I recently published an article, Music Recording Do's and Don'ts, that was spawned in a topic in Reddit.

http://www.prostudioreviews.com/Music-Recording-Dos-And-Donts.html

It's not the conventional list.

What more could you add to the list?

Cheers...

I've been engineering and reviewing pro audio products for many years.

Here's  a monitor that seems custom-made for EDM. I just published a review.

http://www.prostudioreviews.com/APS-Klasik-Active-Monitors-Review.html

Here's something I posted on Reddit recently in a Music DOs and DON'Ts topic:

DO: Make a priority to make your room and acoustics sound and work right. And listen to lots of great music and tune and train your ears and brain.

DON'T: Get overly absorbed in reading dos and don'ts on the internet about recording.

DO: Listen more than you play.

DON'T: Play more than you listen.

DO: Appreciate the tools the universe has put in your hands. Hone your talent. Deeply.

DON'T: Devalue others, whether they have more or less gear than you do. Gear does not = talent.

DO: Appreciate that there are others more experienced and talented than you. Seek them out.

DON'T: Get too pussy whipped about others experience and "authority." Forge your own path. Create.

DO: Catch a good buzz now and then if it helps you create.

DON'T: Don't let stuff you read in forums about recording get you uptight or make you feel less than.

DO: Be creative.

DON'T: Be intimidated.

DO: Look for a pattern in forums if you're looking for gear recommendations.

DON'T: Think that "pro audio dealers" are really experts. Most of them don't know jack.

DO: Make BOLD decisions. YOU HAVE DA POWA.

DON'T: Be an indecisive pussy wimp. Don't give your power to others.

DO: Use what you have. Life will always give you the tools you're ready for.

DON'T: Not make music because you feel you don't have just the perfect, ultimate set-up.

DO: Don't make music sometimes. Go out. Fuck, drink, explore, etc.. Live life. Have a full life to express through your music. Have something to say.

DON'T: Think you have to make music every second just because you have a studio.

DO: Strike while the iron is hot. If you're in a really creative spree...stay with it. Milk those Muse titties.

DON'T: Let people or obligations pull you away when you're in a really creative zone.

DO: Throw lots of shit on the wall.

DON'T: Be afraid to suck sometimes.

DO: Express your feelings and life through your music.

DON'T: Jack off too much and waste your energy.

DO: Eat enough protein and fat. It feeds the brain and gives you energy for the longhaul. We're talking to you meat, eggs, cheese, nuts...

DON'T: Eat and drink way too many carbs and get tired and sleepy after 30 minutes. We're talking to you pizza, pasta, cookies, cakes, sodas....

DO: Realize that music is in your life to heal you first.

DON'T: Quit just because things get tough. Good things are hard to do.

DO: Get spiritual, 'cause you're gonna' need it. You're gonna need to go deeper than you ever thought to really make music.

DON'T: Let anyone sway you from what you know deep inside you need and want to do. Don't ever let yourself become someone else's path of least resistance.

DO: Follow your dreams. They're far less risky than playing it safe.

DON'T: Let your dreams be dreams.

DO: Focus on what you want.

DON'T: Focus on what you don't want.

DO: Learn even a little bit about everything. If you're around a drum kit, play it. Fuck around. If you're around a bass, grab it. French horn. Congas. Kazzooo. If it's around, don't worry that you have to be an expert. Just jump on that shit, play it. Get some of it in your bones.

DON'T: Miss any opportunity EVER to check out an instrument, amp, piece of gear, etc..

DO: Listen to all kinds of music. All kinds of genres. Listen for great songs, and great music.

DON'T: Get pigeon-holed or intimidated into only listening to one style or genre of music.

DO: Keep what you're doing on the down low a bit until you've got something.

DON'T: Talk to everyone about every little thing you're doing. You'll scatter your energy.

DO: Keep the garden and seeds of your music until it germinates and sprouts. Seeds need to be in the dark in the beginning.

DON'T: Let other people trample on your creative garden.

DO: Do some don'ts sometimes.

DON'T: Don't do some dos sometimes.

PEACE OUT. -----drops mic-----

I'd made a few posts about an hour ago, plus up loaded an avi pic.

I came back just now, and 4-5 recent posts were missing, as well as the avi pic I'd uploaded.

Anyone else missing recent posts?

This is a cool track. I agree that it's a bit hot in the high-mids in places, especially the keyboard stabs. That 3K-7K hotness in the keyboards pushes the vox back in the mix when it does that.

Though I do think the low-end works. And it's just tighter than some productions with more bottom end. But that's a production choice.

I do think while your production and mixing choices and chops are up there, you could stand to have a good third-party mastering on this. I think this track could be made considerably better with the right mastering.

Check out Mat's thoughts on mastering at http://theproducersforum.com/index.php?topic=460.0

Note: Gear used to audition: Lavry DA11 DAC, Sennheiser HD800 and Audeze LCD-XC heaphones, Lipinski L-70 and APS Klasik monitors.

The main reason to use closed-back headphones are if you need more isolation from the music in the headphones, usually because you're close to mics that are being recorded. The most basic example is recording vocals.

But if you're using the headphones more as monitors, and a bit of leakage doesn't matter, then open-back headphones tend to sound, well, more open. And they're usually more comfortable.

I've got some headphones here. The pair that gets used most often are the 250 ohm Beyer DM 990 Pro. I use a pair of ISK HD-9999's when I need more isolation. They're quite good and cheap, and close to AKGs.

The two pairs that get the most use for actual music production are the two least expensive. : )

Although, if I'm working under headphones at night, and composing and producing, the Audeze LCD-XCs give me the best results, in terms of when I fire up my monitors the next day, everything sounds about right, without having to retweek too much. But they're are quite a rig, and are pricey.

I use the 990s for more work in the studio, and then even hanging out and listening to music and watching movies on the iPad. They're very comfortable. I even fall asleep with them on sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk1etr2EF_Y

"Blackstar (stylised as ★) is the twenty-fifth and final studio album by English musician David Bowie. It was released on 8 January 2016, the date of Bowie's 69th birthday and two days before his death..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstar_%28David_Bowie_album%29