5 Habits I Had To UNLEARN To Become A Better Music Producer

Pre-save my new song 'i guess im alone' with Scro out Jan 19: ffm.to/guessimalone
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Chapters:
00:00 intro
00:32 clipping is good
02:55 overprocessing drums
03:45 loopitis
04:57 reference tracks
07:26 mixing on bad systems

[@deeprestredemption]

"if the reference track sounds terrible, all you have to do is make your track sound terrible in the exact same way, and you are good!" this is probably the most underrated advice you can give someone

[@Dull3n2]

genius advice fr

[@jeffreyhanc1711]

That’s the problem with so much music today: everybody copying everybody. Try making your music suck in your own UNIQUE sucky way.

[@alecgoldberg303]

he's the goat

[@kategoss5454]

@@jeffreyhanc1711 If every novelist made up a language for every book, nobody would read them. You learn to talk from copying your parents, friends, media, and reflecting on what suits your purposes. Music is the same- learn languages, and make sentences. They need to make sense to you, so you need to develop your own sense of your tastes and opinions. And crucially, musicians need to appropriate techniques, such as the use of instruments, keys, modes, styles, rhythms, arrangements, motifs, or whatever else inspires you.

[@ace-smith]

@@kategoss5454 a+. people get too hung up on unrealistic and arbitrary ideas of "uniqueness"

[@ctrainbeats]

hell yea, i knew after 10 years the reason my music sucks is because of my car

[@TheTonyTitan]

😂😂😂

[@IsraelMolina1997]

Hahahahaha same

[@dani_salguero]

XD

[@dj0shtur]

Hahaha good I have no car. Spent all the money on gear.

[@abrahamclark767]

Respekt

[@wyde0812]

I lost it all, my confidence, my girlfriend, and no bangin boogies to get down with the boys. It wasn't until I visited Dr. Underbelly that I was diagnosed with loopitis and had it for the last 5 years. Rest assured I'm now on track to get at least one song completed by the end of the month. Thanks Dr. Underbelly!

[@jclokwork]

On Track 👀. I see what you did there even if you didn't. 👏

[@PlunderAchiever]

​@@jclokworkunderrated reply

[@trayvanakin591]

Not the loopitis 😂

[@profyle766]

Bro...i was actually feeling a bit for you and about to say"strange name for s a DR..get well soon" and shit..then my guy says in the vid about catching loopitus!! I fukin DIed. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@milztempelrowski9281]

get well soon and please wear a mask xD

[@dennis_doom]

the "ok so check it" gets me every single time. no matter how many videos i watch that confirm that i suck at producing

[@futur_sunds]

Leaped for joy when I got a notification for this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This guy is THE best resource for genuine and relevant music production information without being bored out of your mind 🐐

[@ocupado658]

wowzers

[@futur_sunds]

@@rickyneves5895 with da sauce

[@theonenonlybass]

I got high before watching it for ultimate entertainment and it didn't fail.. and all of those tips couldn't be more true and crucial (except maybe the 1st tip about clipping, and i get his point but i think it's best (even in bass music stuff) to retain some dynamic while tryin to match the reference track loudness rather than jus clipping your way to it for the sake of lufs.. that's why the last tip about using reference tracks is the most important one cuz eventually you'll find out whats the problem in your mix at that stage just with comparing and analyzing.. (sorry about my long ass rant 🙏🏻 i fw that man and want no beef with him)

[@futur_sunds]

@@theonenonlybass everyone’s got their own preferences. It’s part of what makes unique music

[@cavedwellersound]

fuckin ay

[@RobVice]

4:48 I was diagnosed with loopitis but then I started getting in those broad strokes during the session. After hours of hard stroking it finally happened! Thanks to Mr. Overchest I am no longer a loop-virgin!

[@musicproductionsimplified]

Your last tip is so underrated! You might be the first person that I've encountered to talk about this. It's true, you gotta give up trying to make your song sound perfect on every playback device. It's an endless trap of analysis paralysis.

[@snubdawg1386]

the combination of my studio monitors + headphones + tv speakers (or laptop speakers) works pretty well for me

[@nnarcus]

yep. it's only by time I've learned that many of my favorite producers and engineers work on Beats or other shit but they know the sound so well so it doesn't matter

[@ILIKETOBOOM]

analysis paralysis. Hot dam ima steal that

[@cavedwellersound]

this was so refreshing to hear

[@musicproductionsimplified]

@@snubdawg1386 Yah, nothing wrong with focusing on making your music sound good on those! Most people are going to be listening to music on headphones anyways, so I tend to make sure my mix sounds decent on ear buds and over the ear headphones. I used to primarily mix on headphones, but now I normally mix on speakers because I feel like it translates better all around to all playback devices. I suppose you have to find what works for you. 😀

[@urphakeandgey6308]

I agree with the drum samples. Sound selection is a very fundamental thing people sometimes forget. This applies most for samples, since it's the most literal example of "sound selection" possible, but it also applies from synth patches too. You want your "starting point," whether it's a preset or an original patch, to be as good as possible. Like 90% of the way there. Then process from there.

[@Osax-music]

"Just make your track sound terrible in the exact same way"

[@joonglegamer9898]

One thing I've come to learn over the years is to not drown your music in instruments. Like good cooking, a few ingredients made well is good enough and can bring the flavour of that particular vegetable or meat savory and perfect. Same for sounds. The most common mistake I did in my early days was to add too many tracks with instruments. Another thing is to not let an instrument dominate too much, it should support the music not dominate it.

[@spiritlevelstudios]

Ye simple is nice. Tough to achieve with enough fullness but doable. Having dedicated background sounds and rhythms that sit low in the mix helps fill out and create the space that leads and hooks float around in.

[@innavision1920]

Simple finesse is the way

[@lavenderllamamusic]

The two i'm currently working on are loopitis and reference tracks. The last one, has never really been a problem for me, but i think laziness actually helps me avoid falling into that bad habit. I have a desk with cheap (decent) speakers and a sub on the floor. I would usually get on there to create, but i have a pile of shirts n stuff on my desk chair that i'm too lazy to move/put away. So for the past year, i've just been producing on my bed with my headphones and recently, a bluetooth/3.5mm jack speaker. I test out my mixes in my car and it's been consistently good with this setup. Just don't think about it too much is what I would say lol

[@DrumNBassed]

One thing I must stress to new producers to break out of loopitis is to work with vocals ASAP. Vocals can give a clear direction for a song rather than an instrumental. For instrumental music you need to have really solid motifs that act how a vocal would. Solar System by Sub Focus is a good example of this.

[@sashimi879]

Most generic tune ever. Boring

[@corradinomusic]

Happy recovery from loopitis guys🙌

[@ohmaramusic]

Loopitis?! Is it loopitis?!

[@unknownrocketeer9289]

you're so great bro even after ten years plus of producing I still watch ya. love ya 💜

[@MrBubbyG_Official]

Addictive editing style and video format. Great video. Subbed

[@kamranramsdenmusic]

So glad you’re releasing this kind of content again! Been following the channel throughout my entire production journey and the fact that I’m somewhat half-decent now is thanks in a large part to you.

[@stripedelicstudios]

You've gotten really good at teaching production! Please keep it up!!!

[@lionnonny]

Priceless with the hilarity 😂

[@luisinhobr]

as a visual arts student I love to see comparisons between different arts like what you did with Bob Ross. keep it up

[@dedrxbbit7549]

Here’s a bonus tip I’ve learned over 17 years. Yes, don’t over process your drums. Maybe one distortion. Maybe one compressor. Maybe one EQ. Not always all three, not always in a specific order, but that’s about it. Also, underrated tip but equally important, _ADD REVERB TO ALL OF YOUR DRUM SAMPLES._ If everything else in your track gets room to sit in, why not your drums? And ik, some of you are gonna say “yOu CaN’t PuT rEvErB oN a KiCk DuMbAsS,” and to you I say, “ever cut the low end of your reverb bucko? Probably not if you’re saying this.” I tend to use two reverbs. One very very very wet reverb (still full dry) that has a short decay and physically mimics a 4-walled room, and another one with slightly more decay, larger room, and less wet.

[@lifexearth]

It's funny cause, I already understood a lot of the concepts he was talking about in this video. But the one thing I took from this video to start using reference in my projects to get the same effect and loudness as the person's track I am using as a reference. Thanks for making this video, it goes to show that no matter how much experience you have in something, you can still learn something new.

[@TripleTSingt]

when I made my techno album, I was mixing on my KRKs and headphones, as well as doing a car check. Since both my primary mixing setups have little bass (5" speakers with no subwoofer), I realized very fast in the car, that the main thing was "sub is too loud", so I turned that down and now I really like my mix on most systems.

[@sebostar123]

ur a legend been watching since forever so happy ur still uploading

[@Nox-Eldar]

Your descriptions are the best, thanks beat man.

[@KoCTaKe]

Man I’m so glad I subbed to this channel years ago. There’s just nothing like it. Keep up the good work, wowzers!

[@ivazhu]

Thank you Underbelly! Who else in the world would remind me how much I suck at producing. Love to learn from you! Long life for your channel!

[@Thepaulislame]

Really helpful, love this style of video. Thanks man :)

[@Isaac-yt3bv]

I know you have some older videos on it, but I think a video going in depth on gain staging, clipping, peaks, and generally just volume would be a great resource actually. I think both music producers and streamers would benefit a lot from it. I tune into way too many streams where the volume is just way too low.

[@stripedelicstudios]

Great video!!! Wish i saw this a few years back. You rock!

[@knotcreate6967]

Wow, that was something I really needed to hear. Have a great day!

[@mubumubu5975]

That list tip saved me 😅been stressing over getting the low-end right for multiple systems. I'll just focus on the ones i expect my song to be heard and call it a day! Release time 😊🎉

[@BEEB-music]

These tips are actually super useful! This is exactly what I needed to hear lol

[@BasementEraAudio]

You have opened my eyes to my many flaws! Thank you, sensei

[@JuhoSprite]

I just found ur channel some days ago and joined the discord a few hours ago. Glad ur back

[@Piercemxpx]

The reference track with luf meter, & using it for the sub as well, is easily the biggest epiphany I’ve had in a long time. That is gonna make my life sooooo much easier from now on

[@DJABEATS]

Best video I’ve ever seen from you man, respect 🙏🏻

[@conway3452]

Okay so I'm following the instructions and I just bought the 02 Corolla. I'm already battling student debt, and the apr is shoddy (only like 18%). Anywho will there be a part 2 to assist with loan issues? Thanks!

[@lemonberries]

The king has returned

[@signature_d]

An incredible video once again!!!

[@kamcosmic]

Definitely suffering from loopitis, i really struggle with multiple drum patterns, can make 2 at most. (Genre is more like alt rnb/hiphop)

[@joshkeating7825]

I’ve recently started using more toms and multiple different hats, and it adds so much variation, depth, and texture. Helps change up patterns more to have more pieces to spread out.

[@kamcosmic]

@@joshkeating7825 Same! Definitely helped my drums in general. However I feel like my songs could benefit from multiple kick/snare patterns, so I actually have more change in dynamics, cuz usually those stay the same for me (aside from moving around ghost notes and whatnot) but yeah not sure if thats necessary. I REALLY needed to hear about the honeymoon phase thing, i thought if i get bored of a beat after hearing it a million times its just not good enough lol.

[@joshkeating7825]

@@kamcosmic totally true, dude. Mixing is a fickle task; it can really skew your opinion on your track no matter how good it sounds. Definitely have a beat graveyard that I go in and listen to sometimes and am like “what, this is heat, why is this down here”

[@stefanosvassiliou]

man i really enjoy your stuff!

[@tynan_official]

Unironically some of the best advice for modern day bass music production. A+ work 🤝

[@AlecWyld]

Your videos never get old man haha. Love it.

[@aloc23]

actual useful information in a short time with great humor so it‘s even more fun to watch.. awesome!

[@dj_Davepz]

It's always the car. Happy new year mate 🎶

[@m4riner]

holy moly this was actually really solid advice, thanks for this

[@Rivalofficial]

incredible simply incredible

[@nobodys2358]

The Earth is finally healing ❤ Missed you man

[@fcochandia]

Amazing content my friend

[@F_E_U]

love the haïda pic in the background, have a moon design myself

[@djmumma]

All brilliant useful and delivered in the usual 😂 style. Thanks very much ❤

[@Biffmalibunor]

Good tips!🔥

[@nocontextgonzalo]

Great vid Brody

[@b00ts4ndc4ts]

Back to the classics, love it❤

[@edwardsimlin7485]

Great content!!!!

[@johnforestgray]

you're the man G!

[@BoofSwagMedia]

Actually so helpful and motivating thanks

[@DarkTrapStudio]

I missed this kind of videos Underbelly, you gave me joy, and nostalgia when I found while I was really started producing music. Thanks.

[@theisandersen614]

this was probably your best video yet

[@Therealadriaanvisser]

I had a good laugh and also got inspired by your tips. Well done

[@tracktaylor2783]

Dude you are hilarous🤣🤣 and very educational too.. subsribed!!

[@jonmora8890]

Thank you, you also have a great day 🙏😌

[@mariusglaser4020]

Once again, wisdom was shared. So next time with the boys I can use the excuse that It's probably the car. Thank you underbelly 🙏

[@musicproductionsimplified]

Finally an excuse that is actually legitimate. 😂

[@celsoduque6634]

This guy is amazing at teaching, learning a lot from the videos in a fun way and just got a free orientation from him after entering the website, it's trully mind blowing and an honor for me, gotta love the internet. Thanks for your wisdom and knowledge sharing bro, and giving out the most valueable thing in life, time. I'll pay for a class when I get the money and organize my doubts in place. Dude is awesome! Thanks again.

[@chema__gonzalez__]

Sweeet bonkers wowzers uncle Barry is back with the tutorial and I am on the chuff train.

[@HIRAMECLARKEHOPS]

Nice video man, informative, with some nice comedy. Ill sub

[@RigelSounds]

inspiring as always

[@AD-Dom]

Hahaha that intro. Banger in itself. 😮

[@komenzmusic1342]

Amazing video!

[@Bittamin]

Hell yes! 🎉 Thank you Prance Conners

[@joshkeating7825]

Thanks, homie!

[@pwabd2784]

I needed this so bad. 😭

[@onlyamir4ge]

That beginning was amazing😂😂😂

[@quueueq]

love u man so much

[@Woter_X]

Amazing bro.

[@grimelandmusic]

Great video, thanks! :D

[@MichaelsPaintingChannel]

Maaan, that was gold! I knew that already. I was sick testing my classical guitar pieces in my car. It's always the most horrible experience. Of course I've learned a lot over time and hat much improved, but the rest of the bad noises are from the car speakers! I have another one: I've seen many finding a peak in the spectrum meter and then immediately eq it out. I mean, that really don't have to be always the case. Some notes or tone have that peak - it's ok!

[@JerkyTreats]

Putting key changes or chords in locators is also useful.

[@MisterAlibee]

Best Intro Ever.... and a very good video too

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

Your intro was REAL.

[@yasin6904]

Where has this guy been all my life

[@real_MacrocosM]

OMG OMG. You're BACK!;!

[@ProperXSmoke]

Love this channel

[@alfieholloway]

What a great video and channel

[@FuranGameplays]

One thing I learned the hard way is: trust your ears. Too much visual information when mixing can be a problem for a noob.

[@aeonATL]

Ditto

[@tyleryounkin1352]

wowzers I just love these videos I actually learn something

[@KitKalvert]

Wowsers... thank you!

[@Belaskonmusic]

learning and laughing at the same time?! Noiice!!

[@MountMatze]

I love you

[@olegnikitashin3525]

so good!

[@samuelgeorge7090]

As someone getting back into producing 6 years since practically giving up altogether, I needed this. Love u Underbelly

[@staysmuth]

I started using a reference track to do production now. as in, load "baby blue", notate every section and big change "-bass 4 bars here, add melody filtered back" etc, and then build my entire track around that. I've never fleshed out full songs so fast. having a skeleton is by far the greatest game changer.

[@jasonanderson5034]

if u actually make original music like unique u can't use a reference how do i find a reference for a lo-fi death metal song

[@secretchefcollective444]

@@jasonanderson5034 Just use one song from each genre, mash them together (with a saturator obvs, don't worry if one is 70bpm and one is 200) and add section refs: intro, whining about losing a lover, whining about why govts always go to war, chorus, more whining, break (more whinging), chorus, outro. Job done.

[@joaopedromedinamartinscarr6899]

Happy you are still uploading gold education and not giving up working on us. Stay forever please ;)

[@kevinsmarx]

This was great

[@patrickkelly5492]

THANK YOU!!!

[@wack...]

best proudction channel out there, actually watchable videos

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

Great info.

[@DaniBeing1]

tyyy man

[@richjones7313]

this is invaluable advice mate

[@ezcreations777]

i realllllly appreciate the attitude of this video it slaps ngl

[@freddyfilser]

the legend is back