These process style videos are awesome, man. "production is reduction" is one that stuck with me. Chopping away overcrowded areas and trying to find "pockets" for different pieces is the way!
Bro that last point about getting ahead of prossesing / mixing mastering is too real. thanks for sharing and also sharing the 'struggles' a pro like you has.
BIIIIIIIIIIG! Always good to be remembered of things that seem obvious at first. I found the too loud volume issue with high hats and claps as well. If they´re to loud it often makes the track sound cheep. Thanks Zen
I've done probably all the mistake your been trying to correct on people .. my ideas was to learn without help and try to get it by myself .. well it took tremendous amount of time... tho im at a stage where it confort me looking at your video (im not that dum* haha ) but still learn like crazy because of you! so im grateful to have quality content that reassure and align instead of seeing controversial tips and commun educator showing the same basic tips over and over again ill not be shy to say you have been of great help when i succed!
These days im doing very little processing and just letting someone else mix my stuff. I feel joyful about creating again and am more focused on the arrangement than making these super big sounds. I also struggle with over complicating things
@@ZenWorld nah. My mixer and I go way back. He helped me with my first release. Plus I make decent money and we have a payment plan that works for both of us. His set up is worth over 10k
Just a quick tip: you can see the latency of each plugin on the bottom left corner, right under the effects. And when you group effects you will see the hole latency from the chain too.
I think that while these are good tips there are some caveats that need to be minded beforehand. First, the different stages of music production. Are you sound designing or sculpting for a track? Are you arranging? Are you coming up with creative melodies and counterpoints? The issue I always fell into was trying to be everything at once. Wearing many hats at the same time is time consuming and counterproductive. Choose what you are doing at that stage and stick with it. Sleep on it and come back another time to continue or move on to another stage. The second is mastering. Maybe for another individual or very late in a tracks stage. Love your tips - thank you. Always welcome and enjoyable to listen to. Learning is forever and I’m glad there are people, like you, who are dedicated to it.
Awesome dude, great info as always.. im guilty of overdoing the FX, and having too many elements in the same place fighting for attention & frequency space, im always being told less is more so gonna try stick to that philosophy. Learned a lot from this vid so thanks 👏
That "dialing in the bass via the amp envelope" tip is on point, Papi. And so is avoiding the urge to mix early in the process. I'm definitely guilty of that. And not overcrowding, haha. Guilty! So often, less is more. Think of the thousands of hits (from Led Zep to Joy Division) that feature a voice, a guitar, a bass, and a drum kit. Admittedly, EDM is more ornate, but minimal techno works for a reason.
I watched a video probably 6 months ago about not using too much effects on things. Which i have cut down on but another thing i need to cut down on or cut out is too many things going like zen did with the arps and stabs, totallt just cleans up the sound. Another greay video, if only i hadnt taken a 12 year break from music production 😥 onwards and upwards people 💪🏾👌🏾💯
Haha that’s happen to me every time the first setup of a group bus and finally move some volume sound etc and fuck up everything in the bus channel haha
Awesome vid, driving home some solid fundamentals. I’m finding ‘tweaking’ constantly can be procrastinating composition decisions, or polishing ‘turd’ sounds. Can’t say how many hours I’ve wasted noodling around shitty fx. Onwards and upwards tho!
I'm basically in the same state, i've been producing for 5 years, got some gigs in some clubs playing my songs but i can't get a song done in less than 2 weeks, i'm losing so much time doing technical stuff to compensate my lack of music theory and ideas, i just throw things in there and kinda hope for the best. When i compare to top artists, my tracks have close to no soul, no catchy melody or patterns.... I feel like i'm stuck in this state for a while now and it's starting to deter me from making more music.... What should i do ? Any suggestions ? Insane video again btw, made me rethink my whole producer life right there lmao
Need more context but many producers aren't creating “ORIGINAL CONTENT”. They are remixing/flipping old samples which is were they sound musical, and pro. If you aren't doing that and are expecting the same output it's a downhill battle, plus I believe music theory will actually hinder you as the way you speak sounds like me, the more you know the more you freeze. Produce with 80% intention, consider using samples for your weak areas, and don't try to do too much at once. Focus on songwriting until the song is done then fucking mixz
All music in the history of western music has been created with twelve notes. Static volume/amplitude, rhythm/meter or note arrangement can cause staleness. The human ear thrives on oddities and abnormalities. Try going out of your comfort zone of high, low, med, or shifting notes within the phrase. Something I like to do is think of an image - whatever it is - and recreate it within a musical canvas. The other thing I like to do is think of acoustic instruments and how they interplay with the adrenaline and excitement that an individual is feeling within a segment of music and recreate the velocity and intensity of it within an electronic track.
Shit bro...like it's talking to myself ..the struggles, the pitfalls and the silly noob mistakes I should know better not to do - fukin awesome man that a pro like yourself sometimes gets caught up in the same mess Fukin love the material man ❤
When you bounce to audio, you commit to something. You should always have the ability to go back and fix mistakes because you will inevitably make them.
Mixing while producing... guilty as charged! Thank God I stopped that bad habit. Also, take Chris Lake's advice -- STOP GROUPING EARLY ON. Honestly, it KILLS the creative energy.
“You throw shit at their face hoping it will stick, you want to wipe their face clean so they’re happy again” haha 😂 probably the best advice from the video.
You kinda reading my mind the last two days i was searching about the latency caused by plugins ,also tell us please i saw in a video someone saying that return channels are causing phase cancelation is that real ??
Great video bro! the mistake I use to make a lot was the over reverb what makes me glad is that found out to work with reverb with no more than 2 secs :D.
#1 mistake: you're not using evosounds samples and presets :D for real so much shitty sounding tracks can be like 50% better with just a swap to a better kick and bass
Damn. You're the only guy that I've heard talk about REAL issues. The one about too much on the track. I literally said to myself two days ago "Yo. You got enough sounds in here to make at least 3 tracks!" And it was 100% true, although that only came after getting over the serious issue of actually committing to an arrangement and actually rendering. Rendering seems to be the lie detector test I've been looking for. Great vid! Fukkinsubbed!
Heard Dom Dolla say that he makes/mixes songs at a low volume. Underrated tip for sure
These process style videos are awesome, man. "production is reduction" is one that stuck with me. Chopping away overcrowded areas and trying to find "pockets" for different pieces is the way!
Bro that last point about getting ahead of prossesing / mixing mastering is too real.
thanks for sharing and also sharing the 'struggles' a pro like you has.
Thanks!
BIIIIIIIIIIG! Always good to be remembered of things that seem obvious at first.
I found the too loud volume issue with high hats and claps as well. If they´re to loud it often makes the track sound cheep.
Thanks Zen
I've done probably all the mistake your been trying to correct on people .. my ideas was to learn without help and try to get it by myself .. well it took tremendous amount of time... tho im at a stage where it confort me looking at your video (im not that dum* haha ) but still learn like crazy because of you! so im grateful to have quality content that reassure and align instead of seeing controversial tips and commun educator showing the same basic tips over and over again
ill not be shy to say you have been of great help when i succed!
These days im doing very little processing and just letting someone else mix my stuff. I feel joyful about creating again and am more focused on the arrangement than making these super big sounds. I also struggle with over complicating things
Gets expensive no?
@@ZenWorld nah. My mixer and I go way back. He helped me with my first release. Plus I make decent money and we have a payment plan that works for both of us. His set up is worth over 10k
@@LukeIcardMusic glad you found a system and make it work man. You right if you can get your stuff mixed it’s so so so HUGE
@@ZenWorld yes sir for sure! Love the videos keep it up bro
now were talkin' baby great tips
Just a quick tip: you can see the latency of each plugin on the bottom left corner, right under the effects. And when you group effects you will see the hole latency from the chain too.
I think that while these are good tips there are some caveats that need to be minded beforehand. First, the different stages of music production. Are you sound designing or sculpting for a track? Are you arranging? Are you coming up with creative melodies and counterpoints? The issue I always fell into was trying to be everything at once. Wearing many hats at the same time is time consuming and counterproductive. Choose what you are doing at that stage and stick with it. Sleep on it and come back another time to continue or move on to another stage. The second is mastering. Maybe for another individual or very late in a tracks stage.
Love your tips - thank you. Always welcome and enjoyable to listen to. Learning is forever and I’m glad there are people, like you, who are dedicated to it.
That background lighting looks damn beautiful!
Awesome dude, great info as always.. im guilty of overdoing the FX, and having too many elements in the same place fighting for attention & frequency space, im always being told less is more so gonna try stick to that philosophy. Learned a lot from this vid so thanks 👏
That "dialing in the bass via the amp envelope" tip is on point, Papi. And so is avoiding the urge to mix early in the process. I'm definitely guilty of that.
And not overcrowding, haha. Guilty! So often, less is more. Think of the thousands of hits (from Led Zep to Joy Division) that feature a voice, a guitar, a bass, and a drum kit. Admittedly, EDM is more ornate, but minimal techno works for a reason.
Love the hair man
Good stuff man!
This Picture in the beginning is so cool. I imagined a plugin like endless smile with your face bro.🎉
I watched a video probably 6 months ago about not using too much effects on things. Which i have cut down on but another thing i need to cut down on or cut out is too many things going like zen did with the arps and stabs, totallt just cleans up the sound.
Another greay video, if only i hadnt taken a 12 year break from music production 😥 onwards and upwards people 💪🏾👌🏾💯
Those couple of stabs sound really nice man. Some strange nostalgic feel.
Haha that’s happen to me every time the first setup of a group bus and finally move some volume sound etc and fuck up everything in the bus channel haha
Awesome vid, driving home some solid fundamentals. I’m finding ‘tweaking’ constantly can be procrastinating composition decisions, or polishing ‘turd’ sounds. Can’t say how many hours I’ve wasted noodling around shitty fx. Onwards and upwards tho!
great video as always zen!
Group tracks.. BLESSSSSSSS
I'm basically in the same state, i've been producing for 5 years, got some gigs in some clubs playing my songs but i can't get a song done in less than 2 weeks, i'm losing so much time doing technical stuff to compensate my lack of music theory and ideas, i just throw things in there and kinda hope for the best. When i compare to top artists, my tracks have close to no soul, no catchy melody or patterns.... I feel like i'm stuck in this state for a while now and it's starting to deter me from making more music.... What should i do ? Any suggestions ?
Insane video again btw, made me rethink my whole producer life right there lmao
Learn theory? )
@@tims5170 i kinda did with a sound engineer course but i can't apply it in my workflow right now.... And i don't know what's causing this
Need more context but many producers aren't creating “ORIGINAL CONTENT”. They are remixing/flipping old samples which is were they sound musical, and pro. If you aren't doing that and are expecting the same output it's a downhill battle, plus I believe music theory will actually hinder you as the way you speak sounds like me, the more you know the more you freeze. Produce with 80% intention, consider using samples for your weak areas, and don't try to do too much at once. Focus on songwriting until the song is done then fucking mixz
@@ZenWorld thanks you the tips, i'll read this again when needed
All music in the history of western music has been created with twelve notes. Static volume/amplitude, rhythm/meter or note arrangement can cause staleness. The human ear thrives on oddities and abnormalities. Try going out of your comfort zone of high, low, med, or shifting notes within the phrase.
Something I like to do is think of an image - whatever it is - and recreate it within a musical canvas.
The other thing I like to do is think of acoustic instruments and how they interplay with the adrenaline and excitement that an individual is feeling within a segment of music and recreate the velocity and intensity of it within an electronic track.
Such a good recap video🙌 yess. thank you Zen.
Shit bro...like it's talking to myself ..the struggles, the pitfalls and the silly noob mistakes I should know better not to do - fukin awesome man that a pro like yourself sometimes gets caught up in the same mess
Fukin love the material man ❤
Yea throwing shi*t until it something sounds good is a painful one... Great vid, a lot of valuable and painful insights :))
What’s that vocal sample zen ? So so nice
That fucking decapitator on the drum bus early in production has given me the same reaction 😂
Really good advices. You have come a long way.
If you make creative mixing decisions early that will get messed up by basic changes like volume, bounce to audio that processing and don't look back.
When you bounce to audio, you commit to something. You should always have the ability to go back and fix mistakes because you will inevitably make them.
GREAT, THANKS ZEN
Thanks for those tips!❤🔥👏🏼
I use to tell my students to always ask themselves “why am I using this sound or plugin” working with a purpose
Amazing Tips, Thank you brother! ❤
Will you be opening anymore of the Senseis Apprentice tier on patreon? Very interested in signing up
The last 2 tips are gold!
Can you do a video on the right way to use top loops? I can never get them to fit my track and they always clash with the other drums
I love you man for your loco vibe 😂
00:23 layoff that beer bro! you aint 21 anymore 😂
Mixing while producing... guilty as charged! Thank God I stopped that bad habit. Also, take Chris Lake's advice -- STOP GROUPING EARLY ON. Honestly, it KILLS the creative energy.
“You throw shit at their face hoping it will stick, you want to wipe their face clean so they’re happy again” haha 😂 probably the best advice from the video.
Thank you for sharing this
You kinda reading my mind the last two days i was searching about the latency caused by plugins ,also tell us please i saw in a video someone saying that return channels are causing phase cancelation is that real ??
Great vid
bro that track you played around 0:31 Link it!
Unreleased : )
My mixes sounded like dog shit until I watched your tips thank you
Also turn off auto gain when saturating.
great video thanks
Great video bro! the mistake I use to make a lot was the over reverb what makes me glad is that found out to work with reverb with no more than 2 secs :D.
Daaamn bih , you funny af
"La Isla Bonita vibes" 😂 peed my pants 😂
YES !
Big Facts!
has music production channel
uploads videos with audio at -10db
@4:06 no mames wey, my tios after coming out of the bathroom lmao 😂
Красавчик ❤
Sephora does not sell thongs 😒 I dont know if I can trust your content now dude 😂 just kidding, thank you Zen..
The 1 like to ur 999
Keep up bro u r awesome :)
I have done and still do most of these things haha. Gotta stop them. Thanks.
bruhh that last one is so damn true
gold
If you’re gonna trash it just send it to me so I can listen to it I like it :,(
11:17 Thank me later.
hard
Ableton latency compensation is still trash? 😂
Earlysquad ☕️
Here with ya with my Columbia POUR Over!!!
You won't have any of the above mentioned problems if you just slap OTT on everything fam 😭 C'mon man what you teachin' us blud frfr 😤
😎💯👍
Dang it I do all these 😢
um excuse me mr. zen, I can't buy thongs at sephora
If you have a habit of using too many FX, just start using all hardware FX, that way you'll go bankrupt before you can ever stack too many
We early babbyyyyy
Beep beep whattup ninjas 😎
Ableton don't has automatic latency compensation? 😂😂😂 Is it even a real DAW or just a toy for children?
Those all sound about right
Shopping for a thong 😭😭😭
#1 mistake: you're not using evosounds samples and presets :D
for real so much shitty sounding tracks can be like 50% better with just a swap to a better kick and bass
... but the question always arises: how were those "better kicks and basses" made in the first place?
Beep beep mfs
Come on, you know spanish. It is pronounced Guetta without the U.
🤣
Damn. You're the only guy that I've heard talk about REAL issues. The one about too much on the track. I literally said to myself two days ago "Yo. You got enough sounds in here to make at least 3 tracks!" And it was 100% true, although that only came after getting over the serious issue of actually committing to an arrangement and actually rendering. Rendering seems to be the lie detector test I've been looking for. Great vid! Fukkinsubbed!