Week 1: Me as a Producer

AreaSelf-rating (1–5)Comments / Examples
Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)  Ableton, Logic, etc. 4 Confident in most DAWs apart from protools as not had a lot of experience working with in within a studio with outboard gear
Recording Techniques  microphones, gain staging, audio setup 4 very confident with recording techniques and even doing weird and experimental techniques when recording physical instruments
MIDI Sequencing & Programming 3 Used a lot of virtual instruments and comfortable using MIDI programming but feel like there is more I could learn and get confident with
Sampling & Synthesis 3 Know the basics of hardware and virtual synths as well as basic sampling but there is a lot more I can dive into to understand but have not yet
Mixing & Effects Processing 4 Mixed many songs myself for professional release and confident in mixing a song effectively but still have much to learn and get more confident with
Sound Design & Creative Processing 2 Have not done a lot of sound design both within music and for other media forms
Critical Listening & Analysis 4reduction Confident I can pick out individual techniques within a lot of music but can always train my ears to be better
Collaboration & Communication 2 Mostly work on my own during a production session so I am not used to working with others but would really love to improve my skills with this
Organisation & Workflow 2 Very messy workflow at times but mess works for me the most but then this also disrupts being able to work with others

Me as a Producer 🙂

As a producer I am narrow and want to explore more music avenues. I mainly focus on indie/acoustic music as that is the style I create as an artist so have a lot of experience recording acoustic instruments with cheap and cheerful equipment or even using equipment I have made myself as I love that sound. I have taught myself or used online tools such as YouTube to learn how to hand make many parts of equipment I use such as my own guitar amp as well as weird noise makers and instruments.

I love sloppy recordings that feel so human and have so much character. Though being a bedroom producer I have gained many skills in doing very ‘in the box’ techniques but have ventured out to try to rely less on a computer. I’m aiming towards being a more hybrid producer as I use the convenience of a computer and a DAW but want to run almost all my signal out of a computer to analogue gear I have made then re-recording it back in to my DAW.

I take a lot of inspiration from artists such as Mac Demarco and Alex G who both also produce most of their work themselves in their own home studios with cheap and vintage gear.

I also have a deep love for the producer Sylvia massy as he has a focus on strange recording techniques and making her own gear to use in a studio setting. She documents many of her techniques on her YouTube channel and that has become very inspiring for me as a young producer. One example I love is THIS YouTube video (Mix with the Masters, 2021) about sending a guitar speaker signal though a pickle to create a massive fuzz sound. This is such a strange and unique way to create this tone but it actually gave the guitar so much character that fit so well within the rest of the song. Many of these techniques are not just for fun stories but actually work to create amazing sounds that are unique for that song.

References:

LAURI’S DIY CHANNEL TV (2025) A better phantom powered condenser mic for ~15$. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83V19WYW_yw. [Accessed October 20th, 2025]

Mac DeMarco (2025) Mac DeMarco – Holy. Available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UsYLb3O8fI.[Accessed October 20th, 2025]

Mix with the Masters (2021) Recording guitar through a pickle with Sylvia Massy. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpEJXHvaqJ0.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *