I have been producing music for a little over a year now. I had a vague grasp on how to use a DAW, just fragmented memories on messing around on my friend's computer in high school. I basically dove in and learned it myself. So many notes and tutorials. I even read parts of the user manuals, just to make sure I got it right.
Ableton all the way. It is so flexible, intuitive and simple to learn for the most part. The best thing is, it gives great results!
I don't have much for gear. My APC40 MKII, Launchkey Mini and my trusty laptop (with an SSD for all of my music library).
As of late, Kontakt. Holy crap is that cool!
Usually, there is a sound or an idea that I base my song around. I know that probably isn't a normal approach. For instance, on my track Turbulent, I stumbled across a really nice melancholy cello sound in my experiments with something else. I was inspired to start all over with it. That song was revamped from my large list of unfinished tracks.
I read about music. All the time. Mostly on my breaks at work, I really enjoy a good YouTube tutorial though. I also bug the crap out of my Dad, he has been a musician since he was eight. He has helped me out quite a bit with the mixing processes.
Pretty much anything that Sound On Sound has!
Be prepared to get stuck. A lot. People on forums are mostly jerks. Music stuff is expensive, but it is definitely worth it. Be patient! Things will click eventually.
Sometimes, I have a track I want to finish but just cannot find anything that just fuses together. Thankfully I have the ability to get this super focus on a task, and eventually, it ends up sounding decent at the end.
I have trouble with social media, mostly because I am not very, well... social!
Unfortunately, I have to use these outlets now to try and get my music out there, and it is just so very awkward for me.
Sure! For me, I use a lot of delay to smooth out the ends of my clips in Ableton, even with my midi stuff. I hate having something that just abruptly ends.
Save everything you do! Even if it is only a little different from the previous version, just do it. I lost some of the first songs that I recorded that way.
I use Splice for some of my melodies, even if it is just listening to something and trying to replicate it in my own way.
I've been using RepostExchange's new feedback campaigns, they have been great even though they're still in beta.
Again, I ask my Dad. I appreciate his honesty, and I would probably have awful sounding songs if it weren't for some of his suggestions.
My baby would have to be Dream Flex; it was one of the first songs that I completed. I hated it, but went back to it and changed things up now that I kind of know what I am doing. That bassline, I love the hell out of it.
Sort of. I have definitely made a point to get songs under six minutes. It makes me sad though. I grew up listening to music that had super long intros and ridiculous guitar solos. I wanted to do that as well, but most people do not have the attention span to listen to a twelve-minute song. Having said that, having that five-minute window makes me be a better musician!
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This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
