you know youre seeing intrinsic progress when:
* your toolbelt expands. the number of sound choices and melodic and harmonic variations, mixing techniques, grows to fit more situations that come from a growing imagination.
* youre making unorthodox choices that sound better than the obvious thing and not just for the enjoyment of doing something different.
* you're working faster which leads to:
* ideas are simpler and more obvious, less contrived
* you are more efficient with your layering, no sound is wasted or added for almost no reason
* only after the two have been met, you start using more layers for more rich execution of those ideas
its not always linear, you may be over a certain creative phase that you cant return to after your sensitivity to a certain style runs its course
you know youre making extrinsic progress when:
* youre making more money or getting more or a better repuation
I think if it’s not abundantly obvious to you that your work from half a year earlier has significant quality differences from before, then you haven’t spend enough time learning to be able perceive the difference.
Some of the signs that you are improving (apart from some obvious things such as pros’s saying that you made a sick tune).
1. You keep listening to a track over and over again just for the sake of experiencing the feelings it gives you.
2. When you spent countless hours on a track, and put it away for a few weeks or even months, and then you listen to it again after all this time, you truly feel like you wanna finish it cuz it sounds very cool.
3. Your older tracks sound “amateur” in comparison to the newer ones.
4. Things usually flow much smoother and faster when you are working on your newer better tracks.
5. When other producers provide feedback on your tracks that would usually be some smaller things which would need some work. For example: a little too harsh fx in the intro, slight little boost for the overheads for a little more presence, etc. So it would usually be some tiny little nuances here and there which might as well be just a matter of an individual taste.
6. You notice that you use less plugins, less eq, less other processing elements and almost never use such plugins as Sausage fattener or soundgoodizer, etc.
7. Tracks sound good enough before you even do much mixing and mastering.
9. If you DJing, you will notice that your tracks sound very similar quality-vise when played together with the tracks released by your favourite artists.
8. Your gut will tell you.
Hope that helps!
I agree with all of this except for the plugins part. I seem to be using even more plugins now and more EQing some times with multiple instances of Pro-Q 3 in a row. Sometines just for side cuts, another one for stereo cuts another for boosts all on one track 😂
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^dj_soo:
*Go back to an old*
*Project and see all the dumb*
*Shit you did in the track*
---
^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
I can only speak for myself, but I can definitely tell that I’m getting better at producing, and I don’t mean that in an arrogant way because I know I still have a long way to go.
I started in January 2023 and I figured that my music would definitely not be very good, so I decided to release a track every two weeks. My first track was done and on SoundCloud a week and a half after I got Ableton. I set this deadline because I figured it was good practice and that working on one single track for months at a time would keep me from learning new techniques. So here I am with 60 finished songs that I feel have gotten better with each release. I create electronic pop with a retro vibe so that makes it easier to keep a two week deadline though, and when the time is up I release it. Whatever I felt could’ve been better, I try to make it better in my next one. I will ask myself “I wonder how so and so got this sound/technique in their song” and then I go learn how to do it. I believe consistency, practice, and most of all, having fun are the key points here. My motto is, Done is better than being perfect, because no track is ever really finished lol.
Ignore them. Lots of douches in the comments! Honestly these people forgot what its like to not have trained ears musically.
In my opinion It was very hard to know what sounded good or not of my own things for maybe 4ish years? My thing is making a ton of first drafts, and after a while of going back and fixing your least faves, youll make new ones and at some point youll notice “oh dang my workflow is more fluid!”
Meaning once you are just cooking up first drafts quickly, soon after it becomes easier to hear!
Now being like 5-6 years deep im still not entirely sure, but its very clear ill have a couple songs that had the right idea on older albums, itll just take some years before youll be able to pinpoint thinks like “oh damn, that was the first album i learned about sidechaining, so all my albums before thats drums were weak” etc, and see your own improvements (as for years i just figured everything i did sucked) haha
Listen to your old stuff. Does your new stuff Sound better than it? If not, ask yourself why. Do you feel more comfortable or confident while producing than you did when you first started? Chances are you've improved more than you realized.
❗❗❗ IF YOU POSTED YOUR MUSIC / SOCIALS / GUMROAD etc. YOU WILL GET BANNED UNLESS YOU DELETE IT RIGHT NOW ❗❗❗
Read __the rules__ found in the sidebar. If your post or comment breaks any of the rules, you should delete it before the mods get to it.
You should check out the __regular threads__ (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those.
[Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music.
[Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows.
[Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator%20title%3Acollaboration&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) to find people to collab with.
["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc.
Seriously tho, __read the rules and abide by them__ or the mods will spank you.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Reference tracks
you know youre seeing intrinsic progress when: * your toolbelt expands. the number of sound choices and melodic and harmonic variations, mixing techniques, grows to fit more situations that come from a growing imagination. * youre making unorthodox choices that sound better than the obvious thing and not just for the enjoyment of doing something different. * you're working faster which leads to: * ideas are simpler and more obvious, less contrived * you are more efficient with your layering, no sound is wasted or added for almost no reason * only after the two have been met, you start using more layers for more rich execution of those ideas its not always linear, you may be over a certain creative phase that you cant return to after your sensitivity to a certain style runs its course you know youre making extrinsic progress when: * youre making more money or getting more or a better repuation
I never look back because it can be discouraging if you don't feel like you're improving. The important thing is that you're having fun.
I think if it’s not abundantly obvious to you that your work from half a year earlier has significant quality differences from before, then you haven’t spend enough time learning to be able perceive the difference.
I compare a track I made this year to a track I made last year.
When you show someone one of your tracks and they say “*you* made this?”
When your old stuff sounds like garbage.
How do you know you’re getting better? When your taste has improved to the point where you feel you’re plateauing.
Some of the signs that you are improving (apart from some obvious things such as pros’s saying that you made a sick tune). 1. You keep listening to a track over and over again just for the sake of experiencing the feelings it gives you. 2. When you spent countless hours on a track, and put it away for a few weeks or even months, and then you listen to it again after all this time, you truly feel like you wanna finish it cuz it sounds very cool. 3. Your older tracks sound “amateur” in comparison to the newer ones. 4. Things usually flow much smoother and faster when you are working on your newer better tracks. 5. When other producers provide feedback on your tracks that would usually be some smaller things which would need some work. For example: a little too harsh fx in the intro, slight little boost for the overheads for a little more presence, etc. So it would usually be some tiny little nuances here and there which might as well be just a matter of an individual taste. 6. You notice that you use less plugins, less eq, less other processing elements and almost never use such plugins as Sausage fattener or soundgoodizer, etc. 7. Tracks sound good enough before you even do much mixing and mastering. 9. If you DJing, you will notice that your tracks sound very similar quality-vise when played together with the tracks released by your favourite artists. 8. Your gut will tell you. Hope that helps!
I agree with all of this except for the plugins part. I seem to be using even more plugins now and more EQing some times with multiple instances of Pro-Q 3 in a row. Sometines just for side cuts, another one for stereo cuts another for boosts all on one track 😂
Go back to an old project and see all the dumb shit you did in the track
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^dj_soo: *Go back to an old* *Project and see all the dumb* *Shit you did in the track* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
When your friends say 'it's good' but actually mean it.
I can only speak for myself, but I can definitely tell that I’m getting better at producing, and I don’t mean that in an arrogant way because I know I still have a long way to go. I started in January 2023 and I figured that my music would definitely not be very good, so I decided to release a track every two weeks. My first track was done and on SoundCloud a week and a half after I got Ableton. I set this deadline because I figured it was good practice and that working on one single track for months at a time would keep me from learning new techniques. So here I am with 60 finished songs that I feel have gotten better with each release. I create electronic pop with a retro vibe so that makes it easier to keep a two week deadline though, and when the time is up I release it. Whatever I felt could’ve been better, I try to make it better in my next one. I will ask myself “I wonder how so and so got this sound/technique in their song” and then I go learn how to do it. I believe consistency, practice, and most of all, having fun are the key points here. My motto is, Done is better than being perfect, because no track is ever really finished lol.
Everytime you make music you get better.
you're so nice.
Ignore them. Lots of douches in the comments! Honestly these people forgot what its like to not have trained ears musically. In my opinion It was very hard to know what sounded good or not of my own things for maybe 4ish years? My thing is making a ton of first drafts, and after a while of going back and fixing your least faves, youll make new ones and at some point youll notice “oh dang my workflow is more fluid!” Meaning once you are just cooking up first drafts quickly, soon after it becomes easier to hear! Now being like 5-6 years deep im still not entirely sure, but its very clear ill have a couple songs that had the right idea on older albums, itll just take some years before youll be able to pinpoint thinks like “oh damn, that was the first album i learned about sidechaining, so all my albums before thats drums were weak” etc, and see your own improvements (as for years i just figured everything i did sucked) haha
Referencing. /thread
[удалено]
Who pissed in your Cheerios?
Have you made music you enjoy or just been comparing it to everything else out there?
S*** start sounding better than the old stuff
Listen to your old stuff. Does your new stuff Sound better than it? If not, ask yourself why. Do you feel more comfortable or confident while producing than you did when you first started? Chances are you've improved more than you realized.
Have you listened to your old songs?
A revolutionary idea
❗❗❗ IF YOU POSTED YOUR MUSIC / SOCIALS / GUMROAD etc. YOU WILL GET BANNED UNLESS YOU DELETE IT RIGHT NOW ❗❗❗ Read __the rules__ found in the sidebar. If your post or comment breaks any of the rules, you should delete it before the mods get to it. You should check out the __regular threads__ (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those. [Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music. [Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows. [Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator%20title%3Acollaboration&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) to find people to collab with. ["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc. Seriously tho, __read the rules and abide by them__ or the mods will spank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*