Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers

by Dennis DeSantis

For many artists, nothing inspires more existential terror than actually making art. The fear that we’re not good enough or that we don’t know enough results in untold numbers of creative crises and potential masterpieces that never get realized.

Electronic musicians used to be able to hide behind clunky, emerging technology as an excuse for inaction. But musicians today live in a golden age of tools and technology. A ninety-nine-cent smartphone app can give you the functionality of a million-dollar recording studio. A new song can be shared with the world as soon as it’s finished. Tutorials for every sound design or music production technique can be found through a Google search. All of these developments have served to level the playing field for musicians, making it possible for a bedroom producer to create music at a level that used to be possible only for major-label artists.

But despite all of this, making music is still hard. Why?

Making Music was written both to answer this question and to offer ways to make it easier. It presents a systematic, concrete set of patterns that you can use when making music in order to move forward. It will teach you how to make music using technology, with a specific emphasis on solving musical problems, making progress, and (most importantly) finishing what you start.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Art, Reference, Self Help, Unfinished, Essays

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2015

Reviews

[Maxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esoteric electronic music alchemy methods. Incredibly insightful & helpful creative catalysts for musicians of all persuasions. I keep a copy with me 24/7.

[Math Erao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super inspiring and a really easy read. Loved the format and got so many good ideas. Above all, it’s just nice being reminded that the struggles you have as a writer/producer of music are generally universal — and easy to work through if you have the right mindset.

[Salvodaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you call about a book that teaches you so many valuable methods, gives you a new perspective and a good amount of information on a creativity-related subject as music production? Perfect.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of 74 extremely concepts as they relate to the common bottlenecks of beginning, progressing, and finishing tracks. I read this on my Kindle but might pick up a print copy for quick reference just because it was so good. While this book does lean more towards the electronic side of music production, I would recommend this to anyone with a DAW that has an interest in improving their output, regardless of genre.

[Edmund Schaefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive introduction to musical theory for anyway that wants to make their own music, especially digitally. I read it from front to back, but I would have been better served reading a couple of tips a week and trying to incorporate those specifically into my music. I will revisit and try and do that in the future.

[Bryan Dunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many useful tidbits and new ways of thinking about music creation. Probably worth a read once a year.

[Clayton Dryden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read for anyone looking to make any sort of music. Could be a good read for other artistic endeavors too. Doesn’t take long to read but isn’t short of some real insight and nitty gritty techniques. I read the free PDF but might buy a copy to keep on hand!

[John Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting things here - it is really to give you ideas about creating music. To that purpose it works and I have done some things suggested in the book and they have improved my music.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book straight through; I am not an experienced composer. I'll be back in the future once I run into specific problems when making music.

In the meantime I've learned a lot about how to listen to music and for that it is already worthwhile. I found the sections on attentive listening, effective melodic composition, harmonic vs surface rhythm, and composition forms all very enlightening. This is another one of those books that seems to uncover a whole slice of the world by giving me the tools to think about it.

[Ign33l · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me its like whenever you feel lazy starting to make music but you want to but theres so many elements that you get tired thinking of it and do not k ow where to start; then you read this and study a couple of these advises and you are juiced up to start and you cant wait to apply this to whats killing you in your head

[AJ Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an intermediate level producer, I found that I was aware a lot of the strategies presented in the book. That being said, there was plenty to left to discover and revisit. I love the way the book is formatted and organized. It's definitely a great tool for inspiration and "producer's-block".

[Galya Georgieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and easy to read

I like how the author structures their topics
The book is based on question (problem) and solvation as provided full guidance step by step with screenshots examples

[Pedro Anjos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good set of strategies to add interesting elements/ variation/ composition techniques to your tracks, and great tips for fighting creating blocks and finding ways to work around them. I loved the pragmatic approach to music making that the author seems to have - sometimes you just have to push through and finish things, or move on, even if they are not perfect or don't seem like the thing you idealized initially.
It's worth reading through but it's much better to use as a guide to consult for specific problems when composing - which I believe is also what the author intended.
I loved seeing how some of the problems I faced are apparently common enough to be written about. A great book, and definitely good for musicians and producers working across DAWs - not just in Ableton Live.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book. The concepts to counter writer's block that are explored can surely be transposed to a multitude of other creative endeavours as well.

The examples used paint a clear picture in the readers head and the references to contemporary and vintage as well as electro and organic pieces don't go unappreciated.

Of particular interest is the notion of "Hemingway Mode" where the user abstains from the use of the delete / backspace key for an unobstructed unravelling of creative motifs.

[Hayden Yuriy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring and motivational book. As a beginning music producer, this was able to cover many of the issues I find myself running into and provide actionable solutions to said problems.

You can probably find all this information on the internet for free but I think there’s something to be said for having it all in one place. I also feel I learn better from reading and then applying than I do just watching videos.

Overall, a great read for all levels of producers. Will be returning to it often as I continue progressing.

[Sami Shaaban · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you make music on a computer, the bite-sized chapters in this book will make you think the author was reading your mind. The creative tips here probably apply to anyone engaged in a creative endeavor, but might only be interesting enough for you to connect to what you do if you also make electronic music.

Even though an e-book was vastly less expensive than the hard copy, I ordered the "real" book from Ableton and expect to read it about 12 more times over the next decade.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Many of the tips can be applied to other types of art, but electronic music producers will find the most value. I have found myself referencing this a lot when making music. The organization around 'beginning a song', 'progressing through a song', and 'finishing a song' is perfect, and a lot of content of this book are somewhat simple tips that while intuitive are not things you actively are aware of until you read them.

[Aleksandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's at least a few great insights for any level of producer, and a wealth of information for beginners.

The first part is mostly about setup and getting organized, which are crucial steps for unleashing creativity.

The second and third part are more practical in terms of composing and are going to help considerably in going from beginner to intermediate level of electronic music composition.

[Bojack Horseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way that the book is laid out is incredibly good, for me it has things that I've had experience even though I've tried to make songs just a few times and go through a course on production, but it completely resonates with what a beginner or advanced producer could feel on the journey. Dennis DeSantis walks the walk and talks the talk and the books is a good read and future reference when you are in the same situations as he mentions, which you probably will.

[Alexander Baygeldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The creative side of things is rarely covered in other sources. This book is one of a kind. There are a lot of books that focus on the technical side of music production, but here we have a set of highly concise and practical lifehacks that can (and will!) boost your creativity and increase productivity.

[Pontmaxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consigli pratici sulla creazione musicale (applicabili come concetti generali a quasi tutte le arti). Non è un manuale tecnico, non vi spiega come fare il suono di cassa o bilanciare le frequenze nel mix, tratta l'approccio artistico a livello più alto, ma allo tesso tempo pratico: problema --> soluzioni. Consigliato. Si scarica gratuitamente dal sito di Ableton.

[Michael Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight talk!

The book is straightforward advice from your friend who's "been there, done that". Really useful and even for the experienced, it provides confirmations for recurring moments of doubt and confusion, and for the new amlng us, grants permissions to be like everybody else, human, and take strength from doing so. I liked it!

[Jim Lemanowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting creative strategies

Interesting, thoughtful creative strategies for music-making - at times with an emphasis on electronic music - which may even have relevance in other disciplines.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would call it the Bible for musicians. Must read especially for solo musicians who are making use of electronic music. Some parts were too short and would be better to elaborate more. That is why 4 stars. Otherwise, very valuable advices regarding almost any roadblocks in music making process.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels like the kind of book you should always keep within arm's reach when producing, so that you can dip in whenever inspiration or motivation runs dry. A wealth of great ideas; too many to digest in one reading.

[Clicky Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with practical tips and observations for approaching music production. Each one is short, and so easily digestible, but also contains useful information and ideas. Once to come back to.

[Tbueno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about tips to get out of creative blocks while creating music. Even though the title and topics are around producing Electronic Music, i felt that most of the tips apply to any modern musician or hobbyst (as in my case) of any musical style.

[Artist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answers questions that are actually asked by people who want to make music. A mix between generalized principles and unique ideas to drive creativity. applicable from pop to experimental, with lots of thoughtful consideration explicitly for experimental musicians

[Toto Tvalavadze · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter what level you are, this book is packed with great starter, work-in-progress and finishing ideas. For beginners it's basically pure gold—must read.

[Eduardo Moura · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you make music, whether it's electronic or not, reading this book is a must.