Music & Production Ressources

I know there are some music producers here who can share the ressources they used to progress.

I am into electronic music (anything from 80s dance, 80s scores, future bass, dubstep, trap edm, hip hop, moombahton) @SaintSovereign has shared a piano for producer link that looks pretty helpful.

I guess there are load of other ressources. Please share anything that helped you on production, even on how to use your DAW. I am buying a new small MIDI Keyboard as soon as I finish posting this :slight_smile:

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hey im no pro, but im learning through youtube

i use Ableton, i started with small steps when my DAW was completely something new and scary to me
now i can translate ideas into music pieces

just go off youtube and find what artists that insipre you, search “How to (artist name)”

small steps :smiley:
its a long journey dont rush it

start with free content off youtube on how to use your DAW, then find what music inspires you and what genre

learn how to make simple kick drums, use splice for samples,

watch some vids and make the same sounds that you like from the other youtubers, that way you know how sound is created with fx and everything

just follow your heart and youll get there
cheers

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Thanks @Budewr

Yeah maybe I should give some context. I already know some basics on how to produce but I am not where I want yet. I have been credited as a composer/producer on a couple of album/singles already , not sure if this means something to be honest but just to say I am not a complete beginner.

I just wanted this thread for people to post specific ressources that they felt helped them get a leap in their craft.

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you will never be,
its how we humans want the to get better and better and better and better

you wont find a spot when youre like hell yeah i reached there!
you’ll always want to reach something deeper

take masterclasses from artists that you like or similar ones to the ones you like, if you want better experienced knowledge

I haven’t used this myself, but I think this guy is the real deal as far as chops and experience with both professional musicianship and teaching.

He’s got a YouTube channel so you can check out his general point of view before buying anything.

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@Fractal_Explorer want to add something here?

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@Psiklou It sounds like you’ve reached the point where it’s more about experimenting on your own. I wish there were more resources that could really bridge the gap, but for the amount of years I’ve been working at my own stuff I’ve realized it can be a trap. I think there are actually very few resources out there that directly translate into better music. But I’ll say that the basic foundations are always valuable.

Kind of leads me to my next point. Nowadays with the abundance of tutorials and how tos with music production it has created a lot of artists that can replicate but they can’t innovate.

I’ve found the best thing to do is make music and take notes about what you’re struggling with. That way you have a targeted approach. A lot of producers try to cram their head full of more techniques and courses and it just stalls their progress.

Sorry I don’t have specific resources but I went down that rabbit hole a few years back. A lot of stuff out there is the same thing said in a different way. I never once found a tutorial or course that was incredibly eye opening or game changing.

Of all the things I’ve gone through over the years this was probably the most practical and immediate.

There’s also Brian Eno’s oblique strategies. I’ve never messed with it, but I’ve heard it’s good for generating new ideas when you’re stuck or don’t know where to take a track.

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ill bookmark this!

this book might be useful along the road :smiley:

thanks

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No problem! If anything else comes to mind I’ll post it here.

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Thanks @Fractal_Explorer for this beautiful post, it speaks to me directly.

Your post send me back to my creative process where I take an incompressible 30 hours of work to get to an awesome result. However the first 20hours of work are incredibly painful in addition to the fact that 30 hours nowadays span through several weeks due to real life matters.

I kind of know that but thanks for the reminder. I always believed I could shortcut my creative process with some magic new knowledge. Like @Budewr, I will bookmark this post also :slight_smile:

@Fractal_Explorer if you don’t mind me asking, you’re an Ableton guy? Do you use soft synths or hardware synths?

Thanks @RVconsultant for pulling @Fractal_Explorer in the discussion.

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Thanks @Malkuth
Let me check his stuff.

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Not specifically for electronic music. Just overall musicianship and song design.

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Anytime. I’m glad the post helped a bit. Trust me man I know. I spent a decent amount of time procrastinating on writing looking for some resource that would finally bust me through. I think it’s a really common thing producers go through.

I actually use Reaper. But I’ve been taking a break from it. I’m making a shift towards hardware. Right now my setup is a 4 track tape recorder and a Novation Circuit. DAWs get distracting for me, so I’m trying out a minimal setup. In the future I’ll probably have a more hybrid environment, but right now I’m just cutting out a lot so I can focus on making music.

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Source of inspiration:

I’m enrolled in the Hyperbits Masterclass and definitely recommend it. You can take the groundwork course too which is free to learn your DAW.