5 Tips To Becoming a Better Composer

[@charltonmoore]

I just have to say, I've been doing this a long time and I'm not an audio engineer, I have advanced degrees in strictly composition. I don't usually hit links like this assuming it's a beginners sort of deal for the software crowd, but this video humbles me, in that sense. All of this is 100% spot on and even highly studious composers should hear this. Regardless of your specific forte (pardon the pun.) Kudos man...Thanks for that

[@ManchesterMusic]

Respect.

[@hds3]

Agreed. I've been getting out during quarantine and running about 6 miles per day. It certainly feels good when I get home and return to work.

[@adamofathens]

#1 is a big one for me. Thanks for addressing this.

[@Mopsie]

adamofathens true, I should go to sleep now

[@fhilipknows6000]

Rule 1 : health Beethoven : Could you repeat that? I didn't quite hear you.

[@AndrewColyerMusic]

1.) Health - YES!! If you're not well, and don't feel good, you can't create well. "I have the physique of a scallop." - FUNNY! 2.) Hearing - OW - DAMN. Go on tour with drummers, guitar players, and bass players. You will want to get In-ear monitors as fast as possible. Get the custom-fitted ones, because not only do you hear yourself better, it helps to block out the rest of the stage volume sound. You need those little cilia hairs in your ears for the rest of your life. 3.) (listen to what Geoff says here - many great tips) 4.) I need to do this. Thanks for the Izotope reference! 5.) I've never done this before. What a great idea, and thank you for the concept and examples. Geoff - great job on this video - Thank you for the tips here!

[@BillHilton]

Totally agreed about staying active and healthy. It sounds kind of weird, but I know *so* many composers and producers who just look pasty, puffy and generally like they're about to drop dead at any minute. I think maybe a lot of it is because writing and producing music is so absorbing: I hate sitting down for more than ten minutes, but if I'm deep in work I can end up sitting for hours, tea going cold at my elbow, going to bed late and all the rest.

[@chloehazle2726]

You are definitely right about the importance of exercise. I have a lot of my best ideas - or am able to develop an idea best when I am out for a walk. A lot of the great composers took daily walks too as a part of their creative process. Thanks for this video.

[@udidnotseemeherebyeee._.7540]

12 year old me trying to write my feelings out cuz I like music

[@OliKember]

Health, speed, story. Good on you for flagging these important truths. Much obliged!

[@ThePsyMinded]

Thank you for the tips sir. I've been studying music for three years now and starts to get work for commercials and so on. Starting to get real! Good video

[@DarrenCampbellmusic]

Hey man! Would be cool to hear your opinion on this: As film composers do you think it's important for us to watch a lot of tv and films for inspiration from both the story and the soundtrack? I feel that my music is a lot better when I am in the middle of a great story driven tv series. When I'm writing I picture these scenes in my head and it pays off in my music. But then at the same time I feel guilty watching tv and films as they can be time consuming and that time could be spent working on my music career! Thanks, Darren

[@staysmuth]

“Because you don’t look how you want to look” Never...never, would I have considered this important in creation. How obvious it is now 😨 Thank you very much man - you’re doing a great service 😼👀🔥

[@rebeccawhite5333]

Thank you for the solid tips, advice, and helpful links. If you're open to ideas, I think some coverage on "not overworking yourself" and "taking breaks" would fit this series well. Looking forward to your next video. 🔥

[@ManchesterMusic]

Thanks dude. Those tips are also super important. Especially when mixing, which can take a whole day.

[@danielmanahan692]

I add a personal for me that works do chess tactics puzzles or something very similar the part of the brain that handles problem solving in chess is identical to the creativity in developing musical ideas. which is why so many great chess players are highly creative. so in between composing sessions I take breaks doing chess puzzles building the brain's responses to problem solving.

[@carrottoponcrak]

When I get tired of practicing my violin or just musically tired in general, I'll go and study chess or do chess puzzles for 30 minutes. It always wakes my mind up and gets me back into the practicing mood.

[@danielmanahan692]

great to hear I use chesstempo dot com

[@EpicFishStudio]

I'm somehow not good at chess at all, like I am the worst player you can found on this comment section, but I create lots of stuff people would call creative. I have a file of 100+ moba characters; each having their own lore, personality, four unique skills and playstyles, and I keep it that none have matching character in real moba games. And that file keeps growing. I am not creative, or is chess not based on creativity?

[@Johnatomy]

Daniel Manahan ha awesome. I solve Rubik's cubes

[@philippplein4974]

But... chess is so fuckin boring bruhh

[@gjkoolen]

Good vid. Thanx. Another tip could be: try first to compose the music in your head, without the limitations of the DAW and instruments. The more you do this the better you become. Another tip: regularly stop and listen next day and write down all changes that you would like to make to the composition. Fresh ears and new insights. Great vid!

[@ceiiu2283]

Solid advice man! Thanks a lot for this. I have one question though. For your first advice you suggest getting a good sleeping pattern. But that doesn't necessarily mean sleeping early right? Because most of my most creative stuff comes during the night and a lot of creatives actually prefer to work during the night when it is less hectic. Just wanted to know your opinion on that. Cheers

[@ManchesterMusic]

I'd say that as long as your sleep cycles are consistent you're good to go. You might find yourself sleeping seven hours a night (even if you start sleeping at 2 AM.) as long as that sleep pattern is consistent and not interrupted by a super late night or an early morning you're good to go. The body doesn't like surprises. Sudden shifts in sleeping habits can increase irritability, inability to concentrate or throw your diet out of whack. But a solid sleep routine and decent work/life balance should lead to positive health outcomes.

[@ceiiu2283]

Gotcha, thanks a lot!

[@frankspears4597]

Helpful tips, thanks

[@ManchesterMusic]

+Frank Spears my pleasure

[@LaurensDowlingLane]

i just wanted to say thanks so much for these videos Your explanations are fantastic, easy to understand and I feel I'm learning a lot from the channel. Looking forward to the podcast :)

[@ManchesterMusic]

That's very encouraging to hear! If you have any questions for the podcast related to all things audio please submit one! Even if it's an idea for a future clip. Thanks again

[@LaurensDowlingLane]

Will do :)

[@lumpielump3576]

very well done - glad you have 30 times more subscribers now.

[@lmnt1153]

Subscribed right away. Straight to the point, honest. Good stuff dude. Thank you

[@ManchesterMusic]

+LMNT 115 thanks dude!

[@EloiseMwahaha]

Some great advice I'd never even thought about! Thank you x

[@ManchesterMusic]

My pleasure.

[@Xelae93]

Thank you so much for making this video! I really like the fact that you're covering so many different things in this video. I tend to forget how important some of these things are, but now that I know of this video, I can come back to it and refresh my memory when it's necessary.

[@Armadillo312]

Great tips. Mostly cause they are not about getting x and y gear, but instead are applicable to everyone, regardless of budget. As I've just recently become full time, I have realised how much sitting down you do and how much you isolate yourself from the world, so it's important to do something to compensate.

[@MarcoBrasci]

Hi Geoff, thank you for these videos. This channel has great content!

[@armanhanda]

I really like how you approach music, composition and engineering! In a holistic way! And you definitely made some solid points here! apart from the obvious things! Much appreciated :)

[@inarisound]

Great tips! Thank you very much! One question about headphones.... you've mentioned that it's extremely bad for your ears..... but I usually mix in my headphones (also use Audio Technica) at a very low level.... how bad is that? xD and maybe you can make a video about good practice for your ears at studio? (ears for composers and producers are REALLY IMPORTANT, that's why I am always trying to use as low levels as possible while composing/mixing) Once again thank you very much great video sir!

[@ManchesterMusic]

Maybe submit that one to the Vodkast? Either sent me an email ([e-mail]) or use the hashtag onTwitter. Don't mean to make you retype the question, it's just that otherwise I'll totally forget you asked it!

[@nisargrajguru4125]

I was expecting this video to remind me the things that i already know but your #1 tip is something which will stay with me forever.

[@ManchesterMusic]

Thanks dude.

[@carleflores9065]

WOW THAT FIRST ONE!

[@infinaneek]

Hahah “he looks like a carrot”. “I have the physique of, like, a scallop”. Brilliant.

[@LucaRicciComposer]

I would not consider myself a beginner. Maybe a low-intermediate. Nonetheless, I've found your tips really interesting and also inspiring, and I will probably also recommend them to my friends and colleagues. Great tips are often not complex or too deep into music theory, great tips are often easy to understand by everyone. Great job sir!

[@incandescentblack]

Oh my goodness, Thank you Thank you soooo muck! Love, Julie

[@JessePennerMusic]

Great stuff man. Honestly great content :)

[@ManchesterMusic]

Why thank you :)

[@JessePennerMusic]

No problem Man :)

[@tacotruffles]

Howdy. The link to the Logic template is dead. Of course I can search for other examples....but in the off chance it was one of your own, I’d love to watch it. Love your teaching style! LLP.

[@ManchesterMusic]

Hey John. Sorry about that, old video. Will be back in Canada soon to refresh the links.

[@tacotruffles]

Thanks for the reply. Have a safe trip!

[@Johnatomy]

I'm going to incorporate all these tips.

[@carleflores9065]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH I SUBSCRIBED AND WOAH !!! I'm working on that first one already heh, I have so much to do now heh... ✨💕

[@ClashixTV]

so i should just use my monitors? i didnt realise headphones were so bad :\

[@geraldtoaster8541]

Great video! Good info.

[@나영주-q3b]

I got it. I'm gonna apply those things from now on.

[@misterman5651]

this video realy helped me and inspired me thx man keep up the great work!

[@ManchesterMusic]

+david demuynck GET TO WORK

[@SaeVonSpringer]

We need more advice like this going around. Never heard about the affects of Ibuprofen before this either!

[@Taurex]

Protect your ears everyone. I got tinnitus from playing in a band in my teens without ear protection and way too loud. That means that I can never experience real silence ever again. It’s not worth it.

[@stevepetersmusic9262]

so number 5 is kind of thinking of almost motifs for characters

[@jithendravs]

Thank you so much for the izotope info really useful. All the other points are also very good and I follow them.

[@robkim55]

Ear Training is wonderful and very applicable. And 2 or 3 months can be more than enough.

[@Chhatrasalsinghtanwar]

Hello sir. My name is C S TANWAR. I'm from India. I want to become a music composer. Though I went through basic music education of singing. I also know how to play synthesizer and harmonium. But I don't know how to go ahead in this field to become a music composer. Though I compose tunes in my mind and also play them on instruments but I think I'm not going on right path. Please help me

[@howardzimmer6452]

C S TANWAR # Hey bro! I am from India too. You take some courses online from any renowned university such as UCLA. You can educate yourself with important books for composers like Arnold Schoenberg if you really want to be a composers like John Williams or James Horner. I am doing the same. Hope it will serve you well.

[@vaultcry]

Thnx Geoff! You know, i learn so much for last year but i making music by years. I don't know how and what to do to make money on my creativity? I dont know how to do that rly. Help me with this, what i need to do? How to make money for music? Not because of money, but we all need to eat something and sleep under the roof, u know. 🙄

[@jacobcombrink8689]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom sir*

[@seaseven3958]

Water fasting is great for improving hearing and repairing ear damage

[@carleflores9065]

Sea Seven WHAT!?

[@OlliOtter]

And getting sick. And tired. And depressed. Don’t do it.

[@imsamjacob]

Love it! Off topic question, why Ableton over Cubase? I see most people going to Cubase lately. Personal preference, or is there more to it?

[@ManchesterMusic]

+Samuel Jacob great question. I suppose this clip is a little old. I'm now on Logic Pro X though Cubase was a consideration.

[@imsamjacob]

Awesome man. Just love your videos! Hey, do you ever find that Logic crashes randomly? I wonder if it was just my computer - I experienced some of this and I'm seeing that Cubase has been less finicky. Running on 4 cores & 32gb ram (hckintsh) so that could be one factor haha.

[@ManchesterMusic]

+Samuel Jacob not in my experience, no. Though I'm running a 64GB 8 core system, whatever that's worth.

[@imsamjacob]

Yeah man, its all about those cores - I think the proof is in the pudding, I gotta get your setup!

[@hotfirefam5674]

fantastic stuff vodkast u rock

[@ManchesterMusic]

Cheers dude

[@Campbell-zt7fh]

First thing you said hit hard.

[@rokakonjah2801]

Thank you for sharing

[@lukiaffe]

Watching this at 4:39 on a schoolday while listening on iphone headphones. Yeaah my confidence is at low and I'll never be a good composer. I really need to change my way of living

[@paulinejulien9191]

Very helpful video! :D

[@HalValla01]

That first one seems like a great advice! Personally, I don't really give a shit about how I look. I'm overweight, but I don't care. My hair's a bit messy, but who gives a shit? I got all my teeth. They're a little crooked, a little yellow, but they're all there My advice on this is: don't give up just because people judge you. Remember, you are your own boss. Nobody can tell you how to look, what to smell like, etc. Only you can do that. So if you're happy, you're happy, and if people don't like you, it's their problem BTW: Happy New Year's!

[@FinnBjerke]

Words of wisdom. Thx mate. --- Subscribd.... btw Linnstrument is my choice not Piano. I have 9,5 fingers....Linnstrummnet is very helpfull for a guitar player like me. MPE is the future? (3 letter abbriviations is the futire?)

[@ManchesterMusic]

Cheers dude, nice to know about the linnstrument

[@nicholasreed854]

good stuff! followed and subbed.

[@ManchesterMusic]

Appreciate it dude.

[@Jexhurun]

Thank you

[@ManchesterMusic]

Welcome!

[@1hptowin]

Thank you for the tips

[@ManchesterMusic]

thanks for stopping by!

[@zobazoba69]

One of my friends has tinnitus. He has it everyday, 24/7 and will have it for the rest of his life. So, yes, watch your ears especially if you are a gigging musician.

[@curlykeys8261]

do you have any tips on how to actually get into the industry?

[@ManchesterMusic]

Maybe for another video

[@mareDBS]

My scared of playing keyboard but I'm solid in guitar. Can guitar replace keyboard?

[@ManchesterMusic]

Absolutely not. Compose on the instrument you feel most comfortable. But it doesn't hurt to brush up on another.

[@SoundsBy80K]

thank you VERY MUCH!

[@ManchesterMusic]

No problem dude, thanks for stopping by

[@mooimacow9533]

this is helpful! ;) thanks

[@kaihG]

Pretty good! Close windows before recording maybe though :D

[@ManchesterMusic]

PayPal me $$$ for an air conditioner, cool? :)

[@3motivemusic124]

Thank YOU!!

[@davidmeyer8756]

Dave Pensado has been looking a bit healthier lately, don't you think?

[@ManchesterMusic]

I do, yeah. And I actually got to meet him a few months back and he’s looking pretty darn good.

[@davidmeyer8756]

+Manchester Music Cool! I've learned a lot from his Into the Lair series.

[@aidenrajkovic7099]

2:21 😂 you really went there. 4 years later he's looking a bit better.

[@0xbitbybit]

How hard is it to score a gig as a composer for film/tv/games etc.? As you specifically mentioned it. Really wanna do this but I guess so do the other 3,330 people who've viewed it so far :(

[@sssbbb]

so you never listen to music when travelling? :(

[@RubinHenkel]

great video!!

[@ManchesterMusic]

Thanks for stopping by dude!

[@RubinHenkel]

+Manchester Music got you in my notifications now :) keep it up and buy some Brokkoli yourself ;D

[@ManchesterMusic]

I'm on that VODKADIET

[@spstudios1554]

King Manchester the first

[@panosmamatas6275]

Mozart listening to tip #1: I'll pretend I didnt see that.

[@jocylyndevoice3952]

thanks

[@ManchesterMusic]

+JOCYLYN DEVOICE my pleasure

[@alfaucko]

Awesome video, sub'd.

[@AbdullahMikalRodriguez]

what audio engineer school did you go too?

[@ManchesterMusic]

+Alex Rodriguez not in any way an endorsement: Recording Arts Canada.

[@AbdullahMikalRodriguez]

Manchester Music oh okay, I was wondering because I am wanting to get into composing for video games but I want to go to a good school. any suggestions?

[@midivanilli3847]

Another 1, Smoke a joint

[@blankspace0000]

Vodkast huh. Inspired at all by the Portcast?

[@ManchesterMusic]

Who does that?

[@blankspace0000]

This guy called Daniel James. He streams orchestral stuff on twitch.

[@ManchesterMusic]

Oh I know him, am not a Twitch person. The more drinking themed podcasts the better.

[@blankspace0000]

+Manchester Music Indeed!

[@RuthlessSoundStudios]

Thought this would be a waste of time but now I'm a subscriber. Looking to make some beautiful music before I die (not for a while) and any improvement is welcomed.

[@ManchesterMusic]

Thanks John.

[@kickbucket4887]

I found this video because I want to be a composer and came out smarter

[@lily-xq6me]

fresh air always helps stress

[@wearedirewolves1357]

Iv been listening to music with maxed volumes most of the time. I guess im fucked

[@b__wenner]

nice RVNG shirt

[@ManchesterMusic]

Cool people know..:)

[@moshikof7778]

im 22, is it too late for me to became a composer ?

[@nimitytei4715]

just do it

[@evrypixelcounts]

uses headphones 10-12hrs a day.....

[@Cambodia69]

3.) Rick Beato

[@tarachandhamlipoor2281]

Tara

[@rondiboyz1]

In this video, I'll be composing a cinematic score, step by step using only sampled instruments in Logic X!! Please see below for a full list of software and equipment I'm using! Check out the best composing music starter kit right here: 202john.blogspot.com/2019/04/compose-music_10.html

[@Saghaley]

"volume of questions" haha funny

[@JamesRJKR]

120 dB SPL is the average level you should listen to your mixes.

[@JamesRJKR]

Please don't take that seriously lol

[@ManchesterMusic]

James R between 70 and 90dB is the general level with 85dB being the optimal, agreed upon number. This is pretty much considered the golden rule by Bob Katz, & others.

[@JamesRJKR]

Yep very true, I was just messing around with ya

[@drhoust]

i prefer 125, really brings out the low end in my mixes :P

[@JamesRJKR]

David Houston ayyyy gottta get that ELC right ;)

[@zilipendwa-club-covers]

Amen!!

[@ManchesterMusic]

+Emmanuel Mtui thank you!

[@BlackAera]

7:06 what the fuck...

[@SoundsBy80K]

more please :D

[@ManchesterMusic]

Definitely more coming, stay tuned ;)

[@SavoirSelph]

This video is way too quiet...

[@lewisamoroso510]

HE'S PROTECTING OUR EARS !

[@carleflores9065]

DDDDD: YOUR DEF!!

[@danone545]

BEING HEALTHIER is the best advice to keep authentic as a composer, what do you think?

[@FolkBoyify]

I wanna become more like Johan Johannsson

[@teachermichaelmaalim6103]

0:50

[@BeatsAndMeats]

Ahahahahaha!!!! Oh no you didn't!!!... "his next review should be of a carrot" ?!?! Bwahahahaha!!!!!!!

[@dennisluetz-hawranke7039]

:-D hahaha "I'm going to call this podcast vodkast and drink Vodka!".... "rule number one: Eat healthy and excercise! "

[@dennisluetz-hawranke7039]

Genuinly funny :D great advice though :-*

[@kingdomsongwriting7825]

Physic of a Scallop? hahahaha omg.

[@ipostmusic-ipm6867]

1st im fcked up i dont sleep at night watching anime #otakucomposer