When you produce music, you should work like a chef.
From a chef’s perspective, the most fundamental element is high-quality ingredients. For the musician, these are everything you write and record: your vocal lines, bass parts, drum tracks, and so on. They need to be as fresh as possible. If something is clearly wrong, get rid of it. If it’s just average, replace it. Aim for quality. Re-record lacklustre parts. Scrap weak lyrics. Settle only for the best.
Once you’ve got great ingredients, make sure you don’t undercook or overcook them. A few choice elements are better than throwing everything into the mix. But don’t be afraid to add that one surprising (maybe even weird) thing that brings it all together or makes it more interesting. Balance is everything.
Then comes the seasoning. Plugins are like seasoning. And in the long run, who really benefits from low-quality food overloaded with salt and spice? The best chefs use seasoning skilfully but creatively. Sometimes a little too much is okay. Too little, and it lacks flavour. So get creative with reverb and compression—but know when enough is enough.
Not everyone is aiming to make Michelin Star music—but in recent years, the industry and the internet have become glutted with fast food music. Use this to your advantage. Quality, skill, craft, and integrity will stand out—if not immediately, then over time.
Leave a Reply