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Common Problems In Music Production…And How To Solve Them!

Almost everyone listens to music, but some folks take it a step further and go into music production. However, saying the name is the easiest step here!

Music production has its pitfalls, but you don’t have to worry about them. That’s because this article will detail them, plus how to deal with them.

Not Having The Right Equipment

Technology has come a long way these days. You don’t need to call in an entire orchestra anymore to record their separate instruments! You can just pick up some samples online.

That being said, the basic amount of gear you’ll need for music production has changed recently. These advancements extend past music production and have affected the wider world of music at large. You likely won’t be making anything amazing using just a USB microphone and your old Macbook.

You can use a Digital Audio Workstation (or DAW) to edit your music. That’s fine, but you’ll still need to be able to translate your music into something that your computer can recognize. In this case, you’ll need to pick up at least an audio interface.

There is no need to pick up an audio interface worth a couple of thousand dollars. Start with something that has the basics, like two mono signals or a single stereo signal. Just in case you’re stumped on what you need to look for in an audio interface, check out this site for more audio interface options.

Of course, if you’re planning on producing music for a long time, it would be wiser to pick up a higher-end model with more features, such as those with more modes of input and MIDI connections. If you want to learn a little more about music production and the gear you’ll need, click here.

Skipping Steps In The Process

This issue has more to do with time than anything else. If you don’t have a deadline, this likely won’t be an issue for you, but it’s still an issue that crops up a lot.

Music production has a few tried-and-tested steps to ensure your song will sound good, or at least better than it would without the process. Said steps include arranging the tracks and instruments, not following a proper tempo, or choosing a sample to use for a specific section.

But for some reason, there’s this belief that skipping steps like mastering will let you finish faster and save both time and money. This isn’t true, and the opposite will actually happen! It’s best to think of every step in the music production process, like the sections of a house under construction.

No one will ever see the foundation when you start building a house, right? But you still need to make sure the house’s foundation is solid; otherwise, you’ll risk the whole house crumbling later on.

It’s the same story with music production. You can’t rush the initial recording or placement of instruments just because you want to get it done faster. If you need to take the time to record one more take, then do it!

Make sure that your song or track has a solid musical foundation before you move on to mixing and the final step of mastering. If you have to go back later on to fix some sections, you might not be in the right frame of mind, or you could miss some other detail by mistake.

It’s better to tackle any issues you might hear while you’re in the moment instead of leaving them to snowball in the future.

Not Knowing When To Finish

Microphone

No one starts out as an expert, right? This is true whether you’re into sports or making music. However, a lot of fledgling producers have a hard time letting go of their first track.

They think that every track they put out must be absolutely perfect and ready. But here’s the thing. You’re a beginner, right? You’re not going to start out with the same level of experience and training that veteran studio engineers have.

This isn’t meant to put you down, but you should know when you’ve done everything that you can for a song…for now. In the future, you can always come back to your earlier songs and realize, “Oh, it’s too messy. You can’t hear every instrument clearly anymore.”

But that comes later. For now, you need to learn how to say, “Okay, I think this song is done.” Of course, you should strive to make a good song, but for now, finish up and move on to the next track. This is how you’ll gain experience and eventually train your ear and skills better.

When you eventually return to your old sound, you can fix it with some EQ or cut out dead air. The important thing is that you won’t know the issue with your old work if you never move on from it. Produce a song that you think sounds good and feels good. Then move forward.

Being Too Afraid To Experiment With Your Sound

Music production isn’t exactly easy. One of the most common difficulties that new producers are hit with is “Where do I start?” They often get out of the game before they can really hit their stride.

But another issue has cropped up. Now that Spotify and Tiktok are seen as the main sources for new music, everyone is trying to make it by following the trends. The issue here is that artists (and their music) are now judged by their individual songs, not their albums.

New producers will often start out by mimicking the trends of their favorite genres. If it works for others, it will work for you, right? While that’s a good springboard, they also often get stuck in this stage, forever aping the popular trends and not growing in their experience and sound.

Music producers need to learn to move past the idea of the “one-hit” and make music with a variety of themes. If you truly want to develop your craft and talents, you need to learn how to draw inspiration from a multitude of sources, not just copy what’s popular at the moment.

Genres will fall in and out of style according to what the listeners want. Think of how “80’s-style” pop music has made a resurgence in popularity lately. To grow as a music producer, you must try out new things and learn how to create more than just another viral hit.

Common Problems In Music Production…And How To Solve Them!

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