Music Tips for Music Producers

MUSIC TIPS:

*peeps*

Hello there! It’s been a minute. Did you miss us? Because we most certainly missed you.

We hope that in our absence you’re still reeling off our well stacked tips, quirks and solid advice from the previous column. Today we’re back with something new to munch on but first let us welcome you back to MUSIC TIPS; where we feature our CiDAR team members and ask them juicy questions about their work in the music industry and any tips to DIY for a successful path in the career.

We’ve talked about Artiste Managers, industry experts who meet the artiste in the middle, market their music and push them on bigger platforms. Today, however we would be focusing on the ones who make feet move, heads bop and bodies jingle. The secondary hearts behind the music, the mind behind the melodies, the ones that artistes share their dreams with. Today, we bring you MUSIC PRODUCERS.

WHO ARE MUSIC PRODUCERS?:

MUSIC PRODUCERS are creative and technical artists who help develop, record and craft creative musical content. They transcend just beat making, their magic fingers, turn vocals into pixie dust and ideas into wonderful compositions spending relentless hours in the studio. Today we feature our very own prodigy music producer, FADETHEVENOM.

FADETHEVENOM, also known as VENOM or FADEVENOM, began his dive into the music from such an early age, his earliest memories of music (according to his parents) was being barely a year and a few months old and always bopping his head and mouthing make-shift beating sounds along to the tempo of Celine dion’s ‘I’m alive’. He picked up the guitar at the age of 5 and was taught lessons until his teenage years. Throughout his life he has been surrounded

by music. Unsurprisingly, also studied Music at the University of Lagos and he currently works for CiDAR AFRICA.

And of course since we love you, we bring you nothing but the best from far and wide: We’ve barraged him with a number of questions that we know will be more than helpful. Dive in with us!

Q&A:

1. What Genre do you specialize in and which is your favourite to work on ?:  FADEVENOM: I would say my favourite genres to work on are Afrobeat, amapiano, r&b, hip hop/trap.

2. How do you approach arrangements of music? Walk us through a random or any of your favourite production process from start to finish. (Did it start with a beat, melody you heard from a song, a sample you liked. A melody you got from staring at the wall?)

FADEVENOM: Usually for me it starts with a melody in my head and I play it out by playing my chords, then I use the chords to build the beat. There’s also a popular saying among producers that there’s no rules to production, so other times I start with random patterns and then figure out the Melodies from there. I personally always continue stacking the Melodies and drums till I’m satisfied enough to arrange them.

Now for some more insightful questions because we want all the tea...

3. What is your go-to software and hardware tools in the studio? Which do you swear by or recommend?

FADEVENOM: My go to is honestly Fl studio. I’ve been using FL studio since the beginning of my career. Being a huge fanatic and it being the first daw (Digital Audio Workstation) to draw me in, I feel a certain bias to it. So I make beats in fl studio, I record in fl studio, I mix and master in fl studio. daw software wars however are as old as time, there’s the abelton vs fl studio, logic pro vs fl studio. There are people who say fl is complex to use and rather bland, but I stand by the fact that FL studio gets the job done and is the best daw.

4. How challenging do you find it working with other producers? Are you a sound hog? Do you struggle to share your creativity. Give us the tea on how you balance mixing your ideas with another creative

FADEVENOM: Working with producers is usually more of a delight for me and less of a challenge. I particularly love working with producers, more so than working with artistes. It gets the job done faster and wherever I lack, my peers compliment. All in all it’s faster and simpler, but at the same time, I must admit that there’s always a con where there’s a pro. I sometimes struggle with agreeing with other producers. Call it an ego battle or a war of the creatives, whatever it is sometimes it’s just hard for producers to agree on what works.

5. ⁠What challenges have you faced in your career in the music industry and how did you overcome them?

FADEVENOM:  The biggest challenge I’ve had to face was learning to cope. No one talks about how hard it is to find common ground,with fellow producers, artistes, executives, a/r etc. I had to understand that to cope, sacrifices have to be made and that what’s most important is knowing what sacrifices to take and what to stand your ground on.

6. ⁠Do you have any particular rituals or routines you can suggest to help one stay creative

FADEVENOM: I circle back with watching anime or playing games whenever I’m making beats. Most times I pause making music and just let my mind wander. I could be listening to music for an hour or watching a random movie and then when I come back, I work with a fresh mind and get the job done.

7. ⁠What would you recommend to readers on handling creative blocs or periods of low inspiration?

FADEVENOM: We must start by understanding blocs are unavoidable. As long as the brain works, it always has the tendency to be strained. The ways to handle blocks is often particular to the creative, but it is important to note that it is possible to get out of a block,take some time off,do what you love to do,clean your ears out with fresh music,listen to things you haven’t heard before,see the world (touch grass)..but come back with a fresh mind.

8. What advice would you give to aspiring music producers?

FADEVENOM: Always keep trying to get better, listen to producers in the game who you believe are ahead in the game, watch them. Do not be afraid to copy, but copy and be better. Always strive to do what others aren’t, try to not be generic,think of things that others aren’t doing.most times,the songs I love the most, are the ones where the producers go out of the box to make (I ask myself, how did he/she think of this,how can I do this,how can I get better). Also, always make sure to find producer communities,the only way to get better is as a community, no man is an island you get better by learning things from other producers. Connect with everyone in the industry,from the underground space where you’re in and build your way up.

9. Are there any common mistakes you see new producers make and how can they avoid them?

FADEVENOM:  One mistake beginner producers often make is thinking music theory is not important. The slightest knowledge of music theory would give you a slight edge above your peers. The knowledge I have in music theory, I have known ways to implement it in music that has gone great. You don’t have to be Jacob collier level or Beethoven level, but you have to understand music theory even just a little bit. You also have to know your DAW. Understand your DAW to a point where you could do things faster with your eyes closed. Also do not be afraid to use samples, it’s 2024, sampling is cool, get with the program,(ps make sure your samples won’t give you copyright issues)…but sample as much as possible. Some of the best songs have samples in them. You watch how creative you can gt when you flip them around.
Also keep bombing (by that I mean keep getting at it). Don’t ever feel like you’re at your peak, no one is ever at the peak, there’s always something new to learn. Lastly use different ideas from different places, there are different places to pick sounds from, make sure your sound selection is A1, but spread your wings, that rnb chord could work on amapiano you won’t know until you try. Keep trying to mix things from different places, sometimes I’d pick sounds from different countries and mix them in afrobeats,I could pick a ghuzeng from Japan and use it in an amapiano beat,as long as it sounds good,you’re good to go!

Wowee! Wasn’t that an amazing session! And we will be back with even more exciting content and we hope to find you sticking around. Until Next Time

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You can check out Fade on his Socials:

Instagram:  @fadethevenom

Twitter:  @fadethevenom

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