5 Skills Every Pro Producer Has (and amateurs usually don't)

[@aadarshmusic]

1. Getting killer performances 2.dynamics 3.sound selection 4.1000 small designs instead of one 5. Quick design progress rather than perfection

[@24vojo]

doing good work

[@Areeb342]

2- Arrangement.

[@yanfang6609]

多谢课代表😀

[@bornhuman67]

I think you mean 'decision process' in #5

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Friends - I haven't posted in several months - I have taken a much, much needed breather from KZbin and my client work and my own artist project has been insanely busy, so thank you for being here still and being patient. I hope this video TRULY helps you. I want to make sure you are getting my honest and genuine thoughts on this stuff - too often we are getting caught up into the belief that great music can be boiled down to ONE trick or ONE secret and the sooner you can get that out of your head - the sooner you can start making REAL magic with your music. Lemme know what element was most helpful here!

[@BENJAYmusic]

great video again - ps i love your album.

[@andremack1580]

Ayyye Nathan. Glad to see you upload in a while ⭐️

[@streetmansam5073]

Good to have you back Nathan, thanks for a great video. Loved the two examples of the two different vocals and the fact great music is built up of a thousand small decisions.

[@thesecretrockstar8468]

1.) Progress instead of perfection. 2.) Arrangement. 3.) Producers get it the way they want it...❤ 😊❤ Keep guiding and motivating us. Love from India.

[@4TLOM-lw9qi]

Man I would love to make music with you.. I'm a musician singer-songwriter

[@heartshinemusic]

The way I see it, you basically need two skills that seem kinda opposite: ONE: great attention to detail: to really focus on individual elements (sounds and words also) And TWO: being able to zoom out and see the big picture and to have a clear vision of the end result from the start. Balancing those two skills (and not getting lost in the details all the time) is key to making progress in your art.

[@jon3076]

Great comment! Couldn’t agree more.

[@flpgus]

Absolutely agreed

[@Haxior5506]

Sounds cute! ❤

[@OfficialStevenCravis]

Heartshinemusic, great point!

[@spiderwebmedia627]

Secret production station and production daw

[@Jaicozy]

I love how barebones, honest and straightforward this is. Thanks a million Nathan!

[@markogutu9420]

Right? I agree... so much better than those, "One secret that top industry producers don't want you to know" type videos 😄

[@Jaicozy]

@@markogutu9420 For real.

[@shawnperry-qr7qg]

Very appreciated. Biggest take home for me is that it takes thousands of decisions. Gave me comfort when others might suggest getting lost in details. To me, a song is done when it feels like it always existed, and I simply uncovered the art or at least sorted out the not so obvious until clarity revealed itself. You also made it very clear this takes genuine real effort. No short cuts in a professional mentality. Thank you!

[@aaronwittrock7861]

Performances! About a year ago, I looked at the stems for The 1975's "If You're Too Shy Let Me Know" and it blew my mind how every layer was so expressive. Even the smallest synth sounds and ad libs buried in the mix were dynamic and not 100% quantized. Definitely changed the way I have produced and even played simple parts.

[@ColeRolland]

A+ video! Fantastic practical advice 🤘🏻

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

I see you ;) thanks man! I dig your stuff!

[@seabsfam]

Great advice thanks Nathan, I’m more doing this as a hobby but the more I do it and get those little tricks, it’s helps my motivation and my music just improves, the best advice I got from you was just to get on with it and stop watching and iv learnt from mistakes now I’m into the production more than the making, so thankyou.

[@ericruffy2124]

someone teach, someone instruct, but you Nathan, that's what I like the most, you inspire.👍

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Aw man this may win best comment of the day! Thanks for the encouragement

[@hunterharris637]

Thank you Nathan. This video was extremely helpful. i am very amateur and i was feeling guilty about remaking my favorite songs to learn from them, but this really reassures me that it was a good thing to do.

[@EqDior]

Reproducing hit records was definitely a major component to creating a solid foundation. Awesome vid And great list of pro details

[@ABunnyVTuber]

"But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer." That's such a key thing, knowing what you're going for (doesn't have to be 100% rigid, but have a damn good idea)

[@JayemelMusicUniverse16]

The last one is huge and felt like its hindered me the past few months and not finishing music. So glad you said this and i cant wait to make it work. Welcome back as well, missed you!! ^^

[@saxmanash]

Best of luck!

[@hurleymediatv]

Thank you! I was one of those guys always looking for that one secret thing that would make my recordings sound better, but began to realize exactly what your saying. Now I focus more on learning the thousand little things, as you say. I've been home recording since around 1985. I've never been that great at it, but I just love doing it. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@Prodbytodden]

Pure gold. Well said. Loved the point on nuance especially. You gotta have enough passion to sit there and fiddle with the stereo image of a 10-20 layer vocal in hopes of achieving a completely unique vocal effect. It’s an unwritten law of initiation to becoming a producer lol

[@davidhuntcomposer]

Great points, so few people talk about these fundamentals on YT. It’s refreshing

[@ryankidd1039]

I have to let you know that man this resonates on many levels. I love how you have adopted a growth mindset and also recognize how much our generation craves instant gratification and are looking for the "golden key". The advice you give isn't sexy, but it is reality. Thanks for sharing your wisdom through your journey.

[@renevalencia-arellano3137]

19 months (at least) worth of lessons, in a 19 minutes video. thank you. great content.

[@gregsonmatthews4453]

I’ve watched loads of “Silver Bullet” and “Pro Tips “ videos but this is the first time I’ve heard the Copy It advice . Thanks ! To me this makes perfect sense as It’s how I learnt to talk, play drums, sing, and I guess is what we all do when developing most skills. Again, thanks.

[@carlmcdonald7228]

I was working with this in the background and I had to stop and rewind - This man is spitting!!

[@LarryGibsonMusic]

Nathan . . . thanks for another great video!!!!!! Love the baby grand in the background! So happy for you!!!!!!

[@kevinsledge-px2kj]

Some of the BEST advice on The Net! Reproducing songs I like is something I’ve been instinctively doing. It’s a great way to practice and learn sound selection. Thanks for a GREAT video!

[@michaelscarabino]

Definitely one of the best videos I've ever seen on music production.

[@stephenc3060]

I'm not here as an aspiring producer, but as a perpetual student - someone both blessed and cursed with curiosity about how things get done. As such, I'd just like to say that the vast majority of this video is excellent advice for anyone wanting become more professional in any endeavor. Some of it will be more useful to those in creative professions, but mostly, just fantastic advice. Thank you!

[@monkmusic5994]

Nathan, this one is really helpful and honest! The essence, thank you!

[@jaceychan7099]

You are absolutely right and what I hear you saying is there’s no substitute for experience it’s sort of like someone watching a ton of KZbin videos about driving a car and they can get the jest of each video but you can’t expect that person to get behind the wheel and drive onto the highway without any problems unless the freeway is completely empty, producing is a series of concepts, techniques and ideas and if your comprehension level is addition and subtraction you can’t skip to trigonometry and be good at it

[@bassplayer536]

“Producing” in its true form is a perfect blend of art and science

[@mgmthegrand]

I actually understand why your channel doesn't yet have the number of followers that it deserves. It's because you're not trying to sugarcoat or clickbait or create FOMO. You're actually educating ppl. That's rare in this fast-paced instant gratification focused quick fix online world we live in. We need more of this kind of content - more NJLs and Andrew Huangs and Living Weirdos (Devvon Tyrrell). The kind that delivers on esthetics and a bit of entertainment, but still prioritises educating and informing. Thank you so much for what you do. We can't all afford to donate but I've been liking and commenting for at least 2 years now. Please keep it up.🙏

[@stevelawrie9115]

I remember back in around 2000, I was working for a company that was producing CD ROMs that were educational for primary school kids. Using Macromedia Director and Flash, when they were a thing and we would produce a class for a year with animations and puzzles that quizzed kids in 6 weeks. That included testing. These CDs were sold world wide with a staff of 12 people and I remember that it would be taken out of our hands in 6 weeks on the dot and there was always more we wanted to do but that was the deadline. :)

[@gustavotindido8290]

most of all, do everything with all your heart

[@AndrewKrivtsov]

Brilliant breakdown. I'd like to add a few recent thoughts I had (and it might be subjective, but I feel like I'm pretty on point): 1. Don't expect to make a pro sounding song immediately from this try. Get better than before with each try. It's okay to make something imperfect, as long as you feel it and you put some effort to make a step forward. 2. (related to #3), if you need to "hide" it in the arrangement or wash it out with the reverb - you need to re-record it or do something else. In the pre-mix arrangement you need to be ready to emphasize every track loud and proudly, and your worry should be to make sure it brings its function to the full. If you have to "fix it" rather than embrace - it's probably a bad tracking. If you can't get great replacement, see point 1

[@alfred11033]

All these 5 helped and are useful, keep making videos like this, it helped a lot!!!

[@anattaevergreen]

This was incredible, down to the root of things, profound yet simple teachings are hard to come by and you nailed it here. Quite inspiring thank you

[@charlesthrockmorton4046]

This was excellent, and exactly what I needed to hear at this stage in my learning. Thank you.

[@JoeTheDauntless]

I don’t know why I got all nostalgic from listening to your background music. Great choice!

[@practicebeats]

I m learning phase and I usually download my fav song and take it to daw and listen it layer by layer. Therefore I started making a basic catalogue related to tempo, bpm, wide or narrow, timbre, mauj instrument, sub melody.... I write whole details of a song on paper.. This my DNA of a song

[@alessandravotta9956]

This vid is gold! Thank you Nathan!✨

[@andrewlloyd8922]

Dude love your passion and clear thinking on this. The background music is cool too..

[@ZAY________]

Amazing video! Love the copying part so much. Thanks Nathan

[@FrankHarding-g6c]

Glad to see you talking about this 🥂

[@eyourich]

One of the most valuable production video. Agree every word cause this things helped me release first track and enjoy it.

[@kidnunmusic]

Literally made a note with these 5 skills written down. This is great man. Thanks

[@roykasika870]

Wonderful. Also, copying your favorite songs forces you to explore your libraries and (virtual) insrrumenrts deeper.

[@sauletto1]

Excellent insight. Thank you for this. To say this was only "helpful", would be a gross understatement. This is the mindset of how success in a field is achieved.

[@tommorton7211]

Great video. The point about “what feeling or vibe do I want this part to have?” dovetails nicely with the quick decision part because it scopes down the options to the few that will support that emotional goal.

[@diogosanches6623]

Its hard to deal with the fact that we are supposed to pay attention in thousands of details, but without perfection, also have to have good taste and make fast decisions as well. Well this is what this job is about. I love and hate that with the same intensity. Good content btw. Greetings from Brazil.

[@GeorgeDimopoulos]

Greetings thanks good info!!!!

[@ashleynicolesoprano]

Great advice and video Nathan!Those first several tips also apply to being a great musician and live performer as well. As a musician who does a lot of live gigs, I really spend a lot of time thinking about and practicing right notes, rhythm, dynamics, and story telling through the song, and paying attention to the smallest details. Performing, producing and songwriting skills all go so well together. Also it was great to hear those clips of your original songs in the background as well 👀

[@HaharuRecords]

Amen

[@gabeanspach]

Really great video man, super valuable information. Thanks for providing real value

[@djdean7602]

Thank YOU, I had to listen 3 times to these word's of wisdom. I really feel it was meant for me directly. Thank's you so much.

[@angermanagementstudios]

A good song, arranged properly, played well, edited correctly. Mixing is a piece of cake if these four targets are met. Unfortunately, it’s very, very rare.

[@heartshinemusic]

Hey Nathan. Great to see you back with a new video! You always offer valuable info and insights, so thanks for all your efforts. It's very understandable that you needed a breather from KZbin. Quality is always much more important than quantity, so no worries!

[@definfected]

Love all of you your thoughts and advice!! It's great to know you actually care and want to help people. Thanks for sharing!! Much ❤ Nathan!!

[@TennesseeTimmy-]

Just getting started again. And this was what I needed to hear.

[@ArtiOfficial]

I appreciate the last tip a lot! But instead of setting a timer, in order to make music quicker, I just double the tempo of my song so that I can finish it 2 times faster. Worked great on my last song! :)

[@walterwa256]

Get is right the first time. (I will fix it later is actually procrastination- 😢😢 I thought I was being hospitable to the client by telling them we will fix it later… I have changed my mind. We are going to get it right the first time. I am noticing that this happens even when I am music directing for a concert😢😢 From today, I am getting it right the first time. Thank you Nathan

[@mojizvukovi]

Very well explained and understandable. Be patient and look for that sound that you want it to sound like. I have already created and released many songs myself and I always think what is missing to excel. I'm going to follow your advice and work step by step to make my songs better for the music lovers. thanks Nathan, you are great👍👍👍

[@ElliottFalzon]

Could not agree more! Great video

[@stephenshortall1507]

Thanks for the info. Really great advice.

[@JimiWaggs]

Love it man

[@shilohpatten3761]

Breath control is super important for recording better takes the first time; for example, we don’t just take the breaths out of the vocals, we add them to the violin parts.

[@OfficialStevenCravis]

Nathan this is so great! I wish I could hear more audio examples of your productions in this type of video!

[@kalolakatengela2234]

Nice one. having a clear vision of what you want will help you produce a killer song.

[@ATrTRJja]

Golden tips. Thank you for your guidance!🙏🙏

[@JonathanBaker1000]

Really great Nathan!

[@notgodzod]

Great advice - thank you!

[@pattearnsthecreative1018]

Love how your not fluffy . Straight to the point. I find myself getting caught up in the mixing side and click bait videos. I look back and my best beats are usually when I'm just feeling out the vibe and nothing think about the shit production youtubers cause you to panic think on especially as an amateur or intermediate. Long story short , appreciate your none fluffy straight forward advice. / content

[@pattearnsthecreative1018]

Not think*

[@jayhorne2894]

Dude. Killer video. Thanks!

[@mrcego1309]

Amazing video dude! Thanks for the advice! :)

[@bijan.sadeghi]

Wow! This was so valuable. Thank you

[@GregorPQ]

For Nr.5: They do it also because so they don't get bored and their ears don't get tired and they get time to hear it all anew so you 'see' the problems get a fresh look at the music. If you get stuck - do the next one!

[@b00ts4ndc4ts]

Always think SAFE, sound/audio, feel and expression.

[@sanneman7220]

...Wow. Brilliant stuff, again.

[@petrieberries]

Well this video was epic. Best ever tips🙏🏻👏

[@urbanandruralsurvival]

Thanks for these videos, they are great

[@Lo-FiMusicStudio6]

Love you brother for information 🎉

[@CarlosYounes]

Very appreciated! This video was extremely helpful. Thank you very much Nathan. The best regards Cheers :)

[@garryjames3311]

Another great video! Straight no chaser!

[@sunstreetstudios6475]

Spot on, really, great stuff.

[@andremack1580]

Amazing Video. Also, CONGRATULATIONS ON 200K SUBSCRIBERS ON HERE 🎉🎊🎈🎉🎊🎈⭐️✨💫🌟🤩🥳

[@dpinskey]

The 5th step for sure is the most important. I struggle constantly with my partner to “finish and move on”, constantly getting stuck on getting song parts “just right” and rather than finishing them and moving on, we get stuck N nitpicking, getting frustrated and abandoning song after song. Songs with great bones. Songs that never see the light of day as finished pieces.

[@ROShANbeatsoffical]

thankyou son much, I wanna drop an ep and all the song/ideas are ready to be worked on but i was just too scared of messing up so i keep on delaying but no more. I am gonna finish it and thankyou again

[@Anonymousyt082]

Thank you for making this video

[@alvinedwards434]

Great advice. I think a lot of music makers these days are lazy because of technology. Tech is really the gift and the curse. I love the advice of doing it over until you get it right because practice still makes perfect! We need to get back to actually being solid and skilled at our craft.

[@peterelfman]

This is a great lecture, definitely something I needed to hear. I think the first four points in particular are fodder for future videos, with examples to really drive home the concepts you're teaching.

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

I have several videos on Arrangement actually - and I agree that there can be a lot more depth on each of these. Thanks!

[@peterelfman]

@@NathanJamesLarsen Oh yes, the arrangement vids are great, I recommend them to people all the time. The other three points, then. 😁

[@EFTOBEATZ]

Thank you!

[@christianebeling9246]

Thanks man, knew it, but needed to be reminded 👍🏻

[@tooomuchsausedrippen9720]

Yeesssssss he’s back!

[@detonario]

Don't forget creativity. Only a small amount of people have it.

[@Wheatsilo]

God with us followed by everyone needs a villian was hilarious. The contrast.

[@MadsGranumMusic]

Great thoughts!

[@fekiee]

Rare give a like to anything and THIS deserved it and I would have given more likes if I could, Love the honesty and rawness of this vid, subscribing

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Appreciate this! Thank you. Try to be straight forward as I can

[@BillHwang-b9e]

This really helps thanks

[@superjonz9958]

Now this is the REAL and RAW lifehack!!!!!

[@jon3076]

Awesome video, these were super useful tips.

[@Warphanz85]

Fantastic advices ! I recently released my first EP album ever, it's a mess, but it's DONE !! And there's always lots of room for improvement. Cheers !🤩😍

[@kaytouchbeatsug]

Your a good Teacher, I could use your help...

[@StraightUpProductionOfficial]

Straight Up

[@MattLeFaitMusic]

Great advice man!

[@eyeque7]

On a side note, I’m struggling with the music business. I’m a great mainstream pop producer. I get paid a lot for each song I do, work with lots of great signed artists etc but then I think about these artists and the money I’m paid for making these songs and I think, unless you’re song hits the radio or something big, you’ll never make enough money for it to be a feasible business. And even if the songs are great, what does that mean when the artists following isn’t big enough?! And streaming pays shit. I almost feel like once artists catch on that being like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran is like winning the lotto, they’ll stop making songs. And then my great skills start to become an unnecessary talent.