- Every individual sound or instrument needs its own place in the frequency spectrum. By dividing sounds into separate groups and focusing them on a specific frequency, you can make each individual sound as loud and prominent as you need.
- Cutting ugly frequencies is more effective than boosting pleasant ones.
- Every sound should have a purpose. Do not choose a large number of samples simply to get more than 50 sounds into a track if you really only need 25. A minimalist approach helps avoid muddiness in the final mix.
- In your work, pay attention to high-quality samples. It is easy to make rough sounds from clean ones, while the reverse is almost impossible.
- Process sounds individually. Plugins will help make your sound stand out in the overall mix.
- Resampling your synths and pushing them to the limit—that is the secret. There are no limits to processing.
- Train your ears: when you listen to music, pay attention to the individual instruments in terms of volume, equalization, the use of filters, and so on. It sounds superficial, but it is not: if you understand the principle of musical functionality, you will gain an absolute advantage in production.
- If you can, work quickly. In most cases, it is easier to finish a project if you work on it in one or several sessions. Otherwise, it can become a costly victory, involving many hours spent and wavering motivation.
- Try to finish one sound before moving on to another; concentrate on one subject and do not jump to others. After switching between subjects, you will no longer be able to detect mistakes. Focus on your idea.
- It is effective to let some projects rest and rework them later with fresh ideas, but do this only if you are comfortable with such deep work. Move forward in baby steps, but finish them.
- Do not produce at high volume. Your ears will tire very quickly and will no longer be able to tell you the truth about your ideas. Work at a consistent volume throughout the session.
- Do not do detailed arrangement or equalization under the influence of anything.
- Some specific elements need to be mono (kick, snare, bass); 90% of club systems are mono, so make sure your drum and bass sounds loud on any speaker.
- Spectral analysis helps. People are imperfect when working with their ears, but professional when working with their eyes. You can see what you cannot hear.
- Safety first. 50 or more files in a project is fine. Save before and after every major change.
Originally published by Neurocode (neurocode.de). Translated from the Russian translation by r.dee.
