Advice from any Producers Out There!

[TheMightyGreg]

I've been DJing on and off now for well over a decade and although i get a few gigs here and there, my experience both from speaking to other DJs and from working at a record label is that to make it in any serious way nowadays you need to produce as well.

Production is never something I've really got into - save a few soon abandoned forays into Reason - and i'd be really grateful if those of you with some experience would help me out with a few pointers.eg. What software/hardware, how best to master said software/hardware etc..

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Aleks_B]

Re: Advice from any Producers Out There!

producing is a life's work IMHO. i've been at it for almost 5 years now and i still am not anywhere near some of the tracks i buy

[diegoff]

Re: Advice from any Producers Out There!

Reason is a good soft to start, but as said before my post, productions created there wonīt sound as tracks you can listen in dj sets.
I can tell you what I do to get better results (I use Reason) in sound quality. I use my own samples, recorded from real synths and real drum machines. You can also download/buy sample banks, there are really great ones out there.
I mix the track in a multitrack software, such as cubase (you can rewire). Here you can add virtual instruments, and use other plug ins effects, that sound much better than the ones that reason uses (i.e. reverbs and filters).
Next you can do, if you have some hardware, is to get out of your computer in many audio outputs, like 8 or 10, and use an external audio mixer. I think this is very important to get an interesting colour.
Here you can use real effects, and real eqs. In my little experience, the use of real eqs makes "the" difference in the final sound... and of course, mastering the piece in real hardware, too.


I hope my help can get you somewhere...
music prduction is my hobby, I love it, and I have some little work with a friend, and with some rock/pop bands here, but nothing big. Itīs all I can do with my devotion to sound and to music. Anything else I can halp you, ask me...

[bobjuice]

Re: Advice from any Producers Out There!

a few soon abandoned forays into Reason

^ Would be a good description of where i'm at with the same thing really. I seem to be able to make loops,beats,riffs and basslines quite easily (using hardware as well as reason) but building that into a track is where it falls down for me.
I can't seem to find that elusive, natural flow that a track should have. It's either chopping and changing too much and loses the groove or it's boring - never in between.

I know that's no help to you but may still be relevant to the thread?

All i will say is once you have something you like, save it or sample it - even if it's just a small phrase or loop or whatever.
Many times i've got something i like only to keep messing with it and lose it.
I agree with Diegoff that hardware produces better results than software in terms of both creating sounds and adding effects to them. Reason's a fantastic tool and i'm sure many producers out there get their sounds using only software but i find the loops i export from Reason lack something of the depth and sound quality i get from hardware.

[floridaorange]

Re: Advice from any Producers Out There!

side note: it was amazing to see the FSOL video and what they use to produce their music...it's clear the right tools are needed to produce the right result in the production game.

[diegoff]

Re: Advice from any Producers Out There!

side note: it was amazing to see the FSOL video and what they use to produce their music...it's clear the right tools are needed to produce the right result in the production game.

which video? Iīd like to see it