The Savvy Producer | Productivity and Efficiency in Music Production

The final episode of the year! We're all in the midst of wrapping up projects before the holidays and thinking ahead to 2024, so I though I'd take this episode to share what I do before every new year, to make sure my goals are clear I know how to reach them. In this episode I talk about:

- The importance of celebrating your wins

- How to find areas for improvement in your music production business

- The key to setting goals and actually achieving them

Marsden Mastering - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/⁠

This week we have Harley Eblen on the podcast chatting about how one Instagram post changed his business forever (and allowed him to double his rates), why he uses a light phone and how he's dialled in his recording process and studio so that he can get from idea to recording in seconds.

With a lifelong obsession for understanding what makes music so impactful, Harley arranges and records strings from his home studio nestled in the trees of Ashland, Oregon. 

His approach to string arranging combines his abilities as a cellist, songwriter, and a producer. He’s recorded strings on dozens of albums, worked with artists like Cayson Renshaw, Haley and Michaels, Jim Brickman, Laurie Lewis, Thomas LaVine, Vintz Desert, Genesis Ritchoot, Joel Iglesias, Matt and Savanna Shaw, and Jordan Hart. His work is regularly featured on AlexRainbird, Indie Folk Central, and Indie Music Center, Spotify, and Apple editorial playlists.

Follow Harley:

Website

Instagram

TikTok

Marsden Mastering - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/⁠

Black Friday has just gone by and I’m sure many of picked up some nice new plugins. It’s a time of year that seems to be especially hyped up in the audio industry - we’re bombarded with sales emails and ads from plugin companies trying to make us feel some sort of FOMO if we don’t buy what they’re selling. If you've listened before, you'll know I like to keep my plugin library lean, but this year I've actually made some additions, so I thought I'd share the questions I ask myself before every plugin purchase to make sure it's a good move both for business and creatively! I talk about:

- Staying on top the curve with new technology

- Breaking a "stale" period and sparking new creativity

- The importance of demoing plugins (most people don't do this properly)

Marsden Mastering - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/⁠

Understanding your client's creative vision - This is more important than any of the skills you learn in audio school. It's more important than any piece of gear, instrument, or plugin in your studio. And if you can't get this right, you're simply not going to be able to keep your clients happy, give them a product that they love and keep them coming back to you. In this episode I talk about:

- Why working with the right artists is key

- The questions you need to ask before every project

- The secrets to easy revisions

- Why you should probably raise your rates

Marsden Mastering - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/⁠

Last week I put an ask me anything up on Instagram and had some great questions, so I thought I'd answer them in more detail on the show! In this episode I talk about:

- Lessons you can learn from the most experience producers and mixers I work with

- How I combat ear fatigue when mastering full time

- How I use automation in mastering

- Balancing efficiency with creativity

Marsden Mastering - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/⁠

If you have any of these four toxic mindsets, you could be massively hurting your music production journey without even realising. In this episode, I address the worst mindsets you can have in the music industry and give you the alternative beliefs that will help you to crush it moving forwards. I talk about:
- Why nobody is your competition

- How you can stop the comparison game on social media

- Why the belief that artists have no budget couldn't be further from the truth

- Why you should tell everybody your production secrets

Freebie - How busy music producers can crush their schedule and keep their clients happier, without stress or overwhelm - ⁠⁠⁠marsdenmastering.com/trello⁠⁠⁠

Full show notes - ⁠⁠⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/thesavvyproducer/39

Always trying to convince your clients to get their music professionally mastered? This episode is for you!

I’ve lost count of the amount of producers and mixers I’ve spoken to who say they’d love more of their artists to go to a specialist mastering engineer and they’re always trying to convince them, but 9 times out of 10, they end up having to master their own projects.

I have a really simple solution for this that makes the whole production process run more smoothly, ensures your artists are getting the best possible final result and lets them avoid the overwhelm they often feel around mastering.

Freebie - How busy music producers can crush their schedule and keep their clients happier, without stress or overwhelm - ⁠⁠marsdenmastering.com/trello⁠⁠

Full show notes - ⁠⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/thesavvyproducer/38

This week we have an interview with Manchester based mixing engineer, Joshua Riley. In our chat, we covered everything from why Joshua keeps a minimal plugin library, how he mixes quickly and still delivers his absolute best work every time and what he thinks is the key to keeping a happy client base.

Follow Joshua Riley on Instagram.

Freebie - How busy music producers can crush their schedule and keep their clients happier, without stress or overwhelm - ⁠⁠marsdenmastering.com/trello⁠⁠

Full show notes - ⁠⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/thesavvyproducer/37

Ever have those days where you're just not motivated? Me too! In this episode I wanted share four things (plus a little bonus tip) that help me to stay productive, even if I'm not feeling up to it at first. I talk about:

- How you can automate the boring, repetitive studio tasks that get in the way of your creativity

- Why you should try only working in one place

- The advantages of a simple, minimal studio space

- Time blocking to crush your day

Freebie - How busy music producers can crush their schedule and keep their clients happier, without stress or overwhelm - ⁠marsdenmastering.com/trello⁠

Full show notes - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/thesavvyproducer/36

This week we have a really exciting interview with recording and mixing engineer, Joe Marsh. In our chat, we covered everything from how Joe runs recording sessions efficiently and makes sure everyone's staying productive in the studio, how he uses keyboard maestro to save hours and hours every single week and how he makes sure that his clients and his bands are really happy with his work and want to come back to him again and again.

Follow Joe:

www.joemarshrecording.com

Instagram

TikTok

Freebie - How busy music producers can crush their schedule and keep their clients happier, without stress or overwhelm - ⁠marsdenmastering.com/trello⁠

Full show notes - ⁠https://marsdenmastering.com/thesavvyproducer/35