Month: June 2020

Learning on the Job

I am frequently guilty of losing sight of the doing/learning balance. By that I mean the balance between learning how to do something better, and actually doing it.

The first time I tried to start a business (teaching online dance lessons), I became trapped by the doing, and didn’t have time or energy left for the learning. I was running to stand still.

I’m gonna get there!!

Music production has the potential to do the same thing – there’s SO many cool things I want to learn, it’s easy to get lost in Youtube and Masterclass videos without actually applying any of them.

At the same time, when I’m closing in on a new song, it’s easy to forget the learning and put all my energy into getting it printed. Which prevents me from using the tricks I picked up previously.

So, I’ve devised a simple way to ensure I continue doing both.

Continue reading “Learning on the Job”

Quick Update

First of all, I’m officially passing my 300-hour mark today! Booyah.

I’m closing in on finishing the structural elements of my latest track, which I’ve renamed “There Will Be Dragons” (when you hear it, you’ll know why). Hoping to wrap that up today.

Once that’s done, I think it’s time I researched and invested in a proper DAW. Garageband is great and all, but, well.. you know.

I’m pretty anal about decisions like this, so expect an extensive spreadsheet with the pros and cons for each to be posted here in the near future. Cheers.

I’m Bad at Taking Breaks

I’ve been taking a pause on making full mixes since I posted “Motivation” – thought it was time to learn some new things before I got back in the saddle.

Part of that process involved making shorter loops I throw into a library for use later. Gotta still use what you learn, right?

Well, today I might have gotten a bit carried away. Here’s a quick overview of my thoughts around noon:

“This lead sound is pretty decent. I can totally imagine what the bassline would sound like. Might as well make that too.”

“Yeah, sounds even better with the bass! But it needs some momentum. Maybe I’ll add an arpeggiator?”

“Holy crap, YES! Now it just needs a beat, some hi hats, a snare-like sound…”

Yeah, you can see where this is going.

I’m calling the track “Big Cat” for now. Let’s see if I can get’er’done by the end of the month.