Courtesy of Cheer Sounds

When it comes to producing music, there are a couple methods to my madness. I make electronic music, but my methods work for any genre of music.

One of my traditions when making music is to find either four chords that sound off key or chords that wouldn’t typically be found in the average pop song. Usually, these chords are called dissonant. Look up what that means and you will understand. The trick is to play these four kinds of chords in a loop under some jazz instrumentals from Youtube. If, at any point, that a certain sound from the instrumental will work with your chords, change it in your music. It‰’s one way to have the Internet work for you.

Another method I use to find the music inside me is to use silent movie to get inspired. A lot of my friends, however, take an Acapella vocal from Youtube, paste it into a music program, and build music around the vocal. Any of these methods can work.

As you keep working, you find that there is a lot of similarity in the work you do and the work that’s done in professional studios. The only difference is that you need to find your own sound. I produce electronic music, so finding my own sound is definitely easier than finding a sound on acoustic since I can play with distortion. That is the key though. Find a way to distort a sound frequency. Listen to Mac Demarco and you will find that he uses a setting in Logic Pro X called “Chorus‰Û, which makes the sound more intense, and goofy. Music can be just a few things going on, with a kick and a snare. If you listen to Giraffage, you will find that the simplicity in his beats makes him one of a kind, since all he uses is a simple synth, a kick drum, and a clap. Working in the studio this summer, I found that the use of simple instruments makes it more original.