Time vs Quality vs Demand

[ResonantTone]

Hey all,

I've been noticing something in regards to my production lately, and I'm wondering if anyone has experienced anything along the same lines.

I'm noticing that it seems like I'm able to get 80-90% of the way there with my sound quality/mixing/mastering within a very reasonable amounts of time... but the more I try to hone my craft, the more I'm noticing things that continually need to be worked on. When I focus on these things, I very easily spend just as much time as it took to make the entirety of the cue in order to "hone in" on whatever I feel like is lacking.

I'm currently tryin to find a balance between 1) productivity and creating as many cues as possible, 2) improving my skills, and 3) providing my existing library contacts with enough material. It's a bit challenging to say the least, since I realize the more music that's out there increases my chances of placements... but I also can't help but think that if my quality overall gets a boost, that would in turn cause my cues to get used more often.

So what's your go-to strategy here? Create as much as possible and just let the self-improvement come by default? Balance your time evenly between completing cues and honing your skills? Put more time into improving vs creating in order to sound top-tier amidst other cues in libraries?

Lookin forward to hearing thoughts and strategies!

Andrew

[jaywilliams]

Hey Andrew -

I've been focusing on improving my skills on each track while still completing 2 tracks per week.

That's a comfortable production pace for me personally, and as my production team grows I'm finding my list of WIPs is expanding into the horizon, which ultimately allows me to spend a little bit more time on each track.

Having said that, I learned a ton from the Coursera courses on Music Production. I refer back to them on a regular basis and fully intend on re-taking the series again to pick up on some tidbits that would have flown over my head the first time around.

Working with collaborators helps me hone my skills in all areas of music production, as each track is different, and each one will need a different focus from me.

Your question is timely as I'm just wrapping up my first year with Taxi, and will soon be creating my strategy for year 2, which will involve more attention to shopping tracks and building business relationships, as my track count at this point is pretty much a given.

Interesting topic, looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts!

Jay

[cassmcentee]

I can't help but endlessly Remix any project that I open up...
Deadlines help me throw my hands up and surrender what I have!
Tunes important to me (that haven't been signed) get oft revised for years

In answer to your question, I usually have 3 to 4 projects that I bounce back and forth between during the week
Usually one on a deadline (Collabs mostly)
1 new creation for a Cue
1 for myself to have fun
1 Oldie that I still love to work on

[cosmicdolphin]

So what's your go-to strategy here? Create as much as possible and just let the self-improvement come by default? Balance your time evenly between completing cues and honing your skills? Put more time into improving vs creating in order to sound top-tier amidst other cues in libraries?

All of the above.

I think on the whole you'll learn by doing, and out of necessity ..trying new genres etc will expand your skillset. Most things are learnable on Youtube for free.

Let time be your teacher as someone once said.

Mark

[eeoo]

When in doubt I choose quality over quantity and that ethos has been backed up repeatedly by those whose opinions I hold in high regard. But yeah, I agree, getting from from 0 - 85% is the easy part.

[jdkotaska]

Yep, I'm right there with you. I find that the first part is quickest and easiest, but I still suffer through the last part to improve my skills. I feel like the extra time taken is justified in the end result and the more you do it the more natural it will become, leading to quicker turnaround over time. I'm just trying to limit how thin I spread myself right away until I reach that point. After that I'll start taking on more libraries and collaboration projects as time allows. Good luck with finding your balance... I know that I've still got a ways to go.

[YellowStudio]

I try to balance my time and work on my skills a little bit everyday. For me a good day is when I both have played/practised piano and guitar, been composing, mixing etc. For me quality (usability) is more important than quantity but of course we need both I guess.