Tips for young people getting into music production:
My name is DJ Celeste Lear, I am a professional music producer and DJ with my own home recording studio, publishing company and multiple album releases out on my independent label Boutique Electronique Records. I have studied music theory and sound engineering extensively since 1998 and have worked in the music industry in various positions such as as a music supervisor for film, a remix artist, mobile event DJ and of course music producer. Over the years, I'd like to think that I have accrued at least some bits and pieces of wisdom and I would like to share it with YOU. The following are some tips and advice for young people getting into music production. Enjoy!!
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#1. RESPECT YOURSELF.
The value you bring to the industry is your own unique vision of the
combination of art and science that is music production. Be proud of the fact
that you are delving into an endeavor as vast and complicated as music and
music technology. Every time you sit down in your studio, a chance to make a
legendary song that can rock the world is present at all times and you are the
key to unlocking this door - keep this as your inspiration!
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#2. Know thyself –
Ok, in this industry it’s easy to spread yourself too thin trying to be all
things to all people. Are you truly a musician, a producer, engineer, DJ? An
excellent music producer can encompass all these skills, and do it well, but it
will literally take years and years, tens of thousands of dollars, an education
and a pretty up to speed recording studio to accomplish. A true music producer
can hear the music in their head and somehow magically get it down to track.
The lines are bled these days for sure and you have to really be honest with
where your skills lie, and how much time, money and work you are willing to
sink into your career.
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#3. Are you a control
freak and a perfectionist? – Yes. Good. You’re already on your way to
becoming a music producer.
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#4. Allocate your time.
Discipline yourself and make sure you are spending as much time as you possibly
can every day learning and practicing your software, writing music, attending
lectures, watching online tutorials and definitely take music theory lessons to
learn the basics. Live, breathe and consume music – listen critically to every
song on the radio, fuss with the EQ in your boyfriend’s car till it’s perfect,
stand in different parts of a room where the DJ is playing and see where the
frequencies change. Your work is now wherever you go – you think in delay,
reverb, eq, compression.
#5. Be a studio ninja
– A ninja, is a person (or ghost) who is hyper aware, masterful, who moves
deliberately, lighting fast, is patient and wise. Are you really moving with such
carelessness that you are going to accidently copy over your newest session?
No, Grasshopper. Problem with the signal flow? File management issue? Think,
“What would a ninja do in this situation?” A ninja doesn’t give up, or pull
their hair out, they would either get in a sword fight with the manufacturer in
China or be quick to think of the best user troubleshooting forum on the web. A
ninja knows patience is the key to unlocking things without a dongle.
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#6. Network. Constantly
be building bonds with others in the industry. Be bold and be persistent, but
there is a fine line to do this politely without coming off as being too
aggressive. Mingle at parties,
hand out business cards and CDs. Offer to do a remix for a band. Perform
regular outreaches to others in the industry, take people out to lunch and do
not forget to follow up with them. I also recommend attending regular jam
sessions. Reach out to your community and see when musicians are getting
together, bring your synthesizer, guitar, drum machine and a small amp and go
rock out for a few hours. Don’t worry if you haven’t had much music theory
training – it’s about having FUN. Less is more, almost always with music so
just play 2 or 3 chords, lay down a simple groove or just hit a few simple
notes. Don’t overplay – really LISTEN to what other people are doing and then
learn how to contribute without trying to steal the show.
#7. Learn about the
business side of music. If you want to become a professional music producer
you will absolutely need to know the ins and outs of music publishing,
licensing, contracts, labels, etc. The industry is complicated and ever
changing so read trade journals like Billboard, Rolling Stone and blog sites
like musicindustryblog.com regularly. Read books like “All you need to know
about the music industry”, “Music Law in the Digital Age” or “The Musician’s
guide to licensing Music” but make sure they have been recently published,
because the industry is changing so frequently!
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#8. Allow yourself YEARS
to become masterful. Yes, it will take you years. Rome wasn’t built in a
day and neither will your recording studio, your reputation, brilliant tracks
or remixes. Be humble when you are beginning and know that there will always be
more to learn, there are literally thousands of producers who can kick your ass
in the studio right now. Work hard, but take it slow.
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#9. “Choose your battles”
- find a genre and stick to it. I
should talk, because my albums are a hodge podge of different genres of music,
but if there’s something I’ve learned it’s you can strengthen your chops by
picking a general genre or style, such as “Glitch hop” or “Chillout” or my
favorite “Crunk” and keep yourself working within those musical boundaries.
That takes some discipline for a lot of us artsy types, but it will help you in
many respects, such as; finding where your strength and talent truly lies, clearly
defining your skillset to attract potential clients and for fans to be able to
find you through key word searches.
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#10. Know thy sample
library – Instead of always wanting more samples, why don’t you spend your
time listening through the samples you already have, organizing your sample
library and memorizing where your favorite loops and one shots are.
#11. Thou shall not
excessively covet new gear. People always want shiny new gear, but it’s
expensive and also takes a while to acquaint yourself with and learn proper
technique so just stick with the basics, get your DAW and use the factory plug
ins that it comes with, then learn how to use something like Native
Instrument’s Massive or Moog’s Minimoog first and then expand on from there
when you can afford to. Learn the basics of synthesis so you can be creating
your own sounds on most any soft-synth with parameters. Fly by the seat of your
pants!
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#12. Be realistic. Not
everyone will be able to make enough money to live off of in the music
industry. This is the sad reality, the market is oversaturated with engineers
and producers and there are not enough jobs – especially because there is less
money in the music industry to be made due to piracy, streaming radio, lower
licensing fees, etc. You should have a plan B in place. I, for instance, am
also a mobile DJ who sets up a full, professional quality sound system and has
rocked over 300 private events (including much dreaded weddings!). Talk to veterans in the field to see what they
have done to tighten their belts when times are rough.
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#13. From a spiritual
standpoint – I’m not religious, but, sometimes I ask myself “What plug ins
would Jesus use?” No but seriously folks, I have started worrying less about if
I am “successful” or making money with my music and have started looking at the
process as a labor of love. My ego often tells me that my music is worthless or
“will never be as good as” (say… Little Dragon), but I catch myself and think,
well, even if myself and my small community of friends are the only one who listen and appreciates the music, I am still a part
of the “Universe” or “God” or whatever you want to call it. I am "experiencing" the music and the act of creating from nothing and it’s making me feel happy and like it’s my own
personal evolution. And on some small level, I am contributing to making the
universe a more unique and colorful place – that is enough.
#14. For women in music
production; Ladies! There has been so much headway made by females in the
music production field in the last 20 years, it’s absolutely inspirational to
see talented and bold women like Leslie Anne Jones, Lisa Chamblee-Hampton, Ann
Mincieli, etc. who have ignored the nay-sayers, worked their asses off and
paved the way for the rest of us. Women may create and even learn different
than a man does, but remember to really respect yourself and value your own
work – because you may do things a little differently doesn’t give it less
worth. Also, SO much pressure is placed on women to become famous in their
teens and 20’s when they are “young” and “beautiful” but come on, our society
is a little twisted in this respect and true art and talent takes time to
create so don’t feel upset if you’re hitting 30 and you’re not famous or as
established as you were hoping to be, this is when most professional engineers
and producers start to really make their mark. I would also say, be tenacious
and develop a thick skin, because you will always come up against critics –
simply believe in your own personal genius and unique vision.
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And this concludes today's tips for young people getting into music production. Best of luck to you in your endeavors. Please feel free to check out my work at: http://www.celestelear.com or https://soundcloud.com/celeste-lear
