From Producer to DJ – 3 Incredible Discoveries

How playing to a crowd changed my production level completely

The big break – from producer to DJ

Okay, so around mid-July of 2022 I had the opportunity to play some of my tunes out to a “small” crowd. This was huge for me as a producer and artist. This was a shift I’ve been wanting, a shift from producer to DJ. At the time I believed this opportunity was going to help propel my artist brand forward. I never guessed this would impact my production skills as well. And all for the better.

Before I tell you EXACTLY what was learned, I need to explain the type of producer I was prior to DJing regularly. I started using Garageband at 13 Recording my guitar, writing songs, and tinkering with plugins. This meant lots of long hours on youtube, trial and error, and fun overall. Around 18 I decided professional college classes would help me as a producer. Well, that could not have been further from the truth. The professional classes did not come close to the knowledge I had gained during the years of tinkering around in Garageband.

My learnings

After that initial failure, I sought out online courses. Now we were getting somewhere. I took courses from places like ADSR, Corse Academy, and of course a lot more youtube. My love and understanding of production, mixing, and mastering grew exponentially through the next 2 – 3 years. And outside of production, I was still involved with collegiate-level guitar, choir, and theater… so my knowledge of music theory, performance, and hard skills continued to grow as well.

Okay, but what did this make me as a producer? I had been a very technical, well-taught, and by the book’s producer. What did this mean? This meant that songs needed form. Songs needed complexity. Productions needed to meet a certain standard to sound amazing. And music needed to SOUND good before it was considered good.

I am very thankful for some of these views … Others were actually negatives in disguise.

1. Good music doesn’t always meet YOUR production standards

This is the first change in view from producer to DJ. Essentially, I had spent too long getting caught up in the technical side of a song. I was not judging music by its entertainment value. A listener is NOT going to care if the song is SLIGHTLY quieter sounding, or if the piano is a few DB too loud. The listener ULTIMATELY cares about the vibe and how interesting the song is to them. I never would have learned this until I played as a DJ. Why? Because some of the BEST songs have HORRIBLE mixes… and vice versa, some AMAZING mixes don’t get a crowd interested.

So, if the song itself is interesting then the production, mix, and master are simply tools. They help the music sound the best it possibly can. I drew two major conclusions from this realization. First, I needed to spend MORE time writing.  Secondly, I needed to spend LESS time mixing. What is final is final. And to put it simply, you can’t polish a turd. But you can polish gold to help it shine brighter.

2. Design Original Sounds

Many of the best songs have a very focused and catchy sound. For example, vocals are generally considered the most original. Likewise, vocals and an original sound are a magic formula. What did this mean for my productions? Well as a result, I now believe that originality comes from weirdness initially. For example, laying a guitar with a saxophone and then using a transient shaper to emphasize the sax attack could make an interesting sound. Synths have endless possibilities as well.

Here’s a twist, however, original needs to be blended with familiar. Many songs use the piano in some capacity. Or similar drum grooves. Or most basic, the time signature. Above all, a song needs to make the listener feel something new. An original sound is simply the BEST way to stand out. Of course, this is easier said than done… so click HERE to learn about finding your sound.

3. Make music for yourself first

Everybody has different tastes in music. We all know this. Every taste is valid. That’s a bit harder of a reality to swallow but it is true. I’m a people pleaser, so I’ll often find myself stuck on the idea that a song is not good enough for others. THAT’S FINE. If you aren’t 100% feeling a song just test it out loud to people and see what happens. You’ll find a lot more positive feedback.

Now let’s take this a step further. First, we need to answer a question. Who is our harshest critic? Nine times out of ten it’s OURSELVES.  So here’s the simple solution. Stop focusing on how others will perceive your music and write something you want to hear. Write something that is missing from the world. Write something that shares who you are in some way.

For example, I LOVE using my voice, filtered stabby synths, and rich bass. This is my signature sound because I could never find an artist who did EXACTLY what I wanted. So, I just created it myself. Here’s the most interesting part. When I ask my fans what song they LOVE the most, I always get told It’s the one I loved the most as well. Click HERE if you would like to take a listen on Spotify.

From Producer to DJ – Top Takeaways

1. Good music doesn’t always meet your production standards
2. Designing original sounds is a key to differentiation
3. Make music that you TRULY need to hear

I am happy to share these findings with every artist who needs a little bit of perspective. It is a fun journey from producer to DJ. If you enjoyed the article, consider signing up to our email list below. You will get notified when new articles come out, Sales on beats, Sales on mixing/mastering services, and anything new that happens for the KSP brand. I’m just one normal guy who loves music. 

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