Looking to get creative with producing music in 2021? Whilst the process can be a daunting one for any aspiring artist, there’s plenty of ‘tricks of the trade’ that can help boost your motivation and output in the studio.
Here, we take a look at 4 essential creative hacks for making the most of your Queens recording studio session.
Work at double tempo
Let’s say you’re interested in making a hip hop or trap tune where elements like hi-hats can be complex and miniscule patterns make all the difference. If you double the tempo of your project from 90 to 180bpm, for instance, you give yourself a lot more room to maneuver. With this simple trick, you can double the amount of beats for hi-hats, swing, any percussive elements, and so on.
Book a day session
Chances are, you won’t have a strict itinerary for your session in advance, and would rather just let the inspiration flow. And that’s perfectly fine! With this in mind, you’ll want to find a studio that offers affordable rates over a longer timeframe so that you have all the time you need to do your thing. For our money, these Queens recording studios provided by PIRATE not only give you all the equipment you need to complete your next project, but also give you a handy day rate that you can redeem 24/7, 365 to suit your work schedule.
Label, group, code
Organization is key. When you are working on a project that includes many different components — chorus, vocals, drum tracks, pads, etc — you’ll need to ensure that you can navigate your way through everything whenever your inspiration leads you towards a particular segment. Label your tracks in your DAW of choice so that they are easier to find — ‘Bass drum soft with reverb’ has a much nicer ring to it than ‘Track 1’, wouldn’t you agree?
You should also take a moment to establish your own color-coding scheme. One trick that works in particular would be to assign your lowest frequencies with the darkest colors and your highest frequencies with the lightest colors. Using this logic your sub bass track could be black, for instance; percussion could be orange; and pads could be yellow. Furthermore, you could arrange your tracks so that the lowest frequencies are at the bottom of your project and highest frequencies at the top, in ascending order. That way, you can find a track super easily within your arrangement.
There’s no i in team
You may have a very clear idea of the sort of music you want to make. Whilst this is arguably a process that all musicians go through, there will come a time when you will need constructive criticism on one of your projects, or vocals, or a killer bassline hook that you just can’t nail on your own.
Collaboration is your friend. Most studio spaces, including the aforementioned studios provided by PIRATE, contain comfortable seating and ample room for a reason. Make the most of your session by inviting friends, fellow artists, management, press — whoever might have an interest in listening to your projects — to participate.
