The 5 biggest mistakes producers make
Here are the 5 biggest mistakes producers make in their career. We've probably all done a few of these, but hopefully you can learn from this guide and avoid these setbacks!
Leaving songs unfinished
Whilst some songs are better left unfinished, there are some that just need to be revisited with a new perspective. Maybe the song on the whole isn’t worth saving, but it has a great melody which you can set aside for a new song or even put into a sample pack.
Choosing subpar sounds
Take the time to go through your DAW and find sounds that already sound good without any processing, and favoriting the ones you like if your DAW allows it. If you want your song to compete on a commercial level, make sure your drums are current and/or match the era you want your song to sound like it came out of.
Refusing to step outside of your comfort zone
Don’t be afraid to be different - set the trends rather than always “riding the wave”. There’s nothing wrong with being current and it can actually be beneficial to your career to do so - but don’t let this deprive your music of any heart or creativity - create some beautiful and unique art, and be unapologetic about it. Let your audience experience your influences!
Processing without a reason
It’s important to educate yourself on when & why you should process a track. Listen out for what your track actually needs and learn how to achieve this by understanding how things like reductive EQ, saturation & compression work before blindly applying them to your track. You can check out our guide to mastering your track here where we go through some of these techniques.
Letting failure define you
Failure is a part of the journey to success. Use it to learn from your mistakes and improve. Everyone has to start somewhere, and everything doesn’t work for everyone. Do some self evaluation, figure out what isn’t working for you and pivot until you find what is. Everyone in the music industry has experienced rejection - don’t let it define you, use it to grow and improve.
