Top 5 things beginners miss in music production

[@andrewhuang]

Leave a comment if you have more tips to share or if there's anything you want me to cover in the future! Some links for you: My online music production course: studio.com/andrew My plugin Transit 2: babyaud.io/transit Stream "Julian" everywhere there's music: fanlink.tv/julian

[@B.l.i.s.s.f.u.l]

Hi im a big fan!

[@LimeyRedneck]

Shiny! 🤩

[@Little-Frog]

Tip 6: Change what types of intruments you used in a song (e.g. making an entire of a song with no percusion or drums). This can focus the attention of the song on other instruments or make it easier to pick up on more subtle things that are quieter in the mix. I found this video really helpful as a beginner and will be using some of these myself on my next songs.

[@medicinal_soul]

Where do I begin? this is an extremely offensive video. Not as offensive as the shirt! As a beginner myself I personally felt attacked. Why would you not address the fact this is subjective or other very obvious things? Nor did you address the shirt! This is my form of satire btw and definitely learned a few things. Thanks for the help lol

[@OfficialStevenCravis]

Andrew, in the example tune, what are you using in mixing or mastering, besides the notes themselves, that has such a pleasant balance of in-tune harmonics with the song?

[@jayhu2296]

the drip is insane

[@d.bannings]

ong

[@informant09]

Literally

[@kevynoliveira]

100%

[@Positive_Tea]

Sauce

[@berkinke]

bro is shiny

[@Ranipla]

Catch bro

[@Dirk_Mcgurk]

he's an r.e.m song

[@kevynoliveira]

fr

[@connerogrady5035]

@@RaniplaAndrew Huang is a legendary Pokémon confirmed

[@Varonno]

Going to Vegas with this song 😂

[@quantumphlo3541]

A few of the tricks I like to use: 1. Have a secondary vocal track that emphasizes certain lyrics. I often make this layer wide with the lows cut to support the lead. 2. Add background ambience to your track to put it into a "place" like a beach or forest and then use filters/eqs/reverb to create natural sounding risers/down lifters. 3. Subvert people's expectations with song arrangement. Don't fall into the pattern of Intro-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus-Outro or Intro-Buildup-Drop-Break-Buildup-Drop-Outro. 4. Add an instrument solo or call and response style licks to compliment your vocals/lead melody. I often "respond" to my own vocal with a guitar riff or synth lead. 5. Use negative space to create anticipation prior to choruses/drops. The absence of sound prior to a drop makes the drop hit much harder and builds the feeling of anticipation for it.

[@roseopheliashepherd8379]

Thank you for sharing!

[@BixiDoxxes]

November 17, 2024

[@sebastianwu0825]

Very practical ❤

[@CaptainTedStryker]

The thing I like most about Andrew is he genuinely seems to enjoy sharing his vast musical knowledge. He wants everyone to love music as much as he does.

[@juankplaysmusic]

I mean he is getting money in return, it's a (nice) job at this point.

[@Ceru427]

@@juankplaysmusic It is rare for a person to build a career to a level where they can enjoy it themselves and also enable others to enjoy it as much as possible with enthusiasm.

[@BrokenScreen_desu]

I think there's one tip that many people miss: Don't be afraid to automate stuff. Whether it's a simple volume automation, a 6 minute long filter cutoff automation, or turning on and off 8 different effects in the span of 2 bars. Automation can be really useful to add variation, and if you use it right, you can make one sound turn into a completely different sound in different sections of the song! I use that for kicks for example. In one drop I'll have a kick, and in the second drop I'll have the same kick but with a lower pitch and more distortion. Really useful stuff!

[@JPPWB]

Abolutely. I recently used one nuero style bassline and automated a bunch of different glitchy and rhythmic effects to comepletely change it in multiple sections for example.

[@juankplaysmusic]

Yeah, but automation makes anything sound overprocessed and in the realm of hyperpop. Don't get me wrong, I make dance music from time to time, but really good SONGS (the ones who withstand the test of time or become true classics) don't need that much bells and whistles, and ideally the variations should come from actual notes/instruments/musicians, not a plugin parameter change

[@BrokenScreen_desu]

@@juankplaysmusic Yeah, for sure! The point is not to automate absolutely everything, but to be deliberate about it. I just personally like automating things a lot because I value sound design and having variation in my sounds without having to open another plugin, and I think more people should adopt that because sounds are cool!

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@juankplaysmusic I honestly think what a lot of people associate with those over-processed styles isn’t the automation per se, but the automation being super jagged and geometric. Not something you could do on a real mixing desk. Sometimes I like to record in various knobs and sliders over MIDI, instead of just using the automation lane directly with my mouse. It usually sounds more “natural” that way in the end.

[@winst]

I haven’t felt inspired in over a year to make music but these tips made me really excited to get back into it again!! Thank you!! 🌟

[@ralphstaal364]

Dude, I cannot fathom how clearly you can explain things - where were you all my life. Thank you

[@aaronrobinson2121]

Andrew's songs I always come back to: - Liftoff - Dorian - Bookmobile - Miracle And now Julian, was just listening to it this morning.

[@stachemo2886]

Tip #1 IS SO TRUE! Use random stuff like a pan or whatever to make grooves so much more interesting!

[@KidAstronaut]

Automate a pan throughout the groove loop? Never thought about that but I guess it’d give it some movement and depth

[@crnkmnky]

​@@KidAstronaut If that was a joke, it's hilarious. 😸 If not: I don't think that was "pan" as in Left/Right. It was pan as in _metallic cookware._ #IAintGetNoSleep 🍳🍲

[@KidAstronaut]

@@crnkmnky Oh okay! Yeah I'm new to production so still learning. I assumed it was left-right automation

[@crnkmnky]

@@KidAstronaut I'm not even sure anymore. 😅 Honestly, you could combine both techniques!

[@ZackWilliams_TheProducer]

@@crnkmnky I thought he meant pan as in left/right too lmao

[@xmgaming2444]

Tips 1 and 2 can both be done with the right kind of foley sounds, by the way. And they don't always have to be the highest quality if they're buried in the mix, just take your phone and record random things around your house or whatever. The offbeat and unpredictable nature of a lot of these sounds make textures that would be hard to deliberately create with a synth or recorded instrument.

[@bruoche]

What I love most on the topic of chorus and repetition is when what's repeated is recontextualised rather then just changed, both via lyrics and instrumental by having the same idea repeated but the evolution of the song or the emotions linked to it giving a new meaning

[@namjahs]

man these vids are a public service, thanks for being a gateway into the music creating world for so many (including me!)

[@bjared]

The only tip I think you could use is: Please never stop teaching music production. Side note: I took your Monthly course, so I'm saying this with the utmost sincerity!

[@zachary963]

For folks who do mostly electronic production: Tip number five, CHANGE YOUR DRUMS! It’s absolutely amazing how much a varied, “alive” sounding drum part will affect the feel of the song.

[@MilesKvndra]

Great tips - I’d add automating more parameters in general of sounds using automation lines or modulators like LFOs to keep the sounds interesting and evolving.

[@Christophe_L]

Shiny Andrew drops the most important information of the video at 9:31. Try to intuit what sort of stuff gets better with each repetition vs what gets old with each repetition. I have no idea how to do this, it's just gut feeling. Andrew could you do a video on this?

[@ViceAVERSA-w6f]

I've been producing and making music for forever now, and the thing I've always had a problem with was making things full, and some of these things I've completely overlooked. Thanks Andrew. Obviously, for everybody else, honing this type of skill in production and texture takes time and practice. Hell, it's been 6 years producing my own music on a "basic" level, and I still get things wrong. Soak in as much as humanly possible and don't be afraid to make a ton of mistakes. Wish I could've done learned sooner.

[@reset_rt]

Very big on Miss #5! I like to use something loose called Rule of 8, where something different occurs every 8 bars, either by adding/taking away a track, changing what the instruments are playing, chord progression, etc... just ANYTHING

[@LazyWaterZ-YT]

That’s really good advice

[@fusiend]

Rule of 8, great way of naming it, there is no exact same repeat w either verse, chorus, or breakdown!! Progressive thinking

[@BobbyDoesMusic]

Andrew's mom said they could be anything they wanted, so they became a disco ball (respectfully; it looks great!) Fantastic tips! Thanks, Andrew!

[@crnkmnky]

🪩😊

[@sr-kt9ml]

He* hes not "non binary."

[@uncroppedsoop]

@@sr-kt9ml actually iirc he is, or at the very least is open to being called other pronouns

[@BobbyDoesMusic]

@@uncroppedsoop Andrew has said in the past they don't have a pronoun preference, any pronoun is acceptable. She/he/they.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@BobbyDoesMusic oh that’s cool! I guess it was mentioned in the book or smth? TBH I “smelled gender” on some of these outfits for a couple years, but I tried not to think too deeply about it haha.

[@ЕвгенийСтолбов-у3с]

best ever advices for beginners but when I was like 13een I was free from any limitations and a quote came on my mind all your life you learn to paint like a child. but literally intellectually that's the best ever advices ive ever heard.

[@BrokenScreen_desu]

I'm only 5 seconds into the video but HOLY SHIT THAT OUTFIT!!!! I'm so jealous!!!

[@slink66]

I am jealous for everything else

[@brianestel3226]

For someone who speaks so quickly, it's amazing how not annoying you are.... knowledge is one thing, but your ability to transfer information with ideas and explanations is exceptional - many thanks....

[@andrewhuang]

Haha thank you I try to find the shortest but most effective way to convey each thing

[@shawn-singh]

I have had similar thoughts unclear and lost in my brain and I am thrilled to finally hear it so clearly explained! It takes a true veteran expert to be able to identify these and make it so simple.

[@Spirit-Groove]

Wow.. ok SUNGLASSES ON! 😎

[@professorbiohazard4271]

I feel like I need sunglasses to handle that shirt...

[@chuntbad]

Thank you Andrew! I’ve felt very confident in my songwriting but have been struggling to translate into production. I think these tips were exactly what I needed for more dynamics

[@svartsjokolade]

It's disco time, baby! Can't wait for the new FOO!

[@LuciSheppyLive]

6 years of experience yet I'm still coming here to see if I'm missing something

[@LuciSheppyLive]

And this is how I found out I'm still a beginner!

[@Rowanexen]

This was comforting to read lol 😂

[@DanielRiendeau]

Fax

[@Positive_Tea]

@@Rowanexenlmao what a journey we all took together ❤😂

[@rofiorofio2144]

Me 25 years… don’t worry ! It is always interesting to ear those things again and again, especially with Andrew’s expertise

[@vvlvmusic]

Great selection of misses, thanks for that. My counter-miss would be: leave room for something. Not every section of a song has to be as dense as possible, with layers upon layers of ear candy and harmonies and effects. It can be very effective to deliberately focus on a single element or on a very reduced version of a section.

[@triz313]

This would have been rad to have back in 99 when I began creating tunes with a demo of FLP 1.1! Things have come so far, and info and knowledge such as this are nuggets of gold! You bring a ton of good to our world, homie. Also, isnt that shirt hot! Its bada$$!

[@AhrenBaderJarvis]

I think building on what you said about expectations and anticipation, specifically building expectations and then intentionally breaking that expectation to create the surprise and intrigue.

[@mind_palace]

THE SPARKLE SPARKLE, cant focus on the words anymore, THE SHINY SPARKLESS❤

[@mikeciul8599]

Sparkley wizard teaches you sparkley music!

[@juankplaysmusic]

Looks so masculine lol

[@SUBCHVRGE]

The fit is giving 90's Madonna and I'm here for it

[@SevenPillarOfFolly]

Really good information, I will redo a lot of my uploaded songs with this in mind! Thanks Andrew!

[@nkozi]

So now you're a Disco Legend as well. Got it.

[@BLVKES]

Music is all about finding that balance of what is predictable and what is surprising! Love that line

[@dessiplaer]

Great tips, and a cool shirt.

[@michevanessen]

🤩🤩🤩 I’m in love with the outfit and look - wait now I have to rewatch the whole video to see what it’s about

[@KordTaylor]

❤ All of these are AAA tips. Should be part of every DAW when it boots up the first time. Again, excellent work. 😍

[@mopishlynx2323]

Holy crap I love whatever you're wearing right now

[@yomega69]

The difference between the ear candy at 3:17 and without it at 3:30 is SO STARK that's wild! So helpful to have them in comparison thank you for such fantastic educational content!

[@monsterfukk7737]

Thank you so much for all you do for us Andrew. I know that shirt is not comfortable at all but you still put it on just to flex on us. And we appreciate it.

[@NOCTACRY]

he is GLISTENING!!!!

[@toniozi666]

andrew you are serving !!

[@toastermonkey7511]

havent even barely started the video but that outfit goes crazy

[@NaN-Dala]

SWEEEEET!! Will definitely keep these tricks in mind, thank you so much!

[@WilliamA1]

3:02 subtle swells and sparkles make it interesting, and un-not-noticeable. Like a momentary otherworldly glimmer. Unmentioned but you can’t ignore them.

[@Acolytemedia]

I love the sequins. Looks awesome on you dude! ❤

[@ItsMrFresh]

EXCELLENT VIDEO!!! Absolutely loving the explanations and examples given. Super enlightening!

[@reidyboi2269]

Julian is my favorite of your recent songs! and flippin out

[@mdoerkse]

I definitely need to up my ear candy game. And the repetition with variation is another good point that I need to be more deliberate about.

[@amorapologist]

at least in terms of mixing, two biggest things i’ve had to accept is 1) you probably need more compression and 2) you probably need less distortion/reverb 😅

[@JamieR]

The details makes it shine. Great tips, Andrew!

[@etnamecul]

Sparkly outfit matches brilliant tips😅 nicely done!

[@d.bannings]

Nice shirt andrew. I first found out about you with that Sony collab you made. Love watching your videos and thanks for the advices

[@drewlosthisaccount]

thank you again for the knowledge and positivity. i opened up an ableton session immediately ✨💙

[@lzrbmz]

brilliant as always, thank you Mr. Andrew, your productions are so good, both in music and in videos 🙏🎶

[@stephenacosta905]

Always appreciate the continued passion Andrew 💜💜

[@spectra-inventa]

Recently I’ve been wondering what’s holding my music back from sounding professional, this confirms for me that it’s all this subtle things, the supporting elements.

[@Justdrumsandstuff]

Could’ve sworn I was subbed to this amazing channel. Glad it came back on my recommended 💪🏾💪🏾❤️❤️

[@Schaddn]

I always enjoy the ear candy you add, it's always so enjoyable to listen to your music because of it

[@husssamo]

very helpful Andrew, I really struggle with beat variations, ear candy and transitions. Thank you!

[@guzmas31]

One of the best videos on music production that I've seen.

[@scottlarock7924]

Thank you for giving us something to reflect on.

[@crnkmnky]

😎

[@bentaylor4705]

This is a goldmine, thank you!!

[@SamiJumppanen]

Extremely valuable tips in such a short video, and everything was super clear without watching the video, just listening. Thank you!

[@like7Y50N]

crazy top sir...

[@nkozi]

One tip I've found for learning how to do those vocal harmonies that's outside of traditional voice-leading - Listen to a lot (a LOT) of prog/soft rock/RnB from like 1968-1995. People used to get really insane about this stuff when recording.

[@Yuki-rh1ie]

GOD YES this is exactly what we needed. thank you so much andrew as always

[@WillWorth]

You have tricked me into listening to your excellent song. Thanks for the advice and the art.

[@andremitaccent9328]

Glam-drew Huang🌟💫 embracing the sparkles

[@SSquirrel1976]

Same vein as item #4, Prince's Forever In My Life had the backing vocals originally planned to be the response of call and response. They got cued up wrong, and instead happened before the lead vocal so it became response/call. Susan Rogers thought Prince was going to be furious, but he loved the mistake and that's what we hear on the album.

[@SALEENS7GTR5]

Another tip: 99% of the sound quality comes from mixing, not mastering. Get really good at mixing before focusing on mastering. Tip 2: You'll save yourself a lot of hassle if you use reference tracks for comparison. Run it through a 3-band EQ (highs mids lows) and see where your track falls compared to a pro mixed one. Listen on different set ups if possible, too.

[@AB-Prince]

I like these videos going into concepts and tips and tricks of music production, I've made some songs myself, mainly in the realm of BGM, but I struggle coming up with original ideas, a jumping off point, and even when I have the beginnings of something, I stuggle to find anything that works well with it.

[@introvert__music]

looking majestic frr

[@JacekJarentowski]

Fantastic - for sure will try to use this advice in my next project :)

[@krmn]

Amazing tips! I definitely struggled with all of these. I still do though but at least I'm more aware of them.

[@Saruri]

Yessss, keep them tips coming, love this. 💜💜🙏

[@emikaela]

came for the music production, subbed for the style

[@jaredfoster6839]

Looking good Simon 🙌🏻

[@davidsteinhour5562]

Andrew is RESPLENDENT out here

[@ac3theartist225]

Really awesome stuff here, thanks Andrew!

[@tyjuarez]

here's my guess before watching 1. compositions need empty space to breathe. 2. arrangements are about making parts of a whole, not just stacking layers on layers 3. mixes should have punch (transient sounds gainstaged WAY louder than sustained sounds) and clarity (vocals and leads also up a couple dB) 4. Recordings need to be delivered with confidence. Even if you don't think you can sing that chorus or nail that solo, sing and play like you think you can. (also, do just one more take) 5. Confidence, overall is key. This is your toolbox and you can do anything. Go for it.

[@andrewhuang]

These are great too!

[@21broadway]

Nice video! More like these would be great! Maybe i just gotta buy the course haha, cheers!

[@Jamesadamiak]

Loved everything about this!

[@neilingle794]

Regarding Miss 2 - Ear Candy, over time I"ve developed a little methodology for my songs (note: I'm a home hobbyist, not a commercial artist ;-) The stages go as: Sketch, Skit, Arrange, Sparkle, Mix, Master, Publish. The 'Sparkle' stage is where the ear candy comes in! I've got the arrangement right, but it's flat - that's when I sparkle over some angeldust to bring things to life! A bit of FX, some foley sounds, transitions, reverb etc etc. Seems to work for me, and allows me to concentrate on the arrangement and getting the basics right first.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Oh yay, even though I’m still just a beginner with production these were all things I’d picked up from playing different arrangements in band 😊 just need to trust my gut more instead of over-analysing (either in the direction of taking away too much, or adding way too much) I guess!

[@JamesWestMusicMan]

7:25 "I see that a lot in beginners"... and all of radioplay and billboard top 100!!!!!!!!

[@jockeyoscarecho]

Great content as usual. James Iha wants his style back too btw. Lol😅

[@NLT1734]

i also want to add that these tips work with *ANY* genre! I'm a deathstep producer myself and I've been using these tips in my songs for a good while now, and they work just as well

[@fossfeen]

6:11 PEEEEEEEEEEGGGGG (BACK TO YOU)

[@johnbrewer62]

Completely

[@ShirubaGin]

I want a song that's just the ear candy. Drop an ambient album Andrew!

[@andrewhuang]

This would actually be awesome haha

[@tommayo3212]

great tips - and a great song, thank you for sharing these!

[@ShwagAndHa]

9:47 lol I thought he said, “please scream Julian” and I totally just yelled it out loud

[@Cal_nsquared]

I could stand to do better on all of these, but I think I'm best at #5! Ever since I started producing music, I've tried to avoid simple copy-pasting of sections. I don't like writing needlessly long songs, so I often try to budget the lengths of my sections and plan a general idea of what each will feel like. I like to keep things structurally dense! The balance of repetition and variation is very important to me. The best essay I ever wrote in college was on that topic!

[@BenD_Bass]

Thanks man! I'm getting to that spot in my journey where everything sounds the same

[@bluestarorion]

Great tips, Andrew!

[@itinerantghost]

So many great tips here! 🎉

[@pulvenberg1709]

Biblically shiny Andrew. Love it.

[@LilYeshua]

Good tips. I've already am doing different tambourine beats to what we play in a live setting but yes,i want more percussion and effects. Listening to bands in the eighties such as Chick Corea and Special EFX and others I like all the extras and to keep the song from getting boring and repetitive.