Studio 101: How To Challenge Yourself As A Producer, Part 3

Reaching dead ends with your production tactics is not unheard of. Finding new and interesting avenues to explore is a great way to challenge yourself. We’re back with a new set of strategies to rock the boat, ruffle your feathers, and make you all-around uncomfortable in the studio.

Write a Song Using Your Smartphone

If you’re anything like us, then you probably spend a fair amount of time on your phone. So why not try writing a song using just your phone? There’s plenty of apps on the market to help you out: GarageBand, Beatwave, Musyc, etc. Taking things a step further, the mobility of a smart phone lets you work on your track just about anywhere! Though, feel free to do the mixing and mastering stages of the process on your actual workstation.

Include Three Instances of Silence

In music, the absence of a note or sound can be just as impactful as the presence of one. Give yourself a challenge by including at least three moments of absolute silence in a track. There should be no sound whatsoever, not even the white noise of a reverb tail. Creating a silent section is easy enough, but working it into a song with any semblance of creativity is the hard part. Try playing with the length of the silence, what you have building up to it, and how you transition out of it.

Compose a 30 Second Solo

For a more focused challenge, produce a 30 second solo for one of your main elements. Working with a single instrument or sound means you hear every little bit of texture, so you have to be much more precise. This also helps improve your proficiency with the element you choose. It does not have to be the only part present in the section, but it does have to be the center of attention.

Lock In an Effect to the Master

Another way to diversify your production routine is to slap your favorite effect (or two) on the master fader. This locks all of your instruments/samples into the same environment, and causes you to consider how every part will sound in that space. Some sounds may be vastly improved by the effect(s), while others can be completely ruined. The parameters can be set to whatever you desire. Pick an effect and dive in!

Use Only Free VST’s

Finally, bring yourself back to basics, and build a track strictly using free VST’s and stock plug-ins. After producing for a while, you begin to rely on certain synths, plug-ins, and effects. Cutting out those go-to’s can be difficult, but breaking away from them is a healthy way to challenge yourself and keep fresh ideas coming! Who knows, you might even find there’s a free piece of software that you like way more than anything you currently use.

We’ve covered a fair number of production challenges so far. This time we gave you ideas for writing solos, working in silence, and generally cutting back on the nifty software. Keep striving to create new and interesting music, not only for the sake of electronic music, but for yourself. As always, we’d be more than happy to listen to anything you feel like sharing!