Introducing Emlo, my latest music project, and my 2020’s lockdown induced attempt at learning music production, while experimenting with sound, genre and voice delivery.
Here are the first three tunes: Simplicity, Walk, and Focus. Continue reading for a take away on what I learned in the process.
Take aways on my self-taught music production process exploration
Far from being my first attempt at recording and mixing my own music, I thought it would be fun to try a bit harder this time. It started with a free trial of Logic Pro X, enabling me to move on from GarageBand or my previous take on iPad recording using BeatMaker 3.
Good move Apple, the trial converted into purchase.
Learning and understanding the basics came up next. Starting with balance, EQ, and compression. I watched A LOT of YouTube video, in particular Joe Gilder, Sean Divine, MusicTechHelpGuy, Why Logic Pro Rules, and The House of Kush.
I strongly recommend those YouTube channels for anyone starting out in music production. Some really useful and varied content in there. From learning to use Logic, getting very comprehensive overviews of the basics (balance, compression, EQ, reverb, workflow, etc.), to applicable examples on how to produce and mix rap like vocals (I said “rap like”).
Eventually I got back to the excellent Mike Senior’s Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio, for a more general take of music production. I started to understand what I was doing, and I loved playing around with all these knobs and faders.
Simplicity
As with every creative development I felt the best way to get it was to apply those techniques to a personal project. That’s how Simplicity came about. This first tune really acted as an ever evolving draft, before I eventually decided it was ready to go, so I could focus on another one: Walk.
Walk
Walk is basically a new version of Aim for something, same lyrics with some tweaks, but a very different delivery, and production. I really liked doing that one, spent a bit less time than on Simplicity, and ended up with this spontaneous music video, captured on the way back home from a coffee break.
Focus
Finally, Focus. A tricky one to complete, I couldn’t settle on the voice delivery (smooth vs. aggressive – I chose the later) and I probably spent too much time trying to fine tune it.
I’m about 80% happy with the result but I still learned a lot in the process. It’s all about the journey, really is.
This last track acted a bit as my learn by failing moment, and it actually opened the path to a follow up tune I should be able to share very soon.