Why You Can't Finish Tracks

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Track in the VIdeo:
open.spotify.com/track/03s3tTW6P3i7VPXxyalTUu?si=4fbe8e9a1ec64bc7
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00:00 - Intro
00:56 - When is it Done?
02:13 - Story Time
03:57 - Mix Advice
05:23 - Fear of Release
07:45 - Failure = Success?
09:00 - Conclusion
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I am a professional musician, songwriter and sample creator who brings the world of music theory into electronic music. I help and collaborate with producers, djs, musicians, rappers, singers and songwriters creating new music and I also create instrumentals & sample packs of musical licks, guitar stems and melodies
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[@minimal3734]

I have countless loops and fragments lying around, but rarely a finished track. For a long time I was unhappy with this and it made me question my music production as a whole. But I realized that I don't depend on finished tracks for a living, nor do I have to present my work to others for praise. I make music, or should I say fragments, just for the fun of it. I realized that it was just my own expectations and the pressure I put on myself which made me unhappy and took the fun out of it. Now everything is allowed and can flow naturally.

[@zandertraveler2083]

Don’t let perfection get in the way of greatness!

[@kleeenco]

I think the hardest thing for me is so often I get 80% of the way there, and then go to add the remaining 20% and what I come up with doesn't match the vibe/emotion of the song at all, instead it just sounds like a whole new song.

[@Sool101]

No you have finished the track, it wasn't 80 percent done. Then it's time to move on to a new one. Different vibe, different project. And if you do that often enough you'll eventually work quicker and get things finished faster before new ideas and vibes come knocking at the door.

[@kleeenco]

@@Sool101 I like that outlook, thanks

[@don_huzan]

@@Sool101needed to hear this. Thanks

[@Bthelick]

Completely agree 👊 if you can't think what else the track needs (maybe after returning a week later with fresh ears) then it's done! There's nothing wrong with a simple track, and certainly nothing unusual about an artist's music getting more complex over time as they grow in taste and skill. Far more valuable to get over that 'hump ' of your first release, getting humbled by low streams, and then doing it 30 more times as you figure out how to get noticed and find your own voice/sound and develop your craft. Start the journey!

[@TonyOldskool]

Can totally relate to that

[@Bthelick]

"sucking at something is just the first step to being good at it" - Jake the dog - Adventure time

[@KingofHassi]

I really watch your videos more for your words of wisdom than your actual music production/DAW advice. Appreciate it a lot man and this encourages me to dig through the harddrive to all those tracks I got 'sort of finished' and either just release as is or give myself a tight deadline to add/edit and then release.

[@rollclubmusic]

I'm loving your videos!!!!! thank you! KEEP THE MUSIC PSYCHOLOGY COMING !!!!

[@JF_Auran_Music_OFC]

I needed this, thank you!

[@kitanuma]

Thank you for this. I have a project for a song contest due 30 oct, and the past few days have been such a rush - writing lyrics, balancing percussion, mixing drums, it’s a lot to learn all at once. But eventually I just have to trust myself that what I do is the best I can at my level. It’s good to have someone like you putting things into perspective and calm me down 😊

[@helicopteroapache7177]

This is definitely one of the best channels I discovered this year ❤

[@Impulse-One]

Thank you I needed to hear this today❤

[@jonathansutton8618]

been watching this on repeat for the past week, debating on whether or not to release a track of mine! beyond grateful for this content! cheers man!

[@zackorr421]

Thank you. Needed this. Totally other genre but needed this.

[@Bangers_mostly]

I can’t explain how helpful this channel is to me. thank you for all these videos! ❤

[@daisheyaku]

Good advice. Thanks!

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

The only thing you're doing by continuously not finishing a track is getting really good at not finishing tracks. Over time the conditioning will have kicked in and you'll be sitting on years of nothing finished, being an expert on starting something new. I can unfortunately speak from experience... 😐 I've only recently started to force myself to complete the arrangements no matter how crappy the idea turned out. It's very hard to push through sometimes but if you don't start it'll never happen. Still haven't "released" anything yet but at least I have a handful of "these are good enough".

[@Bthelick]

Exactly! Remember, they're "good enough" to you only, but to others? Who knows?

[@jodyjorchard]

I’m very much in a similar position myself, and I think I need reconditioning! The video did have me thinking ‘what if releasing music isn’t the ultimate goal for me?’. I guess although there’s a difference between releasing commercially (or whatever) and sticking ‘finished’ tracks up on a platform like SoundCloud or KZbin, it serves a similar purpose.

[@aw7153]

I've not released a track in years as i keep improving every song I make so i thought I'd wait a bit but this has me thinking about the potential of what could've happened if i had just been releasing all the songs , great vid mate thanks for the insight!

[@Bthelick]

Haha yeah I'm afraid to report to you that Improvement never stops my friend! So that's gonna be a while 🤣 The day after tomorrow is always the day after tomorrow until you decide it's today! 👊

[@flow.3411]

i really like your Style of making Videos and Tutorials..- clean, „streamlined“, not overcomplicating Things, and i always get the Feeling of „ i can do that „.. thank you 👍🏻

[@Joel_Harris]

this is the video i needed! sitting on so many finished yet unreleased tracks. always doubting myself

[@tonydelgador.]

Simply thank you very much, it is what we need to hear in these times, greetings from Perú!!

[@diedandie]

Great video! more people need to hear this message. not only does it help build an audience but it shows you're learning from your mistakes.

[@Impulse-One]

reaply hard to find someone who explains production in this way.. thanks again. ilp be coming back tomorrow for sure 👌👌

[@bennbutterworth4593]

Thanks Bthelick - always dynamite content mate! Appreciate you

[@youngrokitbeats7688]

Another awesome video! Thanks! 💪🏻

[@bbeest3148]

I really love your channel mate! V

[@atibakojo3478]

Your stuff is always on time. Release then heard in another context then remixed after listening to your mix post again 3rd time or so for that one.That mix post is just so revealing really really helpful. . All of your stuff is your cord tutorials really open that up for me. Really appreciate professional advice.👌🏿👏🏿👏🏿👍🏿✌🏿✌🏿

[@Bthelick]

Thank you! Which was the mix post?

[@atibakojo3478]

@@Bthelick I guess the one about mastering, about whats really loud and the function of the stereo buss. Yeah I took my limiter off and just when in and low and high passed just about everything, stuff fell into place better. Interesting how the level on the meter dropped but the volume was say clearer . Brought my bass drum back from burial lol . Dig your stuff.

[@hupie1961]

Thank you very very much...... inspired by you're latest video"s.

[@SweetDeltoids]

Great video, sir. A nice pick-me up.

[@joeyzuber1038]

Great advice squire! And you’re quite funny !

[@L-double-J]

I needed to hear this, thank you 🙏🏼

[@dmnC.]

Thank you so much, helps a lot this content 💯❤️

[@user-jg9pk4lv9w]

Much needed advice! 🙌

[@ivers1001]

Huge! Love this

[@SuperRingoffire1]

Good man thanks for the kick up the Jacksie! 👌☮

[@RedPixel4]

So true for music but also for everything else in this world like talking to unknown people. We fear rejection. Nice video, complementary to the technical videos and an important thing to know!

[@crow8300]

Just a great video appeared for me at the right time , thank you ❤

[@Bthelick]

Thanks. I recently made a 'sequel" video going into the medical reasons of why it's hard to finish tracks too (I hinted at it here with the "subconscious fear" thing) Check it out if ya get time 👊

[@crow8300]

@@Bthelick thanks for telling me i will definitely watch it

[@kmx_music]

I need to watch this video on repeat!

[@Scripture-Man]

Oh man I LOVE you. New to this channel but I've well and truly subbed and will be sticking around. You're a fountain of wisdom, cutting through the crap with refreshingly relevant advice. (You sound like a fellow straight-talking Yorkshireman too!) Mate, this video was for ME. I can't finish anything as my standards are too high. Hundreds of unfinished tracks I daren't sign off in case they're not perfect. Still putting off launching my music because I've got hundreds of different factors I feel need to be perfect before I start. Your vid is so inspiring, thank you! Your mantra about "not released because it was finished" is mega helpful! Just hearing you even talking about this issue is so encouraging.

[@Bthelick]

You telling me my best posh phone voice doesn't mask the northerness?? 😩 Technically from Lancashire, so that makes us sworn enemies right? 🤣 Living in Yorkshire currently though so all good 😄 Regardless, glad to help. I can confirm we never stop improving , so practically it's not actually possible to release anything at our best! Just gotta press the launch button and move on 👊

[@Scripture-Man]

@@Bthelick Ha ha, my dad's from Bury so I grew up with one foot in Lancashire, the other foot in Huddersfield.

[@danjers77]

As simple as it is, thank you :)

[@matheusab]

One of the things that I find most frustrating is that I'm actually aware of this situation. I'm glad, however, that you focused on the positive side of it, so I'll focus on doing the same. Once again, thanks!

[@TeezoDouble]

Thanks, needed this big time. My number 1 issue.

[@ActualKaktus]

I edited podcasts for many years and my favorite had to do with songwriters in Nashville. The most successful and dedicated of them wrote multiple songs a day and several handfuls per week. Listening to them talk about this blew my mind. It ultimately didn’t matter what they thought about their work. They did their best in a limited time and moved on. Their most successful songs often surprised them, and some didn’t even remember writing them 😅

[@Bthelick]

Yes I've been out writing in Nashville, in fact it was those photos that gave me the excuse to start my insta page. Indeed there were several writing 'camps' across different locations every day. like anything else those who practice more get very good (and efficient) at it. Even at my relatively sedate pace of 3 to 6 tracks a week now I have to be reminded of which ones I worked on 🤣.

[@raymiller95]

This is great advice. Just finish, you learn with every track. Someone told me once that nothing creative is every truly finished, it's just abandoned. You just decide at some point it's done. There will always be things you want to tweak or change but that is just knob twiddling. The audience only knows what you present, not every option you had. Finish. Put it out. Do the next one, rinse, repeat.

[@Bthelick]

Yes exactly. You notice at some point that every time you listen to something you can hear what you'd change and that's a vicious cycle, one that's not an option when it's your living. I could improve things forever , you can always better your best! But the progress comes from deciding to implement those changes to future work instead of the same work over and over. You're right no one will ever miss what they didn't know existed, only you will have that memory and time and time again you will be surprised by the success of tracks you thought less of! 👊

[@nils_mono]

Thank you, needed this! Combining this with your “3 R” and I might get somewhere 😬

[@yamahakimi138]

Yes on the T-shirt idea! lol

[@bigmanmike12]

thanks again

[@SantiagoArcucci]

wise words!!!

[@ben_sua]

I've recently started composing music for games, took me ages to be confident enough to send my work. But thanks to deadlines now I focus on figuring out faster what doesn't work in a track and find solutions, even if that means dumping parts I like, rather than reaching perfection. Failures and "good-enough-tracks-that-work" both provide precious lessons. Just sit on your chair, compose, get a nice balance, deliver/get critics and learn from the whole process.

[@faz8903]

really hit me with the "these modern youtube videos got you worried about what EQ to use", damn it makes me so insecure

[@djtsar]

you inspired me to instantly render my pre masters and send them off, thanks :)

[@paulford8651]

A truth indeed, a high majority of individuals subconciously believe that 1) anything they do is not or will never be good enough. 2) That they as a person will never be good enough or good at anything.

[@Bthelick]

"whether you tell you self you can, or that you can't, you're right!" - Henry ford.

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

Cool. On sales jobs we used to say "..."the NO", you have it already...", so jump and dive into it... There's only ONE way to hit the target - shooting.

[@mabian69]

In other words, one of my favourite sentences... "Done is better than perfect, because perfect is never done" ;) - Awesome content here, thanks!

[@marcuwu1990]

Thanks Chill. I rly needed this and never came back to thank you for the words. U know i was afraid of releasing my songs.. then after watching this.. a few days after i did it. Not a lot of views.. but one guy.. an artist, an underground but big here in Argentina, hear it. He contacted me and we ended up working together. Just do it guys. ♥

[@Bthelick]

Great to hear! No one gets views on their first releases. But releasing is the one way to start building your brand. I was getting tens of plays on my first releases but if you keep it up for years people will start to notice you and it's a snowball effect.

[@SweetDeltoids]

It'd be cool to have Bthelick on the pocket tee with these quotes on the back

[@SagesOfSound]

Hey, thanks for the "invaluable advice", its so true. Now all I have to do is........... heed your words of wisdom, and start finishing and eventually release my first track. Whats stopping me??? Me Myself And I, one more time now..... Just Me Myself And I !!!!!! 😃

[@harveysellors3741]

such a wake up call

[@jetxee]

I want the t-shirt!

[@Thought-Forms]

Great topic & points! Love it. Shout out to DJ Noob

[@Bthelick]

🤣 ya know what I just realized I didn't check if that was a real account!. I just made that up haha.

[@14DANW]

🙌🙌🙌

[@user-te3lp1hb4l]

legend

[@davidmcgirr]

If you need a deadline, there are tons of songwriting challenges that are highly motivating. Beat-tober, February Album Writing Month, and 50/90 (50 songs in 90 days) are great starting points. The latter two have communities of songwriters/music makers that provide feedback which is also very motivating. Finishing is highest on my to-do list for every song.

[@Bthelick]

Thanks for this. great idea 👊

[@don_huzan]

Wow this is cool, mind elaborating on what community I’d have to join to take part in this?

[@BITE_MECHANISM]

Yes I need that shirt 😬😬☠️

[@MrGroovyHouse-fe4cw]

There's a quote from somewhere: "Art is never finished - just abandonned".

[@MarkMichalowski]

Google says it's Leonardi da Vinci. It's very true - give mosts artists infinite time to work on a piece and they'll take exactly that.

[@padrebless2921]

Thank you B, Can you do a video on sampling and processing breaks to use in house music tracks.

[@Bthelick]

Absolutely. You mean the legal side or musical side of sampling?

[@etiennejulius1179]

Thank you Sir, for another great video. 🙏Your insights are gold. Just a quick question please … would you recommend releasing tracks of differing genres under different artist names (in today’s marketplace), or lump them all together, and let the customer choose the tracks they like? Thank you in advance! 🍻🍻

[@Bthelick]

Great question. This is a branding thing. I need to do a brand video. You'll notice my Spotify output is all over the place, and that's fine because if you know my brand, you know I'm just experimenting and teaching mostly musical principles etc etc. But when I ghost write for other artists we typically stay within much stricter boundaries. It's all down to brand, it's just a set of expectations between you and your audience, and also what your terms of success are. Do you want to be seen as experimental or a multi genre spanning pioneer, or is there an existing stage you want to play on that is famous for only one genre? It's all possible, just down to how you brand it.

[@Tom-tv4ok]

Can you do a full advanced course ? Your tutorials are amazing would happily pay for a full course

[@Bthelick]

I do plan to eventually, it's just making music and these videos already take most of my time right now. To do it properly I would need to do genre specific courses too which is even more time. I'm hoping as I get better at videos I can open up some free time again. 👊

[@aaronjansen2631]

Will join for sure !!@@Bthelick

[@creeperareinsane]

I've always been envious about your piano sound brother! How do you get that full piano sound? Is it several layers or just one good pianosound? I usually find myself doubting the sound of my piano because it's not as good as I want it to be, for reference what I think sounds good: The one used in your video. Could you do a video (or do you have one already that I missed) about making a good, clean, full piano sound, and also talk a little bit about ADSR modulation on the piano? Also, loved the content as always, cheers!

[@Bthelick]

I Rarely use layers. As might gather from My other videos I'm quite fastidious about picking the sound in the first place. Have you seen my "release ready piano house sound" video? I show most of it there. This one differs slightly in that it is a sample from the x5d, not the m1. Still free though, I got it from vst-store they have loads of sound font samples of old rompers. But there are no special tricks. It's a few touches from free software usually just eq , reverb very little else. It's big because I let it 'breathe'. No compression if I can help it, and just turn it up! (if it doesn't have a vocal or other instrument to complete with) And of course my no mastering groove-first approach keeps things punchy. (See my vid "how to not master your tracks) But in general seriously your just probably over thinking it. Make sure you're referencing other tracks when you're making yours (see my 3 R's video) and you should be fine.

[@Hypo11111]

Truth! I need to embrace this as someone who has easily spent 100s of hours with purely hobby personal tracks that never get finished or released. I have a hard time releasing without a finalized brand like artist name and logo and social links, etc. That’s usually why it dies off for me. The whole one artist name and brand you stick with is daunting.

[@Bthelick]

Yup 'branding' is it's own practice too! Definitely need to do a vid on that I've spent a long time studying that

[@Hypo11111]

I’ll watch it with joy! :D

[@chrisssmith92]

I feel the same way. Not that I’m ready to make my music instagram and stuff yet, but it’s daunting that I’ll eventually have to

[@ThePhantomJack]

You made me look at my 100+ unfinished tracks...

[@eliosix]

Bthelick is the only one, in the whole world, that kan say "RANT ALERT" and make me go "YES PLEASE!" 😆

[@lemming123]

Amazing video, and just what I need to hear right now! One thing that I would like to ask is about the actual process of 'releasing' the music itself? Surely the quality of the music has to be at a certain level before it is released (Assuming a label is doing it on your behalf)? What can be done to 'release' music in the interim, if it is not quite 'label ready'? Thank you

[@Bthelick]

Well, "quality" is a subjective term and that's up to you. The notion of professional sound is completely erroneous, It doesn't exist. Especially today. Are you releasing the music that you would like to put in the world? Because that's the only question that matters. See my vid on "why you sound amateur" And no, I would not recommend a label release your music. Labels have very little tools to help a cold brand break in the modern economy. And the contracts are literally a joke. Would you give a record label 85% of your rights for the rest of your life in return for $50? Because that's the kind of ridiculous terms they'll ask you to sign as a new act. Instead i think it's far better to release music yourself, It's very easy today, just go to a digital distributor like distrokid and fill out the form. It's $20-30 for the whole year, you just have to fill out a form and provide some artwork, done. When you can, prove to yourself and others that you can release consistently with a consistent narrative and build yourself a reputation based on that, That's the beginning of a career and that's when labels will take notice of you anyway, should you wish to choose to go that route in the future. I make a living as a self-releasing artist, all of my music in the last 10 years is self-released (and btw I release all my music as an unmastered mix FYI)

[@lemming123]

Thank you so much for this reply, it is greatly appreciated. Do you have any recommended resources for self-releasing please? I watched your video re Rave Generator copyright and I want to make sure I don't land myself into hot mess...@@Bthelick

[@Bthelick]

resources in what sense sorry, legal sounds?

[@lemming123]

Sorry I should have been clearer. Any useful information (YT videos/books/online) relating to self-releasing music (what to do, what not to do, how to avoid copyright etc.etc.). Thank you again

[@Bthelick]

Ah I see. Yes check out the channel "Burstimo" they give reliable information regarding self release. Regarding copyright I like Leonard French at the channel Lawful Masses

[@samuelhamilton5245]

Hey B, was watching your 1k celebration livestream, and I saw something that was interesting to me. At 1:02:25, you switched between mono and stereo on the reference track, and you said that the reference track would not sound good in some clubs, because the side channels are much larger than the centre channels. Can you please elaborate on this? Should I always be mixing in mono? If so, how can I add some width to my sounds? Is there some sort of meter that can help us determine if the side channels have too much in relation to the centre channel? What about bass? I've seen your bass processing video - you mentioned you shouldn't widen your bass to avoid phasing (if I'm not mistaken). Is this true? Could also be a video idea for you if you'd like - not sure if I am mistaken but I haven't seen any stereo field related videos on your channel. Cheers! - Sam

[@Bthelick]

Yes you have it correctly. And yes you should be mixing in mono. And especially referencing in mono. Stereo does tricky things to our ears psychoacoustically so it just makes things easier to understand for untrained ears. Not all the time of course but certainly switching a lot. Especially if you don't have the best monitoring set up. (See my vid on the 3 Rs for more useful tips on that) There's not much to it really, if you switch to mono and you hear the balance of your track changes in any fundamental way then there's an issue imo. (Speaking purely in terms of club music) Things to listen out for; - Lead sound dies/gets softer/lowers significantly in volume. - drum tops get duller/softer/less groovy. - bass balance changes vs other stuff (especially vs kick) Pick your battles, make sure the essential balance and groove is strong in mono, you can do what you like for extraneous sounds like background pads /arps etc. It's best to do by ear, but careful on headphones as headphones aren't stereo. You can use the free tone boosters goniometer or voxengo correlometer and look at the correlation meter to see what frequencies are going below 0 (uncorrelated / stronger in side channels than mono) Thanks for the suggestion I'll consider it but I try not to do engineering videos as there are already great channels like Dan Worall, and it's just over of those things that comes with time and ear training. Focus on the music, and how to be noticed, the sound stuff will come naturally along the journey. A bad mix of a great track will always be more successful than a perfect mix of a bad or average track.

[@samuelhamilton5245]

@@Bthelick I have seen enough of your videos to know better than to trust most metres (and to trust my ears instead) ;) Thank you for the solid advice - it's really a shame how much people complicate topics like this. Very glad I found your channel. Cheers from Ottawa🥂 - Sam

[@Bthelick]

@@samuelhamilton5245 Nice one 👊. Cheers to Ottawa 🥂 birthplace of one of my fave Video Games, Warframe! Thanks for the question 🙏

[@Bthelick]

Oh btw let me just clarify; When I say mixing in mono I mean checking/monitoring in mono. Not actually making final mixes in mono! I leave my loops/ reverbs etc in stereo as long as it sounds good in mono. Hope that makes sense

[@samuelhamilton5245]

@@Bthelick Thanks for the clarification! Yup I am a noobie but I knew what you meant 🍻

[@flexy.official]

YES!!! I have a busy night tonight releasing 10,000 unfinished songs 😂😂

[@TrotShuffle]

IMO, the king of finishing tracks is Calibre. He's a fantastic successful example of the points you brought up here. From my memory, he's stated that songs like "Mistical Dub" (from Mistical = project with Marcus Intalex AKA Trevino, and ST Files) were done in under 10 minutes or so. DJ Fabio also spoke about being drowned in submissions for Calibre's "Musique Concrete" album that he asked him to stop sending him tracks, just so he can go through what he already had on hand. It just sounds like he sticks to an idea all the way through, barely focusing on the technicalities of everything. Such a rare example of quantity = quality. His previously unreleased works under all of the Shelflife albums are a great condensed overview of his released works. Though it's mostly DnB, there's a good variety of house, techno, dubstep, downtempo, etc. Just like his "main" releases. I know this channel mainly does house and related, so I will say "Makes Me Wonder" and "Jibaro" from Shelflife 1 are fantastic gems hidden in between the other DnB tunes! You can even hear production mistakes in almost every single tune, like unwanted clipping and phasing, but the vibe makes almost none of that matter. His "Feeling Normal" album is also worth a listen (though IMO every 600+ songs he's released, which includes some remixes and collabs, are worth a listen).

[@George-nv1ri]

Good advice i have 5 tracks almost finished that i need to just get done, any tips for promo?

[@Bthelick]

Yeah I have lots to say on promo. There's many routes, it can be as simple as "be remarkable" in the original sense of the word: worth remarking on. If enough people are naturally inclined to talk about you then that's all the promo you'll ever need! I need to do a video on branding because having an identity / story / brand makes it so much easier than "hey look I made music please listen?". not that it's ever easy of course. In the mean time I recommend you absorb as many Seth Godin videos as possible! there's no better mind on promo imo.

[@aaronnorris4774]

Haha you should definitely put the quote on a shirt

[@matthewdemetree6743]

Hey bthelick I always struggle with finishing tracks. I’ve been at this for about 6 months but everytime I put a reference track I get stuck on a certain part like the baseline or the synth they used and I end up quitting cause it kills my motivation. Any tips on this ?

[@Bthelick]

Yes, my biggest tip is watch my "3 Rs" video. The problem is you are referencing way too late / after the fact, it's neigh on impossible to force / bend one sound into another if it didn't start with that intention at the beginning. Even with 30 years of ear training I can't usually do that. If you match the kick and bass to a reference at the start as you actually begin the track then everything falls into place and you'll find hardly any post mixing is needed after that. Not what you want to hear when you have a bunch of tracks 'nearly finished' but like a house, if it's built on weak foundations it will fall down at the end! I have had clients ask me to change a kick drum when the rest of the track was finished. Thinking it was a 10 minute job and my reply is usually "have you got a few hours to spare " because if you change something as important as a kick it will have a ripple effect on most other sounds thereafter. It's a million times easier if the sound selection is good to begin with.

[@Slowlyburnedelectronics]

Great video and topic. Amy proposals on how to release a track? I am with the idea that sending demos to record companies is not the way anymore due to thousands of tracks produced everyday.

[@Bthelick]

Just go to somewhere like distrokid. Fill out the form, upload your wav and cover art (get a free ai program to make you one if like me you can't do visuals) pay the £20-ish (that's for a year) and that's it they'll do the rest. Certainly no label needed. There are no gatekeepers any more.

[@Slowlyburnedelectronics]

@@Bthelick Thank you, I will check it out. Btw, you are doing an excellent job by insisting on simple explanation of music theory and not on "new plugins/ hardware that does miracles" or the "secrets that music industry does not want you to know" kind of videos.

[@Bthelick]

Thanks yeah luckily I already have a career in music without any of that nonsense so I can tell people that it's not needed.

[@daveryan-kv4wx]

I’v ‘finished’ about 150 tracks.. released about 30 tracks under a few different names… the first 25 got completely ignored 😂 5 have had some attention (about 400k streams so far) Definitely good advice. Get it done, get it out. 🙏 BTL

[@mnmj]

When did you start making music and how long did it take you to finish 150 tracks?

[@daveryan-kv4wx]

@@mnmj at the start of the pandemic march 2020 was when I committed to doing at least 15mins of production every day. I produce for an average of one hour a day. So 3.5 years to finish 150 tracks… some of the early stuff is embarrassingly bad but you have to finish them or you simply won’t know how to finish the ‘good’ ones when they do arrive! (‘Good’ is a very subjective thing)

[@mnmj]

@@daveryan-kv4wx Wow that's impressive. So you've been finishing on average a track a week? Did you make much music before March 2020 and how was your skill level before you made that commitment? I am currently doing an hour or so a day and recently started working on multiple projects at the same time so I don't overwork on just one thing. Would you mind sharing some links to some of your projects? Or if that's not allowed here, where/how we can find them?

[@daveryan-kv4wx]

@@mnmj yes it is about a track a week, I’m alot faster nowadays! I first opened the DAW when I did a few night school / adult education classes on logic in 2011. then I started DJing full time so production went on the back burner till the pandemic. I recon that between 2011 and 2020 I may have finished 5 original tracks (non strong 💪 for public consumption 😂) and about 15 mashups / edits for my dj sets. But my real produceing started when the pandemic stopped me DJing for 18months! It’s important to note that 80% of the 150 are utterly shockingly bad and ‘finished’ is relative to my skill level. An idea that I finished in 2020 would get binned at loop stage now! was grinding them out knowing that ‘doing the reps’ is the only way to do it unless you are a genius or you plan to get a ghost 👻 involved. In 2020 I was still very much a dreamer / novice producer, now I think of my self as an dreamer / intermediate producer!

[@Bthelick]

It's no accident. That 10,000 hours figure is a real thing. You gotta get your 10k hours in! After that amount of practice you can get to the point where you can take an idea to finished track in a single evening! Or maybe even a couple. But the speed is arbitrary really. Doesn't matter how quick it is possible it's more that it gets done and gets done consistently (in terms of building a career anyway). And you will read the same thing over and over again ; "every overnight success took 10 years"

[@laner4195]

Wow man so few subs and watches but the words are golden!!! Thank you very much! Recently have been pirate binging like I need latest vsts to make songs I need them to learn them etc. If the song is not at the industry standard level somebody will critic me to death))) Good to know that if it's crap it'll be just forgotten among 100k songs at that day) Thank you very much for showing the bigger picture!

[@Bthelick]

Don't worry about "industry standard" either that doesn't exist or matter. Have a look at my video on "why you sound amateur"

[@ruleset]

my favorite example by myself is this; all you need is a good product, if eminem was just releasing his first track only now and let's say the track is "lose yourself" this track wouldn't need marketing or anything, eminem has a good product, he just needs to put it out there and the audience will decide, if i find the track and i like it i'm gonna share it with the world in many ways pretty simple

[@Bthelick]

It's much harder though now. Artists like Eminem are currently classed as what we call "heritage artists" because they came through in the old industry, there was much much less competition that we're gatekeepers to recording and there were predetermined advertising avenues. None of that is possible today. He would still rise to the top but only because of what we call 'alien ' status. If you are literally the best in your field, you will be able to maintain a career but that's very very few people and only one way of doing it, these days there are far more avenues available to everyone.

[@ItsWesSmithYo]

Mario still running 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️ 🏃 thanks boss

[@Greeny_303]

Feeling this one, The loop of "This has to be perfect, a house/techno track that will last the test of time" and imposter syndrome aarrghh. a couple of questions though how do YOU define "release"? on a label or just put out into the world ? also whats your thoughts on building up a bit of a catalogue first of say 5/10 tracks and releasing them as one or trickling them out so you have a bit of other stuff for others to check out if they do happen upon your track/s great channel mate

[@Bthelick]

I was thinking about this definition recently, and I think SoundCloud is an example of the 'cowardly' release option, because it's free and easy, and also it doesn't cement your work into any database of real copyright and you can just make it private if you're embarrassed. I believe you only truly get that 'monkey off your back' when you get it stores. You don't need a label (well you can give yourself a name of one for the purpose of release) Just go to somewhere like distrokid, fill out the form, pay your 20$ (that's for a year) upload your best effort and wave it goodbye! You'll see it get an IRSC number (the bespoke Identity code for that recording) and it'll be registered into the database with the rest of the world's music! That's it, it's done. It's like a fart, you can't recall it! you've committed, put yourself on the hook. That's the definition of release imo

[@Bthelick]

Regarding building up a catalogue , it depends. I still say just get one out of the way so you know the process and the fear of the unknown doesn't scare you any more. But Ideally yes, I advise you have 11 more ready to go. 1 a month for a year. Super ideally all matching an identity too! (brand). That's the beginnings of how you build a career.

[@Greeny_303]

Cheers mate both are similar to what I thought@@Bthelick

[@Bthelick]

Having said all that because soundcloud (or KZbin) is so easy then do it regardless. It being out in the world is the point. Soundcloud is where the wicked game cover was discovered after all.

[@mbvsza4647]

lol I just stumbled upon this right when I’m contemplating deleting this track that I’m still working on

[@tatlielma]

What is the meaning of the (dub mix) boss ? Generally those tracks are not related to dub/reggae vibe but for some reason they are dub version of original version. Could you explain what is the major,minör differences between dub and original mixes?

[@Bthelick]

Yeah the terminology is all jumbled up now. "Original mix" now usually means "extended" as opposed to "radio" mix and "dub" is usually referring to a stripped back vocal mix/arrangement. As opposed to a full vocal mix where it's featured as the main hook (possibly full verses and chorus etc) Vs just a chop up of a significant part that's triggered occasionally.

[@billB101]

Art is never finished, only abandoned.

[@TonyOldskool]

Had a track signed last year, though that was me on the path, a year on nothing else completed that’s decent enough to send to labels again :(

[@Bthelick]

Well ya can't let labels be your only in deadlines! The amount of A&R I've spoken to thstt try to take role of producer and dictate what they think your track should be is ridiculous. And it never correlates to success. Jump on distro kid and start putting your own stuff out! That's part of the practice.

[@manufktur]

Yo Bthelick ppleeeaaassseee answer this comment!! Im afraid of releasing my tracks cause i dont know whats the best way to release: Should i send all my tracks to all record labels out there and hope that s. o. likes it or should i do it without a label? I have no clue and i dont wanna "waist" the potential of my tracks by just releasing them without a label behind it. Can lebels also sign a track if its already released? I dont know whats the right way, maybe this is good for a video or you can just answer here :) thx for ur videos!

[@Bthelick]

Are you a 'cold' brand? (unknown / new) or are you established already?

[@manufktur]

Im completely new, i made so many tracks but never released sth. cause of this question haha @@Bthelick

[@Bthelick]

In that case I do not recommend using a label for a good while. Labels will contact you, not the other way around, when you can prove you can release tracks regularly and to a consistent narrative (brand). Everything up until that point is just practice and building your reputation. If you try to use Labels because you believe they can 'break' your name that is not the case unfortunately. They prefer to pick up established artists now as it's too expensive to advertise enough to make a difference. Please Remember the whole reason labels exist is because they used to be the only way to release. They distributed the physical media when it was the only format, they only had a handful of channels to force advertising on, they had pre bought shelf space when space wasn't infinite, they could 'lobby' the charts / radio / shops which were the only way people were exposed to new music. That all went away when Steve Jobs said "i'm going to sell digital music online for 1$". Many label's still behave like that never happened unfortunately. And as the years go by and they struggle the contracts get more and more desperate. I saw a contract to a new new dj artist last month that offered them £50 for lifetime rights, an absolute insult. The label is well known in the UK too. They will take 85% of your revenue too, the good news is its easy to do yourself now. Building a brand / reputation still hasn't changed, that bit is still hard, but you don't need anyone to break you anymore. you can simply use a digital distribution service like distrokid, upload your song, some artwork (just use AI if you aren't good at the visual side), fill out a form and they will send to all stores/streaming and register your track on the global databases. its a small fee for a year. If you can release at least a track a month that fits your brand then that's the beginning of a career.

[@manufktur]

Wow. I don't know what to say. It's great to see that there are still people out there who give so much back to their community and that you take so much time to answer, even though the question was asked so long ago. Please stay the way you are. The answer really helps me! @@Bthelick

[@Bthelick]

Yeah sorry the delay, KZbin is bad at notifying me when someone replies to a reply for some reason.

[@josepe217]

Bro, I have an immense doubt that I need to clarify in my mind, and maybe you know and can talk about it, to advise us? My dilemma is, what is the production process that already established DJs regularly do, for example, Fred again, fisher, summit,etc? Specifically I ask for: Do they make the demo and then they mix it themselves and master it themselves? Or do they just create the demo and send it to an engineer to do the mixing and mastering? Because it happens to me personally that I make a song but when I move to the next stage of mixing, I still don't have the necessary experience nor am I an engineer and I destroy the mix. Then that's how far my motivation comes with the song, because it sounds bad even though I consider that the initial idea is good. So it frustrates me to think that all those great DJs do those 3 stages on their own, and I can't. So to keep the motivation high and focus my energies on the creative and composition part, should I deliver those demos to an engineer and that he is in charge of making the song sound in a good and competitive way?

[@Bthelick]

There's no fixed production process really. But in general most start by themselves, and then only when they have some success hire a dedicated engineer later when they afford it. That's why I made the videos on being "amateur" and "how to not master your tracks" and also "the 3 Rs". Give them a watch. You're just not referencing enough probably, you shouldn't need a dedicated mix or master process imo, because if the sound selection isn't right then it can't be made to fit later anyway! What all those artists have in common is a good 5 to 10 years practice (10,000 hours). If your sound selection is still poor , and you are actually referencing properly, then you just need more time practicing and referencing to train your ears. It just takes lots of time. Also I'm worried you're focusing on the wrong thing, "competitive sound" is simply not an issue like you think it is, being seen, getting people to dance/cry these are the real issues. trust me there are plenty of great tracks that weren't great mixes. Focus on making a great track and it won't matter what the mix is like I promise!

[@josepe217]

@@Bthelick wow thank you for you response! Very helpful 🙏🏻 love your channel.

[@DanBrazierMusic]

Finishing? Whats that?

[@dalek604]

If it's house music or even more so techno. Just repeat a lot and fade out.

[@user-vd3if4wq6m]

Ive become a master.... but now im so depressed its hard to believe. Built myself a serious studio over the years, I have my own sound 2. Im a mess

[@Bthelick]

Do you mean you've become depressed from chasing your dream so hard? It's definitely not easy but you gotta push through!

[@wackerburg]

I recently attended a masterclass with the wonderful human being who releases music under the name #PurpleDiscoMachine and what I took away that Tino basically said "I am not the greatest keyboard player nor the most technical advanced music producer, but I know when a track is finished." Once he sends a song off to mixing, he labels it #done and gets on with life. I like that 😎

[@Bthelick]

yes well said. Tino is good lad, glad to see him doing well.

[@PeterBang-jk3ux]

But how do we release stuff?

[@Bthelick]

The easiest way I've found so far is go to distrokid. It's $22 for a year. Fill out the form, upload your wav and artwork (get a free AI program to generate some if you're bad at visuals like me 🤣) and that's it they do the rest. That covers your recording side of things. It will go to digital stores like Apple music , Spotify etc and they will collect your recording royalties for you. Once it's in the database, You may also wish to register the song with a publishing collection society for song writing royalties. In the UK we have PRS (just Google what the collection society in your country is ) These will track and collect royalties for all those that contributed to the song writing of the track.

[@dalek604]

@Bthelick do they do bandcamp for you, or would you have to do that separately?

[@Bthelick]

No that's separate. I would avoid right now though, or at least temper your expectations for its future. Since behringer bought it, they have laid off most of the staff just recently so it's future is uncertain 😞

[@lozarmusic]

I swear I only enjoy opening Ableton and closing it again without ever using any internet interaction 😆

[@Positive_Tea]

I can't even finish this video 😭😭

[@BaltimoreReese]

That’s a lot of views. So you roughly made close to 100K from that remix from the KZbin views? 😮

[@Bthelick]

Unfortunately not. all the false claim companies come out of the wood work on a hit that big and put their claims in, every time we got one removed another ten were trying to claim ownership, and it took too much time to manage / Chase as just me and my manager. It's actually just more profitable just to keep making new music. Also between the time uploading the original and it gaining popularity, the law regarding cover songs changed so I couldn't register the recording under that name. The only earnings came anything from the attention redirected to my Spotify, by which time I had disbanded the chillion project, so I used my current artist name to make things easier to manage and track.

[@angeloandrewmusic]

🙏🙏🤍🤍

[@themanfromvolantis]

Elon Musk ain't seen my house

[@bestlifeever1211]

shirt please

[@SeeWildlife]

Face reveal @0:29