In The Zone is a blog about music production and the creative mindset. A resource for the modern music producer.
The principles here will help you construct all your elements in an intelligent and informed manner from the onset so that your production and arrangement comes together more fluidly and smoothly, as well as allowing for your mix to sound organised, coherent and solid.
In order to know how to create contrast in our music, we first need to define the parameters that allow us to analyse and define our music. What I have found is that there are 4 essential dimensions to sound and music to consider when breaking down the type of content in your arrangement.
Arrangement is the process of developing an idea you have into a full piece of music of typically at least 3 minutes onwards; it truly is an incredible art-form in itself and one which I am especially passionate about. A good arrangement will bring your ideas to life, and it will literary make or break your idea.
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In The Zone is created by music producer Russ Davies.
This article is a grab bag of quick creative tricks to dive into when in need of a fresh spark of inspiration - A collection of neat creative production gems to try out when you need a fresh dose of magic and drive.
We all have the habit of making material that sounds 'like us'. Even when you feel you've done something quite different, chances are everybody makes the comment that sounds 'just like you'.. It's a good thing - having your own sound is what makes you unique. However, it's also great to learn techniques to break out of your usual patterns and force yourself to write material in a different way.
This article explores some really useful techniques for maintaining fluid creative flow, a productive state of mind and to maximise your productivity. It´s important to appreciate that a piece of music only sounds complete when…
This article discusses how powerful a quiet space and “meditative” thinking can be for problem-solving. Closing your eyes, taking a step back from the studio, and contemplating your composition in a more deep and relaxed mental state can allow you to see your music from a fresh angle and form better creative ideas.
This technique is a great hack for unlocking extra super powers within your subconscious, and it works amazingly well. This is all about using your imagination to solve problems rather than tapping away your keyboard or instrument.
I think most professional musicians and artists can relate to the following story. Many times when I´ve worked on a body of work for an album, and I have tracks which I personally feel are the strongest by far, and then I have some leftover bits and bobs which I've wanted to throw in the trash….
Doubt is a dangerous enemy when it comes to making music, and doubt will ultimately prevent you from making potentially great music. Ideas can be delicate and fragile things and any doubt or insecurity is a heavy burden that can destroy your spawning idea before you'd had a chance to realise it's potential.
There is a need for writers who dare venture into the unknown of creating original ideas, rather than playing it safe and jumping on the back of others. We need more brave artists; we all need to be more brave artistically.
Creativity and inspiration comes in waves, like the tide. It will come and it will go in an organic flow and it cannot be forced. It will ebb and flow throughout the day, week and year; and the key is to catch the waves as they are coming in and not be lost out at sea when that magic moment comes.
I've heard it a million times before from frustrated musicians who complain that they're unable to get the ideas they have in their head out onto paper, or for the music to sound like the amazing music they have in their head. I´d like to shed some much-needed light on this matter.
THE CREATIVE MINDSET
This article is a grab bag of quick creative tricks to dive into when in need of a fresh spark of inspiration - A collection of neat creative production gems to try out when you need a fresh dose of magic and drive.
So you’ve rendered your final master and you think you’re all done? well wrong buddio, you can’t quite relax yet. If you want to pull your finger out then can can go well beyond the call of duty here then read this.
Ear fatigue is unavoidable, but with proper technique, you can manage your ear health throughout the day and avoid the mix mistakes you will make with tired ears. This article discusses the critical and mostly undiscussed subject of maintaining good listening practise and improving your mixes.
Creative Automation is used to enhance the flow and musicality of an arrangement. Use subtle automation to guide a listener through the song by creating anticipation and movement, and it’s the perfect way to join the dots in your track. This article contains some nifty creative automation techniques.
If you find yourself torn when trying to balance levels, not sure if your vocal should be a db higher or lower, or if your drum track is balanced correctly, then the tips in this article can make your life considerably more manageable.
Once you've mixed all the individual channels in your mix it's time to take it to the next stage, which is grouping all your channels into busses on your DAW and applying additional mixing to those busses. Take your mix to the next level using groups to unlock further sonic possibilities.
When trying to enhance your sound, it can be temping to create a large serial chain of FX on a channel as you aim to create a more coloured and textured sound, however, this process often creates an over-processed result that doesn‘t sit nicely in the mix and you‘ll achieve a more professional result if you employ good use of parallel processing.
We all know compressors are for controlling signal volume, but in reality they do much more and can add a magical aesthetic of texture and colour - but how you do this is not so simple. This article explores how to use compressors for character and sonic manipulation.
There are many theories and methods for how to eq your music but Id like to show you one simple system that works really well on any channel. This technique will help clean up your signal and allow you to carve a unique space each of our channels.
A mixdown with linear emotions and soundscapes throughout can become frustrating, lifeless and unmemorable. This article explores the various methods you can inject more life into your music by introducing juxtaposition into your arrangement.
Making good music or mixes is all about maintaining an inspired flow and work process, and if you get consistently halted in your flow because you’re tinkering with some new compressor or latest multi-fx vst, then your disconnecting yourself from the creative flow and peak state.
Now you've decided on the overall aesthetic and sound it's a good time to find a reference track or 2 that has a similar sound to what you are trying to achieve. This article helps you to identify exactly what qualities you are looking for in a reference song and how to map that to your own.
When I use the word Aesthetic I am referring to the particular qualities of the sound that define a piece of musics precise genre and era, and before you start your mixdown and production you need to first research and decide precisely what style and aesthetic are are aiming for in the first place
Mixing is so much more than just EQ, balance and levels, it‘s about vibe, character and magic. The goal is to achieve that infectious unique sound that immediately pulls listeners in, engages them and keeps them hooked.
PRODUCTION GEMS
ELECTRONIC COMPOSITION
The principles here will help you construct all your elements in an intelligent and informed manner from the onset so that your production and arrangement comes together more fluidly and smoothly, as well as allowing for your mix to sound organised, coherent and solid.
In order to know how to create contrast in our music, we first need to define the parameters that allow us to analyse and define our music. What I have found is that there are 4 essential dimensions to sound and music to consider when breaking down the type of content in your arrangement.
Arrangement is the process of developing an idea you have into a full piece of music of typically at least 3 minutes onwards; it truly is an incredible art-form in itself and one which I am especially passionate about. A good arrangement will bring your ideas to life, and it will literary make or break your idea.
A club arrangement is all about growth, anticipation and building excitement as you move towards the next section. Essentially the idea is to learn to work with minimal elements and on ways to develop those elements in a way which is exciting and engaging.
No matter how obscure or experimental a piece of music may be in a lot of cases, it can be beneficial to think of your arrangement in a pop narrative. I often notice in amateur music that the arrangement often falls apart after 1 minute…
The melody (or top line as some call it) will be the most 'human' aspect of your composition and is usually the element that will communicate the most emotion, and as such I encourage you to approach this element from a human perspective.
As a general rule, the sound design complexity of your bassline should correlate directly to the prevalence and positioning of how and where the bass is being used in the piece. To keep things as simple as possible there are only two types of basslines you ever really need to consider:
I have found that in electronic music composition you will find it much inspiring and easier to write a chord sequence on top on an initial bed of sound as a foundation, a collection of sonic elements that form some kind of abstract music entity, rather that laying down chords naked so to speak.
A “Core Idea” is what I refer to as the heart of your composition, its the raw collection of elements you use as the foundation for your piece of music and arrangement. In this article, I discuss the essential three steps to work through to have a well-formed composition starting point.