- HIGH END TIMES
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- Imitate But Never Duplicate
“He didn’t text me back…did I piss him off?”
I have a friend who’s been showing me his music for years.
And yes, technically, his music has gotten better over time.
The sound quality is higher and his mixing is clearer.
But he hasn’t been able to develop a unique sound.
And I think I know why.
“You are really good at copying others,” I texted him.
“But you take it too far. The reference is too literal most of the time.”
“You will never start sounding like you if you don’t begin to trust your own ideas.”
Then…
No response.
He left me on read.
Eventually my friend came around…
We talked on the phone the next day, and I told him what I’m about to tell you.
Let’s breakdown how copying others (intentionally) can be your path to finding your own sound.
How to copy your way to originality.
I’ve been using this framework in my own productions for over 15 years (at least).
It’s worked really well for me and it might work for you.
Maybe you’ve already been doing it without even realizing?
I call it copywork.
Let’s break it down…
The Scenario:
You hear a beat or a track you like, and as a producer, you think to yourself, “that’s a dope beat, I’m going to try and make my own version.”
This is GOOD thinking and 100% natural.
Staring at a blank Ableton session can be intimidating.
I love opening up my DAW knowing what kind of vibes I’m going to produce that day.
BUT HERE’S THE TRICK:
You only take 1 or 2 elements from the track AT MOST.
Let me explain…
If you love the drum pattern, go ahead, rip that shit.
Or maybe you like the melody, yup, steal it.
But then…that’s it!
Take the parts you like from the reference track and then make a hard decision to venture off on your own.
*Bonus points if you copy the part you like from memory instead of literally copying it.
Here’s why this works.
The reference track is like having a map to start your production session with.
But when making music, sometimes getting lost is also half the fun, right?
Playing with synths and effects produces a lot of happy accidents that we keep in our music all the time.
If we knew exactly what we were doing every moment of a session, we’d get bored quick.
When you copywork tracks you leverage that initial inspiration and momentum.
You avoid that initial session drag and make a lot of music in a short amount of time.
For example:
Let’s say you rip a melody from a track you really like.
Now you start building an original track around it.
You start adding your own drums, chords, and bass.
Maybe you speed up the tempo?
Maybe you transpose the melody so it’s in a different key?
Maybe you resample the melody and start chopping up the notes to make a new melody?
Maybe you replay the melody on a weird synth patch that is totally unlike the original?
You see where this is going, right?
If you continue on this path, you’ll make something that hints at the original but feels totally you.
Now I will admit…
Every now and then, you might drift far away from the original vibe and not like what you end up with.
But other times, that difference is exactly why you love it!
Let’s recap:
• Copying isn’t about imitation; it’s about inspiration.
• Only grab 1 or 2 elements from your reference track AT MOST.
• The goal is not to be a carbon copy of your influences but to use them as a springboard for your creativity.
• Trust your own ideas and enjoy the process.
• Don’t be afraid to get a bit lost along the way—happy accidents keep things exciting and creative.
• Next time you’re staring at a blank session, go through your music library and grab a reference.
Your unique sound is out there, waiting to be found and developed.
You got this!
I finally updated my Soundcloud and created my own Brenmar Bandcamp page with the new 2024 remixes.
I had a few people tell me they didn’t love Dropbox because they couldn’t easily stream the tracks. Problem solved!
Chat next week!
Peep the goodies below!
Brenmar
Attention! 🚨
I’m brainstorming a product that I think can help a lot of music producers.
But in order to be the most helpful, I need some feedback.
IF YOU HAVE A DEMO YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND WANT SOME PERSONAL FREE FEEDBACK FROM ME ON IT….
RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL AND LET ME KNOW!
Due to time, I can only accept the first 3 people to respond.
Sound Bites 🔉
Whoa! 250 great free plug-ins. Warning: You probably don’t need most of these but feel free to take a look!
Clone Any Voice with AI. Wild but potentially really useful. HERE
Nerdy but interesting podcast on Arturia, the soft synth company.
Tools & Misc ⚒️
Nina, which is like a blockchain-based Soundcloud, just launched an IOS app. Another spot to dig for gems! HERE
If you like skateboarding, you’ll love this homemade Youtube documentary on Yuto Horigome.
Feed this simple AI app an image and receive an MS Paint version back. Good for some laughs.
REMIXES 🎶
ALL 2024 REMIXES ON BANDCAMP
ALL 2024 REMIXES ON SOUNDCLOUD