My name is Greg Savage, I’m a music producer/sound designer from Oakland California. I’ve been producing music for over 6 years. I’ve done projects for Ford, MTV, BET, Native Instruments, UPN, ESPN, Lions Gate Ent etc. I don’t really compare myself to anyone in the industry I started out as a ghost producer there isn’t any producer or style I can’t mimic
Sampling. How important is it in producing music?
I personally think sampling is very important in music production. It’s what gives people new sounds to work with doesn’t matter what genre you’re in sampling is a must.
Where do you see new producers making mistakes?
The biggest mistake I see from new producers even intermediate producers is sound selection. Everyone is so eager to get through a track they end up neglecting sound selection. Picking the right sounds can make or break a track it can also make a track sound 10x better than it once did
What software do you recommend for making beats? And why? And what do you use?
I personally recommend Reason because it’s an all in one solution. It literally has every tool you need to make beats from start to finish and again that’s for any genre. I use Reason for the most part it is my go too tool for music production as well as sound designing
To all those new aspiring producers reading this learning to produce music / make beats, what advice can you give them starting out?
The say best advice I can give is bite everyone regardless of who frowns upon you. This is the best way to learn and get techniques down and under your finger nails and with the way production game is now. Companies are willing to pay for producers who can mimic what they can’t afford. Prime example, client likes so called producer X but that guy charges $30k he’s not going to pay that if you can find a good alternative who only charges $4k. See where I’m getting at?
What are the 3 most important steps to making beats?
The 3 most important steps to creating beats (IMO) are
Sound selection – Sound placement – Frequency analyzation
I say this because even if the track is basic if those 3 elements are taking care of the track is going to shine over a track that isn’t focused around those 3 factors
Very few producers make it to the top of there career as a world famous producer. What’s the difference, in your opinion, between a famous producer and one who can’t seem to it? What do the ones that make it do that the ones don’t ?
The difference between famous producers and producers who are not famous is lime light. That’s really it. I know producers who make 6 figures a year and they’ve never been featured in a magazine,never been on an award show or anything like the. They simply work get paid and go on about their lives with their family. All the glitter and lime light just isn’t important to them and most of them are paid residual income for their production.
There are a lot of ghost producers out there pulling in big cash making more money than (enter super producers name here). The producers who do enter the lime light and be known as celeb producers simply get as much face time and make as many relationships in the field as possible and they also look to get press.
Which do you prefer new producers start with when learning to make beats: Hardware or software? And Why?
Honestly I don’t have a preference when it comes to this. I do feel software would be more affordable but other than that I don’t have a preference at all.
What makes a quality beat? What must it sound like? How do you know when your done?
I feel the over all quality sound is what makes a beat professional. It has to be sound good. I know when I’m done with a beat when I’ve successfully laid out what I have in my head into reason
Should I go to school to learn more about music?
Of course never kick knowledge to the curb. If you’re going to go to school go to an actual school not Berklee online I feel that place is just… Stay away from it, just isn’t worth it
Any final thoughts or advice to aspiring producers?
Whatever you do stick to it and find a work flow that works good for you not a work flow that works for someone else because at the end of the day you are the one that is doing the work not them
