Page 43 - Zone Magazine Issue 014

" Something you have to realize no matter your skill level, is that you have to
be realistic when it comes to production. You can't expect to sit down one day and produce a track start to finish and be 100% happy with it. "
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You would be amazed where you can find inspiration even when you are not looking for it. You could be walking down a street in a busy city, hear a construction worker using a hammer and the single hit of a hammer might resonate with you in such a way, that you instantly get an idea. It might be that you liked the metallic cold sound of the hammer or maybe it was the rhythmic effect made by repeated hammer strikes, either way you had a lightbulb moment that you cannot let escape your memory. You then rush home with that idea in mind, lay down the foundation of your idea and all of a sudden, you are instantly motivated again. Sometimes you have to let the ideas come to you instead of you trying to force them.
Tip 4: Change Your Surroundings:
Just as useful as taking a break is for motivation, changing your surroundings can also be a great way to become more motivated. This can be as simple as taking your laptop outside or moving your desk in your studio to a different position. Changing your environment is a proven way of boosting motivation and this can be seen in all aspects of your life. As humans, we enjoy change and some more than others, thrive off of change. If you are happy with your surroundings, some
small additions to your studio might also help to set “The Tone.” Investing in a comfortable chair, candles or even some dimmed mood lighting, can help set the tone for your sessions and make sure you are fully relaxed and focused on the task in hand. You could also collaborate with other artists and visit each others studios, depending on each artists location. Collaboration is a great way to break through creative barriers, as each artist can work off each others strengths and weaknesses. By working in somebody else's environment using different equipment, you will start utilizing a completely different workflow.
Tip 5: Compare Correctly:
The fifth and final tip, could also be paired with the first tip of being realistic. When comparing your own work to other artists, you have to be very careful. If you are a beginner producer, it would be absurd to compare yourself to an established producer, with 15 years experience. Instead, when telling yourself that your tracks don't sound like your favourite producers tracks, you should actually be happy. What you have essentially done, is used your favourite artist as inspiration to create your own unique sound, which you should then spend some time developing. You should
try your best to turn your attention instead, to admiring what artists before you have done and build on it. There is no doubt that your favourite producers have also gone through this problem and have used their favourite artists work as motivation to keep moving forward. Sometimes the best thing to do is to directly copy your favourite artists as a learning tool. If you extract an 8 bar section from your favourite track and recreate it from the ground up, you will learn how each element of the track was put together. You could then take it a step further and replace the drum hits for example and by making small changes, you come up with a completely new and original idea, which was inspired by your artist of choice. This method of reverse engineering is a great way of also teaching yourself sound design. By utilising tools like Spectrum Analysers and Oscilloscpes, you can study sounds and recreate them by using the visual data as a blueprint. You should never be afraid to be original. As previously mentioned, if your music does not sound like your favourite artists tracks, maybe it is a good thing. Just because something is different does not mean it is wrong.
Next Studio Tips will focus on the Fundamentals of Sound and how soundwaves are created.
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