There's no doubt about it - being a music producer is hard work! Making tracks can be very time consuming and often doesn't lead to any serious results. When you're in the studio, time is of the essence, even though it may not seem like it. Staying quick, inspired, efficient, and focused is the key to making great music consistently.
So, what can you do to make your producing habits the best they can be? Check out our list of 5 workflow tips for music producers to get started!
1. Get to know your hotkeys
Hotkeys are everything. Knowing exactly how to do what you need to do, and fast, is the most important thing when it comes to your workflow. Once you get to know your hotkeys well, you'll be able to make split-second creative decisions without getting slowed down. Every second you save looking for a feature will instead be spent in the creative process, and you'll start to see that your music becomes a lot easier to make.
2. Create a template
Starting from scratch is always intimidating - instead, it's best to go with a template! Create an autoload template for yourself, which includes your favorite plugins, busses, and master chain. This way, you'll be able to dive right in with your favorite instruments and sounds and have everything set up for success as you produce the track.
To properly set up an autoload, you'll need to have all your reverbs and delays on different busses. Explore the various options, figure out the best plugins for you, and learn about the different types of reverbs and delays. Once you find your ideal combo, save it as a new project file, use it as the basis for all your new tracks.
3. Get to know your color scheme
Having a custom color scheme can help you get organized in intuitive ways. By setting up colors with elements you identify with in the project file, you'll make your workflow quicker and more efficient. Most DAW's automatically do this for audio and midi regions, but you can take this much deeper. For example, one color for leads, one color for vocals, one color for percussion, etc.
As you explore the color settings, you'll find a palette that works for you and gets you in the zone right away when you sit down in your studio.
4. Don't steal software
Having stolen software doesn't only harm the company which made the software, but it can also hurt your workflow. If you get too used to using cracked plugins and other software, you'll eventually be left in the dust when they get upgraded, and you'll have to spend a lot of time finding new cracks, re-installing stuff, only to be faced with the same problem once again.
Music production became a lot more affordable recently with rent-to-own subscriptions. Services like Splice allow you to pay for plugins in monthly installments while using them and eventually to pay them off. If you set up everything here, you'll have way less technical issues to deal with and the certainty that you're contributing to the teams that are making the software you're using.
5. Don't get obsessed with equipment
A great way to waste time that could be spent making music is to keep thinking your studio isn't good enough. New plugins, new monitors, new accessories, stuff will always be out there, and the marketing will always be great. Don't get sucked into the belief that you can only make successful music on the best equipment! Some of the world's biggest dance music hits were written in amateur studios on basic equipment. Knowing how to use what you have is much more powerful than having a huge toolbox you don't know how to use!
