GinandChronic
New member
Hey everybody! Just finished this article post on my website and I thought I'd share it here as well.
The original post is on the blog at www.GinandChronicProductions.com
Top 10 Productivity Tips in the Studio
1. Make Yourself at Home - It is hugely important that you set yourself up so you won’t have to leave the studio. Any supplies you might want or need for a long session in the studio are best gathered ahead of time whether its snacks/drinks, a pen and paper, cigarettes if you smoke, any equipment you might need, or anything else. It is always best that you gather these things early and settle into your studio so you don’t have to stop what you are doing later to run to the store or look all over for something.
2. Set Goals for Yourself - It will pay off incredibly if you set yourself a variety of goals. Set goals for the immediate present, the rest of the day, and the rest of the week. Don’t be too rigid in what you assign yourself, but also assign yourself goals that are difficult to meet so that accomplishing any number of them pays off more than accomplishing a large number of low impact, low difficulty goals. Trust me, you will thank yourself later!
3. Remove Distractions - Aside from the things that you know you want or need around your studio space, it’s a good idea to remove pretty much every other distraction or influence in your studio so that you can stay on top of your goals. This will keep you from trying to do too many things at once (our next tip!) and also save time time and a headache later when looking for something specific and not having to dig for it.
4. Don’t Try to Multitask - This is huge. Everyone and their mother thinks they are the multitask master, and to a certain degree they might be able to accomplish a couple things at once, but results are always sloppy, and often you don’t really save any time by having to account for how many error comes from multitasking. Stay focused on your craft. Don’t try to master one beat, upload another to the internet, write a blog post on monitor speakers, and order a pizza at the same time; and by all means don’t try to produce multiple beats at the same. Save yourself yet another headache, and impress yourself with your results. Focus pays off.
5. Listen to Different Music During Breaks - When you hit a block or creative slump and want to take a break try to listening to some music outside of your realm or genre. It can refreshing, creatively inspiring, and relaxing to listen to something different after grinding so hard on one or two very specific styles of music.
6. Experiment with Effects - This is a lot of fun and can produce some awesome results. Play with some effects that you wouldn’t normally on some of your sounds and tweak them to various settings. It isn’t uncommon to discover sounds you didn’t know were possible and immediately become inspired. This is a regular tactic anytime I run into creative blockages. By simply messing around with some settings on an interesting delay, reverb, expander, filter, flanger, phaser, modulator, or compressor you can take entirely new roads with your music you’d never stepped foot on before.
7. Read a New Tutorial - Learn something new! This is so straightforward, but so realistically helpful. By doing some very simple research and watching a couple videos you can begin to pick up on new skills and techniques you had no idea about before, from sound design to mixing/mastering, recording and more. There is a wealth of information on the internet about music production and with a few button clicks and simple searches most of it is immediately accessible. Learn how to do something new today!
8. Dance - If you can’t dance around your own studio something is critically wrong. I don’t need to say much here, if you are bored or not sure what to do next just let loose. If you can’t dance to whatever it is you are working on then figure out why that is and you will almost definitely be right back on track. Alternatively, just throw some of your favorite jams on and get down for while. Have a drink and come back to your work after you loosen up a bit.
9. Seek Feedback - It is critical that you seek the feedback and constructive criticism of your peers and audience! This is easily achievable online with the help of social networking platforms, blogging platforms, forums, and content submission sites. Your friends will absolutely tell you if they like the music they hear you making, and will be much more hesitant to say anything if they don’t.
10. Practice - The key to it all. None of this means anything or carries any valuable weight without the willpower, motivation, and determination to stay hooked on your craft. Whether you’re a producer, singer, instrumentalist, composer, or otherwise, the only way to move forward is to be present and to make it happen yourself. Stay immersed in your art!
Thanks for reading!
The original post is on the blog at www.GinandChronicProductions.com
Top 10 Productivity Tips in the Studio
1. Make Yourself at Home - It is hugely important that you set yourself up so you won’t have to leave the studio. Any supplies you might want or need for a long session in the studio are best gathered ahead of time whether its snacks/drinks, a pen and paper, cigarettes if you smoke, any equipment you might need, or anything else. It is always best that you gather these things early and settle into your studio so you don’t have to stop what you are doing later to run to the store or look all over for something.
2. Set Goals for Yourself - It will pay off incredibly if you set yourself a variety of goals. Set goals for the immediate present, the rest of the day, and the rest of the week. Don’t be too rigid in what you assign yourself, but also assign yourself goals that are difficult to meet so that accomplishing any number of them pays off more than accomplishing a large number of low impact, low difficulty goals. Trust me, you will thank yourself later!
3. Remove Distractions - Aside from the things that you know you want or need around your studio space, it’s a good idea to remove pretty much every other distraction or influence in your studio so that you can stay on top of your goals. This will keep you from trying to do too many things at once (our next tip!) and also save time time and a headache later when looking for something specific and not having to dig for it.
4. Don’t Try to Multitask - This is huge. Everyone and their mother thinks they are the multitask master, and to a certain degree they might be able to accomplish a couple things at once, but results are always sloppy, and often you don’t really save any time by having to account for how many error comes from multitasking. Stay focused on your craft. Don’t try to master one beat, upload another to the internet, write a blog post on monitor speakers, and order a pizza at the same time; and by all means don’t try to produce multiple beats at the same. Save yourself yet another headache, and impress yourself with your results. Focus pays off.
5. Listen to Different Music During Breaks - When you hit a block or creative slump and want to take a break try to listening to some music outside of your realm or genre. It can refreshing, creatively inspiring, and relaxing to listen to something different after grinding so hard on one or two very specific styles of music.
6. Experiment with Effects - This is a lot of fun and can produce some awesome results. Play with some effects that you wouldn’t normally on some of your sounds and tweak them to various settings. It isn’t uncommon to discover sounds you didn’t know were possible and immediately become inspired. This is a regular tactic anytime I run into creative blockages. By simply messing around with some settings on an interesting delay, reverb, expander, filter, flanger, phaser, modulator, or compressor you can take entirely new roads with your music you’d never stepped foot on before.
7. Read a New Tutorial - Learn something new! This is so straightforward, but so realistically helpful. By doing some very simple research and watching a couple videos you can begin to pick up on new skills and techniques you had no idea about before, from sound design to mixing/mastering, recording and more. There is a wealth of information on the internet about music production and with a few button clicks and simple searches most of it is immediately accessible. Learn how to do something new today!
8. Dance - If you can’t dance around your own studio something is critically wrong. I don’t need to say much here, if you are bored or not sure what to do next just let loose. If you can’t dance to whatever it is you are working on then figure out why that is and you will almost definitely be right back on track. Alternatively, just throw some of your favorite jams on and get down for while. Have a drink and come back to your work after you loosen up a bit.
9. Seek Feedback - It is critical that you seek the feedback and constructive criticism of your peers and audience! This is easily achievable online with the help of social networking platforms, blogging platforms, forums, and content submission sites. Your friends will absolutely tell you if they like the music they hear you making, and will be much more hesitant to say anything if they don’t.
10. Practice - The key to it all. None of this means anything or carries any valuable weight without the willpower, motivation, and determination to stay hooked on your craft. Whether you’re a producer, singer, instrumentalist, composer, or otherwise, the only way to move forward is to be present and to make it happen yourself. Stay immersed in your art!
Thanks for reading!
