1. Sampling. How important is it in producing music?
I think sampling is very important in producing music. I mean it’s how it all started, without it we might not have hip-hop/rap. A lot of the great producers we know now started out sampling and most of them still do.
2. Where do you see new producers making mistakes?
I see new producers making a big mistake when they want to start selling their beats right away. They don’t take the time to hone their craft anymore. They put out wack beats and hope that someone buys it. And it really is hurting the game.
3. What software do you recommend for making beats? And why? And what do you use?
The software that I recommend is FL Studio 10. I recommend it because I think it is the easiest to learn, and it’s pretty cheap compared to other programs. I’ve tried Reason and Cubase and Abelton but I always found that everything was easier in FL. I currently use FL 10 with a cheap yamaha midi keyboard and a bunch of vsts, and a lot of different drum sounds. And for my mixing I mainly just use the stock plugins.
4. To all those new aspiring producers reading this learning to produce music / make beats, what advice can you give them starting out?
I think every aspiring producer should start learning how to mix. They should all go to futureproducers.com and go to the Recording&Mixing/Mastering section and just read and take notes. After they read, they should read some more. Try to learn as much as possible. They should learn about EQ, and Compression, and Reverb. After they learn some new things than they can incorporate that into their own beats. Im not saying I’m the greatest mixer but I’m always learning.
5. What are the 3 most important steps to making beats?
The first step is layering. You have to layer your sounds to make the beat sound full. I always see people asking that question on forums. And it’s always the same answer. The second step is sound selection. You have to pick sounds that sound good together. A lot of people just pick random sounds and think that they will get it to sound good when they mix the beat, but it doesn’t work like that. The third step is mixing. But if you have done the other two steps correctly than you won’t have much to do in the mixing process.
6. 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 ?
I think the difference between a famous producer and all the other producers is that they grind harder. I see them posting on twitter and they are always in the studio working with someone. Thats all it is, they just grind harder than everyone else. And I’m not saying that every major producer is doing that, but nowadays they have to always be working to get money.
7. Which do you prefer new producers start with when learning to make beats: Hardware or software? And Why?
I think software, just because it is easier. I started with software and I haven’t used anything else. But I would like to get a piece of hardware one day just to try it out.
8. What makes a quality beat? What must it sound like? How do you know when your done?
I pretty much answered this in question 5 so I don’t want to repeat myself. A quality beat comes from layering your sounds, sound selection, and than the mixing process. The beat should sound full and that will come from layering your sounds. Only the producer really knows when the beat is done, if they feel that they want to add another sound and it will sound good than they should add it.
9. Should I go to school to learn more about music?
Right now I don’t think you need to go to school to learn about music. I think that there is so much information on the web that you can learn everything you need to know at home. But you just have to apply what your learning on the web. I think that the only thing school is good for is networking.
10. Any final thoughts or advice to aspiring producers?
I know they’ve all probably heard this before but practice, practice, practice. That is the only way you are going to get better. It’s not going to magically happen. So just practice.
I don’t have a website link yet cause it’s still under construction but if people want to contact me you can put down thisisjeremyvoccia@gmail.com
