Dubstepforum.com

I've been really upping my production recently and I feel as if I'm the verge of making really great music but I have a few doubts.
I'm not sure if I'm over critical of my own music or what it's just I feel nothing I make is good enough.
I've read pretty much everything I can and I've taken online production courses with the berklee college of music. I've watched all the masterclasses. I've read tons of instruction manuals. everything.
Commercial mixes are huge and loud and full but I have no clue as how to master them to be so. should I leave it up to a skilled engineer to take my tunes to the next level or should I focus on learning how to do it myself? I feel as if my songs are at the level where a great mastering job would really take them to the next level but I'm kinda broke at the moment. can anybody here offer me some advice? I've done my own pseudo master on this tune. It's incomplete/not filled all the way in right now but it'll demonstrate to you guys some of my ability at least.
A lot of the music I listen to (doctor p, flux pavilion, datsik, etc) is really huge and wide but there's really not a lot going on in their mixes. does mastering make them that way?
Soundcloud

I'm only 17 by the way. it's really tough trying to compare up to all the big guys. it feels this:

i see nothing wrong with that tune, at all.

You're 17 and you're making tracks like that? dude... you have nothing to worry about. Its normal to 'become too close' to your own tracks, especially when you've spent hours and hours listening to them over and over again. Its common to stop hearing your tune objectively because the track has been practically tattoo'd into your subconscious.

To me, that track sounds wide, there's nothing muddying up the mix, the mix itself is pretty tight, each element is sat nicely and it all gells well.

If you're thinkign the tune sounds flat, take a break from it, literally a week or so, completely forget about the tune, then come back to it and listen to it. I don't mean analyze it, i mean listen to it as a tune, see what you think then. If you still think its a bit flat don't worry. remember you're 17 and you have a long way to go, You're always learning, and you seem like you've learned enough to make a decent track so practice is key now, just keep pumping them tracks out, They'll get better and better as time progresses.

Each track is like a different canvas, when you're learning to paint, once oyu've got the picture to a degree you can't really turn back from, it is what it is, and things about it that you don't like are to fundemental to the many interacting aspects of the whole. Going to a completely new canvas gives you the room to start afresh and maybe this time you'll do something from the offset that is fundementally better than the last time around.

In regard to tracks having that little bit of extra sheen, its down to basic psycho-acoustics imo. That ethereal essence of a track that just makes it feel right. Looking into music theory a little deeper and experimenting with what certain tonal changes sound like really wouldn't go a miss with you right now. You see you might know how to put a really decent track together technically, but would i be right in thinking you haven't payed as much attention to basic musical 'theory'? Its quite common to do that really.

So my advice would be to RELAX, realize that (and please don't take this patronizing because it really isn't) for your age you're making seriously decent tracks considering. You have a long way to go on you're journey into musicality, obviously, as you're dedicated to it. Imagine yourself 20 years down the line, the kind of tracks you'll be making then.

I don't see anything wrong with where your at ability wise at all, and all though it may sound contrary, your unhappiness with your level of ability is quite healthy to have, its your drive to get better. True artists are by far the most critical of their works. I'de be much wore worried if you came along saying 'check this fat tune i made'...

Just keep going at the pace you are and trust in the fact you will become progressively better. There's absolutely nothing to cause me to think otherwise.

I can't describe how helpful everything you've said is so far.
There's still lots of things I need to learn and I'm definitely going to keep cranking out new songs and learning more and more, it's something I love doing.
I'm definitely going to just try to relax and take heed to your advice. I get really worked up sometimes about all this stuff and I do need to just step back and realize I'm just a kid.

yeah i went through a faze of working on a single song for like a month or two, i then started hating everything about it and pretty much hated making music because everything i did i hated. so ive started lots of projects and just working on them all a little bit, working more on the stronger mixes etc

one day youll be a star

oh, and dont obsess over how good you are compared to others- everyone is unique and where they are weak you are strong my friend!

Understand this : its not the mastering engineer's job to take your mixes to the 'next level'... its his job to normalize their peaks, place them at the same perceived loudness as the other tracks being placed next to it in album context, and to remove any technical imperfection which would cause problems when pressing to vinyl, like zero-crossing clicks, ect.

Not to make your mix 'next level' ... that is your job while you have access to each element as a single. You should perfect your mixes if your self conscious of them, because your going to be highly disappointed to find out that the m.e. doesnt do a whole lot to your sound, ideally.

Now... stem-mixing service... that might help... but mastering... they cant polish turds. Not saying your submitting turds, but I see too many people thinking mastering is going to do more then what it really is.

JustabitMajestic wrote:I've been really upping my production recently and I feel as if I'm the verge of making really great music but I have a few doubts.
I'm not sure if I'm over critical of my own music or what it's just I feel nothing I make is good enough.
I've read pretty much everything I can and I've taken online production courses with the berklee college of music. I've watched all the masterclasses. I've read tons of instruction manuals. everything.
Commercial mixes are huge and loud and full but I have no clue as how to master them to be so. should I leave it up to a skilled engineer to take my tunes to the next level or should I focus on learning how to do it myself? I feel as if my songs are at the level where a great mastering job would really take them to the next level but I'm kinda broke at the moment. can anybody here offer me some advice? I've done my own pseudo master on this tune. It's incomplete/not filled all the way in right now but it'll demonstrate to you guys some of my ability at least.
A lot of the music I listen to (doctor p, flux pavilion, datsik, etc) is really huge and wide but there's really not a lot going on in their mixes. does mastering make them that way?
Soundcloud

I'm only 17 by the way. it's really tough trying to compare up to all the big guys. it feels this:

Well probably best thing is to learn how to master yourself as its quite expensive to get a decent job done and if your 17 its hard to get the money especially if your not that big a producer so your track isn't going to be heard by that many people.. although been young is a good thing you have good talent at 17 so by the time your'e 20 maybe you will obviously be 100x better .. I'm only 16 and I know its hard to match big names as equipment is pricey but I'd say im doing a good job by doing everything 'by hand' .. so maybe get to know how to master tracks to a decent level to get yourself more known then when you feel like releasing a track etc. get it mastered proffesionally

thanks for all the replies everyone!
I'm definitely gonna continue doing everything I can to take my mixes to the next level and I'm definitely going to do everything I can to achieve the sound I want. I played that tune lastnight at a show (it's a bit more complete now) and I was so scared at first but it banged. I'm just gonna keep working as hard as I can to get that sound I want.

tavravlavish wrote:

my thoughts exactly!

Most of the width would probably come in the mastering stage i'd assume - if your track is quite wide and full, the mastering will bring that out much more (if you're getting it done by a decent ME and tell them what you want).

That tune wasn't my cuppa tea but I know kids would love it...It sounds better (production standard-wise) than 90% of the p.o.s I hear lately.