Backing up simply means, duplicating all of your files to another location which isn’t your computer. Majority of people back up to an external hard drive. If you have an Apple computer, then you may use Time Machine, which automatically backs up the entire computer. The reason we back-up our files is so if we lose our computer or it simply crashes, we don’t loose all of the hard work we put into our music. We can simply transfer our files across to a new computer.
What’s wrong with using an external hard drive?
There is nothing wrong with an external hard drive. However it is not the safest way to back up or music. External hard drives can break by dropping, or even old age. If you move around a lot you can also easily lose it, or it can be stolen (especially if it is in the same bag as your laptop). I have a few friends that have forgotten their bags on the tram which contained both laptop and hard drive.
So what’s the “Safest” way?
I think the best way to back up your music files is to use a third party, online file storage program such as Dropbox or Google Drive. I use Dropbox, so I will use that as a walkthrough to show you why it’s so valuable. First of all, the files are stored online. This means the files can’t be lost, or stolen, or damaged due to a broken hard drive. My favourite reason for using this system though, is because it automatically syncs to Dropbox. That means as you work on your music, your computer is automatically backing it up. Now it is important to note, I will be using an Apple laptop for this walkthrough as I do not own a Windows computer.
How to set Dropbox up
First of all you’re going to have to create an account with Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/plans Unfortunately their free plan only allows for 2gb of storage, which most likely isn’t enough. However in my opinion, having your music backed up is well worth the money. The 2tb plan is probably the best option for anyone on a budget. Once you’ve created an account, make sure you download the Dropbox App.
Once you have installed the app, given it permission to everything it needs, open the application and log in. Now you can use the app to make changes, upload etc, however we are going to just use the Apple finder folder instead. If you open your finder folder, you should now see a Dropbox folder in the left hand panel. Anything in this folder will automatically sync with Dropbox. So the next step is to make a folder called “Music”. This is where all of your project folders will be created and stored. Now when ever you save, record, consolidate, all of those files will automatically upload to dropbox.
Here is an example of how I have my dropbox set up on my MacBook Pro.
Its good to practice make a brand new folder for each Ableton Project, and then save the Ableton Project in those folders. You can see in the image above that the project titled “Loss” does not have its own folder. This is a bad habit by me and I do not recommend doing this.
Another beautiful thing about this set up is, now you can access your projects from anywhere in the world!
I hope this helps, and has helped you figure out how to more easily backup your music. Let me know, what do you think is the best way to back up your music files? If you have any questions please feel free to get in contact with us! https://openeyestudios.com.au/contact/ Much love, Zak
How To Write More Music – In this blog I’ll discuss my top techniques and tips to write more music, and finish your songs! No matter how far along the music journey we are, we can all struggle with finishing the songs we have started. Sometimes when we first start writing/producing, it can be very easy to look at your idols and wonder how they can churn so much music out. In this blog we will discuss our top tips to get you writing music faster, and to start finishing your songs consistently.
1. Production Reports
A production report is basically a review of the music you have written, mixed, or produced. To do this, either grab a pen and paper, or even better open up a program you can type into (I highly recommend Evernote). The next thing you want to do is hit play on your recording, and simply list everything you don’t like, need to change, what sounds bad or what doesn’t work. The key here is to listen all the way through as it will give you complete context.
The reason why this is so good is because most people listen back to their work in its entirely. They notice something they don’t like and instantly go to fix it. The problem with this is, it’s like falling down a rabbit hole. You instantly forget everything else you wanted to fix. You also may not get the chance to listen to the piece in its entirety, which then doesn’t give you proper context. Instead now you are going to have a list of things you want to work on and any ideas for the track. Your not going to forget them cause they are written down.
2. Limit Your Options
This one can have a huge impact on not just on your productivity but also your creativity. With DAWs we can have so many sample packs, presets and instruments, that sometimes we spend half of our time just searching for sounds.
However, if you choose to limit your samples and instruments you’ll be forced to come up with new ideas and get even more creative. For example, I was bored with Ableton and my producing slowed down as I spent more and more time searching for instruments and samples. I ended up deciding to only create with my Elektron Digitakt + only 6 drum samples. This forced me to record my vocals and guitar lines into the Digitakt. The Digitakt also has only 2 effects (reverb + delay) so I couldn’t spend forever messing around with effects. In the end I produced 2 different songs in 1 night.
A few limiting ideas
Only use 8 samples, or 1 drum kit
Try using only 1-2 synths
Limit yourself to 8 audio/midi tracks
Only use 4 chords
Perhaps try all of these ideas at once? You’ll be amazed at how creative you become.
3. Accept Your Music Will Sound Bad
It may be hard to hear this, but no matter how good you become at music, no matter how successful you are, you are going to write bad music. The crazy thing is, you’re probably going to write more bad music than good, but you will also write amazing music. Once you accept that not every song is going to be amazing, or sound exactly how you were expecting, you will naturally stop obsessing over making it “sound right” or “work” and you will just finish it. This is something you will have to remind yourself forever, I for one, still get caught up on a song sounding bad and try to fix it. If it sounds bad, just finish it and forget about it.
4. Commit to finishing
This one everyone struggles with and is the key to actually finishing your music. It’s obvious, but we often overlook it. Simply put, you need to commit to finishing your songs. It is so easy, to fall out of love with an idea or loop and want to start fresh and make something new. Or sometimes we we don’t like the track, abandon it, and start writing a new song. The problem with constantly abandoning songs is that you don’t get to practice every step of the songwriting process.
You will become really good at generating ideas, but you will begin to lack finishing them and mixing them. Even if you don’t like the song, you may like it in a couple of months, or you may be able to show it to a singer who loves it and wants to purchase it from you. I have stacks of tracks, fully produced and finished just sitting on my hard drive. They probably will never be heard, but finishing them improved many of my skills.
So when you think of abandoning the song, commit to finishing, and you will soon get into the habit of finishing more tracks.
Conclusion
I hope this helped you, and do not be afraid to reach out if you have any questions 🙂 If you’d like One-to-One music production lessons, then check out our Ableton Live Lessons. Good luck writing and producing your music! Much Love, Zak
