The Five Stages of Electronic Music Production.

 

This video goes through what the narrator calls the five stages of an Electronic Music Producer. The first stage is experimentation and learning. He advises that you have to be prepared to accept failure in the start and realise that this is a part of learning to produce music. The important thing is to enjoy the process. Stage two is one of exponential learning where courses and research start to fill up the producer's head. The important thing is to focus on the fundamentals. Here he is mainly focussed on EDM and advises against over complicating things. Try to finish one song a week. The main point here is to finish the songs, not abandon them. Even though abandonment, too, is part of the process. 

The second stage requires diversification, trying different styles and genres, and have fun in doing so, just like you did in the first stage. It is important that you are open to constructive criticism. You have to seek this out by forming relationships with people who are willing to give feedback. He suggests trying to build relationships through social media.

The third stage is the dip, which usually lasts from 12 - 18 months. It is hard and can end up stopping production. You can become so disheartened and at risk of giving up all together. It is important to deal with the sense of being overwhelmed by breaking things down into smaller pieces, and concentrating on approaching each small piece and completing it. Be patient. It is important to realise that you are still progressing so long as you keep making music.

Stage four is the proficiency stage. It is when you realise that you are actually OK at this. You are actually starting to sound good, and start to realise that your work is worth listening too. You are still no master, but you can release music and people will listen. Use others as reference tracks and start analysing music. Collaborate with vocalists and musicians.What do you actually want to do? Be professional, a hobbyist or maybe a part time performer.

Stage five is mastery and lasts forever. You finally have achieved a style and proficiency that stands out as an individual expression of who you are as a producer. You start to contribute to the art form through your work. Experimentation and analysing new works and develop your music even further. Other elements such as programming or visual art may start to become a part of your practice.

I liked watching this video and like this as a way of looking at your life as an electronic music producer.