this channel practicing what I learned here 😂
If it's EDM Tips, than it's 100% learning 😎
hello
👋🏻
@@EDMTips can you send me my music
7 out of 7, I wish I had this matching ability in my love life, but no.
Perfectionist
Distractions
Over complication
Damn😂😂😂😂😂💔
We've all been there, Dylan 😁
Help?
No will i know you wana be my manager & to help me release my 1st Dance SINGLE...
I am no manager, but I can help with getting your sound polished and professional
The gap : th-cam.com/video/nfA9OH6dAQ8/w-d-xo.html
It's time to get RUBBISH MUSIC OUT ! youhou ! :DDD
I was looking for some help, instead I found a tutorial for a dude who has used a daw like 3 times.
Erm?
@@EDMTips sorry man, long time subscriber and I like your videos. I've been searching this topic and I can't find any real help on the topic. The issues I have maybe fall into the perfectionism realm and to be honest, I don't really like what said about it in this video. Perfectionism is actually something I haven't implemented enough (I feel) and when you speak only to new producers I think you miss the seasoned individuals who are no longer training on how an EQ works or have a problem creating something new.
I don't have any issues creating great and powerful ideas, the problem is that I'm not out trying to copy my favorite producer and I'm not lacking the ideas or motivation.
The problem is that the music I create requires so much work per track that I become bored of it and I can no longer determine if my brain is now biased because I've listened to it too long or I've left out the tedious work and I feel the track is basically there. I can take the sound of fart and make it into a 5 minute track, but it's the fine tuning and final mixing stages that I generally procrastinate on.
I guess we'll agree to disagree. Being a perfectionist myself, I learned that sometimes one can spend too much time on a task and never actually finish it.
Need more cpu lol
Hey Will - It seems that every video you do, you're in a different location. What's the deal my man?
I love travelling :)
And watching too many tutorials 😂😂😂💔i mean tutorials are great but they consume your time 😂💔
Totally! Unless they're EDM Tips tutorials 😉
@@EDMTips 😂😂😂agreed🔥
This is just advice. Little misleading because I clicked for an actual technical solution to finishing my songs and you've done nothing of a such.
Not sure where I stated this would be a technical video so I mislead you.... most people don't finish their songs not because of a lack of the technical knowledge. The reasons are mostly psychological, ARE in your control and can be rectified.
The technical solution is also in the video fi you really think about it. Actually, the technical solution would to be to hire someone experienced to produce your music for you. :). hehe