Top Advice for Aspiring Producers: A Symphony of Success and Silliness
Is producing your calling? Dream of turning knobs and sliders until the wee hours of the morning? Fascinated by the thought of combining snoring sounds into a chart-topping hit? Well, you've stumbled upon the goldmine of advice! Here's the crème de la crème of guidance for those daring souls venturing into the wild, often bizarre world of music production.
1. Embrace Your Inner Weirdo
First off, if your music sounds like it was crafted by a council of beige-wearing accountants, you might be doing it wrong. The first rule of Producing Club: embrace the weird. If you find yourself recording the melodious sounds of a dishwasher to incorporate into your next trance anthem, you're on the right track. Remember, Mozart probably would have put a donkey in the orchestra if he could have gotten away with it.
2. Hoard Cables Like a Dragon
You never know when you'll need that obscure cable that connects a 1980s synthesizer to a modern audio interface. Cables are the lifelines of your studio; without them, you're just a person sitting in a room filled with expensive paperweights. Start your collection now, and one day, your studio will resemble a spaghetti monster of connectivity.
3. Learn to Speak Audio Engineer
Communicating with audio engineers requires its own Rosetta Stone. Phrases like make it sound more purple or it needs to be crunchier are perfectly valid requests in the studio. It’s like a secret society where the password is a random combination of adjectives and colors. Master this language, and you'll navigate studio sessions like a captain sailing the high seas.
4. Worship the Coffee Machine
In the hierarchy of studio equipment, the coffee machine reigns supreme. This magical bean juice brewer is the cornerstone of any successful session. Worship it, cherish it, and for the love of all that is harmonious, keep it clean. A happy coffee machine means a happy producer, and a happy producer means hits. It's science.
5. Mix with Your Ears, Not Your Gear
It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that the more expensive your gear, the better your sound will be. This, my aspiring maestr(ai)os, is a fallacy. The true secret lies in your ears. If it sounds right using a tin can and a piece of string, then it’s right. Don't let gear snobbery dictate your sound. After all, the Beatles recorded hits on equipment that today's producers wouldn't use as doorstops.
6. Remember: Mistakes are Just Unintentional Innovations
That time you accidentally recorded over the chorus with a burp? A stroke of genius waiting to be recognized. Every mishap is an opportunity to discover a sound no one has ever heard before. Embrace the accidents, for they are your subconscious trying to tell you something profound. Or, at the very least, they'll make for a great story at parties.
7. Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Cat Video Break
Finally, never underestimate the restorative power of a good cat video. Producing can be a stressful endeavor, and sometimes, the only cure for a case of mixer's block is watching fluffy felines wreak havoc. It's a scientifically proven fact* that laughter increases creativity. So, when in doubt, take a break, watch some cat videos, and return to your production with a renewed sense of purpose.
Armed with this sagely advice, go forth and produce. Make the sounds your heart desires, create the beats that make the world dance, and most importantly, enjoy the glorious, unpredictable journey of music production!
*Note: The scientific validity of this fact may or may not be entirely made up for the sake of humor.