I wasn't really sure which thread to post this in so I apologize if this in the wrong place.

I'm curious what do you guys spend the most time on when producing a track?

Composition/Notes?
Mixing/Mastering?
Songwriting/Lyrics? (If you do write lyrics)
Arrangement?
Instrumentation?
Sample Selection?
Ambience/FX?

 

Hi guys. I'm just curious about how you guys like to create your ambient elements and FX in your mixes.

Do you guys grab an existing instrument, bounce it to audio and then just process the hell out of it with reverb, delay, FX, distortion and etc..?

I'm guilty of not paying enough attention to the ambient/fx side of sound design which is something that I actually need right now in the track I'm working on. Just thought I'd post a thread to look for some ideas.

I've really been enjoying this track lately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75shbkWBm8g

I really love the acoustic guitar and the triplet section later on in the track. Probably the first time I've heard it used in dance music.

What color scheme do you guys like to use when producing in your daw to help you organize your workflow?

I was watching a youtube video on studio monitor placement after I read that a lot of you suggested mixing on monitors. I've always owned a pair of KRK's but preferred to mix on headphones. I have a lot of catching up to do but while watching that video the creator mentioned that higher frequencies tend to be more 'directional' than lower frequencies. What does this mean?

Which one do you prefer and is it necessary to be able to do both?

What is it that separates producers or instrumentalists from becoming more competent in a shorter amount of time than the other? It's not uncommon in music to see a pianist or guitarist who is incredibly competent and has only been practicing for a year or two in comparison to those who have been playing for decades to reach the same skill level. This same concept applies to producing music as well. Obviously dedication plays a big part in this formula. Someone who practices for 3 hours a day versus 1 hour a day will no doubt have an advantage. I want hear from you guys though regarding your opinions on what you think is the most efficient practice method when it comes to music production. Maybe a better question would be is there really such a thing as a superior practice method or does it vary from person to person? When did you improve the most throughout your production journey and how did you do it?

Is it more beneficial to practicing the different aspects of producing music separately or tackling them all at once? Let me elaborate a bit.

A piano practice session for a serious practitioner might look something like this.

1 hour - Technique
1 hour - Scales
1 hour - Chords
1 hour - Ear Training
1 hour - Music Theory
1 hour - Sight Reading
1 hour - Improvising
1 hour - Learning Songs

I would like to think that the same type of regimen can be applied to music production except using different categories. Do you guys think it's beneficial to practice things like mixing, sound design, or arranging SEPARATELY from the production process? Or is this a bit impractical considering that all these things are pretty much irrelevant unless you're able to combine them all at the same time to complete a finished track?

Finally, if it is beneficial to practice the different aspects of music production separately how would you divide your categories?

Hey guys. It's been 6 years and a half since I've gotten into music as a hobby. I started off with guitar and then expanded to bass, piano, production, engineering, sound design, DJing, vocals, and drums.

In highschool I remember not really fitting in with anyone because although music was my forte I didn't play a band instrument so I didn't even qualify as a band geek. All my free time had gone to music and I've had to sacrifice so many things in order to get decent because of it. I was never good at sports, making friends, or anything else.

Basically in order to get good in this field it takes a really long time. Sometimes as producers we spend hours just to write 1 minute of music. As instrumentalists sometimes it takes dozens of hours just to be able to master a piece of music and perform it with confidence. All these hours we dedicate to our craft and people may never care about our music. Many people will never give it a listen. More people will just skim through it and move on to the next track.

The life of any artist is tough and requires lots of sacrifice. What makes it worth it to you? It seems like the only way to make a decent living nowadays as an artist is through touring and touring makes it difficult to have a relationship according to what I've heard. Aside from that I've heard its even harder to make decent money in the industry.

I've reached a point where I've come too far and given up too much to stop writing music. However I feel like I'm having somewhat of a quarter life crisis when it comes to thinking about whether all that time was worth it considering the things I had to give up because of it. I'm at a point where my music isn't good enough to be profitable and yet I've already dedicated so much time to the art.

It feels like I live in a different world from everyone else around me. People don't understand how I can spend so much time on music and there is so much pressure from society to focus on a career, get married, and have kids. The only people who I can really have a good conversation with are other musicians/producers because they're the only ones who understand what I'm doing.

Does anyone else feel the same way?