When you're new to the music industry, the world of contracts awaits..  Are you ready for them?
I was an electrician for 10 years collecting a "regular pay check", just like many of you who want to start making money in the music industry.
This FL Studio Podcast Episode on Music Production Made Simple covers Never Selling Yourself Short to learn how to negotiate contracts that are FAIR for both parties involved.
🎤 All Podcast Episode Resources:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/
🎓 Join FL Studio Training Platform:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/
📘 FREE Beatmaking Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT":
https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys

S3E2 - Never Sell Yourself Short

Welcome back to SEASON 3 of Music Production Made Simple with GratuiTous, who is a Recognized FL Studio Trainer!
This episode talks about "Digital Spring Cleaning".  Making sure you're organized for a fast and efficient workflow in the future, all from a MUSIC PRODUCER'S PROSPECTIVE, of course 🙂
===========================
🎤 All Podcast Episode Resources:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/
🎓 Join FL Studio Training Platform:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/
📘 FREE Beatmaking Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT":
https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys

S3E1 - Digital Spring Cleaning

Collaborating can bring tremendous success and growth to you as a producer making beats.. but are you aware of the cons of collaborating as a beatmaker?
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GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e33-is-collaborating-hurting-you/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E33 - Is Collaborating Hurting You

The Music Industry is a Long-Term Game.. and Many People Want to RUSH IT.. It takes Time, Patience, Practice, and A LOT of Skill to Succeed.. Are You Ready for It?
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GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e32-music-is-a-long-term-game/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E32 - Music is a Long-Term Game

A big problem new producers face when starting to make beats and wanting to make drum loops, is they think they need to learn how to play the drums.
This is not a good mindset to have, because you will fall into a very bad creative-block trap of thinking you need to program your sounds so perfect, that you’ll never reach the creative level you’re wanting as a beatmaker.
I highly encourage you to take my SAFE SPOTS Drum Loop Training Curriculum to learn how to make your own custom drum loops in-depth!
(Or become a member and access all of by beatmaking courses based on FL Studio!)
Please feel free to contact me directly any time!
GratuiTous
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e31-seeing-past-the-drum-kit/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E31 - Seeing Past the Drum Kit

This episode may be a reality check to a lot of cocky producers, but the reality is.. most beatmakers ARE NOT musicians, and can barely play an instrument.
That does not mean they are not good beatmakers, however.
Listen close in this episode to understand the difference between beatmakers and musicians, and hear my piano beat and live piano playing example..
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GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e30-beatmakers-arent-musicians/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E30 - Beatmakers Aren't Musicians

My COURSE PATHWAYS is a proven curriculum to learn FL Studio and Beatmaking in as little as 3 months!  It's really hard learning the basics of music production, but my COURSE PATHWAYS walks you through step-by-step in easy-to-understand videos, and prepares you take off and truly make your own style of music.
You can view my COURSE PATHWAYS page here:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/course-pathways/
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e29-the-course-pathways/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E29 - The Course Pathways

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A LAWYER.. SO SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE REGARDING COPYRIGHT.
As a music producer, our copyright is EVERYTHING!
It’s how we make our money, it’s how we claim ownership, and it’s how we LICENSE the right to use our products.
NEVER just giveaway your copyright without understanding what you are truly giving away.
 
What We Cover in This Episode!
In this episode, I discuss the upcoming 5 Golden Pillars of Music Production Course (if you are a member, you get it free!)
We then get into digital products such as beats, sound kits, preset banks, books, courses, and even how a podcast or YouTube video is someone’s copyright!
INFRINGING on someone’s copyright is extremely dangerous. Yes, sampling is a popular music production technique, but you will want to look into “sample clearance”.
If you are using drum kits, make sure that they are actually 100% Royalty free, as not every drum kit out there is these days! That’s why I always recommend the Xclusive-Audio Drum Bundle TRIO to you guys.. not only because of it having 2,300+ one-shot drum samples, but because it is 100% royalty free to use in your beats!
Are You Sure You’re Protecting Your Copyright?
So as mentioned, when you make the beat, it is YOUR COPYRIGHT.
Your evidence would be your .flp (FL Studio Project), which shows all the MIDI Notes, and how you made the original song. Yes, someone could technically try to “re-create” your beat as their own, but it’s VERY hard to 100% replicate something, as tweaking a knob exactly is nearly impossible on these VST synths.
You may have heard of the “poor man’s copyright” where they mail them self a copy of their released song, but I’d honestly say this was more important in the days of REAL RECORDING.. we beatmakers use MIDI, so replicating your track in-depth with the exact sounds would be very hard to achieve..
Do Beat Tags Actually Prevent Theft?
Producers use beat tags to prevent theft of their beat. If you catch someone using your beat without buying the proper rights (license), this is grounds to proceed legal action..
But, the beat WITHOUT a beat tag is still your copyright.. the beat tag is just one of those things like an extra layer of security to prevent theft, but if someone had amateur audio skills, they could still cut out your beat tag, and keep the beat looping over and over..
The fact is, it’s YOUR COPYRIGHT, and a beat tag doesn’t change that.. it just helps prevent theft, and helps your brand.
Should you still use beat tags? Yes, of course! They help your brand, and prevent theft by making someone do extra work to steal it.. but your copyright to that beat remains regardless of your beat tag over your beat or not.
Agreements Regarding Copyright Ownership..
The power of digital products is non-exclusivity. You can re-sell it over and over.. and if someone wants the exclusive-rights to something, that’s when the big money can come in.. but even then, exclusive-rights is

S2E28 - Your Copyright is EVERYTHING

In this podcast episode of Music Production Made Simple, I talk to you about what I think makes a MIDI Keyboard Good for Beatmaking.
I understand everyone has their own preference, but when using FL Studio, this is my strong opinion to see great results, save money, and see RESULTS in your beats!
 
49-Key MIDI Keyboard is BEST!
When talking about price, size, and workflow, I truly think the 49-Key is the BEST MIDI Keyboard option for producers (with Semi-Weighted Keys).
I like to put my M-Audio Oxygen Pro MIDI Keyboard to the right of my audio interface, and a 49-Key allows it to be within arm's reach!  (That is the awesome beatmaking workflow I’m talking about!)
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GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e27-what-makes-a-midi-keyboard-good-for-beatmaking/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E27 - What Makes a MIDI Keyboard Good for Beatmaking

I suggest taking my How to Use a MIDI Keyboard as a Beatmaker course, or learning from my what to look for in a MIDI Keyboard article.
Additionally, you can see my recommended MIDI Keyboards for FL Studio!
As always, reach out any time by contacting me directly.Should you volume balance your songs?
You’ve made the beat, and you love how it sounds nice and full, but you’ve seen tutorials tell you that you should now bring each instrument to the mixer, and try to re-mix the song.
But.. think clearly for a second.. if you like the balance, should you try to “re-balance” your volumes and hope for that same balance?
Getting the same balance is VERY HARD..
Adjust Instruments Where Needed..
With virtual instruments, like a ROMpler, we beatmakers ALREADY HAVE HIGH-QUALITY SOUNDS.
The thing you must understand as a beatmaker is a lot of information is jumbled together with the recording world to us beatmakers, who just use MIDI and one-shot drum samples.
When a recording engineer would record a musician, their recording levels would not ALWAYS be the same for each different instrument. This is where VOLUME BALANCING is important to bring up a BALANCE in the song.
But for us beatmakers, if we play our melodies, we can quickly lower volume by one or two dB, and that’s technically OUR volume balancing.. make sense?
What about EQ and Compression?
Well, the same idea applies.
When you record an instrument or singer, the microphone is susceptible to many negative things like..

The Room Sound (if it’s not acoustically treated).
Distortion if Recorded TOO LOUD
Inconsistency in Loudness (the singer or musician said some loud or quiet words)..

As a beatmaker, all of these are easily remedied through MIDI.
The room sound.. we can control this through adding/removing REVERB or DELAY!
Distortion.. we can easily just turn down our Virtual Instrument!
And inconsistency.. we can just adjust VELOCITY on an individual MIDI Note (learn more in my SAFE SPOTS Book).
So when we are applying Equalization and Compression, the same concept doesn’t fully apply for a recording to a virtual instrument melody.
Yes, we want things to be clear, but we may not be EQing to FIX a bad recording.. we may just be EQing to MAKE an instrument sound better or more clear.
How to Best Get Started Using MIDI?
I suggest taking my How to Use a MIDI Keyboard as a Beatmaker course, or learning from my what to look for in a MIDI Keyboard article.
Additionally, you can see my recommended MIDI Keyboards for FL Studio!
As always, reach out any time by contacting me directly.
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e26-does-volume-balancing-wreck-your-song/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E26 - Does Volume Balancing Wreck Your Song

When making beats, should you sound design while making the beat, or should you just use a ROMpler to select high-quality presets?
This is a question I get ALL the time!
In addition, I also get asked is using a ROMpler cheating? And the answer is NO!
Remember, sound design is a totally separate industry from making beats. We as beatmakers need high-quality sounds to make our beats fast and with quality. It still takes A LOT of skill to make a beat.. but drum samples and synth presets allow us to make professional beats fast, and it makes mixing A LOT easier, too!
If you try to sound design while making a beat in FL Studio, you will discover it slows you down way too much.
My advice is to do sound design separately, then use those high-quality sounds to make your beats.
The beatmaking process goes:
Make the Beat -&gt; Arrangement -&gt; Mixing -&gt; Audio Painting -&gt; Mastering
Sound design is a TOTALLY SEPARATE INDUSTRY.. and one you may never have to learn to make high-quality beats..
If you want to learn sound design, that’s totally up to you.. and be prepared because it’s overwhelming.. just like learning to make beats was!
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e25-should-you-sound-design-while-beatmaking/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E25 - S2E25 - Should You Sound Design While Beatmaking

I personally think the music industry is the MOST influential industry in the entertainment world.
However, when you enter the music world, you must understand that FAME does not equal SUCCESS, and you can have one and not the other. No matter who you are in this world, we all listen to music, and we all have our own favorite artists and songs from our own generations.
SUCCESS is what you WANT.. but FAME can lure you into thinking that you are “successful”.
Successful is a word without a real definition, because most people consider success different.. Is 1 million dollars successful? Is having a family successful? Is releasing your first beat tape being successful?
Now FAME is having people know about you and your “image”. There’s lots of famous people who have lost it all!
Success is being able to do what you want, achieving your goals, and still being a normal human who can enjoy their life!
The moral of the story is.. check your heart, and understand your intentions entering this music industry.
It’s very appealing, and can quickly bring you success, fame, as well as chaos.
The secret to it all is reading, understanding what you want, and knowing the pros and cons of each situation.
Take this one to heart.
GratuiTous
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e24-is-fame-worth-it/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E24 - Is Fame Worth It (Success vs. Fame)

In this podcast episode of Music Production Made Simple, I discuss hard drives with you for your music production computer.
There's two main hard drives we use for our music production computers..
That is Mechanical Hard Drives (HDD), and Solid State Hard Drives (SDD). There are also what's called a "hybrid hard drive" where there's a small amount of SSD built into a Hard Drive to help it run a little faster by "caching" common files for faster loading.
Mechanical Hard Drives
A mechanical hard drive is more affordable, and is able to be purchased with LOTS of storage space.
You simply provide a power cable from your computer's power supply (PSU), and a SATA cable plugs into the HDD and motherboard for the data connections.
As I said in this episode, I liked the 5400RPM hard drive, as the noise was not audible in my acoustic computer case to help keep things quiet.. the 7200RPM can be hard audibly.
Solid State Hard Drives:
At the time of making my music production computer build video, 250GB was like $200-300!!! Now you can get 1TB-2TB for that same price.. (about 5-6 years later..)
SSDs are awesome because they are QUIET and FAST. The only problem at the moment is you can't buy them in LARGER sizes like 4TB or 8TB (maybe in the old card-type SSDs).. but they are still pricey.
Conclusion.. Hard Drives for Music Producers
So I hope the gives you insight to buying hard drives as a music producer.
Currently we use an SSD for our main C:\ drive which is where we install our operating system (Windows for example), and our most important programs and files like FL Studio, Drum Kits, and our main VSTs.
For our LARGER files (like my FL Studio courses), we store these on a HDD (Hard Drive) because it's more affordable.
Hopefully in the coming years we will be able to just use one hard drive again, but this time on a fast SSD that is affordable, with a reasonable capacity to keep up with all our digital assets nowadays..
By the way, you can checkout my FL Studio Books if you'd like to become a better producer!
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsgratuitous.com/podcast/s2e23-different-hard-drive-types/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E23 - Different Hard Drive Types for Music Producers

It doesn't matter what genre of beats you make, the 808 is one of the most powerful instruments as a beatmaker.  Now, the 808 sound is a VERY SPECIAL instrument because it's like a hybrid between an kick drum and a bassline.
To become a GOOD producer, you NEED to learn how to use an 808, and a bit of its history.  Each genre uses the 808 a bit different, but it's a key element for fullness in your beats.
(The 808 kick drum originally comes from a Roland-TR 808 Drum Machine.  There's also many other common sounds we hear in popular songs all the time from this drum machine, but the 808 is known for its initial hit [similar to a short-tailed drum], then it's long tail which rattles the subwoofer [like a bassline]).
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e22-the-secrets-of-808s-as-a-beatmaker/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E22 - The Secrets of 808s as a Beatmaker

Producers ask ALL the time..
“Should producers start with their drum loops first, or melodies first, when making a beat”.
My answer for you is TRY BOTH WAYS..
It will allow you to become an extremely versatile music producer, who is able to adapt to ANY SITUATION they are thrown into.
In addition to making drum loops, or programming melodies, beatmakers should definitely know how to sample as well.
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsgratuitous.com/podcast/s2e21-drum-loops-or-melody-first/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E21 - Drum Loops or Melody First

Creating melodies on a piano as a beatmaker using FL Studio is not as hard as you think.  Yes, music theory is required, but it's all about improvisation and catchy melodies!
🎹 Want 50% OFF the Piano Course?  Copy + Paste Link!!!:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/cart/?add-to-cart=23832&apply_coupon=PIANO
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e20-piano-and-melodies-for-music-producers/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E20 - Piano and Melodies for Music Producers

The Walk Around Test is something that I have done for many years before releasing my music publicly.
It’s that FINAL LISTEN after you’ve made the beat, done your arrangement, and applied your AUDIO PAINTING.
It’s listening to make sure that the song FLOWS.
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e19-the-walk-around-test/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E19 - The Walk Around Test

Reverb is probably everyone’s favorite effect.
It creates such a beautiful sound, and can usually help any sound or instrument sit into a mix, if used properly.
In this episode, I mainly wanted to focus on something called Predelay.
What is Predelay on a Reverb?
Well, when you play a sound with the reverb effect, the sound can become “masked”. The dry signal (no reverb) and the wet signal (reverb) play at the same time, and because of that, the dry signal can’t be heard as clear, and the reverb will be masked by the dry signal.
In this episode, I show you an example of predelay on a reverb using a piano note.
How Much Predelay Should You Dial In?
For your predelay settings, this is a by ear thing.
When you go too far, you will hear the predelay almost as it’s own instrument, and it will be out of time.
I would say, it’s always safer to have LESS predelay than too much, but if you want a lot of reverb on your snare, without the long tail clogging up your song’s mix, then you can adjust the predelay and DECAY knob accordingly!
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e18-powerful-reverb-tips/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E18 - Powerful Reverb Tips

There is a struggle for new producers, and that is turning a loop into a beat (or a song).
In this episode I share with you what I think the difference is between a song and a beat.
A loop is just the absolute beginning stages of a beat or song, and it is very hard for new producers to get passed the point of a LOOP to a beat or song.
In my opinion, a song is a beat with vocals/lyrics. The vocals immediately complete the song, and make the actual beat creation process a lot easier, because the beat doesn’t have to be so full!
A beat is a lot harder to know when it is done, but a trick I share in this episode is to first build out the arrangement, then when the chorus comes in, truly listen and think… “Does that sound like a full chorus that completes the song?”. If it doesn’t, well then maybe you need to add another instrument on!
Yes, both a song and beat are made up of individual loops, but it is your goal as a music producer to train your ear for what is catchy, and be able to put all those different loops together to make it into a BEAT or a SONG that is catchy, and captivates your listeners.
If you missed the live stream from last night, you can watch it here.
Also, if you want to learn how to create powerful melodies as a music producer, definitely checkout my Piano Lessons for Producers course!
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e17-a-song-vs-a-beat-vs-a-loop/
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

S2E17 - A Song vs. a Beat vs. a Loop

Do you want to know the #1 secret to learn better, FAST?
It’s actually TRYING what you’re just watched, read, or have been studying.
If you do not TRY what you are trying to learn, you WILL NOT get it. It’s truly as simple as that.
In this episode I share a couple VALUEABLE tips to discover how to learn effectively, no matter the time schedule you have, or the industry you’re involved in.
Remember, I was an electrician for 10 years and VERY busy all the time… so how did I make time to learn music production so well on the side? (P.S… I also run an electrical website called Becoming-an-Electrician.com!)
It was by following many of the tips within this episode.
I’d take advantage of my breaks at work… Sometimes I’d sit with the guys at work, but I’d like to read a lot, so I’d often go somewhere on my break to eat my lunch and do some light reading without getting distracted!
Key Points of the Episode..

Make a list of things you want to learn.. add to this list common terms you keep hearing repeated from video to video.. What do those things mean? When you have spare time.. (like on lunch break), try to read these topics as you’re eating your lunch!
ACTUALLY TRY what you’re learning. If you just watch a tutorial and don’t go and try it, you’ll never learn it. Same with the things you’re reading, go and actually try it, and then you’ll see if you understand it!

Alright, thanks for tuning into this episode about how to learn music production fast.
Don’t forget, I have a beatmaking training platform with over 26 FL Studio courses..
You feel free to reach out any time. If you subscribe to my YouTube channel, I have been doing some live streams lately randomly.. they’ve been fun.
Talk to you in the next one!
===========================
GET THIS EPISODE'S RESOURCES:
https://itsGratuiTous.com/podcast/s2e16-see-results-while-learning
===========================
📘 Try my FREE Book "5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL BEAT": https://itsGratuiTous.com/5keys
👍 Watch My FL Studio Courses: https://itsGratuiTous.com/courses/

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