Well, from personal experience, I'd say you need to be really honest and self-critical with your work. I know people say "don't compare yourself to others", but it is a good way to gauge your skill-level. I know this might be a bit controversial and not entirely accurate, but if you're making money and are in high demand, I'd assume that is another indication of how good you are.
It's a hard question to answer, but I'm also curious as to why you asked it in the first place.
hemlo yes i am the do durgs
johnfn made me this signature because i placed 6th in ngadm and only 5th and up got cool signatures but lets face it this is better
At 7/18/17 09:27 AM, McGorilla42 wrote: Well, from personal experience, I'd say you need to be really honest and self-critical with your work. I know people say "don't compare yourself to others", but it is a good way to gauge your skill-level. I know this might be a bit controversial and not entirely accurate, but if you're making money and are in high demand, I'd assume that is another indication of how good you are.
It's a hard question to answer, but I'm also curious as to why you asked it in the first place.
Indeed it is and I agree with what you just implied..but I asked it because as a producer sometimes you might not feel that you're actually good..or getting better..sometimes people won't even take the time too acknowledge you so that makes it hard for the producers to know how well they are doing. However you said if they make money that's an indication that they're good but let's be honest there are some producers out there who are less talented and still make it big while the real talented are left out..I also asked it because I'm my eyes as well I feel after a year of producing that i stink..
At 7/20/17 01:12 AM, LLCALIREP wrote:At 7/18/17 09:27 AM, McGorilla42 wrote: Well, from personal experience, I'd say you need to be really honest and self-critical with your work. I know people say "don't compare yourself to others", but it is a good way to gauge your skill-level. I know this might be a bit controversial and not entirely accurate, but if you're making money and are in high demand, I'd assume that is another indication of how good you are.Indeed it is and I agree with what you just implied..but I asked it because as a producer sometimes you might not feel that you're actually good..or getting better..sometimes people won't even take the time too acknowledge you so that makes it hard for the producers to know how well they are doing. However you said if they make money that's an indication that they're good but let's be honest there are some producers out there who are less talented and still make it big while the real talented are left out..I also asked it because I'm my eyes as well I feel after a year of producing that i stink..
It's a hard question to answer, but I'm also curious as to why you asked it in the first place.
From experience: you'll KNOW when you've made a wonderful song and you can't make it any better. Until then, keep improving, and never think you are beyond improvement. Even when your mixing is good, your mastering is good, there's always room to sharpen your skill.
Because the best musicians are those that grow and experiment and learn.
Sometimes we need others to cast a new lens on the stuff we've been doing. I have taken a listen to your stuff and there has been a reluctance for me to sing to your stuff, mind you, because to start with, your instruments do not vary in volume between notes -- an elementary mistake that we all commit. That sort of thing does not suggest any sort of feel to your instrument. I mean, come on: if you were playing it in real life you wouldn't be keeping the notes all at the same volume would you?
And then in tracks like this one, you'd need instrument choice. I can understand what you're trying to achieve here, but even you know it's not up to scratch. Better sounds and a greater variety of samples. @blackattackbitch, an old user on NG, has put up a thread on the Audio Forum about 800 or so free SF2s, to start with. Every so often you find people posting about free VST and samples. Do not take those for granted.
At 7/20/17 01:12 AM, LLCALIREP wrote:
l I feel after a year of producing that i stink..
Honestly man, a year is NOTHING. Hang onto that feeling of stinking and use it to drive you to do better. I only felt that I got the hang of songwriting after four or five years of practice and only feel like I'm sorta starting to feel vaguely confident with mixing after maybe four or five years of it (which isn't long either). If you like, I can listen to your music a bit later and give you advice, but I will be honest and won't hold back, so if you're prepared for that let me know!
So, yeah, just remember that a year isn't long and you have so much to learn! If you still feel like you suck after ten years, well, then maybe you have a problem.
hemlo yes i am the do durgs
johnfn made me this signature because i placed 6th in ngadm and only 5th and up got cool signatures but lets face it this is better
Exactly what everyone else said.
The day you stop learning is the day you die as a musician.
At 7/20/17 08:31 AM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: Exactly what everyone else said.
The day you stop learning is the day you die as a musician.
This is the truthiest statement. I am 36 now, I have been making music since I was 11 and I still feel like I have a thousand things to still learn. Music is a long road and honestly the first 3 or 4 years of your journey is going to be the toughest so don't give up now and I promise you will only get better as long as you keep making music(and don't keep making the same mistakes, duh) ;)
Just make music from your heart, keep practicing and learn some music theory, experiment, and just keep at it.
I am my hardest critic on myself, but that's only because I know there's always going to be better people out there.
Music is the language of emotion, which can take the mind on some crazy adventures.
When I'm writing my music, I have to 'feel' it. Some days are magic, others are tragic (when I can't feel it lol).
Some tips:
Keep every project saved (even if you think they are bad) to check it out in the future because it can help mark your progress as a musician, or it may inspire a new idea, or it may even turn out better than previously expected and you can work off of it.
Try to keep certain elements dynamic, repetition loses attention pretty quick.
Be your own biggest fan.
thank you for the advice and for being honest..I'll definitely look up samples from different places
I appreciate your time;)
So very true I'm also my biggest critic and I do save the stuff I consider really bad too see my progress.. I also agree always keep going and do music from the heart ..some people will like and some will not like your stuff.
Work as you never know tomorrow and do the things that no one can dare to. That's what my inner sensei told me to..
At 7/20/17 05:35 PM, Nacholuskey wrote: Work as you never know tomorrow and do the things that no one can dare to. That's what my inner sensei told me to..
Sounds like advice from the Mio/Homura days....
At 7/20/17 05:41 PM, Troisnyx wrote:At 7/20/17 05:35 PM, Nacholuskey wrote: Work as you never know tomorrow and do the things that no one can dare to. That's what my inner sensei told me to..Sounds like advice from the Mio/Homura days....
It is.. :)
At 7/18/17 08:50 AM, LLCALIREP wrote: How does one know if they are a good or bad producer??
Getting input from other people is a good way to tell. Pay close attention to reviews you get on your recent songs and compare them to earlier songs, even ask some friends to give their opinion. I've only been producing for 7 months, and my friends have acknowledged my improvement over these few months. I'm sure that you've been improving throughout your time producing music, and good luck producing music in the future.
