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EDM Production is a rewarding hobby and career to embark on, but starting out as a producer is a task that can be difficult if you don't understand certain things about the creation of Electronica Dance Music.
Today I will be revealing 10 EDM Production TIPS that I wish I knew when I was just starting out.
If you've had any of these questions down below
*Do You Need To Make Your Own Sounds?
* Do I need third party plugins to get a professional sound?
* How To Get Started On A Song?
They will be answered and I hope that they inspire you to give these 5 tips a shot.
1. You Can Only Have a Big Kick and Small Bass Or a Big Bass and Small Kick
The kick plays a crucial role in many dance music tracks but besides being a kick, how does it influence our track as a whole?
One of the biggest difficulties beginners and experts have in EDM Production is the mixing of the low end. Low End is hard to mix for many because many of us can't afford huge speakers that can produce frequencies below 50hz and many of us reside in untreated rooms.
How can we assure ourselves that the kick won't be fighting with the bass ?
Make sure that you respect the kick and bass. If you have a small kick the Kick will only take so little space that your bass can be loud and more present. If you have a big kick covering most of the bar then your bass won't have much room to stick around .
As you can see below the if we have a small kick the bass will be able to have more room to breath while a longer kick will leave little room for the bass to breathe.
Keep this tip in mind next time you start a track,
TIP: Most modern EDM Music utilizes small punchy kicks to make leeway for the bass while Techno Tracks and Big Room tracks utilize huge kicks with long tails
2. Don't Be Afraid To Start A Song With MIDI or a Vocal
Many producers consider using Chord MIDI, and Melody MIDI as cheating due to the idea that you didn't create it yourself. If you want to be an amazing EDM producer you need to get this idea out of your head.
Many of the top producers come into a studio with no ideas which creates it harder to really start a track so what do you do when you don't have an idea? You start off with someone else IDEA and then deviate it into your own. Some big producers have pianist come in to feed them chords and other artist in the room to help them.
It's much easier to start a song when you have an idea than no IDEA.
If you still believe using MIDI is wrong then you can use a vocal to jumpstart an idea.
Keep in mind most vocals will have a melody to them and you can use them to create chords around the vocal!
Creating these chords will jumpstart an IDEA and once you have your chords you can choose to use the
3. Use A Clipper on Your Master
This one is a big one and a little kept secret of most EDM Producers! `
If you have attended ADE you will know how many producers are utilizing a clipper on the master, hell they even use them on leads.
Long are the days of maintaining Dynamics on tracks in Dance Music! We have to limit and saturate to hell to get as loud as our favorite producers. So start CLIPPING!!!
What is a clipper however?
Clipping tames unruly peaks, rather than the usual peak limiting, giving you another dynamics control option. Peak clipping is often a more transparent process than standard peak limiting, which is why mastering engineers often employ it.
My favorite clippers are the TRACKS Clipper and The Kazrog Clipper
PRO TIP: If you use a clipper with a high GAIN AND low OUTPUT you will apply a bit of harmonic saturation to whatever you route it too ;).
4. Use A Reference Track For Mixing and Arrangement
Using a reference track is something many people have done for years for Mixing purposes to maintain composure during long mixing hours and have something to aim for.
It's easy to get lost while working on the mix down of a track as you endlessly alter eq setting and compression settings,
Using a reference track allows us to have something to aim for while at the same time giving us an end goal.
The final thing a reference track can help with is in the arrangement of a track.
Make notes on how your reference track introduces certain elements in the track and how loud it gets in certain parts.
5. Use Good Presets To Make Your Tracks
The last EDM Production TIP I have to give you is to use good presets right off the bat to build your tracks.
Presets will help in inspiring you to make music while at the same time providing top quality sounds that you won't need to EQ and process as much. Do I need to mention how much time is saved by utilizing presets as you can focus more on your music and ideas first.
Keep in mind to use traditional sounds at first to create a track and one the track is finished look for some UNIQUE presets to set yourself apart from the rest.
For Example in Progressive House we use the traditional detuned Saws. You can use them as well to build your track idea into a masterpiece and once done with the track you can switch out presets to see if you can find a bit more of a unique sound.
Here at Evolution Of Sound we have countless sound banks to give you the sound of today and at the same time provide sounds that have never been heard of before. Make sure to check out our selection on amazing sounds for EDM Production