Lets Talk About Music Production and What Is a Good and Bad Track

0:00 Got a bunch of tunes here from CDPool

Right guys, got a bunch of tunes here from CDPool. We're looking at the underground releases for July 2018. Now firstly, I want to talk a little bit about music production. I know very little about music production, but what I have learnt over the years is to define, let's say, in between a good track and a bad track. So, right, this one here, this is Dan Cathlin, a track entitled Trouble. Now let's listen to a good track that's been well produced, well made. Now a lot of people out there, first of all, who are starting music production, when you design a track, a good way of explaining it, let's imagine that you have got a load of Lego blocks together. And you've got red, green and blue, and all you've done is you've put them in a line and you've stepped them. Step up, down, up, down, up, down.

You've got no slants, you've got no nice bridges, you've got no curves, you've got no character. All you've got is a track that's up, across, down, up, across, down. Now that's pretty much what happens with someone who starts production. When they bring another element into it... Into the track. For example, maybe the hand clap. The hand clap is there and then after say four or eight bars, the hand clap stops. Now that is the case of course with a lot of tracks, good or bad. But what you will find is as you move on in production and as you listen to the professionals, there's more kind of a flow with the elements of the track that they're bringing in. Now for example, let's say with a hand clap, you may think if you don't know much about production that a hand clap, all you do, you find the hand clap, you put it on your track and you copy and paste it half a dozen times and there it is.

Well, it's not as simple as that because the hand clap can change very slightly. So for example, one clap can have a certain sound to it but the next clap... To make it more organic, change the parameter of that hand clap. So maybe the beginning of the clap is harder and the end of the clap is softer whereas the one before, it was the other way around. So what you're doing, you're slowly getting your production into not sounding like a machine where every single clap is the same but they've all got tiny differences. And that's when you can really focus more in depth with everything.

2:56 Every single element of every single sound

Every single element of every single sound. Now this is what you find with a track like this. Now just a small... Alright, let's just go back a little bit. Have a listen. This is that. See how it just filters out? Okay? Now a new producer would probably just have that play and stop it. They wouldn't think about filtering it out. So, you know, it's... I don't know. I'm trying to sort of put an analogy here. Let's imagine. Alright, here's a really good analogy. I think it's a very good analogy. Let's say you are sailing on the sea and you have a wave that you're sailing on. And let's say that wave is the melody. Alright? And that melody is flowing nicely. You're on the top of that melody. Now that wave is the only wave that you can see.

But underneath you, before you reach the bottom of the ocean or the... You know, you may be even 10 meters, 20 meters from the shore. You may have about 5 or 6 meters of water. Now in that 5 or 6 meters there are other currents moving and they're gliding on top of each other. So let's imagine there were 3 or 4 other currents. Gliding on top of each other. And then you're right at the top. So you're on the 5th or 6th current. Now, all of these other currents gliding over each other are other elements of the track. They could be the cymbals. They could be the bass drum. They could be the snare. And all of them are moving in tandem with each other. There's no gaps. There's no huge big parcels of air where you've got nothing.

They're all nicely connected with each other but moving in tandem. Now hopefully you will understand that analogy. I think that's a very good analogy how a good track is produced. Whereas a lot of people just see the surface. Just think, oh, I can hear the track. Listen to all the elements and you'll find that they all flow really well together. Everything is made so when you listen you get a complete picture and that complete picture has been put together so it becomes one. Not just a mish-mash of everything. Okay, so...

5:36 Let's have a listen to

Let's have a listen to...

Once in a Lifetime.

Again! Listen to the beginning of this track. All right. Now, this is by Zucral. I think that's how you pronounce it.

Z-U-C-K-R-E. Once in a Lifetime. Now, they haven't just done a 4-4 beat.

8:38 Of course, the next one is Dooka

They've given it kind of a skip but at the same time if we were to pull apart every single one of those kicks each one would have maybe a slightly different beginning, middle and end. And then... So, have a listen. Something into this one here. Don't forget all these tunes can be found underground July 2018. There is a link to CDPool in the description. Exactly the same here which I'm going to bring in now. Tough Love, Platinum and Gold. The original mix. Spaceline came in on Tough Love. Bang out the Once in a Lifetime track. Be careful how I pronounce the next one. Wanaka. I said Wanaka. Of course, the next one is Dooka. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I'm not going to say Wanka. Alright? Don't worry about it.

Rick and Michael White. Mr Electron. The original mix.

11:00 Don't forget all these tunes are found on the underground releases for

I'm doing that right. Tomato. Burn. One. Alan-y Mix. I believe that is. Don't forget all these tunes are found on the underground releases for July. 2018. What a nice tune to finish off with. Really mellow. I love this kind of vibe. This is summer. This is summer. This is summer. Oh yeah. This is the sort of track you want to hear at like an all night party somewhere in the middle of Wales as the sun's rising with like, I don't know, 20k of bass thumping in your ears. But of course we're ear defenders. Practice and enjoy. Nice one. See you later. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.

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