Over the last year, we’ve been keeping tabs on what music creators are talking about on a daily basis via our active producer community on Twitter.
We’ve discussed everything from what weather affects music making to why producers make music (follow us to be a part of the daily discussions).
As a musician, it’s important to learn from other creators in order to derive inspiration from many different sources. But don’t worry if you missed some of these conversations—below, we’ve curated a list of some of the most discussed topics within our community in 2022.
Let’s take a look!
1. “Which producer inspired you to start making music?”
No matter when you started your music production journey, if an inspirational producer’s music made you want to pursue music, you’re not alone.
Many in our community voted for legends like deadmau5, Flying Lotus, Timbaland, HARDWELL, Skrillex, Noisia, Lil Jon, and Avicii. And many also shouted out renowned producers like Boi-1da, GORDO, Metro Boomin, KAYTRANADA, Barely Alive, and Virtual Riot.
2. “Who do you want a sample pack from?”
You can never have enough samples in your catalog (trust us, we know). And our community of producers agree—the most popular requests in 2022 for artist-made sample packs were for Kenny Beats, Hit-Boy, The Kount, and Krewella, among many others.
3. “What is your signature sound in a song?”
A producer’s unique identity lies in their signature sound. To find your signature sound, you have to discover what possibilities exist and how other producers have crafted their sounds. We heard that some producers’ secrets lie in their risers, chimes, mixdowns, distortion, and basslines, while others use unique elements like birds chirping, cowbells, tiny bells, or raspy vocals.
If you haven’t found your sound yet, here are six tips for finding your signature sound as an artist.
4. “What is your best tip for mastering?”
The final step for any track, mastering is an extremely important—but often misunderstood—part of music making. Our community helps shine a light on the process:
“The perfect master is the one you don’t need to do anything on besides raise the volume because the mix was already dialed in. Fix mistakes at the earliest possible stage in the chain instead of leaving them for later.”—@iammodus.
“Read up on mastering. Knowing what’s possible in mastering. Listen to reference tracks from whichever engineer you want your music mastered from. Tell the engineer if you want more focus on drums, vocals, melody elements, bass, etc.!”—@BUKEZFINEZT
“On the technical side, if you are using compressors, use them in combination with sidechain EQs by cutting from 200 Hz and down so that the sub frequencies of the kick and bass don’t trigger the compressor as much.”—@haphaz7ard
“Outsourcing.”—@habstrakt
If you’re looking to do it yourself, you can find the top mastering plugins available to rent on Splice Gear.
5. “Why do you make music?”
Music resonates differently for different people, but for many of us, music represents our livelihood. Sometimes, it’s important to take a step back and think about why it is that you make music.
This topic made many in our community open up and be vulnerable about their experience with music. Here are some of the top answers that producers related to the most:
“Because I want other people to be able to hear what I am hearing in my head and hopefully feel the same euphoria I feel about it.”—@Virtual_Riot
“It’s a stress reliever and a getaway from current irritations and problems. It’s my sanctuary, I love it!”—@MackHall4
“The joy of rendering something that’s in my head into the physical world that makes others happy.”—@ChetaMeister
6. “What is your best tip for mixing?”
Every person has their own way of approaching mixing. In order to form your own process, it’s important to listen to and take inspiration from others. As a part of this discussion, people gave out their secret sauce when they mix their tracks—here are the top responses:
“When it’s time to mix, turn everything way, way, way down. Like so low you need to turn your speakers all the way up to hear it. Give yourself plenty of headroom.”—@galenwctipton
“Level your tracks in mono.”—@EightOhEightmv
“Take regular breaks to relieve ear fatigue.”—@JimHeist
Rent-to-own the top mixing plugins on Splice Gear.
7. “What’s the one thing a producer should always have?”
Don’t get us wrong—a producer needs many things to make music. However, there are always a few key things that are particularly essential to one’s music making process, which can vary from person to person. We got responses ranging from good taste, commitment, confidence, good mental health, and inspiration, to ideas, a network, and even a Splice subscription.
8. “What’s your first step in your DAW for a new track?”
One of the first things many of us do to develop any of our song ideas is open up a DAW. While this seems obvious, the first step you take in it can define the direction of your track more than you think. There are many ways to approach this—some of our top steps from the community were opening a VST instrument, setting a tempo, throwing a reference track in, finding kicks, and playing with samples.
One of the most time-efficient ways to operate within a DAW is to create templates—find out more about how you can incorporate them into your process.
What discussions do you want to see next?
There will be countless more questions and discussions we’ll be sharing with the music creator community in 2023 and beyond. With that in mind, what sorts of topics would you like to see us explore next? Let us know on Twitter, and follow us to stay updated on the latest.
From December 22nd to December 31st, get our hottest Sounds of 2022 for free when you start a trial, plus $20 off any Splice annual plan:
December 29, 2022
