I've been watching this thread. It is reaching the point where it could go one forever :p I think a lot of good things have been said, but in the end, as WB said, nothing is black and white.

Just keep your ears and eyes open, and watch what other composers do, are doing, and have done. (Please do not read into this statement too much.) Mimic the great composers. They are also great producers, great businessmen, and great advertisers.

Work hard at learning and mastering whatever programs you choose to use as well, and always remember the three p's. ( There are other words too, but three p's just sounds nice :p)

1. Persistence - Work hard. Never let up.
2. Patience - Keep your cool.
3. Perseverance - Understand that failure is part of success. Persevering is all about overcoming the failures, and becoming stronger.

Apply those three concepts to your music, business, PR, producting, networking ect. It isn't a guarantee of success, as that you do also need to have serious drive, and little talent :p

I'd like to ask a bit of a question related to Sean Beeson's comment.

I, for one, have a decent level of proficiency in composition and a moderate ability to play what's in my head. Good enough that I'm satisfied with it, anyway: although I definitely don't claim to be a pro.

The weakest of my skills is, by far, my ability to flesh out my work to a high production quality. I know some of the very basic tools, but I could really use some pointers on how to really bring my work to life.

As it currently stands, I compose and record in Reason 2.0 (a few hundred bucks short of an upgrade to 3.0), primarily using the Orkester soundbank. Most of my work is orchestral work inspired by movie soundtrack greats like Hans Zimmer and John Williams. Once I'm finished laying down the tracks, I usually do a little bit of EQ balancing, smooth things out with some reverb, and adjust volume in places to bring the important elements forward.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything beyond the elementary basics, and I really don't claim to have a proper grasp on those. Most of my pieces come out sounding hollow and tinny, and even though I'm usually satisfied with my performance and I've recieved a lot of good feedback on composition, I am always disatisfied with the production quality of my music.

A typical example: [here]

Performance skills are developed with practice on your instrument. Compositional skills are developed with experimentation, practice, and a good grip on theory (whether inherent or studied). My question is: what do I need to do to improve my production skills? To make my music sound richer, fuller, and more professional? Are there tutorials you recommend? Tools you use?

I thank you for your help in advance.

Quote: Original post by TheArtifex
My question is: what do I need to do to improve my production skills? To make my music sound richer, fuller, and more professional? Are there tutorials you recommend? Tools you use?

Too often today inexperienced composers wrongly believe that if their music sounds thin it's because of the production. [depressed] "Production" in this sense is usually just a catchphrase for mixing and mastering. We must always remember that production is the polish. The real meat of the work is the musical composition, and that is where the real focus of your work should be. [cool]

If you want to write orchestral compositions, then study good orchestral compositions. Listen to the masters. There are no secrets here. They wrote all their tricks down in their scores, and you can listen to the CDs to hear how those tricks worked. Buy the CDs and scores and study them. That's worth repeating. BUY THE CDs AND SCORES AND STUDY THEM. Listen closely to how an orchestra sounds. Learn how the masters used counterpoint to create complex textures. Note the combinations of instruments they used to create different colors. In this way you develop a vocabulary of devices that you can use to create the effects you desire in your music. By listening you are also creating an aural picture of how they sound.

One arguement against this approach which I often hear is, "But classical scores don't sound like modern film/TV/game music." The truth is that many of the orchestral devices used in John Williams music can be found in the scores of Dvorak, Rimsky-Korsakov, Sibelius, Bartok, Ravel, Debussy, and others. Williams and his orchestrators actually studied these composers. Howard Shore actually studied Wagner and Brahms while he was writing the LOTR score. He had the scores and recordings in his room while he was writing. Sure modern scores don't sound the same, but they do use the same building blocks just arranged in different ways.

If studying an orchestral score with all the transpositions seems overwhelming, don't worry. Take a step back and study some Bach inventions or fugues to learn counterpoint (two or more melodies happening at the same time). If that seems too complex, then start with reviewing some basic or advanced harmony (jazz, classical, whatever). These are the foundation on which everything else stands. We've all had to learn these things at some point. Start where you have a good grasp and grow from there. Also don't be afraid to seek help. Search the 'net, ask teachers, read books, talk to other musician friends.

With this in mind, here's a suggestion to shake up your musical world. Spend your next $100 (or even $50) on scores and CDs that interest you. Take the time to really study them and see if you can figure out how they work. You may be amazed at the payoff from this type of study versus spending the time studying a new $100 plugin or Reason Refill.

This approach may not provide instant gratification, but as the saying goes, "If you put a lot into something, chances are you're going to get a lot out of it."

Ah, that's very good advice: thank you. I suppose a little vicarious education every now and then can be a very good thing. :D

Some better samples could only help as well. (Also giving that you know how to use them.) And if you ever need a good package deal, let me know, I am a dealer some products.