Have a music production workflow that the pros would envy

My latest YouTube video hit a nerve.

A lot of producers have seriously well-developed skills—sound design dialed in, mixing chops, great instincts as songwriters. I've taught hundreds of producers and have seen these skills firsthand.

But when it comes to workflow? Those skills begin to look a little less like cheddar and a bit more like Swiss cheese. (Get it? There's holes in their skills. Anyway.)

I get it. Creative processes are personal. That’s part of what makes your music yours.

And, frankly, project management isn't the most exciting part of making music.

But at a certain point, your process stops being “unique” and starts being inefficient.

Why you should standardize your workflow

There are parts of workflow that need to be standardized. Your productions are filled with files and assets that need to be managed appropriately.

There are two big reasons why this matters:

1. These assets - samples, presets, and templates - are valuable. Not just creatively, but financially. You can package and sell them. They are a revenue stream. You've heard me talk about this before.

2. If you don’t manage them properly, they will slow you down bad - so much so that you may not finish your songs.

Workflow changes that can make a major difference

Here are a few simple ways to upgrade your workflow—and make even the pros envious:

Know the difference between a set and a project. Treat them differently.

This was the nerve-hitting topic of last week's YouTube video that opened up production workflows for veteran producers. Seriously. Check the comments.

Name your files clearly and consistently. Seriously.

I know that this is some first day of school stuff but I can't stress the importance of it.

Use some sort of identifying tag for the things you make. Stop using "final" when you think you're at the end stage of the mix. Name your tracks instead of just "Audio 5" or "MIDI 9." (I still catch myself doing this every now and then.) Create groups of like tracks.

Why do all of this? It makes things easier to find. It makes projects easier to navigate. It helps you keep track of the things you've made. It makes you overall more efficient.

Archive your projects on purpose. Not just when your hard drive starts yelling at you.

When a song is finished, make three copies of that set (or session as I tend to call them):

1. The first copy is the one you finished with. Make sure to collect all and save.

2. The second copy, freeze all the tracks.

3. The third copy, flatten/bounce all the tracks so you have everything printed to audio.

This way, if you need to revisit the project in the future, you won't have to worry if plugins become obsolete or computer architecture changes. You have insurance.

Reducing friction

These are the kinds of things that fall through the cracks. But those cracks can turn into canyons—and suddenly you’re tumbling when you should be hitting your stride.

The game is always the same: reduce friction.

Every smart move you make to clean up your process is one less thing getting in the way of your creativity.

Til next time,
ZW