The Intuitive Aspect of Music Production

The void.

Every artist experiences it and one could easily argue that it’s not just artists who understand this, the creative void is a human experience of universal law. The void is a place where all creativity spawns from. It’s an endless well of new ideas, thoughts, instincts, and inspirations that we tap into when we do anything creative. Whether that’s something as traditional as fine art, music, or writing it’s something mundane like coming up with a new way to organize your refrigerator or creating a new system for your child’s homework…either way, we tap in daily to this well without even realizing it. It’s the one thing in this universe that is completely free of charge. There are no prerequisites, no cover charges, no hidden fees. It’s always there for us, no matter what time of day or night, 365 days a year.

One of the great mysteries is what happens when we try and tap into this void. Often artists try and explain their process, but usually words are unreliable sources of articulation to describe what this void is. Without using esoteric terminology, we can just use the term “tapping in” as a verb that explains what happens when our minds come up with a new thought or idea. We “tap in” to the well and what’s available and what comes out are like sparks that our minds chase, latch on to, and use as catalysts to fuel our intentions. It doesn’t seem complicated, but in order for us to maintain that level of connectedness, we have to continually practice this, like working out a muscle, in order to maintain our connection.

Like any muscle in the body, the intuitive sense also needs to be trained. One simple way you can do this is to play a simple game of “What’s next” with yourself when producing your next track. Lay down an element (pad / bass / percussion / etc.) and put it on a repeating loop. Sit with it for at least a minute, and try and allow yourself to sink into the space where you make intuitive decisions. Not every decision needs to be critical, but our intuitive knowing is sometimes what brings about the best, and most needed results. Try and “listen” to what your intuition is saying to you about what would come “next” and see if it’s right. Another pad? Add one. More bass? Lay one in and see how it feels. Perhaps another sequence to compliment the original. The more you practice this, the more you’ll begin to just “know” what to do following each move you make in the DAW.

The final piece of the puzzle is having grace for yourself and realizing that when we do something creative, or manifest something like a piece of music, there’s a larger force at work that often guides us to better outcomes. I see it as an interplay between conscious decisions and allowing “magic” to happen. If you can do this, and begin that process of allowing, you’ll find yourself more in the “flow” and less stuck when it comes to knowing what to do. Music production is just as much technical as it is artistic, but remember that we are working in an invisible art form. Sound is only vibration and we only have the same frequency spectrum to work with. Your mark is what you make of it and your sound will only come from effort, experience, and time. If you can do this, you’ll be well on your way to the “flow state” and make more decisions in the DAW with ease and certainty that you are on the right path.

The Unlimited Power of Music Production

The Unlimited Potential of Music Production

You sit there staring at the screen. Minutes turn into hours, and hours turn into a full afternoon or evening. The line between the outside world and you becomes blurred and time is nonexistent. Before you know it, it’s dark outside and you can’t recall where the hours have gone. What you do know is what’s right in front of you, is in a new place entirely. You’ve put in the work, you’ve dedicated yourself to the process, and the fruits of your labor, even though they haven’t fully revealed themselves yet, they are starting to show.

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Maybe this is your next big project that you’ve tirelessly been working on and is finally starting to materialize. Maybe this is the last big step in a larger project and you’re about to put the final touches on a new album. Or maybe this is just something you’re working on for no one else besides yourself and the only thing that matters is how it sounds to you and that’s good enough. Either way, one thing remains crystal clear - there is potential in there. So much potential in fact that one might say that the potential of what we do inside the DAW is “unlimited” meaning you can use it as a vehicle for change, not only for you but for the lives of others. This unlimited potential has the ability create worlds all on it’s own. Music is a universal language. It is something that binds us, regardless of who we are, where we came from, or how it has come to find us. The vibrations that become sound and then organized into a translatable frequency is something we can understand and in essence, can connect us together. When we create music, we are tapping into this wellspring of vibration and therefore dipping into a timeless well of creation that has been there long before us. When we participate in this act of creation, it is more than just making music for music’s sake, we are bringing together vibrations that have a specific harmonic relationship that we can use in all aspects of our lives.

The music is an expression of our unique and divine nature that, if you get deep into the philosophical meaning of it, IS the actual glue between us and the universe. It’s music that we can all understand, regardless if there is language attached to it. It’s rhythm that is felt and unique textures and harmonics that evoke memories and transcend our other senses. We can use this power to tap into so many things, more than just the feeling of enjoyment. We can use it to heal, to connect, to literally translate the cosmos in ways that is undeniably understood by anyone who can hear and discern what the source is and what it feels like to them. As a music producer, you are actively participating in this exchange and the effects will start to show themselves in more ways than one. Identifying and tracking the goals we have as music producers can be an important way to gauge how we feel about the process. If we keep reaching for higher milestones, we can effectively start to increase aspects of what we do outside of the DAW based on how we interpret our feelings. Let me say that again - progress leads to feeling better the work we’ve put in, and then we can use that power and that energy to help us in so many other aspects of our lives. Not to mention by sharing our music and inspiring others to do the same as we are, we are transcending this process at a quantum level, meaning it has no relevance to time.

S1gns Of L1fe for life

All we need to do is put in the time and effort required, and while we do that, monitor ourselves and continue to push towards the next level. If you can do it this way, and tap in to that power and potential, you will essentially become unlimited in what possibilities may arise through this process. It’s those kind of experiences, and that kind of potential, that’s what we are reaching for in the DAW, and that’s what the higher levels of music production can be. Reframe your relationship with music production and by doing so, you’ll be tapping into an unlimited amount of potential for abundance that has an everlasting effect beyond anything you've ever dreamed of before.

3 Habits of Successful Producers

When we sit down in front of our computer or music station, there are tons of reasons why we don’t immediately get to work. Even if we have the best intention to get started right away, the moment we sit down it’s as if an endless amount of “to-do’s” pop up in our heads and what you thought was your best laid plans, immediately becomes a million other things besides making music. Hooking up this cable to this, cleaning out this folder, writing this email, setting this up to do this…literally, the preparation is endless and what ends up happening is we pull our attention away from why we sat down in the first place, to the “I’ll get to it later” instead of taking care of the one thing that would bring us the most satisfaction…reaching the desired result of actually finishing tracks and releasing them.

The question I have for you is, what separates those who have dialed in this process vs. those of us who are constantly struggling to even find time to get there? Does it have anything to do with anything other than mindset? Are they simply better organized than we are? Are there less distractions in their life and is that lack of distraction translating into pure focused work and progress? Well, yes and no. Just because someone has more time doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to make more progress and just because they might have less going outside of their musical world doesn’t mean they’re going to be better at it than we are. What separates us is the habits we make for ourselves, the stories we tell, and the internal fire to break through those “distractions” and discipline ourselves enough to forge ahead on the path. Nothing more, nothing less. That said, nothing is set in stone and with the right determination to make better choices, you CAN improve and make faster progress.

Habit #1.) Set goals for yourself and monitor them. Imagine you are your own music production coach. What would you say to yourself if you had to motivate yourself to reach those goals every week? Would you allow yourself to slack and spend time doing other things on the computer and not producing music? If you had a one or two hour block of time, would you let it go to waste? Absolutely not. Setting goals for yourself might be exactly what you need to hold yourself accountable for the time that you have. It’s good to start small but eventually you can and will get better. Once you start achieving those goals, you will begin to crave results in the same way that our brains are wired for rewards after we do something we deem rewarding. The key is to rewire your own brain to think about this in a musical context and give yourself a damn good reason to reach towards something greater. Like I said, it doesn’t have to be major, and it’s good to start small (for example: one track per week) but eventually you’ll be able to write half an album in the same amount of time. It may seem like a lot now, but trust me…you can and will get better at this.

Habit #2.) Find a workflow that works for you and stick to it to streamline your process. Having a rhythm in your method of producing is crucial to keeping your creative juices flowing and allowing whatever is coming through to make it into your track. Whether your work with software instruments or you have hardware synthesizers, getting into flow with your tools is essential. Don’t let those tools be the obstacle for your own creativity. If you have to, spend a week learning them inside and out. Don’t stop until you feel a bit more comfortable, and then begin to practice using them the same way you’d practice an instrument. Once you feel like you’ve got a better understanding, begin to practice laying down tracks inside of your song and try and see the process come together. By doing this, you’re developing your own workflow that is unique to how you work, and the more you practice it, the easier it’s going to become. Successful producers know how to get results because they’ve developed tried and true methods for producing good results. You can do this too, but it’s going to take hundreds of hours and hundreds of tracks to figure out what works best.

Habit #3.) Have a mindfulness practice outside of producing music. Music production is one of those activities in life where it helps to have not only a positive attitude when we approach it, but it helps to train our mind and body’s response so we can think clearly. Mindfulness can be any activity that allows you to expand your mind in ways that open us up to our connection to the universe and the flow within. Meditation is one way to achieve this, but also regular exercise, walking in nature, reading, or even other forms of art like drawing or writing. By practicing mindfulness outside of your production life, the next time you approach your work you will have an easier time reaching that “flow state” where decision making becomes easier and creativity is easily accessible. You don’t need to spend hours a day on this, but 15 minutes of meditation or intense exercise per day is enough to change your life in ways you may not be able to imagine right now. If you can do this, and start to incorporate the other habits I’ve mentioned here, you will be well on your way to seeing that success in every track.

Want to talk about your goals as a producer? Check out my website and book a FREE 15 minute consultation for Ambient Coaching. Click here: https://bit.ly/478mIwJ

Cheers,

-S1gns

READY FOR LAUNCH

I’ve always dreamed of a centralized hub for all things S1gns Of L1fe…and now it’s finally here! Can you tell I’m excited? This is a big deal. Not only can you access everything you need in the S1gns Of L1fe universe is one place, but this ambient blog will be a place I can mirror my thoughts from my already extremely active Patreon page and you guys can follow along, get inspired, and keep up to date with everything S1gns Of L1fe.

A couple notes about the content here - we’ve got a content tab, where you can browse all of my services such as music production, sound design, and video production, as well as a booking page. Even if you aren’t an active client or are wishing to take ambient coaching with me, you can book time with me with no initial cost! I strongly believe that there shouldn’t be a paywall if you are already ready to commit but just need to find out if what I do is the right fit for you.

We’ve also got a merch tab with all of the available products from my merch partners. These are external links, and for the initial launch phase, the cart system on the website will be used for free stuff only. Over time, I hope to add integrated merch items as more integrations become available. For now, utilize those external partners and enjoy those new merch items we’ve got at launch! I’m super happy with the way our rebrand logo turned out and I can’t wait to see you guys rocking the new merch.

Finally, if you’ve read this far…thank you for being here. I appreciate your enthusiasm for what I do and I can’t say that enough. Being a music producer and content creator is often a solitary endeavor. If you’d like to leave me feedback, or just want to say hi don’t hesitate to reach out with the contact me button on the top right. I love hearing from you guys! Cheers to you and stay tuned for more updates…we’re just getting started!