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

[@justice6480]

It’s outshining the content

[@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.

[@Fiveash-Art]

I just like the shiny shirt. Mithril

[@berkinke]

bro is shiny

[@Ranipla]

Catch bro

[@Dirk_Berserk]

he's an r.e.m song

[@kevynoliveira]

fr

[@connerogrady5035]

@@RaniplaAndrew Huang is a legendary Pokémon confirmed

[@Varonno]

Going to Vegas with this song 😂

[@quantumphlo]

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!

[@sebastianwu0825]

Very practical ❤

[@OrisStories]

Hi! What do you mean with making a layer 'wide' with 'low cuts'? Thank you :) Just starting out with vocal production :) Great tips!

[@quantumphlo]

@OrisStories Stereo width which can be achieved with multiple different techniques. A good starting point would be Infected Mushroom's Wider plugin which is a free download. Low cut means using an EQ or filter to cut out the low frequencies. Almost all vocal recordings have some rogue frequencies below the fundamental that turn your mix into mud. Cheers! :)

[@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.

[@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

[@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!! 🌟

[@kevinmarquez5929]

I don't think you have to wait to be inspired to make music, it is more like a habit, and the more you do it the more you become good at it.

[@aaronrobinson2121]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@ralphstaal364]

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

[@namjahs]

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

[@pleasestopdisassemblingmylimbs]

hylics spotted

[@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!

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@Spirit-Groove]

Wow.. ok SUNGLASSES ON! 😎

[@professorbiohazard4271]

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

[@yakmartin5429]

1) Deliberately do too much, no matter redundancy, similarities and EQ issues. Then thin it out. 2) If you're stuck, switch from, "I'm making a song" to, "I make a remix", put background up front etc. Thanks Andrew, gold content as always. 🧸💕🎵

[@SUBCHVRGE]

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

[@NoctiliaGrah]

he is GLISTENING!!!!

[@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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@BobbyDoesMusic]

@@kaitlyn__L I think it was on their Twitter/X or maybe they crossposted it to their Insta, I really don't remember. I just remember seeing them post it, and my brain locked it into place. 😅 😅

[@4i20]

Thank ya

[@svartsjokolade]

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

[@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.

[@lzrbmz]

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

[@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$$!

[@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.

[@nkozi]

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

[@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!

[@BrianGreenGoogle]

4 on the floor, groove percussion, disco ball shirt - dude sends a consistent message

[@toniozi666]

andrew you are serving !!

[@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

[@givezaid]

This will help out a lot of producers. Another important tip is to have a different type of song as a reference, so you do not have ear fatigue working on your song and referencing similar songs for a long time

[@mopishlynx2323]

Holy crap I love whatever you're wearing right now

[@kevinmurphy4582]

You have such an incredible talent for teaching! Youre living your purpose friend

[@dessiplaer]

Great tips, and a cool shirt.

[@introvert__music]

looking majestic frr

[@Saruri]

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

[@JamieR]

The details makes it shine. Great tips, Andrew!

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@BLVKES]

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

[@ItsMrFresh]

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

[@etnamecul]

Sparkly outfit matches brilliant tips😅 nicely done!

[@KordTaylor]

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

[@k6ukaur]

So easy to get comfortable and copy paste half of the song.2 things that also make a huge difference is the choice of your samples/sounds and vocal mix. Bad sounding vocal can make a good song sound awful.

[@markdavins7001]

Yeah, if you start to listen to all the pop songs, bright and clear vocal with harmonies is most of the magic.

[@drewlosthisaccount]

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

[@bentaylor4705]

This is a goldmine, thank you!!

[@reidyboi2269]

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

[@like7Y50N]

crazy top sir...

[@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.

[@stephenacostaCCPO]

Always appreciate the continued passion Andrew 💜💜

[@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.

[@mpt_house_news]

Great insights! Thanks for sharing these tips. Looking forward to checking out your track "Julian"!

[@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?

[@ImNotQualifiedToSayThisBut]

Generally from my own experience: Stuff that gets better: - small inconspicuous bits that have multiple variations or evolutions that make you go "oh, that's a bit different" and not "um, wow, that's... pretty different" if you know what I mean lol -soft sounds, slow movements with added layers. Generally things not in the foreground - slight deviations from the listeners expectations but nothing too jarring that'd throw them off completely. Stuff that gets repetitive or exhausting: - complicated/complex stuff without some simplicity that helps the listener to "understand" the structure a bit - fast riffs that stand out or - overpowering things in general - symmetry and exact copies without variation - tricks that (usually) only work once in a song, e.g., outro modulation, short silence before the chorus/breakdown, ending a vocal phrase in a climax, i.e., going high up in pitch and/or adding heavy harmonisation and backing vocals. Nice in the final chorus but if it happens every time it's boring and takes out the organic/dynamic development throughout the song. - on that note, having the exact same energy all throughout the song. In general you'd want to be like a pendulum swinging between relative low(er) and high(er) energy to give the listeners short breaks and build tension and resolutions.

[@RealityCheckVR]

Thanks for the video Andrew~! 🙌

[@NaN-Dala]

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

[@SevenPillarOfFolly]

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

[@toastermonkey7511]

havent even barely started the video but that outfit goes crazy

[@jaredfoster6839]

Looking good Simon 🙌🏻

[@sublimingmule6356]

I put out a track where after the first section, there's a very distinct muted stum pattern on the guitar. The next time it comes around, it's not that pattern, but up down up down, muted thing, the original pattern comes back for the third section, and it hits super hard because it's like a return to form, or a callback to itself. Doing that without thinking about it when I was recording, and then hearing it later is what taught me your final point. That project is called "the anrgy astronaught" The song is called Testament, and you can find it on any of the major streaming platforms now if you're curious about it

[@teddyboamah]

Gems 💎 more visuals like this 💯

[@vrijrein]

Thank you so much! This is what I needed when I searched for ''Is my song done?''. Very helpful :)

[@Schaddn]

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

[@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

[@krmn]

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

[@Jamesadamiak]

Loved everything about this!

[@fxdaly]

Sparkling content and top 👏 👏 👏

[@SamiJumppanen]

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

[@Dylamn]

Homedog got hired in the club as the DJ *and* the disco ball.

[@scottlarock7924]

Thank you for giving us something to reflect on.

[@crnkmnky]

😎

[@Justdrumsandstuff]

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

[@guzmas31]

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

[@connerogrady5035]

Really really solid tips and examples

[@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.

[@mcRast]

Great video and nice shirt!

[@bluestarorion]

Great tips, Andrew!

[@Yuki-rh1ie]

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

[@Doombia]

Really good, clear explanations

[@MaridenRamos_]

Thank you for these tips. 😭 I've been struggling what lacks in my current song I have been making. It's nearly done but it seems like it was lacking of something "I don't know." (you know) 🥺

[@ThereIsHopeInJesusC]

This is so real, I am a beginner and these are super good. Something I have had so much issues to know how to do is a intro. I am usually playing the piano for fun with some cool plugin sounds. Then I find a cool melody that I like and I record it. But then I don't really know how to create a song around this melody haha.

[@tyarcmusic]

Great tips fantastic fit

[@Raphael-p7r]

«Julian back to you» should definitely be the transition from the weather segment on a breakfast show😂

[@ac3theartist225]

Really awesome stuff here, thanks Andrew!

[@mathaeis]

This is a great video and I'm really thankful, as always, for your efforts.

[@PHjerdove]

Your outfit is fabulous!

[@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.

[@SPMG769]

But on the real, Andrew, that track sounds awesome and I appreciate the information 🫵🏿✊🏿

[@husssamo]

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

[@jamesankiewicz3141]

Good teaching!

[@WillWorth]

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

[@dekoto9817]

Very inspiring, thanks a lot !🙏

[@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.

[@tommayo3212]

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