Magic Formula For Songwriting? | FAQ Friday - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro

[@MarcBecker_Music]

The first album in which I consciously noticed this connection between the different songs was Marillion's Misplaced Childhood. When I was 15, I was blown away, especially by the first three tracks and how they are strung together. It's almost impossible to stop the album between Pseudo Silk Kimono, Kayleigh, Lavender.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Marc! That's an amazing experience! Hearing music flow together that well!!

[@ryKirwan1]

Can’t think of a better way to start the weekend, then with some cool clear advice from the man himself. Always something new learned. Thanks!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Ryan Kirwan wow!! Thanks ever so much my friend! I am so glad to be able to help!!

[@rybakryoshi1443]

I would love to hear more about songwriting from you Warren!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Rybak Ryoshi thanks ever so much! I am so glad you enjoyed the video and I love talking about songwriting!

[@monkeyxx]

I enjoy the warmth and seriousness of being involved in something any number of people will actually hear. I think that was addressed in almost every question on this episode!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi monkey dangus thanks ever so much! That’s beautifully put my friend!

[@anders671]

Man, working with you sounds like lots of fun and professionalism. Love your approach towards producing and your visible optimism. Best regards

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Ander S thank you ever so much! I really appreciate your kind words!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Friend, thank you ever so much for these marvellous questions! I love doing these Frequently Asked Questions Videos! We all know the song is THE most important thing is what we do, so I was very happy to answer your great question about the songwriting process! Please let me know your process, I love our discussions!

[@scottrance2818]

Warren I have a question. Music related but not song writing related. In one of your Q&A videos sometime. Could you explain 360 deals? I'm reading some literature on them and it seems to be the standard now if what I'm reading is true but it's kinda confusing . I don't know if I'm understanding them wrong but something gives me a bad feeling about them because if my understanding is right . Labels get part of the publishing? I was always taught you don't give that up no matter what because that's how you make your money as a writer.

[@miasampaoli7587]

Wonderful video Warren thank you ever so much!

[@darlenesheffield9835]

As usual the best information!

[@iwantappledumplings6187]

Amazing content! Thank You Warren

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Scott, marvellous question! Yes, every deal these days is very different to the past and each one is tailored to the band. I recently got a band I Produce and Manage signed and we did a 360, however the numbers were generous and easily as good if not better than an 3rd Party Publishing company would have done. Ultimately it depends on how much the Label really wants your band and who might be bidding for them as well.

[@darrenross9168]

Hi Warren, thanks for another great FAQ Friday, all the best from Gosport, Hampshire ,UK.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Darren Ross wonderful stuff!! I’m a Hampshire boy myself! A Hampshire Hog as my Dad would call me!

[@seemapal7410]

Darren Ross bi t

[@seemapal7410]

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[@darrenross9168]

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[@ShiningHourPop]

“Turn down the last plug-in in the chain”. Thanks Warren, that’s brilliant, never thought of that. Now I don’t have to mess around with changing automation

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi ShiningHourPop fantastic! Yes! I do it all the time my friend!!

[@redmonkeeproductions5978]

Hi Warren, thanks ever so much for a fantastic insight into some of the detail that happens behind the scenes of the production process.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Red Monkee Productions you’re very welcome! I am so glad to be able to help!! Thanks for the great comment!

[@allstonian13]

lyrics are the hardest part. they have to fit the melody. melodies flow as a musician. lyrics are tougher (as an english literature student (years ago)). I have numerous songs that are still lacking lyrics because I can only think of one line...but the chords are there or the melody is there...but I haven't been "given" the lyrics yet. I do not want to make people think the way I think...I want to touch something inside them.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi dana thurston I agree! The lyric is the single hardest thing for me and also my favourite thing to do!!

[@DaveKingMusic]

Do you offer these in audio podcast form on iTunes? Thanks.

[@diegooliveirabenjamin]

Hey Warren, Here's a serious question for your next Q&A: how do you deal with longer breaks from the studio environment, say, when you don't work everyday for at least a year, how can we get back on track, recover that workflow and all the tricks, and also could you give some tips about getting back to mixing after months of finishing a good mix. Thanks, great video as usual!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Diego, that's a marvellous question! I have actually taken a break when I was in my 20's of a year or so and I came back to music with a complete different perspective! It was renewed and I was excited!

[@diegooliveirabenjamin]

Produce Like A Pro that's amazing, I'm experiencing that right now, lots of downs and lows but I'm excited too

[@Producelikeapro]

Great to hear Diego my friend!

[@halcyonstar]

Hello Warren! Thank you very much for your helpful answer to my question about song order. Good to know I'm not the only one finding this task to be difficult! I'm definitely going to work on getting better at this. Cheers!

[@Producelikeapro]

halcyonstar wonderful comment! Anyone who believes it is easy really isn’t pushing themselves or making great music!!

[@darlenesheffield9835]

Your credibility, the fact you make grade music everyday and can bring that understanding of how great music is made to us is invaluable! Where do you find the time?

[@Producelikeapro]

That is so extremely kind of you Darlene!

[@electricladyguitarsdevonuk1414]

MARVELLOUS discourse! For me (Like Blackmore/Iommi) it starts with a riff. Sometimes a groove. Even better when a melodic/Lyrical phrase flows with both of the above.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Eddie Cameron yes, indeed! In Rock the Riff can be king!!!

[@scottrance2818]

Really great video Warren really enjoyed this one. Just an idea for creative writing for anyone out there with writers block . I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ever used this but I've had writers block before and it's always with lyrics I never get it with writing music I'm lucky there. I couldn't think of lyrics once for a song I was writing and it was driving me mad because I just wanted to finish the song but I didn't want to scimp out on lyrics. I always wanna do the best job I can plus 100% on top of that. I lok at my songs like they were my children. So what I did was I got my friends and family that ate a lot of chinese food to save the fortune's out of their fortune cookies and I strung those together. I had to add the odd word here and there but it actually worked. It was pretty awesome. Thinking outside the box sometimes to fix a problem like that is very satisfying.

[@8Music]

I think Mike Patton did that when he wrote the lyrics to land of sunshine on Angel dust(Faith no More)

[@adamfox9651]

Scott Rance The fortune cookie thing is a great idea. I think I'll steal it. 😁 Seriously, though, it's good to have a songwriting partner. Two heads are often better than one. If you're stuck on an idea, your partner might be able to help you get unstuck, and vice versa.

[@scottrance2818]

Adam Fox- Yes by all means give it a try, that's why I brought it up. Like I'm sure others here I've been writing music for 15/ 20 years so I've learned a few tricks here and there and I have no issues sharing ideas with the community. That's what everyone is here for. Learn from Warren, his guests and each other and we're al better people for it. I hope you write a hit out of that idea!

[@adamfox9651]

Thanks, Scott. That might be a great idea for a contest, maybe. Challenge people to write a song based on fortune cookie fortunes, and see what different people come up with. Might just get some really interesting results. Actually, I've only been writing songs for a few years. However, like I said before, it helps to have a songwriting partner. I could never have done it alone. He writes the music, and I write the lyrics, but often times he gives me ideas for the lyrical subject matter, and I give him ideas that will make the song better musically. Together, we've come up with a bunch of songs in that short time.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Scott, great ideas! I remember reading about how Bowie took phrases and cut them up then scattered them across the floor and picked them back together randomly! Great idea Scott!

[@davidallenhammond2777]

Brilliant questions and answer, info that is so valuable. Thanks so much Warren.

[@Producelikeapro]

David Allen Hammond thanks ever so much my friend!! You Rock!

[@riktascale4]

Thanks Warren, this was wonderfully informative!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Steelwiz! You Rock!

[@BrianBlackmore]

Warren you always have such solid insight! I appreciate the effort you put into teaching out even the smallest stuff! You rock!

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thank you ever so much Brian you rock my friend!

[@rocknrollguitar]

Im the writer, artist recorder and producer of my music, the only thing I dont do is the vocals. Are there any diffrences in this proces?? To get your singer help get a 'message' across...

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi David Ben deWaard Marvellous question! Getting a great performance from a singer is the same whether they wrote it or not! Sometimes it’s easier if they write it fo wrote other times it isn’t as they aren’t able to be as objective as they need to be! Coaching them is very impairment in both instances, when necessary

[@tisbonus]

Wow! You've been very busy this week. Love the advice and interactions. Have a great weekend my friend!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Tisbonus! Yes, very busy week, but amazing nonetheless!

[@sean_shimmer]

crazy bowie layering on scary monsters , and other worldy screams even

[@sean_shimmer]

a tenth of a db? wicked , mastering precision that is

[@Producelikeapro]

sean paul lampon agreed! Love Scary Monsters! What an amazing album!!

[@Producelikeapro]

sean paul lampon indeed! The reality is small increments do make a difference when they are made on multiple times tracks!

[@DocRock000]

The first 2 topics you discussed made me think about Queensryche.Pretty much all of their earlier albums were theme albums telling a story,so changing songs around would have ruined them Also regarding whisper tracks,Geoff Tate QRs singer used a full range (5 octaves or so) on his vocals and even whispered the word whisper once.....very dramatic

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Rick Roth great stuff! Thanks for sharing! I love those kinds of stories!!

[@SteKrae]

The one and only, innovative chair: Hag Capisco

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi SteKrae thanks for the info!

[@baqarhasan9743]

Hi Warren, I've learnt a lot from you so first of all, thank you for the videos. I'm fairly new to production and I don't have the laxity for trial and error as I'm 29. Can you do a live video from scratch i.e. recording, tracking, mixing and mastering etc; preferably on Studio One? Cheers!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Baqar! Yes, indeed! I have done actually a few of those! However I mainly work in Pro Tools. There will be more! There's one coming out in Logic next week for instance!

[@onestop.studio2253]

Great video, Warren. Thanks. Quick question: Have you ever been asked to remix/save a bad mix and took on the project? - I did, but I knew deep down I shouldn't have because, in spite of my high hopes and good intentions, there was no saving this project - mainly due to the poor recording and timing on the recorded tracks - never mind the poor arrangements. Ugh! Now nobody's happy. Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter - or in a video.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi onestop.studio yes! Many, many times! I relish the experience! It can be a lot of work, however you’ve got it honest with yourself and the client upfront about what it will take to make it amazing!!

[@onestop.studio2253]

Thanks Warren. All the best. Bob.

[@Producelikeapro]

You're very welcome Bob!! Thanks for the great question!

[@Kurt1969]

Great info! Rick Springfield is a fantastic musician and comes across as a very genuine, humble and nice guy. I bet he was cool to work with. Anyhow, thanks as always or sharing!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Kurt Singer thanks ever ever so much! Yes, Rick is an amazing talent and a great guy to work with!

[@deriktofil]

I have a problem of finishing a song or seeing an idea through. I'm great at coming up with ideas/riffs etc but sometimes i find it difficult to know where to take it and how to flesh an idea out into a full song. I've started a piece in reason recently and i'm having the same problem. Its a really nice cello and violin piece: Cello is playing the harmony and the violin is playing a simple but effective melodic line... The problem is, i don't know where to go after that... This happens a lot and i get put off and start something new and i just end up with lots of unfinished ideas. Drives me mad. Any tips? PS. I genuinely love what you do, you're a real inspiration and i think the fact that you are so successful and yet still so down to earth and humble is really very admirable. Also, this is slightly off topic but, if Wikipedia is correct the we share the same birthday - 28th of January. :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Derik, marvellous question! My experience is I force myself to work through some of these issues. Even an idea that's still needs growth is better than no idea at all! Often I get three of the ideas you're taking about and they become one song! Great day for a Birthday my friend!

[@deriktofil]

Thank you Warren, that is actually a very valid point. Come to think of it, I've had experiences like that with guitar in the past, where a couple of riffs or ideas accidentally fit together to create a song. I'm a complete beginner at recording myself (and quite new to taking piano seriously); i guess i need to be a bit more patient with myself and give myself more time and trust in the process. Thanks for positive outlook on it. It sometimes help to get fresh perspective. :) And it is indeed a marvelous day to have a birthday on. :D All the best my friend. :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Derik, yes, marvellous day to have a birthday on!! I feel like I'm a beginner ALL of the time, always learning!

[@deriktofil]

I think that is one of the beautiful things about music. We are all; always learning. :)

[@xFunera1x]

Great questions and answers. Thanks for sharing them with everyone. Be well.

[@Producelikeapro]

xFuneralx you’re very welcome!!

[@danterox1487]

Your videos are golden warren! Thank you a lot!!! I appreciate it a lot that you take your time to inspire us. Really true you are an inspiration for me makin music and also mixing ect. - Dante PS: I took a lot of tips from your videos to make my songs. Again thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thank you ever so much Dante! I am so glad to be able to able to help and it's wonderful to hear that you are making music!!

[@BrettRader]

Speaking of chairs, make sure that you can remove the arms while maintaining the structure of the chair. This is for all you guitar players out there.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Brett Rader yes, indeed! Lots of chairs fortunately allow the arms to go down and get out of the way!

[@darrenross9168]

yes I agree, man I had a computer chair with arm rests on ,all I will say is it was funny the first time I hit it with my elbow(the funny bone)but generally lost my humour with it the more often I banged it lol.

[@rythmmusiq1078]

HI MR warren i have been following u and i am grateful as a South african who can afford a course u are the best

[@splashesin8]

I gotta get back with the program of generating some songs.

[@Producelikeapro]

Do it Audrey!!! I love writing, it's a huge passion for me!

[@wallievlad5828]

Thanks Warren, always great tips!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Wallie! Have a great weekend!

[@miasampaoli7587]

I love the insight you provide from a true professional working every day in the music industry!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Mia!!

[@l.harrison9725]

Love your vids & your hair that always looks marvelously well! Learning SO much from U-Thx!!

[@gbaxter6465]

I live about 30 miles from the Herman Miller factory outlet and there are some great deals on Aeron (the chair model) there once in a while.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi G Baxter that’s amazing! Congrats! Those are extremely comfortable chairs!

[@lahattec]

What is that Waves plugin you use for whisper tracks? I couldn't make out the name.

[@Producelikeapro]

It's the Waves Morphoder: bit.ly/2IuAHRO

[@lahattec]

Thanks.

[@BrockBarr]

Just used the Morphoder on a track after watching this. It's awesome.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Brock! Glad to hear it worked for you!!

[@khronscave]

21:20 I'm about to get my third "Billum" chair from Jysk (this second one's backrest started falling apart, after... 3-4 years of service, i think?). Quite cheap (about 60 euros on sale), yes, but the thing that drew my attention to them in the first place, was the backrest being a net / mesh stretched around the metal tube frame / outline. The one i had before "discovering" these was one of those stiff-backrest jobs, and was pretty awful. This mesh-backrest thing is great, 'cause it complies to whatever shape your back is, and is as soft as you could want.

[@glennnmurphy]

I would love to see a video on your console !!!

[@steviebuoy320]

Hi Warren , thanks again for another great informative video. On the subject of whisper tracks , how does one go about making a whisper track ? Do you need a specific plug in or is it just recording yourself whispering the lyrics ?

[@mikesparks3398]

Hey warren, I love all the tips interview and such, I've learnt alot from your videos! my question is (i have a home studio) I'm getting ready to purchase a Focusrite Clarett that is supposed to have great mic pres, i was wondering, would there be a reason to have another mic pre in my chain? so my chain might be (Guitar to Marshall, miced with an sm57 going into a mic pre and then into my Focusrite Clarett then into pro tools)?

[@SLIMZ34]

Hi Warren. Have you ever thought of running a payed service where you provide customers a song to mix every week/month and then provide them with short reviews about their mix? You could also point them to some of your tutorials for references

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi SLIMZ34 that’s exactly what I have!! Go to www.proudcelikeapro.com and you can sign up for the Academy!!

[@SLIMZ34]

Aw I wish there was a monthly basis membership :(

[@SLIMZ34]

nevermind, it appears there is a monthly option!

[@BrockBarr]

The Herman Miller Aeron chair is not actually that great for your back over long periods. A standard office style chair is likely to better for you. They look awesome though.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Brock Barr interesting! It’s the industry standard in recording studios! I wonder is anyone else knows that!

[@spitfiremusic3997]

Wonderful information again and again

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@elimakowski1469]

Genuine Jewels my friend! Listen up y'all! Great info..Warren hits the crux of the biscuit! It doesn't get any more real than this..Know Your Artist!

[@songOmatic]

I think The Album is a lost art form. I love listening to how all the sounds and song orders fit together.

[@songOmatic]

Beck's Morning Phase is a pretty good recent example...

[@BillHesse]

Warren, have you done a video on tempo mapping or timing changes? I struggle as a non-drummer to always recognize when this occurring and further struggle to chop up samples correctly. I always have riff ideas and they just flow naturally without me always recognizing I’m going from 4/4 to 6/8 or in strange cases parts that will be 4 measures of 3/4 and two of 4/4 as an example.

[@kazpermusic]

2 years late but I ran into this one. Thanks...

[@alexandrzadorozhna7474]

this is an amazing video! Thank you so much Warren

[@19501960]

Sensible advice once again, thanks Warren

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Dee Em!

[@fuddt32467]

I'm a member of BMI how do go about selling a song?

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Andy, the best success I've had is when I sit in a room with the artist, that always works better for me than sending songs to them. Getting them involved is going to be the best way to guarantee they will cut the song!

[@fuddt32467]

Produce Like A Pro thanks Warren. I'll have to start rubbing elbows!

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes Sir! Co writing is a great way to learn and grow as well!

[@terrydoylemusic]

Fantastic, transparent info as usual. On keeping a copy of everything you work on, do you not store it in the cloud like with Dropbox or similar? That must be cheaper and more resilient than keeping old drives around. Like do some of the older ones even connect to your computer still? Also, do you state to artist in the contract that you keep a copy or is it an unwritten rule?

[@apenasmarcosfelipe]

genius! That helps so much, thank you!!!! gaming chairs work really well for us and some models are not too expensive

[@iwantappledumplings6187]

Amazing content!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Apple!

[@monsterk7603]

I notice you and a lot of other KZbinrs have two sets of studio monitors. What is the purpose for each and when do you use them? Great great channel. I'm a New subscriber and am hoping to join the pro mix academy soon.

[@StamatisStabos]

i use the Keith Richards method who wrote Satisfaction in his sleep 😂

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Stamatis, haha yes! I love that story!

[@mikesparks3398]

how do you solo a reverb or delay to hear what a vocal might be doing to figure out what kind of eq or compression i want to put on the verb or delay? im sure its simple but i cant figure it out! thanks!!!

[@mikesparks3398]

just soloing the verb/delay gets no sound even if the vocal is soloed as well

[@CenterStudiosReykjavik]

Dear Warren. My name is Olaf Eliasson, I am a pianist and music teacher in Iceland. I am a keen follower of your videos and there are quite a few here in Iceland that watch your programs on youtube. I wonder if I may ask you a simple question? I am building a studio here in Iceland. I am interested in having a really good personal monitor mixers in the studio am I am considering Private Q2 system. I see this in many high end studios on youtube,but there is nothing about it on the internet. Is this something you would recomend? I am sort of interestd in it since it is totally analouge, meaning it will not give me any software problems. Best regards from Iceland Olaf

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Olaf, marvellous question! Yes, I've used the Q2 system in many studios, it works great and yes, there is no latency associated with it, which we sometimes get in Digital systems. Do you have a console? If so it's very easy to set up!

[@CenterStudiosReykjavik]

Many thanks. I will probably go for it then.

[@Producelikeapro]

Miðstöðin great! Look forward to seeing you in there!

[@henkbaars4646]

why do not we use the Db series that we now have at our disposal

[@AllanGildea]

Superb, thanks Warren!

[@Tnwwnt]

Some time stamps would be awesome ! ^^

[@henkbaars4646]

We have now DAB audio in the car en hi res audio :::: bad comprest audio KILLS the musiek

[@6j6666]

You know I like your vids but how many goddamn commercials do you need interrupting them?! Jeez man.