Something Motivational

K

kfelk

New member
Sup guys,

In my journey to make good music, I spend a lot of time researching audio engineering tips, watching tutorials and experimenting with the software like anybody else.

A lot of times I see comments from people online who emphasize how long it takes to get good at this craft and it can be somewhat discouraging. I see comments like "It'll take you at least 10 years to sound like that..." (10 years? But I'm just trying to make a sick beat!)

However, I was on Youtube the other day watching "Noisey: Atlanta" and they had a segment about that guy Makonnen, and he's quoted saying, "Yeah, we mix and master all of our own [stuff]."

WELL OK THEN! He seems to be doing well for himself...

Or you hear Lex Luger in a different interview answer a question about bass by replying, "I just turn it up until that thing knocks".

Or what about these teenagers on Sound Cloud gaining thousands upon thousands of listeners and they haven't even graduated high school yet? Were they really, at age 11 or 12, on a forum like this with serious intent to make great music?

Or if it takes 10 years to get a bombastic sound, were these young dudes making tracks at the age of 6, in kindergarten, instead of playing tag or building legos?

What about the Neptunes? In the early 2000's when those dudes were young, they weren't nearly the experts of production that they are now. Yet they had so many hits! Mastery comes in time, but you don't have to be a master before you start trying to make something good. Pharrell himself said something like, "You can't learn everything in a recording studio in one year, but in one year, you can learn to play an instrument pretty well."

My point is, a lot of guys and girls who become successful with their music just jump right into it without giving it a second thought. They want to make good music and they believe in themselves.

I don't mean to downplay the craft of audio engineering by any means. I mainly point out these things to encourage and motivate producers of all ages to just go for it. The greatest tool that you will have in all of this is your passion. If you push yourself to keep getting better, and you really want it, it will come in time, and once it does, it will be the greatest feeling ever.
 
Thanks for the motivational post.

We all need that kind of inspiration sometimes...BUT! On the same tip tho you've gotta be real with yourself too.

Don't just search for perspectives that reinforce your beliefs, search for ones that challenge them as well.

This is the real key to growth and being successful in whatever it is you choose to do.

Peace~
 
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Yeah man I got you. These were some things on my mind earlier today and I hope some people got right on the DAW after reading it!
 
lastly do not ever forget that context is everything ~ you can be a wunderkind at age 13 and a has been at age 18

- difference is at age 13 the outstanding musician/performer literally does stand out from the crowd
- by age 18 most of their peers have caught up in terms of skill if not creativity

same goes for production; when you are younger you're not concerned with, "am I doing it right?," but with, "does this sound good?"

as we get older we become more focused on doing it right rather than doing it creatively and so we end up doing things differently to how we did them when we did not know any better

this is what growth is about in terms of knowledge; however if this growth comes at the expense of our creative interpretation then we are losing sight of why most of us got involved in producing music in the first place
 
bandcoach said:
lastly do not ever forget that context is everything ~ you can be a wunderkind at age 13 and a has been at age 18

- difference is at age 13 the outstanding musician/performer literally does stand out from the crowd
- by age 18 most of their peers have caught up in terms of skill if not creativity

same goes for production; when you are younger you're not concerned with, "am I doing it right?," but with, "does this sound good?"

as we get older we become more focused on doing it right rather than doing it creatively and so we end up doing things differently to how we did them when we did not know any better

this is what growth is about in terms of knowledge; however if this growth comes at the expense of our creative interpretation then we are losing sight of why most of us got involved in producing music in the first place
Click to expand...

The original post really did resonate with me. You can do anything you want, subject to your own limits...if you just happen to be exceptionally good at mixing and mastering and music theory and anything else music related, you could be making hits inside a year. If not then it may take 2, 3, 5, 10 years to get to the level you need to be at to release a hit record.

It's all in perspective. I used to make £300 off of a wack beat back in the 2000's, but now you have 16 year olds using cracked VSTs and online music theory tutorials making beats that shit all over everything I did back then...and they sell those beats for $1 on a lease.

To make a decent income or to be a "famous" producer you usually do need to put in even more time and to build up a good catalogue and a discography of local artists who have used your music.

As for the post above (quoted)...that was some really insightful stuff. And so true. Thanks.
 
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