Im currently a audio engineer student at SAE institute and I watch these videos every single day. This channel has literally changed my life! Thanks so much man! ❤️
I’m a teenager who started 6 months ago more or less, clearly de most difficult of producing music, is the budget, but with time you’ll realize that starting with nothing and evolving your development while improving your gear is really helpful, and it’s what I have been doing. I was finally able to buy some good plug-ins and I really thank you very much, because your videos have motivated and helped me a during this process.
I'd partially disagree with you on #5. Sure, I think there are situations/stock sounds that sound terrible. In your example the midi drums sound extremely fake/cheap. However, I will say, in the right context and with the right adjustments (change in kit, different sounds in drum kit designer, velocity humanization) you can achieve high enough quality sounds with stock plugins.
Love that now watching these videos I can more and more say, “Yep, I got that now. Yep, I’m getting better at that now. Yep, I understand what you’re saying there now”. So exciting! 🥰
Hi Nathan! Great video, Loving your visuals and video sound design! I'm surprised you haven't mentioned having an understanding of basic music theory anywhere or does this fall inside composition? Would you say that recording with a dynamic mic if your room is not very well treated is a good tip? It has worked great for me at least but you might have a different experience
Theory is super helpful but I know so many extremely talented producers who don't know theory. I think it's a super valuable thing to learn but not 100% necessary - for me it has helped a ton but it's not the same for everyone. And yeah if your room isn't ideal a dynamic mic is a better option but if you can afford a "better" mic then just put the money towards acoustic treatment.
I had no idea you were based in Nebraska, I’m only a couple hours from you! Do you ever do producing work for other artists? I’ve got a project that’s been in development for a couple years but my studio skills are severely lacking.
It's a good starting point - but I'm specifically talking about people who are serious. If you are serious GarageBand won't cut it. I started with GB for a year (13+ years ago) and after a year I outgrew it and stepped up to Logic. GB is good for hobbyists but if you're serious and want pro quality - you need a pro daw
Can you please do a video on moving your sounds that are saved on your internal storage to and external SS Drive...or are there any videos you can recommend..Thx
*Hi Nathan, Wanted to know your opinion on this* (as I want to make the kind of music you do) *I’m looking for a good pop (jazz/funk/soul) brass* there are so many options I don’t know what to choose, I don’t need very complicated stuff and “all” the options (like VSL etc.) but something I can rely on to enhance and drive the track, something that I will not have to push back in the mix, I already have Session horns pro, (as I have the “Komplete 13 Ultimate Collectors Edition” that I know you love) but it doesn’t do the job for me (it leaks the… I don’t know what) Would really appreciate your opinion
You use a Macbook Pro with 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD, so I read that as a 2012 Macbook with 3rd gen Intel CPUs (the latest ones to support upgrades). That being the case, isn’t the processor a bottleneck?
Not seeing the free workshop that you mention at 7:35 Is that still available? And what videos would you recommend to a Green Horn that just finished building his humble studio? *Figuratively speaking*
Hey Nathan, if you're adding multiple versions of the same instrument (playing the same part) to create a fuller sound, would the parts be laid exactly on top of each other, or would they be ever so slightly offset? I'm thinking about conflicts between signals - phase cancellation for instance. I'm very much a rookie at this. Appreciate any advice you could give. Thanks.
For pure music production it really is. Your CPU is actually very important, the more plugins and tracks you use, the more CPU power you will need. Of course, if you're working with 70 virtual instruments only, then memory becomes very relevant too. But more than 64 is pretty much overkill, purely from a daw standpoint. I recently upgraded my iMac with 16 GB so now it's 24 GB. My Mac is a late 2013 with a 2,6 ghz i5 processor (CPU) and a regular 1TB drive (no SSD). And guess what, it all works great for what I do. I mainly record audio up to 10 tracks, use lots of plugins, and 3 or 4 virtual instruments per project at the most. My memory is never a problem, sometimes at the end of a project the CPU needs some air, so I bounce the software instruments and change the buffer. All good, no clicks and pops and even when tracking I can have very low latency thanks to Studio One's "green Z" and "blue Z" low latency. My point being.... you don't need a monster computer with 128 GB memory and a 1200 dollar processor with endless cores. Just know what you're doing, adjust the buffer, bounce when you commit to tracks and it's all going to be fine.
I think the advice to NOT use GarageBand when starting out is more hurtful than helpful, especially for kids who have limited budgets. You first need to get good at songwriting and arrangement, and GarageBand is a perfectly good tool for doing that. You can also use any channel strip plugin with GarageBand to get most of the professional processing you need. I also think you have too many rules here that are judgmental of different approaches. However, I agree that excellent songwriting and high-quality sound choices are two of the main keys.
That's not what I said... I said not to use GB UNLESS you are starting out. I started on GB and used it for a year before moving up to Logic Pro (this was probably 13 years ago) - so again I think you completely misheard what I even said. Because - again - I did NOT say that Garageband is bad to start - I literally said the opposite.
@@cjgoeson Not triggered at all, but I am making a correction for those who may have misheard what I said as well. I strongly believe that GB is a great option for beginners who are just getting started. Just wanna make sure that's super clear. Obviously tone of voice is really hard to capture in a comment section with nothing but text. Just saying my tone in that original comment wasn't meant to be snarky or rude - just correcting.
So, copy-pasting 8-bar motifs with a 90's drum machine, adding some 4-note piano riff over some license plate-rattling synth bass . . . that's not producing? Asking for a friend.
@@NathanJamesLarsen 16GB of RAM. CPU is more about Ghz, Intel vs Amd, multi-threading etc. Granted its not common thoughts for Apple users, but for PC it's important to have a strong CPU if you want to use a lot of plugins coz they require tones of calculation, espacially the parallel stuff like Scheps Parallel Particles. Anyway sry if my comment sounded rough, love your work Nathan. Just let me add this for PC users : you will need a good CPU. At the moment, AMD is doing great affordable ones. RAM is cheap and SSD or NVME are also becoming cheaper, so dont forget about that dam CPU guys you'll thank me. ;)
@@Amzegal trust me, I'm a Mac user as well and CPU is a lot more important in the end. Most new iMacs will have 16 GB ram or more anyway, and upgrading aftermarket is cheap. But you cannot upgrade your processor, so choose wisely. When push comes to shove, your CPU is a lot more important in handeling your project without pops and cracks and even crashes. Especially when you're using a lot of plugins and software instruments. Then again, I'm on a late 2013 iMac with 24GB ram and 2,4 ghz i5 processor. Works fine if you know your settings (buffer size etc). Studio One is awesome that way. Low latency tracking and dropout protection settings. And hardware monitoring if you have a compatible interface (so zero latency). I use a Presonus 1824c Studio interface, and I love it.
God bless you for this useful information. Jesus loves you so much that he died for our sins and rose again! And that in believing in him, we have eternal life with him in heaven. In Christ there is freedom and salvation from sin. Have a blessed week
‘You’re gonna suck at the beginning’. Feels so real right now
Hardlyy yesssss
Im currently a audio engineer student at SAE institute and I watch these videos every single day. This channel has literally changed my life! Thanks so much man! ❤️
I’m a teenager who started 6 months ago more or less, clearly de most difficult of producing music, is the budget, but with time you’ll realize that starting with nothing and evolving your development while improving your gear is really helpful, and it’s what I have been doing. I was finally able to buy some good plug-ins and I really thank you very much, because your videos have motivated and helped me a during this process.
Learn to crack.
Crack is gonna save u tons of money.
Music production in a nutshell...Nice one
I'd partially disagree with you on #5. Sure, I think there are situations/stock sounds that sound terrible. In your example the midi drums sound extremely fake/cheap. However, I will say, in the right context and with the right adjustments (change in kit, different sounds in drum kit designer, velocity humanization) you can achieve high enough quality sounds with stock plugins.
I want to start
I subscribe to this channel
The very next video is how to start😅
Such perfect timing
Can you please make a video on how to process vocals and vocal Harmonies
Love that now watching these videos I can more and more say, “Yep, I got that now. Yep, I’m getting better at that now. Yep, I understand what you’re saying there now”. So exciting! 🥰
Truth Brandi!!!
@@kalelisuperman ❤️❤️❤️
Studio setup question for Apple iMac or MBP…
• is there any benefit to using the Ethernet port on a Mac for music production? 😎
love your lightings. can you share the specific lights you used?
Great video, as always, Nathan. Thank you.
Really enjoying your content!
You my favorite
iam whatchinng u from Trinidadd and to ago thanks for the word man
Nathan what about your producer curse
Best iMac model/config forLogic Pro?
• mid-2015 MacBook Pro 15”, 16gb & 500gb
• 2021 24” iMac, 16gb & 1TB & M1 chip
• or other recommendation? Ty 😎
Hi Nathan! Great video, Loving your visuals and video sound design! I'm surprised you haven't mentioned having an understanding of basic music theory anywhere or does this fall inside composition? Would you say that recording with a dynamic mic if your room is not very well treated is a good tip? It has worked great for me at least but you might have a different experience
Theory is super helpful but I know so many extremely talented producers who don't know theory. I think it's a super valuable thing to learn but not 100% necessary - for me it has helped a ton but it's not the same for everyone.
And yeah if your room isn't ideal a dynamic mic is a better option but if you can afford a "better" mic then just put the money towards acoustic treatment.
Underrated video
new sub, love the content
3:58 r/Drumkits XD
I had no idea you were based in Nebraska, I’m only a couple hours from you! Do you ever do producing work for other artists? I’ve got a project that’s been in development for a couple years but my studio skills are severely lacking.
I'm new to the channel just wondering if you have a video on good sample packs drum kits and vst's to use? Loving the content thanks in advance
i see a beutiful person on my screen
Great tips
I don't like the garageband hate :(
It's a good starting point - but I'm specifically talking about people who are serious. If you are serious GarageBand won't cut it. I started with GB for a year (13+ years ago) and after a year I outgrew it and stepped up to Logic.
GB is good for hobbyists but if you're serious and want pro quality - you need a pro daw
Great work it's help a lot's
Hey Nat!!! Do you really require a monitor when there's a laptop? Thanks for this amazing vdo!!! Love you 3000!!
Stuff on a bigger screen really helps for me and you don’t need one but hey why not
Can you please do a video on moving your sounds that are saved on your internal storage to and external SS Drive...or are there any videos you can recommend..Thx
Lovely
*Hi Nathan, Wanted to know your opinion on this*
(as I want to make the kind of music you do)
*I’m looking for a good pop (jazz/funk/soul) brass*
there are so many options I don’t know what to choose,
I don’t need very complicated stuff and “all” the options (like VSL etc.)
but something I can rely on to enhance and drive the track,
something that I will not have to push back in the mix,
I already have Session horns pro,
(as I have the “Komplete 13 Ultimate Collectors Edition”
that I know you love) but it doesn’t do the job for me
(it leaks the… I don’t know what)
Would really appreciate your opinion
You use a Macbook Pro with 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD, so I read that as a 2012 Macbook with 3rd gen Intel CPUs (the latest ones to support upgrades). That being the case, isn’t the processor a bottleneck?
5:08 honestly i wanna hear THAT song for sum inspiration
Thanks! It's a single I'll be releasing this year!
Not seeing the free workshop that you mention at 7:35 Is that still available? And what videos would you recommend to a Green Horn that just finished building his humble studio? *Figuratively speaking*
Hey here's the workshop:
Produceracceleratorcourse.com
It's in the middle of the page
👍🏻👏🏻
Hey Nathan, if you're adding multiple versions of the same instrument (playing the same part) to create a fuller sound, would the parts be laid exactly on top of each other, or would they be ever so slightly offset? I'm thinking about conflicts between signals - phase cancellation for instance. I'm very much a rookie at this. Appreciate any advice you could give. Thanks.
If they are different sounds then there is no phase problem possible. So you wouldn't be needing to offset at all
@@NathanJamesLarsen Thanks.
64GB Ram is not overkill. 128 over here and everything works fine 😁
For pure music production it really is. Your CPU is actually very important, the more plugins and tracks you use, the more CPU power you will need. Of course, if you're working with 70 virtual instruments only, then memory becomes very relevant too. But more than 64 is pretty much overkill, purely from a daw standpoint. I recently upgraded my iMac with 16 GB so now it's 24 GB. My Mac is a late 2013 with a 2,6 ghz i5 processor (CPU) and a regular 1TB drive (no SSD). And guess what, it all works great for what I do. I mainly record audio up to 10 tracks, use lots of plugins, and 3 or 4 virtual instruments per project at the most. My memory is never a problem, sometimes at the end of a project the CPU needs some air, so I bounce the software instruments and change the buffer. All good, no clicks and pops and even when tracking I can have very low latency thanks to Studio One's "green Z" and "blue Z" low latency. My point being.... you don't need a monster computer with 128 GB memory and a 1200 dollar processor with endless cores. Just know what you're doing, adjust the buffer, bounce when you commit to tracks and it's all going to be fine.
👌👌👌👌
Not being meticulous is a choice ;p
I think the advice to NOT use GarageBand when starting out is more hurtful than helpful, especially for kids who have limited budgets. You first need to get good at songwriting and arrangement, and GarageBand is a perfectly good tool for doing that. You can also use any channel strip plugin with GarageBand to get most of the professional processing you need.
I also think you have too many rules here that are judgmental of different approaches.
However, I agree that excellent songwriting and high-quality sound choices are two of the main keys.
That's not what I said... I said not to use GB UNLESS you are starting out.
I started on GB and used it for a year before moving up to Logic Pro (this was probably 13 years ago) - so again I think you completely misheard what I even said.
Because - again - I did NOT say that Garageband is bad to start - I literally said the opposite.
@@NathanJamesLarsen Oh okay, sorry I misheard. I guess we agree then. Didn’t imagine you’d be so triggered. Keep up the good work.
@@cjgoeson Not triggered at all, but I am making a correction for those who may have misheard what I said as well. I strongly believe that GB is a great option for beginners who are just getting started. Just wanna make sure that's super clear.
Obviously tone of voice is really hard to capture in a comment section with nothing but text.
Just saying my tone in that original comment wasn't meant to be snarky or rude - just correcting.
yeah but gaarage band works real good it is like a buget logic
👍👍👍👍🤗
So, copy-pasting 8-bar motifs with a 90's drum machine, adding some 4-note piano riff over some license plate-rattling synth bass . . . that's not producing? Asking for a friend.
Yes it is 😏
Man you did not talk about CPU ??? That's the key to computer power for production to me.
I did talk about CPU. I said shoot for no less than 16GB
@@NathanJamesLarsen 16GB of RAM. CPU is more about Ghz, Intel vs Amd, multi-threading etc. Granted its not common thoughts for Apple users, but for PC it's important to have a strong CPU if you want to use a lot of plugins coz they require tones of calculation, espacially the parallel stuff like Scheps Parallel Particles.
Anyway sry if my comment sounded rough, love your work Nathan. Just let me add this for PC users : you will need a good CPU. At the moment, AMD is doing great affordable ones. RAM is cheap and SSD or NVME are also becoming cheaper, so dont forget about that dam CPU guys you'll thank me. ;)
@@Amzegal trust me, I'm a Mac user as well and CPU is a lot more important in the end. Most new iMacs will have 16 GB ram or more anyway, and upgrading aftermarket is cheap. But you cannot upgrade your processor, so choose wisely. When push comes to shove, your CPU is a lot more important in handeling your project without pops and cracks and even crashes. Especially when you're using a lot of plugins and software instruments. Then again, I'm on a late 2013 iMac with 24GB ram and 2,4 ghz i5 processor. Works fine if you know your settings (buffer size etc). Studio One is awesome that way. Low latency tracking and dropout protection settings. And hardware monitoring if you have a compatible interface (so zero latency). I use a Presonus 1824c Studio interface, and I love it.
How is audacity a DAW lol
Horrible.
God bless you for this useful information.
Jesus loves you so much that he died for our
sins and rose again! And that in believing in
him, we have eternal life with him in heaven. In
Christ there is freedom and salvation from sin.
Have a blessed week