I’ve been asked to give feedback on HUNDREDS of tracks since starting EDM Tips a couple of years ago, and I see the same mistakes cropping up time and time again.
So, with that in mind, here are the 7 BIGGEST mistakes I see new (and old) music producers making.
Knowing them will hopefully help you avoid them! 😜
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7 Biggest Music Production Mistakes:
- Being obsessed over being original too early on
Don’t try too hard to be original when you’re starting out. Listen to music you love. Try and replicate it….you’ll learn so much. Your own sound will develop over time.
- Spending too long on one track
If you spend 6 months on one track, you will:
a) get disheartened
b) lose objectivity on it (does it still sound good?)
c) lose the opportunity to write 6 or 12 tracks in that time. That would equal 12 x more melodies written, 12 x more bass lines written, 12 x more beats programmed, etc. Think how much better you’ll be after finishing 12 separate tracks EVEN if they’re not perfect! - Not finishing tracks
This is similar to point 2 (but not quite). You might write 12 track IDEAS in 6 months, but if you don’t actually FINISH them, you are doing yourself a disservice. No one will hear them, you can’t release them, and you won’t have the experience of pushing through the painful parts to a finished project. Don’t be a dabbler. Be a finisher. - Getting hung-up on new plugins
Whilst some 3rd party plugins are advisable, you only need a few (and if you’re starting out, you don’t even need those). Learn your plugins inside and out, and how to get the most from them. Then, when you finally invest in a few third party premium plugins, your skills will largely translate to them. - Not using auxiliary channels
If you want to get some extra control over your spatial effects (like reverb and delays), learn to use auxiliary channels. You’ll be able to create so much more clarity in your mix by doing things like EQing and compressing your reverb separate from the dry signal. - Not checking your mix in mono
Loading in presets from fancy synths and samplers can sound GREAT, but they often have lots of stereo effects included that can sound muddy when summed to mono (on a phone speaker, for instance). This is no good, so you want to check your mix in mono often, to make sure it still has clarity and punch. Check out my post here to learn how to do it. - Not referencing other music
This is a KEY skill to learn. If you referencing other music often during the production, mixing and mastering processes, you will have a benchmark by which to measure your own music. I don’t know even ONE accomplished producer who doesn’t reference other music extensively.
So there you have it!
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve found yourself making? Share it in the comments so we can all benefit! 😀
Mine is getting obsessed with small details before getting the main idea finished. 🙈
