When I was starting out producing, I would get really frustrated by the quality of the music I was making.
It didn’t measure up to the sound of the songs I was trying to reference. So I decided that I needed to get better at editing (which turned out NOT to be true) and better at mixing (which was actually true, but not as important as I thought).
So I did that! I became very excellent at editing my audio using beat detective, elastic audio, and a bunch of other methods. For better or worse, I was editing the life out of my tracks and making them “perfect.”
But it didn’t help that much. Even as my mixes improved, I felt like the music I was making was still flat, lifeless, and boring.
And then I hired some professional musicians.
Up until that point I was either playing everything myself or hiring my closest friends to play on the records I was making. And I love those people dearly, but music was a hobby for most of them. I did this because I thought I couldn’t afford to hire pros.
Once I started using musicians who played on sessions full time, the quality of my work was basically 10x overnight, and I realized that I couldn’t afford NOT to use pros anymore.
I learned that not only did they come up with better parts to play than I did, but they executed them better, with better tone, and in less time than it took my friends. AND they performed in a way that I didn’t have to edit their takes later which saved me a ton of time on the back end.
Did they charge me more? Absolutely. But here’s what you GAIN by allocating more of your production budget toward pro musicians:
They work faster, so you get more done in less time during the session.
They’re proficient at their instruments and need less coaching.
They have professional attitudes and respond well to feedback and collaboration.
They come up with better parts for the song.
They are typically better at playing in tune.
They invest more money in their gear, and they don’t compromise on the sound quality of their instruments.
They have better rhythm which means you don’t have to spend time editing the timing of their parts later.
Professional musicians are more expensive, yes, but they elevate the quality of your productions in a way that editing or mixing literally cannot do.
I would rather hear a terrible mix of amazing musicians than a 💫super amazing💫 mix of mediocre musicians.
If you don’t know any pro musicians, ask around for references! Or hire a producer to help you with this part - Knowing the right musicians for the right project is one of the most important skills a producer has.
You can also use websites like soundbetter or airgigs to find players who work remotely, thought that can be hit or miss in my experience.
However you do it, hire professional musicians. I promise this will make a huge difference in your work.