As I often opine on my column… know-how is not the same as know-what. Understanding how something is delivered is… crucial to the outcome. Learning from others, perhaps by deconstructing to reconstruct, similarly so.
Absolutely. Sometimes it's the curiosity that gets triggered when you notice something really great about a song's production that sends you down that rabbit hole of learning.
Really good point about listening outside your usual genre. I save references for specific things—low end, vocal level, drum ambience—rather than the whole mix. Do you organise yours by genre or by what they’re useful for?
Agree! Yeah, I tend to think about particular things that I think have been done really well with a mix or production, rather than the genre. I'll definitely consider genre when I'm mixing, but sometimes I'll still take a listen to reference tracks that aren't in the same genre to check how a certain production element has been approached and try it in my own mix. This is definitely not everyone's approach, but I like checking things across genres!
As I often opine on my column… know-how is not the same as know-what. Understanding how something is delivered is… crucial to the outcome. Learning from others, perhaps by deconstructing to reconstruct, similarly so.
Absolutely. Sometimes it's the curiosity that gets triggered when you notice something really great about a song's production that sends you down that rabbit hole of learning.
Really good point about listening outside your usual genre. I save references for specific things—low end, vocal level, drum ambience—rather than the whole mix. Do you organise yours by genre or by what they’re useful for?
Agree! Yeah, I tend to think about particular things that I think have been done really well with a mix or production, rather than the genre. I'll definitely consider genre when I'm mixing, but sometimes I'll still take a listen to reference tracks that aren't in the same genre to check how a certain production element has been approached and try it in my own mix. This is definitely not everyone's approach, but I like checking things across genres!
Really great piece and something to think about as a songwriter.
Thanks Katie, cheers for reading!
“Saved”. Thank you