1. Your work ethic will matter more than your knowledge.
There’s so much to learn about making music, and with new studio recording techniques being developed all the time you’ll likely continue learning throughout your entire career. Produce results by making the most out of what you already know. Learning new music production techniques is good, but ultimately meaningless if you don’t sit down and actually put them to use.
2. The quality of your work will grow with time.
Nobody picks up a basketball for the first time and instantly plays at a professional NBA ballplayer’s level. Don’t worry if your first attempts at music production turn out to be clunkers, consider it all part of learning the music making process. You may need to produce dozens of tracks before you really find your groove.
3. Your ideas and technique will matter more than your equipment.
It’s easy to get caught up in the endless hardware comparisons online and think you won’t be able to do anything unless you have the latest and greatest gear. And while it may sometimes help to have better gear it’s not necessarily needed. Remember that many hit recordings have been created on some of the most meager of music making setups.
4. Don’t be afraid to borrow ideas.
Everything is derivative to a certain extent. While this is no excuse to be completely unoriginal, don’t be afraid to take inspiration from elements like a great drumbeat and use it as a building block for your own music productions. Even before sampling helped form the foundations of hip hop, blues musicians would regularly borrow ideas from each other to expand their artform.
5. You’ll need to connect with others if you want to “make it.”
While it may sometimes feel like you’re creating music in a bubble while you’re in your home studio, remember that it’s ultimately up to the world at large if you’re looking to have a career in the music industry. You’ll need to not only connect with an interested audience but also with tastemakers and other industry figures that can facilitate opportunities for you.
– Marcus Wellberry for StudioRecordingTools.com