The most overwhelming parts of music production

Music production is amazing, but it can also be overwhelming. The problem is that when you get overwhelmed, it can freeze you and take your motivation away.

Here are some things that can add to the overwhelming feelings you face, and how you to overcome them…

4 THOUGHTS FROM ME

1. Why is no one listening to my music?

One of the most overwhelming aspects of a music career is asking yourself why nobody is listening to your music, and if that’s the case, why are we making music at all? But, most of the time, that’s mainly a matter of us producers not investing as much time in marketing our music as we do in producing it.

So, how should you fix this?

1. Market your music through ads. When you have a new release, consider doing a promo ad focused on engagement through Meta Ads so it optimizes the ads for people to click on your song. You can check an example of how you can do this here;
2. Start marketing your music through Streaming Playlists. In addition to targeted ads, you promote your music through Groover (my choice) or Submithub. To find good playlists for your music, use Isitagoodplaylist and then send it;
3. Start your own playlist. Another way to promote your music is by starting your own playlist. Make a playlist of music that is similar to yours, but from well-known artists, and then put some of your music in the middle. Now, use Meta Ads to promote it, increasing its reach and encouraging people to subscribe to it, and that can be a powerful ally for your promotion.
   Later, as you grow, you can accept submissions from artists and recoup some of your invested money;
4. Build a schedule of consistent posts & releases; To remain present in people’s minds after they listen to your music, you have to be posting on social media constantly, and also constantly releasing music. They should go side by side, as fans like to follow their favorite artists on social media, so don’t let any of them go silent for too long;
5. Develop a persona on social media. I didn’t use to like Fisher’s music, but I started following him on Social Media, and his goofiness makes me laugh a lot. Because of that, I started enjoying his music more.
   You don’t need to also be a goof, but having a consistent persona that people relate to can be a great way to make people connect with you and, by consequence, with your music.

2. How can I learn so many things in so little time?

Learning music production is overwhelming due to the huge amount of things we have to learn and the amount of time we have to put in to really “get good at it”. But if you try to do it all at once, it will become even more overwhelming.

So, how should you fix this?

1. Build a fundamental knowledge of what you’re learning first. Your first step with every new topic you’re learning is to learn the basics first before you jump to other things. It might seem like ‘common sense’, but, in mixing, for example, producers tend to try fancy plugins before they have mastered the two main tools they should be using: EQ and Volume. So, to break down what you’re learning to the essentials:
   • Ask ChatGPT (like what I’ve done here about arrangement), or;
   • Ask a producer you feel is ahead of you what did they focus on, and master it;
2. Find the path of most relevance. What do you need to learn that would give you the most results in your music? That’s exactly what you should learn next. Sometimes, so many tips and tricks get in our way that we lose sight of what would be the most beneficial for our music.
   Because of that, I recommend that you write about your music, often talking to ChatGPT and asking for advice on how you can improve your music. In addition, you can also ask a friend, but as you grow as a producer, find a mentor, as that can be super helpful to you;
3. Develop your own GPT to guide you through your learning. Instead of just journaling, you can develop your own GPT and feed what you’ve learned into its knowledge so it can then make better suggestions for your next steps.
   You can also use a Music Production GPT (with a free account), which gave me some nice ideas about getting signed to Ajunadeep, for example. Another GPT I use a lot is the Serum 2 GPT, which gives me a lot of tips on how I can do specific sounds;
4. Pick one resource and stick with it. If you learn from many producers or mentors at once, it can be confusing because you’ll be exposed to many techniques at once, and sometimes those can be contrasting, which could make you more confused. So, find one producer you like on YouTube, or a mentor, and focus on them mainly to avoid any confusion.

3. Why am I not developing as a producer?

Well, learning might not be the issue for you, but you’re not seeing as much progress as you’d like to, and that could cause anxiety, take your motivation, and lead you to other things that can pull you away from music. So, how should you fix this?

1. Learn new things: A reason for the stagnation might be the lack of learning, and setting yourself to learn something new might be the way out of this rut you might be facing. At this stage:
   • Level up your focused learning and go deeper into composition, arrangement, sound design, mixing, and mastering, one by one;
   • Study your 2-3 favorite tracks deeply, analyze their elements, composition, sound design, etc, compare them with your music, and then look for things that you’re not doing so you can then implement them;
   • Collaborate, as this might expose you to new workflows and techniques;
   • Experiment, as sometimes what you need is to get out of a routine, and experimenting might open you to new workflows and sounds that you’re not used to;
2. Find a mentor. I always mention this because it’s one of the fastest ways to break out of any rut and to learn faster, as mentioned in this post about the fastest ways of learning. A mentor can identify and show you your weak points, some that you might even know were there, and help you feel you’re back to making progress as a producer, which is very helpful for your motivation;
3. Put in the reps. Not developing can also be because you’re not spending as much time producing as you should, and, therefore, progress comes more slowly.
   So, can you try producing more? Because of my busy schedule, producing more meant producing in smaller chunks of time, like 20-30 minute periods, and that increased my music time a lot since it broke the belief that I needed at least 2 hours to do something meaningful.
   In addition, if you play too many games or spend too much time streaming/YouTube, cut down on the mindless production and make more time for music. It’s your decision, and if it matters to you, you should do it.

4. How do I get my songs to sound perfect?

In the same boat as the ‘learning too many things’, we can often get overwhelmed trying to set unrealistic expectations for our music and career. That’s because expectations can often frustrate you and overwhelm you to the point of quitting.

So, how should you fix this?

1. Stop settling only for ‘perfect’. You have to be happy with your song to finish it, but you can’t overthink it to the point of abandoning it due to exhaustion.
   The best cure for this is to set a deadline, as it imposes a hard stop for you. If you need extra help committing to a deadline, set it up with a partner or a friend, and impose a ‘punishment’ if you fail, which will often make you come through with it and stop overthinking.
   Another idea is working on remix competitions or asking your label for a deadline, as these have deadlines out of your control and your only option is to meet them;
2. Stop comparing yourself to other producers, especially PROs. When you compare yourself to PROs, you can often feel overwhelmed by the number of things you need to do to achieve what they are doing, or you compare yourself to friends, and this frustrates you because they are making more progress than you.
   Instead, you should only compare yourself to your past self. Look 6 months back and how much progress you’ve made. Instead of comparing yourself to others, investigate the differences.
   Look for weak spots in your music by finding strengths in others’ music for you to implement in your music, use the things you hear immediately, instead of just saying “oh they’re better than me”;
3. Stop trying to find your signature sound. Lots of producers try to find their signature sound as if it were a hidden Pokémon hiding in the woods, and they keep scrolling through preset sounds or trying to make complex sounds, but that’s simply not productive. Instead, try this:
   • Study 10-15 tracks that deeply move you and write down why they move you, try to find patterns and adapt your music to them;
   • Define how you want to be seen and what you want people to feel when they listen to your music, and then you’ll find the elements that complement those feelings;
   • Master sound design, and possibly hardware, as some artists get known by specific presets that they used, and tweak them to make it more unique;
   • Check more ideas in this post about finding your signature sound.

3 QUICK TIPS FOR YOU

What are some key mindset changes that can help you ease the feeling of being overwhelmed?

1. Bring back the fun to music production.
As mentioned in this post about having fun with music, when production stops being fun, it can often get overwhelming. One of the key reasons why music stops being fun is when you put too many expectations or pressure into what you make, as it can then become a chore, so avoid that at all costs;

2. Stop trying to make progress while you’re stressed out.
Changing some habits before making music, like meditating, exercising, eating healthier, or even changing your workflow to producing right after you wake up, can help you approach sessions with a less stressful mind and make them more productive;

3. Make the journey your destination.
Instead of only looking for happiness after you achieve your goals, make the act of creating, making your music, and expressing yourself what motivates you, with all the rest as a bonus. This takes the pressure away from your music, which makes it more enjoyable and can make you bolder creatively, which can then make you more unique.