Although I totally agree, I actually found this one more agreeable when i heard it in the film “ 'Too many notes, dear Mozart, too many notes” - Emperor Joseph II
I think for me, i have always struggled with creating overly complex arrangement or layers as its feels like I’m really trying and i just cant take myself seriously. I’d listen to my music along side other people’s and it just sounded so empty by comparison, but i just like it that way. It reminds me of a guitar solo, really going for it, centre stage, crowd cheering like crazy… im more similar to:
“you can start your soundcheck now” - soundman
“it’s already playing” - me
Or
“I think there is something wrong with the P.A” - soundman
“No, it’s meant to sound like that” - me
Both of these happened to me. Although the best one was when myself and Lucia were playing together back when we did Mimosa Moize and a girl came up to Lucia mid through our performance to ask the price of the t-shirts that happened to be next to her. 🥸
I try to lean into tracks that are arguably unfinished, and as if it only has just enough to hold together, like old blue skateboarder shoes held together with black electrical tape…also me, many, many years ago.
I used to make music to piss off my Dad’s parakeet, it seemed like the perfect critic.
Not really advice I was given, but a few habits I try to remember.
Record everything, always roll the tape.
Mixing is best done mostly at sound selection stage.
Every element to have a distinct role, place and purpose, no unnecessary clutter.
Less reverb than you think.
Actively listen whilst creating.
Don’t rely on processing to get a sound right, get the fundamental sound right.
“don’t listen to anyone” is not just bad advice, it is in my opinion terrible advice! Why would that be at no.3 of ALL the best advice you have ever been given?!
I remember watching some “how to make techno” video/seminar thing with some presumably big wig techno producer a few years back, I only watched it purely for curiosity to see if it was going to be exactly what I thought, and no surprise it was.
In the audience were keen 20-30 something mostly white, mostly male, mostly bearded and wearing specs, taking notes and asking questions.
Needless to say one of the first things covered was side chaining the kick, then all the other painfully cliched generic “production secrets” about LFOs, eq, risers, chords etc.
Ugh. To me this kind of thing is akin to a chef using a basic recipe book, no flair, just follow the rules.
…only one element each can have absolute priority in the three main levels in the house of overall frequencies, low/mid/hi…at any given moment of any ongoing and ever evolving arrangement…but yes if ur living in a modern house, there is also the basement sub, the muddy low mids, and the rooftop air range…but those, that rooftop in special, is for all the range leftovers of all the others…those inbetweens that make the good mix, end of the day…
…and of course, the famous one…mozart already mentioned…the space between the notes are as important as the notes themselves…
ah…and one more thing for dancefloor orientation and live experience in special…
8 bars for u, are 16 bars for the dancing crowd…
This is an important one. Maybe apocryphal, but Picasso was said to have told a group of people commenting on the quality of his works that he had no idea if they were good or not.
I would add to this thread 1.) No one is paying you for perfection (or: hit render already!) and 2.) Don’t compare yourself to anybody.
Not advice I was given but take to heart anyway. The famous quote attributed to Luther Perkins when he was asked why he didn’t play more ‘fancy’ (more notes):
Well, whatever you’re lookin’ for, I’ve already found.
Seems like my mum gave you the same advice than me
TBH i can’t agree 100%, it depends on situations, if you ever have choice/opportunity to focus on music you shall reach better you goals. I felt so free and much more successful when i chose to focus only on music. Fear of lacking is not a good advisor in my case
I don’t even know how people do without limitations. With just an OT it’s so many possibilities so whenever i see people (tbh everybody on this forum) with so much hardware around them i feel pain
Less is more indeed. Same for mixing, cut frequencies instead of boosting on other tracks. It also rejoins the quotes about silence. Probably music without silence would be closer to noise harrasment.
I’m blessed to not give a single f**k about making mistake on stage (unless massive one). Usually my straight up face disturbs quite a lot the friends when in an instrumental band (« he fucked it up… uh no? But i thought that… hmmmpf i just fucked it up now! »)
On a general note i’d say: don’t excuse/pamper yourself for being on stage. Music/good vibe first.
Edit: i forgot the sound engineer quote when recording: « shit in, shit out ». Don’t overtrust postproduction, you’ll earn a lot in terms of time, mental health and natural sound. I guess in terms of electronic production it would match to the quality of samples/sound design you feed your machines with.
This isn’t the same thing, but it reminds me of once at a gig talking to the DJ (because I did like what he was playing) and he said something like “yeah, I don’t listen to music with lyrics because I don’t want anyone telling me what to feel”. I really didn’t know what to say.
For the same reasons some Islamic fundamentalists forbid music cause it is interfering in your emotions, making your feelings altered by something coming from human intervention and not from divine.
I guess if you don’t want to be told/changed your feelings, you’d better retreat in a cave far away from any cultural thing/human interaction.
Still i have some issues with the moralizing lyrics of some music (i.e. reggae sometimes).
